Welcome back to ‘The Standard’ we missed you yesterday after about 1’30pm when the site was cut, but now now up again thanks to the folks at The Standard.
Must have been some “house cleaning” that was gong on?
cleangreen
I read recently how in late WW2 the Allies were not sorry that Hitler was not killed in the attempted assassination by bomb. They knew him, understood his paranoia and obsessions, and were sure they could match any of his maneouvres, outthink him and eventually win over Germany. They didn’t want someone else with a clear head and new approach taking over and changing the style. Don’t wish Bridges gone,
He is the very model of a modern right-wing national
his intellect is vegetable, integrity ephemeral,
His caucus not dependable, their loyalties transferrable
and prone to many scandals that are publicly relational
[and prone to many scandals that are publicly relational]
[and prone to many scandals that are publicly relational]
[and prone to many scandals that are publicly relational]
their internecine fighting has been eminently recordable
their crises management is far from being laudable
their efforts to deflect reporters now become most laughable
and prone to many scandals that are publicly relational
[and prone to many scandals that are publicly relational]
[and prone to many scandals that are publicly relational]
[and prone to many scandals that are publicly relational]
Excellent McFlock – now write the rest of the soapy opera and you will have a hit. You will be as good as a rock star. It may produce a sellout from the Right, or not but one could hope.
I’m tempted to suggest that it was a test of what the Standard would look like if we ever instituted a paywall model, but I understand it was actually something to do with flies in the server and Lprent had to get out the RAID.
National should get radical and come out as a “champion strong advocate on climate change” .
They can easily argue and suggest that we must restore our rail system as another ‘Land transport option’ for freight and passenger with a” low emission carbon footprint safer transport service”. Last night on Newhub there was a senoir well respected scientist stating that ‘air passenger service’ is the highest carbon footprint service with every single passenger.
Figures shown by University of Wellington Professor James Renwick were showing that a single air passenger trip from Auckland to Wellington showed each passenger uses 145 kgs of carbon, where by rail it was 17kgs, and electric car was 11kgs, and by bus was 22kgs from memory,
Maybe we should each have a shrinking annual allocation of air miles. If you choose not to use them yourself you can sell them to someone else. If you don’t want anyone to use them you can sell them to the government who cancels them. Administrative nightmare of course. But a side benefit would be outraging the likes of wee Mikey Hoskie.
Also people too poor to travel get an extra income stream.
Good on ya, ankerawshark. I think it’s safe to say that the efforts of the team behind TS would mean nothing if we didn’t have contributors like yourself adding comments of real substance to the site. He aha te mea nui o te ao, he tangata he tangata he tangata!
Basically he is dropping the wrong half. Light rail to the west makes a lot of sense. It would be far better to do heavy rail to the airport. The whole Dominion Rd thing looks fraught.
The main problem NZ really has when it comes to transport issues, future proofing public, private and commercial transport is simply the total lack of guts and imagination.
Thus no glory. But for what its worth, non so gutless then National. In nine years in government your boys and girls in parliament have managed to get nothing done. And that is quite something.
A long time ago i watched a debate on TV between John Key – National, Helen Clark – Labour, Jeanette Fitzsimmons – Green. John Key waffled on how he was gonna bring NZ wages to parity with OZ and tax cuts, Helen Clark was protecting her last nine years, and Jeanette Fitzsimmons spoke about how we needed investment in public transport, needed trains, trams and buses to get us everywhere in this country, and the rest is history.
so the last ones to complain about any party doing anything about public transport is National. They have had nine years and literally only have a housing crisis, homelessness and record public debt to show for.
This from the linked NZHerald item: The Government may have to scale back its $6 billion light rail programme for Auckland by scrapping a line from the city centre to west Auckland, says Transport Minister Phil Twyford.
The MP for Te Atatu said it was his strong preference to see light rail built from the city centre to the west and to the airport, but if it is not possible to fund and finance both lines, then light rail to the airport will get priority.
National Party people would have been the ones preventing expenditure on public transport since the year dot. The year dot is when it was being officially talked about. The number of human bodies on the local bodies that could think further than their own pockets, and their next term in power was greater than the co-efficient of whatever. Simple mathematics and a long-term viewpoint were incompatible and me-first maths won.
Now it is important to get something signed up and started now. If National manage to weasel their way in to power we will get more and more simple mathematics. And never get close to coping with our complex problems which can never be actually solved, just understood and ameliorated.
Don’t forget the rundown public services, infrastructure shortages, privatization of assets (THEFT with 300 000 opposing signatures and public opinion polls ignored).
The bashing of poor people, dark people, green people through public media (They’re all wreckers and haters), through police, banks, spy services (who also turned out to be relatively f’n useless).
Don’t forget the war trajectory and you personally and your team dishing out Islamophobia.
Now you reckon you know about trains. You lot sell trains Wayne, you don’t build them so let’s get real.
If there’s no heavy rail to airport on the table right now (and there is not), the sensible move would indeed be to service the airport with already underway light rail first.
Wanye;
I have stated on 2.1 that National needs to show ‘environmental leadership’ on all rail services both freight and passenger services.
2.1 “National should get radical and come out as a “champion strong advocate on climate change” .
They can easily argue and suggest that we must restore our rail system as another ‘Land transport option’ for freight and passenger with a” low emission carbon footprint safer transport service”.
I didn’t talk about Cict rail link did I?
Auckland City is not NZ unless you are an Aucklander.
National were dragged reluctantly into the project what? something like a year later. I’d have to look it up.
Almost certainly because the transport projects that National funded (Roads of significance to National) had appalling business cases. They were so poor that National stopped showing them in public. At the same time the CRL was showing good returns.
Personally I think that the ONLY reason that the Key government approved it was because the hypocrisy levels were getting too high for even Nationals donors as Auckland traffic kept getting worse as National built empty highways.
The motorway projects have way better BCR’s than any public transport project.
It is possible to make any project look good if you don’t bother to include economic costs in the BCR.
For instance that is what appears to have happened with East-West Link, and as far as I can tell it was the case with almost all of the RoNS.
Of course if you over-estimate the economic costs as happened in the CRL assessments by NZLTA, then you get whatever number if deemed to be relevant. Of course it helps if you don’t provide the workings so that they can be criticized by others. There was a rather wide range between the ACC economic assessments and those from NZLTA.
It is possible to make any project look good if you over-estimate the changes in traffic. That appears to be the case with almost all of the RoNS projects that I looked at. For that matter if you look at the extensions to the SH1 motorways
Conversely, if you massively under-estimate the take up of a public transport system you can make public transport look extremely bad. NZLTA BCRs routinely do that.
It has happened with very NZLTA assessment in Auckland that subsequently got built. Including the Northern busway ( right the way through to not requiring a bridge replacement), double tracking and electrification of the Auckland heavy rail and the massive increases in use of PT (and the reduced need to try to increase capacity on our in-city motorways), changes in bus routes, etc…
Basically, unless the NZLTA starts to do public estimates with funding for some public checks on their analysis, I’d say that they’re just a tool of the roading construction companies. Because that is what they look like to me.
Forced on a very reluctant National after their favored business case from NZLTA proved to be completely flawed and after the BCRs for RoNS were lacerated by expert scrutiny.
In May 2011 the Government noted that after reviewing an initial business case for the project, it was unconvinced of the economic benefits of the tunnel. However, Minister of Transport Steven Joyce noted that he would not stand in the way of Auckland continuing planning and route designation work – if Auckland paid for it.[5] In June 2011 Auckland Council voted to approve $2 million for planning and route protection for the tunnel, with Auckland Transport, rather than KiwiRail, undertaking the process.[32]
In March 2012, Auckland Council decided to bring forward spending from the 2012–2013 budget, in order to continue progress protecting the eventual route. $6.3 million was spent on work including geotechnical surveys, utility and building assessments, contaminated site reports and rail operations modelling and $1.7m towards providing a revised business case, requested by the government.[33][34]
“the 1972 Rapid Transit Plan for Auckland. The history of this plan is eerily similar to our current situation in many ways. It was a revolutionary scheme championed by the charismatic mayor of Auckland Dove Myer Robinson (leading to the nickname ‘Robbie’s Rapid Rail’), despite the mayoralty and council not having the means to actually fund the thing independently. They began working on alternate funding solutions such as a targeted land tax but found them impossible to implement without support from Wellington. In the end by the Labour government reluctantly offered an election pledge to fund the proposal, but failed to deliver on that pledge. A wholly unsupportive National government were voted into power in 1975 and in 1976 the plan was cancelled completely.”
In the interim we got Britomart. Then we tried to connect stuff up…
“Further input was provided by Auckland Transport, which commissioned the study after the Government and the council had arrived at very different conclusions about the rail loop’s return on every dollar invested. Given all that, this study should be the definitive research, not yet another document destined to gather dust. Mr Brown’s task now is to convince Aucklanders that the study is robust and its conclusions are right. If he can, the Government should stand to one side.”
“On 27 January 2016, Prime Minister John Key announced in his state of the nation address that central government funding for main works construction of the CRL had been confirmed and this would allow Auckland Council to start to construct the main works from 2018, with central funds guaranteed to flow from 2020. Commentary at the time reflected an opinion that this was a belated agreement to central government funding of the project by the ruling National Party, while the main opposition parliamentary parties (Labour Party, Greens and NZ First) had all been promising immediate construction timetables which were more closely aligned to the plans of the council.”
Stalling, mucking about, fudging, and dragged kicking and screaming after a myriad of others plans were rejected outright, many of them good plans, that was what National did. Also tried to force the entire bill on Auckland as if transport was not in their portfolio.
Roads of National (party) significance, that was your thing.
i have lived for 20 years now here in NZ, so started under shipley. At that time you had to throw yourself in front of a bus – when one came, never on time – to get it too stop.
Claiming a tunnel being build as their own, while it was done under labour, also Nationals thing.
Auckland is at shambles because your Party did nothing. Absolutely nothing other then build roads that are clogged 24 hours.
Your rammed thousands of people in this city, and gave not one thought to the infrastructure. Cause that is hard work, and your lot is not known for working and certainly not hard work.
National, a Party as usefull as its leader Simon “NO Bridges for Northland’ Bridges.
And believe me, if National would have actually achieved just something of value to the public – and not business interest – we would know by now 🙂
Light Rail down Dominion Rd across the Mangere Bridge to the Airport will be an absolute shambles during the construction phase ?
The roads are already chock a block to the Airport from 6.00am to 6.00pm with 35,000 people currently working at the Airport projected to 55,000 in 5 years time ?
Light Rail down Dominion Rd across the Mangere Bridge to the Airport will be an absolute shambles during the construction phase ?
The roads are already chock a block to the Airport from 6.00am to 6.00pm with 35,000 people currently working at the Airport projected to 55,000 in 5 years time ?
Have a look to the french City of Nice.
Very similar to AKL, one side mountains, other side water, and a large and sprawling city wedged in.
Within three years the whole city got the Tram – light rail, dedicated bus lanes, (train already existed), and the cost of using public transport was initially 1 euro irrespective where you went in the Department Alpes Maritimes – Monaco to Marseille and up the mountains. Now the cost is at 1.50$ per ride.
A lot of people stopped driving the car.
but nice had a choice to make, either die in traffic and of smog or put up with some inconvenience and move to the future.
Really cool were the new archeological finds near la place Massena, the old part of Nice and at the old fish market. they were put under glass during construction and were made open to the public.
It can be done, a bit of guts, a bit of good will, above all political will and it can be done.
The question is has NZ got guts, good will and political good will, or is it just another thing that ‘we can’t do’ cause…………..?
It is hardly comparable with Auckland.
The population is about 340,000 or only about one fifth of Auckland.
It is even smaller than Wellington or Christchurch.
Absolute bollocks Wayne.
Light rail to the west is a total waste of money considering there already is a line to Whangarei via Helensville currrently used by the odd freight train.
A $50,000 fire suppression system fitted for use through the Waitakere tunnel, is all that’s required.
You obviously have no idea Wayne what the people of West Auckland need or want.
From the Trains to Huapai facebook page
“Residents of West Auckland have been calling out for commuter train shuttles to run from Swanson station through the currently unused Waitakere station to Huapai for a number of years. It is the number one most wanted public transport issue commented on in numerous Auckland Transport surveys and consultations. Yet prospects of Trains to Huapai to meet the needs of accelerating housing development now, have been stymied by the government’s unproven long term focus on light rail trams to Kumeu.”
“We are pleased the Government through NZTA is funding twice daily commuter trains from Hamilton to Papakura for around $60 million. However, for less than $4 million the people of Nor-West Auckland could have hourly rail shuttles operating seven days a week from Huapai and Waitakere to Swanson station”
“Twyford admits the promised light rail trams to Kumeu look like not happening for decades.
So why not get the Trains To Huapai? Fact is Phil Twyford (Labour) and Genter(Greens) listen to a self appointed group calling themselves “Greater Auckland” who designed the light rail trams for everywhere map. This small group successfully sold their dream to the Minister of Transport and Mayor Phil Goff.
We are frustrated that a small group of light rail enthusiasts with connections to the light rail industry have robbed Nor West Auckland of commuter trains.
Trams to Kumeu 2049?
Trains to Huapai can be delivered 2019 if there’s political will.”
That’s really interesting. If the figure of $4M is true it’s a pittance for what it would achieve. But surely that doesn’t include the engines, rolling stock, staff…
Is there a business case the group could take to the business communities in these areas? With them on-side the group might have more clout, and maybe match some of the funds?
Great for business. More foot traffic. Better access to greater Auckland and for greater Auckland to get to them. Eases congestion for freight in/out and tradies.
Around $45 subsidy per passenger, 43 passengers per day, that’s nearly $2k a day subsidy. $700k a year subsidy. That was before electrification, there’s be a bit of a headache integrating services between the electrified and non-electrified bits.
They identified some of the issues in that trial (rail in disrepair, no broader connectivity to broader network), wonder if they’ve worked on how to fix them.
I guess as we get a network where population is dense first hopefully providing a feasible base, we have a chance of then hooking up more satellite services. And then that might do what one would hope transport spending does – better access to and from wider Auckland, and easing congestion.
The planet is of course a nice plug for rail too, but only if it is actually pulling vehicles off roads.
Their trial rail service served no one. That’s why is was not patronised. After only a year it was deemed a failure.
Of course it was designed exactly for that result.
The rail service from Helensville to Auckland that ran up until the early 70s was well patronised. I know, I used it. Why, when the population has quadrupled, should public rail transport be not viable in the west.
A perfectly satisfactory line exits FFS! Why should it not be used.
Oddly enough, if that 43 users per day is accurate, then I’m personally acquainted with nearly 5% of the total patronage. Wealthy lifestyle block types, both of them.
It wouldn’t surprise me if it was made to fail. Way back when Dad was an engineer they bought rolling stock that could only run half the pace of the engines to claim trucks were superior for freight.
Kind of as a ‘just as an aside’, I’m picking the whole thing is, and will be another example of short-medium term ‘thinkery’ with various lobbyists pushing their various, and differing barrows.
So far, I bet there are factions with a vushun of light rail options based on their partikyala oseas experiences, and other with opposing views.
ALL peshnit about what they do.
And as things stand, I’ll bet some of the options are already at the stage where they’ve ‘invisiged solutions [going forward’] and, come what may – that is all.
I’d also put money on their ‘solutions [going forward]’ come with minor little details such as their light rail coming with a different line gauge, such that things like train-trams can’t easily be implemented.
Quote; “If you fly the 496km between Auckland and Wellington, you emit around 150kg of carbon dioxide equivalent.
A medium-sized car making the same journey emits about a third less, while a bus, train and electric car all have significantly lower emissions – just under 55kg between all three of them.
This is a must watch for Government MP’s flying from Auckland today for parliament tomorrow in Wellington.
Hear this Phil Twyford, – ‘take a train passenger service to Wellington with Jacinda and lower your carbon footprint’s too.’.
A bloody good start in reducing the amount of flying our MPs do would be to require all the List MPs to move to Wellington when they get elected. Then we wouldn’t need to pay for them to have accommodation provided in Wellington either, or to have to move their families backward and forward at tax-payer expense.
This would not apply of course to the Electorate MPs. They actually need to travel to and from their electorates as they actually have work to do there.
Having the Green Party leader drop out of his position as the biggest single user of overseas travel would be nice as well.
Then he might have time to spend on the fiasco that is his Statistics Department.
As if child poverty and the growing working poor aren’t bad enough, NZ Capitalism Ltd is now delivering growing pensioner poverty. Given the falling rates of home ownership pensioner poverty is like to expand over the coming generation.
Labour are shackled by the -bean counters and the right wing roger douglas brigade side of their caucus sadly.
These right wingers will hold onto our public purse so very tightly even though they promised so much and never have delivered now.
So the clock countdown now begins to the election, – as they have less than half their term left now.
Transport minister is in hiding and needs to come out in the budget to explain why our rail has not been revived yet around all our provinces. The road toll is worse than when he took over so he needs to provide a safe regional rail freight and passenger service to save lives, and our health and wellbeing.
Labour are basically ideologically driven, getting the doing part going is the hard part, they talk a big game but do not have the skills to get things done as most of them have very little real world practical experience, National are not much better IMHO ?
It is all about getting re-elected most politican’s in all the Political Parties would not have a clue, as they have no real world experience, it is all about celebrity politics and who MSM want elected. There is very little difference between Labour & National ?
Instead of JAQing off, how about you do the research yourself.
But there’s one thing I’m confident you won’t find: outbreaks in highly vaccinated populations. To get outbreaks like the measles outbreaks bursting out all over the place at the moment, you need significant portions of the population to be unvaccinated.
If those outbreaks only affected the fuckwits that choose to refuse vaccinations for themselves, I’d take a Darwinian view of it. Sadly, the ones that bear the brunt of the outbreaks are those that shouldn’t be vaccinated for genuine medical reasons (such as the immunocompromised), the too young, those unfortunate few for whom the vaccination is ineffective … and the really really unfortunate ones whose fuckwit parents refused the vaccine and didn’t tell them.
Bring on the lawsuits to hold accountable those who refuse vaccines without genuine medical reason, that then go on to get sick and infect others.
Since there’s no actual content in all of that, it’s kinda hard to respond to.
But I gotta know; a while back you called me the very worst commenter on The Standard. Am I still number 1? If not, who do I hafta take down to get my crown back?
Ha not do fast young sir. I know I irritate the old one two a lot and often he is left in a quivering, slobbering, impotent rage after one of my comments. He can’t even reply coherently such is his distress just a mumble of words as if spilt from a very large soup bowl of alphabet soup. They appear to be words but, well, who can tell.
Andre, in a number of ways you are one of the ‘worst’…name calling, uninformed in the extreme…especially on this subject…
Yet, in other ways and on some subject matter, your comments are informative and knowledgeable…as you are aware…I appreciate that…as I let you know recently…
I do hold back on this particular subject and do not seek to reignite the discussion…but will always respond if it is started up…
There is a casm of misunderstanding on your part…there is also a plethora of scholarly articles readily available with a simple search regarding outbreaks in highly vaccinated populations…
By the way . Outbreak = 3 according to CDC…
Not just failing and waning measles (MMR) vaccine…but many others…in fact almost all vaccines…they fail..have failed and are failing…
Branch out..I’m certain you’re capable…perhaps you’re fearful of what you’ll find….
Start with the question I posed…it is root cause…starting point…
Everything which follows, stemming from and including pre-licensure…is a fraud..
As I’ve said before, I regard you as a supercilious spouter of arcane claptrap with an inflated sense of your own ability and I regard your woo-beliefs on vaccination as a malignant threat to public health.
I’ve been following the videos and life of a talented young Czechoslovakian man Adam Celadine …. he’s a world record holder and world champion in some aspects of knife throwing ….
in a large part thanks to his tutorial videos, I’ve taken up a new hobby.
Anyway this young man was struck down and made seriously ill with metastasizing cancer …. I know a little bit about cancer and was very concerned for him.
The good news is he has now tested clear …. and he has some good advice in his short Video announcing his path back to good health
Hell that looks dangerous and reminds me of a Roald Dahl story about being to light a ligher in 20 consecutive attempts …. or lose your finger … yikes ! :O
This young lady knows how to chuck a knife …. and she has good safety tips …. like wearing safety glasses etc .
The wind flutter in the video disappears shortly into it …..
lol at one job I could goof off and practise throwing a work knife (wrong knife for it – short, handle heavy lock knife). All good fun until the ricochet comes flying back at me point first lol. Good for one’s reflexes 🙂
Free speech “purists” say that we should let these racists be racist loudly and publicly, and then laugh or ridicule their ideas. Those people who say that are often white and male. Not always, but often. And they have the privilege to laugh and ridicule those ideas because they are usually ideas that don’t threaten their existence. However if you’re from an often oppressed group – Māori, Muslim, Rainbow, Jewish, or even female – those words that we’re told to laugh at and ridicule aren’t funny. They’re words that make your life uncomfortable and unpleasant to live through. They’re words that frighten and degrade you. They are words of hate.
And just as nice @ MM, the latest ‘Listening Post’ special on Aljazeera – especially when they cover all those ‘reality TV’ type “Border Force” programmes …. almost like the poor man’s pornography.
We’ll reserve a cameo spot for James Casson in the next series (as if he hasn’t already got his jollies from being a party to it all already).
it was 1-2 with a different avatar. Didn’t think much of it until my comment ended up at the bottom as a whole number, and the fool was back to the usual avatar.
A Mysterious Infection, Spanning the Globe in a Climate of Secrecy
The rise of Candida auris embodies a serious and growing public health threat: drug-resistant germs.
Pro tip for plonkers: if you want to reply to someone, hit the reply button in the box around the comment you want to reply to, not the next comment.
Why is there no vaccine against candida auris? Dunno, could be lots of reasons.
Might be because it’s a kind of organism that’s very difficult to develop a vaccine against. Off the top of my head I can’t think of any yeast diseases we actually do have a vaccine against. Most successful vaccines are against viral diseases. Organisms that are more complex are generally harder to develop vaccines against. Hence no effective vaccines against malaria or giardia or guinea worm or gonorrhea or syphilis or ….
Might be because it hasn’t been a big enough threat (and market) to get the attention of vaccine developers.
Might be because its emergence has been recent enough there just hasn’t been enough time.
Might be any combo or all of the above or other factors I haven’t mentioned. Asking why there isn’t a specific vaccine reminds of the CEO who once asked why we couldn’t develop something to spray on the outside of golf club shafts to tune the flex characteristics. I had to tell him the only unobtainium mine in the world had shut down cause there was an explosion. (Shortly thereafter I was seeking alternative employment)
Yeah, if I was only trying to respond to cleangreen I probably would have left it there. Or probably not bothered at all, the question was so self-evidently ridiculous. I’m well aware that many commenters here are neither persuadable nor educable.
But when I respond to nutters, it’s usually because there may be something in that topic of interest to a broader audience of silent but interested readers so a fuller answer might be worthwhile. Or sometimes I’ll respond just for the lolz.
I manually input my credentials into the name and email fields, as a simple security measure to not have sign in data cached on devices…
At times, due to the email address, which you can’t see , a character becomes inverted…leading to the creation of a new avatar…
At least two possibly three avatars are in the system…
Nothing in it, McFlock…keep throwing your childish comments …
What’s the failure rate of the flu shot you like to talk about getting?
Edit:
Were you able to understand the earlier question…if you read all available vaccine package inserts (FDA site) you can get the answer to the question…
lol okay, whatevs. You screwed up your ID because you’re paranoid that people will really give a crap about who you are.
You’re not that much of a threat to the system, neo.
As for vaccines, the proof is in the pudding. Maybe they guessed wrong this year, meaning the models were off and its the wrong strains in the shot. But frankly a sore arm with one in a million odds of a serious adverse reaction… hell, I’d take a 90% failure rate. No harm, no foul. But I seem to recall flu vaccines tend to be a few times that – nowhere near 90% like with some other conditions, but good enough to completely protect a lot of people and lessen the symptoms in others. It’s biggest advantage is to lower the burden on the health system from avoidable illness. I.e. fewer people plonked in ED hallways.
But I can’t be bothered doing your homework for you. Besides, I’d be surprised if they measured efficacy against placebo outright each and every time – the ethics of denying someone healthcare like that, even with consent, are long and debatable. They probably just compare with previous strains (and you might be able to follow that testing chain back to the original placebo trials), and do after-market evaluation of cases, prevalence, immunisation status, and of course any adverse events.
Yep weeze and poos has finally lost it. Really when analysed they had very little to add or offer anyway save insults puffed by rhetoric. Ah well onwards and upwards lol
Hang on, that’s very interesting. For it to appear and then get deleated (for my reply to end up on the floor), the comment must have had a wrong email, gone into moderation, and been released inside ten minutes, for onetwo to be able to then delete it and rewrite it with the correct email.
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The Sincerest Form Of Flattery: As anybody with the intestinal fortitude to brave the commentary threads of local news-sites, large and small, will attest, the number of Trump-supporting New Zealanders is really quite astounding. IT’S SO DIFFICULT to resist the temptation to be smug. From the distant perspective of New Zealand, ...
RNZ reports on continued arbitrariness on decisions at the border. British comedian Russell Howard is about to tour New Zealand and other acts allowed in through managed isolation this summer include drag queen RuPaul and musicians at Northern Bass in Mangawhai and the Bay Dreams festival. The vice-president of the ...
As families around the world mourn more than two million people dead from Covid-19, the Plan B academics and their PR industry collaborator continue to argue that the New Zealand government should stop focusing on our managed isolation and quarantine system and instead protect the elderly so that they can ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 10, 2021 through Sat, Jan 16, 2021Editor's ChoiceNASA says 2020 tied for hottest year on record — here’s what you can do to helpPhoto by Michael Held on Unsplash ...
Health authorities in Norway are reporting some concerns about deaths in frail elderly after receiving their COVID-19 vaccine. Is this causally related to the vaccine? Probably not but here are the things to consider. According to the news there have been 23 deaths in Norway shortly after vaccine administration and ...
Happy New Year! No, experts are not concerned that “…one of New Zealand’s COIVD-1( vaccines will fail to protect the country” Here is why. But first I wish to issue an expletive about this journalism (First in Australia and then in NZ). It exhibits utter failure to actually truly consult ...
All nations have shadows; some acknowledge them. For others they shape their image in uncomfortable ways.The staunch Labour supporter was in despair at what her Rogernomics Government was doing. But she finished ‘at least, we got rid of Muldoon’, a response which tells us that then, and today, one’s views ...
Grigori GuitchountsIn November, Springer Nature, one of the world’s largest publishers of scientific journals, made an attention-grabbing announcement: More than 30 of its most prestigious journals, including the flagship Nature, will now allow authors to pay a fee of US$11,390 to make their papers freely available for anyone to read ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Gary Yohe, Henry Jacoby, Richard Richels, and Benjamin Santer Imagine a major climate change law passing the U.S. Congress unanimously? Don’t bother. It turns out that you don’t need to imagine it. Get this: The Global Change Research Act of 1990 was passed ...
“They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”WHO CAN FORGET the penultimate scene of the 1956 movie classic, Invasion of the Body Snatchers? The wild-eyed doctor, stumbling down the highway, trying desperately to warn his fellow citizens: “They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”Ostensibly science-fiction, the movie ...
TheOneRing.Net has got its paws on the official synopsis of the upcoming Amazon Tolkien TV series. It’s a development that brings to mind the line about Sauron deliberately releasing Gollum from the dungeons of Barad-dûr. Amazon knew exactly what they were doing here, in terms of drumming up publicity: ...
Since Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration in 1953, US presidents have joined an informal club intended to provide support - and occasionally rivalry - between those few who have been ‘leaders of the free world’. Donald Trump, elected on a promise to ‘drain the swamp’ and a constant mocker of his predecessors, ...
For over a decade commentators have noted the rise of a new brand of explicitly ideological politics throughout the world. By this they usually refer to the re-emergence of national populism and avowedly illiberal approaches to governance throughout the “advanced” democratic community, but they also extend the thought to the ...
The US House of Representatives has just impeached Donald Trump, giving him the dubious honour of being the only US President to be impeached twice. Ten Republicans voted for impeachement, making it the most bipartisan impeachment ever. The question now is whether the Senate will rise to the occasion, and ...
Kieren Mitchell; Alice Mouton, Université de Liège; Angela Perri, Durham University, and Laurent Frantz, Ludwig Maximilian University of MunichThanks to the hit television series Game of Thrones, the dire wolf has gained a near-mythical status. But it was a real animal that roamed the Americas for at least 250,000 ...
Tide of tidal data rises Having cast our own fate to include rising sea level, there's a degree of urgency in learning the history of mean sea level in any given spot, beyond idle curiosity. Sea level rise (SLR) isn't equal from one place to another and even at a particular ...
Well, some of those chickens sure came home bigly, didn’t they… and proceeded to shit all over the nice carpet in the Capitol. What we were seeing here are societal forces that have long had difficulty trying to reconcile people to the “idea” of America and the reality of ...
In the wake of Donald Trump's incitement of an assault on the US capitol, Twitter finally enforced its terms of service and suspended his account. They've since followed that up with action against prominent QAnon accounts and Trumpers, including in New Zealand. I'm not unhappy with this: Trump regularly violated ...
Peter S. Ross, University of British ColumbiaThe Arctic has long proven to be a barometer of the health of our planet. This remote part of the world faces unprecedented environmental assaults, as climate change and industrial chemicals threaten a way of life for Inuit and other Indigenous and northern ...
Susan St John makes the case for taxing a deemed rate of return on excessive real estate holdings (after a family home exemption), to redirect scarce housing resources to where they are needed most. Read the full article here ...
I’m less than convinced by arguments that platforms like Twitter should be subject to common carrier regulation preventing them from being able to decide who to keep on as clients of their free services, and who they would not like to serve. It’s much easier to create competition for the ...
The hypocritical actions of political leaders throughout the global Covid pandemic have damaged public faith in institutions and governance. Liam Hehir chronicles the way in which contemporary politicians have let down the public, and explains how real leadership means walking the talk. During the Blitz, when German bombs were ...
Over the years, we've published many rebuttals, blog posts and graphics which came about due to direct interactions with the scientists actually carrying out the underlying research or being knowledgable about a topic in general. We'll highlight some of these interactions in this blog post. We'll start with two memorable ...
Yesterday we had the unseemly sight of a landleech threatening to keep his houses empty in response to better tenancy laws. Meanwhile in Catalonia they have a solution for that: nationalisation: Barcelona is deploying a new weapon in its quest to increase the city’s available rental housing: the power ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters, PhD The 2020 global wildfire season brought extreme fire activity to the western U.S., Australia, the Arctic, and Brazil, making it the fifth most expensive year for wildfire losses on record. The year began with an unprecedented fire event ...
NOTE: This is an excerpt from a digital story – read the full story here.Tess TuxfordKo te Kauri Ko Au, Ko te Au ko Kauri I am the kauri, the kauri is me Te Roroa proverb In Waipoua Forest, at the top of the North Island, New ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Coming attraction: IPCC's upcoming major climate assessmentLook for more emphasis on 'solutions,' efforts by cities, climate equity ... and outlook for emissions cuts in ...
Ringing A Clear Historical Bell: The extraordinary images captured in and around the US Capitol Building on 6 January 2021 mirror some of the worst images of America's past.THERE IS A SCENE in the 1982 movie Missing which has remained with me for nearly 40 years. Directed by the Greek-French ...
To impact or not to impeach? I understand why some of those who are justifiably aghast at Trump’s behaviour over recent days might still counsel against impeaching him for a second time. To impeach him, they argue, would run the risk of making him a martyr in the eyes of ...
The Capitol Building, Washington DC, Wednesday, 6 January 2021. Oh come, my little one, come.The day is almost done.Be at my side, behold the sightOf evening on the land.The life, my love, is hardAnd heavy is my heart.How should I live if you should leaveAnd we should be apart?Come, let me ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 3, 2021 through Sat, Jan 9, 2021Editor's ChoiceAfter the Insurrection: Accountability, Reform, and the Science of Democracy The poisonous lies and enablers of sedition--including Senator Hawley, pictured ...
This article, guest authored by Prof. Angela Gallego-Sala & Dr. Julie Loisel, was originally published on the Carbon Brief website on Dec 21, 2020. It is reposted below in its entirety. Click here to access the original article and comments. Peatlands Peatlands are ecosystems unlike any other. Perpetually saturated, their ...
The assault on the US Capitol and constitutional crisis that it has caused was telegraphed, predictable and yet unexpected and confusing. There are several subplots involved: whether the occupation of the Michigan State House in May was a trial run for the attacks on Congress; whether people involved in the ...
On Christmas Eve, child number 1 spotted a crack in a window. It’s a double-glazed window, and inspection showed that the small, horizontal crack was in the outermost pane. It was perpendicular to the frame, about three-quarters of the way up one side. The origins are a mystery. It MIGHT ...
Anne-Marie Broudehoux, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Will the COVID-19 pandemic prompt a shift to healthier cities that focus on wellness rather than functional and economic concerns? This is a hypothesis that seems to be supported by several researchers around the world. In many ways, containment and physical distancing ...
Does the US need to strike a grand bargain with like-minded countries to pool their efforts? What does this tell us about today’s global politics? Perhaps the most remarkable editorial of last year was the cover leader of the London Economist on 19 November 2020. Shortly after Joe Biden was ...
Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato and Valmaine Toki, University of WaikatoAotearoa New Zealand likes to think it punches above its weight internationally, but there is one area where we are conspicuously falling behind — the number of sites recognised by the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Globally, there are 1,121 ...
An event organised by the Auckland PhilippinesSolidarity group Have a three-course lunch at Nanam Eatery with us! Help support the organic farming of our Lumad communities through the Mindanao Community School Agricultural Foundation. Each ticket is $50. Food will be served on shared plates. To purchase, please email phsolidarity@gmail.com or ...
"Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here." Prisons are places of unceasing emotional and physical violence, unrelieved despair and unforgivable human waste.IT WAS NATIONAL’S Bill English who accurately described New Zealand’s prisons as “fiscal and moral failures”. On the same subject, Labour’s Dr Martyn Findlay memorably suggested that no prison ...
This is a re-post from Inside Climate News by Ilana Cohen. Inside Climate News is a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for the ICN newsletter here. Whether or not people accept the science on Covid-19 and climate change, both global crises will have lasting impacts on health and ...
. . American Burlesque As I write this (Wednesday evening, 6 January), the US Presidential election is all but resolved, confirming Joe Biden as the next President of the (Dis-)United State of America. Trump’s turbulent political career has lasted just four years – one of the few single-term US presidents ...
The session started off so well. Annalax – suitably chastised – spent a pleasant morning with his new girlfriend (he would say paramour, of course, but for our purposes, girlfriend is easier*). He told her about Waking World Drow, and their worship of Her Ladyship. And he started ...
In a recent column I wrote for local newspapers, I ventured to suggest that Donald Trump – in addition to being a liar and a cheat, and sexist and racist – was a fascist in the making and would probably try, if he were to lose the election, to defy ...
When I was preparing for my School C English exam I knew I needed some quotes to splash through my essays. But remembering lines was never my strong point, so I tended to look for the low-hanging fruit. We’d studied Shakespeare’s King Lear that year and perhaps the lowest hanging ...
When I went to bed last night, I was expecting today to be eventful. A lot of pouting in Congress as last-ditch Trumpers staged bad-faith "objections" to a democratic election, maybe some rioting on the streets of Washington DC from angry Trump supporters. But I wasn't expecting anything like an ...
Melted ice of the past answers question today? Kate Ashley and a large crew of coauthors wind back the clock to look at Antarctic sea ice behavior in times gone by, in Mid-Holocene Antarctic sea-ice increase driven by marine ice sheet retreat. For armchair scientists following the Antarctic sea ice situation, something jumps out in ...
Christina SzalinskiWhen Martha Field became pregnant in 2005, a singular fear weighed on her mind. Not long before, as a Cornell University graduate student researching how genes and nutrients interact to cause disease, she had seen images of unborn mouse pups smaller than her pinkie nail, some with ...
A growing public housing waiting list and continued increase of house prices must be urgently addressed by Government, Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson said today. ...
As we welcome in the new year, our focus is on continuing to keep New Zealanders safe and moving forward with our economic recovery. There’s a lot to get on with, but before we say a final goodbye to 2020, here’s a quick look back at some of the milestones ...
A major investment to tackle wilding pines in Mt Richmond will create jobs and help protect the area’s unique ecosystems, Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor says. The Mt Richmond Forest Park has unique ecosystems developed on mineral-rich geology, including taonga plant species found nowhere else in the country. “These special plant ...
To further protect New Zealand from COVID-19, the Government is extending pre-departure testing to all passengers to New Zealand except from Australia, Antarctica and most Pacific Islands, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “The change will come into force for all flights arriving in New Zealand after 11:59pm (NZT) on Monday ...
Bay Conservation Cadets launched with first intake Supported with $3.5 million grant Part of $1.245b Jobs for Nature programme to accelerate recover from Covid Cadets will learn skills to protect and enhance environment Environment Minister David Parker today welcomed the first intake of cadets at the launch of the Bay ...
The Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Mark Brown have announced passengers from the Cook Islands can resume quarantine-free travel into New Zealand from 21 January, enabling access to essential services such as health. “Following confirmation of the Cook Islands’ COVID ...
Jobs for Nature funding is being made available to conservation groups and landowners to employ staff and contractors in a move aimed at boosting local biodiversity-focused projects, Conservation Minister Kiritapu Allan has announced. It is estimated some 400-plus jobs will be created with employment opportunities in ecology, restoration, trapping, ...
The Government has approved an exception class for 1000 international tertiary students, degree level and above, who began their study in New Zealand but were caught offshore when border restrictions began. The exception will allow students to return to New Zealand in stages from April 2021. “Our top priority continues ...
Today’s deal between Meridian and Rio Tinto for the Tiwai smelter to remain open another four years provides time for a managed transition for Southland. “The deal provides welcome certainty to the Southland community by protecting jobs and incomes as the region plans for the future. The Government is committed ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has appointed Anna Curzon to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). The leader of each APEC economy appoints three private sector representatives to ABAC. ABAC provides advice to leaders annually on business priorities. “ABAC helps ensure that APEC’s work programme is informed by business community perspectives ...
The Government’s prudent fiscal management and strong policy programme in the face of the COVID-19 global pandemic have been acknowledged by the credit rating agency Fitch. Fitch has today affirmed New Zealand’s local currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook and foreign currency rating at AA with a positive ...
The Government is putting in place a suite of additional actions to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, including new emerging variants, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “Given the high rates of infection in many countries and evidence of the global spread of more transmissible variants, it’s clear that ...
$36 million of Government funding alongside councils and others for 19 projects Investment will clean up and protect waterways and create local jobs Boots on the ground expected in Q2 of 2021 Funding part of the Jobs for Nature policy package A package of 19 projects will help clean up ...
The commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Ruapekapeka represents an opportunity for all New Zealanders to reflect on the role these conflicts have had in creating our modern nation, says Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan. “The Battle at Te Ruapekapeka Pā, which took ...
Babies born with tongue-tie will be assessed and treated consistently under new guidelines released by the Ministry of Health, Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Around 5% to 10% of babies are born with a tongue-tie, or ankyloglossia, in New Zealand each year. At least half can ...
The prisoner disorder event at Waikeria Prison is over, with all remaining prisoners now safely and securely detained, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says. The majority of those involved in the event are members of the Mongols and Comancheros. Five of the men are deportees from Australia, with three subject to ...
Travellers from the United Kingdom or the United States bound for New Zealand will be required to get a negative test result for COVID-19 before departing, and work is underway to extend the requirement to other long haul flights to New Zealand, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. “The new PCR test requirement, foreshadowed last ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Moro, Associate Professor of Science & Medicine, Bond University How do scabs form? — Talila, aged 8 Great question, Talila! Our skin has many different jobs. One is to act as a barrier, protecting us from harmful things in the ...
US President Donald Trump is pardoning former White House adviser Steve Bannon, who is accused of fraud in a case involving funds for the border wall. ...
Joel Little with Lorde, Dera Meelan with Church & AP, Josh Fountain with Maala and Randa and Benee – producers make good songs great. Now a new fund from NZ on Air is putting the focus on them.Six months ago it looked like the music industry was on the brink ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denise Buiten, Senior Lecturer in Social Justice and Sociology, University of Notre Dame Australia On average, one child is killed by a parent almost every fortnight in Australia. Last week, three children — Claire, 7, Anna, 5, and Matthew, 3 — were ...
This commendable and realistic decision again underlines that it is the police, not government, who are largely responsible for the reduction in cannabis prosecutions over the past 15 years, writes Russell Brown.The news that New Zealand police have discontinued the annual Helicopter Recovery Operation, which has, each summer for more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ilan Noy, Professor and Chair in the Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington We will not be able to put the COVID-19 pandemic behind us until the world’s population is mostly immune through vaccination ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s US inauguration live blog: inauguration news, analysis and reaction, updated throughout Wednesday and Thursday, NZ time. Reach me at catherine@thespinoff.co.nz.4.00pm: What will Trump be doing tomorrow?It’s pretty well known by now that outgoing president Donald Trump intends to throw out the rulebook when it comes to ...
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is calling out Mayor Phil Goff for his undignified comment that the claim made by Councillor Greg Sayers asking why Auckland Council is funding yoga classes is “bullshit.” Yesterday, Councillor Greg Sayers penned ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne At 4am Thursday AEDT, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be inaugurated as president and vice president of the United States, replacing Donald Trump and Mike Pence. What follows is ...
*This article was originally published on RNZ and is republished with permission. New Zealanders flocked to beaches and lakes this summer, but it wasn't enough to fill the gap left by international tourists in other regions. The tourism industry is struggling to fill a $6 billion hole left by international tourists ...
Summer reissue: Chef Monique Fiso joins us for a chat about Hiakai – her acclaimed Wellington restaurant, and the title of her stunning new book.First published November 3, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its members – click here to learn ...
A new trough was brought to our attention this morning, although ethnicity will limit the numbers of eligible applicants. If you are non-Maori, it looks like you shouldn’t bother getting into the queue – but who knows?We learned of the trough from the Scoop website, where the Kapiti ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Britta Denise Hardesty, Principal Research Scientist, Oceans and Atmosphere Flagship, CSIRO Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing costs economies up to US$50 billion globally each year, and makes up to one-fifth of the global catch. It’s a huge problem not only for the ...
Police stopping major cannabis eradication operations has given the green light to drug dealers and gangs to expand operations, make more profit, and continue to wreak havoc on the most vulnerable in our society, says Sensible Sentencing Trust. ...
Varieties of merino wool footwear are emerging faster than Netflix series about British aristocracy. Michael Andrew takes a look at the rise of the shoe that almost everyone – including his 95-year-old grandma – is wearing.Some might say it all started with Allbirds. After all, to the average consumer, it ...
A new report from New Zealand’s Independent Monitoring Mechanism (IMM) highlights the realities and challenges disabled people faced during the COVID-19 emergency. The report, Making Disability Rights Real in a Pandemic, Te Whakatinana i ngā Tika ...
The Maritime Union is questioning the reasons provided for ongoing delays at the Ports of Auckland. Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Craig Harrison says there is a need for an honest conversation about what has gone wrong at the ...
As New Zealand faces a dire shortage of veterinarians, a petition has been launched urging the Government to reclassify veterinarians as critical workers so we can Get Vets into NZ. “New Zealand desperately needs veterinarians from overseas to counter ...
New Zealand is fast developing a reputation as a South Pacific vandal, says Greenpeace, as the government continues to fight against increased ocean protection. At the upcoming meeting of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO), ...
The Department of Internal Affairs and Netsafe are urging parents and caregivers to be mindful of the online content their tamariki may be consuming in the lead up to the inauguration of president-elect of the United States of America Joe Biden ...
Care is at the centre of Auckland Zoo’s mandate, and it’s clear to see when you witness the staff doing their day-to-day jobs up close. Leonie Hayden went behind the scenes to talk to two people who would do anything for the animals they look after. “We were having this ...
The Game Animal Council (GAC) is applying its expertise in the use of firearms for hunting to work alongside Police, other agencies and stakeholder groups to improve the compliance provisions for hunters and other firearms users. The GAC has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Verica Rupar, Professor, Auckland University of Technology “The lie outlasts the liar,” writes historian Timothy Snyder, referring to outgoing president Donald Trump and his contribution to the “post-truth” era in the US. Indeed, the mass rejection of reason that erupted in a ...
The internet ain’t what it used to be, thanks to privacy issues, data leaks, censorship and hate speech. But a group of New Zealanders are working on a way to give power back to the people. A flood of headlines over the last week made it clear: the internet has become ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Brooks, Scientia Professor of Evolutionary Ecology; Academic Lead of UNSW’s Grand Challenges Program, UNSW The views of women and men can differ on important gendered issues such as abortion, gender equity and government spending priorities. Surprisingly, however, average differences in sex ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer S. Hunt, Lecturer in National Security, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Every four years on January 20, the US exercises a key tenant of democratic government: the peaceful transfer of power. This year, the scene looks a bit ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle In Australia and around the world, research is showing changes in body weight, cooking, eating and drinking patterns associated with COVID lockdowns. Some changes have been positive, such as people cooking ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hao Tan, Associate professor, University of Newcastle Australian coal exports to China plummeted last year. While this is due in part to recent trade tensions between Australia and China, our research suggests coal plant closures are a bigger threat to Australia’s export ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Asha Bowen, Head, Skin Health, Telethon Kids Institute A year ago, in late January 2020, Australia reported its first cases of COVID-19. Since then, we have seen almost 29,000 confirmed cases and 909 deaths. As cases climbed in Australian cities in 2020, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin Davis, Emeritus Professor of Finance, University of Melbourne Political pressure forced the federal government in 2017 – when Scott Morrison was treasurer – to call the royal commission into misconduct in the banking, superannuation and financial services sector. Commissioner Kenneth Hayne ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justin Ellis, Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Newcastle, University of Newcastle The Rise and Fall of Saint George is a story about place, belonging and community that taps into universal tensions of identity and faith in multicultural societies. Playing for ...
An in-depth analysis of media coverage of the euthanasia and cannabis referendums has found that while both sides of the euthanasia referendum were given reasonably fair and balanced coverage, the YES position in the cannabis debate received a heavily ...
*This article was originally published on RNZ and is republished with permission Auckland has no plans to hand over the ownership of it assets under the government's planned water reforms, with Auckland Mayor Phil Goff saying his top priority is to ensure it stacks up for the city. Despite ...
Auckland Transport is putting nine new electric buses on the roads today, as it dramatically accelerates its plans to get rid of all its diesel buses – in a funding challenge to the council. Public transport operators are being told to not buy any more diesel buses or risk losing their council ...
Summer reissue: Join Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey and Leonie Hayden as they find out exactly what we’re voting on in the cannabis referendum, and discover how legalising weed is a women’s issue.First published August 4, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is ...
A principal analyst for the Climate Change Commission says more needs to be done to reduce agricultural emissions or the country will miss its methane targets. ...
New Zealand needs to be bold in making developers enhance the environment - not just limit its degradation, writes Stephen Knight-Lenihan All human activity should help restore the natural world. This is a concept that may resonate following the upheavals of 2020 and one which is beginning to appear in law. Imagine ...
Derek Challis, son of the legendary author Robin Hyde, died last Thursday. Michelle Leggott pays tribute He opens a suitcase and there they are, the precious manuscript notebooks written by his poet mother Iris Wilkinson aka Robin Hyde. We are in Dunedin for a Hyde conference. Yes, says Derek Arden ...
Former New Zealand gymnast Katya Nosova is now a champion bodybuilder, who was prepared to spend Christmas alone in quarantine to compete in the 'Olympics' of her sport. Katya Nosova was willing to do everything she could to pose on the world stage in her third Ms Olympia. Despite a ...
Concerts and some sports look likely to be on the move in Auckland after a big win for Eden Park – and politicians and officials may now want to win the public some control over the independent stadium. The advent of big concerts at Eden Park will, in all likelihood, mean ...
Despite promises of improvement, questions remain about colonoscopy services in Otago and Southland.David Williams reports The apology, when it came, was fulsome. “On behalf of the Southern DHB, I offer a sincere apology for lapses and inadequacies in colonoscopy services over the past several years,” district health board chair ...
The issues political editor Justin Giovannetti will be keeping an eye on in 2021 (that have nothing to do with Covid-19).New Zealand will be busy in 2021. The border will remain closed to nearly all travellers and Covid-19 will continue to lead the news, but the country has a packed ...
A former case manager says that his experience working with beneficiaries suggests claims of a ‘complete shift’ in the service’s approach are laughable.A former Work and Income case manager who now works with beneficiaries engaging with the service has spoken out on a “toxic” culture which he says denies beneficiaries ...
ACC Minister Carmel Sepuloni must confirm whether the Government supports ACC’s apparent policy to make payouts for illegal overstayers , says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union . Union spokesman Jordan Williams says, “Since when was it ACC policy to ...
By RNZ News An independent panel says Chinese officials could have applied public health measures more forcefully in January to curb the initial covid-19 outbreak, and criticised the World Health Organisation (WHO) for not declaring an international emergency until 30 January. The experts reviewing the global handling of the pandemic, ...
Pacific Media Watch newsdesk Fiji’s NGO Coalition on Human Rights has called for stronger accountability and commitment to human rights at home in response to the country taking the world stage as the head of a UN body. The UN Human Rights Council (UNHCR) elected Fiji’s ambassador Nazhat Shameem as ...
Danyl McLauchlan reviews Stuart Ritchie’s Science Fictions, which outlines the staggering systemic flaws in the funding and publication of scientific papers. Back in August of 2006 a number of New Zealand scientists were caught up in a media controversy about whether Māori had a genetic predisposition towards violent crime. It kicked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert G. Patman, Professor of International Relations, University of Otago America is currently experiencing its worst political and constitutional crisis since the civil war when the very survival of Abraham Lincoln’s government “of, by and for the people” was at stake. On ...
Manaaki Rangatahi report that young people experiencing homelessness are being further traumatized within the emergency accommodation where they have sought safety. Often these environments are unsafe, and unsuitable for young people to live in, and rangatahi ...
Can you figure out which of the above is the real Jacinda Ardern? Probably! But one day, that might not be true.There are many reasons to believe the internet shouldn’t exist. Social media empires exerting, intentionally or not, their control over sovereign governments. Baby Shark. Your aunt on Facebook.It pains ...
The Point of Order Ministers on a Mission Monitor has flickered only fleetingly for much of the month. More than once, the minister to trigger it has been David Parker, who set it off again yesterday with an announcement that shows how he has been spending our money. He welcomed ...
Ban Bomb Day event at the New Brighton Pier, 9am, on January 22nd, 2021 January 22nd, 2021, marks the first day the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) Enters into Force and becomes international law. Aotearoa NZ is one of the ...
Why are New Zealand’s 2 Minute Noodles called 3 Minute Noodles in the UK? It’s a puzzle that has taken hold of Dylan Reeve and refuses to let go.I’m a child of the 80s and 90s. I watched a lot of TV and was a big fan of aggressively marketed ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonatan A Lassa, Senior Lecturer, Humanitarian Emergency and Disaster Management, College of Indigenous Futures, Arts and Society, Charles Darwin University News of storms battering parts of Queensland and the threat posed by Cyclone Kimi reminded me of a recent experience I’d had. ...
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that the use of force to effect the arrest of a wanted offender in Auckland was justified and proportionate to the risk he posed. A man, who was well known to Police, was wanted by Police for an aggravated ...
A distinctly colonial institution, banking has long ignored te ao Māori. Teaho Pihama believes investment in tikanga Māori at Kiwibank can have significant, positive outcomes for Māori.In early 90s Tāmaki Makaurau, when Teahooterangi (Teaho) Pihama was growing up riding his bike around the streets of Kingsland until the streetlights came ...
Donald Trump’s awful presidency expires at midday on Wednesday [US time] when Air Force One will have deposited him in Florida. He retreats to his Mar-a-Lago resort and Joseph R Biden Junior takes command of the White House. Trump’s has been an unpleasant presidency, brought about largely by his own ...
The New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA) has elected its National President for 2021. The election took place last Friday at an NZUSA Special General Meeting (SGM) in Wellington. Andrew Lessells, 22, was elected to serve as the National ...
Think twice before you accept that surprise school reunion invite, writes Chris Schulz.It started with a Facebook notification. A school reunion was being organised. It sounded fun, with a fancy dress party set to be held in the city where I grew up, Whanganui. I hadn’t seen some of my ...
Unlike the US, there is very little NZ precedent for politicians to issue discretionary pardons – creating a challenge for those like Prof Sean Davison who might have a humanitarian claim to mercy. ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Crawford, Associate Professor in Construction and Environmental Assessment, University of Melbourne Over the past few years, Australians have embraced online food delivery services such as UberEats, Deliveroo and Menulog. But home-delivered food comes with a climate cost, and single-use packaging is ...
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Welcome back to ‘The Standard’ we missed you yesterday after about 1’30pm when the site was cut, but now now up again thanks to the folks at The Standard.
Must have been some “house cleaning” that was gong on?
Over on “the AM show’ I see that the last death throws coming from ‘dead man walking’ – ‘Simon Bridges’
As he is beating his gums on the AM show today, complaining about the ‘Statistician not releasing the latest stats on our ‘happiness’.
If he retired from politics we all perhaps then be far more full of ‘happiness’.
cleangreen
I read recently how in late WW2 the Allies were not sorry that Hitler was not killed in the attempted assassination by bomb. They knew him, understood his paranoia and obsessions, and were sure they could match any of his maneouvres, outthink him and eventually win over Germany. They didn’t want someone else with a clear head and new approach taking over and changing the style. Don’t wish Bridges gone,
greywarshark.
Good call there,
Best keep Bridges in front of National as the ‘village idiot’ eh?
Pardon me! He is not an idiot – he is a perfect example of a modern Right Wing Major-National.
Ha ha.
He is the very model of a modern right-wing national
his intellect is vegetable, integrity ephemeral,
His caucus not dependable, their loyalties transferrable
and prone to many scandals that are publicly relational
[and prone to many scandals that are publicly relational]
[and prone to many scandals that are publicly relational]
[and prone to many scandals that are publicly relational]
their internecine fighting has been eminently recordable
their crises management is far from being laudable
their efforts to deflect reporters now become most laughable
and prone to many scandals that are publicly relational
[and prone to many scandals that are publicly relational]
[and prone to many scandals that are publicly relational]
[and prone to many scandals that are publicly relational]
Excellent McFlock – now write the rest of the soapy opera and you will have a hit. You will be as good as a rock star. It may produce a sellout from the Right, or not but one could hope.
I’m tempted to suggest that it was a test of what the Standard would look like if we ever instituted a paywall model, but I understand it was actually something to do with flies in the server and Lprent had to get out the RAID.
It wasn’t that naughty black cat pushing the red button then?
Nope.
However I must post a photo of the cat proofing protection that the servers now have.
Perhaps we could enlarge the system, design it to control for rats instead, and put it round the Labour Coalition.
Bridges is a bit like a lost sheep these days, or a dog barking at car tyres, I am not sure which ?
The Natzi’s appear to be vision less these days especially after the resignation of their fearless leader Hone Shonkey ?
National should get radical and come out as a “champion strong advocate on climate change” .
They can easily argue and suggest that we must restore our rail system as another ‘Land transport option’ for freight and passenger with a” low emission carbon footprint safer transport service”. Last night on Newhub there was a senoir well respected scientist stating that ‘air passenger service’ is the highest carbon footprint service with every single passenger.
Figures shown by University of Wellington Professor James Renwick were showing that a single air passenger trip from Auckland to Wellington showed each passenger uses 145 kgs of carbon, where by rail it was 17kgs, and electric car was 11kgs, and by bus was 22kgs from memory,
Staggering result that was.
https://www.icao.int/environmental-protection/CarbonOffset/Pages/default.aspx
Maybe we should each have a shrinking annual allocation of air miles. If you choose not to use them yourself you can sell them to someone else. If you don’t want anyone to use them you can sell them to the government who cancels them. Administrative nightmare of course. But a side benefit would be outraging the likes of wee Mikey Hoskie.
Also people too poor to travel get an extra income stream.
I’ve just spotted that TS has posted 1.5 million approved comments.
Congrats and a digital chocolate fish to …. drum roll … ankerawshark, who crossed the line here
Shit.. That came around fast.
mmm Looks like the last half million comments averaged 399.36 comments per day
or
Te Reo Putake! Being the 1.5 millionth person to post gave me a real thrill! Wow.
Thanks to you, Iprent and all who make it possible!
Good on ya, ankerawshark. I think it’s safe to say that the efforts of the team behind TS would mean nothing if we didn’t have contributors like yourself adding comments of real substance to the site. He aha te mea nui o te ao, he tangata he tangata he tangata!
Talibangelicals say the darnedest things.
Reich wing christianity.
just call them Christo Fascist or American Taliban. That way you don’t have to try to make a German English hybrid that does not mean anything.
just my inner germans two cents.
Evungelicals?
Americans must be so used to the normalising of killing by drone that this would pass with little concern.
“Thou shalt not kill!”
I believe someone important said that once, but I can’t for the life of me remember who…
I suspect Pat’s memory has degraded over time too, along with his morals and sanity.
“I’m old enough to remember when this guy was the craziest guy on earth. Now he’s not even in the top 100.”
Twyford’s first start at a tourniquet of the massively injured Auckland light rail project: dump the whole western Auckland half of it:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12220122
Basically he is dropping the wrong half. Light rail to the west makes a lot of sense. It would be far better to do heavy rail to the airport. The whole Dominion Rd thing looks fraught.
The main problem NZ really has when it comes to transport issues, future proofing public, private and commercial transport is simply the total lack of guts and imagination.
Thus no glory. But for what its worth, non so gutless then National. In nine years in government your boys and girls in parliament have managed to get nothing done. And that is quite something.
A long time ago i watched a debate on TV between John Key – National, Helen Clark – Labour, Jeanette Fitzsimmons – Green. John Key waffled on how he was gonna bring NZ wages to parity with OZ and tax cuts, Helen Clark was protecting her last nine years, and Jeanette Fitzsimmons spoke about how we needed investment in public transport, needed trains, trams and buses to get us everywhere in this country, and the rest is history.
so the last ones to complain about any party doing anything about public transport is National. They have had nine years and literally only have a housing crisis, homelessness and record public debt to show for.
So true Sabine.
This from the linked NZHerald item:
The Government may have to scale back its $6 billion light rail programme for Auckland by scrapping a line from the city centre to west Auckland, says Transport Minister Phil Twyford.
The MP for Te Atatu said it was his strong preference to see light rail built from the city centre to the west and to the airport, but if it is not possible to fund and finance both lines, then light rail to the airport will get priority.
National Party people would have been the ones preventing expenditure on public transport since the year dot. The year dot is when it was being officially talked about. The number of human bodies on the local bodies that could think further than their own pockets, and their next term in power was greater than the co-efficient of whatever. Simple mathematics and a long-term viewpoint were incompatible and me-first maths won.
Now it is important to get something signed up and started now. If National manage to weasel their way in to power we will get more and more simple mathematics. And never get close to coping with our complex problems which can never be actually solved, just understood and ameliorated.
Accurately well said Sabine.
Don’t forget the rundown public services, infrastructure shortages, privatization of assets (THEFT with 300 000 opposing signatures and public opinion polls ignored).
The bashing of poor people, dark people, green people through public media (They’re all wreckers and haters), through police, banks, spy services (who also turned out to be relatively f’n useless).
Don’t forget the war trajectory and you personally and your team dishing out Islamophobia.
Now you reckon you know about trains. You lot sell trains Wayne, you don’t build them so let’s get real.
If there’s no heavy rail to airport on the table right now (and there is not), the sensible move would indeed be to service the airport with already underway light rail first.
But if your job is to:
Do nothing AND whinge about what others do
Job well done. Carry on.
WTB
Yes I would agree with that too.
Sabine, cleangreen and greywarshark,
You all seem to have completely forgotten that the largest single construction project in New Zealand, the CRL, was started by National.
Wanye;
I have stated on 2.1 that National needs to show ‘environmental leadership’ on all rail services both freight and passenger services.
2.1 “National should get radical and come out as a “champion strong advocate on climate change” .
They can easily argue and suggest that we must restore our rail system as another ‘Land transport option’ for freight and passenger with a” low emission carbon footprint safer transport service”.
I didn’t talk about Cict rail link did I?
Auckland City is not NZ unless you are an Aucklander.
https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/
Bullshit.
Started by Auckland Council.
National were dragged reluctantly into the project what? something like a year later. I’d have to look it up.
Almost certainly because the transport projects that National funded (Roads of significance to National) had appalling business cases. They were so poor that National stopped showing them in public. At the same time the CRL was showing good returns.
Personally I think that the ONLY reason that the Key government approved it was because the hypocrisy levels were getting too high for even Nationals donors as Auckland traffic kept getting worse as National built empty highways.
Well, you would say that, but you would also be wrong. The motorway projects have way better BCR’s than any public transport project.
Just to remind you (yet again), the CRL is almost twice as large as any motorway project. Not started by Labour, started by National in 2014.
If you want the government wants to pay a bigger share to the Council, then the government can. Labour/Green are after all the government.
It is possible to make any project look good if you don’t bother to include economic costs in the BCR.
For instance that is what appears to have happened with East-West Link, and as far as I can tell it was the case with almost all of the RoNS.
Of course if you over-estimate the economic costs as happened in the CRL assessments by NZLTA, then you get whatever number if deemed to be relevant. Of course it helps if you don’t provide the workings so that they can be criticized by others. There was a rather wide range between the ACC economic assessments and those from NZLTA.
It is possible to make any project look good if you over-estimate the changes in traffic. That appears to be the case with almost all of the RoNS projects that I looked at. For that matter if you look at the extensions to the SH1 motorways
Conversely, if you massively under-estimate the take up of a public transport system you can make public transport look extremely bad. NZLTA BCRs routinely do that.
It has happened with very NZLTA assessment in Auckland that subsequently got built. Including the Northern busway ( right the way through to not requiring a bridge replacement), double tracking and electrification of the Auckland heavy rail and the massive increases in use of PT (and the reduced need to try to increase capacity on our in-city motorways), changes in bus routes, etc…
Basically, unless the NZLTA starts to do public estimates with funding for some public checks on their analysis, I’d say that they’re just a tool of the roading construction companies. Because that is what they look like to me.
FFS: Not started by National. Started by the Auckland council.
Forced on a very reluctant National after their favored business case from NZLTA proved to be completely flawed and after the BCRs for RoNS were lacerated by expert scrutiny.
Lprent yes thanks for that.
So National didnt even plan for the CRL at all, – but tried too take the credit for it;$%^&OP{}|!!!!!
Well isn’t that just like National making false claims again.
National = have no credibility.
Some origin story:
“the 1972 Rapid Transit Plan for Auckland. The history of this plan is eerily similar to our current situation in many ways. It was a revolutionary scheme championed by the charismatic mayor of Auckland Dove Myer Robinson (leading to the nickname ‘Robbie’s Rapid Rail’), despite the mayoralty and council not having the means to actually fund the thing independently. They began working on alternate funding solutions such as a targeted land tax but found them impossible to implement without support from Wellington. In the end by the Labour government reluctantly offered an election pledge to fund the proposal, but failed to deliver on that pledge. A wholly unsupportive National government were voted into power in 1975 and in 1976 the plan was cancelled completely.”
https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2011/12/02/an-auckland-that-could-have-been-the-1972-auckland-rapid-rail-transit-plan/
In the interim we got Britomart. Then we tried to connect stuff up…
“Further input was provided by Auckland Transport, which commissioned the study after the Government and the council had arrived at very different conclusions about the rail loop’s return on every dollar invested. Given all that, this study should be the definitive research, not yet another document destined to gather dust. Mr Brown’s task now is to convince Aucklanders that the study is robust and its conclusions are right. If he can, the Government should stand to one side.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10855434
“On 27 January 2016, Prime Minister John Key announced in his state of the nation address that central government funding for main works construction of the CRL had been confirmed and this would allow Auckland Council to start to construct the main works from 2018, with central funds guaranteed to flow from 2020. Commentary at the time reflected an opinion that this was a belated agreement to central government funding of the project by the ruling National Party, while the main opposition parliamentary parties (Labour Party, Greens and NZ First) had all been promising immediate construction timetables which were more closely aligned to the plans of the council.”
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/speech-auckland-chamber-commerce-0
Stalling, mucking about, fudging, and dragged kicking and screaming after a myriad of others plans were rejected outright, many of them good plans, that was what National did. Also tried to force the entire bill on Auckland as if transport was not in their portfolio.
Roads of National (party) significance, that was your thing.
i have lived for 20 years now here in NZ, so started under shipley. At that time you had to throw yourself in front of a bus – when one came, never on time – to get it too stop.
Claiming a tunnel being build as their own, while it was done under labour, also Nationals thing.
Auckland is at shambles because your Party did nothing. Absolutely nothing other then build roads that are clogged 24 hours.
Your rammed thousands of people in this city, and gave not one thought to the infrastructure. Cause that is hard work, and your lot is not known for working and certainly not hard work.
National, a Party as usefull as its leader Simon “NO Bridges for Northland’ Bridges.
And believe me, if National would have actually achieved just something of value to the public – and not business interest – we would know by now 🙂
National was as reluctant to start this project as a teenage boy responding to a Paternity Order after he gets his teenage girlfriend pregnant.
Light Rail down Dominion Rd across the Mangere Bridge to the Airport will be an absolute shambles during the construction phase ?
The roads are already chock a block to the Airport from 6.00am to 6.00pm with 35,000 people currently working at the Airport projected to 55,000 in 5 years time ?
This will be a Monumental F%#K UP IMHO ?
Shit here’s me agreeing with Wayne Mapp.
Better go and wash my mouth out with carbolic soap.
All rail should be ‘multi-purpose for passenger and freight and that means heavy rail.
‘ Light rail’ is dumb, -and is just throwing ‘good money after bad’.
Light Rail down Dominion Rd across the Mangere Bridge to the Airport will be an absolute shambles during the construction phase ?
The roads are already chock a block to the Airport from 6.00am to 6.00pm with 35,000 people currently working at the Airport projected to 55,000 in 5 years time ?
This will be a Monumental F%#K UP IMHO ?
Have a look to the french City of Nice.
Very similar to AKL, one side mountains, other side water, and a large and sprawling city wedged in.
Within three years the whole city got the Tram – light rail, dedicated bus lanes, (train already existed), and the cost of using public transport was initially 1 euro irrespective where you went in the Department Alpes Maritimes – Monaco to Marseille and up the mountains. Now the cost is at 1.50$ per ride.
A lot of people stopped driving the car.
but nice had a choice to make, either die in traffic and of smog or put up with some inconvenience and move to the future.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nice_tramway
Really cool were the new archeological finds near la place Massena, the old part of Nice and at the old fish market. they were put under glass during construction and were made open to the public.
It can be done, a bit of guts, a bit of good will, above all political will and it can be done.
The question is has NZ got guts, good will and political good will, or is it just another thing that ‘we can’t do’ cause…………..?
It is hardly comparable with Auckland.
The population is about 340,000 or only about one fifth of Auckland.
It is even smaller than Wellington or Christchurch.
Absolute bollocks Wayne.
Light rail to the west is a total waste of money considering there already is a line to Whangarei via Helensville currrently used by the odd freight train.
A $50,000 fire suppression system fitted for use through the Waitakere tunnel, is all that’s required.
You obviously have no idea Wayne what the people of West Auckland need or want.
From the Trains to Huapai facebook page
“Residents of West Auckland have been calling out for commuter train shuttles to run from Swanson station through the currently unused Waitakere station to Huapai for a number of years. It is the number one most wanted public transport issue commented on in numerous Auckland Transport surveys and consultations. Yet prospects of Trains to Huapai to meet the needs of accelerating housing development now, have been stymied by the government’s unproven long term focus on light rail trams to Kumeu.”
“We are pleased the Government through NZTA is funding twice daily commuter trains from Hamilton to Papakura for around $60 million. However, for less than $4 million the people of Nor-West Auckland could have hourly rail shuttles operating seven days a week from Huapai and Waitakere to Swanson station”
“Twyford admits the promised light rail trams to Kumeu look like not happening for decades.
So why not get the Trains To Huapai? Fact is Phil Twyford (Labour) and Genter(Greens) listen to a self appointed group calling themselves “Greater Auckland” who designed the light rail trams for everywhere map. This small group successfully sold their dream to the Minister of Transport and Mayor Phil Goff.
We are frustrated that a small group of light rail enthusiasts with connections to the light rail industry have robbed Nor West Auckland of commuter trains.
Trams to Kumeu 2049?
Trains to Huapai can be delivered 2019 if there’s political will.”
Twitford needs to start engaging his brain IMHO ?
That’s really interesting. If the figure of $4M is true it’s a pittance for what it would achieve. But surely that doesn’t include the engines, rolling stock, staff…
Is there a business case the group could take to the business communities in these areas? With them on-side the group might have more clout, and maybe match some of the funds?
Great for business. More foot traffic. Better access to greater Auckland and for greater Auckland to get to them. Eases congestion for freight in/out and tradies.
They trialled a Helensville service in 08 -09. It was discontinued end of December 09.
https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2009/11/10/goodbye-helensville-train-service/
Around $45 subsidy per passenger, 43 passengers per day, that’s nearly $2k a day subsidy. $700k a year subsidy. That was before electrification, there’s be a bit of a headache integrating services between the electrified and non-electrified bits.
Thanks.
They identified some of the issues in that trial (rail in disrepair, no broader connectivity to broader network), wonder if they’ve worked on how to fix them.
I guess as we get a network where population is dense first hopefully providing a feasible base, we have a chance of then hooking up more satellite services. And then that might do what one would hope transport spending does – better access to and from wider Auckland, and easing congestion.
The planet is of course a nice plug for rail too, but only if it is actually pulling vehicles off roads.
Their trial rail service served no one. That’s why is was not patronised. After only a year it was deemed a failure.
Of course it was designed exactly for that result.
The rail service from Helensville to Auckland that ran up until the early 70s was well patronised. I know, I used it. Why, when the population has quadrupled, should public rail transport be not viable in the west.
A perfectly satisfactory line exits FFS! Why should it not be used.
Oddly enough, if that 43 users per day is accurate, then I’m personally acquainted with nearly 5% of the total patronage. Wealthy lifestyle block types, both of them.
And?
Just a random observation.
It wouldn’t surprise me if it was made to fail. Way back when Dad was an engineer they bought rolling stock that could only run half the pace of the engines to claim trucks were superior for freight.
If they’re on the oil teat, lies will arise.
Like + 100%
Fixing the Rail to Kumeu is a No Brainer and must be done immediately it is commonsense IMHO, can someone suggest it to Twitford perhaps ?
Ah
I do believe it has been suggested to Twyford numerous times, via every media imaginable, perhaps even in multiple languages.
Kind of as a ‘just as an aside’, I’m picking the whole thing is, and will be another example of short-medium term ‘thinkery’ with various lobbyists pushing their various, and differing barrows.
So far, I bet there are factions with a vushun of light rail options based on their partikyala oseas experiences, and other with opposing views.
ALL peshnit about what they do.
And as things stand, I’ll bet some of the options are already at the stage where they’ve ‘invisiged solutions [going forward’] and, come what may – that is all.
I’d also put money on their ‘solutions [going forward]’ come with minor little details such as their light rail coming with a different line gauge, such that things like train-trams can’t easily be implemented.
Lower carbon footprint Labour please.
Auckland professor says Kiwis should quit air travel to protect the environment
07/04/2019
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/travel/2019/04/auckland-professor-says-kiwis-should-quit-air-travel-to-protect-the-environment.html
Quote; “If you fly the 496km between Auckland and Wellington, you emit around 150kg of carbon dioxide equivalent.
A medium-sized car making the same journey emits about a third less, while a bus, train and electric car all have significantly lower emissions – just under 55kg between all three of them.
This is a must watch for Government MP’s flying from Auckland today for parliament tomorrow in Wellington.
Hear this Phil Twyford, – ‘take a train passenger service to Wellington with Jacinda and lower your carbon footprint’s too.’.
A bloody good start in reducing the amount of flying our MPs do would be to require all the List MPs to move to Wellington when they get elected. Then we wouldn’t need to pay for them to have accommodation provided in Wellington either, or to have to move their families backward and forward at tax-payer expense.
This would not apply of course to the Electorate MPs. They actually need to travel to and from their electorates as they actually have work to do there.
Having the Green Party leader drop out of his position as the biggest single user of overseas travel would be nice as well.
Then he might have time to spend on the fiasco that is his Statistics Department.
As if child poverty and the growing working poor aren’t bad enough, NZ Capitalism Ltd is now delivering growing pensioner poverty. Given the falling rates of home ownership pensioner poverty is like to expand over the coming generation.
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2019/04/04/pensioner-poverty/
Phillip.
Labour are shackled by the -bean counters and the right wing roger douglas brigade side of their caucus sadly.
These right wingers will hold onto our public purse so very tightly even though they promised so much and never have delivered now.
So the clock countdown now begins to the election, – as they have less than half their term left now.
Transport minister is in hiding and needs to come out in the budget to explain why our rail has not been revived yet around all our provinces. The road toll is worse than when he took over so he needs to provide a safe regional rail freight and passenger service to save lives, and our health and wellbeing.
“The proof is in the pudding” Mr Twyford!!!!!
Labour are basically ideologically driven, getting the doing part going is the hard part, they talk a big game but do not have the skills to get things done as most of them have very little real world practical experience, National are not much better IMHO ?
The moral instincts of conservatives tell them that people with insufficient money aren’t proper humans.
AB I think most politicians have low moral compass or fortitude.
Serried complex = One rotten apple in a barrel makes all apples rotten, dad told me often in the 1950’s.
It is all about getting re-elected most politican’s in all the Political Parties would not have a clue, as they have no real world experience, it is all about celebrity politics and who MSM want elected. There is very little difference between Labour & National ?
I now have to grudgingly agree with you now Skunk Weed.
Not much to cling onto believing that we are having a “transformative” government here sadly.
This piece from ThinkProgress has the best graphical illustration I’ve ever seen of just how astonishingly effective vaccinations are.
https://thinkprogress.org/measles-outbreaks-vaccines-exemptions-6dce41092040/
What about the graph of outbreaks in highly vaccinated populations, Andre…
You should stick to what you know about…like engineering…
This subject is not for you…the links you post illustrate it unequivocally…
So while you’re looking to start this up…again…try hang around longer than J90 did…he ran off…after a single response I made…simple question…Joe ran…
Edit. Simple question for you..
How many FDA approved and currently scheduled (CDC) vaccines, were tested against an inert placebo control in pre licensure testing?
Instead of JAQing off, how about you do the research yourself.
But there’s one thing I’m confident you won’t find: outbreaks in highly vaccinated populations. To get outbreaks like the measles outbreaks bursting out all over the place at the moment, you need significant portions of the population to be unvaccinated.
If those outbreaks only affected the fuckwits that choose to refuse vaccinations for themselves, I’d take a Darwinian view of it. Sadly, the ones that bear the brunt of the outbreaks are those that shouldn’t be vaccinated for genuine medical reasons (such as the immunocompromised), the too young, those unfortunate few for whom the vaccination is ineffective … and the really really unfortunate ones whose fuckwit parents refused the vaccine and didn’t tell them.
Bring on the lawsuits to hold accountable those who refuse vaccines without genuine medical reason, that then go on to get sick and infect others.
Andre, your comment is top to bottom logical fallacies, and an unbelievable low understanding of’vaccines’…
I responded to you because I already knew what your response was going to be…
That you have used the word ‘confident’ to describe your position, surrounded that with highly misinformed commentary…is unsurprising…
You, Andre…need to do some more reading…not at sources you link or comment from…
In repeat posting such uninformed and misinformed commentary on this subject…it is actually you who is j*ing off…
But you don’t understand…your commemts say you don’t…and you should stop now…
Since there’s no actual content in all of that, it’s kinda hard to respond to.
But I gotta know; a while back you called me the very worst commenter on The Standard. Am I still number 1? If not, who do I hafta take down to get my crown back?
Ha not do fast young sir. I know I irritate the old one two a lot and often he is left in a quivering, slobbering, impotent rage after one of my comments. He can’t even reply coherently such is his distress just a mumble of words as if spilt from a very large soup bowl of alphabet soup. They appear to be words but, well, who can tell.
Andre, in a number of ways you are one of the ‘worst’…name calling, uninformed in the extreme…especially on this subject…
Yet, in other ways and on some subject matter, your comments are informative and knowledgeable…as you are aware…I appreciate that…as I let you know recently…
I do hold back on this particular subject and do not seek to reignite the discussion…but will always respond if it is started up…
There is a casm of misunderstanding on your part…there is also a plethora of scholarly articles readily available with a simple search regarding outbreaks in highly vaccinated populations…
By the way . Outbreak = 3 according to CDC…
Not just failing and waning measles (MMR) vaccine…but many others…in fact almost all vaccines…they fail..have failed and are failing…
Branch out..I’m certain you’re capable…perhaps you’re fearful of what you’ll find….
Start with the question I posed…it is root cause…starting point…
Everything which follows, stemming from and including pre-licensure…is a fraud..
As I’ve said before, I regard you as a supercilious spouter of arcane claptrap with an inflated sense of your own ability and I regard your woo-beliefs on vaccination as a malignant threat to public health.
I am not concerned how you regard my comments Joe..if you had half a clue you might understand them…
So…answer the question I asked you about ‘scum’… Joe…
And while you’re at it..
How many FDA approved and currently scheduled (CDC) vaccines, were tested against an inert placebo control in pre licensure testing?
Then see if you can figure out the ramifications regarding claimed figures of efficacy and safety…
Go on…don’t run…
Poor Joe must be feeling absolutely crushed that a comments-thread blowhard has such a low opinion of him.
Death by a thousand dots …
lols
RCT of vaccinated vs placebo vs “homeopathic nosodes”.
And the winner is…
Vaccines work, placebos don’t, and homeopathy is as ineffective as a placebo.
This will revolutionise immunology lol
No, McFlock…
You’ve not even understood the question…
Can you read?
I don’t care about your question.
How about you answer it yourself and provide a source? And then everyone with a brain can laugh at you some more.
A good news story …..
I’ve been following the videos and life of a talented young Czechoslovakian man Adam Celadine …. he’s a world record holder and world champion in some aspects of knife throwing ….
in a large part thanks to his tutorial videos, I’ve taken up a new hobby.
Anyway this young man was struck down and made seriously ill with metastasizing cancer …. I know a little bit about cancer and was very concerned for him.
The good news is he has now tested clear …. and he has some good advice in his short Video announcing his path back to good health
🙂 🙂 🙂
That should have been Celadin ….. Adam Celadin
When is the mine re-entry going to happen??????
May third?
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1903/S00079/pike-river-families-spokesperson-quits-group.htm
The minister responsible for Pike River re-entry, Andrew Little, announced earlier this week the re-entry is scheduled for 3 May.
Knife tricks, huh..
@thesamurider
Hell that looks dangerous and reminds me of a Roald Dahl story about being to light a ligher in 20 consecutive attempts …. or lose your finger … yikes ! :O
This young lady knows how to chuck a knife …. and she has good safety tips …. like wearing safety glasses etc .
The wind flutter in the video disappears shortly into it …..
lol at one job I could goof off and practise throwing a work knife (wrong knife for it – short, handle heavy lock knife). All good fun until the ricochet comes flying back at me point first lol. Good for one’s reflexes 🙂
As your replying to me cleangreen …. are you suggesting we throw knives at Peter Whittall or something 😉
https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/21-08-2018/some-things-pike-rivers-peter-whittall-could-feel-guilt-over/
Obviously I’m just kidding …. and this video is for the sword enthusiasts who were posting here the other day
Easy peasy everyone seems to be able to do that. Even a child of five could do it? – Send for a child of five. (Groucho Marx)
I’m an engineer – give me technology any day.
Ha ha ‘reason.
Thanks for the laugh; – I needed that on this gloomy dark sky day.
Whittle wasn’t worth consideration there,
Whittle should be sent down a mineshaft to live and shovel safety for the rest of his days now, as he needs to be made an example of.
Nice article
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12220366
And just as nice @ MM, the latest ‘Listening Post’ special on Aljazeera – especially when they cover all those ‘reality TV’ type “Border Force” programmes …. almost like the poor man’s pornography.
We’ll reserve a cameo spot for James Casson in the next series (as if he hasn’t already got his jollies from being a party to it all already).
lol comment this replied to got deleted because fool got his sockpuppet accounts confused.
You’re such a tease.
it was 1-2 with a different avatar. Didn’t think much of it until my comment ended up at the bottom as a whole number, and the fool was back to the usual avatar.
Bit of a laugh, really.
Andre; Hey where’s the ‘miracle’ vaccine for the new global disease known as ‘incurable’ Auris candida??????
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/06/health/drug-resistant-candida-auris.html?module=inline
DEADLY GERMS, LOST CURES
A Mysterious Infection, Spanning the Globe in a Climate of Secrecy
The rise of Candida auris embodies a serious and growing public health threat: drug-resistant germs.
I’m not andre, fool.
Where’s the “alternative therapy” for it?
Pro tip for plonkers: if you want to reply to someone, hit the reply button in the box around the comment you want to reply to, not the next comment.
Why is there no vaccine against candida auris? Dunno, could be lots of reasons.
Might be because it’s a kind of organism that’s very difficult to develop a vaccine against. Off the top of my head I can’t think of any yeast diseases we actually do have a vaccine against. Most successful vaccines are against viral diseases. Organisms that are more complex are generally harder to develop vaccines against. Hence no effective vaccines against malaria or giardia or guinea worm or gonorrhea or syphilis or ….
Might be because it hasn’t been a big enough threat (and market) to get the attention of vaccine developers.
Might be because its emergence has been recent enough there just hasn’t been enough time.
Might be any combo or all of the above or other factors I haven’t mentioned. Asking why there isn’t a specific vaccine reminds of the CEO who once asked why we couldn’t develop something to spray on the outside of golf club shafts to tune the flex characteristics. I had to tell him the only unobtainium mine in the world had shut down cause there was an explosion. (Shortly thereafter I was seeking alternative employment)
Most successful vaccines are against viral diseases.
That alone was enough to answer Cleangreen’s ridiculous question, which was on a par with “If you’re so smart, how come you haven’t cured cancer yet?”
Yeah, if I was only trying to respond to cleangreen I probably would have left it there. Or probably not bothered at all, the question was so self-evidently ridiculous. I’m well aware that many commenters here are neither persuadable nor educable.
But when I respond to nutters, it’s usually because there may be something in that topic of interest to a broader audience of silent but interested readers so a fuller answer might be worthwhile. Or sometimes I’ll respond just for the lolz.
1. It’s not incurable.
2. To the best of my knowledge no vaccines have been developed against fungal infections.
I manually input my credentials into the name and email fields, as a simple security measure to not have sign in data cached on devices…
At times, due to the email address, which you can’t see , a character becomes inverted…leading to the creation of a new avatar…
At least two possibly three avatars are in the system…
Nothing in it, McFlock…keep throwing your childish comments …
What’s the failure rate of the flu shot you like to talk about getting?
Edit:
Were you able to understand the earlier question…if you read all available vaccine package inserts (FDA site) you can get the answer to the question…
lol okay, whatevs. You screwed up your ID because you’re paranoid that people will really give a crap about who you are.
You’re not that much of a threat to the system, neo.
As for vaccines, the proof is in the pudding. Maybe they guessed wrong this year, meaning the models were off and its the wrong strains in the shot. But frankly a sore arm with one in a million odds of a serious adverse reaction… hell, I’d take a 90% failure rate. No harm, no foul. But I seem to recall flu vaccines tend to be a few times that – nowhere near 90% like with some other conditions, but good enough to completely protect a lot of people and lessen the symptoms in others. It’s biggest advantage is to lower the burden on the health system from avoidable illness. I.e. fewer people plonked in ED hallways.
But I can’t be bothered doing your homework for you. Besides, I’d be surprised if they measured efficacy against placebo outright each and every time – the ethics of denying someone healthcare like that, even with consent, are long and debatable. They probably just compare with previous strains (and you might be able to follow that testing chain back to the original placebo trials), and do after-market evaluation of cases, prevalence, immunisation status, and of course any adverse events.
You screwed up your ID because you’re paranoid that people will really give a crap about who you are
How would inverting email field characters give away who I am ?
You saw the handle name..no change…
And if you reckon I use an identifiable email address…well you don’t understand digital security…or vaccines…eh
Edit.
Keep replying and I’ll break down your uninformed comments one at a time…
Or run off…like Joe and Andre…
We live in your head, dude.
Yep weeze and poos has finally lost it. Really when analysed they had very little to add or offer anyway save insults puffed by rhetoric. Ah well onwards and upwards lol
Post the certs of your kids vaccinations…
Or just admit you were mouthing off…
You still are…
Got caught sockpuppeting but so useless can’t even front up – so surprising lol
Front up…for what, marty?
Explain how I am using sock puppet accounts…under thr same handle…
And admit that you’re full of shit…or post the certs…
Go on…
Wouldn’t an incorrectly entered email address result in the post going to moderation?
Correct…and that did happen the first time…and was released…I’d guess because the mods see the inverted characters..
So now if the same email field characters are inverted when I manually enter it…the other avatar appears…
Fair enough it seems like a mistake rather than deliberate. Sorry if you were offended by my comment.
Hang on, that’s very interesting. For it to appear and then get deleated (for my reply to end up on the floor), the comment must have had a wrong email, gone into moderation, and been released inside ten minutes, for onetwo to be able to then delete it and rewrite it with the correct email.
Gosh, how efficient the mods were that time.
Joe…you’re really lost…I’ll explain for you..
You ran away… I repeat that statement that you ran away…and you reply..again..
3rd time at least…avoiding the question…still..
I’m in your head…that’s why you keep coming back…
Such and angry and unhealthy little group…you guys are…
Thank you One Two.
Why are you worried about digital security at TS? Anyone tracking you IRL already knows you’re a fucking nutbar.
Digital security is not limited to a single instance or web-site…broaden your view …bro…
Lashing out as you do is base level, sandpit behaviour…childish really…
All highly toxic…abusive, innefective…failing…
Just like vaccines…eh!
“Just like vaccines” lols
you base that on what, el paranoico