Open mike 05/06/2020
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Torture, well I suppose you have to expect it when you expose war crimes. This is ugly use of power by the US government
https://thegrayzone.com/2020/05/14/american-sheldon-adelsons-us-spy-julian-assange/
and it's looking more and more like those show trials they put on the third world or the former soviet union.
https://thegrayzone.com/2020/05/29/british-court-assanges-physical-deterioration/
Mind you, if they keep treating him like crap they may get their wish, and he will die.
Just remember don't speak out, stay at home and do nothing, obey your masters they know best. Nothing to see here, scroll on.
Thanks for posting, Adam.
An informative read, first thing in the morning, but an important one.
I can only think of this as the true state of American politics and interference being exposed. Disturbingly, it also exposes the true state of the 'free' press and journalism, in how it has been reported.
Or just speaking out can be quite dangerous for some
https://prachatai.com/english/node/8561
So it goes
Thanks for posting, Adam.
An informative read, first thing in the morning, but an important one.
I can only think of this as the true state of American politics and interference being exposed. Disturbingly, it also exposes the true state of the 'free' press and journalism, in how it has been reported.
Damn. Can someone delete this? Meant to reply to adam on 1.
I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer, first thing in the morning, either.
… if it was only the morning…
Poor Dunc. He was blubbering into his microphone again this morning about the state of the National Party.
And look, he's taken to quoting David Farrar's new paywalled polling and research data. That is a cosy relationship.
Remember, Farrar is in the Simon Bridges camp and will have been devastated by the change of leadership.
He and Garner have thrown in the towel and are now actively reducing public expectation for National’s performance in September.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/06/opinion-how-is-mr-nothing-to-see-here-todd-muller-going-to-beat-jacinda-ardern.html
That is a really poor piece of writing. I wouldn't publish it in a school magazine. It's not even writing, it's a talkback call full of cliches.
Basic factual errors too. In no way is Muller "liberal". His voting record is 100% conservative. But Duncan Garner is too lazy and/or stupid to check or care.
That's what I thought Observer, I feel dumber after reading that. He got to mention that Labour are useless though, but yes what an utterly pointless piece, glad I didn't pay for that!
Old goat puts "sanctity of contracts" above wellbeing of small businesses in a global emergency. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/418254/new-zealand-first-flexes-coalition-muscles-over-commercial-rent-deal
On undermining govt. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/418328/week-in-politics-ardern-under-pressure-as-peters-fuels-opposition-attacks
This government needs hard political critique because it's not getting any from the Opposition.
Winston is pretty good at it.
Winston is treading a very fine line. He and Jones have had a pretty cushy number as a part of this government, but the patience of the government and the voters may wear a bit thin if he's not careful. Maybe it's time to call his bluff. Get with it or get out.
Meh.
It's just election season.
At 2.3% even old Lazarus the Liquid-Pickled Lizard is staring deep into the FInal Goodbye.
They'll try anything now.
and Smoked …
Haha. Very good.
Police haven't been making too flash a job of recording armed response callout info apparently. Apparently there aren't going to be cameras on fishing boats as a matter of course for a fair old while. Just as well we have a dynamic, inspiring minister of police and an honest reliable minister of fisheries to get this shit sorted.
Not much of a 'trial' when they refuse to collect data. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/418308/armed-response-teams-trial-bizarre-holes-in-callout-data
Might have been too busy changing their undies.
Pretty chilling – and not recording guns at traffic stops. Well what's the new commissioner going to do? This just reinforces the "police are out of control & don't think they have to answer to anyone"
Completely unacceptable..and not terribly 'kind'…luckily it happened in neighbourhoods that the nations Media and Politicians are collectively pretending can't really be helped..meantime..lets all look over at American racism and inequality as practiced by the police with the silent co operation of the political class..and tut loudly..incidentaly ..the Waikato Police have a nice image on their fb geared up and armed..time better spent doing the paperwork maybe
Latest UMR not good for Muller…
In the NZ Herald report on the poll, this is the bit that really tells:
"It is understood National's caucus is yet to be shown any of the National Party's internal polling by Curia since the leadership change. Two sets of polling will have been delivered since Muller took over on May 22."
Simon has taught you well, Todd.
Get polled, get rolled.
The armed response teams were disciplined enough to carry firearms all the time, but couldn't be arsed doing their basic paperwork.
What's the point of having a rigid pseudo-military hierarchy if you can't even make them use an app?
This isn't precision-like Germany you know. This is cowboy NZ, yeehah, chase 'em boy – faster.
14 – 0 – 1
Last community transmission was way back in late April.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/121727981/coronavirus-is-new-zealands-covid19-elimination-date-june-15
This strikes me as being very premature and very dumb .Not only assuming that international tourism will bounce back to pre Covid levels, but can also acommodate new tourism ventures
Really, time to take stock and get real .
"The party's leader, Todd Muller, pitched the policy at Coronet Peak in Queenstown, on Friday afternoon, saying tourism operators needed "direct cash support" and confidence the industry would rebound.
"Once the border re-opens we need to be ready to invite visitors back," he said, in a press statement.
The cash would not be provided to businesses to cover their usual costs, but would fund up to 70 per cent of new projects that would drive new demand for tourism."
What a weird policy? It looks like a straight cash giveaway to "wealthy people with a minimal business plan" to start developing something " model farm stays perhaps" and then when the tourists don't eventuate it can go bust and all the new assets pass into the hands of the provider of the business plan.
What rubbish – nor does it do anything to preserve existing tourist infrastructure. And when the overall tourist economic impact figures start coming in we may well find that a lot of the industry just simply wasn't worth having.
I also think that Nact are seriously overestimating the public appetite for admitting anybody that may be carrying covid.So the border is going to remain pretty shut for quite a while I expect.
Do I feel a lavender farm coming upon me???
What rubbish – nor does it do anything to preserve existing tourist infrastructure. And when the overall tourist economic impact figures start coming in we may well find that a lot of the industry just simply wasn't worth having.
This Radionz link seems to fit your concerns here RBCV. This chap explains in easy to understand language, the problems he is having over high rent, and intransigent landlord, which explains what many are experiencing. He said he couldn't achieve a fairer lease, it seems you had to take what you were given. This is actually an Act of God that no-one could envisage and though there are many trying to prove Chinese activity, it still is a completely unexpected worldwide event.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018749399/struggling-business-doubts-rent-arbitration-scheme-will-help
Yes, that is one of the biggest – if not the biggest issue of the businesses that will go out of business. They can't get out of their leases. And they don't need 'rent arbitration' they need a legal way to break their lease or dissolve it before they loose everything they own to a landlord who can't be bothered working with their tenants because they don't have to. How many bankrupted ex business people does the country need and can afford?
And will often have a personal guarantee, which is where the bankruptcy comes from – we need to ban those because they pierce the corporate veil.
"Do I feel a lavender farm coming upon me???"
That made me laugh!
The 'not so pretty communist' intends to throw other people's money at an exploitative sunset industry. Will Muller be able to get that past Winston if the unimaginable happens at election time since it hasn't got anything to do with horse racing of fishing?
That's a very cynical (funny) comment about Winston aom!
Sports Sponsorship and the pandemic.
It seems that some people do not quite get that New Zealand appears to have dodged a bullet through the expert management of the pandemic. They seem to think that everything will be back to normal before we know it.
It will be interesting to see how many prominent sponsors of sporting events who immediately laid off staff or who took the various subsidies available, will jump straight back into dealing out sponsorship for these sporting clubs and events.
The pandemic has really exposed the low quality of a large number of our upper private sector managers. Hands out for subsidies while they keep their own income up then utterly unrealistic decisions about the way forward.
Sorry
The link
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/121734810/national-promises-100m-tourism-accelerator-fund-for-businesses-willing-to-grow-out-of-covid19-recession
Some fortunate proximity for NZ …
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/csl-pledges-manufacture-uq-covid-19-vaccine-if-successful-20200605-p54zs4.html
'CSL said it would use its allocation to supply Australians in the first instance and then look to its regional neighbours.
Biotech giant CSL will produce the first batches of the University of Queensland's COVID-19 vaccine if it is shown to work, with the company throwing funding support behind the vaccine's development and saying millions of doses could be available by 2021.'
Coordinated fuckery.
http://archive.li/7iy3O (wapo)
A wave of social media posts and images have claimed that pallets of bricks have been appearing near the locations of protests in cities all over the United States. This sparked rampant speculation that the bricks are part of a coordinated effort to incite violence as a way to entrap protesters and instigate chaos.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/investigating-bricks-at-protests
Washington (CNN)The White House posted and then deleted a tweet on Wednesday that falsely suggested a synagogue's rock-filled anti-terrorism barrier had been placed on the street by domestic terrorists.
The tweet featured a compilation of video clips from around the country in which people expressed suspicion of the presence of bricks or other objects on the streets. The tweet claimed that "Antifa and professional anarchists are invading our communities, staging bricks and weapons to instigate violence. These are acts of domestic terror."
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/03/politics/fact-check-white-house-rocks-bricks-antifa-synagogue-chabad/index.html
There was a bunch of "I've heard the rioters are carjacking white women" tweets for the last few days.
I hope the black women are claiming racism. I think only humour and ridicule can make any impact on the 'duh' mindset. There must be more Homers out there than I thought possible.
Perhaps this really is how USA people are:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJO2hRyefNs
check out Portlandia if you can, "put a bird on it" & "bicycle rights" & "where's my free range chicken come from?" & so many more…
piles of bricks are due to construction shutdowns for COVID
Racism is a tool of division. Remember the divide and conquer strategy of ancient battles?