Our 'Nuclear Free Moment' is upon us. We have three years to start lowering our emissions before the bomb goes off.
Instead of trying to defuse the bomb, we have been setting the timer.
Global emissions must peak in just three years to stay below 1.5°C
A major report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that the window for avoiding more than 1.5°C of global warming has almost closed, with immediate and drastic cuts the only way to stay below the target
Adam Vaughn – New Scientist, 4 April 2022
Scientists say rapid, deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions can still keep the world’s target of holding global warming to 1.5°C within reach, but humanity’s emissions must peak within just three years to avoid breaching the important limit.,,,
….how societies can meet that tight “carbon budget” require emissions to peak by 2025, before falling 43 per cent by 2030 on 2019 levels. That would require a gargantuan political effort,
From the sound of it I had thought it was probably the launch of Putin's new superyacht which would be available to him when he seeks refugee status here.
Instead it is just another repeat of what we have been told is coming … sometime … maybe.
By the way did you see the date on Anne's first link? Where we have the bold claim that "This is my generation's nuclear-free moment and I am determined that we will tackle it head on". Five years ago. What happened?
“Our climate targets are not optional, they are critical – the Emissions Reduction Plan will set out how we are going to achieve them, and what we must all do to make it happen.
“There are those who will try and tell you, when it comes to climate change, New Zealand is too small to be counted – this report should well and truly dispel us of that notion. We are part of the problem and we must be part of the solution,” the Minister said."
Are you aware of what is being launched in New Zealand in May this ?
I am aware it will not be a gargantuan effort.
I am aware that it will not stop our emissions increasing.
I am aware that 'it', climate change, will NOT be something we will "tackle head on".
I am aware that coal will still be mined and exported from this country.
I am aware that Huntly Coal Fired Power Station will still remain operating.
I am aware that green house emitting companies like Air New Zealand and Comalco will still continue to receive government subsidies.
I am aware that the price of fossil fuels will not have to take into account the price of their emissions. This cost to be loaded on to future generations.
I am aware that things will be the same the day after the May climate change launch as they were the day before the climate change launch.
I am aware no leadership will be taken.
I am aware that despite our government's overwhelming majority in the house of representatives, not one single concrete enforceable piece of legislation will be passed to actually reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. And that our Greenhouse gas emissions will keep on increasing. Because, Y'know 'consensus'.
I am aware that Blah, Blah, Blah, will be the rule and not the exception.
Does anyone here have a hybrid car? I had my snazzy little Toyota Vitz stolen on Friday. Do they make a hybrid version? Are they more expensive and whereabouts in Auckland would they be available? Used of course. Can't afford a new car.
I have a Toyota Aqua that's really cheap to run .Would be great in a town situation .If I don't have to make the 2 hour trip into the city, I usually spend currently about $15 a week on petrol.
It happened in the early hours Friday morning – the day I had been cleared to start driving again after knee op. Car had been sitting in garage unused for six weeks and the garage is invisible from the road.
Prowlers have been prowling?
Yes you’re right. Mine was very economical to run.
Yes I have a hybrid. Cut down my emissions by half. And extremely reliable. Only tyres and regular service in the 5 years of ownership. Best car ever and that includes a number of expensive European cars. Toyota make a hybrid corolla and the aqua. My next car. Full electric does not have the range I need here. Apart from the expensive tesla.
Thanks for that Macro. Will certainly look into it. Price is a big consideration but I should like to do my bit to reduce emissions.
Yesterday around 3 pm I went for a walk to my local shopping precinct. Passed 3 schools on the way. A grammar school, intermediate and primary. I was staggered! SUV after SUV plus a few 4WD’s were parked along the roads – all of them with their motors running. It was a hot day too. I estimate there was around 30 to 40 of them and that might be an underestimate. I wanted to pull those entitled mums out of their cars and give them right bollocking.
The government should be implementing both a fuel and energy conservation campaign.With the former we will struggle to maintain our existing current account deficit,and there are significant shortages in distillates especially jet fuel and diesel.A good example of bad timing for shutting the refinery down.Diesel is in global shortage.
Electricity is at the security warning stage,with low hydro and wind,and only coal sustaining continuity of supply and whose price is also upsiding (australian coal exports will be north of 150 billion this year and their current account surplus at record levels)
If you do the economy would shrink substantially and the ones that suffer most will be all those who are on the bottom of the heap so to speak.
I think a lot of the consequences are being silenced, opening the door for more state control.
At the same time no one is making any suggestion what to do with those 3 – 4 million cars running on conventional fuel. Just discard them onto a deserted field? Or the ocean? Down a bank? You can drive to the landscape and find plenty of unwanted wrecks.
Have any of those who have the great ideas ever considered to look at means converting existing cars to hydrogen or other fuels? Maybe all those billionaires who have profited from the oil boom can finance that (year right Tui). It would be a small contribution to make good on the damage on which they earned their fortune.
And just to make clear, NZ has no public transport to speak off to maintain a daily routine for its workers whose income will never be enough to afford these cars. Either several billion dollars are being invested in the network or alternative fuels are being made available.
As for electric cars, they are not affordable for most average wage earners.
And of cause there is the issue of the batteries. NZ has neither the skills nor the means of recycling that needs different processes for different types.
So another very very dirty disposal of DG material in the landscape?
How do you reconcile all of this and what are the plans to implement other then to hand more money to the rich?
"EV batteries are larger and heavier than those in regular cars and are made up of several hundred individual lithium-ion cells, all of which need dismantling. They contain hazardous materials, and have an inconvenient tendency to explode if disassembled incorrectly.
EV BATTERIES are constructed a bit like nested dolls. Typically, a main pack holds several modules, each of which is constructed from numerous smaller cells (see graphic, below). Inside each cell, lithium atoms move through an electrolyte between a graphite anode and a cathode sheet composed of a metal oxide. Batteries are usually defined by the metals in the cathode. There are three main types: nickel-cobalt-aluminum, iron-phosphate, and nickel-manganese-cobalt.
I'm pretty sure running a substack page only produces an moderate independent writers income, quite far from millions. And in Joe Rogans case he made his deal well before covid began and certainly has plenty of non ivermectin material.
It looks like the withdrawal by the Russians has been rushed and chaotic. From the images that have been seen on the news, the Russians have been heavily attacked as they withdrew, and it looks like there are pockets left behind that may well end up as POWs.
The battle looks likely to move to the east. However, I have seen other reports that the Russians soon may run into difficulty there as temperatures are increasing, rain is forecast, and the whole area could become very muddy and difficult to manoeuvre their heavy weapons into.
Also, it looks like NATO is moving to supply heavier, more offensive weapons to Ukraine.
Along with all the anti-tank and anti-aircraft munitions that have been helping the Ukranians defend expertly, the addition of heavier weapons may well swing the balance of the conflict in their favour.
Such weaponry being moved east will be a target for the Russian air force, so moving it should occur after advanced forces are in place with stingers on aircraft flight paths first (to take down aircraft before they can attack).
Yes. I think they are getting more long range anti-aircraft systems as well. I hope they NATO bends and supplies them with more planes. Anti-artillary systems, and a lot more than 100 switchblade drones would make a major difference as well. Anti-ship missiles could be a game changer as a lot of cruise missiles are fired from Russian ships.
A big concern I have for them is that, as they fight further east, the logistic problems that have plagued the Russians could start becoming an issue for the Ukranians. So, will be interesting to see how they handle that.
I understand the Ukranian army now has more tanks than they had at the start of the war due to captured equipment from the Russians. An advantage for them is that they use the same sort of equipment as the Russians, so anything they capture they can put back into immediate service and attack the Russians with their own equipment.
I think one of their main advantages is that they are not so dependent on heavy armour, and are able to attack in small groups that are very impactful with Javelin missiles and the like. This makes them much harder to deal with is they are harder to see. Also, the weather is soon moving into the Ukranians favour.
If Russian tanks etc are forced onto roads they are going to be major targets for the Ukranian Bayraktar drones which are highly effective and help equalise the air power imbalance.
One of the things in favour of the Ukrainians in the north is that there is a lot of forest cover that has enabled the Ukranians to be very effective in setting up ambushes.
I saw a video about the 40km Russian convoy that was stalled. Apparently that was stopped in its tracks by a team of about 30 Ukranians on quad bikes who ambushed the front vehicles of the convoy by riding through forest. They the helped co-ordinate continuing drone strikes on the convoy that was basically paralyzed for a few weeks.
A problem for the Ukranians in the east is that the terrain is much more favourable towards tanks in that it has a lot more open, flat areas of ground. So could be more difficult for them to deal with the Russians there.
That is where the weather may help. If the ground becomes very slushy as predicted, then the open areas may not benefit the Russians so much.
Russian aircraft have low accuracy older technology.
Pilots have had free reign up until the Ukraine.Raining bombs down on chechnia and Syria with no opposition.
Now they are getting shot out of the sky,Morale will be waning just like the ground troops.
Hunger and desperation at home will be another morale sapping indignation.
Afghanistan lead to the break up of the Soviet Union.This could be an end for Putin.All that is needed is a General to turn the Russian military on Putin like what happened to Yeltsin a Drunk.Putin Drunk on power will be going into deep hiding maybe making the task easier for some up an coming Secret agent.
A short summary of an interview with Alain Juillet, former head of France's intelligence services DGSE, on the origins of the war.
He says everyone saw the Ukraine war coming, that "only those who know nothing about this matter can say it was a surprise"…
He says "the French, the Germans, the Russians and the Ukrainians signed the Minsk agreements in 2014 but the Ukrainians didn't respect the agreement during the entire period since. And the Russians were telling us all the time to get them to respect the agreement but we didn't."
He says it's unacceptable to invade a country but he also says that "we are co-responsible for it."
He was also a pro Kremlin pro Poots talking head on RT, a former para-military and one-time leader of the DGSE, the French spook outfit with a shit-list as long as your arm.
The DGSE were responsible for the murder of Fernando Pereira, too.
@aj…, now why isn't that sort of important context carried as a MSM news story?…why wouldn't our state owned news outlet, RNZ, strive to keep the NZ public fully informed with stories, information and news from every angle possible…so the NZ public could eventually form a coherent picture with that information…but no, RNZ will only deliver one view and one view only,.
RNZ are a disgrace to their trade, but worse, misinform the NZ public…..non-reporting of facts is exactly the same as reporting misinformation…and that is a fact.
For his part, Lavrov described the talks as open and useful but he accused NATO of working against Russia. He reiterated Moscow's position that it had "never threatened the Ukrainian people" and had no plans to attack Ukraine.
He also accused the Ukrainian government of using "state terrorism" against the rebels in the east and "sabotaging" the Minsk peace agreements on the conflict there.
Well, if you are concerned with the facts, and not merely the Kremlin feed, you might want to make some use of Meduza. Reporting on Russia, by Russian reporters.
Come on man…that is not what any sane, thinking, serious person would regard as balanced reporting…do you even know what balanced reporting is or looks like?..because from were I am sitting it doesn't appear that you do.
It must be said that your idea of "Balanced Reporting" appears to be confined to the propaganda organs of the Russian state, and a handful of dubious sites like Craig Murray or Consortium News. So clearly you don't meet any of the criteria you set: sane, thinking, or serious.
It seems to be all a joke to you, the constant lying of the Russian state. Meduza is a group of Russian journalists who risk their lives to bring you the truth – but you prefer Putin's lies. People with long familiarity with this culture of dishonesty (and yes, that includes me) do not hurry to swallow Russian disinformation.
Here a retired Estonian president, intimately familiar with this dishonesty, explains it, for folk like you, who clearly are not.
Adrian, as you should be well aware NZ dances almost entirely to the 5eyes tune, 99% of reporting. Select any one days of headlines from the last month and find any story questioning the narratives.
Western media is proving itself again quite incapable of giving citizens anything near a clear, balanced view of yet another important world event…although this I have to say they are really out doing themselves..now they (RNZ being one of the worst local offenders) are just pumping our straight propaganda without even trying to hide their extreme hawkish basis or pretending to offer even the slightest hint of balance in any of their coverage….though we should remember that this unhinged, dangerous and extremely vocal anti Russia propaganda has been being spewed out by all our press, and by all leading US politicians/pentagon without letup for five or six years now….and then we wonder why the Russians are paranoid of their boarders?
Russian troops have opened a "bazaar" in Belarus to trade and sell property looted during the invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Intelligence Directorate (GUR) alleged on Saturday.
Yeah but at least his misspelling revealed something about how Putin sees anyone who opposes him whether in Ukraine or Russia – typical gulag era tyrant.
@ SPC…."Ukrainian Intelligence Directorate (GUR) alleged on Saturday"…are you actually seriously going to link to GUR allegations as part of your debate?…..would you believe allegations made by Russian intelligence?
The destruction can still be seen several weeks later. "They even plundered the second-hand clothing store," scoffs a resident who returned after the town was liberated. "Was that the plan? Invade the place to make off with used clothing? We would have been happy to just send it to them."
The Verkhovna Rada has approved a law providing for the nationalization of the property of Russian citizens, as well as Ukrainian citizens who publicly deny the war.
The document clarifies that residents of Russia (except for legal entities) are also citizens of Russia, as well as persons who are not citizens but have the closest connection with Russia: those who reside or are engaged in major activities there.
You missed the bit where Ukrainian citizens also can have their property confiscated.Ah, the sanctity of private property.Ukraine seems to be full of traitors, from the Ukrainian negotiator who was assassinated to the Ukrainian Generals removed from their posts
Post WW2 most European countries de facto seized the assets of their respective Quislings, collaborators and traitors with a combination of some or all of imprisonment, fines, stripping of civil rights, outright seizure and summary or judicial execution.
This has to be one of the stupidest threads I have seen on TS. Are you seriously complaining that Ukraine is not respecting property rights when their cities are being flattened and citizens murdered in the street, by an invader intent on stealing as much territory as possible???!!!
Ukraine historically has a Russian population of 17%.Its like declaring war on almost a fifth of your population 'Oh wait , they already did, been bombing and killing them since early 2014 , for 8 years straight
You know what's actually "like" declaring war? Invading a country with a couple hundred thousand troops after annexing some of its territory for 8 years..
It is possible that on Saturday the full extent of the horror had yet to emerge
It's correct, until absolute verification either way, the possibility of fakes should be explored. After all, the Ukrainians could have shot those civilians or driven over them in tanks themselves or taken dead soldiers, put them in civvies, and made them up to look like old men and women.
Yes, this could have been staged. It could have been indeed, so that is why it is best to wait to see what comes out from it. It would not be the first time that terrible people get accused of something they did not do, and years later it was found out.
Such is the hatred of Russians or suspected Russian sympathisers , and the hunt for Russian "saboteurs"that we can't know until a proper independent investigation is done.If this is not done, one would have to ask why?
It's very easy to ascertain time of death for instance, or whether bodies have been shifted.
From another angle, the arming of civilians , as Zelensky enabled, was in my opinion a totally dumb move, putting untrained civilians in harms way .Does a civilian shooting at a soldier become a combatant?
1 – The Russians invaded the Ukraine in an unprovoked war of aggression. This is in itself is the highest of war crimes. Wars of aggression have been recognised as crimes since the Treaty of Versailles, and international agreements outlawing them have existed since at least the 1920s. THE VERY FIRST ARTICLE of the UN Charter declares the UN exists to "…for the suppression of acts of aggression…" All and any war crimes related to a war of aggression are therefore by definition also crimes of the perpetrating nation.
2 – The definition of a combatant in international law is hardly a secret, the Geneva conventions define a combatant as "…members of national armed forces or organized groups placed under the effective control of those forces…" Therefore Ukrainian territorial defense forces – even if in civilian clothing – are combatants. And combatants are, at least notionally, protected by the protocals of the Geneva convention – which, I guess I need to spell out, includes not being shot in the back of the head whilst tied up.
3- satellite imagery shows mass graves and bodies in Bucha as far back as three weeks ago, why do you think Biden called Putin a war criminal last week? The United States has better satellites than Maxar, they would have known – as an aside on Morning Report today Nanaia Mahuta mentioned NZ had been "helping" in the collecting of evidence – an oblique reference IMHO to our role in the five eyes network.
4 – If your army have just liberated a town and are chasing the enemy, don't you think they'd have more imprtant things to do (like, say, killing Russian soldiers) than conduct an elaborate exercise in fabricating a massacre?
a totally dumb move, putting untrained civilians in harms way
And dispatching untrained civilians to a mechanised war?
A battalion of volunteers is being formed in North Ossetia to take part in a special military operation in Ukraine. Recruitment takes place on the basis of DOSAAF.
As the director of DOSAAF, MP Boris Kantemirov, told OsNova, for volunteers, this is an opportunity to go to Ukraine within the framework of the law and rules.
“There is an opportunity for people who want to go there, so that they are not on their own, but have an official status. We have a mechanism that will allow us to bring all this under control, so that everything is correct, without spontaneity and in an organizational form. At the same time, the presence of military service behind the shoulders of volunteers is not a prerequisite. We understand that today not everyone has military tickets,” Kantemirov said.
There are a lot of applicants, he says. Many have already gone.
“Everyone understands that this is not just a war in Ukraine, but a war of the whole world against Russia. A lot of people have already left.”
The head of the republican branch of DOSAAF noted that the organization will play a filtering role when recruiting volunteers. Lists of those wishing to take part in a special operation in Ukraine will be transferred to the military registration and enlistment office.
They're forming a volunteer militia , just like Zelensky called for, (but later cancelled as the quality of recruits was so low)
They'll be filtered and assessed and placed under the supervision of regular military
That a far cry from the babushka being trained with wooden rifles by Azov in Kiev, and just opening up the armory for anyone to grab a gun, along with released criminals.
In the liberated city of Bucha, Kyiv region, special units of the National Police of Ukraine began clearing the area of saboteurs and accomplices of Russian troops.
This was reported on Facebook by the National Police of Ukraine.
@The Al1en…"It's correct, until absolute verification either way, the possibility of fakes should be explored"….exactly right, you would think any responsible media outlet would take that statement of your as a given…but as they all seem to believe that they themselves (the western media) are now at war with Russia, by extension, everything they say is now highly suspect.
@ roblogic…thanks, Micheal Tracy really hits the nail on the head at the bottom of that twitter link…..
"Call it "whataboutism," I don't care: it's impossible to take seriously this sudden newfound concern for "war crimes" coming from some of the same exact people who never gave a crap about similar or worse "crimes" committed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, etc."
That would be because your concern relates to superpower regimes, not the populations suffering the atrocities. Thus you could exculpate Assad for instance, for his activities against Aleppo, by claiming a parallel with US behaviour in Iraq, which the Left also strongly condemned.
Laws, as Solon noted, are like spider webs: "If some poor weak creature comes up against them, it is caught; but a big one can break through and get away.”
It is difficult to bring a Bush fils or a Putin to justice. Assad is easier prey.
Prosecuting the Assads makes it easier to bring the Bushes and Putins to justice – we don’t let them off the hook just because some other villains are momentarily out of reach.
"It is difficult to bring a Bush fils or a Putin to justice. Assad is easier prey.Prosecuting the Assads makes it easier to bring the Bushes and Putins to justice"….wow you really are living in a fantasy world over there pal…Bushes, Putins never get brought to justice, end of story.
That pathetic argument is just as hopeless as all your other twists of reality. There have been many condemnations of various American misadventures on this site and other left wing outlets. The MSM happened to ignore them for its own reasons.
Criticism of Russia doesn’t make all media American shills.
"The MSM happened to ignore them for its own reasons"…but do run Ukrainian news 24/7…and that doesn't ring even just a small alarm bell somewhere down deep in that highly repressed critical thinking part of your brain?
Whataboutism" – a term created to extract western warmongers from the difficult position of having done All The Bad Things they accuse others of doing. When someone uses it on you, it means you just killed their argument and exposed their moral bankruptcy.
OK – it is from RT which the critics will decry and the commentary is from Scott Ritter whose background has been attacked ever since he was removed from Iraq so that the team he was with didn't compromise yet another US war of choice but this may interest you The Al1en
Seen the video of ordinary Russians and the hatred they have for Ukrainians? It is disturbing. The slur "Khokhol" is common. Similar to the dehumanising language employed by N*zis during the Holocaust.
All Russian units completely withdrew from Bucha on March 30, and ‘not a single local resident was injured’ during the time when Bucha was under the control of Russian troops,” the Russian MOD said in a post on Telegram.
How many such disproofs will it take for you to treat propaganda sites like Consortium News with a healthy scepticism? We do not call you Putin dupes idly, or to provoke you, but because that is what you have allowed yourselves to become.
The Bandera elite must be liquidated, its re-education is impossible. The social "bog", which actively and passively supported it by action and inaction, must survive the hardships of the war and assimilate the experience as a historical lesson and atonement for its guilt.
Anyone who wants to believe the Kremlin line that the atrocities in Bucha and similar needs to watch this video:
Key points are:
1. Well recognised independent journalists who have documented previous war crimes (including those by the US) have been investigating and reporting these incidents. These journalists were travelling with Ukranian forces when they arrived on the scene.
2. Family members of those killed (including elderly people) have been giving their stories about what happened. They would hardly be so forthright and compelling if the Ukranians had actually done the killing. For example, there was a report on TV1 news last night about a woman who had to bury her own son who was shot by the Russians.
3. This sort of behaviour is very typical of Putin's MO as has been seen in other similar theatres of war such as Grozny.
@tsmithfield…That is a awful thing to watch, any person with a heart will feel all the sympathy in the world for that poor woman….however, there is no context whatsoever as to how or why her son was killed in that video.
He was 27 yo male, do you know if he was killed while fighting with the local militia? or was killed inadvertently by shrapnel?
Without that context what exactly does that video say?….for me, it says is war is shit, and awful and obscene and heartbreaking and pointless.
Just have a look at some of the journalist reports on youtube.
I have seen journalists talking about seeing decaying bodies with hands tied behind their backs and shot execution style. So it definitely isn't just recent killings.
For instance, the town Mayor his wife and son were found killed and tortured.
Yes, but you and I don't know what has really happened in any of those cases..are they executions by Russian forces or cases of retribution killings by Ukrainian extremists retaking the town…or something else?…who actually knows at this point?..probably only the people who pulled the triggers I would say.
Just remember the Ukrainian forces are starting to get a pretty poor reputation for their human right abuses as well…this is some extremely brutal shit right here….
See my posts that I accidently put lower down (12 & 12.1).
Satellite images have shown the bodies were on the streets when the Russians were there, and these images have been geolocated with what was found on the ground.
Its the nature of mankind to travel, to immigrate, the stars are just another extension of that
I hadn't thought of that but maybe when the Hadron Collider was first fired up in 2010 it sent us into a parallel universe and thats why everything has seemed so messed up this last 10 years..
Nope, we are good at messing things up ourself. But humanity seems good at finding excuses for our own short comings.
I always wanted to go to hte stars, sadly i am not going there i would guess. But i don't think that Elon Musk is our answer, mainly because in order to finance his dreams he is selling carbon credits from vehicles most can't afford and who seem to spontaniously combust every now and here and there. I put him in the same category as Bezos, much self love and fuck the rest of humanity. Humanity is a resource to be extracted much like the African workers in his parents emerald mine in Zambia. Only one profits the rest pays the bills.
Unbelievable how people swallow billionaire propaganda. They are the apex predators of capitalism, the pharaohs atop the pyramid built by the blood of a thousand slaves, the dragons sitting on a hoard of gold stolen via the genocide of a nation.
Musk is not a visionary or a genius or any kind of saviour. He's an sociopathic egomaniac, just like all of them.
they are propelling us to somewhere, forward might not be it.
fucking this planet over to the extend that they have to shoot a few humans into space in order to 'survive' is not a solution. And i am all for space travel. Glactica comes to mind, also Terminus. Neither of them are propelled into anything good.
No, it's the workers in his companies, and the taxpayers propping him up that propel him forward. Achievements like space flight are the collective effort of a civilisation. "If I have seen further than others, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants". Individualism and valourising superheroes are the marketing spiel of the ubermensch libertarians.
Musk is not great. The best that may be said is that he represents the potential greatness of the human spirit.
So the Boss departs the game and leaves a massive hole to fill, NZ cricket still can't find a another opener that can average above 30 and still seem to aghast at selecting a proper spinner
Heres my selection for the NZ test team moving forward
1. T Latham
2. D. Conway (yeah its tough on Devon but Youngs going backwards)
3. K Williamson (would have a word with him about bowler rotation and spinners)
4. H. Nicholls
5. W. Young (get his confidence back)
6. C. De Grandhomme (RMF, batting all rounder and better test and FC average then Blundell has)
7. T. Blundell (6 was a position to high)
8. S. Kuggeleijn (RFM, bowling all rounder, FC batting average of 28, bowls with a bit of pace)
9. N. Wagner (LMF, Iron Man, Lionheart, bowls with with broken bones, 'nuff said)
10. T. Boult (LFM, destined to be NZs third best bowler)
11. A. Patel (Spinner, ten wickets in an innings against India at home, 'nuff said)
Tough on K Jamieson and T Southee but selectors have to make the big calls and we need someone that can do a bit of batting in the number 8 position and Jamieson isn't there yet
Jamieson can't be dropped, even if his from of late hasn't been quite as stellar as at the start.
He has attributes that are rare to find in a bowler including his height, bounce, and ability to swing the ball both ways. He also has shown quite a bit of ability with the bat, and looks like it is an area that can be developed.
I would have him instead of Kuggeleijn any day. Kuggeleijn is quite good, but not really much of a threat to international batsmen.
Southee would be hard to drop given that he is still one of our best and most experienced performers. It would be hard to leave him out. I am not so sure about Boult these days. He doesn't seem to be the threat he once was.
Our conditions here don't tend to favour spinners, which is a pity as it means our batsmen don't get to face quality spin that often. Pitches tend not to deteriorate enough for them to become a big factor in most games. And Wagner has tended to perform that role by providing a point of difference with his style, and his ability to bowl for long periods.
One thing that annoys me is that Sodhi gets so little of a look in at test level. IMO that is a mistake. He can actually spin the ball, and seems to be improving with his consistency from what I have seen in the shorter formats. He also seems to have developed a nice flipper as a variation.
A good leg spinner is a major asset to a side and tends to be much more threatening from a wicket-taking point of view. He also has a test 50, so can handle a bat OK.
So far as Blundell goes, he has a test 100 against Australia as an opener. So, his batting can’t be too bad.
If it was just on bowling then sure it'd be Jamieson over Kuggeleijn but in the number 8 position you need to be able to provide consistent runs and Jamieson just can't do that yet
He may be able to work on his batting but at the moment Kuggeleijn is the better batter so he gets the nod.
Like I say its hard on Jamieson and Southee and conditions would certainly dictate who plays but at the moment it feels like the NZs plan of playing 4 seamers isn't working and teams are working out how to negate them
As for conditions suiting spinners in NZ in the test series against SA, SA spinners took 6 wickets and Bangladesh spinners took 7 wickets
I agree with your comments on Sohdi, it feels like NZ want another Vettori (who can blame them) a world class spinner that averages 40 at number 8 would certainly go a long way but at the moment it feels like they're trying force players into roles that aren't suitable
Santner is a very good limited overs bowler and batter but he reminds me of the bits and pieces bowlers NZ used to select back in the 80s and 90s, can bowl a bit and bat a bit but thats about it
Ravindra may turn into a very good number 5 or even opener but playing him as an all rounder makes no sense
Heres Blundells FC and test average vs De Grandhommes FC and test average:
Note he does have a test 50 and an average of 23.40. So, that is a pretty good record for a number nine. His bowling average of 18.72 is better than Hadlee's.
A couple of points about Kuggeleijn is that, firstly, he is quite old for a cricketer, nearly 31 now. So, not really a long term prospect, especially for a bowler. The other point is that he hasn't actually played a test. So, we don't know how his batting would perform against top level bowlers.
I think a mistake we make too often is to try and have lots of all-rounders meaning we can't make enough impact in either the batting or bowling. So far as bowling goes, I think it is good to have one or two all-rounders but help the bowlers to improve their batting. Wagner has been a good example of that in recent times.
No real argument about Blundell. Other than he seems to be a good back-foot player, and not so good against spin. That may explain why he got some good runs as an opener. Though opposition seemed to work out some of his technical weaknesses which he obviously needs to improve on.
They're not batting him at 9 though he's batting in the 8 position and I'll wait to see if he equals Hadlees overall average
Hadlee, Warner, Anderson etc might balk at the idea of 31 being too old, nutrition, training and rehabilitation means players can go on longer than before
Sure he hasn't played a test but by that logic we wouldn't select anyone but we know he's scored 100s and 50s and averages high 20s
True, but Hadlee et al had been in the respect national teams a long time before reaching a similar age.
It takes time to build up the skills and guile. Southee is relying on those sort of skills now rather than pace. Long before Kuggeleijn reached that point he would likely have retired.
I think when it gets to the 8-11 area of batting, then bowling should be the first skill, and batting can be worked on. Jamieson did start out as an opening batsman then developed into a bowler. So, his batting can't be too bad. And having someone with opening batting skills is quite handy at that point for coping with the second new ball.
Sure, I know that Jamieson is only starting his career, and so comparisons with Hadlee are premature. But he didn't get to the point he is at now by being useless, and he has enough tests under his belt to show he is has the talent required.
The other thing I have heard commentators saying about Jamieson is that if you were to create the perfect fast bowler in a laboratory, then you would probably come out with something like Jamieson. The only addition would probably be 10k more in pace. Though he has been working on getting quicker and now is regularly in the mid 130k range, which, along with his bounce makes him a bit of a handful.
They already did that, several times, in the West Indies.
They started with Joel Garner and then improved the model with the pair of Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose. None of them were particularly fast though. Ambrose was probably the fastest with a maximum of about 140kph. Garner was lucky to get up to 125kph.
The problem with all of them was they were, like Jamieson, very tall. Walsh was the runt at 1.98m. With their height they could bowl a bouncer off a full length.
Now take any one of those three and tell me how you could improve the model?
You're aware that Kuggeleijn is in the team already?
That hes played one day and T20 cricket for NZ
What it comes down to me is this, Jamieson is not a test number 8 and since the departure of Watling we don't have the luxury of playing an extra bowler which is what Jamieson is at the moment
Kuggeleijn is the superior batter, hes paid his dues and he'll shore up the batting a little
If you want to make the argument of Jamieson over Wagner and play Jamieson at 9 then thats not a bad one to make but at the moment Jamieson is too high at 8
Jamieson isn't a good enough batter for number 8 and wheres the wicket keeper?
I like Mitchell and I think he'd make a good number 6 but Williamson doesn't seem keen to use him as a bowler
I'm not saying never use Southee or Henry or Jamieson again just that there'll need to be rotating and we need someone that can bat at number 8 (Doug Bracewell is another option)
NZ can't keep playing 4 seamers in the same playing XI and expect the same results, a weakened SA and weakened Bangladesh just played out drawn test series with us at home
In the future then, you could probably make a better case for Kuggeleijn as a potential replacement for CDG if he is going to retire soon, or is injured.
But, as I pointed out below, I don't think the figures justify dropping Jamieson on the basis of his batting.
I don't think a case can be made that Jamieson isn't good enough for a test number 8.
Here are some comparative averages for other test number 8s after recent performances.
Maharaj South Africa 14.72
Stark Australia 22.84
Ali Pakistan 25.37
Woakes England 27.91
De Silva WI 32.00 (although his last innings was a not out 100 and not many games before which boosted his average a lot; mow 640 runs total)
The previous game the West Indies number 8 was Joseph at 14.29
So, Jamieson at 23.40 is certainly in the range that would be expected.
I did notice that Jamieson was getting into a bit of a tangle with the short ball in the games against South Africa. So, that is something he will need to work on and will likely be tested out on in future games.
The problem is we've had Watling (average 40 at number 6 v Blundell average 14 at 6) retire, Taylor retired, Williamson injured and we can't find another opener to partner Latham
Which means the top and middle order isn't settled and isn't producing as many runs as we'd like them to so we need to bat deeper
That means the number 8 position becomes that much more an important batting position for NZ
So the problem is the top order not number 8. We won't win tests unless we take twenty wickets. So stacking a team with all rounders won’t win many tests.
Will Young has a respectful average for an opener of 31.35, and seems to look very organised. He has only had nine tests, so a bit early to be drawing too many conclusions. His batting record here looks pretty reasonable:
The nature of opening the batting is that early failures happen reasonably frequently, especially in NZ where we have a lot of green tops. Look at Latham's record. He has had quite a few ups and downs as well, and in fact did worse than Young in the series against SA, but there is no thought of dropping him.
Opening has always been a problem for NZ which has made Williamson even more impressive as he often is in within the first ten overs.
I tend to view opening partnerships as successful if they can last 20 overs. The runs and averages are not such an issue. It is all about setting a good foundation for batters to follow.
Young averages 27.82 when opening and that was after a decent start so hes going backwards and hes such a talent I don't want what happened to K Rutherford happening to Young
But yes I've posted on the difficulties of being a NZ opener before and as an idea heres Lathams performance by opponent:
As mentioned, Young has only had nine tests, so he is still learning his trade. I think focus and technique are the two important characteristics for an opening batsman. And, from what I have seen with Young, I think he has that. If he continues to apply himself with good technique then he should come right.
It will be interesting to see what they do for England. There is no way Jamieson will miss out going there (other than for being injured). As was shown in his last series there, he was lethal with the Dukes ball.
No doubt he could but hes only recently started opening for CD (by choice or a word from the higher ups?) so hes not an opening batter by trade and I'd rather see him flourish in the troublesome number 5 position
Neither was Mark Richardson. He started out as a spin bowler until he got the Yips, then he applied himself and became one of our best opening batsmen.
As I said, opening is all about temperament and technique. Time at the crease is of a lot more value than runs scored for openers IMO.
In fact, the number of overs an opener lasts for should be part of the important stats recorded alongside average.
And that is why I think averages are misleading in comparing batsmen. Compare say Williamson with Steve Smith. Smith has a much higher average, but how often does he come in within the first 10 overs given he bats and number 4 compared to Williamson at 3. And that the Australian openers give a much better platform. And how often is he playing in conditions like we have in New Zealand?
'Neither was Mark Richardson. He started out as a spin bowler until he got the Yips, then he applied himself and became one of our best opening batsmen.'
Thats not really applicable, heres a repost about how difficult it is to be an opener:
Now consider most of those were openers or top order batters, Mark Richardson is a NZ great but his example isn't really useful because he must have had almost superhuman powers of concentration to go from what he was to what he became
Don't get me wrong it'd be great to be proven wrong but I'd rather see opening batters encouraged rather than trying to manufacture an opening batter which, historically, will most likely fail as well as possibly ruin a very good middle order batter
Thank fucking god. Kudos to the grassroots feminists in the UK for pushing until this happened. If you don’t know the issue, this is about the right of women to have single sex spaces eg rape crisis counselling, female only changing rooms, female only spaces, female only club and meetings.
The obvious solution here for trans people is for society to provide parallel services that suit trans eg refuges for trans women. But not at the expense of women and rights and services we worked and fought so hard for.
Afaik, NZ law should be interpreted in the same way but government and NGOs aren’t currently supporting this. Will need some test cases and good lawyers.
What Lawyer would undertake this here in NZ? Do we have a MP equivalent to Joanna Cherry?
Is one of the reason Govt are trying to merge trans and female into one so as to not having to provide funds for a different service? i.e. sport, public facilities, lit just a cheaper option and thus help establish a Unisex world? (Starship Troopers movie, shower scene comes to mind).
Would Midrul Wadhwa actually want to run/establish a rape crisis centre for transwomen/transmen/non binary/others rather then the Rape Crisis Centre that they are currently manning? Or do they just want the job and pay that was usually a job for female only and set precedent?
There are transwomen who are perfectly happy accepting they are not in fact biological women , and who do not expect to colonise women's spaces
But there are also transwomen who are desperate to be seen as biological women, who insist that everyone around them see them as biological women, and who insist on access to women only spaces.Gender dysphoria is very real, but it's not up to women as a class to accomodate those suffering from it.
That is not so much "gender dysphoria" as autogynephilia. Those chaps get their jollies from requiring other people – mainly women, to accept them as women in every facet of womenhood. Their is nothing they will not fetishise and colonise from menstruation, lactation and pregnancy to crafting groups. They are the ones achieving their "gender euphoria" in the women's bathroom and sharing the video with their mates.
are gender dysphoria and autogynephilia generally not found together?
(am also curious how for men societal negative attitudes and trauma plays into gender dysphoria, thinking about that UK MP that just came out as trans because he has GD).
AGP men will often claim dysphoria but as many of them do not undertake surgery or hormone treatment, there is a bit of a credibility gap. And in relation to the Conservative MP for Bridgend – there is obviously a new last refuge for scoundrels.
“Early” transgender surgeries, hormone treatment, and affirmations are “crucial” for the health of kids and teens who identify as transgender and nonbinary, President Joe Biden’s administration said in messaging released Thursday.
Er, not early surgeries surely – the best argument for hormone treatment/affirmation is time to consider such things. A classic case of taking sides and losing perspective.
13 yr olds have received double mastectomies in the US. Actively marketed on various social media to teens. (In NZ, we provide access in teen years as part of our “affirming health care”)
If your understanding that puberty blockers and cross sex hormones had clinical data to support their promotion as safe was erroneous, would you be concerned?
The article on this woman was interesting so its basically the same thing except shes talking about it, for those who want to listen instead of reading
The other thing is that these images have been geolocated to where bodies have been found:
“Disturbing video showing the bodies in Bucha was geolocated, authenticated and reported on by CNN on Friday. It came to light the same day Ukraine declared the town liberated from Russian troops.”
Fair Pay Agreements Act first reading introduced to parliament today.
Holly molly, some of the speeches in support are actually 'inspiring!' Especially from Michael Wood and Jan Logie!
National, as usual, arguing in favour of low wages!
Incidentally, Jacinda wiped the floor with Luxon and Seymour during QT. They're no match for her, and Willis made no dent in Grant's grasp of his portfolio.
… and Willis made no dent in Grant’s grasp of his portfolio.
I’d imagine that Grant would know his stuff reasonably well, but that doesn’t necessarily make it good stuff, does it? Was Willis playing the man or the ball?
She appeared to be 'playing' people who replied to the PM's facebook page – to the derision of members of the government. You know the preamble – 'what would he say to Sarah/Bill/Robert/Uncle Tom Cobbly and all . . . who said . . .
Heh, Mallard 'fined' them 2 supplementary questions.
Not very strong questions and not very strong answers either; Grant seemed to say that they’d already pumped billions into the economy and that they’re going for a long-term approach. Willis was trying to picture middle New Zealand hurting financially and thus trying to make a case for tax cuts again.
And todays financial statement says that tax was up 17.8% to february (a record) the operating balance before gains and losses was an 8.2 billion deficit and the full year operating account was 11.7 b a record number since the GFC (excluding the lockdown period)
Yeah, Grant did mention something about the increased government revenue because “companies are making profits, more people are in work and they’re earning more” and strong SME growth.
OCR has to move to meet inflationary expectations,adding cost and not value is a transfer to the financial sector from the productive economy and households.
The RBNZ does not have a choice (inflation need to be constrained) in an economy that is over extended say in the construction sector (with large backlogs,supply constraints,huuuuge price increases to come into the market from steel alone).There is a need for deference from central and local government for projects that are not shovel ready,or have little productive value.
Finland’s government is now preparing a white paper on the country’s security, including potential Nato membership, to be released this month. A parliamentary debate will follow, with some MPs pushing for a decision to be taken before a Nato summit in Madrid at the end of June.
As Ukraine turns into a worse multi-year meat grinder than it was before, Finland prepares its entire defensive and strategic position.
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
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TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
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History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
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What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
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Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
It’s the deadliest fictional town in the country, but which death has been the most bonkers? Alex Casey looks back at 10 seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries to find out. Warning: The following ranking story contains famous New Zealand actors appearing to be dead (not alive). The Spinoff has been ...
Water cremation is the biggest thing to happen to the death industry in the last 100 years. Alex Casey meets the people trying to bring it to Aotearoa. Through a set of mirrored doors down the industrial end of Christchurch’s St Asaph Street, death is getting a new lease on ...
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Russia losing the battle in Ukraine but winning the war.
A new gold standard and the end of USD hegemony?
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4498704-russias-3-step-program-to-put-the-ruble-on-a-gold-standard?external=true&gclid=CjwKCAjwrqqSBhBbEiwAlQeqGpn0Z_UNj1M_gAr9g0DAkgmQn-DRYwAkSXSAYoQdQb7paRV
Well you only have until June 30th to figure if that is true.
How much of your own money will you put on that trade? You'd make George Soros' trade against the Pound look like a Harry Potter production.
'
Our 'Nuclear Free Moment' is upon us. We have three years to start lowering our emissions before the bomb goes off.
Instead of trying to defuse the bomb, we have been setting the timer.
Despite the Prime Minister's words, New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions are not falling, they are not even staying steady, they are increasing.
Let me repeat that. New Zealand's greenhouse emissions are increasing.
We are not defusing the bomb, we are setting the timer.
Where is that gargantuan political effort?
Are you aware of what is being launched in New Zealand in May this year?
Wouldn't hurt to say once again what you're referring to (not just because some of don't know, but to keep it in the current consciousness).
The NZ climate plan will be released in late May this year, coordinated with the Budget.
Timeline confirmed for Emissions Reductions Plan | Beehive.govt.nz
Is that all?
From the sound of it I had thought it was probably the launch of Putin's new superyacht which would be available to him when he seeks refugee status here.
Instead it is just another repeat of what we have been told is coming … sometime … maybe.
By the way did you see the date on Anne's first link? Where we have the bold claim that "This is my generation's nuclear-free moment and I am determined that we will tackle it head on". Five years ago. What happened?
Quite a lot happened. Go do some work and find out.
Quite a lot happened,under reporting of FF CH4 being one.
https://www.iea.org/news/methane-emissions-from-the-energy-sector-are-70-higher-than-official-figures
“Our climate targets are not optional, they are critical – the Emissions Reduction Plan will set out how we are going to achieve them, and what we must all do to make it happen.
“There are those who will try and tell you, when it comes to climate change, New Zealand is too small to be counted – this report should well and truly dispel us of that notion. We are part of the problem and we must be part of the solution,” the Minister said."
https://insidegovernment.co.nz/climate-change-report-calls-for-urgent-action/
I am aware it will not be a gargantuan effort.
I am aware that it will not stop our emissions increasing.
I am aware that 'it', climate change, will NOT be something we will "tackle head on".
I am aware that coal will still be mined and exported from this country.
I am aware that Huntly Coal Fired Power Station will still remain operating.
I am aware that green house emitting companies like Air New Zealand and Comalco will still continue to receive government subsidies.
I am aware that the price of fossil fuels will not have to take into account the price of their emissions. This cost to be loaded on to future generations.
I am aware that things will be the same the day after the May climate change launch as they were the day before the climate change launch.
I am aware no leadership will be taken.
I am aware that despite our government's overwhelming majority in the house of representatives, not one single concrete enforceable piece of legislation will be passed to actually reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. And that our Greenhouse gas emissions will keep on increasing. Because, Y'know 'consensus'.
I am aware that Blah, Blah, Blah, will be the rule and not the exception.
It's time, I think, to start rationing gasoline and diesel.
Price is a pretty big rationing all by itself.
Does anyone here have a hybrid car? I had my snazzy little Toyota Vitz stolen on Friday. Do they make a hybrid version? Are they more expensive and whereabouts in Auckland would they be available? Used of course. Can't afford a new car.
Thanks in advance if anyone can assist me.
Bugger Anne! thats terrible for you.
I have a Toyota Aqua that's really cheap to run .Would be great in a town situation .If I don't have to make the 2 hour trip into the city, I usually spend currently about $15 a week on petrol.
It happened in the early hours Friday morning – the day I had been cleared to start driving again after knee op. Car had been sitting in garage unused for six weeks and the garage is invisible from the road.
Prowlers have been prowling?
Yes you’re right. Mine was very economical to run.
I hope you get another car soon and can put that nasty shock behind you
All the best
Yes I have a hybrid. Cut down my emissions by half. And extremely reliable. Only tyres and regular service in the 5 years of ownership. Best car ever and that includes a number of expensive European cars. Toyota make a hybrid corolla and the aqua. My next car. Full electric does not have the range I need here. Apart from the expensive tesla.
Thanks for that Macro. Will certainly look into it. Price is a big consideration but I should like to do my bit to reduce emissions.
Yesterday around 3 pm I went for a walk to my local shopping precinct. Passed 3 schools on the way. A grammar school, intermediate and primary. I was staggered! SUV after SUV plus a few 4WD’s were parked along the roads – all of them with their motors running. It was a hot day too. I estimate there was around 30 to 40 of them and that might be an underestimate. I wanted to pull those entitled mums out of their cars and give them right bollocking.![angry angry](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/angry_smile.png?x42494)
The government should be implementing both a fuel and energy conservation campaign.With the former we will struggle to maintain our existing current account deficit,and there are significant shortages in distillates especially jet fuel and diesel.A good example of bad timing for shutting the refinery down.Diesel is in global shortage.
https://twitter.com/JavierBlas/status/1511079032330326019?cxt=HHwWhsC42faXt_gpAAAA
Electricity is at the security warning stage,with low hydro and wind,and only coal sustaining continuity of supply and whose price is also upsiding (australian coal exports will be north of 150 billion this year and their current account surplus at record levels)
https://www.transpower.co.nz/sites/default/files/interfaces/can/CAN%20Southland%20security%20issues%20and%20request%20for%20information%204289359753.pdf
If you do the economy would shrink substantially and the ones that suffer most will be all those who are on the bottom of the heap so to speak.
I think a lot of the consequences are being silenced, opening the door for more state control.
At the same time no one is making any suggestion what to do with those 3 – 4 million cars running on conventional fuel. Just discard them onto a deserted field? Or the ocean? Down a bank? You can drive to the landscape and find plenty of unwanted wrecks.
Have any of those who have the great ideas ever considered to look at means converting existing cars to hydrogen or other fuels? Maybe all those billionaires who have profited from the oil boom can finance that (year right Tui). It would be a small contribution to make good on the damage on which they earned their fortune.
And just to make clear, NZ has no public transport to speak off to maintain a daily routine for its workers whose income will never be enough to afford these cars. Either several billion dollars are being invested in the network or alternative fuels are being made available.
As for electric cars, they are not affordable for most average wage earners.
And of cause there is the issue of the batteries. NZ has neither the skills nor the means of recycling that needs different processes for different types.
So another very very dirty disposal of DG material in the landscape?
How do you reconcile all of this and what are the plans to implement other then to hand more money to the rich?
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56574779
"EV batteries are larger and heavier than those in regular cars and are made up of several hundred individual lithium-ion cells, all of which need dismantling. They contain hazardous materials, and have an inconvenient tendency to explode if disassembled incorrectly.
https://www.science.org/content/article/millions-electric-cars-are-coming-what-happens-all-dead-batteries
EV BATTERIES are constructed a bit like nested dolls. Typically, a main pack holds several modules, each of which is constructed from numerous smaller cells (see graphic, below). Inside each cell, lithium atoms move through an electrolyte between a graphite anode and a cathode sheet composed of a metal oxide. Batteries are usually defined by the metals in the cathode. There are three main types: nickel-cobalt-aluminum, iron-phosphate, and nickel-manganese-cobalt.
Ivermectin grifters made millions while people died.
https://twitter.com/ryanlcooper/status/1510973832433221641?s=21&t=QXyVuQxVIpFv5_dbmsrDjw
I'm pretty sure running a substack page only produces an moderate independent writers income, quite far from millions. And in Joe Rogans case he made his deal well before covid began and certainly has plenty of non ivermectin material.
The Intercept: Far right health care companies made millions prescribing unproven Covid remedies
Hacked data shows the lucrative operation promoted by a prominent far-right organization.
Seems that your get rich quick scheme is to be a drug company during a Pandemic, not a podcaster.
A look at the three options left to Putin.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2022/04/05/guest-blog-ben-morgan-dont-get-excited-yet-there-is-a-long-way-to-go-and-we-need-more-information-about-russian-capabilities/
It looks like the withdrawal by the Russians has been rushed and chaotic. From the images that have been seen on the news, the Russians have been heavily attacked as they withdrew, and it looks like there are pockets left behind that may well end up as POWs.
https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/breaking-down-the-withdrawal-of-russian-troops-from-northern-ukraine-136924741962
https://news.yahoo.com/national-security-military-analyst-putin-182758848.html
The battle looks likely to move to the east. However, I have seen other reports that the Russians soon may run into difficulty there as temperatures are increasing, rain is forecast, and the whole area could become very muddy and difficult to manoeuvre their heavy weapons into.
Also, it looks like NATO is moving to supply heavier, more offensive weapons to Ukraine.
https://www.businessinsider.com/us-germany-australia-to-send-ukraine-more-offensive-heavy-weapons-2022-4
Along with all the anti-tank and anti-aircraft munitions that have been helping the Ukranians defend expertly, the addition of heavier weapons may well swing the balance of the conflict in their favour.
Such weaponry being moved east will be a target for the Russian air force, so moving it should occur after advanced forces are in place with stingers on aircraft flight paths first (to take down aircraft before they can attack).
Yes. I think they are getting more long range anti-aircraft systems as well. I hope they NATO bends and supplies them with more planes. Anti-artillary systems, and a lot more than 100 switchblade drones would make a major difference as well. Anti-ship missiles could be a game changer as a lot of cruise missiles are fired from Russian ships.
A big concern I have for them is that, as they fight further east, the logistic problems that have plagued the Russians could start becoming an issue for the Ukranians. So, will be interesting to see how they handle that.
I understand the Ukranian army now has more tanks than they had at the start of the war due to captured equipment from the Russians. An advantage for them is that they use the same sort of equipment as the Russians, so anything they capture they can put back into immediate service and attack the Russians with their own equipment.
I think one of their main advantages is that they are not so dependent on heavy armour, and are able to attack in small groups that are very impactful with Javelin missiles and the like. This makes them much harder to deal with is they are harder to see. Also, the weather is soon moving into the Ukranians favour.
If Russian tanks etc are forced onto roads they are going to be major targets for the Ukranian Bayraktar drones which are highly effective and help equalise the air power imbalance.
Yeah a lot of off road vehicles with drones and missiles
One of the things in favour of the Ukrainians in the north is that there is a lot of forest cover that has enabled the Ukranians to be very effective in setting up ambushes.
I saw a video about the 40km Russian convoy that was stalled. Apparently that was stopped in its tracks by a team of about 30 Ukranians on quad bikes who ambushed the front vehicles of the convoy by riding through forest. They the helped co-ordinate continuing drone strikes on the convoy that was basically paralyzed for a few weeks.
A problem for the Ukranians in the east is that the terrain is much more favourable towards tanks in that it has a lot more open, flat areas of ground. So could be more difficult for them to deal with the Russians there.
That is where the weather may help. If the ground becomes very slushy as predicted, then the open areas may not benefit the Russians so much.
They would have to move at night .. and hide in barns while securing "pits/tunnel outlets to operate from.
The Russians will wait for summer – so this is a long game.
Russian aircraft have low accuracy older technology.
Pilots have had free reign up until the Ukraine.Raining bombs down on chechnia and Syria with no opposition.
Now they are getting shot out of the sky,Morale will be waning just like the ground troops.
Hunger and desperation at home will be another morale sapping indignation.
Afghanistan lead to the break up of the Soviet Union.This could be an end for Putin.All that is needed is a General to turn the Russian military on Putin like what happened to Yeltsin a Drunk.Putin Drunk on power will be going into deep hiding maybe making the task easier for some up an coming Secret agent.
A short summary of an interview with Alain Juillet, former head of France's intelligence services DGSE, on the origins of the war.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1510495717520928772.html
He was also a pro Kremlin pro Poots talking head on RT, a former para-military and one-time leader of the DGSE, the French spook outfit with a shit-list as long as your arm.
The DGSE were responsible for the murder of Fernando Pereira, too.
Directors of the DGSE
Pierre Marion (17 June 1981 – 10 November 1982)
Adm. Pierre Lacoste (10 November 1982 – 19 September 1985)
Gen. René Imbot (20 September 1985 – 1 December 1987)
Gen. François Mermet (2 December 1987 – 23 March 1989)
Claude Silberzahn (23 March 1989 – 7 June 1993)
Jacques Dewatre (7 June 1993 – 19 December 1999)
Jean-Claude Cousseran (19 December 1999 – 24 July 2002)
Pierre Brochand (24 July 2002 – 10 October 2008)
Erard Corbin de Mangoux (10 October 2008 – 10 April 2013)
Bernard Bajolet (10 April 2013 – 27 April 2017)
Jean-Pierre Palasset (interim) (27 April 2017 – 26 June 2017)
Bernard Émié (26 June 2017 – present)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directorate-General_for_External_Security
Yeah. As a reservist he was entrusted with the Intelligence Department within the DGSE.
https://fr-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/Alain_Juillet?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc
@aj…, now why isn't that sort of important context carried as a MSM news story?…why wouldn't our state owned news outlet, RNZ, strive to keep the NZ public fully informed with stories, information and news from every angle possible…so the NZ public could eventually form a coherent picture with that information…but no, RNZ will only deliver one view and one view only,.
RNZ are a disgrace to their trade, but worse, misinform the NZ public…..non-reporting of facts is exactly the same as reporting misinformation…and that is a fact.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/459976/ukraine-tension-us-and-russia-hold-frank-talks
Well, if you are concerned with the facts, and not merely the Kremlin feed, you might want to make some use of Meduza. Reporting on Russia, by Russian reporters.
Come on man…that is not what any sane, thinking, serious person would regard as balanced reporting…do you even know what balanced reporting is or looks like?..because from were I am sitting it doesn't appear that you do.
Do you? Reporting that goes against your confirmation bias is not journalistic malpractice.
"Do you?"…yes I do try.
It must be said that your idea of "Balanced Reporting" appears to be confined to the propaganda organs of the Russian state, and a handful of dubious sites like Craig Murray or Consortium News. So clearly you don't meet any of the criteria you set: sane, thinking, or serious.
It seems to be all a joke to you, the constant lying of the Russian state. Meduza is a group of Russian journalists who risk their lives to bring you the truth – but you prefer Putin's lies. People with long familiarity with this culture of dishonesty (and yes, that includes me) do not hurry to swallow Russian disinformation.
Here a retired Estonian president, intimately familiar with this dishonesty, explains it, for folk like you, who clearly are not.
Adrian, as you should be well aware NZ dances almost entirely to the 5eyes tune, 99% of reporting. Select any one days of headlines from the last month and find any story questioning the narratives.
Here is an interesting piece from Consortium News on the alleged ‘Russian’ massacre in Bucha, it is well worth a read.
Questions Abound About Bucha Massacre
https://consortiumnews.com/2022/04/04/questions-abound-about-bucha-massacre/
Western media is proving itself again quite incapable of giving citizens anything near a clear, balanced view of yet another important world event…although this I have to say they are really out doing themselves..now they (RNZ being one of the worst local offenders) are just pumping our straight propaganda without even trying to hide their extreme hawkish basis or pretending to offer even the slightest hint of balance in any of their coverage….though we should remember that this unhinged, dangerous and extremely vocal anti Russia propaganda has been being spewed out by all our press, and by all leading US politicians/pentagon without letup for five or six years now….and then we wonder why the Russians are paranoid of their boarders?
Ukrainians are not boarders, they are citizens of a nation state and have the right to life and liberty and private property ownership.
PS Property looted in Ukraine is being sold in Byelorussia by Russian troops when they arrive.
Pedantic prick – you knew exactly what Adrian meant!
Now where is the evidence of your accusation, "Property looted in Ukraine is being sold in Byelorussia by Russian troops when they arrive."
[Why don’t you count to 10 and calm down before you hit the Reply button – Incognito]
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-703211
https://odessa-journal.com/russian-marauders-in-belarus-organized-a-bazaar-for-the-trading-in-the-looted-ukrainian-property/
Yeah but at least his misspelling revealed something about how Putin sees anyone who opposes him whether in Ukraine or Russia – typical gulag era tyrant.
@ SPC…."Ukrainian Intelligence Directorate (GUR) alleged on Saturday"…are you actually seriously going to link to GUR allegations as part of your debate?…..would you believe allegations made by Russian intelligence?
Mod note
First as tragedy, then as farce
https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/liberated-from-the-russians-a-visit-to-trostyanets-after-the-end-of-the-occupation-a-c088be53-5f6c-4059-8d46-68803276e473
The Ukrainians aren't so interested in the sanctity of private property ownership when it comes to their own "boarders " however
https://24.kg/english/227019__Volodymyr_Zelensky_signs_law_on_forced_seizure_of_Russias_property/
within Ukraine.
That would be like seizing the private property of UK citizens in New Zealand who are resident in NZ
Well, if the UK suddenly invaded NZ I'd expect the same thing from our government.
You have trouble with the concept of "war", don't you?
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3445822-ukrainian-parliament-approves-nationalization-of-property-of-russian-citizens.html
5th April , things have moved on
Country at war seizes the property of it's enemy. Shock, horror, hold the presses.
Heard of the Pamir?
Your grovelling apologia for Russia does you no favours.
You missed the bit where Ukrainian citizens also can have their property confiscated.Ah, the sanctity of private property.Ukraine seems to be full of traitors, from the Ukrainian negotiator who was assassinated to the Ukrainian Generals removed from their posts
Post WW2 most European countries de facto seized the assets of their respective Quislings, collaborators and traitors with a combination of some or all of imprisonment, fines, stripping of civil rights, outright seizure and summary or judicial execution.
Woe is the fate of traitors in war.
This has to be one of the stupidest threads I have seen on TS. Are you seriously complaining that Ukraine is not respecting property rights when their cities are being flattened and citizens murdered in the street, by an invader intent on stealing as much territory as possible???!!!
Yes, she/he certainly seems to be.
Ukraine historically has a Russian population of 17%.Its like declaring war on almost a fifth of your population 'Oh wait , they already did, been bombing and killing them since early 2014 , for 8 years straight
You know what's actually "like" declaring war? Invading a country with a couple hundred thousand troops after annexing some of its territory for 8 years..
Even though the author of your link does state
It's correct, until absolute verification either way, the possibility of fakes should be explored. After all, the Ukrainians could have shot those civilians or driven over them in tanks themselves or taken dead soldiers, put them in civvies, and made them up to look like old men and women.
Or they could have shot traitors and collaborators and left them.
Fact is we actually don't know what happened and should wait.
Or given men surgery to make them look like old ladies lying next to their supposed dead husbands.
Absolutely right to keep an open mind.
Yes, this could have been staged. It could have been indeed, so that is why it is best to wait to see what comes out from it. It would not be the first time that terrible people get accused of something they did not do, and years later it was found out.
The Katyn Massacre comes to mind. https://www.britannica.com/event/Katyn-Massacre
There are no winners in war, only losers and dead people.
Snap Sabine .
Such is the hatred of Russians or suspected Russian sympathisers , and the hunt for Russian "saboteurs"that we can't know until a proper independent investigation is done.If this is not done, one would have to ask why?
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/15/1086733790/on-the-hunt-for-russian-saboteurs
It's very easy to ascertain time of death for instance, or whether bodies have been shifted.
From another angle, the arming of civilians , as Zelensky enabled, was in my opinion a totally dumb move, putting untrained civilians in harms way .Does a civilian shooting at a soldier become a combatant?
God, the idiocy, it hurts.
1 – The Russians invaded the Ukraine in an unprovoked war of aggression. This is in itself is the highest of war crimes. Wars of aggression have been recognised as crimes since the Treaty of Versailles, and international agreements outlawing them have existed since at least the 1920s. THE VERY FIRST ARTICLE of the UN Charter declares the UN exists to "…for the suppression of acts of aggression…" All and any war crimes related to a war of aggression are therefore by definition also crimes of the perpetrating nation.
2 – The definition of a combatant in international law is hardly a secret, the Geneva conventions define a combatant as "…members of national armed forces or organized groups placed under the effective control of those forces…" Therefore Ukrainian territorial defense forces – even if in civilian clothing – are combatants. And combatants are, at least notionally, protected by the protocals of the Geneva convention – which, I guess I need to spell out, includes not being shot in the back of the head whilst tied up.
3- satellite imagery shows mass graves and bodies in Bucha as far back as three weeks ago, why do you think Biden called Putin a war criminal last week? The United States has better satellites than Maxar, they would have known – as an aside on Morning Report today Nanaia Mahuta mentioned NZ had been "helping" in the collecting of evidence – an oblique reference IMHO to our role in the five eyes network.
4 – If your army have just liberated a town and are chasing the enemy, don't you think they'd have more imprtant things to do (like, say, killing Russian soldiers) than conduct an elaborate exercise in fabricating a massacre?
Seriously, you insult my intelligence.
And dispatching untrained civilians to a mechanised war?
A battalion of volunteers is being formed in North Ossetia to take part in a special military operation in Ukraine. Recruitment takes place on the basis of DOSAAF.
As the director of DOSAAF, MP Boris Kantemirov, told OsNova, for volunteers, this is an opportunity to go to Ukraine within the framework of the law and rules.
“There is an opportunity for people who want to go there, so that they are not on their own, but have an official status. We have a mechanism that will allow us to bring all this under control, so that everything is correct, without spontaneity and in an organizational form. At the same time, the presence of military service behind the shoulders of volunteers is not a prerequisite. We understand that today not everyone has military tickets,” Kantemirov said.
There are a lot of applicants, he says. Many have already gone.
The head of the republican branch of DOSAAF noted that the organization will play a filtering role when recruiting volunteers. Lists of those wishing to take part in a special operation in Ukraine will be transferred to the military registration and enlistment office.
https://osnova-news.translate.goog/n/14573/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
They're not civilians
They're forming a volunteer militia , just like Zelensky called for, (but later cancelled as the quality of recruits was so low)
They'll be filtered and assessed and placed under the supervision of regular military
That a far cry from the babushka being trained with wooden rifles by Azov in Kiev, and just opening up the armory for anyone to grab a gun, along with released criminals.
The mobilisation of such groups indicates Putin's concern about the demographics of ethnic Russia, whose expendable …
Things are fucked up for the Russians if the invading army is bothering to take hastily-recruited civilians.
https://www.unian.ua/war/bucha-u-zvilnenomu-misti-rozpochali-zachistku-teritoriji-vid-diversantiv-ta-rosiyskih-posobnikiv-novini-kiyeva-11770498.html
@The Al1en…"It's correct, until absolute verification either way, the possibility of fakes should be explored"….exactly right, you would think any responsible media outlet would take that statement of your as a given…but as they all seem to believe that they themselves (the western media) are now at war with Russia, by extension, everything they say is now highly suspect.
And as independent verification comes through, debunking the 'fake' narrative, I'd expect any media reporting it will be cancelled outright.
I don't understand what your reply is inferring…please explain?
Disinformation 101. KGB are past masters. Nothing Russia says is reliable in the slightest.
https://twitter.com/KT_So_It_Goes/status/1510958783455023110?s=20&t=y2EOoZXxzN8e8eAU1VLvnQ
@ roblogic…thanks, Micheal Tracy really hits the nail on the head at the bottom of that twitter link…..
"Call it "whataboutism," I don't care: it's impossible to take seriously this sudden newfound concern for "war crimes" coming from some of the same exact people who never gave a crap about similar or worse "crimes" committed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, etc."
That would be because your concern relates to superpower regimes, not the populations suffering the atrocities. Thus you could exculpate Assad for instance, for his activities against Aleppo, by claiming a parallel with US behaviour in Iraq, which the Left also strongly condemned.
Laws, as Solon noted, are like spider webs: "If some poor weak creature comes up against them, it is caught; but a big one can break through and get away.”
It is difficult to bring a Bush fils or a Putin to justice. Assad is easier prey.
Prosecuting the Assads makes it easier to bring the Bushes and Putins to justice – we don’t let them off the hook just because some other villains are momentarily out of reach.
"It is difficult to bring a Bush fils or a Putin to justice. Assad is easier prey.Prosecuting the Assads makes it easier to bring the Bushes and Putins to justice"….wow you really are living in a fantasy world over there pal…Bushes, Putins never get brought to justice, end of story.
Oh – okay so they should just carry on murdering then?
If you cannot envisage or work toward a better future, why bother pretending Left values?
That pathetic argument is just as hopeless as all your other twists of reality. There have been many condemnations of various American misadventures on this site and other left wing outlets. The MSM happened to ignore them for its own reasons.
Criticism of Russia doesn’t make all media American shills.
"The MSM happened to ignore them for its own reasons"…but do run Ukrainian news 24/7…and that doesn't ring even just a small alarm bell somewhere down deep in that highly repressed critical thinking part of your brain?
I am drawn to this australian gentleman's considered opinion on the matter
[Stupid embedded YT clip converted to link to stupid YT clip and I almost deleted the whole stupid thing – Incognito]
Mod note
Whataboutism" – a term created to extract western warmongers from the difficult position of having done All The Bad Things they accuse others of doing. When someone uses it on you, it means you just killed their argument and exposed their moral bankruptcy.
OK – it is from RT which the critics will decry and the commentary is from Scott Ritter whose background has been attacked ever since he was removed from Iraq so that the team he was with didn't compromise yet another US war of choice but this may interest you The Al1en
https://www.rt.com/russia/553293-bucha-war-crimes-truth/
Seen the video of ordinary Russians and the hatred they have for Ukrainians? It is disturbing. The slur "Khokhol" is common. Similar to the dehumanising language employed by N*zis during the Holocaust.
Meduza also has a report on the atrocities in Bucha.
‘Russia’s culture died along with these Ukrainians’ The world reacts to evidence of Russian atrocities in Bucha — Meduza
The woman who appeared on our screens being helped from the bombed maternity hospital speaks out
https://thegrayzone.com/2022/04/03/testimony-mariupol-hospital-ukrainian-deceptions-media-malpractice/
https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/The_Grayzone
From your link:
All Russian units completely withdrew from Bucha on March 30, and ‘not a single local resident was injured’ during the time when Bucha was under the control of Russian troops,” the Russian MOD said in a post on Telegram.
Aerial and satellite photos of the bodies give the lie to that whopper. Satellite images show bodies in Bucha for weeks, rebutting Moscow claim (france24.com)
How many such disproofs will it take for you to treat propaganda sites like Consortium News with a healthy scepticism? We do not call you Putin dupes idly, or to provoke you, but because that is what you have allowed yourselves to become.
State owned media are on the job.
The Bandera elite must be liquidated, its re-education is impossible. The social "bog", which actively and passively supported it by action and inaction, must survive the hardships of the war and assimilate the experience as a historical lesson and atonement for its guilt.
https://ria.ru/20220403/ukraina-1781469605.html
google translate
Anyone who wants to believe the Kremlin line that the atrocities in Bucha and similar needs to watch this video:
Key points are:
1. Well recognised independent journalists who have documented previous war crimes (including those by the US) have been investigating and reporting these incidents. These journalists were travelling with Ukranian forces when they arrived on the scene.
2. Family members of those killed (including elderly people) have been giving their stories about what happened. They would hardly be so forthright and compelling if the Ukranians had actually done the killing. For example, there was a report on TV1 news last night about a woman who had to bury her own son who was shot by the Russians.
3. This sort of behaviour is very typical of Putin's MO as has been seen in other similar theatres of war such as Grozny.
Here is an article about the woman burying her own son.
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-60977889
They should watch this and then say whether they still believe it is faked.
Poignant.
https://twitter.com/ukraine_world/status/1511028945965228040?s=20&t=y2EOoZXxzN8e8eAU1VLvnQ
@tsmithfield…That is a awful thing to watch, any person with a heart will feel all the sympathy in the world for that poor woman….however, there is no context whatsoever as to how or why her son was killed in that video.
He was 27 yo male, do you know if he was killed while fighting with the local militia? or was killed inadvertently by shrapnel?
Without that context what exactly does that video say?….for me, it says is war is shit, and awful and obscene and heartbreaking and pointless.
Just have a look at some of the journalist reports on youtube.
I have seen journalists talking about seeing decaying bodies with hands tied behind their backs and shot execution style. So it definitely isn't just recent killings.
For instance, the town Mayor his wife and son were found killed and tortured.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-accused-killing-ukraine-mayor-olga-sukhenko-family-motyzhyn-mass-grave/
Yes, but you and I don't know what has really happened in any of those cases..are they executions by Russian forces or cases of retribution killings by Ukrainian extremists retaking the town…or something else?…who actually knows at this point?..probably only the people who pulled the triggers I would say.
Just remember the Ukrainian forces are starting to get a pretty poor reputation for their human right abuses as well…this is some extremely brutal shit right here….
https://nypost.com/2022/03/28/ukraine-to-probe-after-videos-show-alleged-russian-pows-shot/
See my posts that I accidently put lower down (12 & 12.1).
Satellite images have shown the bodies were on the streets when the Russians were there, and these images have been geolocated with what was found on the ground.
There isn't any doubt about this now.
This is good news indeed, time to get a bit of balance back into social media platforms.
Just a shame it took one man a whole bunch of money to do it but its a start.
Well a little bit of petty cash made him major stake holder.
Not sure it will improve twitter.
Probably not but maybe it'll wake up Twatter a bit and not be so quick to hand out bans
We need people like Elon Musk, people that can push humanity forward.
I don't think that will happen. Elon Musk is not pushing 'humanity' forward, he is pushing technology forward.
Same thing in his mind.
Lots of people say about taking people into space, Elon made it happen.
Its people like Elon that'll take us to the stars…well to the Moon but from there it'll be to the stars
The guys a visionary that can make it happen
yeah, another planet to fuck up.
Have you ever considered that maybe we came from Mars and Earth was our 'refuge planet' and here we are doing the same shit again?
Its the nature of mankind to travel, to immigrate, the stars are just another extension of that
I hadn't thought of that but maybe when the Hadron Collider was first fired up in 2010 it sent us into a parallel universe and thats why everything has seemed so messed up this last 10 years..
Nope, we are good at messing things up ourself. But humanity seems good at finding excuses for our own short comings.
I always wanted to go to hte stars, sadly i am not going there i would guess. But i don't think that Elon Musk is our answer, mainly because in order to finance his dreams he is selling carbon credits from vehicles most can't afford and who seem to spontaniously combust every now and here and there. I put him in the same category as Bezos, much self love and fuck the rest of humanity. Humanity is a resource to be extracted much like the African workers in his parents emerald mine in Zambia. Only one profits the rest pays the bills.
Unbelievable how people swallow billionaire propaganda. They are the apex predators of capitalism, the pharaohs atop the pyramid built by the blood of a thousand slaves, the dragons sitting on a hoard of gold stolen via the genocide of a nation.
Musk is not a visionary or a genius or any kind of saviour. He's an sociopathic egomaniac, just like all of them.
Elon Musk Reveals Shocking Ignorance About Social Security (theintercept.com)
Hiltzik: NLRB rules that Elon Musk is no friend of labor – Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
Elon Musk Is Not An Entrepreneur—He’s A Rich, Deceitful Hack – The Acronym | IMSA's Official Student Newspaper
Elon Musk Confesses to Lithium Coup in Bolivia | News | teleSUR English
Like it or not, people like him are what propels humanity forward
they are propelling us to somewhere, forward might not be it.
fucking this planet over to the extend that they have to shoot a few humans into space in order to 'survive' is not a solution. And i am all for space travel. Glactica comes to mind, also Terminus. Neither of them are propelled into anything good.
Maybe you need to read the Stark by Ben Elton. 🙂
Liked Stark, thought it was funny the guy taking the human sized amount of heroin with him as his plus one
No, it's the workers in his companies, and the taxpayers propping him up that propel him forward. Achievements like space flight are the collective effort of a civilisation. "If I have seen further than others, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants". Individualism and valourising superheroes are the marketing spiel of the ubermensch libertarians.
Musk is not great. The best that may be said is that he represents the potential greatness of the human spirit.
With his crazed killer robot experiments, the damn fool's gonna kill us all !
LOL! Kyle Dunnigan impersonates Elon Musk! – YouTube
Got to admit I wouldn't mind buying a flame thrower
https://www.boringcompany.com/not-a-flamethrower
Cricket, cricket, cricket!
So the Boss departs the game and leaves a massive hole to fill, NZ cricket still can't find a another opener that can average above 30 and still seem to aghast at selecting a proper spinner
Heres my selection for the NZ test team moving forward
1. T Latham
2. D. Conway (yeah its tough on Devon but Youngs going backwards)
3. K Williamson (would have a word with him about bowler rotation and spinners)
4. H. Nicholls
5. W. Young (get his confidence back)
6. C. De Grandhomme (RMF, batting all rounder and better test and FC average then Blundell has)
7. T. Blundell (6 was a position to high)
8. S. Kuggeleijn (RFM, bowling all rounder, FC batting average of 28, bowls with a bit of pace)
9. N. Wagner (LMF, Iron Man, Lionheart, bowls with with broken bones, 'nuff said)
10. T. Boult (LFM, destined to be NZs third best bowler)
11. A. Patel (Spinner, ten wickets in an innings against India at home, 'nuff said)
Tough on K Jamieson and T Southee but selectors have to make the big calls and we need someone that can do a bit of batting in the number 8 position and Jamieson isn't there yet
Jamieson can't be dropped, even if his from of late hasn't been quite as stellar as at the start.
He has attributes that are rare to find in a bowler including his height, bounce, and ability to swing the ball both ways. He also has shown quite a bit of ability with the bat, and looks like it is an area that can be developed.
I would have him instead of Kuggeleijn any day. Kuggeleijn is quite good, but not really much of a threat to international batsmen.
Southee would be hard to drop given that he is still one of our best and most experienced performers. It would be hard to leave him out. I am not so sure about Boult these days. He doesn't seem to be the threat he once was.
Our conditions here don't tend to favour spinners, which is a pity as it means our batsmen don't get to face quality spin that often. Pitches tend not to deteriorate enough for them to become a big factor in most games. And Wagner has tended to perform that role by providing a point of difference with his style, and his ability to bowl for long periods.
One thing that annoys me is that Sodhi gets so little of a look in at test level. IMO that is a mistake. He can actually spin the ball, and seems to be improving with his consistency from what I have seen in the shorter formats. He also seems to have developed a nice flipper as a variation.
A good leg spinner is a major asset to a side and tends to be much more threatening from a wicket-taking point of view. He also has a test 50, so can handle a bat OK.
So far as Blundell goes, he has a test 100 against Australia as an opener. So, his batting can’t be too bad.
If it was just on bowling then sure it'd be Jamieson over Kuggeleijn but in the number 8 position you need to be able to provide consistent runs and Jamieson just can't do that yet
He may be able to work on his batting but at the moment Kuggeleijn is the better batter so he gets the nod.
Like I say its hard on Jamieson and Southee and conditions would certainly dictate who plays but at the moment it feels like the NZs plan of playing 4 seamers isn't working and teams are working out how to negate them
As for conditions suiting spinners in NZ in the test series against SA, SA spinners took 6 wickets and Bangladesh spinners took 7 wickets
I agree with your comments on Sohdi, it feels like NZ want another Vettori (who can blame them) a world class spinner that averages 40 at number 8 would certainly go a long way but at the moment it feels like they're trying force players into roles that aren't suitable
Santner is a very good limited overs bowler and batter but he reminds me of the bits and pieces bowlers NZ used to select back in the 80s and 90s, can bowl a bit and bat a bit but thats about it
Ravindra may turn into a very good number 5 or even opener but playing him as an all rounder makes no sense
Heres Blundells FC and test average vs De Grandhommes FC and test average:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/tom-blundell-440516
https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/colin-de-grandhomme-55395
Here is Jamieson's test record:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/kyle-jamieson-625960
Note he does have a test 50 and an average of 23.40. So, that is a pretty good record for a number nine. His bowling average of 18.72 is better than Hadlee's.
A couple of points about Kuggeleijn is that, firstly, he is quite old for a cricketer, nearly 31 now. So, not really a long term prospect, especially for a bowler. The other point is that he hasn't actually played a test. So, we don't know how his batting would perform against top level bowlers.
I think a mistake we make too often is to try and have lots of all-rounders meaning we can't make enough impact in either the batting or bowling. So far as bowling goes, I think it is good to have one or two all-rounders but help the bowlers to improve their batting. Wagner has been a good example of that in recent times.
No real argument about Blundell. Other than he seems to be a good back-foot player, and not so good against spin. That may explain why he got some good runs as an opener. Though opposition seemed to work out some of his technical weaknesses which he obviously needs to improve on.
They're not batting him at 9 though he's batting in the 8 position and I'll wait to see if he equals Hadlees overall average
Hadlee, Warner, Anderson etc might balk at the idea of 31 being too old, nutrition, training and rehabilitation means players can go on longer than before
Sure he hasn't played a test but by that logic we wouldn't select anyone but we know he's scored 100s and 50s and averages high 20s
True, but Hadlee et al had been in the respect national teams a long time before reaching a similar age.
It takes time to build up the skills and guile. Southee is relying on those sort of skills now rather than pace. Long before Kuggeleijn reached that point he would likely have retired.
I think when it gets to the 8-11 area of batting, then bowling should be the first skill, and batting can be worked on. Jamieson did start out as an opening batsman then developed into a bowler. So, his batting can't be too bad. And having someone with opening batting skills is quite handy at that point for coping with the second new ball.
Sure, I know that Jamieson is only starting his career, and so comparisons with Hadlee are premature. But he didn't get to the point he is at now by being useless, and he has enough tests under his belt to show he is has the talent required.
The other thing I have heard commentators saying about Jamieson is that if you were to create the perfect fast bowler in a laboratory, then you would probably come out with something like Jamieson. The only addition would probably be 10k more in pace. Though he has been working on getting quicker and now is regularly in the mid 130k range, which, along with his bounce makes him a bit of a handful.
They already did that, several times, in the West Indies.
They started with Joel Garner and then improved the model with the pair of Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose. None of them were particularly fast though. Ambrose was probably the fastest with a maximum of about 140kph. Garner was lucky to get up to 125kph.
The problem with all of them was they were, like Jamieson, very tall. Walsh was the runt at 1.98m. With their height they could bowl a bouncer off a full length.
Now take any one of those three and tell me how you could improve the model?
Improving Jamieson is easy, compare his accuracy to Joel Garners accuracy
Sandshoe crusher for the win!
You're aware that Kuggeleijn is in the team already?
That hes played one day and T20 cricket for NZ
What it comes down to me is this, Jamieson is not a test number 8 and since the departure of Watling we don't have the luxury of playing an extra bowler which is what Jamieson is at the moment
Kuggeleijn is the superior batter, hes paid his dues and he'll shore up the batting a little
If you want to make the argument of Jamieson over Wagner and play Jamieson at 9 then thats not a bad one to make but at the moment Jamieson is too high at 8
Mitchell or Neesham at 6/7.
Jamieson at 8.
Wagner or quick or Henry.
Sodhi (variation) or Patel (when a lot of overs likely) or Boult.
Southee before Boult.
You'd drop De Grandhomme for Neesham or Mitchell?
Jamieson isn't a good enough batter for number 8 and wheres the wicket keeper?
I like Mitchell and I think he'd make a good number 6 but Williamson doesn't seem keen to use him as a bowler
I'm not saying never use Southee or Henry or Jamieson again just that there'll need to be rotating and we need someone that can bat at number 8 (Doug Bracewell is another option)
NZ can't keep playing 4 seamers in the same playing XI and expect the same results, a weakened SA and weakened Bangladesh just played out drawn test series with us at home
Drop – well it's a matter of time – De G (36) and Wagner (35) are the older ones – time expiry.
If Jamieson was at 9 in place of Wagner, there would be a spot for SK or DB at 8 while KJ's batting developed.
But if KJ's batting improves a quick or Henry in place of Wagner.
I mean sure De Grandhomme and Wagner are getting on but I'm not talking about the future, I'm talking about the next test
In the future then, you could probably make a better case for Kuggeleijn as a potential replacement for CDG if he is going to retire soon, or is injured.
But, as I pointed out below, I don't think the figures justify dropping Jamieson on the basis of his batting.
Its not being dropped its being rotated and, of course, conditions will also play a factor
I'd like to see Mitchell take the number 6 slot but there seems to be a reluctance to use him as a bowler
Sure hes not going to take many wickets but get him to dry up one end and build pressure the other bowlers can exploit
Would SK score the runs in test cricket?
Why not?
He scores runs at FC level so compare his FC average to Jamiesons
https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/scott-kuggeleijn-539548
https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/kyle-jamieson-625960
You seem to fail to note I was commenting on tsmithfield proposing he bat at 6/7.
Oopsy my bad
I don't think a case can be made that Jamieson isn't good enough for a test number 8.
Here are some comparative averages for other test number 8s after recent performances.
Maharaj South Africa 14.72
Stark Australia 22.84
Ali Pakistan 25.37
Woakes England 27.91
De Silva WI 32.00 (although his last innings was a not out 100 and not many games before which boosted his average a lot; mow 640 runs total)
The previous game the West Indies number 8 was Joseph at 14.29
So, Jamieson at 23.40 is certainly in the range that would be expected.
I did notice that Jamieson was getting into a bit of a tangle with the short ball in the games against South Africa. So, that is something he will need to work on and will likely be tested out on in future games.
The problem is we've had Watling (average 40 at number 6 v Blundell average 14 at 6) retire, Taylor retired, Williamson injured and we can't find another opener to partner Latham
Which means the top and middle order isn't settled and isn't producing as many runs as we'd like them to so we need to bat deeper
That means the number 8 position becomes that much more an important batting position for NZ
So the problem is the top order not number 8. We won't win tests unless we take twenty wickets. So stacking a team with all rounders won’t win many tests.
Will Young has a respectful average for an opener of 31.35, and seems to look very organised. He has only had nine tests, so a bit early to be drawing too many conclusions. His batting record here looks pretty reasonable:
https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/547749.html?class=1;template=results;type=batting;view=innings
The nature of opening the batting is that early failures happen reasonably frequently, especially in NZ where we have a lot of green tops. Look at Latham's record. He has had quite a few ups and downs as well, and in fact did worse than Young in the series against SA, but there is no thought of dropping him.
https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/388802.html?class=1;template=results;type=batting;view=innings
Opening has always been a problem for NZ which has made Williamson even more impressive as he often is in within the first ten overs.
I tend to view opening partnerships as successful if they can last 20 overs. The runs and averages are not such an issue. It is all about setting a good foundation for batters to follow.
Cricinfo is good for the overall stats but Howstat is better for drilling into it:
http://howstat.com/cricket/Statistics/Players/PlayerPositions.asp?PlayerID=5927
Young averages 27.82 when opening and that was after a decent start so hes going backwards and hes such a talent I don't want what happened to K Rutherford happening to Young
But yes I've posted on the difficulties of being a NZ opener before and as an idea heres Lathams performance by opponent:
http://howstat.com/cricket/Statistics/Players/PlayerOpponents.asp?PlayerID=3932
Anything about 30 is good so hes not too bad at all
As mentioned, Young has only had nine tests, so he is still learning his trade. I think focus and technique are the two important characteristics for an opening batsman. And, from what I have seen with Young, I think he has that. If he continues to apply himself with good technique then he should come right.
It will be interesting to see what they do for England. There is no way Jamieson will miss out going there (other than for being injured). As was shown in his last series there, he was lethal with the Dukes ball.
No doubt he could but hes only recently started opening for CD (by choice or a word from the higher ups?) so hes not an opening batter by trade and I'd rather see him flourish in the troublesome number 5 position
Neither was Mark Richardson. He started out as a spin bowler until he got the Yips, then he applied himself and became one of our best opening batsmen.
As I said, opening is all about temperament and technique. Time at the crease is of a lot more value than runs scored for openers IMO.
In fact, the number of overs an opener lasts for should be part of the important stats recorded alongside average.
And that is why I think averages are misleading in comparing batsmen. Compare say Williamson with Steve Smith. Smith has a much higher average, but how often does he come in within the first 10 overs given he bats and number 4 compared to Williamson at 3. And that the Australian openers give a much better platform. And how often is he playing in conditions like we have in New Zealand?
'Neither was Mark Richardson. He started out as a spin bowler until he got the Yips, then he applied himself and became one of our best opening batsmen.'
Thats not really applicable, heres a repost about how difficult it is to be an opener:
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-06-03-2022/#comment-1871915
Now consider most of those were openers or top order batters, Mark Richardson is a NZ great but his example isn't really useful because he must have had almost superhuman powers of concentration to go from what he was to what he became
Don't get me wrong it'd be great to be proven wrong but I'd rather see opening batters encouraged rather than trying to manufacture an opening batter which, historically, will most likely fail as well as possibly ruin a very good middle order batter
Thank fucking god. Kudos to the grassroots feminists in the UK for pushing until this happened. If you don’t know the issue, this is about the right of women to have single sex spaces eg rape crisis counselling, female only changing rooms, female only spaces, female only club and meetings.
The obvious solution here for trans people is for society to provide parallel services that suit trans eg refuges for trans women. But not at the expense of women and rights and services we worked and fought so hard for.
Afaik, NZ law should be interpreted in the same way but government and NGOs aren’t currently supporting this. Will need some test cases and good lawyers.
https://twitter.com/wlaotearoa/status/1511108318672031747?s=21
What Lawyer would undertake this here in NZ? Do we have a MP equivalent to Joanna Cherry?
Is one of the reason Govt are trying to merge trans and female into one so as to not having to provide funds for a different service? i.e. sport, public facilities, lit just a cheaper option and thus help establish a Unisex world? (Starship Troopers movie, shower scene comes to mind).
Would Midrul Wadhwa actually want to run/establish a rape crisis centre for transwomen/transmen/non binary/others rather then the Rape Crisis Centre that they are currently manning? Or do they just want the job and pay that was usually a job for female only and set precedent?
I understand that women are organising in NZ, so we may see directed challenges to government, and public mainstream discussions.
We'll see.
Honestly, I see most of the problem in NZ is ideological and that trumps funding issues.
TW like Wadhwa are colonisers, having parallel services doesn’t serve that. Hopefully other TW with different world view will come to the table.
There are transwomen who are perfectly happy accepting they are not in fact biological women , and who do not expect to colonise women's spaces
But there are also transwomen who are desperate to be seen as biological women, who insist that everyone around them see them as biological women, and who insist on access to women only spaces.Gender dysphoria is very real, but it's not up to women as a class to accomodate those suffering from it.
That is not so much "gender dysphoria" as autogynephilia. Those chaps get their jollies from requiring other people – mainly women, to accept them as women in every facet of womenhood. Their is nothing they will not fetishise and colonise from menstruation, lactation and pregnancy to crafting groups. They are the ones achieving their "gender euphoria" in the women's bathroom and sharing the video with their mates.
are gender dysphoria and autogynephilia generally not found together?
(am also curious how for men societal negative attitudes and trauma plays into gender dysphoria, thinking about that UK MP that just came out as trans because he has GD).
AGP men will often claim dysphoria but as many of them do not undertake surgery or hormone treatment, there is a bit of a credibility gap. And in relation to the Conservative MP for Bridgend – there is obviously a new last refuge for scoundrels.
And over the pond, they're doubling down. Children and young people paying the cost.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-early-trans-surgeries-hormones-are-crucial-for-kids-teens-who-identify-as-trans
Er, not early surgeries surely – the best argument for hormone treatment/affirmation is time to consider such things. A classic case of taking sides and losing perspective.
I think you mean puberty blockers don't you?And the jury's still out on possible harmful side effects from that treatment.
Hormone treatment can be irreversible.Detransitioning transmen are stuck with the deep male voice for the rest of their lives
Yes. The thing being time to consider and think it all through. And operations on kids and maybe also teens is too early.
I don't know what your criteria of 'early' is.
13 yr olds have received double mastectomies in the US. Actively marketed on various social media to teens. (In NZ, we provide access in teen years as part of our “affirming health care”)
If your understanding that puberty blockers and cross sex hormones had clinical data to support their promotion as safe was erroneous, would you be concerned?
Tiktok link for Dr Sidhbh Gallagher:
https://www.tiktok.com/@gendersurgeon?lang=en
Reddit thread by some her patients regarding after care and surgery problems. Won't post link, as a bit graphic. You can Google if you want more.
PS. No evidential clinical data base has been created for drug protocol.
https://twitter.com/janeclarejones/status/1511002754721927178?s=21
Hey Molly this might be of interest to you.
The article on this woman was interesting so its basically the same thing except shes talking about it, for those who want to listen instead of reading
Thanks PR.![yes yes](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/thumbs_up.png?x42494)
All good
Satellite images appear to confirm bodies on the street of Bucha while the Russians were there.
The article below allows comparison between images taken on February 28 and those taken on 19th of March.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10685595/Russia-claims-evidence-war-crimes-Ukraine-staged-provocation-Kyiv-regime.html
The other thing is that these images have been geolocated to where bodies have been found:
“Disturbing video showing the bodies in Bucha was geolocated, authenticated and reported on by CNN on Friday. It came to light the same day Ukraine declared the town liberated from Russian troops.”
https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-04-04-22/index.html
Open and shut case now.
Fair Pay Agreements Act first reading introduced to parliament today.
Holly molly, some of the speeches in support are actually 'inspiring!' Especially from Michael Wood and Jan Logie!
National, as usual, arguing in favour of low wages!
Incidentally, Jacinda wiped the floor with Luxon and Seymour during QT. They're no match for her, and Willis made no dent in Grant's grasp of his portfolio.
Bring on the 2023 election!
I’d imagine that Grant would know his stuff reasonably well, but that doesn’t necessarily make it good stuff, does it? Was Willis playing the man or the ball?
She appeared to be 'playing' people who replied to the PM's facebook page – to the derision of members of the government. You know the preamble – 'what would he say to Sarah/Bill/Robert/Uncle Tom Cobbly and all . . . who said . . .
Heh, Mallard 'fined' them 2 supplementary questions.
Here’s the clip: https://ondemand.parliament.nz/parliament-tv-on-demand/?itemId=224245
Not very strong questions and not very strong answers either; Grant seemed to say that they’d already pumped billions into the economy and that they’re going for a long-term approach. Willis was trying to picture middle New Zealand hurting financially and thus trying to make a case for tax cuts again.
And todays financial statement says that tax was up 17.8% to february (a record) the operating balance before gains and losses was an 8.2 billion deficit and the full year operating account was 11.7 b a record number since the GFC (excluding the lockdown period)
https://www.treasury.govt.nz/system/files/2022-04/fsgnz-8mths-feb22.pdf
So neither fulfilled their analysis homework problem,and next Wednesday the headmaster will award a d- and give them 25 to.50 bp on the OCR.
Yeah, Grant did mention something about the increased government revenue because “companies are making profits, more people are in work and they’re earning more” and strong SME growth.
Yup, the OCR is likely to go up and up.
OCR has to move to meet inflationary expectations,adding cost and not value is a transfer to the financial sector from the productive economy and households.
What choice does RBNZ have?
The RBNZ does not have a choice (inflation need to be constrained) in an economy that is over extended say in the construction sector (with large backlogs,supply constraints,huuuuge price increases to come into the market from steel alone).There is a need for deference from central and local government for projects that are not shovel ready,or have little productive value.
Here's the evaluation by the Finnish Department of Foreign affairs about joining NATO.
c206b3c2-acaa-5809-c545-7aa67c9bcb2a (um.fi)
Finland’s government is now preparing a white paper on the country’s security, including potential Nato membership, to be released this month. A parliamentary debate will follow, with some MPs pushing for a decision to be taken before a Nato summit in Madrid at the end of June.
As Ukraine turns into a worse multi-year meat grinder than it was before, Finland prepares its entire defensive and strategic position.