I watch the news last night, a huge story (shock and horror) on the price of petrol, much wailing and lamentation. During the whole tawdry ill informed item the so called journalists asked who was getting the money, was it fair? Not once was mention made of the real issue. The stuff is running out and over time whilst price may fluctuate it will trend up and up.
We are ill served by our journalists, the pretty young faces presenting recieved wisdom have a vacuity beyond words. We are ill served by ourselves for our failure of imagination, to be able to project a world view of a future that can be anything other than it is today. My prediciton, the revolution will begin at a petrol pump.
A front-page story in the Daily Progress here in Charlottesville, Va., recently described a group of people who said they had given up on politicians and were beginning to gather at gas stations to publicly pray for cheaper gasoline. These are people who are seriously hurting because they need gas to get to work and back home, and they can no longer afford it. I don’t want to laugh at their acts of desperation, but that is exactly what politicians will do, politicians who are no doubt thrilled to see people standing in parking lots talking to the sky rather than standing in their offices talking to them.
Yeah, this was going on in 2007-2008 as well, the previous spike. There was even a ludicrous campaign ad by McCain that very very heavily insinuated, with only just barely not blaming directly, Obama for high petrol prices.
I have read market analysis recently that suggests the oil price is likely to ease back a little in the next 6 months. And even if it doesn’t, they suggest that gas prices will not reach $5/gallon (currently hovering just around $4 on average) due to “demand destruction”.
Business needs confidence in energy pricing and they are not getting it. How does any business predict energy prices going forward. How can they invest when oil may spike the moment they’ve locked into a long term contract. So they don’t have the confidence they once did, and they never will until cheap energy returns (likely not for thirty years for that’s how long it takes for any new energy idea to get to market, ?thorium?). So don’t expect any rapid economic expansion, even recycling is energy intensive, and manufactures have barely even started building better products that can be easily and cheaply recycled, and won’t until governments globally make it rewarding to them. By implementing a full life responsibility on manufacturers, that all products have to be recycled by their manufacturers (or suffer strict penalties, jail time for executives who shift the recycling risk – don’t buy the recycling insurance). Governments need to start banning products that enter their markets that are extremely hard to recycle, then continue to raise the standard until there is a highly recyclable economy.
But there is no movement and won’t be until its too late and our ability and cost to change, oil will be prohibitively expensive, forces the issue. Either we build the new global structure or we fall much further and much farther back into past malaise.
Professor Delorus Umbridge Tolley’s research indicates that only one third of primary school teachers understand the standards well.
Begs the question, what are the parents actually supposed to be demanding?
They’re apparently all behind the government in demanding their implementation, but they surely cannot know what they are asking for.
Some dipsy coiffeured politician stands up and cries,
“We must have the standards.”
Her adoring public apparently cried “Yes!… whatever they are….! Hooray, hoorah!”
Well spotted Logie, we want standards, we dont know what they are but we want them now. And whoever has to apply them has to do it to our standards, get with the programme. Who would want to be a teacher dealing with the expectations of Joe (probably below) Average?
Is the Christchurch earthquake why all the retail stores in Newmarket seem to be having distress sales/closing down?
Is the Christchurch earthquake why youth unemployment around the country is over 25%?
Is the Christchurch earthquake why the Auckland housing market dipped again in March (when you would have thought the record number of people leaving Christchurch would have boosted it).
Or is the Christchurch earthquake National’s excuse for a continuing trend of economic decline, even though our export commodities have been hitting record highs?
Give Key a break! He did try to boost tourism.
He just couldn’t rent enough Pandas.
Besides, they had trouble teaching them to ride bikes down the cycleway.
All the lovely autumnally coloured garden leaves don’t stay on the trees for long. Every shake they be falling to the ground. Gotta get the rake out again…
Really mr lanthanide? I felt about 3-4 good shakes since yesterday evening. Geonet shows them between 3 and 4 on the richter, last one about 9am today. Given us a good wobble and made the leaves fall. Perhaps the Great Earth Monster is fine-tuning his monstering and only aiming at the naughty kids…
Just posted this on Kiwiblog – FYI
____________________________________________________________________________
The President of the U$A, Barak Obama authorises the cold-blooded ‘execution’ of an unarmed Osama bin Laden(?) by a team of US Navy Seals – and calls this ‘justice’.
How is this not equally a ‘terrorist’ act, that would arguably be internationally condemned if the (supposed?) ‘Leader’ of al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden – had equally authorised the cold-blooded assassination of the (unarmed) President of the United States of America, in front of his wife and family?
If the tactics and actions authorised by the Leader of the United States of America are essentially no different in practice to those of the (supposed?) ‘Leader’ of al-Qaeda – then what is (was?) the difference between Obama and Osama?
Or is U$A ‘State-sponsored terrorism’ simply above the law?
Or do you agree with the concept that ‘might is right’ – end of story?
Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948
Preamble
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
……………….”
The killing of Osama bin Laden by a team of US Navy Seals has been condemned internationally by lawyers, human rights groups, and European leaders.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has also urged the United States to provide full details about what critics have called a summary execution.
“The United Nations has consistently emphasised that all counter-terrorism acts must respect international law,” Pillay said.
In London, distinguished human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson has described the killing of the al-Qaeda leader as a “perversion of justice” that would rebound on the US.
The Australian-born Queen’s Counsel has sat as an appeal judge on a UN war crime court and is one of three jurist members on the international organisation’s Internal Justice Council.
He told ABC TV yesterday that the killing of an unarmed bin Laden was not justice. ”
Who cares, CV? The man deserved to die and now he’s dead. It’s a shame it was in front of his children, but he is the one that put them at risk. At least he had a chance to say goodbye to them, unlike his victims in Africa, America and the Arab world.
Still, it’s a shame none of his kids did what this kid did:
In my youth Voice I sometimes had feelings like what yours appear to be on OBL. And I detest OBL and his hangers on for a number of reasons.
Fer instance I cursed the IRA for missing Maggie Thatcher at that hotel. I marched up Queen St Auckland with 200 H Block supporters in the pouring rain to substantial abuse from onlookers upon the death of hunger striker Bobby Sands. I came to realise though that terrorism while instant gratification and sometimes a necessary tactic for those involved in asymmetrical conflicts is no substitute in the long run for publicly supported peace based political organisation and gaining wide international support.
But I also cursed the CIA and US imperialism more for dealing to Salvador Allende and scores of other barely social democratic “revolutions”. So yeah, if you had a loved one that bit the dust at ‘ground zero’ say whatever you like, but the conditions that gave rise to OBL deserve the real approbrium.
Nicely put, Tiger. There is no avoiding the bigger picture and in a world of astonishing wealth monopolised by the few at the expense of the many there will always be opportunities for the likes of bin Laden to come to the surface. Pinochet was always No 1 on my list of those who should be despatched at the first opportunity and good on the Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front for at least getting close.
This guy was such a threat to the General that the junta had to break his fingers before killing him:
United States President Barack Obama announced on Monday US Navy SEALs had found and killed Osama Bin Laden. They apparently located the elusive Al Qaeda leader with satellite facial recognition and launched a raid dubbed the Geronimo “E-KEA.” It is also reported that the CIA undertook four years of surveillance of the compounds courier, which led to the intelligence needed to make the raid possible.
On employment – Goff this morning talking about better prospects for Maori expresses distaste with present programmes as ‘growing pumpkins’. He sounds so middle-class, seeing manual labour, ‘semi-skilled’ labour as next to useless. The preference amongst his class for jobs is in the high-tech culture, the superior person sits at a computer, manages things, offers technology services.
What would be wrong in teaching horticulture if that is what Maori or others wish. The education can build on preference for practical, hard work, which produces something, and respect such work different from that manipulating abstract things. I think Helen Clark decided not to have subsidies for Councils to provide funds for work which could use unemployed. She said that the government wanted to spend money assisting unemployed into good jobs, not gorse clearing etc. So what is wrong with gorse clearing, weeding, cutting out old man’s beard – these are all useful jobs and gardening or vegetable growing require repetitive work for a successful outcome or product.
So what is wrong with pumpkin growing Mr Goff? It leads to a good outcome, a physical asset, a useful way to apply unemployed or undirected energy.
Christchurch need for tradesmen has prompted the government to up the training for prison inmates to acquire trade skills ready for jobs when they are released. Kim Workman said that many employers hesitate to employ ex-prisoners and we should do as in Singapore and encourage with subsidies? also they receive awards for being good citizens providing employment. This would be such a good move and should be done all the time for the majority of prisoners not just when there is a national crisis. But a small minority of incorrigibles (psychopaths) should never be allowed out.as a speaker on RadioNZ this morning commented, saying that apart from them prisoners are serving too long sentences Targeted sentences should be refined, jails being retraining places where a prisoner gets organisation into his or her life, and skills to carry through after a short incarceration.
I thought the 90day sackem’ plan was supposed to achieve that. Obviously it’s not working for the needy workers, just the employers.
Helen Clark was not saying gorse clearing was a zero job; she knew as well as you do that cheap desperate low paid labour was the last thing Labour wanted for New Zealanders. We all know the rich want the low paid to do that work because THE RICH believe it is beneath them.
But Key gets to treat Kiwi workers as ‘flexible’ and voluntary labour in the aged care and other areas nobody wants to do. I knew that was going to happen before the 2008 election. Key’s plan to cause a bigger gap between the haves and the have nots is working brilliantly.
What a shame Kiwis don’t see the painting of Dorian Gray Key hidden in the attic.
I would imagine irrigation and sprinkler systems – as well as maintaining greenhouse environments would provide enough interest for the tech savvy. I took horticulture at school, and I found myself interested in the sprinkers, etc more than the plants…I still probably am….
The more enlightened in us would see the community max schemes and its expensive pumpkins as a spring board to small scale gardening co-ops run by young people.
For a week now…I have been a citizen of an island and therewith a small dot in the Commonwealth. It really reassures me to have found a place after eight years of having been stateless and of having received hospitality in a decent and truly humane society.
Prism, why did Goff actually instance ‘pumpkins’? I remember a media story attacking the government for allowing a horticultural course way up north which did not meet the outcomes required by the course financers, and that the course involved growing pumpkins.
Maybe, ‘growing pumpkins’ is a metaphor for badly run, poorly organised, poor value courses for our unemployed, and not an attack on teaching horticulture per se. The Nats used to flagellate the Labour government for all sorts of courses at community and adult education level. Is ‘growing pumpkins’ Goff’s version of the same thing?
The Blue penguins that died on the East Coast recently starved to death as a result of the weather patterns, not, as somebody suggested here, because of sonic oil explorations by Petrobras.
The article you linked to states that only 18 penguins were found. However there were reports of more found than that. Interesting how DOC proposed that La Nina was to blame even before seeing the dead penguins.
The thing is that sonic booms scare away fish and so the Penguins in that area could well have died of starvation. The cause is more likely to be seismic testing scaring away their food source than any difference in weather pattern. Fish stocks are not normally affected by changes in weather.
Seismic testing has been found to cause deaths of many creatures around the world. this is not an isolated incident.
“They were found yesterday washed up in Waihau Bay, which is located adjacent to Petrobras’ seismic testing zone. Coincidence? I don’t think so.”
It made me laugh when I first read it, so it was interesting to find out the real reason they died.
DOC reckons they starved to death, so I’d be interested to know if the sound Petrobras use can make you skinny as well as dead. At low doses, this could be quite a money spinner for Jenny Craig.
How adjacent is the testing to Waihau Bay, by the way? I though it was miles out at sea, a long, long way from where the penguins hang out. If I understand the allegation of damage caused by seismic testing it relates to the high decibel noise levels at the point of testing, which definitely could do some damage, but only if but only if you are relatively close.
‘Top US Government Insider: Bin Laden Died In 2001, 9/11 A False Flag Operation’
Seen this folks?
Just posted it on Kiwiblog as well.
I’ve cut and pasted 28 pages of google’ links – showing other websites /blogs which have published this information on my blog – FYI)
Doesn’t seem to have been much coverage in the mainstream corporate media?
HOW unusual!
_______________________________________________________________________
Top US Government Insider: Bin Laden Died In 2001, 9/11 A False Flag Operation
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under three different administrations Steve R. Pieczenik says he is prepared to tell a federal grand jury the name of a top general who told him directly 9/11 was a false flag attack
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Top US government insider Dr. Steve R. Pieczenik, a man who held numerous different influential positions under three different Presidents and still works with the Defense Department, shockingly told The Alex Jones Show yesterday that Osama Bin Laden died in 2001 and that he was prepared to testify in front of a grand jury how a top general told him directly that 9/11 was a false flag inside job.
Pieczenik cannot be dismissed as a “conspiracy theorist”. He served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under three different administrations, Nixon, Ford and Carter, while also working under Reagan and Bush senior, and still works as a consultant for the Department of Defense. A former US Navy Captain, Pieczenik achieved two prestigious Harry C. Solomon Awards at the Harvard Medical School as he simultaneously completed a PhD at MIT.
Recruited by Lawrence Eagleburger as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Management, Pieczenik went on to develop, “the basic tenets for psychological warfare, counter terrorism, strategy and tactics for transcultural negotiations for the US State Department, military and intelligence communities and other agencies of the US Government,” while also developing foundational strategies for hostage rescue that were later employed around the world.
Pieczenik also served as a senior policy planner under Secretaries Henry Kissinger, Cyrus Vance, George Schultz and James Baker and worked on George W. Bush’s election campaign against Al Gore. His record underscores the fact that he is one of the most deeply connected men in intelligence circles over the past three decades plus.
…………………..”
An interesting and encouraging paper from The Wilson Centre. But I don’t think I’ll hold my breath.
This begins at home with quality health care and education, with a vital economy and low rates
of unemployment, with thriving urban centers and carefully planned rural communities, with low
crime, and a sense of common purpose underwritten by personal responsibility. We often hear
the term “smart power” applied to the tools of development and diplomacy abroad empowering
people all over the world to improve their own lives and to help establish the stability needed to
sustain security and prosperity on a global scale. But we can not export “smart power” until we
practice “smart growth” at home. We must seize the opportunity to be a model of stability, a
model of the values we cherish for the rest of the world to emulate. And we must ensure that our
domestic policies are aligned with our foreign policies. Our own “smart growth” can serve as
the exportable model of “smart power.” Because, truthfully, it is in our interest to see the rest of
the world prosper and the world market thrive, just as it is in our interest to see our neighbors
prosper and our own urban centers and rural communities come back to life.
His comments had been seen as support for bin Laden’s actions which was a mistake, he said. “Using terror for political reasons is never acceptable,” he said in a statement this afternoon.
He apologised for how he expressed himself.
“As Maori we do not speak ill of someone who has died even if such a person has done bad things.”
Although academic Ranginui Walker is less critical of OBL:
Meanwhile, political commentator Ranginui Walker compared bin Laden to the Maori leader Te Kooti.
Walker, speaking to Te Karere on Tuesday, said Maori would see similarities between the two.
Te Kooti was exiled to the Chathams without trial in 1865 after he was accused of spying while fighting alongside Government forces. He returned as a religious leader of the Ringatu faith.
“[Te Kooti] fought people who came to invade his countries and confiscated its wealth,” Walker said.
Walker said bin Laden should not have been executed without trial.
“[He] should be judged in a court and all claims investigated so that we can all see where the truth lies.”
Walker said the problem with New Zealand’s ties to America was that “no matter where they go into war in the world we get dragged into battle.”
Ghastly Garth McVicar a guest on Jim Mora’s programme (Thursday 5.5.11)
To discuss the possible castration of child-killer Peter Holdem, Jim Mora for some ungodly reason asked the discredited S.S. leader and knife enhusiast Garth McVicar onto his programme The Panel today. Unexpectedly, however, McVicar, who is notorious for supporting vicious killers and heaping scorn onto their victims, failed to support the killer Peter Holdem.
But the old loon did take the opportunity to indulge in a spray against “liberal society”, and then advocated the use of chain-gangs to clean up Christchurch.
Yes. It says a lot about Mora that he encourages McVicar to spread his poison. Noticed that each time Mora tried to use his NAct spin on other matters, Bomber Bradbury and Bernard Hickey politely corrected him. Jim went quiet for a while but got his revenge with McVicar’s bile.
Jim Mora also continues to have Barry Corbett as a guest. Corbett was heavily criticised two years ago during the trial of knife-killer Bruce Emery, who was, and still is, supported by the S.S. Trust. Corbett made similar comments to McVicar, pouring filth on the reputation of the boy who Emery stabbed to death.
No real change. Some good news for Winston, none for ACT. But the polling period is a week too early to pick up any post-coup bounce.
This is the second successive poll to contradict TV3’s over-egged poll of a few weeks ago. It clearly WAS a rogue, as some of us said at the time. Dunce Garner will be apologising on the news tonight … just kidding.
‘Then the Prime Minister attacked New Zealand’s most awarded foreign correspondent Jon Stephenson saying he was not credible and adding that Stephenson had once impersonated TV broadcaster Duncan Garner to get Mr Key to call him.
The Prime Minister said: “I hung up on him because when people impersonate someone else I don’t take them seriously,” Mr Key said.’
And the man who swallowed rats and fish to get into power didn’t even see the irony.
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Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
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Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
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I watch the news last night, a huge story (shock and horror) on the price of petrol, much wailing and lamentation. During the whole tawdry ill informed item the so called journalists asked who was getting the money, was it fair? Not once was mention made of the real issue. The stuff is running out and over time whilst price may fluctuate it will trend up and up.
We are ill served by our journalists, the pretty young faces presenting recieved wisdom have a vacuity beyond words. We are ill served by ourselves for our failure of imagination, to be able to project a world view of a future that can be anything other than it is today. My prediciton, the revolution will begin at a petrol pump.
Bored you might get a laugh out of this then.
A front-page story in the Daily Progress here in Charlottesville, Va., recently described a group of people who said they had given up on politicians and were beginning to gather at gas stations to publicly pray for cheaper gasoline. These are people who are seriously hurting because they need gas to get to work and back home, and they can no longer afford it. I don’t want to laugh at their acts of desperation, but that is exactly what politicians will do, politicians who are no doubt thrilled to see people standing in parking lots talking to the sky rather than standing in their offices talking to them.
Yeah, this was going on in 2007-2008 as well, the previous spike. There was even a ludicrous campaign ad by McCain that very very heavily insinuated, with only just barely not blaming directly, Obama for high petrol prices.
I have read market analysis recently that suggests the oil price is likely to ease back a little in the next 6 months. And even if it doesn’t, they suggest that gas prices will not reach $5/gallon (currently hovering just around $4 on average) due to “demand destruction”.
Business needs confidence in energy pricing and they are not getting it. How does any business predict energy prices going forward. How can they invest when oil may spike the moment they’ve locked into a long term contract. So they don’t have the confidence they once did, and they never will until cheap energy returns (likely not for thirty years for that’s how long it takes for any new energy idea to get to market, ?thorium?). So don’t expect any rapid economic expansion, even recycling is energy intensive, and manufactures have barely even started building better products that can be easily and cheaply recycled, and won’t until governments globally make it rewarding to them. By implementing a full life responsibility on manufacturers, that all products have to be recycled by their manufacturers (or suffer strict penalties, jail time for executives who shift the recycling risk – don’t buy the recycling insurance). Governments need to start banning products that enter their markets that are extremely hard to recycle, then continue to raise the standard until there is a highly recyclable economy.
But there is no movement and won’t be until its too late and our ability and cost to change, oil will be prohibitively expensive, forces the issue. Either we build the new global structure or we fall much further and much farther back into past malaise.
Bloody amusing indeed!
Professor Delorus Umbridge Tolley’s research indicates that only one third of primary school teachers understand the standards well.
Begs the question, what are the parents actually supposed to be demanding?
They’re apparently all behind the government in demanding their implementation, but they surely cannot know what they are asking for.
Some dipsy coiffeured politician stands up and cries,
“We must have the standards.”
Her adoring public apparently cried “Yes!… whatever they are….! Hooray, hoorah!”
Well spotted Logie, we want standards, we dont know what they are but we want them now. And whoever has to apply them has to do it to our standards, get with the programme. Who would want to be a teacher dealing with the expectations of Joe (probably below) Average?
Notice that the pro-Standards folk are mostly interested in teachers being obedient and seldom discuss the actual standards. Political?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10723477
Tourist numbers down. Who is Minister of Tourism again? How’s that 100% Pure You working for you tourists? Not well apparently.
That Letterman gig worked a treat.
Indeed – it’s driven everyone away!
He cant even blame the economy, he is in charge of that too.
The NZ ads on The Hobbit DVDs will surely reverse the trend.
I don’t think the movies are scheduled to come out until 2013 and 2014.
The article states the obvious, down on the month (March) due mainly to the earthquakes.
Up 1% on the year to March so the earthquakes will have kept the modest increase down too.
Is the Christchurch earthquake why all the retail stores in Newmarket seem to be having distress sales/closing down?
Is the Christchurch earthquake why youth unemployment around the country is over 25%?
Is the Christchurch earthquake why the Auckland housing market dipped again in March (when you would have thought the record number of people leaving Christchurch would have boosted it).
Or is the Christchurch earthquake National’s excuse for a continuing trend of economic decline, even though our export commodities have been hitting record highs?
Give Key a break! He did try to boost tourism.
He just couldn’t rent enough Pandas.
Besides, they had trouble teaching them to ride bikes down the cycleway.
Cinco de Mayo! Mexican food tonight.
Unknown Earthquake Effect #27;
All the lovely autumnally coloured garden leaves don’t stay on the trees for long. Every shake they be falling to the ground. Gotta get the rake out again…
We really haven’t had that many quakes in the last few days.
Really mr lanthanide? I felt about 3-4 good shakes since yesterday evening. Geonet shows them between 3 and 4 on the richter, last one about 9am today. Given us a good wobble and made the leaves fall. Perhaps the Great Earth Monster is fine-tuning his monstering and only aiming at the naughty kids…
Ha what are you saying you are then? 🙂
Just posted this on Kiwiblog – FYI
____________________________________________________________________________
The President of the U$A, Barak Obama authorises the cold-blooded ‘execution’ of an unarmed Osama bin Laden(?) by a team of US Navy Seals – and calls this ‘justice’.
How is this not equally a ‘terrorist’ act, that would arguably be internationally condemned if the (supposed?) ‘Leader’ of al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden – had equally authorised the cold-blooded assassination of the (unarmed) President of the United States of America, in front of his wife and family?
If the tactics and actions authorised by the Leader of the United States of America are essentially no different in practice to those of the (supposed?) ‘Leader’ of al-Qaeda – then what is (was?) the difference between Obama and Osama?
Or is U$A ‘State-sponsored terrorism’ simply above the law?
Or do you agree with the concept that ‘might is right’ – end of story?
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948
Preamble
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
……………….”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10723453
Questions over legality of bin Laden ‘execution’
By Greg Ansley
5:30 AM Thursday May 5, 2011
The killing of Osama bin Laden by a team of US Navy Seals has been condemned internationally by lawyers, human rights groups, and European leaders.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has also urged the United States to provide full details about what critics have called a summary execution.
“The United Nations has consistently emphasised that all counter-terrorism acts must respect international law,” Pillay said.
In London, distinguished human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson has described the killing of the al-Qaeda leader as a “perversion of justice” that would rebound on the US.
The Australian-born Queen’s Counsel has sat as an appeal judge on a UN war crime court and is one of three jurist members on the international organisation’s Internal Justice Council.
He told ABC TV yesterday that the killing of an unarmed bin Laden was not justice. ”
Penny Bright
http://waterpressure.wordpress.com
Couldn’t have had Bin Laden talking to people and letting uncomfortable facts be known.
I suppose Seal Team Six had orders to kill Bin Laden no matter the circumstances.
Otherwise they are saying that they could not successfully restrain an unarmed middle aged man in his mid-50’s?
Or somehow the special forces unit were panicked into shooting an unarmed man?
Seems pretty deliberate, overall, just like everything a SEAL team does.
Who cares, CV? The man deserved to die and now he’s dead. It’s a shame it was in front of his children, but he is the one that put them at risk. At least he had a chance to say goodbye to them, unlike his victims in Africa, America and the Arab world.
Still, it’s a shame none of his kids did what this kid did:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/4964103/Boy-charged-with-murdering-neo-Nazi-dad
You’re one sick puppy Voice of Reason.
Seconded Todd! 🙂
Woof!
In my youth Voice I sometimes had feelings like what yours appear to be on OBL. And I detest OBL and his hangers on for a number of reasons.
Fer instance I cursed the IRA for missing Maggie Thatcher at that hotel. I marched up Queen St Auckland with 200 H Block supporters in the pouring rain to substantial abuse from onlookers upon the death of hunger striker Bobby Sands. I came to realise though that terrorism while instant gratification and sometimes a necessary tactic for those involved in asymmetrical conflicts is no substitute in the long run for publicly supported peace based political organisation and gaining wide international support.
But I also cursed the CIA and US imperialism more for dealing to Salvador Allende and scores of other barely social democratic “revolutions”. So yeah, if you had a loved one that bit the dust at ‘ground zero’ say whatever you like, but the conditions that gave rise to OBL deserve the real approbrium.
Nicely put, Tiger. There is no avoiding the bigger picture and in a world of astonishing wealth monopolised by the few at the expense of the many there will always be opportunities for the likes of bin Laden to come to the surface. Pinochet was always No 1 on my list of those who should be despatched at the first opportunity and good on the Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front for at least getting close.
This guy was such a threat to the General that the junta had to break his fingers before killing him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hesTpJ4oGvk
Brilliant, Penny!
I wish more people were making that point..
12-Year-Old Daughter Watches Fathers Execution
http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2011/05/12-year-old-daughter-watches-fathers.html
United States President Barack Obama announced on Monday US Navy SEALs had found and killed Osama Bin Laden. They apparently located the elusive Al Qaeda leader with satellite facial recognition and launched a raid dubbed the Geronimo “E-KEA.” It is also reported that the CIA undertook four years of surveillance of the compounds courier, which led to the intelligence needed to make the raid possible.
On employment – Goff this morning talking about better prospects for Maori expresses distaste with present programmes as ‘growing pumpkins’. He sounds so middle-class, seeing manual labour, ‘semi-skilled’ labour as next to useless. The preference amongst his class for jobs is in the high-tech culture, the superior person sits at a computer, manages things, offers technology services.
What would be wrong in teaching horticulture if that is what Maori or others wish. The education can build on preference for practical, hard work, which produces something, and respect such work different from that manipulating abstract things. I think Helen Clark decided not to have subsidies for Councils to provide funds for work which could use unemployed. She said that the government wanted to spend money assisting unemployed into good jobs, not gorse clearing etc. So what is wrong with gorse clearing, weeding, cutting out old man’s beard – these are all useful jobs and gardening or vegetable growing require repetitive work for a successful outcome or product.
So what is wrong with pumpkin growing Mr Goff? It leads to a good outcome, a physical asset, a useful way to apply unemployed or undirected energy.
Christchurch need for tradesmen has prompted the government to up the training for prison inmates to acquire trade skills ready for jobs when they are released. Kim Workman said that many employers hesitate to employ ex-prisoners and we should do as in Singapore and encourage with subsidies? also they receive awards for being good citizens providing employment. This would be such a good move and should be done all the time for the majority of prisoners not just when there is a national crisis. But a small minority of incorrigibles (psychopaths) should never be allowed out.as a speaker on RadioNZ this morning commented, saying that apart from them prisoners are serving too long sentences Targeted sentences should be refined, jails being retraining places where a prisoner gets organisation into his or her life, and skills to carry through after a short incarceration.
I think they are talking about a rather famous Pumpkin from TV3 news. ‘Then there is the $317,000 project that is now down to just one pumpkin.’
http://www.3news.co.nz/Govts-hip-hop-fact-finding-remark-backfires/tabid/419/articleID/198613/Default.aspx
That’s odd Prism.
I thought the 90day sackem’ plan was supposed to achieve that. Obviously it’s not working for the needy workers, just the employers.
Helen Clark was not saying gorse clearing was a zero job; she knew as well as you do that cheap desperate low paid labour was the last thing Labour wanted for New Zealanders. We all know the rich want the low paid to do that work because THE RICH believe it is beneath them.
But Key gets to treat Kiwi workers as ‘flexible’ and voluntary labour in the aged care and other areas nobody wants to do. I knew that was going to happen before the 2008 election. Key’s plan to cause a bigger gap between the haves and the have nots is working brilliantly.
What a shame Kiwis don’t see the painting of Dorian Gray Key hidden in the attic.
I would imagine irrigation and sprinkler systems – as well as maintaining greenhouse environments would provide enough interest for the tech savvy. I took horticulture at school, and I found myself interested in the sprinkers, etc more than the plants…I still probably am….
The more enlightened in us would see the community max schemes and its expensive pumpkins as a spring board to small scale gardening co-ops run by young people.
I wonder if the same could be said in 2011.
For a week now…I have been a citizen of an island and therewith a small dot in the Commonwealth. It really reassures me to have found a place after eight years of having been stateless and of having received hospitality in a decent and truly humane society.
Karl Wolfskehl
Prism, why did Goff actually instance ‘pumpkins’? I remember a media story attacking the government for allowing a horticultural course way up north which did not meet the outcomes required by the course financers, and that the course involved growing pumpkins.
Maybe, ‘growing pumpkins’ is a metaphor for badly run, poorly organised, poor value courses for our unemployed, and not an attack on teaching horticulture per se. The Nats used to flagellate the Labour government for all sorts of courses at community and adult education level. Is ‘growing pumpkins’ Goff’s version of the same thing?
The Blue penguins that died on the East Coast recently starved to death as a result of the weather patterns, not, as somebody suggested here, because of sonic oil explorations by Petrobras.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4961829/Penguin-deaths-linked-to-weather
The article you linked to states that only 18 penguins were found. However there were reports of more found than that. Interesting how DOC proposed that La Nina was to blame even before seeing the dead penguins.
The thing is that sonic booms scare away fish and so the Penguins in that area could well have died of starvation. The cause is more likely to be seismic testing scaring away their food source than any difference in weather pattern. Fish stocks are not normally affected by changes in weather.
Seismic testing has been found to cause deaths of many creatures around the world. this is not an isolated incident.
http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2011/04/little-blues-found-dead-on-east-coast.html
This is what you wrote, Todd:
“They were found yesterday washed up in Waihau Bay, which is located adjacent to Petrobras’ seismic testing zone. Coincidence? I don’t think so.”
It made me laugh when I first read it, so it was interesting to find out the real reason they died.
DOC reckons they starved to death, so I’d be interested to know if the sound Petrobras use can make you skinny as well as dead. At low doses, this could be quite a money spinner for Jenny Craig.
How adjacent is the testing to Waihau Bay, by the way? I though it was miles out at sea, a long, long way from where the penguins hang out. If I understand the allegation of damage caused by seismic testing it relates to the high decibel noise levels at the point of testing, which definitely could do some damage, but only if but only if you are relatively close.
It looks like Gerry and co have exported their version of CERA to the US.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/4964845/Looters-flimflam-men-plague-tornado-torn-US
‘Top US Government Insider: Bin Laden Died In 2001, 9/11 A False Flag Operation’
Seen this folks?
Just posted it on Kiwiblog as well.
I’ve cut and pasted 28 pages of google’ links – showing other websites /blogs which have published this information on my blog – FYI)
Doesn’t seem to have been much coverage in the mainstream corporate media?
HOW unusual!
_______________________________________________________________________
http://www.prisonplanet.com/top-us-government-insider-bin-laden-died-in-2001-911-a-false-flag.html
Top US Government Insider: Bin Laden Died In 2001, 9/11 A False Flag Operation
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under three different administrations Steve R. Pieczenik says he is prepared to tell a federal grand jury the name of a top general who told him directly 9/11 was a false flag attack
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Top US government insider Dr. Steve R. Pieczenik, a man who held numerous different influential positions under three different Presidents and still works with the Defense Department, shockingly told The Alex Jones Show yesterday that Osama Bin Laden died in 2001 and that he was prepared to testify in front of a grand jury how a top general told him directly that 9/11 was a false flag inside job.
Pieczenik cannot be dismissed as a “conspiracy theorist”. He served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under three different administrations, Nixon, Ford and Carter, while also working under Reagan and Bush senior, and still works as a consultant for the Department of Defense. A former US Navy Captain, Pieczenik achieved two prestigious Harry C. Solomon Awards at the Harvard Medical School as he simultaneously completed a PhD at MIT.
Recruited by Lawrence Eagleburger as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Management, Pieczenik went on to develop, “the basic tenets for psychological warfare, counter terrorism, strategy and tactics for transcultural negotiations for the US State Department, military and intelligence communities and other agencies of the US Government,” while also developing foundational strategies for hostage rescue that were later employed around the world.
Pieczenik also served as a senior policy planner under Secretaries Henry Kissinger, Cyrus Vance, George Schultz and James Baker and worked on George W. Bush’s election campaign against Al Gore. His record underscores the fact that he is one of the most deeply connected men in intelligence circles over the past three decades plus.
…………………..”
Penny Bright
http://waterpressure.wordpress.com
Oh but Penny, you’ll get jumped on for that link! Only we lunatics believe there’s anything dodgy about what’s said about OBL… 😀
An interesting and encouraging paper from The Wilson Centre. But I don’t think I’ll hold my breath.
This begins at home with quality health care and education, with a vital economy and low rates
of unemployment, with thriving urban centers and carefully planned rural communities, with low
crime, and a sense of common purpose underwritten by personal responsibility. We often hear
the term “smart power” applied to the tools of development and diplomacy abroad empowering
people all over the world to improve their own lives and to help establish the stability needed to
sustain security and prosperity on a global scale. But we can not export “smart power” until we
practice “smart growth” at home. We must seize the opportunity to be a model of stability, a
model of the values we cherish for the rest of the world to emulate. And we must ensure that our
domestic policies are aligned with our foreign policies. Our own “smart growth” can serve as
the exportable model of “smart power.” Because, truthfully, it is in our interest to see the rest of
the world prosper and the world market thrive, just as it is in our interest to see our neighbors
prosper and our own urban centers and rural communities come back to life.
Hone has apologised:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4964292/Key-Harawiras-bin-Laden-comments-ridiculous
Although academic Ranginui Walker is less critical of OBL:
Ghastly Garth McVicar a guest on Jim Mora’s programme (Thursday 5.5.11)
To discuss the possible castration of child-killer Peter Holdem, Jim Mora for some ungodly reason asked the discredited S.S. leader and knife enhusiast Garth McVicar onto his programme The Panel today. Unexpectedly, however, McVicar, who is notorious for supporting vicious killers and heaping scorn onto their victims, failed to support the killer Peter Holdem.
But the old loon did take the opportunity to indulge in a spray against “liberal society”, and then advocated the use of chain-gangs to clean up Christchurch.
Yes. It says a lot about Mora that he encourages McVicar to spread his poison. Noticed that each time Mora tried to use his NAct spin on other matters, Bomber Bradbury and Bernard Hickey politely corrected him. Jim went quiet for a while but got his revenge with McVicar’s bile.
Jim Mora also continues to have Barry Corbett as a guest. Corbett was heavily criticised two years ago during the trial of knife-killer Bruce Emery, who was, and still is, supported by the S.S. Trust. Corbett made similar comments to McVicar, pouring filth on the reputation of the boy who Emery stabbed to death.
Check out the New Zealand Misery Index posted at Bernard Hickey’s interest.co.nz site under “Thursday’s Top 10”.
From 1991 to 2010, it shows a clear pattern of Kiwis feel the most miserable under National led governments, hehehe.
Latest poll:
http://www.roymorgan.com/news/polls/2011/4663/
No real change. Some good news for Winston, none for ACT. But the polling period is a week too early to pick up any post-coup bounce.
This is the second successive poll to contradict TV3’s over-egged poll of a few weeks ago. It clearly WAS a rogue, as some of us said at the time. Dunce Garner will be apologising on the news tonight … just kidding.
GCR continues its downward trend.
‘Then the Prime Minister attacked New Zealand’s most awarded foreign correspondent Jon Stephenson saying he was not credible and adding that Stephenson had once impersonated TV broadcaster Duncan Garner to get Mr Key to call him.
The Prime Minister said: “I hung up on him because when people impersonate someone else I don’t take them seriously,” Mr Key said.’
And the man who swallowed rats and fish to get into power didn’t even see the irony.
And a low quality journo like Garner gets on JK’s speed dial, but he won’t take calls from a serious, heavy weight journalist? Says it all really.
Mark Hotchin has decided
he doesn’t have enough of other people’s moneyto sue Granny.http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10723606