My very first avian friend from the stream to visit my place, Charlie Drake, demonstrating his stunt piloting skills.
Carefully calculates: weight, distance, height for clearance, angle of takeoff, climb rate, landing gear retraction point, lift required (BPM), drop point, landing zone.
Like to see anybody here do all that, and skip over that fence like that, just by flapping your arms! https://i.imgur.com/V26sx6b.gif
It's been nearly 18 months since I've been able to start feeding my eels again.
I've been throwing chunks of bloody sheep's hearts into te wai for a week from 20 feet up atop my side of the stream bank, but the water's been flowing so strongly from rain it's been rolling the meat downstream & into the rapids, & I haven't seen any eels for months.
This morning the flow's more sedate. Within 10 minutes of throwing six big chunks into the water – 3 out into the middle, & 3 just pitched down into my Eel Spot, Elvira Longfin hove into view. Swimming up the rapids, then slowly traversing the width of the stream, getting on to the scent of (now very smelly) heart chunks & gobbling them down.
I know it's Elvira from her length, her colour (she's a light grey) & how after she'd got the mid-stream meat chunks, she made her way over to the Eel Spot, where she's probably going to lie in wait to see if that man comes down with some more meat on his Feeding Stick.
My (hopefully resident) Muscovy Duck just swam silently & sedately downstream again to just below my fence. It’s just started raining so I can’t use the camera, but I dashed inside & quickly got a slice of Molenberg Toast bread.
Broke it into big chunks & threw them down to it & I learned three more things about this Muscovy Duck:
1. It responded to being called “Hey, Muscovy. What a good boy. Just wait…” by cruising up to just below my bank & watching me.
2. It’s not as placid as I thought. The first bread chunk I threw down, a mallard drake half its size went after. Muscovy bit his side feathers & chased him off!
3. Every time it got a bread chunk, it WAGGED ITS massive TAIL FEATHERS! Like a happy dog. 😀
Amazing. This is a very good-looking creature. I’m gonna have so much fun interacting with this waterbird, with a bit of luck. 👍🏼
We really like these guys. What this clip doesn't mention is the booming mating call of the males that can be heard over quite long distances. You never see them fly, although they can – and rarely do they go on land. The only time we ever saw one out of the water was because it had been chased there by another male:
We like to think of them as the nuclear subs of the duck world.
All good, Anker. I liked your comment. My own, now extensive, observations of all the different kinds of birds I regularly interact with around here is that ALL birds are smart. They figure stuff out (especially food-related stuff) very quickly.
And some birds are standout clever. Parrots, spring to mind.
Pūkekos I would also put in that category (notwithstanding the number who get clobbered by cars on the road every day, because they prefer to walk to get somewhere rather than fly).
Pooklets invent games with “toys” to amuse themselves.
Gezza I remember my Dad showing me hens could not figure out how to get food on the other side of a wire netting fence. They would be back and forward keeping an eye on it getting agitated. Until one of their number would find the end of the fence go round it, then others would follow.
Some till did not "get it" and he would lift them over.
He said it explained 'Bird brained" but also talked about parrots and breeds who were problem solvers unlike the chickens.
Gezza I remember my Dad showing me hens could not figure out how to get food on the other side of a wire netting fence. They would be back and forward keeping an eye on it getting agitated. Until one of their number would find the end of the fence go round it, then others would follow.
Some till did not "get it" and he would lift them over. He said it explained 'Bird brained" but also talked about parrots and breeds who were problem solvers unlike the chickens.
FFS❗️ Bastards. Hope they throw the book at them. Wonder if the Army's Military Police have a lockup that could be made suitable for scrotes such as these?
I suspect there is going to be an extraordinary outpouring of contempt and hatred of gangs because delta has "outsmarted " our failures to contain it. The gangs are not the only shortcomings of our society.
I think the contempt is well earned. Lock these MIQ guys up. Corrections appear to have Covid Sussex. If I was a Miq nurse, it would be the bloody last straw.
needs to be a social contract. Rights and responsibilities
1. we're 18 months in, I would expect there to be security plans in place for people that are causing this kind of trouble
2. good to see the statement about the challenges for people going into MiQ from the community (as opposed to returnees). Maybe there needs to be culturally appropriate support as well. Hold the individuals accountable, and adapt around who is coming into the facility, everyone has their own needs.
What would cultural support involve? I guess everytime you bring a new person into the Jet Park, they risk infection and transferring it into the community.
From what I have heard from people who have been through MIQ the nurses are really busy, rushed off their feet. They are kind when taking temperatures etc, but the work swiftly due to time pressure.
I am not sure what arrangements there are for people at Jet Park for pastoral care, etc.
I'm going to hazard a guess that the hotel set up and processes are designed culturally around middle class Pākehā (in the same way that the Health system is). Many people can cope with that, some won't. The more you meet people culturally, the easier it is for them to manage their stress.
By culture I don't just mean ethnicity, but also class and so on.
It said the man, who is currently in hospital, had "been supplying to the communities of Raglan and Kawhia for many years", and urged people who had been in contact with him to destroy their supply and get a test.
After going to so much trouble and breaking the law to get it, I can't imagine too many people would then destroy their supply!!!!
I think you will find that, that evidence is heresay. So unless you can back it up with other evidence in court to prove your case, I wouldn't rest it there.
Yaneer Bar-Yam is an American scientist and activist specializing in complex systems. An expert in the quantitative analysis of pandemics, he advised policy makers on the Western African Ebola virus epidemic and founded EndCoronavirus.org, a global network of over 4,000 volunteers formed in February 2020 to provide information, guidelines, and policy advocacy to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. (from wikipedia).
He wrote a long thread on twitter two days ago (31 parts), the early parts quoted below, and it is a thought-provoking read. Yes, the arguments for one policy or the other are well canvased but this nails some interesting points.
COVID-19 must be eliminated, not become endemic, if America is to survive "More and more people seem to be accepting the idea the future will include COVID-19." Those people don’t understand what that means.
Take The Wall Street Journal, which on Friday published an article stating “COVID-19 will soon become endemic—and the sooner the better.” "This… is not just a formula for millions of deaths, but an absolute ticket to the end of the line for America, and likely for what we currently think of as modern society. We simply cannot live with endemic COVID-19. "
Hang on, let me say that again: We. Cannot. Live. With. Endemic. COVID-19. I can be louder. And I will be.
So much for all the apologists' arguments for abandoning New Zealand's Elimination Strategy for the Suppression Strategy championed by the likes of Australia’s Scott Morrison, and the UK’s Boris Johnson. And now our government.
I fully understand the sentiment aj. Exactly one year ago I was making the case here that we had enough information to eradicate COVID if we had the political will to do so. But if you pay attention to the origins of COVID and the politicisation of the responses to it – that opportunity was never going to be taken.
Instead we've been fed endless lines of of bullshit talking points. If you're disappointed with the outcome you sure have my sympathy.
and realize that its no real suprise that there isnt much appetite to dig too deeply into what really happend or be overly critical of China as it seems likely USA was donkey deep…
A novel corona virus made as an average of corona viruses, what could go wrong… only takes 1 accident.
Yup. I've been quietly following that story for a long time now. In Jan 2020 we were living with a Chinese family who have very good connections – and what we were told then about the Wuhan labs has been confirmed in almost every detail since.
As usual with these things it's non-trivial sorting the relevance and reliability of the information – but there are now multiple cross-linking sources that all back up that story Stuff has run. And I'm 90% certain there is considerably more to the story than even this.
I applaud the thousands of people working their butts off every day, working in MIQ, the contact tracing teams, the staff in hospitals, the vaccination and testing teams. Every soul who won't have given up in the fight against this disease. I don't imagine many of the decision makers sleeping long at nights.
And I hope the public work hard to keep to the rules around mask wearing, social distancing. Because people can protect themselves and others.
One thing for sure: there will be many, many twists and turns over the coming year or two.
– mandatory scanning and rapid testing and masks and vaccines.
– disinformation by media has lost its potency
– public buy-in
"By my count, Taiwan has now had five brushes with Delta, including two sizeable outbreaks. Thus far it has prevailed, and in a sense, I’m breathing easier with that knowledge. But I’m still haunted by our lapse earlier this year and hope we don’t fall prey to our complacency once again. And so anxiety is par for the course. Each day I wear my mask and watch the vaccination rate inch up… And then I remember what it is like in so many other countries and remember how lucky I truly am."
Interesting article. They seem to have managed through this without the same reliance on lockdowns. The key elements have been mandatory scanning, rapid antigen testing and mandated mask wearing in public. The MoH seems to be resistant to rapid antigen testing, and our border saliva testing regime seems to be "held together by sellotape".
I feel we'll here more about rapid antigen testing in the near future. We followed Taiwan before (the parts of their response that seemed to suit our situation) and I hope we'll be doing the same again.
Privacy issues for sure. That would be a reason why we might always have short sharp lock downs – to allow the contact tracers to catch-up with the spread
Other key points are a comparative lack of ethnic diversity.
"According to government figures, over 95% of Taiwan's population of 23.4 million consists of Han Chinese"
And a comparatively well educated population.
"Although current law mandates only nine years of schooling, 95 percent junior high school students go on to a senior vocational high school, trade school, junior college, or university."
Which is one of the great things the MoH, government and advisors did in the first lockdowns – adapted what they'd learned from places like Taiwan and South Korea to better fit our needs. They can do that again.
Auckland City needs a root and branch overhaul of it's culture and operational effectiveness. Our 'employees' at AC have lost any kind of connection with communities, and the city is being run by a cabal that consists of Goff's 'A' team and a small group of unelected bureaucrats. Mitchell was probably not the right man for the job, but Joyce just might be.
Since the implementation of the super city, we have experienced the gradual erosion of the democratic process in the city. The local boards are largely toothless. CCO's such as Panuku and AT are run by incompetent ideologues who have a total disregard for the community. And if you want to be tribal, this has all developed under the oversight of two Labour mayors, and a current Council that is dominated by Labour/City Vision. What I'd like to see is a truly independent mayor, with the cajones to break up the stranglehold political groups have on the city.
The plan to get Banks in charge, and sell everything which wasn’t nailed down, was thwarted by Aucklanders, who remembered previous asset thefts/sorry, sales. They wannabee crooks still stuffed up as much as they could in revenge, led by Hyde.
Which is why National and ACT’s opposition to three waters is so blatently hypocritical.
If they had their druthers, it would have all been in private ownership by now, along with POAL, and other council assets, without even a hint of “Democratic control”.
Not sure if the structure proposed is the answer, but like DHB’s the current “local Democratic control” is illusion, not reality.
Not disagreeing with you on Banks etc. The supercity (and for that matter previous amalgamations) is a good example of how bigger is not always better.
Which brings me to 3Waters. Local democracy may be an illusion, but local control isn't. Despite a multi-million dollar misinformation campaign, and a $2.5bn 'inducement' offered to Council's, it seems certain the government is going to have to legislate control these assets away from ratepayers for what are very dubious reasons.
Only if you think that trying to fix the fuckup, that so many of the self perpetuating, old boys clubs have made of council' infrastructure, is 'dubious reasons".
“Local control” has often meant control by the self interested local well off who have the time and money to run for council. You can see it in council’s ignoring things like rural river pollution.
“Democratic consultation” is a joke.
I'm not convinced that an overpayed managerial monstrosity is the answer, either.
But if something isn't done we will have many more, Hastings, and worse.
Currently National is opposing it, but their favoured solution would be infinitely worse.
I live in Auckland. As ratepayers we have invested billions of dollars in water infrastructure, and unlike the scare tactics deployed by the advertising, we don't have 'nasties' in our water (a claim which brought an apology from an apology from the government). I also can see right through the financial sleight of hand that funds an inducement from money taken from ratepayers in the first place. If this plan is so good, why are 60 of the 67 councils opposed, why is the government spending millions of dollars selling it, and why the misinformation?
The current system may need reform, but before developing a solution, let’s actually understand the problem.
Councils are opposed out of pure self interest. Losing power and in some cases, things to borrow against. The Government criticism of councils is warrented. Of course they don’t like it.
All the mis-information I've seen has been from opponent's, such as Luxon. I wonder why.
The problems are pretty obvious. Lack of capability and investment by council's combined with our rapid increase in population.
Councils have been asking central Government to fund it. They must be aware that shouldn't come without central Government accountability. Otherwise money would just disappear into general council funding often to pet projects or contracts to mates.
Auckland may not have nasties in the water supply, but the sewage and stormwater systems are hopelessly inadequate and outdated. Needing billions in investment.
"Councils have been asking central Government to fund it.''
Because they have restricted their borrowing! And this is exactly what central government have been doing – criticising local Councils on one hand, and tying their hands behind their back with the other.
"but the sewage and stormwater systems are hopelessly inadequate and outdated. "
Not in Auckland. We've invested in upgrading those systems, including the central interceptor project currently underway.
"All the mis-information I've seen has been from opponent's"
Ah no. The advertising has shown green sludge coming out of taps. It talked about 'nasties' in the water. And there's plenty more examples.
Perhaps the most ironic thing in all this is that the Hawkes Bay Council, the district whose problems prompted a review of the way water is managed, don't support 3 Waters. That says something about just how bad the plan is.
I always liked that restauranteur John Palino. Who wanted to devolve the CBD and create satellite stand alone communities.
If you want to build a gazillion houses in Pokeno or Ararimu then you better have a plan to build retail, commerce and manufacturing jobs as well. The aim being for a self sufficient district. Thus reducing the need for travel.
Unfortunately he had an American accent which possibly ruined his chances. He seemed to be a good thinker with no political baggage.
To win the Auckland mayoralty, you need to have serious connections and/or backing. Labour have been smart and recognised the importance of a politically aligned mayor in the country's biggest city. Unfortunately both Brown and Goff have been poor performers on so many levels. Goff has overseen the city becoming a dysfunctional mess, with the private agenda's of his 'A' team taking priority over democracy and the best interests of the city.
New research show Pfizer vaccine reaches its maximum efficacy at 1 month after 2nd dose waning after 4 months but still preventing hospitalizations after 6 months. Recommendations for a 3rd dose for those over 65 and those with compromised immune systems.
Just how dumb are the Police? It turns out they did not roadblock the Tuakau bridge (near Port Waikato) when he covid border was established, and merely occasionally patrolled the backroad route from Waikato to Auckland. Good god… the mind boggles.
I gather it was due to the people at Port Waikato not being able to access a Supermarket during previous lockdowns, so they allowed access from Port Waikato to Tuakau.
WTF ! there's your waikato outbreak being assisted folks. Not so much dumb more like negligence.
A few locals from Raglan reckon it's been full of Jaffa's as soon as levels changed. What's the bet word got out Police werent there and everyone piled in.
This might be the longest delay between reading (or in this case re-reading) a work, and actually writing a review of it I have ever managed. Indeed, when I last read these books in December 2022, I was not planning on writing anything about them… but as A Phuulish Fellow ...
Kia Ora,I try to keep most my posts without a paywall for public interest journalism purposes. However, if you can afford to, please consider supporting me as a paid subscriber and/or supporting over at Ko-Fi. That will help me to continue, and to keep spending time on the work. Embarrassingly, ...
There was a time when Google was the best thing in my world. I was an early adopter of their AdWords program and boy did I like what it did for my business. It put rocket fuel in it, is what it did. For every dollar I spent, those ads ...
A while back I was engaged in an unpleasant exchange with a leader of the most well-known NZ anti-vax group and several like-minded trolls. I had responded to a racist meme on social media in which a rightwing podcaster in the US interviewed one of the leaders of the Proud ...
Hi,If you’ve been reading Webworm for a while, you’ll be familiar with Anna Wilding. Between 2020 and 2021 I looked at how the New Zealander had managed to weasel her way into countless news stories over the years, often with very little proof any of it had actually happened. When ...
It's a long white cloud for you, baby; staying together alwaysSummertime in AotearoaWhere the sunshine kisses the water, we will find it alwaysSummertime in AotearoaYeah, it′s SummertimeIt's SummertimeWriters: Codi Wehi Ngatai, Moresby Kainuku, Pipiwharauroa Campbell, Taulutoa Michael Schuster, Rebekah Jane Brady, Te Naawe Jordan Muturangi Tupe, Thomas Edward Scrase.Many of ...
Last year, 292 people died unnecessarily on our roads. That is the lowest result in over a decade and only the fourth time in the last 70 years we’ve seen fewer than 300 deaths in a calendar year. Yet, while it is 292 people too many, with each death being ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob HensonFlames from the Palisades Fire burn a building at Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The fast-moving wildfire had destroyed thousands of structures and ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.The Regulatory Standards Bill, as I understand it, seeks to bind parliament to a specific range of law-making.For example, it seems to ensure primacy of individual rights over that of community, environment, te Tiriti ...
Happy New Year!I had a lovely break, thanks very much for asking: friends, family, sunshine, books, podcasts, refreshing swims, barbecues, bike rides. So good to step away from the firehose for a while, to have less Trump and Seymour in your day. Who needs the Luxons in their risible PJs ...
Patrick Reynolds is deputy chair of the Auckland City Centre Advisory Panel and a director of Greater Auckland In 2003, after much argument, including the election of a Mayor in 2001 who ran on stopping it, Britomart train station in downtown Auckland opened. A mere 1km twin track terminating branch ...
For the first time in a decade, a New Zealand Prime Minister is heading to the Middle East. The trip is more than just a courtesy call. New Zealand PMs frequently change planes in Dubai en route to destinations elsewhere. But Christopher Luxon’s visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 5, 2025 thru Sat, January 11, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
The decade between 1952 and the early 1960s was the peak period for the style of music we now call doo wop, after which it got dissolved into soul music, girl groups, and within pop music in general. Basically, doo wop was a form of small group harmonising with a ...
The future teaches you to be aloneThe present to be afraid and coldSo if I can shoot rabbits, then I can shoot fascists…And if you tolerate thisThen your children will be nextSongwriters: James Dean Bradfield / Sean Anthony Moore / Nicholas Allen Jones.Do you remember at school, studying the rise ...
When National won the New Zealand election in 2023, one of the first to congratulate Luxon was tech-billionaire and entrepreneur extraordinaire Elon Musk.And last year, after Luxon posted a video about a trip to Malaysia, Musk came forward again to heap praise on Christopher:So it was perhaps par for the ...
Hi,Today’s Webworm features a new short film from documentary maker Giorgio Angelini. It’s about Luigi Mangione — but it’s also, really, about everything in America right now.Bear with me.Shortly after I sent out my last missive from the fires on Wednesday, one broke out a little too close to home ...
So soon just after you've goneMy senses sharpenBut it always takes so damn longBefore I feel how much my eyes have darkenedFear hangs in a plane of gun smokeDrifting in our roomSo easy to disturb, with a thought, with a whisperWith a careless memorySongwriters: Andy Taylor / John Taylor / ...
Can we trust the Trump cabinet to act in the public interest?Nine of Trump’s closest advisers are billionaires. Their total net worth is in excess of $US375b (providing there is not a share-market crash). In contrast, the total net worth of Trump’s first Cabinet was about $6b. (Joe Biden’s Cabinet ...
Welcome back to our weekly roundup. We hope you had a good break (if you had one). Here’s a few of the stories that caught our attention over the last few weeks. This holiday period on Greater Auckland Since our last roundup we’ve: Taken a look back at ...
Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partnerSometimes I feel like my only friendIs the city I live in, The City of AngelsLonely as I am together we crySong: Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith, Flea, John Frusciante.A home is engulfed in flames during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area. ...
Open access notablesLarge emissions of CO2 and CH4 due to active-layer warming in Arctic tundra, Torn et al., Nature Communications:Climate warming may accelerate decomposition of Arctic soil carbon, but few controlled experiments have manipulated the entire active layer. To determine surface-atmosphere fluxes of carbon dioxide and ...
It's election year for Wellington City Council and for the Regional Council. What have the progressive councillors achieved over the last couple of years. What were the blocks and failures? What's with the targeting of the mayor and city council by the Post and by central government? Why does the ...
Over the holidays, there was a rising tide of calls for people to submit on National's repulsive, white supremacist Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill, along with a wave of advice and examples of what to say. And it looks like people rose to the occasion, with over 300,000 ...
The lie is my expenseThe scope of my desireThe Party blessed me with its futureAnd I protect it with fireI am the Nina The Pinta The Santa MariaThe noose and the rapistAnd the fields overseerThe agents of orangeThe priests of HiroshimaThe cost of my desire…Sleep now in the fireSongwriters: Brad ...
This is a re-post from the Climate BrinkGlobal surface temperatures have risen around 1.3C since the preindustrial (1850-1900) period as a result of human activity.1 However, this aggregate number masks a lot of underlying factors that contribute to global surface temperature changes over time.These include CO2, which is the primary ...
There are times when movement around us seems to slow down. And the faster things get, the slower it all appears.And so it is with the whirlwind of early year political activity.They are harbingers for what is to come:Video: Wayne Wright Jnr, funder of Sean Plunket, talk growing power and ...
Hi,Right now the power is out, so I’m just relying on the laptop battery and tethering to my phone’s 5G which is dropping in and out. We’ll see how we go.First up — I’m fine. I can’t see any flames out the window. I live in the greater Hollywood area ...
2024 was a tough year for working Kiwis. But together we’ve been able to fight back for a just and fair New Zealand and in 2025 we need to keep standing up for what’s right and having our voices heard. That starts with our Mood of the Workforce Survey. It’s your ...
Time is never time at allYou can never ever leaveWithout leaving a piece of youthAnd our lives are forever changedWe will never be the sameThe more you change, the less you feelSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan.Babinden - Baba’s DayToday, January 8th, 2025, is Babinden, “The Day of the baba” or “The ...
..I/We wish to make the following comments:I oppose the Treaty Principles Bill."5. Act binds the CrownThis Act binds the Crown."How does this Act "bind the Crown" when Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which the Act refers to, has been violated by the Crown on numerous occassions, resulting in massive loss of ...
Everything is good and brownI'm here againWith a sunshine smile upon my faceMy friends are close at handAnd all my inhibitions have disappeared without a traceI'm glad, oh, that I found oohSomebody who I can rely onSongwriter: Jay KayGood morning, all you lovely people. Today, I’ve got nothing except a ...
Welcome to 2025. After wrapping up 2024, here’s a look at some of the things we can expect to see this year along with a few predictions. Council and Elections Elections One of the biggest things this year will be local body elections in October. Will Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Canadians can take a while to get angry – but when they finally do, watch out. Canada has been falling out of love with Justin Trudeau for years, and his exit has to be the least surprising news event of the New Year. On recent polling, Trudeau’s Liberal party has ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Much like 2023, many climate and energy records were broken in 2024. It was Earth’s hottest year on record by a wide margin, breaking the previous record that was set just last year by an even larger margin. Human-caused climate-warming pollution and ...
Submissions on National's racist, white supremacist Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill are due tomorrow! So today, after a good long holiday from all that bullshit, I finally got my shit together to submit on it. As I noted here, people should write their own submissions in their own ...
Ooh, baby (ooh, baby)It's making me crazy (it's making me crazy)Every time I look around (look around)Every time I look around (every time I look around)Every time I look aroundIt's in my faceSongwriters: Alan Leo Jansson / Paul Lawrence L. Fuemana.Today, I’ll be talking about rich, middle-aged men who’ve made ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 29, 2024 thru Sat, January 4, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Hi,The thing that stood out at me while shopping for Christmas presents in New Zealand was how hard it was to avoid Zuru products. Toy manufacturer Zuru is a bit like Netflix, in that it has so much data on what people want they can flood the market with so ...
And when a child is born into this worldIt has no conceptOf the tone of skin it's living inAnd there's a million voicesAnd there's a million voicesTo tell you what you should be thinkingSong by Neneh Cherry and Youssou N'Dour.The moment you see that face, you can hear her voice; ...
While we may not always have quality political leadership, a couple of recently published autobiographies indicate sometimes we strike it lucky. When ranking our prime ministers, retired professor of history Erik Olssen commented that ‘neither Holland nor Nash was especially effective as prime minister – even his private secretary thought ...
Baby, be the class clownI'll be the beauty queen in tearsIt's a new art form, showin' people how little we care (yeah)We're so happy, even when we're smilin' out of fearLet's go down to the tennis court and talk it up like, yeah (yeah)Songwriters: Joel Little / Ella Yelich O ...
Open access notables Why Misinformation Must Not Be Ignored, Ecker et al., American Psychologist:Recent academic debate has seen the emergence of the claim that misinformation is not a significant societal problem. We argue that the arguments used to support this minimizing position are flawed, particularly if interpreted (e.g., by policymakers or the public) as suggesting ...
What I’ve Been Doing: I buried a close family member.What I’ve Been Watching: Andor, Jack Reacher, Xmas movies.What I’ve Been Reflecting On: The Usefulness of Writing and the Worthiness of Doing So — especially as things become more transparent on their own.I also hate competing on any day, and if ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by John Wihbey. A version of this article first appeared on Yale Climate Connections on Nov. 11, 2008. (Image credits: The White House, Jonathan Cutrer / CC BY 2.0; President Jimmy Carter, Trikosko/Library of Congress; Solar dedication, Bill Fitz-Patrick / Jimmy Carter Library; Solar ...
Morena folks,We’re having a good break, recharging the batteries. Hope you’re enjoying the holiday period. I’m not feeling terribly inspired by much at the moment, I’m afraid—not from a writing point of view, anyway.So, today, we’re travelling back in time. You’ll have to imagine the wavy lines and sci-fi sound ...
Completed reads for 2024: Oration on the Dignity of Man, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola A Platonic Discourse Upon Love, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola Of Being and Unity, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola The Life of Pico della Mirandola, by Giovanni Francesco Pico Three Letters Written by Pico ...
Welcome to 2025, Aotearoa. Well… what can one really say? 2024 was a story of a bad beginning, an infernal middle and an indescribably farcical end. But to chart a course for a real future, it does pay to know where we’ve been… so we know where we need ...
Welcome to the official half-way point of the 2020s. Anyway, as per my New Years tradition, here’s where A Phuulish Fellow’s blog traffic came from in 2024: United States United Kingdom New Zealand Canada Sweden Australia Germany Spain Brazil Finland The top four are the same as 2023, ...
Completed reads for December: Be A Wolf!, by Brian Strickland The Magic Flute [libretto], by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Emanuel Schikaneder The Invisible Eye, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Owl’s Ear, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Waters of Death, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Spider, by Hanns Heinz Ewers Who Knows?, by Guy de Maupassant ...
Well, it’s the last day of the year, so it’s time for a quick wrap-up of the most important things that happened in 2024 for urbanism and transport in our city. A huge thank you to everyone who has visited the blog and supported us in our mission to make ...
Leave your office, run past your funeralLeave your home, car, leave your pulpitJoin us in the streets where weJoin us in the streets where weDon't belong, don't belongHere under the starsThrowing light…Song: Jeffery BuckleyToday, I’ll discuss the standout politicians of the last 12 months. Each party will receive three awards, ...
Hi,A lot’s happened this year in the world of Webworm, and as 2024 comes to an end I thought I’d look back at a few of the things that popped. Maybe you missed them, or you might want to revisit some of these essay and podcast episodes over your break ...
Hi,I wanted to share this piece by film editor Dan Kircher about what cinema has been up to in 2024.Dan edited my documentary Mister Organ, as well as this year’s excellent crowd-pleasing Bookworm.Dan adores movies. He gets the language of cinema, he knows what he loves, and writes accordingly. And ...
Without delving into personal details but in order to give readers a sense of the year that was, I thought I would offer the study in contrasts that are Xmas 2023 and Xmas 2024: Xmas 2023 in Starship Children’s Hospital (after third of four surgeries). Even opening presents was an ...
Heavy disclaimer: Alpha/beta/omega dynamics is a popular trope that’s used in a wide range of stories and my thoughts on it do not apply to all cases. I’m most familiar with it through the lens of male-focused fanfic, typically m/m but sometimes also featuring m/f and that’s the situation I’m ...
Hi,Webworm has been pretty heavy this year — mainly because the world is pretty heavy. But as we sprint (or limp, you choose) through the final days of 2024, I wanted to keep Webworm a little lighter.So today I wanted to look at one of the biggest and weirdest elements ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 22, 2024 thru Sat, December 28, 2024. This week's roundup is the second one published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, ...
We’ll have a climate change ChristmasFrom now until foreverWarming our hearts and mindsAnd planet all togetherSpirits high and oceans higherChestnuts roast on wildfiresIf coal is on your wishlistMerry Climate Change ChristmasSong by Ian McConnellReindeer emissions are not something I’d thought about in terms of climate change. I guess some significant ...
KP continues to putt-putt along as a tiny niche blog that offers a NZ perspective on international affairs with a few observations about NZ domestic politics thrown in. In 2024 there was also some personal posts given that my son was in the last four months of a nine month ...
I can see very wellThere's a boat on the reef with a broken backAnd I can see it very wellThere's a joke and I know it very wellIt's one of those that I told you long agoTake my word I'm a madman, don't you knowSongwriters: Bernie Taupin / Elton JohnIt ...
.Acknowledgement: Tim PrebbleThanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work..With each passing day of bad headlines, squandering tax revenue to enrich the rich, deep cuts to our social services and a government struggling to keep the lipstick on its neo-liberal pig ...
This is from the 36th Parallel social media account (as brief food for thought). We know that Trump is ahistorical at best but he seems to think that he is Teddy Roosevelt and can use the threat of invoking the Monroe Doctrine and “Big Stick” gunboat diplomacy against Panama and ...
Don't you cry tonightI still love you, babyAnd don't you cry tonightDon't you cry tonightThere's a heaven above you, babyAnd don't you cry tonightSong: Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin“Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so”, said possibly the greatest philosopher ever to walk this earth, Douglas Adams.We have entered the ...
Because you're magicYou're magic people to meSong: Dave Para/Molly Para.Morena all, I hope you had a good day yesterday, however you spent it. Today, a few words about our celebration and a look at the various messages from our politicians.A Rockel XmasChristmas morning was spent with the five of us ...
The Green Party welcomes the extension of the deadline for Treaty Principles Bill submissions but continues to call on the Government to abandon the Bill. ...
Complaints about disruptive behaviour now handled in around 13 days (down from around 60 days a year ago) 553 Section 55A notices issued by Kāinga Ora since July 2024, up from 41 issued during the same period in the previous year. Of that 553, first notices made up around 83 ...
The time it takes to process building determinations has improved significantly over the last year which means fewer delays in homes being built, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “New Zealand has a persistent shortage of houses. Making it easier and quicker for new homes to be built will ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is pleased to announce the annual list of New Zealand’s most popular baby names for 2024. “For the second consecutive year, Noah has claimed the top spot for boys with 250 babies sharing the name, while Isla has returned to the most popular ...
Work is set to get underway on a new bus station at Westgate this week. A contract has been awarded to HEB Construction to start a package of enabling works to get the site ready in advance of main construction beginning in mid-2025, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“A new Westgate ...
Minister for Children and for Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour is encouraging people to use the resources available to them to get help, and to report instances of family and sexual violence amongst their friends, families, and loved ones who are in need. “The death of a ...
Uia te pō, rangahaua te pō, whakamāramatia mai he aha tō tango, he aha tō kāwhaki? Whitirere ki te ao, tirotiro kau au, kei hea taku rātā whakamarumaru i te au o te pakanga mo te mana motuhake? Au te pō, ngū te pō, ue hā! E te kahurangi māreikura, ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says people with diabetes and other painful conditions will benefit from a significant new qualification to boost training in foot care. “It sounds simple, but quality and regular foot and nail care is vital in preventing potentially serious complications from diabetes, like blisters or sores, which can take a long time to heal ...
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour is pleased to see Pharmac continue to increase availability of medicines for Kiwis with the government’s largest ever investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the government,” says Mr Seymour. “When this government assumed ...
Mā mua ka kite a muri, mā muri ka ora e mua - Those who lead give sight to those who follow, those who follow give life to those who lead. Māori recipients in the New Year 2025 Honours list show comprehensive dedication to improving communities across the motu that ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is wishing all New Zealanders a great holiday season as Kiwis prepare for gatherings with friends and families to see in the New Year. It is a great time of year to remind everyone to stay fire safe over the summer. “I know ...
From 1 January 2025, first-time tertiary learners will have access to a new Fees Free entitlement of up to $12,000 for their final year of provider-based study or final two years of work-based learning, Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Targeting funding to the final year of study ...
“As we head into one of the busiest times of the year for Police, and family violence and sexual violence response services, it’s a good time to remind everyone what to do if they experience violence or are worried about others,” Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence ...
Parliament's justice committee will find out tomorrow how many submissions were made on the Treaty Principles Bill after the deadline was extended by nearly a week after website issues. ...
A parent shares their experience and fears as public submissions are sought on the use of puberty blockers for gender-affirming care. Both the author and daughter’s names have been changed to protect their privacy.When my daughter Marie was born, everyone, including me, thought she was a boy. She started ...
Thrice thwarted previously, the Act Party’s Regulatory Standards Bill is set to pass in 2025, ushering in a new – and potentially controversial – era for government rule-making. Here’s everything you need to know. Before public submissions for the Treaty principles bill came to a close on Tuesday, a separate ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 15 January appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Summer reissue: Adopted in 1834 the first national flag of New Zealand (Te Kara o Te Whakaminenga o Ngā Hapū o Nu Tīreni) symbolises more than just necessity – it represents Māori autonomy and a legacy of self-determination that continues today.The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying ...
Summer reissue: Shortsightedness in kids is skyrocketing overseas. Is New Zealand next? The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today.“Hey bro, are you blind now?” ...
While mediator Qatar says a Gaza ceasefire deal is at the closest point it has been in the past few months — adding that many of the obstacles in the negotiations have been ironed out — a special report for Drop Site News reveals the escalation in attacks on Palestinians ...
In our latest in-depth podcast investigation, Fractured, Melanie Reid and her team delve deep into a complex case involving a controversial medical diagnosis and its fallout on a young family. While Fractured is a forensic examination of this case here in New Zealand, the diagnosis that started it all is ...
While last year was termed the ‘year of elections’, 2025 will see some highly significant elections set to take place throughout the world that could have significant impacts on countries, their regions, and the wider global picture.AfricaThe presidential elections in Cameroon this October see the world’s oldest head of state ...
ANALYSIS:By Ali Mirin Indonesia officially joined the BRICS — Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa — consortium last week marking a significant milestone in its foreign relations. In a statement released a day later on January 7, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that this membership reflected Indonesia’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Senior Lecturer of Urban Risk & Resilience, UNSW Sydney Imagine a gathering so large it dwarfs any concert, festival, or sporting event you’ve ever seen. In the Kumbh Mela, a religious festival held in India, millions of Hindu pilgrims come ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra Motortion Films/Shutterstock You may have seen stories the Australian dollar has “plummeted”. Sounds bad. But what does it mean and should you be worried? The most-commonly quoted ...
Summer reissue: Lange and Muldoon clash, two days after the election. Our live updates editor is on the case. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gina Perry, Science historian with a specific interest in the history of social psychology., The University of Melbourne ‘Guards’ with a blindfolded ‘prisoner’.PrisonExp.org A new translation of a 2018 book by French science historian Thibault Le Texier challenges the claims of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Jordan, Professor of Epidemiology, The University of Queensland Peakstock/Shutterstock Many women worry hormonal contraceptives have dangerous side-effects including increased cancer risk. But this perception is often out of proportion with the actual risks. So, what does the research actually say ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kiley Seymour, Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Behaviour, University of Technology Sydney Vector Tradition/Shutterstock From self-service checkouts to public streets to stadiums – surveillance technology is everywhere. This pervasive monitoring is often justified in the name of safety and security. ...
South Islanders Alex Casey and Tara Ward reflect on their so-called summer break. Alex Casey: Welcome back to work Tara, how was your summer? Tara Ward: I’m thrilled to be here and equally as happy to have experienced my first New Zealand winter Christmas, just as Santa always intended. Over ...
Summer reissue: Five years ago, we voted against legalising cannabis. But what if the referendum had gone the other way? The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a software developer shares his approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Male. Age: 34. Ethnicity: NZ European. Role: Software developer. Salary/income/assets: Salary ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Megan Cassidy-Welch, Professor of History and Dean of Research Strategy, University of Divinity Lieven van Lathem (Flemish, about 1430–93) and David Aubert (Flemish, active 1453–79), Gracienne Taking Leave of Her Father the Sultan, 1464 The J. Paul Getty Museum Travellers have ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian A. Wright, Associate Professor in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University Goami/Shutterstock On hot summer days, hitting the beach is a great way to have fun and cool off. But if you’re not near the salty ocean, you might opt for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Loc Do, Professor of Dental Public Health, The University of Queensland TinnaPong/Shutterstock Fluoride is a common natural element found in water, soil, rocks and food. For the past several decades, fluoride has also been a cornerstone of dentistry and public health, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ladan Hashemi, Senior Research Fellow in Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau PickPik, CC BY-SA Children with traumatic experiences in their early lives have a higher risk of obesity. But as our new research shows, this risk can be ...
Further interest rate cuts are coming, but why does everything still feel so bleak? Stewart Sowman-Lund explains for The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The year ahead: On a small boat in an oyster farm devastated by storms, ANZ’s boss learns about the importance of adapting to change The post Making the world your oyster appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Two key events in February will set the direction of New Zealand’s clean, green reputation for the rest of the year – and perhaps even many years to come.First, the Government must announce its next emissions reduction target under the Paris Agreement by February 10. Then, later in the month, ...
In our latest in-depth podcast investigation, Fractured, Melanie Reid and her team delve deep into a complex case involving a controversial medical diagnosis and its fallout on a young family. While Fractured is a forensic examination of this case here in New Zealand, the diagnosis that started it all is ...
To complete our series looking back at 2024 and gazing forward to 2025, we asked our big political commentary brains to nominate the three issues that will loom large in the year to come. Madeleine Chapman (editor, The Spinoff)The Treaty principles bill just won’t rest, and will start the ...
Summer reissue: There are fewer pokie machines in Aotearoa than ever, but they still rake in more than $1bn a year. So are strict council policies working – and do the community funding arguments stack up? The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue ...
Opinion: The Economist magazine asks whether Mark Zuckerberg’s ‘Trump gamble’ of discontinuing fact-checking posts on Meta will pay off. We in Aotearoa should understand that good news for Meta’s bottom line could be a disaster for us.We live at a time when everything seems to be happening all at once. There is an incoming ...
Comment: With the right leadership, local government can be a genuine part of democratic community life. With a little effort, anyone can contribute to that. The post Don’t shrug your shoulders over local government appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 14 January appeared first on Newsroom. ...
My very first avian friend from the stream to visit my place, Charlie Drake, demonstrating his stunt piloting skills.
Carefully calculates: weight, distance, height for clearance, angle of takeoff, climb rate, landing gear retraction point, lift required (BPM), drop point, landing zone.
Like to see anybody here do all that, and skip over that fence like that, just by flapping your arms!
https://i.imgur.com/V26sx6b.gif
Whoopee❗️
It's been nearly 18 months since I've been able to start feeding my eels again.
I've been throwing chunks of bloody sheep's hearts into te wai for a week from 20 feet up atop my side of the stream bank, but the water's been flowing so strongly from rain it's been rolling the meat downstream & into the rapids, & I haven't seen any eels for months.
This morning the flow's more sedate. Within 10 minutes of throwing six big chunks into the water – 3 out into the middle, & 3 just pitched down into my Eel Spot, Elvira Longfin hove into view. Swimming up the rapids, then slowly traversing the width of the stream, getting on to the scent of (now very smelly) heart chunks & gobbling them down.
I know it's Elvira from her length, her colour (she's a light grey) & how after she'd got the mid-stream meat chunks, she made her way over to the Eel Spot, where she's probably going to lie in wait to see if that man comes down with some more meat on his Feeding Stick.
I am a happy hermit. 👴🏼
And … Yay 😀
My (hopefully resident) Muscovy Duck just swam silently & sedately downstream again to just below my fence. It’s just started raining so I can’t use the camera, but I dashed inside & quickly got a slice of Molenberg Toast bread.
Broke it into big chunks & threw them down to it & I learned three more things about this Muscovy Duck:
1. It responded to being called “Hey, Muscovy. What a good boy. Just wait…” by cruising up to just below my bank & watching me.
2. It’s not as placid as I thought. The first bread chunk I threw down, a mallard drake half its size went after. Muscovy bit his side feathers & chased him off!
3. Every time it got a bread chunk, it WAGGED ITS massive TAIL FEATHERS! Like a happy dog. 😀
Amazing. This is a very good-looking creature. I’m gonna have so much fun interacting with this waterbird, with a bit of luck. 👍🏼
We really like these guys. What this clip doesn't mention is the booming mating call of the males that can be heard over quite long distances. You never see them fly, although they can – and rarely do they go on land. The only time we ever saw one out of the water was because it had been chased there by another male:
We like to think of them as the nuclear subs of the duck world.
Love it Geeza. Apparently birds have a large cerebellum which is the centre of the brain concerned with balance
I get mistakenly called Geeza so often, now that I’m 66, I sometimes wish I’d chosen that monicker instead of Gezza. 😀 (Pronounced Jezza, btw.)
My apologies Gezza! I make those sorts of mistakes sometimes
All good, Anker. I liked your comment. My own, now extensive, observations of all the different kinds of birds I regularly interact with around here is that ALL birds are smart. They figure stuff out (especially food-related stuff) very quickly.
And some birds are standout clever. Parrots, spring to mind.
Pūkekos I would also put in that category (notwithstanding the number who get clobbered by cars on the road every day, because they prefer to walk to get somewhere rather than fly).
Pooklets invent games with “toys” to amuse themselves.
Gezza I remember my Dad showing me hens could not figure out how to get food on the other side of a wire netting fence. They would be back and forward keeping an eye on it getting agitated. Until one of their number would find the end of the fence go round it, then others would follow.
Some till did not "get it" and he would lift them over.
He said it explained 'Bird brained" but also talked about parrots and breeds who were problem solvers unlike the chickens.
Gezza I remember my Dad showing me hens could not figure out how to get food on the other side of a wire netting fence. They would be back and forward keeping an eye on it getting agitated. Until one of their number would find the end of the fence go round it, then others would follow.
Some till did not "get it" and he would lift them over. He said it explained 'Bird brained" but also talked about parrots and breeds who were problem solvers unlike the chickens.
Could the moderator remove the above unedited copy Thanks.
I suspect there have been advantages for humans in breeding “dumbed down” domesticated chickens, Patricia.
Different hens from ours.
We used to joke that the movie, Chicken run, was true.
And "free range" is BS.
With 5 acres to range over they spent most of their lives camped by our back door, and shitting!
Even though you rarely saw them far from the food, they still managed rotten egg traps all over the place.
Bloody dickheads wrecking everything for the rest of us following the rules.
Covid-19: Jet Park MIQ rooms trashed as staff battle guests with gang links | Stuff.co.nz
FFS❗️ Bastards. Hope they throw the book at them. Wonder if the Army's Military Police have a lockup that could be made suitable for scrotes such as these?
Love it Geeza. Apparently birds have a large cerebellum which is the centre of the brain concerned with balance
I suspect there is going to be an extraordinary outpouring of contempt and hatred of gangs because delta has "outsmarted " our failures to contain it. The gangs are not the only shortcomings of our society.
I think the contempt is well earned. Lock these MIQ guys up. Corrections appear to have Covid Sussex. If I was a Miq nurse, it would be the bloody last straw.
needs to be a social contract. Rights and responsibilities
two things.
1. we're 18 months in, I would expect there to be security plans in place for people that are causing this kind of trouble
2. good to see the statement about the challenges for people going into MiQ from the community (as opposed to returnees). Maybe there needs to be culturally appropriate support as well. Hold the individuals accountable, and adapt around who is coming into the facility, everyone has their own needs.
I think it must be tough in MIQ.
What would cultural support involve? I guess everytime you bring a new person into the Jet Park, they risk infection and transferring it into the community.
From what I have heard from people who have been through MIQ the nurses are really busy, rushed off their feet. They are kind when taking temperatures etc, but the work swiftly due to time pressure.
I am not sure what arrangements there are for people at Jet Park for pastoral care, etc.
I'm going to hazard a guess that the hotel set up and processes are designed culturally around middle class Pākehā (in the same way that the Health system is). Many people can cope with that, some won't. The more you meet people culturally, the easier it is for them to manage their stress.
By culture I don't just mean ethnicity, but also class and so on.
and some people are just arseholes, so I'm talking about increasing the chances of things working out, not absolutely guaranteeing it.
I think putting them in MIQ in Mt. Eden prison for say six months or until they pay for the damage may help.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-delta-outbreak-hamilton-index-case-has-gang-connections-and-long-history-say-sources/RJDMT47ANTGCSH52R7L67BLAKA/
I rest my case your Honour
I love this part:
It said the man, who is currently in hospital, had "been supplying to the communities of Raglan and Kawhia for many years", and urged people who had been in contact with him to destroy their supply and get a test.
After going to so much trouble and breaking the law to get it, I can't imagine too many people would then destroy their supply!!!!
Just tell 'em that's where they really put the microchip trackers.
I think you will find that, that evidence is heresay. So unless you can back it up with other evidence in court to prove your case, I wouldn't rest it there.
Yaneer Bar-Yam is an American scientist and activist specializing in complex systems. An expert in the quantitative analysis of pandemics, he advised policy makers on the Western African Ebola virus epidemic and founded EndCoronavirus.org, a global network of over 4,000 volunteers formed in February 2020 to provide information, guidelines, and policy advocacy to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. (from wikipedia).
He wrote a long thread on twitter two days ago (31 parts), the early parts quoted below, and it is a thought-provoking read. Yes, the arguments for one policy or the other are well canvased but this nails some interesting points.
https://twitter.com/yaneerbaryam/status/1445476098154790918
Pretty much says it all.
So much for all the apologists' arguments for abandoning New Zealand's Elimination Strategy for the Suppression Strategy championed by the likes of Australia’s Scott Morrison, and the UK’s Boris Johnson. And now our government.
I fully understand the sentiment aj. Exactly one year ago I was making the case here that we had enough information to eradicate COVID if we had the political will to do so. But if you pay attention to the origins of COVID and the politicisation of the responses to it – that opportunity was never going to be taken.
Instead we've been fed endless lines of of bullshit talking points. If you're disappointed with the outcome you sure have my sympathy.
Yeah you read articles like this
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300424689/revealed-wuhan-and-us-scientists-planned-to-create-new-coronaviruses
and realize that its no real suprise that there isnt much appetite to dig too deeply into what really happend or be overly critical of China as it seems likely USA was donkey deep…
A novel corona virus made as an average of corona viruses, what could go wrong… only takes 1 accident.
Yup. I've been quietly following that story for a long time now. In Jan 2020 we were living with a Chinese family who have very good connections – and what we were told then about the Wuhan labs has been confirmed in almost every detail since.
As usual with these things it's non-trivial sorting the relevance and reliability of the information – but there are now multiple cross-linking sources that all back up that story Stuff has run. And I'm 90% certain there is considerably more to the story than even this.
Yes, disappointed, given up hope, no.
I applaud the thousands of people working their butts off every day, working in MIQ, the contact tracing teams, the staff in hospitals, the vaccination and testing teams. Every soul who won't have given up in the fight against this disease. I don't imagine many of the decision makers sleeping long at nights.
And I hope the public work hard to keep to the rules around mask wearing, social distancing. Because people can protect themselves and others.
One thing for sure: there will be many, many twists and turns over the coming year or two.
Here,here.
Zero can still be done. Even with Delta
Key points:
– mandatory scanning and rapid testing and masks and vaccines.
– disinformation by media has lost its potency
– public buy-in
"By my count, Taiwan has now had five brushes with Delta, including two sizeable outbreaks. Thus far it has prevailed, and in a sense, I’m breathing easier with that knowledge. But I’m still haunted by our lapse earlier this year and hope we don’t fall prey to our complacency once again. And so anxiety is par for the course. Each day I wear my mask and watch the vaccination rate inch up… And then I remember what it is like in so many other countries and remember how lucky I truly am."
Taipei reports zero local COVID cases for full week
Interesting article. They seem to have managed through this without the same reliance on lockdowns. The key elements have been mandatory scanning, rapid antigen testing and mandated mask wearing in public. The MoH seems to be resistant to rapid antigen testing, and our border saliva testing regime seems to be "held together by sellotape".
I feel we'll here more about rapid antigen testing in the near future. We followed Taiwan before (the parts of their response that seemed to suit our situation) and I hope we'll be doing the same again.
Contact tracing involves people's cell phone gps records
I suspect mandating contact tracing in NZ would not go down well.
Privacy issues for sure. That would be a reason why we might always have short sharp lock downs – to allow the contact tracers to catch-up with the spread
Other key points are a comparative lack of ethnic diversity.
"According to government figures, over 95% of Taiwan's population of 23.4 million consists of Han Chinese"
And a comparatively well educated population.
"Although current law mandates only nine years of schooling, 95 percent junior high school students go on to a senior vocational high school, trade school, junior college, or university."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwanese_people
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Taiwan
Which is one of the great things the MoH, government and advisors did in the first lockdowns – adapted what they'd learned from places like Taiwan and South Korea to better fit our needs. They can do that again.
Thinking about Mark Mitchell not running for the Mayoralty in Auckland.
Thought 1, he fancies his chances in a coup battle.
Thought 2, he's been told to stand down to make way for someone with more profile, either Paula Bennett or Steven Joyce.
He's also benefitted from the oily orca's services, not a great look.
Auckland City needs a root and branch overhaul of it's culture and operational effectiveness. Our 'employees' at AC have lost any kind of connection with communities, and the city is being run by a cabal that consists of Goff's 'A' team and a small group of unelected bureaucrats. Mitchell was probably not the right man for the job, but Joyce just might be.
You must be joking. Everything either privatised or paved.
Since the implementation of the super city, we have experienced the gradual erosion of the democratic process in the city. The local boards are largely toothless. CCO's such as Panuku and AT are run by incompetent ideologues who have a total disregard for the community. And if you want to be tribal, this has all developed under the oversight of two Labour mayors, and a current Council that is dominated by Labour/City Vision. What I'd like to see is a truly independent mayor, with the cajones to break up the stranglehold political groups have on the city.
The council structure was set by Rodney Hide and National. The last thing they wanted was democracy.
Well if so, Brown and Goff have well and truly proven the structure effective!
The plan to get Banks in charge, and sell everything which wasn’t nailed down, was thwarted by Aucklanders, who remembered previous asset thefts/sorry, sales. They wannabee crooks still stuffed up as much as they could in revenge, led by Hyde.
Which is why National and ACT’s opposition to three waters is so blatently hypocritical.
If they had their druthers, it would have all been in private ownership by now, along with POAL, and other council assets, without even a hint of “Democratic control”.
Not sure if the structure proposed is the answer, but like DHB’s the current “local Democratic control” is illusion, not reality.
Not disagreeing with you on Banks etc. The supercity (and for that matter previous amalgamations) is a good example of how bigger is not always better.
Which brings me to 3Waters. Local democracy may be an illusion, but local control isn't. Despite a multi-million dollar misinformation campaign, and a $2.5bn 'inducement' offered to Council's, it seems certain the government is going to have to legislate control these assets away from ratepayers for what are very dubious reasons.
Only if you think that trying to fix the fuckup, that so many of the self perpetuating, old boys clubs have made of council' infrastructure, is 'dubious reasons".
“Local control” has often meant control by the self interested local well off who have the time and money to run for council. You can see it in council’s ignoring things like rural river pollution.
“Democratic consultation” is a joke.
I'm not convinced that an overpayed managerial monstrosity is the answer, either.
But if something isn't done we will have many more, Hastings, and worse.
Currently National is opposing it, but their favoured solution would be infinitely worse.
I live in Auckland. As ratepayers we have invested billions of dollars in water infrastructure, and unlike the scare tactics deployed by the advertising, we don't have 'nasties' in our water (a claim which brought an apology from an apology from the government). I also can see right through the financial sleight of hand that funds an inducement from money taken from ratepayers in the first place. If this plan is so good, why are 60 of the 67 councils opposed, why is the government spending millions of dollars selling it, and why the misinformation?
The current system may need reform, but before developing a solution, let’s actually understand the problem.
Councils are opposed out of pure self interest. Losing power and in some cases, things to borrow against. The Government criticism of councils is warrented. Of course they don’t like it.
All the mis-information I've seen has been from opponent's, such as Luxon. I wonder why.
The problems are pretty obvious. Lack of capability and investment by council's combined with our rapid increase in population.
Councils have been asking central Government to fund it. They must be aware that shouldn't come without central Government accountability. Otherwise money would just disappear into general council funding often to pet projects or contracts to mates.
Auckland may not have nasties in the water supply, but the sewage and stormwater systems are hopelessly inadequate and outdated. Needing billions in investment.
"Councils have been asking central Government to fund it.''
Because they have restricted their borrowing! And this is exactly what central government have been doing – criticising local Councils on one hand, and tying their hands behind their back with the other.
"but the sewage and stormwater systems are hopelessly inadequate and outdated. "
Not in Auckland. We've invested in upgrading those systems, including the central interceptor project currently underway.
"All the mis-information I've seen has been from opponent's"
Ah no. The advertising has shown green sludge coming out of taps. It talked about 'nasties' in the water. And there's plenty more examples.
Perhaps the most ironic thing in all this is that the Hawkes Bay Council, the district whose problems prompted a review of the way water is managed, don't support 3 Waters. That says something about just how bad the plan is.
The "nasties in the water is untrue".
I don't think so.
Hastings was just one example.
If you think Aucklands sewage and stormwater systems are adequate. I have a bridge to sell you.
I always liked that restauranteur John Palino. Who wanted to devolve the CBD and create satellite stand alone communities.
If you want to build a gazillion houses in Pokeno or Ararimu then you better have a plan to build retail, commerce and manufacturing jobs as well. The aim being for a self sufficient district. Thus reducing the need for travel.
Unfortunately he had an American accent which possibly ruined his chances. He seemed to be a good thinker with no political baggage.
To win the Auckland mayoralty, you need to have serious connections and/or backing. Labour have been smart and recognised the importance of a politically aligned mayor in the country's biggest city. Unfortunately both Brown and Goff have been poor performers on so many levels. Goff has overseen the city becoming a dysfunctional mess, with the private agenda's of his 'A' team taking priority over democracy and the best interests of the city.
This 2nd jabs not a very good tech upgrade, still need glasses and my back still hurts, gates needs to up his game.
Windows 11 is on it's way I believe.
They're not going to waste those expensive microchips on you. You're not the target demographic.
Surely Bill doesn't need to type a big long search string like that – unless the Ask Epstein feature is broken?
Well, he’s dead, so …
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/bill-gates-odd-comment-about-jeffrey-epstein-well-hes-dead/RZE3D3DJGKANWMXTHIVBT4WFMY/
Heh
Got second vax on Tuesday. Side affects? I've had worse hangovers but at least there was some fun acquiring them.
At this stage ,5 hrs in just the same sore arm as last time . Went straight back to work and docked a few hundred lambs.
You are a person who will help see us through – even though you might not know it, or even care for that matter.
95% immunity in four weeks time bwaghorn. Cheers
New research show Pfizer vaccine reaches its maximum efficacy at 1 month after 2nd dose waning after 4 months but still preventing hospitalizations after 6 months. Recommendations for a 3rd dose for those over 65 and those with compromised immune systems.
Just how dumb are the Police? It turns out they did not roadblock the Tuakau bridge (near Port Waikato) when he covid border was established, and merely occasionally patrolled the backroad route from Waikato to Auckland. Good god… the mind boggles.
I gather it was due to the people at Port Waikato not being able to access a Supermarket during previous lockdowns, so they allowed access from Port Waikato to Tuakau.
Dumb as. Know that area well. They obviously didnt ask the local plods for advice. Typical know it all management
WTF ! there's your waikato outbreak being assisted folks. Not so much dumb more like negligence.
A few locals from Raglan reckon it's been full of Jaffa's as soon as levels changed. What's the bet word got out Police werent there and everyone piled in.
It's tempting to set up a go fund me to bring this guy out to a Density Church rally. Except he's sure to have much better uses for that money.
https://twitter.com/FilmThePoliceLA/status/1445566038855217158
Classic.
This is what twitter was invented for.
So 'dumb fucks' can get their arse handed back to them on a plate.
Unbelievable.
Smartly dressed palagi door to door salesman, no mask, knocking on every door in our street hawking home insulation deals.
Really?
In a low decile area with with two gang houses.
In a South Auckland suburb of interest where everyone has been urged to get tested.
https://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/article.aspx?id=340742
Sounds like an aspiring National Party candidate?