When the Journalists Ganged Up on Assange They Ganged Up on Themselves
Journalists did not appreciate the implications for themselves of the contrived and false indictment of Julian Assange by a corrupt US government. It was obvious to a few of us that the indictment by the US government, a government constrained by the First Amendment, of a foreign national for publishing leaked material, an action never before regarded as espionage or a crime, was the beginning of the end of any Western government ever again being held accountable by a free press.
Not that the Western World has a free press. It has a collection of presstitutes that serve as a Ministry of Propaganda for the ruling oligarchies.
Still, in principle it was possible that governments could be held accountable. But that possibility ended with Assange’s false indictment.
First of all, no honest government would have spent years trying to invent a way to indict a journalist for practicing journalism.
Some in the media and even some politicians are giving Julian Assange a new look. And it’s no wonder. A case can be made: the U.S. crusade against Assange is a blueprint for criminalizing journalism. What fate is in store for Assange? Will journalism suffer the same? CrossTalking with Andre Walker and Ron Placone.
Suzy Dawson has done an in depth article on how all the major players in Wikileaks have been taken out with the same (hugely successful)rape smear campaigns
All have had their lives ruined and their professional careers stymied, in an attempt to shut Wikileaks down
So in the two cases other than Assange, law enforcement investigated and dismissed the allegations?
But in Assange's case prosecutors wanted to pursue it. Hmmm.
BTW, Dawson wants it both ways: wants to judge the Swedish category by UK/Commonwealth standards for rape:
[…] the accusations against Julian don’t amount to rape at all. They are what the Swedish law books describe as “a lesser rape” and describe activities which are not crimes in most Western countries.
But her claim of no charges laid still uses the Swedish standard of laying charges towards the end of the investigation instead of the test placed by the British courts of the UK practise of charging much earlier in the piece.
If you were in China fifty years ago, you would have been endorsing sex crime fantasies against "deviationists" and "running dogs". This attempt to destroy Assange's credibility is straight out of Red China. The Soviets did the same thing.
Yeah, that's the sort of lie that makes the world safe for rapists. Oh, and claiming I know something when I've never claimed any such thing is tending towards delusional.
You don't actually believe Assange is a rapist, any more than Crazy John Bolton actually believes Iran is destabilizing the Middle East; that's what makes folks like you, and those fools on RNZ National giggling about Assange's lack of sunlight, so chilling.
Wheeler didn’t know what he didn’t know, and that’s the cognitive engine of what’s today rued and ridiculed as the Dunning-Kruger effect. It describes what Dunning later called “the anosognosia of everyday life”; a cognitive foible in which people lack the self-awareness—and yes, in some cases, the intelligence—to objectively estimate their own ability. Or, to paraphrase John Cleese: some people are too stupid to understand how stupid they are.
It is my opinion a Patriarchy has done us no favors and mixed gender representation allows a voice for women and thus by default children, who are largely cared for by women. All of society deserves representation at the highest levels. Men are concerned with glory, legacy, profit, beating other men…
But what are opinions but a dime a dozen. Do some research.
Men aren't to blame, vto, the causal factor is our innate primate nature. It's not men's fault alone that we default to hierarchical male-dominant modes; avoiding that is the challenge for everybody.
Robert, accusatory fingers get pointed at particular men all the time over this stuff. So, yep, men are blamed.
If it is men and women's innate primate nature to default to hierarchical male-dominated modes, why is it to be avoided ? This goes to the post yesterday about male-caused destruction. It isn't male-caused is it – it is "men and women's innate primate nature"-caused.
Vto – yes, individual men carry the same obligation as everyone else and must answer to those charges.
Innate primate nature is to be avoided/modified now, because we've moved on, just as our deeper innate reptile nature is to be discarded as redundant. Humans have a new nature; we're half primate, half … something else ( I have my view) and are struggling to recognise this. What it means is we have to address our previous status and up-grade it, for all our sakes and that of the rest of creation. Plus, time is running out fast.
Male-caused destruction? No, primate-behaviour-caused destruction. I think you've read your own story into the issue (kindly meant – we all do that unless we are very watchful).
Oh, and to clarify, "men" can mean class and individual, so statements are easily misread. Individual men get blamed for their chosen behaviour, but the gender isn't responsible for that.
Agreed. We are primates still, in body, but our mind has undergone a sea-change. The sooner we understand what we are now, the better. The clock's ticking and the spring almost wound down…
If it is men and women's innate primate nature to default to hierarchical male-dominated modes, why is it to be avoided ?
Because biology isn't destiny and humans have choices. We have enough self-awareness to figure out and understand the effects that evolution has had on human behaviour, and to decide for ourselves how much influence we allow those effects to have on our behaviour. A human being with full brain function doesn't get to make the excuse "Hey, evolution made me do it."
Individually, yes. Society though, is infested with a number of pathological behaviours and institutions; corporations, for example, don't "have enough self awareness" to do anything other than what they're programmed to do: make profit, dominate the market or what ever. Handling man-made, soul-less, psychopathic "creations" is our biggest challenge; they'll drive us over the brink, if we don't rein them in.
Oh, yes. Always makes me laugh when doom-sayers worry over what will happen when AI systems are controlling many aspects of society and are operating according to non-human principles and algorithms – what will happen to the poor humans then? Well, actually we already know because we already have artificial entities controlling many aspects of society according to non-human principles and have done for the last century or more – if anything, future computer-based ones are likely to be less scary.
Yet women reliably prefer to select such men for their mates. Did you ever wonder why men are the way they are?
Well, sheeet…mayhap it is the basic drive to perpetuate the species…and since there seems to be a deficit of more acceptable mates most women have to settle for what they can get.
Luckily the societal expectation for all women to breed has lessened considerably so more of the grunting types are being left on the shelf.
Sadly these toxic male attitudes will come thick, very thick, and fast because of vto (vote labour out btw) and rl – we have some classic men's rights advocates with imo disgusting attitudes.
They diminish men and actively seek to maintain their position.
Luckily times are changing and these attitudes are dinotrucking out of here.
vto just hears what he wants, sees what he wants, and listens to what he wants and this all spins back into the tight wee attitudes displayed.
he is so fixated on being 'white' he can't see all the infinity of other colours – and thus contributes nothing apart from negativity. He has gone well back from a year or so ago when he used to think a lot more imo.
<i>" Some women have become the worse of men haters and very nasty. "</i>
This sentence is nonsensical. The use of "some" women, mean the the rest include others, perhaps self-idenfied genders – and male. You might as well have written: Some blue t-shirt wearers….
In my experience there are people of both sexes who have been badly treated by the other sex and wrestle with very understandable feelings of resentment and vengeance. I once briefly visited the borders of that hellish land and from that glimpse I vowed never to judge them.
Why do we have such hard and fast characterisations of "male" behaviour at a time when we seem to find it impossible to characterise"femaleness"
Referencing the transgender issue that sets fire to this site from time to time
And Red Logix does have a point.
Do we really think Jerry Hall found Murdoch irresistibly attractive because of his good looks and personal qualities?
Not his money either ,of which she has plenty, but his power., an aphrodisiac for many
Same for the myriad of physically repulsive, but wealthy old men with young beautiful wives.
Or is it true that for many, not all of us , but for many women, powerfulness and a good quantity of resource is seen to guarantee the survival of our children, particularly through the vulnerable period of pregnancy, childbirth, and early childhood.
Or at least , and a degree of comfort and material satisfaction and the reflected glory of power
(With my sexual allure I control a powerful man and therefore wield power)
Not very worthy, but why would women be any better than men when supposedly there's not a huge amount of difference between us?
We should at least be able to discuss this stuff without immediate polarised attitudes and further divisiveness. I like Red Logix's approach of sometimes being the devil's advocate, it makes us test our own beliefs and hopefully ease up on the old knee jerk
'a good quantity of resource is seen to guarantee the survival of our children, particularly through the vulnerable period of pregnancy, childbirth, and early childhood.'
'the myriad of physically repulsive, but wealthy old men with young beautiful wives.'
Thank you. It's my view that while each sex does have it's legitimate interests and perspectives … that fundamentally we are all in this mess together.
There is a historic validity to the idea of patriarchy. For implacable biological reasons women always were the more physically vulnerable sex. They and their children needed powerful males to provide for and protect them. There is nothing to apologise for in this, life was incredibly hard and risky for both sexes. No-one thought of this unequal arrangement as patriarchy, it was just how life was. In the context of those times, there was no viable alternative, men dominated the public world, while women had their power and influence in the private one. Different and separate.
It has only been the past 200 years of science and industrial progress that women have been dramatically freed from these biological limitations. They can choose when to have babies, most of them will now survive to adulthood, they can find work they are physically capable of outside of the household, they have been extended the same legal and social opportunities once the preserve of a few wealthy powerful men only. And most of this progress has been achieved by both sexes working along side of each other. What's more, most men played their part in order to help and please the women in their lives.
The idea that everything is an oppressive patriarchy, that all men partake and benefit from nothing but oppressing women for their own sadistic ends, is an absurdity. It's true that men and women often misunderstand each other, we often irritate the hell and don't get on very well. And sometimes we treat each other appallingly. But this is true of men and men, and women and women. But more importantly than this, we both sexes need each other and mostly find ways to make it work. Sometime miraculously well.
My partner regularly tells me that she believes there has never been a better time in history to be a woman. She doesn't believe in perfection or utopias, but by comparison to any other time or place, she is grateful and delighted in what the modern world gifts to her.
There'll always be a tussle, its part of our life's work to resolve the tussle, manage it, learn, grow, agree to disagree, find new ways of being, but with love, not hostility
Mostly I've found this type of 'discussion' to be a trojan horse to deliver particular ideas into the forum. My involuntary reaction to a prick is biological.
Mostly you're chasing bad phantoms of your own imagining. The 'trojan horse' I have consistently delivered is plain and obvious. That men and women while they have somewhat different biologies, temperaments, capacities, priorities and perspectives on life, share more in common than not and are fundamentally the same in the eyes of their Creator.
Equal but not equivalent. And they are at their best when they help each other through life. If they are very lucky they even get to love and treasure each other.
I'm a proud white male in my 40s, heritage NZr since the whalers & the Fencibles as well as Yugoslav immigrants, what always amazes me about these discussions is how personal these other white men take the criticism, it's all so broad & abstract, it's not directed personal to you FFS. I can accept responsibility for my privilege, while also accepting it ain't my fault (& also enjoy the irony that my own white ancestors namely the Irish & Croat were once considered non white).
I think you are correct when you define the levels of power being the attractive feature for some. Men and women included.
The reality is, that in most societies in this world, it is men that hold those positions of power because of the underlying structures in place that grant those men access to pathways to hold power.
It is not a knee jerk reaction to say that persons of any gender who have chosen to use their physical attractiveness to attain power that might not otherwise be attainable, is the result of societal mores and messages that spread the idea that physical attractiveness if preferable to many other human attributes.
In the plant world vines have opted to utilise the scaffolding of high trees, rather than waste energy on their own woody infrastructure.They get to the light without the hefty effort that trees put in
Some humans do the same, twining themselves to a more powerful human by whatever leverage they have….most often sex, sycophancy, identifying psychological need , or even honest symbiotic trade.Young men attach themselves to older women, young women to older men… generally those elders have money,/ power, /prestige, bit of a short cut, like the vine.
Lets face it , we're all flawed, 30 years of hard fought feminism and we still have girls willing to be page 3 girls, and somehow pretend thats "empowerment"
Lets face it , we're all flawed, 30 years of hard fought feminism and we still have girls willing to be page 3 girls, and somehow pretend thats "empowerment"
Interesting. I had this conversation with my children, both male and female, about the disparagement of those who choose to use their looks to get ahead. And the discussion is so much easier out of context, but when you include the bombardment of body images (particularly female) that ascribe to certain restricted set of criteria, then you realise that for many that don't have equal access to other methods of power, this is a logical pathway to take.
The confluence of sexual activity with empowered sexual choice, is also an interesting one. Especially, conflating sexual attractiveness and availability being a requirement to be a sexual being.
Aligned with a society that emphasises financial wealth as success, it should be expected that many Page 3 girls result. As individuals, they will no doubt be aware of the costs of this. But they have been encouraged by multiple media images and society measures of success. Their choices have been curated for them.
We do all buy in to it. Or enough of us do so that it remains profitable. And while we have inequity increasing, both men and women will put their bodies on the line to get by.Men in dangerous high risk jobs or sports like kick boxing, women in prostitution or page 3. Thanks Molly, for helping me remember that .We can't have liberation for either sex until we have more humane and equitable economic ideas.
Rosemary, "have to settle for what they can get".. really? Are women that much better and more suitable that across the entire population the average male is lesser??
Kind of like how some races are superior do you mean??
and since there seems to be a deficit of more acceptable mates
Yes. This is exactly female selectivity in action. It is well understood by all social scientists that women have a longer shopping list of acceptable attributes for their mates than men do. Starting with tall, dark and why 50 Shades of Grey was by far the most insanely best selling book in all of human history.
" why 50 Shades of Grey was by far the most insanely best selling book in all of human history."
nah – made up rubbish. You do this – take a factiod and twist it to further your mens rights agenda – similar to many of that cohort. So that was wrong, as was the whole edifice you create from the mistruths and distortions. Not trust worthy in these debates which is why you voluntarily stopped doing it. Pity you reverted back to type.
The answer is there in the document you linked to. No other book has come close to selling that many copies in such a short period. It was by all measures an insanely popular plot, and purchased almost entirely by women. Because it appealed to them. There weren't millions of oppressive men out there forcing them to buy it.
What you cannot dodge are the implications of this; that humans … both sexes … are way more complex than this cartoonishly simplistic male/bad, female/good narrative that has become one of the left's more prominent sacred cows.
Yes. This is exactly female selectivity in action.
No. That was me taking the piss.
It is well understood by all social scientists ( "all?" citation needed) that women have a longer shopping list of acceptable attributes for their mates than men do.
You need to be specific if you're going to be so dogmatic.
Starting with tall, dark and why 50 Shades of Grey was by far the most insanely best selling book in all of human history.
When time permits I suppose I'll have to do some formal/informal research regarding the popularity of those books. I'm an avid reader, and never in my most material bereft times have I ever even contemplated for a second buying one of the many, many copies of that series clogging the shelves of the second hand bookshops. At most a passing fad. Certainly won't set the standard for 'males women are attracted to.'
There's a bit of a 'tone' coming from you RL….perhaps you need to get outside more?
After feminists managed to raise the treatment of women from being regarded as grown up children, without agency themselves, dependents on their husbands, needing male guarantors, it was a great move forward.
But many women didn't have the fortitude and gratitude to come forward and thank the feminists, even to accept that the moves were needed. Many moved up and gained higher status and better pay on the back of it, but still were too self-centred to appreciate that the way had been prepared for them. And would deny that they they owned anything to feminism (rather in the way that some of the disciples denied Jesus – it would bring trouble.)
The women who back Trump have not wished to stand tall in their own right, they are content to be manipulated and remain on the back foot, under male dominance. Some have gloried in it. Those women are the authors of their own misfortune as the saying goes.
Unfortunately it also fits the authoritarian rule of many churches and they combine their compliant women to act together to prevent moves that would result in better conditions for those the churches like to stand against in their 'moral purity'. Such people are stepping into the role of decision makers for themselves, and those places are already firmly held by the righteous, The many wimpish and self-centred women who have been cowardly and unprepared to stand up for better conditions and respect for themselves, and others, have a lot to answer for in the way that males, and society, behave today.
No I don't wonder I read about evolution. Coming from the wild physical attributes were desirable. It seems we've not evolved past this yet and selection of aggressive traits for mating (to be passed on) appears to be associated with the genes possessed by strong males, genes that come with aggressive tendencies? So long as the world is a dangerous place women will select to breed (physically) strong offspring.
But is this association correct?
An interesting study using just smell had women selecting men who have the most antibodies dissimilar to their own. In other words they were selecting so their offspring had the greatest chance of combating illness and disease. It's all about survival.
Evolution has sent many species to their doom as so called useful traits proved to be a downfall e.g. fish too flashy are neon signs for predators, not flashy enough they attract no mates. Without an overseer to direct evolution, a species might go belly up in both directions. Will human aggression end the human race – it's certainly probable.
Are there trends today countering female human's historic selection preferences? Maybe… but:
One problematic trend is mate copying. Selection based on others selection… So you see some ditzy clown influencer with her bodybuilding bozo arm candy – I'll have what she's having. (some jerk eating enough protein for five men so he can pose in some speedos).
Then there's the attraction to earning potential. Will the rich save the planet/race or destroy it?
We're bottle-necking ourselves.
For women selection is all about survival of offspring. They do not consider the species entire. But men do not look past their noses either.
Evolution goes on behind the scenes. We do not consider evolutionary time scales we're not even likely to grasp them except maybe geologists/biogeographers.
Smell indicates immune properties, we sense beyond what we comprehend.
The present results support recent findings in mice and humans concerning the relation of female preferences in body odor and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) compatibility: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02912495
Women select men based on one or a combo of various things, some will not fit in the 'normal' curve.
Typically they select those perceived to be similar, or strong, or good providers, or smell right (that immune thing).
None of these attributes add anything to the survival of the race through geological/evolutionary time. They increase the odds of their specific infants surviving.
Exemplary resource gathering is destroying the planet. As is aggression and vanity. Our sense of smell, to the best of my knowledge, is not causing life-as-we-know-it threatening issues.
So female and male selection processes, as they stand, are on the whole bad for the human race.
Exceptions to every rule will be found in nature. Be exceptional.
So female and male selection processes, as they stand, are on the whole bad for the human race.
So what do you suggest? An official, scientifically designed breeding program? One that encourages traits that will enhance the species while eliminating those which don't?
Do you have reliable studies that link women's choice of partners to this? Because I had a quick look for something of worth and couldn't find any. Other than looking at patterns, but not necessarily along the lines of what you state – and – nothing that included taking into account the societies in which people live.
Natural selection as a biological process. Hmmm. Thinker… is… hurting,,, smoke… from… ears….
Natural selection is more of an environmental feedback – feedback that encourages/discourages specific phenotypes from reproducing and thus increases/reduces the chances of genes allocated to said phenotypes being passed on.
In this manner natural selection is biological at the point(s) of reproduction, but environmental as to the perceived fitness of the genes (for the environment they are in).
The environment does the bulk of the selecting. (imo).
But then you get instances where sperm selection takes place. Over my pay grade but somehow 'fitness' of specific sperm can be perceived by some organisms. That is an entirely biological selection process.
Mate choice is biological, not choosing the dweeb may be, but it might also be environmental (peer pressure, preconception etc)
Thanks WTB. I do understand the process of natural selection.
Just some of the comments being made seemed to ascribe modern day relationship choices to this (somehow) or purely biological impulses, without taking into account societal mores or pressures. I was wanting to see where they got such strong convictions from.
Yeah I figured you have natural selection figured, but the nature vs nurture debate rages on.
Despite all our supposed 'free will', a lot of our behavior is quite kneejerk and pre-programmed. The extent of that is still under question.
You can see it here when you try paint a broad picture of a group using stats and all the individuals jump in to disagree with opinion.
But we do display free will. Just look at the willfully ignorant on climate change, if that aint a case of going against nature I don't know any.
As women take from multiple cues I believe there is an initial reaction to an individual (biological attraction) but then, the interview begins. What does he smell like, what's his job, is he a complete plonker… Smell is biological and associated with compatibility of immune systems. Earning potential – some birds select mates for their nest making ability – just an offshoot of that type of thing?
We're smart enough to have some say in the matter, but how much?
Convenience and proximity are likely contributors to mate choice too.
But some people don't feel a 'biological imperative' to have children. Good on them. Far less future consumers children is the best breeding strategy we have right now to save the planet.
Here's the rub. If we can blame all our choices on nature it absolves personal responsibility. You know that thing right wing people bang on about till it's time for a paternity suit…
Both men and women in society are damaged by power structures that seek glory, legacy, profit ….
Men, at present, are more likely to have have entrenched pathways to encourage their movement into, and positions within these systems, although sometimes individual women can find themselves in those roles. Often though, requiring conformity to the same normative as the men.
Many of these normatives are encouraged by society in both schooling, sports and entertainment and what accolades are offered and given.
It is the normatives that create such a dysfunctional society, not the nominal amounts of men and women within the power structure. And it is very unrealistic to assume that the dominant power structure allows for change even from within. When we speak of men resisting change – it is because the percentage within the power structure is predominantly male.
Increased influence of women is not evenly distributed across the planet. You'd have to identify the countries in which women's influence has increased (eg, NZ and various other liberal democracies) and compare them with places where women's influence hasn't increased (eg most of the world's authoritarian dictatorships). If the "increased female influence" group has more positive features than the "little or no increased female influence" group, that's a correlation in favour of the hypothesis.
After thousands of years of patriarchy I would suggest it's a little too early to judge if things have improved after only 3-4 decades of addressing the imbalance.
If the state of human affairs has generally worsened in the last four decades, then that probably has something to do with the fact that the human population has roughly doubled, from 4 billion (1975) to 7.7 billion (2019).
Simon Bridges has created a major problem for National. It goes well beyond his personal mendacity and hypocrisy exposed with the Budget leak. Essentially Bridges, and by close extension the Party who still support him, is saying that revealing confidential government information solely for a political purpose, with no public interest defense whatsoever, is perfectly justified.
This creates a terminal problem for any future National government, because if their internal policy is to break security and confidentiality whenever it suits them, then no Departmental Head who will be ultimately held responsible for that security, can ever afford to reveal information to their Minister.
If any ordinary Parliamentary employee had acted in this fashion they would have been terminated instantly. Yet essentially National have openly declared themselves to be a major security risk. Not just once, but collectively doubled down on the claim in the days since.
Hypothetically their absurdity could run to the point of a National Party Minister leaking confidential departmental information to the public, and then demanding the resignation of the Head of that same department for failing to keep the information secure.
It seems crazy, but it has to be a question that has passed through the minds of more than one or two senior public servants this past week.
Also Bennet wanted to break the confidentiality of the women who revealed sexual harassment in parliament (when they were promised confidentiality). They really are a party that cannot be trusted.
National did not 'break security and confidentiality.'
Treasury, all by themselves, put 'confidential' budget documents onto their public website – thereby enabling any interested party to access them legally.
This situation does not create a 'terminal problem' for National; it creates a terminal problem for the head of Treasury for deliberately lying about what happened; and may create terminal problems for some Labour politicians for smearing the Nats.
It's not true because Treasury did not put confidential documents on its public web site. The documents were unavailable to National because they were on a secure server. Some National staffers were able to find and exploit a search engine config error to extract indexed data from the documents via a public search engine, but that's a long, long way from Treasury putting confidential budget documents on its public web site.
Makhlouf said he referred the matter of access to the Treasury information to police as a hacking of the site (and he did make it clear it was not a systems hack of the sort that concerned GCSB but still one to refer to police). In the end this is about the use of the term hack, rather than mere accessing of confidential information – which can be an offence.
All Robertson did was tell National not to make any further release of information and that he had been informed by Makhlouf that he had referred the matter to police as an incidence of hacking of the Treasury site.
It’s not their fault if National felt guilty about their accessing of confidential information being referred to as a hack – because that placed them in the category of Assange, whose extradition, on the charge of hacking, has been sought by the USA.
There is also AFP action against journalists for accessing confidential information.
Must be tough being National when all your right wing mates want to criminalise release of confidential information, and you are trying to gain access to it.
Yet the GCSB still leak to the media information to help National – where, where its the integrity in all of this?
And our police see no offence to investigate. Where of where is the consistency in application of law – their going after Hager etc.
I think the lesson is if you ever have a member of National in your home or one of their supporters is to check their pockets before they leave, their views on private property or morals leave a lot to be desired.
Yet essentially National have openly declared themselves to be a major security risk. Not just once, but collectively doubled down on the claim in the days since.
Yes. I still can't get my head around that. National have declared that it's "entirely appropriate" to exploit an organisation's IT security mistake to gain unauthorised access to confidential data. What credibility do they now have on any issue related to confidentiality, cyber-security or data privacy?
Quite – because although a "hack" and an "exploit" are technically different, and the police seem less inclined to prosecute the latter, they are ethically indistinguishable.
National's media cheerleaders will certainly know that within the beltway, National's preparedness to crap all over the convention of budget confidentiality is regarded with horror. They are desperate and determined to stop this perspective percolating out into the general public – so they are in overdrive trying to divert blame onto Treasury, and if they can, Robertson.
National IMO had lost some moral capital in this event that was no more than a beltway issue. Now we have had NZ1 hit and run where the deputy PM yet again made some totally outlandish assertions that have turned out to have no support, and senior Labour MP's have decided to enter the pig sty and have turned a minor victory into a case now where they have lost more moral capital than National. And for me this is backed up by the amount of energy that is now being burnt to protect or support the govts action or attack Nations M.O.
If the govt is exposed for turning this political then we have a govt as dirty and murky as every other that went before them. No wonder many of the public turn away 🤬
Or if National's accusations are groundless – little more than shouting squirrel to divert attention from the fact they accessed confidential information – and this can be prosecuted …
So playing fast with the facts for only political gain is not getting in the sh!t ? Senior ministers where in the know and didn't correct misleading statements, what other than political damage could be the reason? Labour=National for moral behaviour. Perhaps it goes deeper and there are no absolutes into what behaviour/acts are now considered No goes, just playing the game and winning ?
Using google now is a crime ?
We have a deputy PM making comments"…Asked if he would apologise to Bridges, he said they are lawyers and I am one, they would think that type of behaviour is a crime.""
It doesn't matter how easily they accessed the Budget documents … if one of Santa's fucking fairies dropped it on Bridge's desk wrapped with bows and kisses … they knew perfectly well it was an embargoed and confidential information they had no right of claim to and even less right to make public.
Did I not mention national losing some political capital, if you play in a pig sty crap will stick. Labour entered the sty and now they expose political damage, and the efforts of some supporters are making to mitigate this just shows to me the potential damage. National May loss some but the govt has now risked more.
If Andrew Little loses his spy's and spooks portfolio then he was the one to fall on his sword for not passing on pertinent information when the Min of Fin, Deputy PM and PM was briefing the media on; wrong, out of date information, that with hindsight could be viewed as perpetuating a "non truth " 🤫. Or are you ok with that ?
On the week of the budget Labour lost control of the message. 1st there numbers were wrong, then some were wrong, then it was hacked/stolen, at the same time being told that there was no hack ?
Note carefully, there is no minimum threshold of difficulty required. If you are not meant to be there, then it's a 'hack'.
I can well understand Treasury and Robertson being highly alarmed and overreacting a tad, but to equate this with Bridge's blatant breach of trust is nothing but a distraction.
Actually on reflection it’s worse; it’s called ‘blame the victim’.
Some people want to believe and peddle spin for some reason.
Why do people choose to forget that Makhlouf said that the GCSB did not regard it as a government systems hack of interest to them, but to refer the accessing of information from the Treasury site onto the police? That Makhlouf still called that accessing oinformation, a hack, albeit in another category seems to have confused many – thanks to Herald and Stuff media peddling National spin, rather than doing their job.
In the evening Makhlouf met Robertson and informed him he had already referred the matter to police as a hacking to access confidential information off the Treasury site. Robertson then publicly advised National not to use confidential information and simply added what the Secretary had done (referred the matter to police as a hack of their site to access confidential information).
At some point of course GCSB advised their Minister Little that it was not a government systems hack and they were presumably unconcerned and uninvolved in the matter. Some say this was before Makhlouf and Robertson met (Herald and Stuff) some say afterwards (Newshub timeline).
Whether Little referred this onto Robertson before he made public comment is not yet known. But it is not that significant.
What Little and Makhlouf told him may well have been the same thing (whomever told him first). They both would have said it was not seen by the GCSB as a government systems hack.
The issue was then Makhlouf's earlier (prior to the meeting) referring the accessing of the information off the Treasury site to police (and calling it a hack) as he claimed he was advised to do (not necessarily using the term hack). This whole heap of hooey is based on semantics, not a government systems hack but another kind of intrusion that should not also be known by that hack name. There are many kinds of intrusions/hacks/criminal accessing of confidential information.
PS The geo-politics of this are interesting. Assange's extradition for complicity in accessing information off a site as a hacking charge. AFP in Oz investigating journalists because of access to confidential information – and claiming they had to reassure Five Eyes partners that secrets would be kept. And no use of Huawei as there might be insecure information etc. In that environment what Bridges and his team did is inept and embarrasing to our place in the big boys club. Then GCSB leaks to the Herald, wtf. And police harrass Hager but nothing to see here …And they wonder why people do not trust them …
Bridges and Mrs Bennett knew (approx May 27) that they were uplifting Documents not belonging to them.
For normal people this is considered Theft.
The Documents related to aspects of the 2019 Annual Budget which had not been released. Bridges and Bennett did not seek Permission to release any of the Annual Budget Documents. Security was trampled upon totally by the National Party.
The Documents enabled Simon Bridges and Mrs Bennett to wave about Considerable information days before The Statutory Day and Time of release.
This enabled them to wise up Banks, National Party Staff and Caucus; Newspapers, and other likely Outlets. Including Nation Wide Television and Radio.
Simon Bridges is now Thereby allowing every New Zealander to Thieve anything they can get their hands on – at any where – any time. Permission not Required.
Why is there always dodgy, stink around Bridges, Bennett, Collins, etc ..?
Robertson's office did not confirm when Robertson was advised the information should not be described as a hack, saying that was for the State Services Commission (SSC) inquiry to go into.
The due process of being open and transparent is to front up and honestly answer questions. Largely adverting the need for investigations to determine the truth and the scope for politicians to hide behind them.
Yeah na on that one. National would not believe what Ministers said and would want an investigation anyhow in the hope of catching someone out on something they said.
Considering the Government's response in this matter, one can't blame them.
The Government failed to be straight up from the onset. First off, the information was said to be incorrect, then partly correct and so on. Now, it comes out they've known it wasn't a hack but how long have they sat on that info is yet to be determined as they won't answer questions on that. Which, of course, isn't a good look.
1. Too much time in a room that echoes with other conservative white men of that generation.
2. Left wing but without being seen as partisan, because he has higher standards than the coalition.
3. If the centrist fiscally responsible Labour loses they can be replaced by a real left wing party.
4. If the woke Greens lose they can replaced by a blue green party and real left wing alternative to Labour (the conservative National Party want they same outcome).
There's nothing inherently left-wing about open government, no.
If Labour were to evade giving answers to questions asked in the public interest, no I wouldn't support that. If they evade helping you promote National's talking points, on the other hand, good on 'em.
I believe open and transparent Government is valued by the left and right. Nevertheless, it is something Labour committed too. Thus, there is nothing anti left holding them to account on this.
As for the public interest, according to the State Services Commissioner, the matter is of "considerable public interest". Hence, the inquiry.
While the answers will no doubt surface via the SSC inquiry. Currently, they are failing to directly (to the public via the media) answer simple timing questions. Reaffirming the perception they are covering ass.
Leaving people wondering, if they have done no wrong, why don't they just answer the questions and avert the bad look?
To paraphrase your question: why don't they dripfeed information at the convenience of the opposition and clickwhores before the full picture is available, rather than conducting the full investigation and releasing complete findings in context?
That’s why it’s better to let the SSC get on with it and do a thorough independent inquiry and report on this when completed.
Clearly, that's what Labour think. But by also evading answering simple timing questions, they are reaffirming the perception they are covering ass. Which of course isn't a good look and is the cost of their decision to wait it out.
I cannot escape the sense that you sound very similar to some National supporters. There are two SSC inquiries in progress and you want Labour to pre-empt these!? The only way to stop a trial, if there’s one, is to plead guilty. Is that your intention? Time will not help anybody, except possibly Makhlouf, if the truth is to come out. The only other party who’s been calling for a quick scalp is National.
Makhlouf is packing his bags and selling his car as we speak so the media hacks and opposition muckrakers need to act swiftly. They are also desperate to pull in Robertson, Little, Ardern and anybody else they can find. It also is a convenient distraction from internal ructions in National and the polls.
As I highlighted the other day, it's Ardern Labour need to be concerned about. If she is politically damaged to the extent of no return (which this may just be the first of many more planned attacks) the party has no back up and will suffer in the polls/election.
While Makhlouf may be packing his bags, he may find (depending on the inquiry outcome) he no longer has a new job to go too.
Whether Makhlouf has a job to go to or not is not our concern. In any case, he’s packing his bags.
Indeed, these attacks that amount to ‘political terrorism’ in my view need to be stomped on, which is exactly what I’m trying to do here. What are you doing?
The polls are not the primary target or concern. It is the public confidence in the integrity of the overarching system with all its checks and balances that is under fire here. What are you doing to bolster it?
For the record, this is not a Left vs. Right issue. Disclaimer: I lean to the Left.
Whether Makhlouf has a job to go to or not is not our concern.
Well seeing as it is largely dependent out the outcome of the inquiry, I disagree.
I'm looking for answers while holding the left to account, that's what I'm doing.
While National played a underhanded ball, the information was accessible on a public domain, whereas the accusations regarding Labour are rather serious – i.e smearing National while attempting to use the police to silence them. If this was National doing this to Labour, most here wouldn't accept it.
What National did was not terrorism. It was a political tactic to expose a security flaw, embarrass and rob the Government of its thunder. How the Government and Treasury responded made the matter far worse.
The public confidence and the integrity of the Government is what is at stake here. And Labour not answering questions is further eroding it.
I’m sorry to have to bring it up again but your infamous inconsistency is on full display again:
And Labour not answering questions is further eroding it.
… I (like others) will hold judgement on that until the inquiry is complete and outcome released.
You seem to have a blind spot to your own criticisms and use one measure for the Left and another for yourself. A glib answer to this might be that you are not in Government, etc. Let’s see whether you can come up with a better self-explanation.
Seven of our largest manufacturers – all beneficiaries of decade-old policies designed to minimise the impact of the emissions trading scheme on them – are now pleading for even more favourable treatment. They are doing themselves and the country no favours, writes Rod Oram.
…
Expect much more of such politicking as Parliament fights over the zero carbon amendment to our climate response legislation. With agricultural sectors, backed by the National Party, seeking to minimise their obligations to act, many other sectors and companies will seek to carve out their own such deals.
MOSCOW (AP) — A prominent Russian investigative journalist has been charged with drug dealing after four grams of the synthetic stimulant mephedrone were found in his backpack, Moscow police said Friday.
Ivan Golunov, who works for the independent website Meduza, was stopped by police in central Moscow on Thursday afternoon. Police also said that more drugs were found at his home.
Meduza’s director general, Galina Timchenko, told The Associated Press that Golunov, one of the most prominent investigative journalists in Russia, was beaten while in detention and denied medical tests that would show he has not handled drugs. Timchenko said she has photos that show the impact on the left side of his face.
The nemesis cabal of those who drink alcohol say the vital reforms sought by them were not realised by them in 2012 under National.
They have to concede the fact that drinking by youth has continuied to reduce since then (as it has since changes to allow 18 year olds to purchase alcohol were made back in 1999). Youth now start drinkiing later, fewer drink when able to after 18 and if they do generally drink less than those of earlier generations (albeit problems with pre loading amongst some). Proving the opponents of this change completely wrong.
Yet the cabal still want measures of control on price, availability and marketing. For what purpose?
It’s only amongst the middle-aged and elderly Kiwis that consumption has held up (as it was a more regular part of those generations way of socialising).
The only purpose would be to stigmatise those of future generations who continued to drink and to make it more expensive and access inconvenient for the older generations (lack of marketing would have no impact on them).
Under the regime they want, those who continued to drink despite the rising cost and inconvenience of access would be seen as problem drinkers. The whole idea of minimum pricing is managing the behaviour of the young and poor by cost without impact on the middle classes beverage preferences – speaks to middle class social control of the underlcass. It’s woke (baiting someone).
The whole idea of minimum pricing is managing the behaviour of the young and poor by cost without impact on the middle classes beverage preferences…
Absolutely. I bought a six-pack of craft beer for $21 when I went grocery shopping yesterday, so it's safe to say price isn't a significant factor for people like me. Minimum pricing would have put a big stick in my spokes back when I was 20 and broke most of the time, but it sure as fuck wouldn't have any effect on my drinking these days. It's easy to see who this lobbying is targeting vs who it aims to privilege.
What should have been an interesting and enlightening interview about a Gaza documentary was wrecked by Noelle McCarthy's dreadful ignorance
RNZ National, Saturday 25 May 2019, 11:10 a.m.
Andrew McConnell is a serious and decent Irishman, who has made a compelling documentary about life in the blockaded and terrorized Gaza Strip. Unfortunately, he was interviewed about this fraught subject by Noelle McCarthy. Short of Dr David Cumin or Dame Lesley Max, it would be hard to select a harsher, less sympathetic interviewer. This was typical McCarthy: crass, indolent, ignorant. Masochists might like to listen to the whole thing [1], but here's a selection of the lowlights….
NOELLE McCARTHY: One of the most intractable conflicts on Earth… Places where there are, y'know, intractable situations….. Israel on one side, Egypt on the other, Hamas in charge. …. Gaza is full of fashion, and cafes full of poetic men saying "Hello my pomegranate"…..
ANDREW McCONNELL: Growing up in Northern Ireland, in Fermanagh and Enniskillen, has given me an empathy for other people who live under conflict… The Irish have an affinity with the Palestinians. …
NOELLE McCARTHY: It doesn't engage with BOTH SIDES, Andrew. Israel is just seen from afar. Hamas is NOT CLEAN. The men you see with machine-guns….
ANDREW McCONNELL: It's not a political movie.
NOELLE McCARTHY: It's indivisible from the political context, isn't it.
ANDREW McCONNELL: We stand by the film.
NOELLE McCARTHY: How has it played in America? You played it at Sundance, didn't you?
ANDREW McCONNELL: Most people were surprised, and shocked. They asked why do we not see more of this on our media? [2]
NOELLE McCARTHY: There were moments when I wanted to see the other side. Would it have been possible? Or was that always gonna be outside of your scope? All we see is young men throwing stones, it's always described as "asymmetric warfare"…..
Refuses to objectively review. Keeps alluding to the idea of balance ie allowing the losers and winners equal time with each refuting each other and no-one getting the whole picture of the depth and breadth of the difficulties and suffering of the losers, and why they can be excused for launching a few attacks themselves.
Got it nicely there, Mr Shark. A couple of hours before that interview with Andrew McConnell, she had made equally foolish and lazy comments about the New Zealand Wars.
Like you, I don't think there was anything wrong with his asking the question. Of course, some Palestinians—many of whom are Christians—observe Hallowe'en, just like some of us in this country do.
What I found deeply offensive was the way he ignored Fadwa Hodali's heart-wrenching description of what it's like trying to live with those brutal and illegal Israeli checkpoints. She spent a considerable time explaining how tough it is: "thousands and thousands and thousands of people in lines waiting to be searched and cross. So you would see a worker coming into the checkpoint when he needs to start working at seven a.m., he has to be at the checkpoint around three o’clock in the morning, to be able to be at work at seven o’clock. So you can imagine the pressure in there, you can imagine the kind of lives they are leading. So it’s not easy, it’s not easy at all."
Instead of taking up that point, showing some interest in their plight, some respect for her and her compatriots, Crump just ploughed on to an anodyne question about something else. I strongly suspect he had been warned by someone at RNZ to keep it "light" and "non-political".
BRYAN CRUMP: By car? So you’re almost, you’re just next DOOR to Jerusalem. But how long does it take to get there if you want to travel there? FADWA HODALI: Well, it depends on the situation at the checkpoint. Sometimes you can pass by, five minutes at the checkpoint, and sometimes it takes you half an hour, an hour to cross. And of course in the early morning is when the Palestinian workers cross through the checkpoint to work in the Israeli area. And of course there you would see thousands and thousands and thousands of people in lines waiting to be searched and cross. So you would see a worker coming into the checkpoint when he needs to start working at seven a.m., he has to be at the checkpoint around three o’clock in the morning, to be able to be at work at seven o’clock. So you can imagine the pressure in there, you can imagine the kind of lives they are leading. So it’s not easy, it’s not easy at all.
BRYAN CRUMP: So to some extent is Bethlehem a bit of a dormitory suburb for people who work in Jerusalem? Are there lots of people who actually depend on jobs in Jerusalem for their livelihoods?
In the interests of our fossil fuel donors and pig-ignorant base, it's best we pretend science doesn't matter.
White House officials barred a State Department intelligence staffer from submitting written testimony this week to the House Intelligence Committee warning that human-caused climate change could be “possibly catastrophic” after State officials refused to excise the document’s references to the scientific consensus on climate change.
The effort to edit, and ultimately suppress, the written testimony of a senior analyst at the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research comes as the Trump administration is debating how best to challenge the idea that the burning of fossil fuels is warming the planet and could pose serious risks unless the world makes deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade. Senior military and intelligence officials have continued to warn climate change could undermine America’s national security, a position President Trump rejects.
You keep talking about this "pig-ignorant base". Is that only the Trump supporters, who I agree, were unwise, bloody-minded, and yes, sometimes even "pig-ignorant."
But what choice did they have? Who in all conscience could vote for this?….
Yeah, me too. I'd have voted for her, but then I wasn't one of the people at whom she and her equally cynical husband spat brutal, vile hatred like this….
Geez moz, the mere notion of the woman and you're coughing and spluttering like a septuagenarian rest home resident with a pin bone stuck in your throat.
It's not just her, joe. I react like that every time I see your namesake Mr. Biden, or Nancy Pelosi, or Charles Schumer, or the ridiculous Jerrold Nadler. There is simply no way that Trump and his horrifying gang should ever have been able to come near taking the White House; if there were anything like a democratic and popular Democratic Party—now there's an ironic title—Trump and Bolton and De Vos and all the rest of them would have been consigned to the dustbin of history.
Big report – unsettling conclusions – what will happen? Ignore it, minimise it, pretend it, racist it… and so on – I hope people read what these people are saying – it is so important
Grief and colonisation sit at the heart of a criminal justice system that must change, a Government report has found. The report, He Waka Roimata or A Vessel of Tears, was released on Sunday and makes a case for transformation of a criminal justice system "clearly not working".
"Some of what we heard was confronting; some has been more optimistic. Without doubt, the clearest call we heard is the call for change," it said. The report was produced by the Government-appointed Te Uepū pai i te Ora – Safe and Effective Justice Advisory Group after more than 220 public meetings natiowide.
"Among these conversations the overwhelming emotion we encountered is one of grief …," it reads. "We heard the effects of colonisation undermine, disenfranchise and conspire to trap Māori in the criminal justice system and that racism is embedded in every part of it."
“The overwhelming impression we got from people who have experienced the criminal justice system is one of grief. They feel the system has not dealt with them fairly or compassionately or with respect; often associated with this grief is anger.
This sense of grief and anger is particularly evident among individuals who have experienced the worst crimes. We also encountered it among the families and whānau of those who have experienced the system – either because they have been victimised or because they have offended.”
Good to see the government get behind vaping. Hopefully those helpless addicts who continue to smoke will cotton on to not only the accepted health benefits, but realise how much money they'll save as tax increases rip money from their bottom lines.
I'd go further than just a website and with starter kits, subsidise smokers on benefits and those with children to take it up and quit fags. For the price of a 50g pack of tobacco, one can get a vape pen and a weeks juice, thereafter, even for a heavy smoker, it's $14 a week for refills.
All that extra money going into the bellies of smokers kids would greatly help reduce poverty.
I use to buy a 30g packet of tobacco, blue papers, no filters, and that would last me most of a week. When that outlay became too great, I'd get the cheapest pack of 20 tailors, snap in half and roll them instead, no filters. Mornings were a constant round of coughing up brown gunk, blocked sinuses and wheezing.
Once they allowed nicotine in e juice I swapped over and haven't even thought about smoking since. I'd say I was a heavy smoker, and doing so without filters, lung cancer or heart disease walking. Quitting smoking is easy – I've done it dozens of times before, but I can honestly say I'd never go back and it's because of the vape.
I accept that anything going into your lungs is bad, and should be avoided, but by just ceasing the intake of tars and toxic chemicals has, like you, improved my quality of life. No morning coughing fits, no brown shit phlegm, no taste bud die off. As a smoker, and lets face it – once a smoker always a smoker, vaping has been heaven sent. Most days I get up at 5.30am and often it'll be a few hours before I reach for the pen. I would never have done that with ciggies, unless I was out and waiting for pay day.
My research: Best cheapest starter kit is the joyetech ego aio at about $35 with a free juice from the vapeshed. 4x10ml suitable juices in many flavours, with a choice of nicotine levels, for $20, which lasts more than a week.
I upgraded recently, mainly because I wanted to use thicker e juices, so I went for a $60 Smok stick x8. Gave my old unit to a smoker friend and hope they can get the same result I did from it.
As a former hard core tar sucker, I believe, now that nicotine vapes are here, smokers able to do so, who don't change, are selfish, foolish or just ignorant. Harsh, but not like my 12mg nicotine vanilla butterscotch icecream clouds.
I sort of get that, though, even if there's no second hand smoke, I don't want to be breathing in someone elses lung puffs. I'd never smoke in public anyway, so no biggie for me.
Wouldn't stop me if I was desperate though, I'd just be discreet. Find a bike shed, or tennis court to slink behind. lol
I have about 2 kg of tobacco I grew it lol. More in the garden to come out. It'll be a useful commodity if shit hits the fan.
But haven't touched the stuff for the 3 1/2 years. I am not allowed to trade with it I'm not sure I'm even allowed to give it away so I drop it beside homeless people who can decide to pick it up or not hehe.
When I switched to homegrown I still had withdrawal – all those additives mate, seems they're addictive too. After a few janky days the homegrown was well superior to smoke. I cut back from 10 to 5 grams a day (yes I smoked 10g a day). That helped me to then move to the vape rather seamlessly.
I was getting pretty crook near the end of smoking too. Not enough breath, too much coughing. Glad that's behind me.
Lately been cutting down on other smoking… Going well! I reckon you hit an age and start to enjoy your faculties.
So nice to have options. I hope central government can direct local government not to be plonkers about it. Encourage vaping and get our whanau off the cigs!
Make sure your production doesn't exceed 5kg. But then I am full of …. So take it how you want
" You may manufacture 5 kg or less of grow-your-own tobacco each year for your personal use without requiring a CCA licence and payment of excise duty, subject to conditions – see section 67 of the Act.
“Scientists have discovered that water is being released from the Moon during meteor showers. When a speck of comet debris strikes the Moon it vaporizes on impact, creating a shock wave in the lunar soil. For a sufficiently large impactor, this shock wave can breach the soil's dry upper layer and release water molecules from a hydrated layer below. This Director's Cut version of the video features additional narration and an extended interview with scientist Mehdi Benna.”
I've been listening to Radionz and there has been a Radio Tedtalk about Social Networking and how important it is to society. I have the feeling that is the idea around which that we need to do everything from now on.
The name of the very keen and vibrant speaker is Stephen Krizakis ? that's how it sounded but I can't confirm that – thre is precious little detail on Radionz site. So just registering that I heard it – comes on every Sunday night.
Earlier talks:
The TED Radio Hour is a National Public Radio series based on talks from annual gatherings where some of the world's deepest thinkers and innovators are invited to give the 18-minute "talk of their lives." TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design.
Here are some speakers from a Changing the World series from 26 May 2019 who seem to be covering subjects that come up regularly on this blog.
What does it take to change the world for the better? In this week's TED Radio Hour, five TED speakers explore ideas on activism, what motivates it, why it matters, and how each of us can make a difference.
Ruby Sales: How Do We Maintain Our Courage To Fight For Change?
Dolores Huerta: Each Of Us Has A Voice, How Can We Use It For Social Change?
Jeremy Heimans: How Can We Harness Technology To Fuel Social Change?
Sarah Corbett: How Can Introverts Be Activists Too?
Angela Oguntala: How Do We Achieve The Future We Imagine?
Wanna-be authoritarianism creeps across the globe.
LONDON (Reuters) – Suspending parliament remains an option to ensure Britain leaves the European Union on Oct. 31, former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab said on Saturday, rejecting criticism of the measure from other Conservative leadership candidates.
Raab, who draws support from the most pro-Brexit wing of the Conservative Party, has refused to rule out suspending parliament until the Brexit deadline, if needed to prevent lawmakers from stopping a no-deal Brexit.
The main theme of this apologist for Business As Usual, is that we need coal and other fossil fuels to smelt the steel needed for a renewable future.
There are alternatives. Alternatives that this apologist refuses to see. She is also a liar. There is no lithium being mined in New Zealand. She is trying to conflate this issue to justify the mining of coal and oil.
The New Zealand public should be told that cheap and plentiful coal still fills the electricity gap in this country, particularly when the wind doesn't blow, and water levels drop behind hydroelectric dams.”
Kate MacNamara
MacNamara decries the government's ban on mining on conservation land and arrogantly threatens, that the Prime Minister will live to regret this decision.
In the throne speech in 2017 Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern promised to prevent any new mines on New Zealand's conservation land which covers a third of the country. That would be a significant expansion of protected land over the status quo and a serious curtailment of land available to mine. Ardern may well regret this promise".
Kate MacNamara
In tone MacNamara's article is condescending and arrogant, exactly reflecting the views of the mining industry. 'We know what we are talking about. You don't.'
MacNamara's argument is specious and superficial, contains no facts except for a shopping list from the UN for minerals, appeals to emotion instead of reason. And deliberately (and dishonestly) conflates mining lithium with mining fossil fuels
MacNamara completely glosses over the terrible danger that climate change represents. Calling it a "distant problem".
Mac Namara's claim that we need coal, to produce steel is a lie. Steel is an infinitely recyclable material. A simple google search reveals that the majority of the steel in the U.S. the world's third biggest producer after China and Japan, is made from recycled scrap, and not the smelting of ore with coal.
There are two main types of steel mills. The traditional large integrated steel mill, which reduces metallic iron from ore (iron oxide) and makes it into pig iron and steel, has been steadily declining in importance for decades in the US. The second type, the mini-mill, or specialty steel mill, which produces new steel products by melting steel scrap, now produces the majority of steel in the US….
….Two-thirds of the iron and steel produced in the US is made from recycled scrap, rather than from iron ore. In 2014, 81 million mt of iron and steel were produced from scrap.[9]Most steel from scrap is produced using electric arc furnaces.
Wikipedia
It is an unfortunate fact that in North America a lot of the electricity used in the arc furnaces is generated from coal, but that is not the case here in New Zealand, (and may not even remain the case in the US as renewables replace coal in generating electricity even in America.)
The national parties mess they made over 9 years has come back to bite them on the ASS ka pai.
I agree with Chester they system should give prisoners help as soon as they get into prison I say teach them there culture educate them reform them .Exactly Chester stop treating people like CRAP that will go along way too reforming them .If someone one is treated bad well they soon start behaving bad and do dumb stuff.
I will get a ta moko on my back of a Octopus riding a Whale in good time.
The Cricket World Cup is looking very exciting this year.
I think vaping is a good tool to give up smoking .
Mark there are people that are that dumb he could cause a lot of damage???
We did not think about the bad effects of plastic waste I bet some new about the problems of plastic especially when they new it would take a 1000 years to breakdown in the natural environment.
I remember when we had milk in glass bottles and paper bags we have to go back to glass and paper bags to save our environment for our mokopuna grandchildren it mite cost a bit more to start with but we will save billions not having to clean up the big mess of our waste.
How did we let plastic bags get everywhere?
They’re under our sinks, all over our streets, and filling the stomachs of dead whales. What can we do to stem the single-use scourge Today, much of our resource-intensive consumerism is still mindless, despite rising awareness of the impact of our plastic waste. Amid the hustle and convenience of a grocery store, it’s hard to connect our own behaviour to the distant problems in the depths of the oceans. But the dozens of perfectly intact plastic bagspulled from the stomach of a dead Cuvier’s beaked whale in the Philippines this spring could be from any of us. Those bags were once used in a grocery store – for an average of 12 minutes – just to carry that bottle of wine home. A study by the Washington-based Worldwatch Instituteestimated that 4-5tn bags, including shopping bags and trash bags, were made in 2002 alone
All the people out there with dyslexia don't be ashamed you will have better skills than others in some fields.
Eco Maori has dyslexia my spelling is bad .But I have skills that others don't for 1 I'm not a sheep that follows the leader I question everything I have other skills to .People with dyslexia are best to admit it and work hard on the skills you lack you will get better at that task if you focus on that skill.
It turns out "thinking outside of the box" comes more naturally to the dyslexic brain than the propensity to spell accurately.
It was a relief when I realized as an adult that I am dyslexic. What was even more liberating was realizing that many things I was good at were also because of dyslexia.
Each dyslexic has a different set of skills, and weaknesses, but there's a pattern of commonality that links people like Galileo, Pablo Picasso and Julia Child.
Dyslexics often think in pictures and can see multi-dimensionally which is why architect, gardener, chef and astronomer are careers that dyslexics gravitate toward.
Paradoxically, dyslexics struggle to write, but are often excellent authors, such as Roald Dahl and Agatha Christie. They have "vivid imaginations and are highly creative," according to Made by Dyslexia, which acknowledges, "9 in 10 dyslexics have poor spelling, punctuation and grammar but many are great writers."
Adept problem solving
Entrepreneur, billionaire and dyslexic Richard Branson is so passionate about championing the positive aspects of the dyslexic brain that he launched and supports a charity called Made by Dyslexia.
"Dyslexic people hold a unique set of skills that will be really important to business," Branson tweeted. These include "the ability to think flexibly and creatively and solve really complex problems by thinking different
Its good that the marae in Wellington that burned down it cool to see the whanau helping out in hard times. I say you will do good with your give a little page.
There you go some people cannot help profiling people it is good having funding for the issue surrounding racism .
Chris we don't have to stop dairy farming to stop the pollution they just have to convert to Organic farming. It would be to big a loss for Aotearoa to stop dairy farming you know how Rumplestitlskin actually turned his straw in gold he feed it to his cow she gave him milk and a calf he could keep milking the cow for 10 year and when she is old he sells her .What I'm getting at is there are no other way were you get paid for produce and don't have to kill the cow dairy farms are quite profitable if run correctly.
Good on Manu Bennett he is rasing the profile of Maori it doesn't look like anyone was close enough to get a fright.
A lot of people don't know how proud we should be for the foundation that out tipuna laid for us in te reo and Maori culture . It's sad to see the struggle that other indigenous cultures struggle to revitalize their language culture and mana .
Edit is to short when you have low reception for the post above not many ways to making money when you get to keep the cow there are other things like wool ect ka kite ano
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
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On Contact: Assange with Vijay Prashad
When the Journalists Ganged Up on Assange They Ganged Up on Themselves
Journalists did not appreciate the implications for themselves of the contrived and false indictment of Julian Assange by a corrupt US government. It was obvious to a few of us that the indictment by the US government, a government constrained by the First Amendment, of a foreign national for publishing leaked material, an action never before regarded as espionage or a crime, was the beginning of the end of any Western government ever again being held accountable by a free press.
Not that the Western World has a free press. It has a collection of presstitutes that serve as a Ministry of Propaganda for the ruling oligarchies.
Still, in principle it was possible that governments could be held accountable. But that possibility ended with Assange’s false indictment.
First of all, no honest government would have spent years trying to invent a way to indict a journalist for practicing journalism.
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2019/06/07/when-the-journalists-ganged-up-on-assange-they-ganged-up-on-themselves/
Pamela Anderson: Julian Assange 'wont survive' extradition
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my kid loved the wiggles – but it’s got nothing on the crush you have for the (alleged) rapist.
Oh drop dead you fool.
oh the caring left.
Wishing someone one to drop dead.
May whatever you wish in others come back in your family – only fair right.
Idiot.
So you were all good with the original comment ?
not surprising coming from you.
What "original comment" do you mean? Presumably nothing by you?
how thick are you if you can’t work it out.
Very.
"its"?
Suzy Dawson has done an in depth article on how all the major players in Wikileaks have been taken out with the same (hugely successful)rape smear campaigns
All have had their lives ruined and their professional careers stymied, in an attempt to shut Wikileaks down
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/06/09/guest-blog-suzie-dawson-freeing-julian-assange-part-one/
So in the two cases other than Assange, law enforcement investigated and dismissed the allegations?
But in Assange's case prosecutors wanted to pursue it. Hmmm.
BTW, Dawson wants it both ways: wants to judge the Swedish category by UK/Commonwealth standards for rape:
But her claim of no charges laid still uses the Swedish standard of laying charges towards the end of the investigation instead of the test placed by the British courts of the UK practise of charging much earlier in the piece.
As the UK court put it:
You can't have your "not crimes in most Western countries" and eat "Criminally charged: no", too.
If you were in China fifty years ago, you would have been endorsing sex crime fantasies against "deviationists" and "running dogs". This attempt to destroy Assange's credibility is straight out of Red China. The Soviets did the same thing.
So no comment on the shifting goalposts then?
Thought so.
The sex smear against Assange is entirely manufactured, as you know. As a fanatical Red Guard, that won't stop you for a second, though.
Yeah, that's the sort of lie that makes the world safe for rapists. Oh, and claiming I know something when I've never claimed any such thing is tending towards delusional.
You don't actually believe Assange is a rapist, any more than Crazy John Bolton actually believes Iran is destabilizing the Middle East; that's what makes folks like you, and those fools on RNZ National giggling about Assange's lack of sunlight, so chilling.
Oh, I think he probably did what he was accused of, but I have no idea for sure. That's why I think he should have faced trial in Sweden years ago.
I certainly don't believe that Swedish prosecutors fabricated proceedings against Assange so that Sweden would then be an easy extradition to the USA.
That chill you feel is Winter, fucko. Reality can be a bastard.
The icy finger up your south pole
lol
Doesn't Professor Longhair have anything to say in support of Morrissey on this issue?
Professor Longhair will get a haircut soon or be sent on sabbatical if he’s not careful.
Good read
John Cleese: some people are too stupid to understand how stupid they are.
Indeed.
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/john-cleese-twitter-london-english-city-racism-caribbean-brexit-eu-a8934911.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/06/03/john-cleeses-tweets-werent-just-racist-they-were-also-based-historical-lie/?utm_term=.a2e8c2361b7d
So, many people claim men have caused the world's problems.. you know, the patriarchy, the aggression, the everything blah blah…
Over the last 3-4 decades the influence of women has grown significantly.
Are things improving? Or getting worse?
How would this be measured?
Is this question allowed to be asked?
Sounds like you've got some research to do.
It is my opinion a Patriarchy has done us no favors and mixed gender representation allows a voice for women and thus by default children, who are largely cared for by women. All of society deserves representation at the highest levels. Men are concerned with glory, legacy, profit, beating other men…
But what are opinions but a dime a dozen. Do some research.
Men are concerned with glory, legacy, profit, beating other men…
Yet women reliably prefer to select such men for their mates. Did you ever wonder why men are the way they are?
You are brave mentioning that elephant in the room Red. But it is an entirely relevant question too..
Men aren't to blame, vto, the causal factor is our innate primate nature. It's not men's fault alone that we default to hierarchical male-dominant modes; avoiding that is the challenge for everybody.
Robert, accusatory fingers get pointed at particular men all the time over this stuff. So, yep, men are blamed.
If it is men and women's innate primate nature to default to hierarchical male-dominated modes, why is it to be avoided ? This goes to the post yesterday about male-caused destruction. It isn't male-caused is it – it is "men and women's innate primate nature"-caused.
Vto – yes, individual men carry the same obligation as everyone else and must answer to those charges.
Innate primate nature is to be avoided/modified now, because we've moved on, just as our deeper innate reptile nature is to be discarded as redundant. Humans have a new nature; we're half primate, half … something else ( I have my view) and are struggling to recognise this. What it means is we have to address our previous status and up-grade it, for all our sakes and that of the rest of creation. Plus, time is running out fast.
Male-caused destruction? No, primate-behaviour-caused destruction. I think you've read your own story into the issue (kindly meant – we all do that unless we are very watchful).
Oh, and to clarify, "men" can mean class and individual, so statements are easily misread. Individual men get blamed for their chosen behaviour, but the gender isn't responsible for that.
Just because we came from apes doesn't mean we have to remain apes.
We can aim for better.
Agreed. We are primates still, in body, but our mind has undergone a sea-change. The sooner we understand what we are now, the better. The clock's ticking and the spring almost wound down…
If it is men and women's innate primate nature to default to hierarchical male-dominated modes, why is it to be avoided ?
Because biology isn't destiny and humans have choices. We have enough self-awareness to figure out and understand the effects that evolution has had on human behaviour, and to decide for ourselves how much influence we allow those effects to have on our behaviour. A human being with full brain function doesn't get to make the excuse "Hey, evolution made me do it."
Individually, yes. Society though, is infested with a number of pathological behaviours and institutions; corporations, for example, don't "have enough self awareness" to do anything other than what they're programmed to do: make profit, dominate the market or what ever. Handling man-made, soul-less, psychopathic "creations" is our biggest challenge; they'll drive us over the brink, if we don't rein them in.
Oh, yes. Always makes me laugh when doom-sayers worry over what will happen when AI systems are controlling many aspects of society and are operating according to non-human principles and algorithms – what will happen to the poor humans then? Well, actually we already know because we already have artificial entities controlling many aspects of society according to non-human principles and have done for the last century or more – if anything, future computer-based ones are likely to be less scary.
Yet women reliably prefer to select such men for their mates. Did you ever wonder why men are the way they are?
Well, sheeet…mayhap it is the basic drive to perpetuate the species…and since there seems to be a deficit of more acceptable mates most women have to settle for what they can get.
Luckily the societal expectation for all women to breed has lessened considerably so more of the grunting types are being left on the shelf.
Cue…https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/113336511/how-a-male-supremacist-became-so-angry-he-opened-fire-at-a-yoga-studio
Ffs RL, haul your sorry arse out from the swamp.
Sadly these toxic male attitudes will come thick, very thick, and fast because of vto (vote labour out btw) and rl – we have some classic men's rights advocates with imo disgusting attitudes.
They diminish men and actively seek to maintain their position.
Luckily times are changing and these attitudes are dinotrucking out of here.
there is nothing disgusting about asking for evidence of the toxic claims about men marty mars..
whoosh – try reading this
you're another old white man hater marty mars and discounted accordingly
i don;t think i have ever seen you post anything positive about old white men
only negative
that says something
I have heard marty compliment lots of the old white men on this site.
not the same thing, though it should be for obvious reasons.
vto just hears what he wants, sees what he wants, and listens to what he wants and this all spins back into the tight wee attitudes displayed.
he is so fixated on being 'white' he can't see all the infinity of other colours – and thus contributes nothing apart from negativity. He has gone well back from a year or so ago when he used to think a lot more imo.
posting into the mirror again i see
true – amazing isn’t it. The level of hypocrisy from some who single out gender, race and age – as long as it’s male, white and old.
Yet they are are the first to Bitch of you mention any other groups.
Some women have become the worse of men haters and very nasty.
<i>" Some women have become the worse of men haters and very nasty. "</i>
This sentence is nonsensical. The use of "some" women, mean the the rest include others, perhaps self-idenfied genders – and male. You might as well have written: Some blue t-shirt wearers….
@ Molly
In my experience there are people of both sexes who have been badly treated by the other sex and wrestle with very understandable feelings of resentment and vengeance. I once briefly visited the borders of that hellish land and from that glimpse I vowed never to judge them.
good point very well made.
Why do we have such hard and fast characterisations of "male" behaviour at a time when we seem to find it impossible to characterise"femaleness"
Referencing the transgender issue that sets fire to this site from time to time
And Red Logix does have a point.
Do we really think Jerry Hall found Murdoch irresistibly attractive because of his good looks and personal qualities?
Not his money either ,of which she has plenty, but his power., an aphrodisiac for many
Same for the myriad of physically repulsive, but wealthy old men with young beautiful wives.
Or is it true that for many, not all of us , but for many women, powerfulness and a good quantity of resource is seen to guarantee the survival of our children, particularly through the vulnerable period of pregnancy, childbirth, and early childhood.
Or at least , and a degree of comfort and material satisfaction and the reflected glory of power
(With my sexual allure I control a powerful man and therefore wield power)
Not very worthy, but why would women be any better than men when supposedly there's not a huge amount of difference between us?
We should at least be able to discuss this stuff without immediate polarised attitudes and further divisiveness. I like Red Logix's approach of sometimes being the devil's advocate, it makes us test our own beliefs and hopefully ease up on the old knee jerk
'a good quantity of resource is seen to guarantee the survival of our children, particularly through the vulnerable period of pregnancy, childbirth, and early childhood.'
'the myriad of physically repulsive, but wealthy old men with young beautiful wives.'
the ugly kids not a consideration then!
50/50 chance on that
Mother's genes can prevail
is it worth the risk?
'it is better to be beautiful than to be good,
but it is better to be good,than to be…ugly'
O.Wilde.
Is it worth the risk?
Clearly for many , it is
lazy day.
'A clever, ugly man every now and then is successful with the ladies, but a handsome fool is irresistible. William Makepeace Thackeray
Thank you. It's my view that while each sex does have it's legitimate interests and perspectives … that fundamentally we are all in this mess together.
There is a historic validity to the idea of patriarchy. For implacable biological reasons women always were the more physically vulnerable sex. They and their children needed powerful males to provide for and protect them. There is nothing to apologise for in this, life was incredibly hard and risky for both sexes. No-one thought of this unequal arrangement as patriarchy, it was just how life was. In the context of those times, there was no viable alternative, men dominated the public world, while women had their power and influence in the private one. Different and separate.
It has only been the past 200 years of science and industrial progress that women have been dramatically freed from these biological limitations. They can choose when to have babies, most of them will now survive to adulthood, they can find work they are physically capable of outside of the household, they have been extended the same legal and social opportunities once the preserve of a few wealthy powerful men only. And most of this progress has been achieved by both sexes working along side of each other. What's more, most men played their part in order to help and please the women in their lives.
The idea that everything is an oppressive patriarchy, that all men partake and benefit from nothing but oppressing women for their own sadistic ends, is an absurdity. It's true that men and women often misunderstand each other, we often irritate the hell and don't get on very well. And sometimes we treat each other appallingly. But this is true of men and men, and women and women. But more importantly than this, we both sexes need each other and mostly find ways to make it work. Sometime miraculously well.
My partner regularly tells me that she believes there has never been a better time in history to be a woman. She doesn't believe in perfection or utopias, but by comparison to any other time or place, she is grateful and delighted in what the modern world gifts to her.
There'll always be a tussle, its part of our life's work to resolve the tussle, manage it, learn, grow, agree to disagree, find new ways of being, but with love, not hostility
I appreciate your thoughts
Mostly I've found this type of 'discussion' to be a trojan horse to deliver particular ideas into the forum. My involuntary reaction to a prick is biological.
Mostly you're chasing bad phantoms of your own imagining. The 'trojan horse' I have consistently delivered is plain and obvious. That men and women while they have somewhat different biologies, temperaments, capacities, priorities and perspectives on life, share more in common than not and are fundamentally the same in the eyes of their Creator.
Equal but not equivalent. And they are at their best when they help each other through life. If they are very lucky they even get to love and treasure each other.
lol very saccharine indeed – your walk isn't your talk.
No-one is perfectly aligned, we all have ideals that exceed our grasp. Maybe you should pay attention to that mote in your own eye brother.
sure play the man not the ball – I have been quite open about what I'm saying – you're untrustworthy in these discussions imo
I'm a proud white male in my 40s, heritage NZr since the whalers & the Fencibles as well as Yugoslav immigrants, what always amazes me about these discussions is how personal these other white men take the criticism, it's all so broad & abstract, it's not directed personal to you FFS. I can accept responsibility for my privilege, while also accepting it ain't my fault (& also enjoy the irony that my own white ancestors namely the Irish & Croat were once considered non white).
I think you are correct when you define the levels of power being the attractive feature for some. Men and women included.
The reality is, that in most societies in this world, it is men that hold those positions of power because of the underlying structures in place that grant those men access to pathways to hold power.
It is not a knee jerk reaction to say that persons of any gender who have chosen to use their physical attractiveness to attain power that might not otherwise be attainable, is the result of societal mores and messages that spread the idea that physical attractiveness if preferable to many other human attributes.
I dunno, I think all sorts of things,
In the plant world vines have opted to utilise the scaffolding of high trees, rather than waste energy on their own woody infrastructure.They get to the light without the hefty effort that trees put in
Some humans do the same, twining themselves to a more powerful human by whatever leverage they have….most often sex, sycophancy, identifying psychological need , or even honest symbiotic trade.Young men attach themselves to older women, young women to older men… generally those elders have money,/ power, /prestige, bit of a short cut, like the vine.
Lets face it , we're all flawed, 30 years of hard fought feminism and we still have girls willing to be page 3 girls, and somehow pretend thats "empowerment"
Lets face it , we're all flawed, 30 years of hard fought feminism and we still have girls willing to be page 3 girls, and somehow pretend thats "empowerment"
Interesting. I had this conversation with my children, both male and female, about the disparagement of those who choose to use their looks to get ahead. And the discussion is so much easier out of context, but when you include the bombardment of body images (particularly female) that ascribe to certain restricted set of criteria, then you realise that for many that don't have equal access to other methods of power, this is a logical pathway to take.
The confluence of sexual activity with empowered sexual choice, is also an interesting one. Especially, conflating sexual attractiveness and availability being a requirement to be a sexual being.
Aligned with a society that emphasises financial wealth as success, it should be expected that many Page 3 girls result. As individuals, they will no doubt be aware of the costs of this. But they have been encouraged by multiple media images and society measures of success. Their choices have been curated for them.
Some of that responsibility lies with us all.
We do all buy in to it. Or enough of us do so that it remains profitable. And while we have inequity increasing, both men and women will put their bodies on the line to get by.Men in dangerous high risk jobs or sports like kick boxing, women in prostitution or page 3. Thanks Molly, for helping me remember that .We can't have liberation for either sex until we have more humane and equitable economic ideas.
Rosemary, "have to settle for what they can get".. really? Are women that much better and more suitable that across the entire population the average male is lesser??
Kind of like how some races are superior do you mean??
and since there seems to be a deficit of more acceptable mates
Yes. This is exactly female selectivity in action. It is well understood by all social scientists that women have a longer shopping list of acceptable attributes for their mates than men do. Starting with tall, dark and why 50 Shades of Grey was by far the most insanely best selling book in all of human history.
" why 50 Shades of Grey was by far the most insanely best selling book in all of human history."
nah – made up rubbish. You do this – take a factiod and twist it to further your mens rights agenda – similar to many of that cohort. So that was wrong, as was the whole edifice you create from the mistruths and distortions. Not trust worthy in these debates which is why you voluntarily stopped doing it. Pity you reverted back to type.
https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/aug/09/best-selling-books-all-time-fifty-shades-grey-compare
That data is from about one year after publishing and limited to one country. Just two years later in 2014:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/299137/fifty-shades-of-grey-number-of-copies-sold/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_books
And how many of those sold over 150m copies in just three years?
I answered and put evidence.
The answer is there in the document you linked to. No other book has come close to selling that many copies in such a short period. It was by all measures an insanely popular plot, and purchased almost entirely by women. Because it appealed to them. There weren't millions of oppressive men out there forcing them to buy it.
What you cannot dodge are the implications of this; that humans … both sexes … are way more complex than this cartoonishly simplistic male/bad, female/good narrative that has become one of the left's more prominent sacred cows.
Awesome link, found several items to add to the reading list.
35M The Purpose Driven Life.
Oh dear. Murica!
Dictionary 100M plus. Blackadder sure screwed up there.
Yes. This is exactly female selectivity in action.
No. That was me taking the piss.
It is well understood by all social scientists ( "all?" citation needed) that women have a longer shopping list of acceptable attributes for their mates than men do.
You need to be specific if you're going to be so dogmatic.
Starting with tall, dark and why 50 Shades of Grey was by far the most insanely best selling book in all of human history.
When time permits I suppose I'll have to do some formal/informal research regarding the popularity of those books. I'm an avid reader, and never in my most material bereft times have I ever even contemplated for a second buying one of the many, many copies of that series clogging the shelves of the second hand bookshops. At most a passing fad. Certainly won't set the standard for 'males women are attracted to.'
There's a bit of a 'tone' coming from you RL….perhaps you need to get outside more?
Well yes I do have a roof to paint.
After feminists managed to raise the treatment of women from being regarded as grown up children, without agency themselves, dependents on their husbands, needing male guarantors, it was a great move forward.
But many women didn't have the fortitude and gratitude to come forward and thank the feminists, even to accept that the moves were needed. Many moved up and gained higher status and better pay on the back of it, but still were too self-centred to appreciate that the way had been prepared for them. And would deny that they they owned anything to feminism (rather in the way that some of the disciples denied Jesus – it would bring trouble.)
The women who back Trump have not wished to stand tall in their own right, they are content to be manipulated and remain on the back foot, under male dominance. Some have gloried in it. Those women are the authors of their own misfortune as the saying goes.
Unfortunately it also fits the authoritarian rule of many churches and they combine their compliant women to act together to prevent moves that would result in better conditions for those the churches like to stand against in their 'moral purity'. Such people are stepping into the role of decision makers for themselves, and those places are already firmly held by the righteous, The many wimpish and self-centred women who have been cowardly and unprepared to stand up for better conditions and respect for themselves, and others, have a lot to answer for in the way that males, and society, behave today.
No I don't wonder I read about evolution. Coming from the wild physical attributes were desirable. It seems we've not evolved past this yet and selection of aggressive traits for mating (to be passed on) appears to be associated with the genes possessed by strong males, genes that come with aggressive tendencies? So long as the world is a dangerous place women will select to breed (physically) strong offspring.
But is this association correct?
An interesting study using just smell had women selecting men who have the most antibodies dissimilar to their own. In other words they were selecting so their offspring had the greatest chance of combating illness and disease. It's all about survival.
Evolution has sent many species to their doom as so called useful traits proved to be a downfall e.g. fish too flashy are neon signs for predators, not flashy enough they attract no mates. Without an overseer to direct evolution, a species might go belly up in both directions. Will human aggression end the human race – it's certainly probable.
Are there trends today countering female human's historic selection preferences? Maybe… but:
One problematic trend is mate copying. Selection based on others selection… So you see some ditzy clown influencer with her bodybuilding bozo arm candy – I'll have what she's having. (some jerk eating enough protein for five men so he can pose in some speedos).
Then there's the attraction to earning potential. Will the rich save the planet/race or destroy it?
We're bottle-necking ourselves.
For women selection is all about survival of offspring. They do not consider the species entire. But men do not look past their noses either.
For women selection is all about survival of offspring. They do not consider the species entire.
Must be the season for sweeping generalisations.
To say 'women don't consider the species entire' when choosing a mate….how do you know this?
Evolution goes on behind the scenes. We do not consider evolutionary time scales we're not even likely to grasp them except maybe geologists/biogeographers.
From the science:
Narcissism determines selection: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/147470490400200123
Physical displays indicate resistance to parasites: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169534798014736
Intrasexual selection (competition for mates) has been a driving force in shaping human male aggression: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00265-018-2497-3
Those lads are fighting for your attention. When they get it, it perpetuates the problem.
Smell is a big deal for both sexes: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090513802000958
Smell indicates immune properties, we sense beyond what we comprehend.
The present results support recent findings in mice and humans concerning the relation of female preferences in body odor and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) compatibility: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02912495
Cash may be king?
Consistent with past research, men placed more emphasis on the item Good Looks, whereas women placed more importance on the item Good Financial Prospect: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/016230959290021U
Obviously the whole boy girl thing is complex, but there are patterns we can learn from.
For women selection is all about survival of offspring. They do not consider the species entire.
Interesting to know. I must be operating behind the evolutionary times…
Women select men based on one or a combo of various things, some will not fit in the 'normal' curve.
Typically they select those perceived to be similar, or strong, or good providers, or smell right (that immune thing).
None of these attributes add anything to the survival of the race through geological/evolutionary time. They increase the odds of their specific infants surviving.
Exemplary resource gathering is destroying the planet. As is aggression and vanity. Our sense of smell, to the best of my knowledge, is not causing life-as-we-know-it threatening issues.
So female and male selection processes, as they stand, are on the whole bad for the human race.
Exceptions to every rule will be found in nature. Be exceptional.
I would so much rather more were ordinary …. like me…
So female and male selection processes, as they stand, are on the whole bad for the human race.
So what do you suggest? An official, scientifically designed breeding program? One that encourages traits that will enhance the species while eliminating those which don't?
Ah, brave new world.
I don't suggest anything. I'm just outlining key traits to selection and then my opinion... on those.
Science is science, I'm not making those reports up.
Do you have reliable studies that link women's choice of partners to this? Because I had a quick look for something of worth and couldn't find any. Other than looking at patterns, but not necessarily along the lines of what you state – and – nothing that included taking into account the societies in which people live.
That link women's choice of partners to what?
… to natural selection, as a biological process.
( Apologies, thought I was replying to RL)
Natural selection as a biological process. Hmmm. Thinker… is… hurting,,, smoke… from… ears….
Natural selection is more of an environmental feedback – feedback that encourages/discourages specific phenotypes from reproducing and thus increases/reduces the chances of genes allocated to said phenotypes being passed on.
In this manner natural selection is biological at the point(s) of reproduction, but environmental as to the perceived fitness of the genes (for the environment they are in).
The environment does the bulk of the selecting. (imo).
But then you get instances where sperm selection takes place. Over my pay grade but somehow 'fitness' of specific sperm can be perceived by some organisms. That is an entirely biological selection process.
Mate choice is biological, not choosing the dweeb may be, but it might also be environmental (peer pressure, preconception etc)
Thanks WTB. I do understand the process of natural selection.
Just some of the comments being made seemed to ascribe modern day relationship choices to this (somehow) or purely biological impulses, without taking into account societal mores or pressures. I was wanting to see where they got such strong convictions from.
Yeah I figured you have natural selection figured, but the nature vs nurture debate rages on.
Despite all our supposed 'free will', a lot of our behavior is quite kneejerk and pre-programmed. The extent of that is still under question.
You can see it here when you try paint a broad picture of a group using stats and all the individuals jump in to disagree with opinion.
But we do display free will. Just look at the willfully ignorant on climate change, if that aint a case of going against nature I don't know any.
As women take from multiple cues I believe there is an initial reaction to an individual (biological attraction) but then, the interview begins. What does he smell like, what's his job, is he a complete plonker… Smell is biological and associated with compatibility of immune systems. Earning potential – some birds select mates for their nest making ability – just an offshoot of that type of thing?
We're smart enough to have some say in the matter, but how much?
Convenience and proximity are likely contributors to mate choice too.
But some people don't feel a 'biological imperative' to have children. Good on them. Far less
future consumerschildren is the best breeding strategy we have right now to save the planet.Here's the rub. If we can blame all our choices on nature it absolves personal responsibility. You know that thing right wing people bang on about till it's time for a paternity suit…
then…
TUMBLEWEED.
Patriarchy has done us no favours – good grief
Men are concerned with glory, legacy, profit, beating other men… – good grief
You are entirely correct that research needs to be done
Monty Python: What have the Romans ever done for us?
https://youtu.be/Y7tvauOJMHo
What are you, Charlie Brown?
Good grief, then go do some research.
Both men and women in society are damaged by power structures that seek glory, legacy, profit ….
Men, at present, are more likely to have have entrenched pathways to encourage their movement into, and positions within these systems, although sometimes individual women can find themselves in those roles. Often though, requiring conformity to the same normative as the men.
Many of these normatives are encouraged by society in both schooling, sports and entertainment and what accolades are offered and given.
It is the normatives that create such a dysfunctional society, not the nominal amounts of men and women within the power structure. And it is very unrealistic to assume that the dominant power structure allows for change even from within. When we speak of men resisting change – it is because the percentage within the power structure is predominantly male.
Maybe it could be measured by lack of conflict?
Look forward to your research findings with great interest.
Has there been less conflict over the last 3-4 decades?
Is the increasing influence of women having a positive impact?
I know though – naughty questions – shouldn't be allowed
Increased influence of women is not evenly distributed across the planet. You'd have to identify the countries in which women's influence has increased (eg, NZ and various other liberal democracies) and compare them with places where women's influence hasn't increased (eg most of the world's authoritarian dictatorships). If the "increased female influence" group has more positive features than the "little or no increased female influence" group, that's a correlation in favour of the hypothesis.
After thousands of years of patriarchy I would suggest it's a little too early to judge if things have improved after only 3-4 decades of addressing the imbalance.
would suggest that some will strive for 'success' at any cost (understood or not) regardless of gender….others will have a more considered view
If the state of human affairs has generally worsened in the last four decades, then that probably has something to do with the fact that the human population has roughly doubled, from 4 billion (1975) to 7.7 billion (2019).
https://ourworldindata.org/world-population-growth
The increasing influence of women over time is a wonderful trend – just wait a bit.
Simon Bridges has created a major problem for National. It goes well beyond his personal mendacity and hypocrisy exposed with the Budget leak. Essentially Bridges, and by close extension the Party who still support him, is saying that revealing confidential government information solely for a political purpose, with no public interest defense whatsoever, is perfectly justified.
This creates a terminal problem for any future National government, because if their internal policy is to break security and confidentiality whenever it suits them, then no Departmental Head who will be ultimately held responsible for that security, can ever afford to reveal information to their Minister.
If any ordinary Parliamentary employee had acted in this fashion they would have been terminated instantly. Yet essentially National have openly declared themselves to be a major security risk. Not just once, but collectively doubled down on the claim in the days since.
Their position is also hypocritical when you think of the extremes Bridges went to identify the leaker of his transport spend information.
Hypothetically their absurdity could run to the point of a National Party Minister leaking confidential departmental information to the public, and then demanding the resignation of the Head of that same department for failing to keep the information secure.
It seems crazy, but it has to be a question that has passed through the minds of more than one or two senior public servants this past week.
National has no friends in Parliament.
Desperate dickheads.
Also Bennet wanted to break the confidentiality of the women who revealed sexual harassment in parliament (when they were promised confidentiality). They really are a party that cannot be trusted.
Newshub poll coming out tonight…
That’ll settle things 😉
Who the hell watches Newshub?
About 100k-110k per night by their figures from this time last year.
Red Logix
National did not 'break security and confidentiality.'
Treasury, all by themselves, put 'confidential' budget documents onto their public website – thereby enabling any interested party to access them legally.
This situation does not create a 'terminal problem' for National; it creates a terminal problem for the head of Treasury for deliberately lying about what happened; and may create terminal problems for some Labour politicians for smearing the Nats.
Treasury, all by themselves, put 'confidential' budget documents onto their public website…
That is untrue. If you won't trouble yourself to find out what happened, best not to comment on it or you just make yourself look stupid.
Actually it is true.
How is not true? It was a public website – yes. Treasury placed the documents onto it – yes. Anyone could access the website legally -yes.
The Police and the GCSB decided it wasn't hacking and that the Nats had no case to answer.
So, again, explain to me how my comments are not true. Or are you so sycophantically embedded with Labour that you're in a state of total denial.
Or are you some kind of conspiracy theorist who knows better than the police/GCSB and anyone else.
And if you have 'the truth' about how it happened – do please enlighten us.
'Otherwise best not to comment because you make yourself look stupid". You arrogant prick.
Yeah na. Playing dumb as National and their deep state would want voters to be suits you.
What on earth are you talking about SPC?
What is `National's 'deep state'? Who is it comprised of? What does it do? How does it related to Treasury's release of budget material?
Sounds to me like you've been watching too many cheap spy stories and fantasies on TV2 and the like. Pretty dumb SPC I'd say.
Yup, the know nothing party in full flight – meet the grantocs.
How is not true?
It's not true because Treasury did not put confidential documents on its public web site. The documents were unavailable to National because they were on a secure server. Some National staffers were able to find and exploit a search engine config error to extract indexed data from the documents via a public search engine, but that's a long, long way from Treasury putting confidential budget documents on its public web site.
Yeah they did breach confidentiality.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/113324294/hack-or-no-hack-accessing-a-computer-system-without-authorisation-carries-risk
http://www.medialawjournal.co.nz/?p=717
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12236128
What smear of National?
Makhlouf said he referred the matter of access to the Treasury information to police as a hacking of the site (and he did make it clear it was not a systems hack of the sort that concerned GCSB but still one to refer to police). In the end this is about the use of the term hack, rather than mere accessing of confidential information – which can be an offence.
All Robertson did was tell National not to make any further release of information and that he had been informed by Makhlouf that he had referred the matter to police as an incidence of hacking of the Treasury site.
It’s not their fault if National felt guilty about their accessing of confidential information being referred to as a hack – because that placed them in the category of Assange, whose extradition, on the charge of hacking, has been sought by the USA.
There is also AFP action against journalists for accessing confidential information.
Must be tough being National when all your right wing mates want to criminalise release of confidential information, and you are trying to gain access to it.
Yet the GCSB still leak to the media information to help National – where, where its the integrity in all of this?
And our police see no offence to investigate. Where of where is the consistency in application of law – their going after Hager etc.
I think the lesson is if you ever have a member of National in your home or one of their supporters is to check their pockets before they leave, their views on private property or morals leave a lot to be desired.
Yet essentially National have openly declared themselves to be a major security risk. Not just once, but collectively doubled down on the claim in the days since.
Yes. I still can't get my head around that. National have declared that it's "entirely appropriate" to exploit an organisation's IT security mistake to gain unauthorised access to confidential data. What credibility do they now have on any issue related to confidentiality, cyber-security or data privacy?
01101110 01101111 01101110 01100101 00001101 00001010
http://www.unit-conversion.info/texttools/convert-text-to-binary/
There are 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary and those who don't.
Quite – because although a "hack" and an "exploit" are technically different, and the police seem less inclined to prosecute the latter, they are ethically indistinguishable.
National's media cheerleaders will certainly know that within the beltway, National's preparedness to crap all over the convention of budget confidentiality is regarded with horror. They are desperate and determined to stop this perspective percolating out into the general public – so they are in overdrive trying to divert blame onto Treasury, and if they can, Robertson.
National IMO had lost some moral capital in this event that was no more than a beltway issue. Now we have had NZ1 hit and run where the deputy PM yet again made some totally outlandish assertions that have turned out to have no support, and senior Labour MP's have decided to enter the pig sty and have turned a minor victory into a case now where they have lost more moral capital than National. And for me this is backed up by the amount of energy that is now being burnt to protect or support the govts action or attack Nations M.O.
If the govt is exposed for turning this political then we have a govt as dirty and murky as every other that went before them. No wonder many of the public turn away 🤬
Or if National's accusations are groundless – little more than shouting squirrel to divert attention from the fact they accessed confidential information – and this can be prosecuted …
Ya'll full of shit mate.
So playing fast with the facts for only political gain is not getting in the sh!t ? Senior ministers where in the know and didn't correct misleading statements, what other than political damage could be the reason? Labour=National for moral behaviour. Perhaps it goes deeper and there are no absolutes into what behaviour/acts are now considered No goes, just playing the game and winning ?
Using google now is a crime ?
We have a deputy PM making comments"…Asked if he would apologise to Bridges, he said they are lawyers and I am one, they would think that type of behaviour is a crime.""
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/113112357/nationals-simon-bridges-calls-on-grant-robertson-and-treasury-secretary-to-resign-following-website-bungle
It doesn't matter how easily they accessed the Budget documents … if one of Santa's fucking fairies dropped it on Bridge's desk wrapped with bows and kisses … they knew perfectly well it was an embargoed and confidential information they had no right of claim to and even less right to make public.
Did I not mention national losing some political capital, if you play in a pig sty crap will stick. Labour entered the sty and now they expose political damage, and the efforts of some supporters are making to mitigate this just shows to me the potential damage. National May loss some but the govt has now risked more.
What do you imagine Labour did then?
If Andrew Little loses his spy's and spooks portfolio then he was the one to fall on his sword for not passing on pertinent information when the Min of Fin, Deputy PM and PM was briefing the media on; wrong, out of date information, that with hindsight could be viewed as perpetuating a "non truth " 🤫. Or are you ok with that ?
On the week of the budget Labour lost control of the message. 1st there numbers were wrong, then some were wrong, then it was hacked/stolen, at the same time being told that there was no hack ?
Definition of the word 'hack':
To gain access to (a computer file or network) illegally or without authorization:
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/hack
Note carefully, there is no minimum threshold of difficulty required. If you are not meant to be there, then it's a 'hack'.
I can well understand Treasury and Robertson being highly alarmed and overreacting a tad, but to equate this with Bridge's blatant breach of trust is nothing but a distraction.
Actually on reflection it’s worse; it’s called ‘blame the victim’.
Some people want to believe and peddle spin for some reason.
Why do people choose to forget that Makhlouf said that the GCSB did not regard it as a government systems hack of interest to them, but to refer the accessing of information from the Treasury site onto the police? That Makhlouf still called that accessing oinformation, a hack, albeit in another category seems to have confused many – thanks to Herald and Stuff media peddling National spin, rather than doing their job.
In the evening Makhlouf met Robertson and informed him he had already referred the matter to police as a hacking to access confidential information off the Treasury site. Robertson then publicly advised National not to use confidential information and simply added what the Secretary had done (referred the matter to police as a hack of their site to access confidential information).
At some point of course GCSB advised their Minister Little that it was not a government systems hack and they were presumably unconcerned and uninvolved in the matter. Some say this was before Makhlouf and Robertson met (Herald and Stuff) some say afterwards (Newshub timeline).
Whether Little referred this onto Robertson before he made public comment is not yet known. But it is not that significant.
What Little and Makhlouf told him may well have been the same thing (whomever told him first). They both would have said it was not seen by the GCSB as a government systems hack.
The issue was then Makhlouf's earlier (prior to the meeting) referring the accessing of the information off the Treasury site to police (and calling it a hack) as he claimed he was advised to do (not necessarily using the term hack). This whole heap of hooey is based on semantics, not a government systems hack but another kind of intrusion that should not also be known by that hack name. There are many kinds of intrusions/hacks/criminal accessing of confidential information.
PS The geo-politics of this are interesting. Assange's extradition for complicity in accessing information off a site as a hacking charge. AFP in Oz investigating journalists because of access to confidential information – and claiming they had to reassure Five Eyes partners that secrets would be kept. And no use of Huawei as there might be insecure information etc. In that environment what Bridges and his team did is inept and embarrasing to our place in the big boys club. Then GCSB leaks to the Herald, wtf. And police harrass Hager but nothing to see here …And they wonder why people do not trust them …
None are so confused as those who profit from confusion.
National Shackled forever
Bridges and Mrs Bennett knew (approx May 27) that they were uplifting Documents not belonging to them.
For normal people this is considered Theft.
The Documents related to aspects of the 2019 Annual Budget which had not been released. Bridges and Bennett did not seek Permission to release any of the Annual Budget Documents. Security was trampled upon totally by the National Party.
The Documents enabled Simon Bridges and Mrs Bennett to wave about Considerable information days before The Statutory Day and Time of release.
This enabled them to wise up Banks, National Party Staff and Caucus; Newspapers, and other likely Outlets. Including Nation Wide Television and Radio.
Simon Bridges is now Thereby allowing every New Zealander to Thieve anything they can get their hands on – at any where – any time. Permission not Required.
Why is there always dodgy, stink around Bridges, Bennett, Collins, etc ..?
Open and transparent Government?
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/06/inside-the-budget-breach-what-we-know.html
Obviously. They left their servers open.
Whereas you are transparent.
Checkmate.
Open and transparent does not negate or transcend due process.
The due process of being open and transparent is to front up and honestly answer questions. Largely adverting the need for investigations to determine the truth and the scope for politicians to hide behind them.
Yeah na on that one. National would not believe what Ministers said and would want an investigation anyhow in the hope of catching someone out on something they said.
Considering the Government's response in this matter, one can't blame them.
The Government failed to be straight up from the onset. First off, the information was said to be incorrect, then partly correct and so on. Now, it comes out they've known it wasn't a hack but how long have they sat on that info is yet to be determined as they won't answer questions on that. Which, of course, isn't a good look.
Na, you're spinning on this as much as National.
For a supposed left-winger, you certainly do post a hell of a lot of right-wing talking points.
Lots of reasons, these are four.
1. Too much time in a room that echoes with other conservative white men of that generation.
2. Left wing but without being seen as partisan, because he has higher standards than the coalition.
3. If the centrist fiscally responsible Labour loses they can be replaced by a real left wing party.
4. If the woke Greens lose they can replaced by a blue green party and real left wing alternative to Labour (the conservative National Party want they same outcome).
You don't consider open and transparent Government being left wing?
Moreover, you support Labour evading giving answers?
For a supposed left-winger, you certainly don’t come across as one.
There's nothing inherently left-wing about open government, no.
If Labour were to evade giving answers to questions asked in the public interest, no I wouldn't support that. If they evade helping you promote National's talking points, on the other hand, good on 'em.
I believe open and transparent Government is valued by the left and right. Nevertheless, it is something Labour committed too. Thus, there is nothing anti left holding them to account on this.
As for the public interest, according to the State Services Commissioner, the matter is of "considerable public interest". Hence, the inquiry.
So they will render unto the state services commissioner what belongs to the state services commissioner.
And the SSC will answer the question. Process does not always work to the schedule of media hacks and opposition muckrakers.
While the answers will no doubt surface via the SSC inquiry. Currently, they are failing to directly (to the public via the media) answer simple timing questions. Reaffirming the perception they are covering ass.
Leaving people wondering, if they have done no wrong, why don't they just answer the questions and avert the bad look?
To paraphrase your question: why don't they dripfeed information at the convenience of the opposition and clickwhores before the full picture is available, rather than conducting the full investigation and releasing complete findings in context?
I'm not suggesting they do it for the convenience of the opposition. It's in the interest of protecting their own image and being open to the public.
That’s why it’s better to let the SSC get on with it and do a thorough independent inquiry and report on this when completed.
Lucky I didn't restrict it to "opposition" then.
Comment still stands
Clearly, that's what Labour think. But by also evading answering simple timing questions, they are reaffirming the perception they are covering ass. Which of course isn't a good look and is the cost of their decision to wait it out.
I cannot escape the sense that you sound very similar to some National supporters. There are two SSC inquiries in progress and you want Labour to pre-empt these!? The only way to stop a trial, if there’s one, is to plead guilty. Is that your intention? Time will not help anybody, except possibly Makhlouf, if the truth is to come out. The only other party who’s been calling for a quick scalp is National.
lord save us from everything the chairman thinks is "not a good look", and ain't it funny he's never on his own list 🙄
Makhlouf is packing his bags and selling his car as we speak so the media hacks and opposition muckrakers need to act swiftly. They are also desperate to pull in Robertson, Little, Ardern and anybody else they can find. It also is a convenient distraction from internal ructions in National and the polls.
As I highlighted the other day, it's Ardern Labour need to be concerned about. If she is politically damaged to the extent of no return (which this may just be the first of many more planned attacks) the party has no back up and will suffer in the polls/election.
While Makhlouf may be packing his bags, he may find (depending on the inquiry outcome) he no longer has a new job to go too.
Whether Makhlouf has a job to go to or not is not our concern. In any case, he’s packing his bags.
Indeed, these attacks that amount to ‘political terrorism’ in my view need to be stomped on, which is exactly what I’m trying to do here. What are you doing?
The polls are not the primary target or concern. It is the public confidence in the integrity of the overarching system with all its checks and balances that is under fire here. What are you doing to bolster it?
For the record, this is not a Left vs. Right issue. Disclaimer: I lean to the Left.
Well seeing as it is largely dependent out the outcome of the inquiry, I disagree.
I'm looking for answers while holding the left to account, that's what I'm doing.
While National played a underhanded ball, the information was accessible on a public domain, whereas the accusations regarding Labour are rather serious – i.e smearing National while attempting to use the police to silence them. If this was National doing this to Labour, most here wouldn't accept it.
What National did was not terrorism. It was a political tactic to expose a security flaw, embarrass and rob the Government of its thunder. How the Government and Treasury responded made the matter far worse.
The public confidence and the integrity of the Government is what is at stake here. And Labour not answering questions is further eroding it.
The overarching system with all its checks and balances isn't what is under fire. And although I have seen criticism of it (https://croakingcassandra.com/2019/06/05/on-makhlouf-and-standards-in-public-office/) I (like others) will hold judgement on that until the inquiry is complete and outcome released.
I’m sorry to have to bring it up again but your infamous inconsistency is on full display again:
You seem to have a blind spot to your own criticisms and use one measure for the Left and another for yourself. A glib answer to this might be that you are not in Government, etc. Let’s see whether you can come up with a better self-explanation.
Surprised?….not
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/06/09/623996/oram-politicking-pleading
To help people decide whether to click:
Concussion, suspected broken ribs, bruised AF. He tried to fall off a balcony.
/
https://twitter.com/FrancescaEbel/status/1137038979000352768
https://twitter.com/FrancescaEbel/status/1137121895965499393
MOSCOW (AP) — A prominent Russian investigative journalist has been charged with drug dealing after four grams of the synthetic stimulant mephedrone were found in his backpack, Moscow police said Friday.
Ivan Golunov, who works for the independent website Meduza, was stopped by police in central Moscow on Thursday afternoon. Police also said that more drugs were found at his home.
Meduza’s director general, Galina Timchenko, told The Associated Press that Golunov, one of the most prominent investigative journalists in Russia, was beaten while in detention and denied medical tests that would show he has not handled drugs. Timchenko said she has photos that show the impact on the left side of his face.
https://apnews.com/46611063ca9a4fc2b221d5203f23ded6
Russia is quite evil in their treatment of journalists and activists. More horrific reading to go with joe 90's post.
This comes with a warning: description of torture, and a secret service out of control.
https://libcom.org/news/you-picked-fight-state-we-will-grind-you-dust-how-russian-activist-was-tortured-04062019
How to get away with millions?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/112548629/unpaid-invoices-in-cupboards-then-the-4m-surprise
The nemesis cabal of those who drink alcohol say the vital reforms sought by them were not realised by them in 2012 under National.
They have to concede the fact that drinking by youth has continuied to reduce since then (as it has since changes to allow 18 year olds to purchase alcohol were made back in 1999). Youth now start drinkiing later, fewer drink when able to after 18 and if they do generally drink less than those of earlier generations (albeit problems with pre loading amongst some). Proving the opponents of this change completely wrong.
Yet the cabal still want measures of control on price, availability and marketing. For what purpose?
It’s only amongst the middle-aged and elderly Kiwis that consumption has held up (as it was a more regular part of those generations way of socialising).
The only purpose would be to stigmatise those of future generations who continued to drink and to make it more expensive and access inconvenient for the older generations (lack of marketing would have no impact on them).
Under the regime they want, those who continued to drink despite the rising cost and inconvenience of access would be seen as problem drinkers. The whole idea of minimum pricing is managing the behaviour of the young and poor by cost without impact on the middle classes beverage preferences – speaks to middle class social control of the underlcass. It’s woke (baiting someone).
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows/2019/06/no-evidence-alcohol-industry-s-school-programme-works.html
Of course if we adopt the same successful approach on marijuana we should also be able to reduce access to the drug and use by the young.
The whole idea of minimum pricing is managing the behaviour of the young and poor by cost without impact on the middle classes beverage preferences…
Absolutely. I bought a six-pack of craft beer for $21 when I went grocery shopping yesterday, so it's safe to say price isn't a significant factor for people like me. Minimum pricing would have put a big stick in my spokes back when I was 20 and broke most of the time, but it sure as fuck wouldn't have any effect on my drinking these days. It's easy to see who this lobbying is targeting vs who it aims to privilege.
What should have been an interesting and enlightening interview about a Gaza documentary was wrecked by Noelle McCarthy's dreadful ignorance
RNZ National, Saturday 25 May 2019, 11:10 a.m.
Andrew McConnell is a serious and decent Irishman, who has made a compelling documentary about life in the blockaded and terrorized Gaza Strip. Unfortunately, he was interviewed about this fraught subject by Noelle McCarthy. Short of Dr David Cumin or Dame Lesley Max, it would be hard to select a harsher, less sympathetic interviewer. This was typical McCarthy: crass, indolent, ignorant. Masochists might like to listen to the whole thing [1], but here's a selection of the lowlights….
NOELLE McCARTHY: One of the most intractable conflicts on Earth… Places where there are, y'know, intractable situations….. Israel on one side, Egypt on the other, Hamas in charge. …. Gaza is full of fashion, and cafes full of poetic men saying "Hello my pomegranate"…..
ANDREW McCONNELL: Growing up in Northern Ireland, in Fermanagh and Enniskillen, has given me an empathy for other people who live under conflict… The Irish have an affinity with the Palestinians. …
NOELLE McCARTHY: It doesn't engage with BOTH SIDES, Andrew. Israel is just seen from afar. Hamas is NOT CLEAN. The men you see with machine-guns….
ANDREW McCONNELL: It's not a political movie.
NOELLE McCARTHY: It's indivisible from the political context, isn't it.
ANDREW McCONNELL: We stand by the film.
NOELLE McCARTHY: How has it played in America? You played it at Sundance, didn't you?
ANDREW McCONNELL: Most people were surprised, and shocked. They asked why do we not see more of this on our media? [2]
NOELLE McCARTHY: There were moments when I wanted to see the other side. Would it have been possible? Or was that always gonna be outside of your scope? All we see is young men throwing stones, it's always described as "asymmetric warfare"…..
[1] https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018696722/andrew-mcconnell-the-everyday-life-of-the-people-of-gaza
[2] ANSWER: Because the American media are full of people like Noelle McCarthy.
Refuses to objectively review. Keeps alluding to the idea of balance ie allowing the losers and winners equal time with each refuting each other and no-one getting the whole picture of the depth and breadth of the difficulties and suffering of the losers, and why they can be excused for launching a few attacks themselves.
Would that fit in with your thoughts Morrissey?
Got it nicely there, Mr Shark. A couple of hours before that interview with Andrew McConnell, she had made equally foolish and lazy comments about the New Zealand Wars.
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2019/05/noelle-mccarthy-displays-her-ignorance.html
Just as bad was Bryan Crump on RNZ Nights, a while back, asking a resident of the West Bank if Palestinians practiced Halloween.
Unlike Noelle McCarthy, Bryan Crump is not malicious. But as you say, his performance was pretty bad…..
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/11/bryan-crumps-callow-and-fatuous.html
He may have been attemting facetious, or taken on board that they may divert themselves with practices from other countries and faiths.
Like you, I don't think there was anything wrong with his asking the question. Of course, some Palestinians—many of whom are Christians—observe Hallowe'en, just like some of us in this country do.
What I found deeply offensive was the way he ignored Fadwa Hodali's heart-wrenching description of what it's like trying to live with those brutal and illegal Israeli checkpoints. She spent a considerable time explaining how tough it is: "thousands and thousands and thousands of people in lines waiting to be searched and cross. So you would see a worker coming into the checkpoint when he needs to start working at seven a.m., he has to be at the checkpoint around three o’clock in the morning, to be able to be at work at seven o’clock. So you can imagine the pressure in there, you can imagine the kind of lives they are leading. So it’s not easy, it’s not easy at all."
Instead of taking up that point, showing some interest in their plight, some respect for her and her compatriots, Crump just ploughed on to an anodyne question about something else. I strongly suspect he had been warned by someone at RNZ to keep it "light" and "non-political".
In the interests of our fossil fuel donors and pig-ignorant base, it's best we pretend science doesn't matter.
White House officials barred a State Department intelligence staffer from submitting written testimony this week to the House Intelligence Committee warning that human-caused climate change could be “possibly catastrophic” after State officials refused to excise the document’s references to the scientific consensus on climate change.
The effort to edit, and ultimately suppress, the written testimony of a senior analyst at the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research comes as the Trump administration is debating how best to challenge the idea that the burning of fossil fuels is warming the planet and could pose serious risks unless the world makes deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade. Senior military and intelligence officials have continued to warn climate change could undermine America’s national security, a position President Trump rejects.
http://archive.li/uUSPI (WaPo)
You keep talking about this "pig-ignorant base". Is that only the Trump supporters, who I agree, were unwise, bloody-minded, and yes, sometimes even "pig-ignorant."
But what choice did they have? Who in all conscience could vote for this?….
Over Trump, 100% of the time.
Yeah, me too. I'd have voted for her, but then I wasn't one of the people at whom she and her equally cynical husband spat brutal, vile hatred like this….
Geez moz, the mere notion of the woman and you're coughing and spluttering like a septuagenarian rest home resident with a pin bone stuck in your throat.
It's not just her, joe. I react like that every time I see your namesake Mr. Biden, or Nancy Pelosi, or Charles Schumer, or the ridiculous Jerrold Nadler. There is simply no way that Trump and his horrifying gang should ever have been able to come near taking the White House; if there were anything like a democratic and popular Democratic Party—now there's an ironic title—Trump and Bolton and De Vos and all the rest of them would have been consigned to the dustbin of history.
Big report – unsettling conclusions – what will happen? Ignore it, minimise it, pretend it, racist it… and so on – I hope people read what these people are saying – it is so important
Big report….here…https://safeandeffectivejustice.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/fa55462d44/teuepureport_hewakaroimata.pdf
“The overwhelming impression we got from people who have experienced the criminal justice system is one of grief. They feel the system has not dealt with them fairly or compassionately or with respect; often associated with this grief is anger.
This sense of grief and anger is particularly evident among individuals who have experienced the worst crimes. We also encountered it among the families and whānau of those who have experienced the system – either because they have been victimised or because they have offended.”
The Government has launched a new website promoting vaping as a way for people to quit smoking
https://www.vapingfacts.health.nz
Good to see the government get behind vaping. Hopefully those helpless addicts who continue to smoke will cotton on to not only the accepted health benefits, but realise how much money they'll save as tax increases rip money from their bottom lines.
I'd go further than just a website and with starter kits, subsidise smokers on benefits and those with children to take it up and quit fags. For the price of a 50g pack of tobacco, one can get a vape pen and a weeks juice, thereafter, even for a heavy smoker, it's $14 a week for refills.
All that extra money going into the bellies of smokers kids would greatly help reduce poverty.
Nice post.
3.5 years smokefree. I vape about $8 a week.
It's not ideal but is WAY better than smoking!
Much fitter, better lung function, health, budget, dietary habits…
Poor homeless fellas got nowhere to recharge their vapes so they keep smoking cigarette butts.
I use to buy a 30g packet of tobacco, blue papers, no filters, and that would last me most of a week. When that outlay became too great, I'd get the cheapest pack of 20 tailors, snap in half and roll them instead, no filters. Mornings were a constant round of coughing up brown gunk, blocked sinuses and wheezing.
Once they allowed nicotine in e juice I swapped over and haven't even thought about smoking since. I'd say I was a heavy smoker, and doing so without filters, lung cancer or heart disease walking. Quitting smoking is easy – I've done it dozens of times before, but I can honestly say I'd never go back and it's because of the vape.
I accept that anything going into your lungs is bad, and should be avoided, but by just ceasing the intake of tars and toxic chemicals has, like you, improved my quality of life. No morning coughing fits, no brown shit phlegm, no taste bud die off. As a smoker, and lets face it – once a smoker always a smoker, vaping has been heaven sent. Most days I get up at 5.30am and often it'll be a few hours before I reach for the pen. I would never have done that with ciggies, unless I was out and waiting for pay day.
My research: Best cheapest starter kit is the joyetech ego aio at about $35 with a free juice from the vapeshed. 4x10ml suitable juices in many flavours, with a choice of nicotine levels, for $20, which lasts more than a week.
I upgraded recently, mainly because I wanted to use thicker e juices, so I went for a $60 Smok stick x8. Gave my old unit to a smoker friend and hope they can get the same result I did from it.
As a former hard core tar sucker, I believe, now that nicotine vapes are here, smokers able to do so, who don't change, are selfish, foolish or just ignorant. Harsh, but not like my 12mg nicotine vanilla butterscotch icecream clouds.
Poor homeless fellas got nowhere to recharge their vapes so they keep smoking cigarette butts…..
I smoke old stogies I have found, short but not too big around…..
And yet….
"Mr Pryor and business partner Jonathan Devery said they have been "astonished" at some city and district councils’ decisions recently to ban vaping.
Rotorua, Whangarei and Invercargill councils have banned vaping in public places and Hauraki District Council is considering doing the same.
The council is proposing new rules to discourage and de-normalise smoking and vaping."
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/vaping-company-slam-district-councils-ban-and-say-myths-need-busted
I sort of get that, though, even if there's no second hand smoke, I don't want to be breathing in someone elses lung puffs. I'd never smoke in public anyway, so no biggie for me.
Wouldn't stop me if I was desperate though, I'd just be discreet. Find a bike shed, or tennis court to slink behind. lol
I have about 2 kg of tobacco I grew it lol. More in the garden to come out. It'll be a useful commodity if shit hits the fan.
But haven't touched the stuff for the 3 1/2 years. I am not allowed to trade with it I'm not sure I'm even allowed to give it away so I drop it beside homeless people who can decide to pick it up or not hehe.
When I switched to homegrown I still had withdrawal – all those additives mate, seems they're addictive too. After a few janky days the homegrown was well superior to smoke. I cut back from 10 to 5 grams a day (yes I smoked 10g a day). That helped me to then move to the vape rather seamlessly.
I was getting pretty crook near the end of smoking too. Not enough breath, too much coughing. Glad that's behind me.
Lately been cutting down on other smoking… Going well! I reckon you hit an age and start to enjoy your faculties.
So nice to have options. I hope central government can direct local government not to be plonkers about it. Encourage vaping and get our whanau off the cigs!
Phillip Morris does not need another Superyacht.
All that leaf – Expect a ram raid any time soon lol
Make sure your production doesn't exceed 5kg. But then I am full of …. So take it how you want
" You may manufacture 5 kg or less of grow-your-own tobacco each year for your personal use without requiring a CCA licence and payment of excise duty, subject to conditions – see section 67 of the Act.
https://www.customs.govt.nz/business/excise/apply-for-a-licence/
Nope. That is useful information. Thank you.
wow – The Directors Cut people!
“Scientists have discovered that water is being released from the Moon during meteor showers. When a speck of comet debris strikes the Moon it vaporizes on impact, creating a shock wave in the lunar soil. For a sufficiently large impactor, this shock wave can breach the soil's dry upper layer and release water molecules from a hydrated layer below. This Director's Cut version of the video features additional narration and an extended interview with scientist Mehdi Benna.”
https://youtu.be/X8Zz14hQzgg
That was awesome. Moon water.
Look out you know who don't try to sell it.
Moonshine, yummy!
We're going to roast ourselves
https://twitter.com/mikarantane/status/1137451130089291778
Yep fucked alright
I've been listening to Radionz and there has been a Radio Tedtalk about Social Networking and how important it is to society. I have the feeling that is the idea around which that we need to do everything from now on.
The name of the very keen and vibrant speaker is Stephen Krizakis ? that's how it sounded but I can't confirm that – thre is precious little detail on Radionz site. So just registering that I heard it – comes on every Sunday night.
Earlier talks:
The TED Radio Hour is a National Public Radio series based on talks from annual gatherings where some of the world's deepest thinkers and innovators are invited to give the 18-minute "talk of their lives." TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design.
Here are some speakers from a Changing the World series from 26 May 2019 who seem to be covering subjects that come up regularly on this blog.
Changing The World – 26 May
From TED Radio Hour, 7:06 pm on 26 May 2019
Share this
Changing The World
What does it take to change the world for the better? In this week's TED Radio Hour, five TED speakers explore ideas on activism, what motivates it, why it matters, and how each of us can make a difference.
Ruby Sales: How Do We Maintain Our Courage To Fight For Change?
Dolores Huerta: Each Of Us Has A Voice, How Can We Use It For Social Change?
Jeremy Heimans: How Can We Harness Technology To Fuel Social Change?
Sarah Corbett: How Can Introverts Be Activists Too?
Angela Oguntala: How Do We Achieve The Future We Imagine?
Just when we need to use all our brains, the effects of democracy and laisssez faire seem to have fried our brains. Ugh.
White House Tried to Stop Climate Science Testimony, Documents Show June 8, 2019
Wanna-be authoritarianism creeps across the globe.
LONDON (Reuters) – Suspending parliament remains an option to ensure Britain leaves the European Union on Oct. 31, former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab said on Saturday, rejecting criticism of the measure from other Conservative leadership candidates.
Raab, who draws support from the most pro-Brexit wing of the Conservative Party, has refused to rule out suspending parliament until the Brexit deadline, if needed to prevent lawmakers from stopping a no-deal Brexit.
https://in.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-eu/pm-candidate-raab-says-suspending-parliament-remains-a-brexit-option-idINKCN1T90AX
Fossil Fool of the week
Kate MacNamara – Fossil Fuel Propagandist
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/113086544/mining-is-part-of-a-lowcarbon-future
The main theme of this apologist for Business As Usual, is that we need coal and other fossil fuels to smelt the steel needed for a renewable future.
There are alternatives. Alternatives that this apologist refuses to see. She is also a liar. There is no lithium being mined in New Zealand. She is trying to conflate this issue to justify the mining of coal and oil.
MacNamara decries the government's ban on mining on conservation land and arrogantly threatens, that the Prime Minister will live to regret this decision.
In tone MacNamara's article is condescending and arrogant, exactly reflecting the views of the mining industry. 'We know what we are talking about. You don't.'
MacNamara's argument is specious and superficial, contains no facts except for a shopping list from the UN for minerals, appeals to emotion instead of reason. And deliberately (and dishonestly) conflates mining lithium with mining fossil fuels
MacNamara completely glosses over the terrible danger that climate change represents. Calling it a "distant problem".
Mac Namara's claim that we need coal, to produce steel is a lie. Steel is an infinitely recyclable material. A simple google search reveals that the majority of the steel in the U.S. the world's third biggest producer after China and Japan, is made from recycled scrap, and not the smelting of ore with coal.
It is an unfortunate fact that in North America a lot of the electricity used in the arc furnaces is generated from coal, but that is not the case here in New Zealand, (and may not even remain the case in the US as renewables replace coal in generating electricity even in America.)
What a condescending prick she is. Paints the activists as a bunch of fools while she and her ilk are all business.
Didn't bother going past the first two paragraphs it is a hit piece on activism and a handjob for mining.
Kia ora The Am Show.
The national parties mess they made over 9 years has come back to bite them on the ASS ka pai.
I agree with Chester they system should give prisoners help as soon as they get into prison I say teach them there culture educate them reform them .Exactly Chester stop treating people like CRAP that will go along way too reforming them .If someone one is treated bad well they soon start behaving bad and do dumb stuff.
I will get a ta moko on my back of a Octopus riding a Whale in good time.
The Cricket World Cup is looking very exciting this year.
I think vaping is a good tool to give up smoking .
Mark there are people that are that dumb he could cause a lot of damage???
Ka kite ano
We did not think about the bad effects of plastic waste I bet some new about the problems of plastic especially when they new it would take a 1000 years to breakdown in the natural environment.
I remember when we had milk in glass bottles and paper bags we have to go back to glass and paper bags to save our environment for our mokopuna grandchildren it mite cost a bit more to start with but we will save billions not having to clean up the big mess of our waste.
How did we let plastic bags get everywhere?
They’re under our sinks, all over our streets, and filling the stomachs of dead whales. What can we do to stem the single-use scourge Today, much of our resource-intensive consumerism is still mindless, despite rising awareness of the impact of our plastic waste. Amid the hustle and convenience of a grocery store, it’s hard to connect our own behaviour to the distant problems in the depths of the oceans. But the dozens of perfectly intact plastic bagspulled from the stomach of a dead Cuvier’s beaked whale in the Philippines this spring could be from any of us. Those bags were once used in a grocery store – for an average of 12 minutes – just to carry that bottle of wine home. A study by the Washington-based Worldwatch Instituteestimated that 4-5tn bags, including shopping bags and trash bags, were made in 2002 alone
Ka kite ano link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jun/09/plastic-bags-single-use-waste-everywhere-how
Some Eco Maori music for the minute.
https://youtu.be/vqnwqsJYyiU
All the people out there with dyslexia don't be ashamed you will have better skills than others in some fields.
Eco Maori has dyslexia my spelling is bad .But I have skills that others don't for 1 I'm not a sheep that follows the leader I question everything I have other skills to .People with dyslexia are best to admit it and work hard on the skills you lack you will get better at that task if you focus on that skill.
It turns out "thinking outside of the box" comes more naturally to the dyslexic brain than the propensity to spell accurately.
It was a relief when I realized as an adult that I am dyslexic. What was even more liberating was realizing that many things I was good at were also because of dyslexia.
Each dyslexic has a different set of skills, and weaknesses, but there's a pattern of commonality that links people like Galileo, Pablo Picasso and Julia Child.
Dyslexics often think in pictures and can see multi-dimensionally which is why architect, gardener, chef and astronomer are careers that dyslexics gravitate toward.
Paradoxically, dyslexics struggle to write, but are often excellent authors, such as Roald Dahl and Agatha Christie. They have "vivid imaginations and are highly creative," according to Made by Dyslexia, which acknowledges, "9 in 10 dyslexics have poor spelling, punctuation and grammar but many are great writers."
Adept problem solving
Entrepreneur, billionaire and dyslexic Richard Branson is so passionate about championing the positive aspects of the dyslexic brain that he launched and supports a charity called Made by Dyslexia.
"Dyslexic people hold a unique set of skills that will be really important to business," Branson tweeted. These include "the ability to think flexibly and creatively and solve really complex problems by thinking different
Ka kite ano link below.
https://edition-m.cnn.com/2019/06/06/health/dyslexia-benefit-curnow/index.html?r=https%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2F
Love that post. My bro is dyslexic and by NZ standards very successful.
Kia ora Newshub.
I have a naval gauze but I not saying I don't want to put wind in national sales.
It is always the few who spoil it for the many the Murpara atm machine being stolen x2 .
EQC needs to up there fees to get more money to cover earthquakes. After Christchurch earthquake.
Bush fires in American again the cause dry conditions from Global warming.
Ka kite ano
Kia ora te ao Maori news.
Its good that the marae in Wellington that burned down it cool to see the whanau helping out in hard times. I say you will do good with your give a little page.
There you go some people cannot help profiling people it is good having funding for the issue surrounding racism .
Chris we don't have to stop dairy farming to stop the pollution they just have to convert to Organic farming. It would be to big a loss for Aotearoa to stop dairy farming you know how Rumplestitlskin actually turned his straw in gold he feed it to his cow she gave him milk and a calf he could keep milking the cow for 10 year and when she is old he sells her .What I'm getting at is there are no other way were you get paid for produce and don't have to kill the cow dairy farms are quite profitable if run correctly.
Good on Manu Bennett he is rasing the profile of Maori it doesn't look like anyone was close enough to get a fright.
A lot of people don't know how proud we should be for the foundation that out tipuna laid for us in te reo and Maori culture . It's sad to see the struggle that other indigenous cultures struggle to revitalize their language culture and mana .
Ka kite ano.
Edit is to short when you have low reception for the post above not many ways to making money when you get to keep the cow there are other things like wool ect ka kite ano