Looks like we are getting a rerun at 1984; agents of the state are taking over the personal identities of private citizens. The method involves voluntary yielding of the right to share identity, authorised by bureaucratic form.
Police are trying to assume the online identities of suspects and defendants by taking over their social media and email accounts to gather information. Defence lawyers concerned about their young and vulnerable clients alerted RNZ to a form the police are using, titled 'Consent to Assume Online Internet Identity'.
The New Zealand Bar Association and the Auckland District Law Society have written to Police Commissioner Andrew Coster, expressing their concern about police trying to assume people's online identities.
"Given the nature of the form and the concerns it raises, we are hoping for an urgent response," Queen's Counsel James Rapley said.
Criminal Bar Association president Fiona Guy Kidd said she was also concerned about the police tactic. "It is often very vulnerable people who are being asked to sign these." Auckland District Law Society president Marie Dyhrberg QC has also put her name to the concerns expressed to the Police Commissioner.
I was reading 'Snowcolour and the 7 little people' to my grandchild the other day,and it dawned on me that they faced a completely different world ,than what I had experienced growing up.
This brave new world of transformation, where people are offended,made uncomfortable or find words inappropriate means a reset of historical literature and the arts.
Nah mate, but if you find someone interesting, give 'em a quick google to see if nazi-adjacents are amongst their biggest fans.
That's my rule of thumb. Looking at a source helps figure out if they're publishing something because it suits their agenda, or if they're well out of their lane.
Then, if there's a claim of fact, check that – not with their links, with your own searches. Find items as close to original sources as possible. 99% of the time the most outrageous bits of a story have been over-egged.
And if there's no specific claim of fact, what good is the opinion in the real world? It affects nothing.
Media opinion pieces are like someone approaching you in the street, or knocking on your door. Very few people are doing it to advise you of an emergency or problem you need to know about. And most of them will be actual official "news".
But most people want something from you. They want money, or your name for a contact list they'll use to sell you stuff later, your soul, they want something. It's not about you, there's something in it for them. Sometimes it's something I'm prepared to go for, mostly it's not.
If I sign a petition, my contact number will often go onto a list for me to be sold something related to the petition later on.
These days, many media opinionators do the same thing – they get outrage clicks, but that still counts as "engagement". So more of that drivel gets made, and more of it gets targeted at you. The'll give you less John Oliver, more fucker carlson. And you'll begin to accept as normal some of the less extreme views, and the next thing you know you're a 5g antivax nutter believing Ardern is wearing a home detention ankle strap so she's under the control of the lizard people.
Check the basics, check your sources, you can avoid being a conceptual dumpster fire.
'These media sources are moderate to strongly biased toward conservative causes through story selection and/or political affiliation. They may utilize strong loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes), publish misleading reports and omit reporting of information that may damage conservative causes. Some sources in this category may be untrustworthy. See all Right Bias sources.
We rate Fox News strongly Right-Biased due to editorial positions and story selection that favors the right. We also rate them Mixed factually and borderline Questionable based on poor sourcing and the spreading of conspiracy theories.'
I wouldn't know about his views on race but I'm pretty sure that you would definitely disapprove of his economic theories. From the Wikipedia article on him it claims that
"Carlson has criticized hedge funds (singling out the Republican donor Paul Singer in 2019) and private equity (in criticizing Mitt Romney, former CEO of Bain Capital). He described the business model of firms like Bain as: "Take over an existing company for a short period of time, cut costs by firing employees, run up the debt, extract the wealth and move on, sometimes leaving retirees without their earned pensions. … Meanwhile, a remarkable number of the companies are now bankrupt or extinct." He attacked payday lenders, saying they "loan people money they can't possibly repay" and "charge them interest that impoverishes them" He praised Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren's economic plan and called her book The Two Income Trap "one of the best books I've ever read on economics".
So not a moron after all. I'll have to revise my view of the guy. Well, I'll give it a go but I suspect the false assumption will stick like a limpet & I may be unable to winkle my crowbar under the edge of it…
That was a very selective view from the article. Most of it is not like that at all. However he actually appears to have been reasonably sane in his younger days but his brain seems to have been addled by getting too close to Trump.
I mean back in 1999 he said
"In public correspondence in Slate with Texas Monthly's Evan Smith on November 29, 1999, Carlson agreed with Smith's low opinion of Donald Trump, who was then running for president with the Reform Party. Carlson wrote that Trump was "the single most repulsive person on the planet" and that the Reform Party consisted of "a bunch of wackos". Separately, he criticized the party's eventual nominee, Pat Buchanan"
no, it doesn't. If someone wants to make an argument based on quoting something off site, then a link is required, so that people can look at the argument and quote easily in context. Don't expect other people to do your work. The reason for that is because some people like to misrepresent arguments and cherry pick. Linking means people can pull them up on it easily.
The term “mother” was removed from Scottish government maternity policies after they were lobbied by a leading LGBT+ charity, it has emerged.
Stonewall urged ministers to remove gendered terms from policy documents and replace them with “gender neutral equivalents”.
lol. But yeah, shit ain't happening at all, no one is being erased, and when that erasure happens its to be 'inclusive' or its 'fun'.
Non Males, are they even human?
Luckily it is now time for the men to be erased. Cause why the fuck not. Vote "Left", when we are done with you guys, you all be 'people' the 21st century equivalent of 'peasant'.
Non Females, are they even human?
Good grief, the left has become a parody of everything that it ever stood for.
Vote left peasants, cause only the "left" knows what is good for you. Vote, peasant.
Also, it seems that alot of people read the Grimms stories and understood nothing.
The emperor did not promote alternative clothing, the emperor got fleeced by a conman and it took a kid to call him and his cowardly entourage and fearful citizens out on it. Just saying. But then vote left peasant, its all just fun and games.
If you stilled your outrage for a moment and thought about it you might understand.
If this sort of thing went to the courts and the word mother was existant then male same sex adoptive couples would be unable to claim maternity leave. Same for an intersex parent if they had male on their birth certificate.
And if you think a shitty employer wouldn't argue the case then more fool you.
Incredibly, it appears to be true and the word “mother” no longer appears in Scottish government documents relating to maternity leave. On a pedantic note, you can’t really have “maternity” leave if you don’t have “mothers” since they both have the same derivation.
In one of several changes aimed at climbing the rankings, the Scottish government removed the word “mother” from its maternity policy, replacing a passage that included the term with “you must be the spouse or partner (including same-sex partner) or the pregnant woman”.
Honey, i will never still my outrage, being a good obedient submissive doormat ain't my stylez…sorry.
Secondly, Women – and only Women – and that includes trans identified women and 'Non Males' of all pronouns, are the ones to give birth. Only them. And the word means nothing more then women giving birth. Freddy McDonald might want to pretend they are a man getting IVF for their second child, but frankly no.
but because you don't actually seem to know what the word maternity means:
I forgot that the very rare occurrences in nature are the new norm and female mothers don't actually give birth as a rule.
I don't see why , for true inclusivity, the word mother cannot be used in the term maternity leave. Mothers most often will be applying.Simply because they earn less, and have the anatomy for breast feeding.
So we could have "mothers and others providing primary care"
Why get rid of the term "mother "when that is the very person most often being the prime carer
Gotta say that you and Sabine are incredibly patronising and passive aggressive, not exactly motherly traits 😁
And starting with a strawman argument is a good way to demonstrate you are not coming to this issue in good faith.
If you had read and listened, you would understand.
Scottish intersex person gets pregnant & applies for maternity leave.
Shitbag employer points out that the policy and legislation states mother.
Points to the definition of mother.
Employment court requests policy documents to determine intent of legislation.
Court only sees the word mother in policy documents, ties it to definition.
Finding = not a mother, no maternity leave.
Intersex parent fucked over because people like you want to determine who is and is not mother.
Why do I feel that the link to that study is a bit of a Galileo moment for the GC dogmatists here? Oh yeah, because it proves their "only women" argument is wrong, that's why.
"Intersex can get pregnant and give birth". Of course they can if they have ovaries and a womb.
These very rare intersex people have both male and female genitalia. I don't know what you case (closed) is.
I think the issue is that a small minority of very vocal people are trying to change language and many people don't agree with that. As well as language a small minority who believe in a certain ideology are trying to change how we categorized men and women. This has implications for all sorts of things particularly for women…… spaces such as changing rooms to protect women and girls privacy and decency, level playing field sporting competitions just to name a couple are areas where many biological women want to preserve their separte categories. I always smell a rat when people are telling me I have to accept their view or else I am a bigot aka a really bad person. I am not the type to go along with endorsing the emperors new clothes just because of group think. Or the spin line the emperor is not naked he is just endorsing a new clothing optional life style (funny, maybe but I also think of other euphemisms aimed at disguising truth)
Many who comment on this site fail to acknowledge the validity of this and piss around with links such as you have about a very, very very very rare biological abnormality that has allowed an infitesinal number of people to fertilize their own ovas. It proves nothing. Biological sex is real and immutable.
You have repeatedly stated there are only two sexes. You state this above as well as acknowledging there are intersex people. These are mutually incompatible statements.
Sabine stated that only women can give birth. That was incorrect. CASE MOTHER FUCKING CLOSED.h
Those pregnant intersex individuals DID NOT impregnate themselves. And, to repeat this for the cognitively challenged IT IS NOT A STUDY OF EVERY INTERSEX INDIVIDUAL IN THE WORLD.
You have never acknowledged these errors and still refuse to. This makes you the ideologue. If you think this makes you a bigot, that's on you.
Can't be bothered with the rest of your screed, you will never acknowledge your mistakes so its pointless.
I have to say I am one of the few people on this site who do acknowlegde my mistakes. On occassion people have use this against me. So be it.
The vast majority of the small minority of people who are intersex are either xx or xy chromosome. The information about intersex people is often used by trans activist to muddy the waters about the issue of biological men identitfying as women and their demands for above and beyond the human rights we all have. These activists demand that we suspend our reality and treat them as if they had the biology of a woman not a man. This includes feeling entitled to demand that biological men who identify as women should be allowed to conduct intimate examinations on women for example women have been raped.
The issue for me is gender ideology and some of its proponants claim that biological sex is irrelevant and gender identity trumps it. I strongly disagree with this position. Women like myself are being shut down with cheap shots like accusing us of biogetry or transphobia. The fear of being accused of this mean many people fall into line with the demands of the trans activists. I don't
I'm male & usually critical of the alphabet soup tribe, but I get that you seem to be making a valid point.
Scottish intersex person gets pregnant & applies for maternity leave. Shitbag employer points out that the policy and legislation states mother. Points to the definition of mother. Employment court requests policy documents to determine intent of legislation. Court only sees the word mother in policy documents, ties it to definition. Finding = not a mother, no maternity leave.
So this intersex pregnant person cannot be a mother legally despite being a mother in biological reality. Am I right?
If so, the law is an ass (as usual). It will have to be changed to encompass relevant minority rights. Natural justice!
So we get rid of the word mother that best describe the very vast majority of people who give birth. We like the word mother. Its part of our identity as women.
Can you point to a link of any news organization that would have written about the story that you are trying to peddle here, cause i can find nothing. Unless you do, i consider your story to be not valid.
And contrary to some, i don't refuse news organizations just because they might not be 'my type of ' news. So feel free to link and let us all read up on the Story of the Intersex person who was refused maternity leave by an employer for reasons.
Isn't that because the intersex person has identified as a man?
Anyway, change the shit head employer not the word mother. Take him to court. Afterall people like Maya Forstatar had to go to court to defend her GC views.
Are you saying that the word "mother" has not been deleted from the maternity policy document of the Scottish Civil Service, which is what I see that Sabine was writing about.
You're linking to some other unit.
I totally agree about the shitbag employer, but that isn't fixed by getting rid of the word "mother"
How about "mother or other primary caregiver"
Language is for clarity , not obscuration in the name of inclusiveness.
Think of a Venn diagram, not all women are mothers and not all mothers are women. Venn diagrams are an excellent way of measuring inclusion / exclusion.
As for 'language is for clarity"- "other primary caregiver" is pretty vague and open to interpretation and abuse as the NZ Family Court has demonstrated.
You should recognise this if you're so keen on clarity.
Speaking of which, want to explain why you called me "Cindy"? Its Cinder, or is there a Cindy that you were directing that question to?
Just kidding, I know you were just being a patronising dick.
Cinder, with respect to your opinions in response to those of others, as far as I'm concerned your comments are coming through as being quite aggressive and rude. Shouting is not necessary. Tone it down a bit.
Can intersex people have children or get pregnant?
The short answer is: maybe. Like any person, it depends on body parts. (And sometimes, help from technology.)
Making an embryo requires sperm from testes to meet an egg from an ovary. After that, the fetus needs a place to grow—usually that’s a uterus. These days, there are many ways for all of that to happen, even for non-intersex people. It is not possible for any human to reproduce without another person, including with donation and medical technology!
Can intersex people reproduce?
If an intersex person has a penis and testes that make sperm, they may be able to cause a pregnancy. Some intersex people have a vulva, vagina, and internal testes. Those testes might contain tissue that could be used to reproduce, with technology’s help in the future.
If an intersex person has a uterus, they may be able to carry a pregnancy. If they have ovaries or ovotestes, that tissue could be used for reproduction in some cases. Some intersex people do have ovaries, a uterus, and a vagina, and could get pregnant by contact with sperm.
Fertility is different for each intersex person. Many, but not all, intersex variations do result in infertility. Plenty of other intersex people have had their fertility taken away by non-consensual surgeries to make their bodies appear “normal.” Examples include when internal testes are removed, or when other genital surgeries create scar tissue that makes penetrative sex painful or impossible. This is a sensitive topic. Let intersex people share at their own pace, if they choose.
Now frankly i think you made up a bit of a story, to bolster a point you never had. But i am happy to see you link to your support your story.
But for a bit of fun lets play with the removal of words to be properly excluding of the female body (who gives a fuck about our emotions and needs anyways) who ejected a non female child some two thousand and 21 years ago.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among persons and blessed is the fruit of thy incubator, Jesus. Holy Mary, Ejector of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Would that work for your and all others who would like to remove any mention of women from the reproductive cycle?
And let me remind you again, just in case you forgot or have a hard time understanding, men don't birth children, trans identified men don't birth children, non of the male pronoun punters will ever birth a child. The ones birthing children on this planet are the women, trans identified females, and female pronoun punters. And just for some basic decency leave intersex people out of this discussion as they have a very different live compared to most of us.
The New Zealand legislation (from 1987) refers to parental leave (including in the title) and partner leave. One reason for that is it can be shared between the parents.
Doxing who? I replied to Blazer, because they said,
At least we can put…..'mansplaining' to…bed.
Read their whole comment, context is everything.
My moderator (not Admin) suggestion, is that you settle down and pay attention to how things work here. Numbering on replies would be a start, but culture would help too.
Same explanation that the non male senator gave.If you accept that definition…you must also accept…womansplaining…agree?
No. Mansplaining is a thing because we live in a sexist society. It's specific to men, probably a combination of socialisation alongside the tendency of men to be single point focused and women tending to be collective focused (socialisation is most like the far bigger influence).
I didn't bother with the video, stopped watching at the point I realised his probable mansplaining had been edited out (i.e. early on) and so the rest couldn't be judged in context.
btw, I think the definition in the Lexico link is limited. Mansplaining is when a man tries to explain to a woman something she patently already understands, especially when it's her area of expertise. But where he fails to recognise her understanding/expertise because sexism. Hence the patronising or condescending tone.
Nope, it's not reliant on toxic masculinity (a term I don't use). It's reliant on observation of how some men function in society. It's not rocket science. It's clear by now that you don't like it being named /shrug.
please provide three different examples (quotes and links, not just quotes) of womansplaining that fits the definition I gave except it's done by women. And then provide evidence that it's a social phenomenon not just some random occurences.
@weka
I could suggest as an example your own untiring efforts this past year or so at explaining – very patiently I must say – that males and females are biologically different and that this has substantial implications on how the two sexes both behave and are treated in society.
Blazer, you made the claim that there is a social dynamic called womansplaining. I'm asking you for some evidence if this dynamic. That you can't produce any is in no way surprising to me, because it's not actually a thing. My boundaries around evidence are pretty standard and I can easily provide this evidence for the existence of mansplaining.
'I didn't bother with the video, stopped watching at the point I realised his probable mansplaining had been edited out (i.e. early on) and so the rest couldn't be judged in context.'
Recent protestors have been on about lifting all covid restrictions – going back to 'normal.' We are too conservative they say. We should follow the model of other places, we're dragging the chain. Maybe a report out today could focus us.
Denmark has a population of 5.8 million. They've had 405,000 covid cases and 2,740 deaths.
"Two months ago, Denmark was riding high. The European nation lifted all remaining domestic coronavirus restrictions as the government declared Covid-19 was no longer "an illness which is a critical threat to society.”
With a successful vaccine rollout in their back pocket, Danes essentially returned to pre-pandemic daily life. They visited nightclubs and restaurants without showing a "Covid passport," used public transport without having to wear a mask and met in large numbers without restrictions.
The optimism of mid-September has been short-lived.
Denmark, like many countries across Europe, is now considering whether to reinstate restrictions as the continent battles a surge of Covid-19 cases that has pushed the region back into the epicenter of the pandemic.
Denmark's rise in case comes after a successful vaccine rollout, with 88.3% of its adult population fully vaccinated, according to the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC).
On Monday the Danish government proposed reintroducing a digital "corona pass" — used as proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test — for entering bars and restaurants, as the country faces a third wave of infections, Reuters reported.
The measure will be subject to parliamentary approval. But it comes against the urgent new backdrop of steadily rising cases — from a low of just over 200 daily infections in mid-September to around 2,300 in recent days.
How about we just start to come to grips with the reality that the pfizer jab does not prevent catching the virus, transmitting the virus, and will probably not prevent long term Covid issues either.
The best we can hope for is that we don't all need the hospital at the same time. And considering the sad state of our healthcare we all should pray that it wont come to the overload and the expected collapse of our health care system.
The worst, is that we catch Covid despite the jabs, even more then once, and every time Covid will kill us a bit, and our healthcare system collapses.
It is the plague, and we are in for a ride that will last at least two more years. We have not seen anything yet, i fear.
I want to know why we have virtually put all our eggs in the pfizer basket. They, like all the Pharma companies, are untrustworthy. Let's see independent research results of the range of vaccines available( and that includes the Sputnik) and make 3 or 4 of them widely available.
Well I'm surprised the Government is recommending Astra Zeneca as the alternative. A number of problems with Australia's version. They are now offering Pfizer.
Thats why I keep banging on about investigating and getting and using effective treatments for covid before it develops into a serious infection, instead of waiting for hospitalisations.
Thats why I keep banging on about investigating and getting and using effective treatments for covid…
They have been since the start of the epidemic. There are at least 4 effective treatments currently known. The new antivirals from Merck, from Pfizer, and at least two other ones. A antibody infusion and at least one other antiviral remdesier (or something like that) which was useless on critical cases but ok on preventative after infection. All of these are effective post infection.
I am not even going to comment on the travesties of self interest with invermectin, chloroquinine and bleach – all of which failed basic testing, even when you include the faked studies.
But what you are after – a preventative treatment before infection that isn't a vaccine is actually the hardest to get. It is usually a matter of luck and decades before one of those is found. It is also the hardest to prove – just look at how long it took to prove the HIV cocktail. Frequently the side effects make the risk only worth while if you have a grave risk of contracting the disease.
I suspect that there is a lot of work going on for that kind of treatment. I haven't read of any credible trials yet.
Typically the best preventative for most disease is any vaccine because it diminishes the chances of beachhead or breakthrough infections. It does it by training your own immune system.
Tell your 14 year old daughter to wait before having sex .Tell her it is the best , safest option
She tells you you are full of shit and says she's not going to take your advice
You keep on trying to persuade her
She digs her heels in
Eventually you stop your futile insistence and do something else .Like provide a contraceptive.
You can bang on about vaccines til the cows come home and the horses have bolted the stable, there will be many , by the looks of it , who will still refuse.
Remdesivir, fluvoxamine perhaps might make up useful treatments
all of which failed basic testing, even when you include the faked studies.
Having followed some of this a lot more closely that you have – there is a lot more to the story than your airy dismissal.
Ivermectin now has a well described mechanism of action against viral replication, and what a lot of people missed was that it was already being studied for this before COVID came along. It's why it was trialed by the original Monash University team in the first place.
If the clinical evidence has proven difficult to pin down – and there are many legit reasons why this has been so – the odious torrent of unjustified 'horse dewormer' bullshit from the 'only the vaccines can save us' crowd isn't.
I suspect that most of the clinical trials have been with hospitalised cases(very easy and convenient sample to source), rather than the just tested positive cases.Its the early intervention ivermectin is being touted for.
Not far away from the 90% level from a different perspective.Over the last three weeks the breakthrough cases for fully vaccinated has risen from 4.75 to 8.8% of the positive cases, an increase of around 85%.
It appears they Denmark, did not have any rules once "Freedom" arrived. So no vaccination passes, no masks, and clubs pubs, and concerts for 50 000 took place.
…and Denmark is having around 4-5 deaths per day, which is so far a lot fewer than in the peaks of their previous waves (which were 10-30+ per day for quite long periods). Presumably deaths are lower because of the vaccination rate, but they are also currently creeping up.
Herd immunity was recognized as a naturally occurring phenomenon in the 1930s when it was observed that after a significant number of children had become immune to measles, the number of new infections temporarily decreased.
Mass vaccination to induce herd immunity has since become common and proved successful in preventing the spread of many infectious diseases.
Opposition to vaccination has posed a challenge to herd immunity, allowing preventable diseases to persist in or return to populations with inadequate vaccination rates. The exact herd immunity threshold (HIT) varies depending on the basic reproduction number of the disease.
We identified five studies, which estimated the basic reproductive number for Delta. Table 1 shows that the basic reproductive number for Delta ranged from 3.2 to 8, with a mean of 5.08.
And here
R-naught estimates are complex and not as straightforward as many assume. The number is constantly changing and is not an exact science. The variables that scientists use to calculate the R-naught can range across populations. The R-naught value is a representation—not an exact number— of how infectious a disease may be. The more time that passes, and the more data that is collected, the more accurate the number will be.
The R-naught for influenza is two, which means an average person sick with the flu will infect two others. Some people will infect more than two others, and some will infect fewer. However over a long enough period of time, we can estimate that the average is two.
The R-naught for the original strain of COVID-19 was recently estimated to be three. That is greater than the R-naught for influenza and lower than the R-naught for HIV. Because the Delta variant is more contagious than the original strain of COVID-19, its R-naught is higher than original strains of the virus.
The current R-naught for the Delta variant falls between five and nine, according to recent documents from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC).
So the flaw in herd immunity theory is psychological, inasmuch as it gets promoted in the media & word of mouth as something that works – whereas the extent to which it actually works is context-dependent.
From an ecological perspective, it makes sense to see it as a dynamic interplay between the evolving Covid strains & the immune systems of people in particular social contexts…
If a surge occurs at 90%, a return to level 4 lockdown as a circuit breaker will be needed.
A good strategy might be to take the opportunity to use the L4 as a whip to get vaccination up, not lifting the L4 lockdown till the 95% vaccination level is reached.
So I see the sale of state assets is continuing under this government.
The Australian inurance giant NIB is acquiring 100% of the shares in Kiwi Insurance Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of state-owned bank and financial services provider Kiwi Group Holdings Limited.
I thought a change in government in 2017 was going to end this.
Again we are left deepely disappointed with this big talk, but little do government.
Education spokesman Paul Goldsmith released a new suite of education policies on Tuesday, arguing schools currently closed, should immediately reopen to make up for lost class time.
More evidence in favour of Ivermectin … but I'm seriously confused here because I've been led to believe by aggressively assertive Clintonista echo-chamber tribalists that this could only be deliberate misinformation spouted by Trump-supporting anti-vaxxer "deplorables" who never went to boarding-school … yet John Campbell is a doubly-vaxxed leading medic, looking forward to his upcoming booster shot … & almost certainly of a Lab / Lib Dem persuasion. So now I'm scrathcing my head. It’s almost as if – for all their outrageously pompous swaggering – the Clintonista Shill-boys have a tendency to talk complete & utter bollocks.
That goes hand in hand with this dairy Daily Kos, which talks about the little already approved generic pill that could very cheaply vs the not yet approved – but hyped branded pills that may do, but very expensively so.
It is useful because of its anti-inflammation effect, it can be given after monoclonal antibodies, and earlier than the steroid is used. Of course it can also be given to the vaccinated alongside anti-viral treatments.
Yes, fluvoxamine is looking promising and very cheap!
Ivermectin has a well-understood safety profile when a recommended course at the recommended dose is used. Unfortunately some people are taking random amounts in random ways, which is not necessarily safe at all.
Gsays
I know , when I posted the link to that I was told, but ah yes . their deaths would be under reported .Nothing short of a hugely profit making pharmaceutical will do
Unfortunately, because of the ridiculous linking of ivermectin with dumbasses, it probably won’t get any traction because people have been turned against it
For some reason, fluvoxamine has escaped the pile on, and might be the better bet .But have we made any moves re this?
One Indian medic said they were replacing the malaria drug with it (its use was widespread), because it had fewer health complications when taken, and it might stop the virus attaching to cells.
My reckons have it that they have gone too far down the path of Pfizer vaccine being the be all and end all. To muddy the communication waters with another prophylactic measure would be too confusing for us.
Might place them in breach of contract too?
Funny how when it suits a narrative (lots of covid cases) there is nothing wrong with the reporting, then suddenly, incompetence, under reporting, faulty data etc, come to the fore.
There is a LOT of money to be made from Covid, Uttar Pradesh is not helping.
If it turns out that Ivermectin is useless the cost for not using it will be nil. If it turns out it was useful all along – how do we count the cost of that?
Otherwise the dry Scottish /sarc is a thing of joy.
Let's say that ivermectin actually is beneficial against covid:
The people who jumped at it based on scant evidence still fucked up. They could have as easily jumped on the hydowhatsis, vitamin D, and other bandwagons with the same meagre amount of evidence.
Meanwhile, they pushed up the price for people who actually needed all those things for uses that had a good evidence base at the time. So, yay. Nutters lucked out.
And I might say that for real if the evidence base is more than youtube-dude shilling thunkses to the gullible.
The comment is independent of whether someone finally has a solid evidence base for their youtube claims. And how long has this dude been plugging it? Isn't he the dude with a phd in some sort of online nurse training? what else has he been shilling for clicks?
Because it's fun. And it separates the hypothetical consequences of the "let's say" from the rest of the comment, while bullet points or blockquotes seemed a bit weird in that context.
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What was the initial price and how much has it risen?
I see a few countries have widely used it for covid with none of the ill effects warned of .Are you saying they drove the price up?Has its wide use in Africa driven the price up ?
I doubt that people buying veterinary ivermectin have priced it off the market for horse owners
Yes. Because I care about snake oil remedies and grasping at straws when they undermine actual knowledge about how to deal with this pandemic.
It's quackery being shilled by people who are paid for the attention they get rather than the accuracy of their information.
Pharmac has progressively announced funding for about half a dozen treatments based on their cost and effectiveness. If ivermectin is cheap and has a research base to support it, does pharmac fund it for covid? Quick, send them youtube videos!
I hate not being able to properly reference this, but the cost of Ivermectin was literally pennies. Cheap as. Mostly used in extremely poor third world countries. Unfortunately Covid has forced the price up (that old supply and demand thing) and I believe some are paying mega bucks. Here in NZ, when it was still able to be prescribed by your GP, I know of one couple who paid about $250 each for enough tablets for their family for prevention and if necessary treatment. And no, was not me. (Although it would be a handy tool to have in the tool box.)
How does it feel to lose your job to bullying, homophobia and just because 'women' who don't fully submit don't get to have nice things. And yes resigning – aka self selecting to get out of a shitty situation because your employer and your union can't be bothered upholding their own goddamn standards and 'values' is still being fired and i do hope that Kathleen Stock may consider action against her ex employer and the union involved.
Kathleen Stock at the BBCs Women hour in her own words.
National is demanding that children in Auckland have a month of schooling before the end of the year. It seems that their COVID for Christmas campaign is going up to the top gear.
The horror of rest of the world standard pandemic management is presumably supposed to drive people back to their cold embrace.
Back in 2020 the Irish hosted their relatives living in the UK home for Christmas.
Our risk is young people infected and their grandparents whose vaccine immunity meeting at Christmas (we need a lot of rapid testing before the get togethers).
From emails already received from parents regarding attendances, will be 40-60% attendance. So there will be a reduced risk there.
Feel sympathy towards those school leaders and the prep that has and will be required for next week. It will me messy and for simplistic reasons perhaps primary school would have been best to continue on line, with a visit to pick up work and clear out their desks on a staged basis during the last week of school. Hopefully parents that are keeping their children at home will not expect any on line teaching for the remaining 4 weeks.
Did I hear correctly that the curriculum changes have been deferred a year ?
Not just the prep but the logistics of getting them to and from school, explaining the rules and reassuring the children. Children are resilient but they also know when they are being hood winked.
I collect 2 primary school age children a couple days a week. I have done so throughout the pandemic, I see what goes on.
Haven't Labour just decided they will go back on the 17th of November? Aren't they still the government?
I wasn’t expecting the young ones to go back until next year.
Any worker who quit working at the Dunedin bakery that just got ordered to pay $300k for shocking abuse and underpayment of staff, could have had a WINZ stand down of over three months before getting an unemployment benefit.
Stand down periods should go, they take the power from the worker and give it to the employer – including to employers that don't deserve to have any power.
Mbie haven't got any where enough investigative staff.Allowing these heinous employers to get away with slavery.Since the employment contracts act employer's have been getting away with wage theft.
If anyone hasn't yet caught up with what the protest placards were saying in Wellington yesterday, here's a helpful guide. Again: it's right there, in their own words.
Michael Bassett writes – I’m not sure that it’s much comfort to anyone to know that the post-Covid surge in violent crimes, gang activity, ram raids, random shootings, thuggery and stabbings is occurring in other countries as well as New Zealand. These days, wagging school, out-of-control welfare and ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – Cast your mind back to mid-December. A new Prime Minister had just been sworn in, the new Government started its 100-day programme, and Christmas was only days away.Amid all the haste, a report landed that would have deserved our attention.I am talking about the ...
TL;DR: An unseasonally early icy blast at the same time as some long-overdue maintenance almost caused Aotearoa-NZ’s electricity system to black out this week. That’s because a quadropoly of gentailers1 have prioritised paying dividends from their rising profits and adding debt over investing in 1.5 GigaWatts of new wind farms ...
Hi,Before we crack into today’s Webworm, I wanted to acknowledge the fact that Israel is pushing into Rafah. Over 100,000 Palestinians are now attempting to flee the one place that was deemed “safe”.Trouble is, the place they’re fleeing to is already destroyed. Total annihilation is the end goal here.“Israel is ...
‘It has been said that figures rule the world. Maybe. I am quite sure that it is figures which show us whether it is being ruled well or badly.’ GoetheI was struck at a recent conference on equity for the elderly, how many presenters implicitly relied upon Statistics New Zealand. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveReporting on defence spending late last year, RNZ said the coalition government will have to make some tough calls this term to help the force address staff shortages and ageing infrastructure. “These are huge, huge amounts of government spending. It’s a significant proportion of the government’s ...
Peter Dunne writes – I am always wary when I hear that the Controller and Auditor-General has commented on or made recommendations to the government about an issue of public policy that does not relate strictly to public expenditure. According to the legislation, the role of the Controller ...
How Labour’s and National’s failure to move beyond neoliberalism has brought NZ to the brink of economic and cultural chaos Chris Trotter writes – TO START LOSING, so soon after you won, requires a special kind of political incompetence. At the heart of this Coalition ...
And why did the Crown not challenge the Tribunal’s jurisdiction? Gary Judd writes – Retired District Court Judge, David Harvey, has posted on his A Halflings View Substack an excellent summary of Justice Isacs’ judgment declining to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result?As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and ...
Macklemore isn’t someone I’d usually think about. Sure I liked his big hit from a few years back, everybody did it was catchy and cool with some memorable lines. But if I was going to think of artists who might speak out on political matters or world events, he wouldn’t ...
Another week goes by in the Luxon government’s efforts to roll back the past 70 years of social progress. The school lunches programme is to be downgraded by $107 million, and women need bother their heads no longer about pay equity, let alone expect ACC to provide adequate sexual violence ...
Brrr, the first cold snap of the year. Hope you’re rugged up nice and warm. Here are some stories that caught our eye this week… This Week on Greater Auckland On Monday, we had a post from a new contributor, Connor Sharp, who dug into the public feedback ...
Almost all of the Wellington City Council’s recommended zoning changes to allow many more apartments and townhouses in its inner-suburbs have been approved.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guest on geopolitics, ...
Open access notablesA Global Increase in Nearshore Tropical Cyclone Intensification, Balaguru et al., Earth's Future:Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict substantial coastal damages, making it pertinent to understand changing storm characteristics in the important nearshore region. Past work examined several aspects of TCs relevant for impacts in coastal regions. However, ...
Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result? As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and always answered “yes”, with very few ...
Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
Alwyn Poole writes – After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
Eric Crampton writes – A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
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 ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
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. ...
New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestine’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
An Australian Strategic Policy Institute report says Pillar Two could raise the industry to state of the art capability - or "crush" it "under the weight of the globe's biggest player". ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marlene Longbottom, Associate Professor, Indigenous Education & Research Centre, James Cook University ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the violence experienced by First Nations people in encounters with the Australian carceral system. It also contains references to ...
“Instead of following along countries that are investing in death and better ways of killing people faster, we need to invest in life and in making Aotearoa a fair, just and equitable place where everyone has what they need for a dignified life.” ...
MARIAMENO KAPA-KINGI, TPM MP FOR TAI TOKERAU This Government will not waver in its mission to exterminate Māori. CHRISTOPHER LUXON Oh well look you know I don’t think that hard-working Kiwis want to hear language like that. It’s just really unhelpful rhetoric. My Government is genuinely committed to advancing outcomes ...
The body positivity movement started with women confronting the unrealistic expectations and unrepresentative portrayals of them in media and advertising. Men weren’t part of it … their bodies hadn’t been sexualised to the same extremes and they didn’t really need it. But now that’s changed. And in a warped sort ...
The New Zealand comedy legend takes us through her life in television, including the time she hugged Elton John and the unshakeable legacy of a girl named Lyn. In 1981, Ginette McDonald stood on the stage of Auckland’s St James Theatre and directly addressed Queen Elizabeth II. It was a ...
An essay by Lily Duval from the just-released anthology Otherhood: Essays on being childless, childfree and child adjacent.I was 22 when my friend Alice gave birth in the living room of our pokey Addington flat. She laboured in the blow-up pool for hours. Garish fish swam along the inflated ...
Ella Borrie on the best books about motherhood she’s come across so far. Over the past few years I’ve been drawn to books about motherhood. I’m fascinated by the joys and horrors of becoming a parent. The question of children also feels more pressing than it used to. It’s like ...
Out of gift ideas for mum? You can’t go wrong with a bottle of toilet cleaner and a new squeegee. Emily Writes is the writer and editor of Emily Writes Weekly. This week marks five years since I published a post on The Spinoff about Mother’s Day marketing titled ‘A ...
My husband is posted overseas for 12 months and I’m armed with an expensive, newfangled vibrator. Will I miss him? The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.A few days after my husband leaves, a new sex toy arrives at the front door. Nestled ...
Jaimie Baird’s new book Here Today Gone Tomorrow is a record of four decades of graffiti and street art in Wellington, told through more than 1,200 photographs. He spoke with Joel MacManus about what inspired the book. How did you first get interested in photographing street art? I remember ...
Editor Madeleine Chapman looks back at a busy week where food of all political leanings dominated. Sometimes you’re just going about your week thinking you’ve got a good handle on what might be coming as far as news topics and then someone (usually a politician) says something so ridiculous that ...
In a week of cold rain and frost, the climate in courtroom four upstairs at the Invercargill courthouse was simmering with restrained indignation. At times it felt like the famous Mexican standoff scene from Reservoir Dogs, or, as someone watching the proceedings described it, there was so much throwing of ...
A banner notification alerts me to the fact that I’ve received an Instagram message from @felicity.loves. She always comments on my posts. I shouldn’t have opened the message, but clicked on the notification before rationalising this. OMG! Are you in Wellys? X I debate not replying, but Instagram will inform ...
In Melbourne’s hardscrabble western suburbs where AFL – Aussie rules football – is a state religion, Callum Donaldson has been quietly grafting away, four months into an odyssey that he hopes will take him to another promised land: the NRL. It was a solid 2023 for the softly spoken 20-year-old ...
Pacific Media Watch Television New Zealand Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to investigative journalism and Pacific communities in a ceremony at Government House, reports 1News. She has been the Pacific correspondent for 1News since 2002, breaking many ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Tuesday’s budget will respond to the deepening public agitation over Australia’s housing shortages by pouring new money into crisis accommodation for women and children, social housing and infrastructure. A specially-convened national cabinet late Friday ticked ...
By Kaneta Naimatu in Suva Journalists in the Pacific region play an important role as the “eyes and ears on the ground” when it comes to reporting the climate crisis, says the European Union’s Pacific Ambassador Barbara Plinkert. Speaking at The University of the South Pacific (USP) on World Press ...
Aldora Itunu is back in the Black Ferns squad after a three-year absence. The last of her 24 internationals was an underwhelming loss to France (7-29) in Castres to conclude the disastrous 2021 Northern Tour. The powerhouse prop won a Rugby World Cup in 2017 and thought she was done. ...
The fight to control major transport policy and projects in Auckland has burst into the open again, with councillors rejecting Mayor Wayne Brown’s latest attempt to steer things more under his influence. Councillors from the left and right broke ranks on the mayor’s bid to control Auckland Transport more directly ...
Exhausted by the general election campaign, horrified by the twilight zone of coalition negotiations, distracted by the silly season and waiting for the honeymoon to begin, Raw Politics has been in hibernation since October. From today, we’re back. Our weekly political video show and podcast returns for ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Authorities in the small town of Boulouparis have commemorated Armistice Day on May 8 with a new memorial honouring New Zealand soldiers who were stationed in New Caledonia during World War II. The ceremony took place in the township on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Dehm, Senior lecturer, international migration and refugee law, University of Technology Sydney The High Court unanimously ruled today that the Australian government can keep asylum seekers in immigration detention indefinitely in cases where they do not “voluntarily” cooperate with their own ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Munro, Lecturer, Creative Industries and Digital Media, University of South Australia Twenty-four hours after the release of Macklemore’s pro-Palestine protest song Hind’s Hall on social media on May 7, the video had already notched up over 24 million views. In ...
Failing to anticipate the complexity of the consenting system is being cited as the the current builder's shortcomings, an Infrastructure Commission review says. ...
Failing to anticipate the complexity of the consenting system is being cited as the the current builder's shortcomings, an Infrastructure Commission review says. ...
350 Aotearoa is calling the Environment Select Committee’s decision to allow oral submissions from just 40% of individual, unique submitters who asked to speak to the committee ‘a disgraceful blight to democracy’. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Helal, Assistant Dean (Sustainability), The University of Melbourne Dubai skylineAleksandarPasaric/Pexels Since ancient times, people have built structures that reach for the skies – from the steep spires of medieval towers to the grand domes of ancient cathedrals and mosques. Today ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Musole, PhD Law Student, University of New England Girts Ragelis/ShutterstockRecent trends show Australians are increasingly buying wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. These electronics track our body movements or vital signs to provide data throughout the day, with ...
Papua New Guinea experienced a significant earthquake on 24 March in East Sepik and there has also been recent flooding there and in surrounding provinces. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yousuf Mohammed, Dermatology researcher, The University of Queensland Maridav/Shutterstock You wake up, stagger to the bathroom and gaze into the mirror. No, you’re not imagining it. You’ve developed face wrinkles overnight. They’re sleep wrinkles. Sleep wrinkles are temporary. But as your ...
The Environment Select Committee has just announced that 60 percent of individuals who asked to speak at the hearings will not be heard. This equates to almost 700 people who made individual submissions and more than 1000 more who made a form submission. ...
The Royal New Zealand Ballet is performing Swan Lake around the country. What kind of dream does the ballet sell?Before going to see the Royal New Zealand Ballet perform Swan Lake, I had about as much familiarity with the plot of this ballet as could be expected from having ...
A new poem by Auckland poet Eamonn Tee. High Tide at Local Maxima It is only going to get worse. The streams will be narrow and fickle. The week will bend and buckle like a pot-bellied waist. You will make it to the weekend with one ...
The New Zealand entrepreneur behind beauty business Ethique is gearing up to launch a new eco-venture. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Our thirst for a tasty bevvy is insatiable, but it comes with a hefty plastic price for the planet: 580 billion ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 James by Percival Everett (Mantle, $38) A retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from ...
By Kamna Kumar in Suva Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Henry Puna stressed the importance of media freedom and its link to the climate and environmental crisis at the 2024 World Press Freedom Day event organised by the University of the South Pacific’s journalism programme. Under the theme “A Planet for ...
Tara Ward previews a new local TV series offering alternative visions of motherhood. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. A woman is clambering up the side of her two-story house, clinging desperately to a drainpipe. Nearby, her child is perched on the ...
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is supportive of the cross-party approach to climate adaptation announced by the Minister of Climate Change today. ...
The Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC) welcome today’s announcement from Government around a bipartisan inquiry into an enduring climate adaptation framework for New Zealand. ...
The Free Speech Union welcomes the decision by the Department of Internal Affairs, and Minister Brooke Van Velden, to abandon proposals to further regulate online speech. ...
Its new building in Wellington will not be nearly big enough for all its records, and it has also run out of money to build its new storage facility in Levin. ...
BusinessNZ is congratulating the Minister of Climate Change for his work in achieving cross-party consensus for a way forward on climate adaptation. ...
Recent research reveals the repeal of smokefree measures is not only bad for our health, but also the economy. The Government has repealed various smokefree measures to ensure it keeps collecting $1.2 billion a year in tobacco taxes, in order to pay for tax cuts already being delivered to ...
The club’s surprisingly good season is built on the desire to prove a random A-League YouTuber wrong… and a few other factors.“There’s no way that Wellington Phoenix play finals this year. I can’t see it happening at all.” Those are the words of Lachlan Raeside, an Australian football content ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By César Albarrán-Torres, Senior Lecturer, Department of Media and Communication, Swinburne University of Technology Apple TV+ As one of billions of bilingual individuals in the world, it disappoints me when a film or TV show with characters of a non-English-speaking background is ...
The under-utilised course is a waste of space, and with a little political will, it could be turned into something better. For the duration of her stay in Wellington, my long-suffering cousin listened to me rant about golf courses. They’re bad for the environment: water intensive and pesticide heavy. They ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Ruppanner, Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of The Future of Work Lab, Podcast at MissPerceived, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock A recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows US fertility rates dropped 2% in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Corderoy, Medical doctor and PhD candidate studying involuntary psychiatric treatment, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney shop_py/Shutterstock Picture two people, both suffering from a serious mental illness requiring hospital admission. One was born in Australia, the other in Asia. Hopefully, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Treby, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, RMIT University P.j.Hickox, Shutterstock Peatlands store more carbon per square metre than any other ecosystem on Earth. These waterlogged, mossy bogs beat even dense rainforests for their ability to act as carbon reservoirs. Under the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Goss, Adjunct Associate Professor, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra Government spending on health has been growing so rapidly that a decade ago the then health minister Peter Dutton called it “unmanageable” and “unsustainable”. Health spending grew in real terms by ...
New Zealand's largest electricity distributor is warning the country to hurry up with controls around charging electric vehicles or face unnecessary bills running into the billions. ...
New Zealanders have been asked to conserve energy this morning to combat a possible electricity shortfall, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A call to conserve power New Zealand is facing a possible electricity shortfall, with people up ...
Writer Rebecca K Reilly breaks down the national book awards. What are the Ockhams?The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are our annual national awards for books published for adults, and have existed in this form since 2016. There are four categories: Fiction, Poetry, General Non-fiction and Illustrated Non-fiction. There ...
Wellington City Council should keep its 34% ownership share in Wellington International Airport, argue Unions Wellington spokespeople Finn Cordwell and Ashok Jacob. Insanity, as the saying goes, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Wellington City Council (WCC) is yet again proposing to dispose ...
New Zealand’s largest book publisher has undergone drastic changes this week, leaving its future role in local publishing uncertain. Two of the most recognisable local publishers in New Zealand are among those restructured out of Penguin Random House, it was announced this week. Head of publishing Claire Murdoch will leave ...
In 2021 the Public Interest Journalism Fund launched the Te Rito Journalism project, a $2.4 million initiative to boost diversity in New Zealand’s newsrooms. The initiative was in response to the decades-long shortage of Māori and Pacific journalists in the media industry. It was billed as New Zealand’s ...
The Black Ferns Sevens appeared to be a mile behind Australia at the halfway point of the 2023-24 SVNS international circuit. Winless in three tournaments, a cup quarter-final exit in Perth was one of their worst results. To add insult to injury, talismanic skipper Sarah Hirini had been ruled out ...
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Looks like we are getting a rerun at 1984; agents of the state are taking over the personal identities of private citizens. The method involves voluntary yielding of the right to share identity, authorised by bureaucratic form.
I was reading 'Snowcolour and the 7 little people' to my grandchild the other day,and it dawned on me that they faced a completely different world ,than what I had experienced growing up.
This brave new world of transformation, where people are offended,made uncomfortable or find words inappropriate means a reset of historical literature and the arts.
Batperson & Robin
Person of La Mancha
Superperson
Wonderperson
'Peoplekind' have alot to look forward to.
At least we can put…..'mansplaining' to…bed.
cue Cathy Areu..masters degree,she's a treasure..
https://youtu.be/byn0fBCVeHA
She's not a treasure, she's a fucking disgrace for going along with the disingenuous crap that Tucker Carlson is spouting…
Manhatten, Goldman Sachs!
What next? Manawatu?
Also, don't link to Tucker Carlson. He is a racist and a white supremacist, you shouldn't give him any more exposure than he already has.
I see a pattern here.
its about her….not him.
He's tagged by fox news to the youtube video. So he benefits. And Fox benefits.
K…so who's on the black list?
No black list.
But if you don't want to help youtube throw money at racist fucks, now you know.
Aren't you the one who recently linked to OAN? Now Tucker Carlson? Ever thought of linking to someone who doesn't have a far-right extremist fan base?
Convergence = admiration for a smirking .01 percenter.
Any suggestions?
Nah mate, but if you find someone interesting, give 'em a quick google to see if nazi-adjacents are amongst their biggest fans.
That's my rule of thumb. Looking at a source helps figure out if they're publishing something because it suits their agenda, or if they're well out of their lane.
Then, if there's a claim of fact, check that – not with their links, with your own searches. Find items as close to original sources as possible. 99% of the time the most outrageous bits of a story have been over-egged.
And if there's no specific claim of fact, what good is the opinion in the real world? It affects nothing.
Interesting over view.Quite a depressing one if you subscribe to the lies,damn lies and statistics faction.
Or even the 'opinions are like arseholes …everyone has one'.
'don't try…no one cares'-Charles Bukowski.
Media opinion pieces are like someone approaching you in the street, or knocking on your door. Very few people are doing it to advise you of an emergency or problem you need to know about. And most of them will be actual official "news".
But most people want something from you. They want money, or your name for a contact list they'll use to sell you stuff later, your soul, they want something. It's not about you, there's something in it for them. Sometimes it's something I'm prepared to go for, mostly it's not.
If I sign a petition, my contact number will often go onto a list for me to be sold something related to the petition later on.
These days, many media opinionators do the same thing – they get outrage clicks, but that still counts as "engagement". So more of that drivel gets made, and more of it gets targeted at you. The'll give you less John Oliver, more fucker carlson. And you'll begin to accept as normal some of the less extreme views, and the next thing you know you're a 5g antivax nutter believing Ardern is wearing a home detention ankle strap so she's under the control of the lizard people.
Check the basics, check your sources, you can avoid being a conceptual dumpster fire.
You can link to something to show he's any of these things?
100% PR. Yes Cinder if yu are going to make claims that someone is a white supremicist please link.
I have no idea who he is althugh I have heard his name.
Conservative commentator on Fox News:
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/sep/25/tucker-carlson-fox-news-anti-defamation-league
Or even
https://www.google.com/search?channel=trow5&client=firefox-b-d&q=tucker+carlson+racist&shem=ssmd
Thanks Weka.
This is a good site to check the bias etc of news media sites
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/
The listing for Fox News states in part
'These media sources are moderate to strongly biased toward conservative causes through story selection and/or political affiliation. They may utilize strong loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes), publish misleading reports and omit reporting of information that may damage conservative causes. Some sources in this category may be untrustworthy. See all Right Bias sources.
I wouldn't know about his views on race but I'm pretty sure that you would definitely disapprove of his economic theories. From the Wikipedia article on him it claims that
"Carlson has criticized hedge funds (singling out the Republican donor Paul Singer in 2019) and private equity (in criticizing Mitt Romney, former CEO of Bain Capital). He described the business model of firms like Bain as: "Take over an existing company for a short period of time, cut costs by firing employees, run up the debt, extract the wealth and move on, sometimes leaving retirees without their earned pensions. … Meanwhile, a remarkable number of the companies are now bankrupt or extinct." He attacked payday lenders, saying they "loan people money they can't possibly repay" and "charge them interest that impoverishes them" He praised Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren's economic plan and called her book The Two Income Trap "one of the best books I've ever read on economics".
What is there for a lefty not to love?
So not a moron after all. I'll have to revise my view of the guy. Well, I'll give it a go but I suspect the false assumption will stick like a limpet & I may be unable to winkle my crowbar under the edge of it…
That was a very selective view from the article. Most of it is not like that at all. However he actually appears to have been reasonably sane in his younger days but his brain seems to have been addled by getting too close to Trump.
I mean back in 1999 he said
"In public correspondence in Slate with Texas Monthly's Evan Smith on November 29, 1999, Carlson agreed with Smith's low opinion of Donald Trump, who was then running for president with the Reform Party. Carlson wrote that Trump was "the single most repulsive person on the planet" and that the Reform Party consisted of "a bunch of wackos". Separately, he criticized the party's eventual nominee, Pat Buchanan"
Also in
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tucker_Carlson
link or I will delete. Really sick of having to tell regular this.
OK. I thought the remark " From the Wikipedia article on him it claims that" would cover it. The link is –
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tucker_Carlson
no, it doesn't. If someone wants to make an argument based on quoting something off site, then a link is required, so that people can look at the argument and quote easily in context. Don't expect other people to do your work. The reason for that is because some people like to misrepresent arguments and cherry pick. Linking means people can pull them up on it easily.
It might seem an easy google, but it's often not on a cell phone.
The book "Politically Correct Bedtime Stories" has been around for 30 years.
Politically Correct Bedtime Stories : James Finn Garner : 9780285640412 (bookdepository.com)
It includes:
– Snow White's relationship with seven vertically challenged men,
– Little Red Riding Hood, her grandma and the cross-dressing wolf who set up an alternative household based on mutual respect and cooperation,
– The Duckling Who Was Judged on her Merits Alone, and
– The Emperor who was not naked but was endorsing a clothing-optional lifestyle.
It's fun, nothing more.
fun, depends …..
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lgbt-activists-get-word-mother-axed-from-government-policies-q6q6bxtf6
lol. But yeah, shit ain't happening at all, no one is being erased, and when that erasure happens its to be 'inclusive' or its 'fun'.
Non Males, are they even human?
Luckily it is now time for the men to be erased. Cause why the fuck not. Vote "Left", when we are done with you guys, you all be 'people' the 21st century equivalent of 'peasant'.
Non Females, are they even human?
Good grief, the left has become a parody of everything that it ever stood for.
Vote left peasants, cause only the "left" knows what is good for you. Vote, peasant.
Also, it seems that alot of people read the Grimms stories and understood nothing.
The emperor did not promote alternative clothing, the emperor got fleeced by a conman and it took a kid to call him and his cowardly entourage and fearful citizens out on it. Just saying. But then vote left peasant, its all just fun and games.
That's not quite true, I wonder why you would misrepresent what actually happened. 🙄
"removed from policy documents regarding MATERNITY LEAVE".
https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/scottish-governments-deletion-of-the-word-mother-from-maternity-leave-documents-after-advice-from-stonewall-is-lunacy-brian-wilson-3429706
If you stilled your outrage for a moment and thought about it you might understand.
If this sort of thing went to the courts and the word mother was existant then male same sex adoptive couples would be unable to claim maternity leave. Same for an intersex parent if they had male on their birth certificate.
And if you think a shitty employer wouldn't argue the case then more fool you.
Its about inclusion, not erasure.
You mean this
https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/scottish-governments-deletion-of-the-word-mother-from-maternity-leave-documents-after-advice-from-stonewall-is-lunacy-brian-wilson-3429706
or this https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/10/15/scotlands-civil-service-deletes-mother-maternity-policy-stonewall/
or this https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/10/15/scotlands-civil-service-deletes-mother-maternity-policy-stonewall/
Honey, i will never still my outrage, being a good obedient submissive doormat ain't my stylez…sorry.
Secondly, Women – and only Women – and that includes trans identified women and 'Non Males' of all pronouns, are the ones to give birth. Only them. And the word means nothing more then women giving birth. Freddy McDonald might want to pretend they are a man getting IVF for their second child, but frankly no.
but because you don't actually seem to know what the word maternity means:
maternity
/məˈtəːnɪti/
noun
Your emperor is naked dear.
You have complety missed the point.
A male workmate of mine has returned from maternity leave recently, was he a woman during that period?
Which these individuals is the mother?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/love-sex/77456903/what-are-the-options-for-gay-couples-to-have-kids
And I will post this link again. Science & facts prove you’re wrong.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19155947/
Intersex can get pregnant and give birth. Case closed.
11 reported cases in the whole wide world OMG this changes everything
not
oh my god!
Do you honestly think that study looked across the entire planet? You're not the first ideologue to make that mistake.
You are stating that a minority are not entitled to similar protections and privileges you enjoy.
Cool, cool. 🙄
Oh Sorry Cindy
I forgot that the very rare occurrences in nature are the new norm and female mothers don't actually give birth as a rule.
I don't see why , for true inclusivity, the word mother cannot be used in the term maternity leave. Mothers most often will be applying.Simply because they earn less, and have the anatomy for breast feeding.
So we could have "mothers and others providing primary care"
Why get rid of the term "mother "when that is the very person most often being the prime carer
Isn't it called paternity leave when you are the father? that's what I was kindly given 3 days of by my workplace many moons ago.
Gotta say that you and Sabine are incredibly patronising and passive aggressive, not exactly motherly traits 😁
And starting with a strawman argument is a good way to demonstrate you are not coming to this issue in good faith.
If you had read and listened, you would understand.
Scottish intersex person gets pregnant & applies for maternity leave.
Shitbag employer points out that the policy and legislation states mother.
Points to the definition of mother.
Employment court requests policy documents to determine intent of legislation.
Court only sees the word mother in policy documents, ties it to definition.
Finding = not a mother, no maternity leave.
Intersex parent fucked over because people like you want to determine who is and is not mother.
Why do I feel that the link to that study is a bit of a Galileo moment for the GC dogmatists here? Oh yeah, because it proves their "only women" argument is wrong, that's why.
"Intersex can get pregnant and give birth". Of course they can if they have ovaries and a womb.
These very rare intersex people have both male and female genitalia. I don't know what you case (closed) is.
I think the issue is that a small minority of very vocal people are trying to change language and many people don't agree with that. As well as language a small minority who believe in a certain ideology are trying to change how we categorized men and women. This has implications for all sorts of things particularly for women…… spaces such as changing rooms to protect women and girls privacy and decency, level playing field sporting competitions just to name a couple are areas where many biological women want to preserve their separte categories. I always smell a rat when people are telling me I have to accept their view or else I am a bigot aka a really bad person. I am not the type to go along with endorsing the emperors new clothes just because of group think. Or the spin line the emperor is not naked he is just endorsing a new clothing optional life style (funny, maybe but I also think of other euphemisms aimed at disguising truth)
Many who comment on this site fail to acknowledge the validity of this and piss around with links such as you have about a very, very very very rare biological abnormality that has allowed an infitesinal number of people to fertilize their own ovas. It proves nothing. Biological sex is real and immutable.
Maybe you should type less and read more.
You have repeatedly stated there are only two sexes. You state this above as well as acknowledging there are intersex people. These are mutually incompatible statements.
Sabine stated that only women can give birth. That was incorrect. CASE MOTHER FUCKING CLOSED.h
Those pregnant intersex individuals DID NOT impregnate themselves. And, to repeat this for the cognitively challenged IT IS NOT A STUDY OF EVERY INTERSEX INDIVIDUAL IN THE WORLD.
You have never acknowledged these errors and still refuse to. This makes you the ideologue. If you think this makes you a bigot, that's on you.
Can't be bothered with the rest of your screed, you will never acknowledge your mistakes so its pointless.
Cinder please don't use shouty caps.
I have to say I am one of the few people on this site who do acknowlegde my mistakes. On occassion people have use this against me. So be it.
The vast majority of the small minority of people who are intersex are either xx or xy chromosome. The information about intersex people is often used by trans activist to muddy the waters about the issue of biological men identitfying as women and their demands for above and beyond the human rights we all have. These activists demand that we suspend our reality and treat them as if they had the biology of a woman not a man. This includes feeling entitled to demand that biological men who identify as women should be allowed to conduct intimate examinations on women for example women have been raped.
The issue for me is gender ideology and some of its proponants claim that biological sex is irrelevant and gender identity trumps it. I strongly disagree with this position. Women like myself are being shut down with cheap shots like accusing us of biogetry or transphobia. The fear of being accused of this mean many people fall into line with the demands of the trans activists. I don't
Intersex is an umbrella term for those who have different types of DSD – Differences of Sex Development.
Like other words it has been appropriated to mean something else.
There are problems with this, most particularly for those with DSD.
Sex is binary. The extremely rare exceptions prove the rule. Get over it.
If the word mother is to be erased from Scottish maternity public documents, where does that leave the word "mater-nity?" Mater = mother.
It's not being erased from the government documents.
For fucks sake people, calm down, go to the Scottish government website and search.
Here is one from a month ago
https://www.gov.scot/publications/mother-baby-unit-family-fund-terms-conditions/
I'm male & usually critical of the alphabet soup tribe, but I get that you seem to be making a valid point.
So this intersex pregnant person cannot be a mother legally despite being a mother in biological reality. Am I right?
If so, the law is an ass (as usual). It will have to be changed to encompass relevant minority rights. Natural justice!
Yes Dennis, you got it in one.
Although the intersex person would have to have male on their birth certificate – thus not a mother despite giving birth.
Lollipop for you
So we get rid of the word mother that best describe the very vast majority of people who give birth. We like the word mother. Its part of our identity as women.
Can you point to a link of any news organization that would have written about the story that you are trying to peddle here, cause i can find nothing. Unless you do, i consider your story to be not valid.
And contrary to some, i don't refuse news organizations just because they might not be 'my type of ' news. So feel free to link and let us all read up on the Story of the Intersex person who was refused maternity leave by an employer for reasons.
100% agree Sabine. Part of this problem is people including journos get cancelled unless they are right think………….
Not sure there is a link from Cinder cause I have a feeling it was a hypothetical example. But maybe I will be proved wrong.
Why either or , Why not both?
Isn't that because the intersex person has identified as a man?
Anyway, change the shit head employer not the word mother. Take him to court. Afterall people like Maya Forstatar had to go to court to defend her GC views.
Are you saying that the word "mother" has not been deleted from the maternity policy document of the Scottish Civil Service, which is what I see that Sabine was writing about.
You're linking to some other unit.
I totally agree about the shitbag employer, but that isn't fixed by getting rid of the word "mother"
How about "mother or other primary caregiver"
Language is for clarity , not obscuration in the name of inclusiveness.
Nope, maternity is still there.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/delivering-maternity-neonatal-services-through-covid-19-pandemic-beyond-level-zero/
Although you could have checked that yourself.
Think of a Venn diagram, not all women are mothers and not all mothers are women. Venn diagrams are an excellent way of measuring inclusion / exclusion.
As for 'language is for clarity"- "other primary caregiver" is pretty vague and open to interpretation and abuse as the NZ Family Court has demonstrated.
You should recognise this if you're so keen on clarity.
Speaking of which, want to explain why you called me "Cindy"? Its Cinder, or is there a Cindy that you were directing that question to?
Just kidding, I know you were just being a patronising dick.
Right Franny?
"not all mothers are women"
You appear to have a very different definition of "mother" and "women" than the one I am used to, unless you are looking outside the human race.
Oh well "Vive la difference"
Jesus fucking christ, have IQ's plumetted around here recenty?
Read the fucking study, those intersex individuals are not women. Especially according to some of the more dogmatic individuals on this website.
Fuck my life, has Covid rotted peoples minds or something?
Cinder, with respect to your opinions in response to those of others, as far as I'm concerned your comments are coming through as being quite aggressive and rude. Shouting is not necessary. Tone it down a bit.
Can intersex people have children or get pregnant?
from here https://interactadvocates.org/faq/
Now frankly i think you made up a bit of a story, to bolster a point you never had. But i am happy to see you link to your support your story.
But for a bit of fun lets play with the removal of words to be properly excluding of the female body (who gives a fuck about our emotions and needs anyways) who ejected a non female child some two thousand and 21 years ago.
Would that work for your and all others who would like to remove any mention of women from the reproductive cycle?
And let me remind you again, just in case you forgot or have a hard time understanding, men don't birth children, trans identified men don't birth children, non of the male pronoun punters will ever birth a child. The ones birthing children on this planet are the women, trans identified females, and female pronoun punters. And just for some basic decency leave intersex people out of this discussion as they have a very different live compared to most of us.
Franny's good, I like it
Cinder,how about you calm down.Look at you with your shoutie words.
Cinder,stop shouting at people !
The New Zealand legislation (from 1987) refers to parental leave (including in the title) and partner leave. One reason for that is it can be shared between the parents.
Mansplaining will always be a thing unfortunately.
That is dangerously close to doxxing and utterly irrelevant.
You're an admin. Do better.
Doxing who? I replied to Blazer, because they said,
Read their whole comment, context is everything.
My moderator (not Admin) suggestion, is that you settle down and pay attention to how things work here. Numbering on replies would be a start, but culture would help too.
Cinders a man? Ok.
See what I mean.
Got to have a word with L Prent
Absolutely no idea. See my comment above. They got the wrong end of some stick.
Do tell..I know who came out on top in this debate…
https://youtu.be/ZOXh5repOWI
ah, so you don't know what mansplaining actually is, good to know.
Ah…doesn't sound like anyone does…so its not worth entertaining on that..basis.
Lol, you telling a feminist there’s no such thing as mansplaining?
Perhaps you can indulge me and define it then.
Clearly you are not enamoured with the Australian senators explanation(non male senator)
Why not use a dictionary?
https://www.lexico.com/definition/mansplaining
Same explanation that the non male senator gave.If you accept that definition…you must also accept…womansplaining…agree?
No i don't agree.
No. Mansplaining is a thing because we live in a sexist society. It's specific to men, probably a combination of socialisation alongside the tendency of men to be single point focused and women tending to be collective focused (socialisation is most like the far bigger influence).
I didn't bother with the video, stopped watching at the point I realised his probable mansplaining had been edited out (i.e. early on) and so the rest couldn't be judged in context.
btw, I think the definition in the Lexico link is limited. Mansplaining is when a man tries to explain to a woman something she patently already understands, especially when it's her area of expertise. But where he fails to recognise her understanding/expertise because sexism. Hence the patronising or condescending tone.
It seems 'mansplaining' is a subjective term that relies on another premise=toxic masculinity.
Not very compelling …at all.
Nope, it's not reliant on toxic masculinity (a term I don't use). It's reliant on observation of how some men function in society. It's not rocket science. It's clear by now that you don't like it being named /shrug.
' It's reliant on observation of how some men function in society. '
Logically we can follow your definition and accept that 'womansplaining' is an equal observation.
please provide three different examples (quotes and links, not just quotes) of womansplaining that fits the definition I gave except it's done by women. And then provide evidence that it's a social phenomenon not just some random occurences.
@weka
I could suggest as an example your own untiring efforts this past year or so at explaining – very patiently I must say – that males and females are biologically different and that this has substantial implications on how the two sexes both behave and are treated in society.
It's been quite the revelation.
I've always believed that, you just weren't listening prior to the gender/sex wars.
It's not an example of womansplaining.
for RL-John Gray wrote 'Men are from Mars,Women are from Venus' around 30 years ago.
@Weka-the t&c's you demand ,negate any realistic ,subjective acceptance of human nature that is not exclusive to gender.
Its a futile argument.
Blazer, you made the claim that there is a social dynamic called womansplaining. I'm asking you for some evidence if this dynamic. That you can't produce any is in no way surprising to me, because it's not actually a thing. My boundaries around evidence are pretty standard and I can easily provide this evidence for the existence of mansplaining.
@Weka my claim is based on logic=if indeed mansplaining is provable ,so too must be womansplaining.
Human nature says it must be…so.
That's not logic. It's 1) an assertion not supported by evidence and 2) a belief.
'a belief' …..I certainly agree with that!
As for evidence'-'physician ,heal thyself'.
'I didn't bother with the video, stopped watching at the point I realised his probable mansplaining had been edited out (i.e. early on) and so the rest couldn't be judged in context.'
O.K can a transgender be guilty of…'mansplaining'?
Transplaining?
Probably, especially if they are biologically male… that'd give them a head-start…
Want me to explain mansplaining?
Interesting cases yesterday
Japan 174
NZ 192
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
What in particular made you think they were interesting, if you don’t mind my asking?
Recent protestors have been on about lifting all covid restrictions – going back to 'normal.' We are too conservative they say. We should follow the model of other places, we're dragging the chain. Maybe a report out today could focus us.
Denmark has a population of 5.8 million. They've had 405,000 covid cases and 2,740 deaths.
"Two months ago, Denmark was riding high. The European nation lifted all remaining domestic coronavirus restrictions as the government declared Covid-19 was no longer "an illness which is a critical threat to society.”
With a successful vaccine rollout in their back pocket, Danes essentially returned to pre-pandemic daily life. They visited nightclubs and restaurants without showing a "Covid passport," used public transport without having to wear a mask and met in large numbers without restrictions.
The optimism of mid-September has been short-lived.
Denmark, like many countries across Europe, is now considering whether to reinstate restrictions as the continent battles a surge of Covid-19 cases that has pushed the region back into the epicenter of the pandemic.
Denmark's rise in case comes after a successful vaccine rollout, with 88.3% of its adult population fully vaccinated, according to the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC).
On Monday the Danish government proposed reintroducing a digital "corona pass" — used as proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test — for entering bars and restaurants, as the country faces a third wave of infections, Reuters reported.
The measure will be subject to parliamentary approval. But it comes against the urgent new backdrop of steadily rising cases — from a low of just over 200 daily infections in mid-September to around 2,300 in recent days.
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/09/europe/denmark-restrictions-europe-covid-intl/index.html
88.3% of its adult population fully vaccinated
Despite that they still have this surge:
https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries-and-territories/denmark/
So we head back to normal when we hit 90%, get a similar surge, then everyone says `oh well, it was worth a try, too bad'…
How about we just start to come to grips with the reality that the pfizer jab does not prevent catching the virus, transmitting the virus, and will probably not prevent long term Covid issues either.
The best we can hope for is that we don't all need the hospital at the same time. And considering the sad state of our healthcare we all should pray that it wont come to the overload and the expected collapse of our health care system.
The worst, is that we catch Covid despite the jabs, even more then once, and every time Covid will kill us a bit, and our healthcare system collapses.
It is the plague, and we are in for a ride that will last at least two more years. We have not seen anything yet, i fear.
I want to know why we have virtually put all our eggs in the pfizer basket. They, like all the Pharma companies, are untrustworthy. Let's see independent research results of the range of vaccines available( and that includes the Sputnik) and make 3 or 4 of them widely available.
Well I'm surprised the Government is recommending Astra Zeneca as the alternative. A number of problems with Australia's version. They are now offering Pfizer.
Going by Dr Bloomfield's comments in the press conference, it was to give people an alternative to mRNA vaccines.
I think NZ Govt has orders for the Novavax vaccine when it is approved .
Apparantly it has a different makeup to most existing vaccines.
Thats why I keep banging on about investigating and getting and using effective treatments for covid before it develops into a serious infection, instead of waiting for hospitalisations.
They have been since the start of the epidemic. There are at least 4 effective treatments currently known. The new antivirals from Merck, from Pfizer, and at least two other ones. A antibody infusion and at least one other antiviral remdesier (or something like that) which was useless on critical cases but ok on preventative after infection. All of these are effective post infection.
I am not even going to comment on the travesties of self interest with invermectin, chloroquinine and bleach – all of which failed basic testing, even when you include the faked studies.
But what you are after – a preventative treatment before infection that isn't a vaccine is actually the hardest to get. It is usually a matter of luck and decades before one of those is found. It is also the hardest to prove – just look at how long it took to prove the HIV cocktail. Frequently the side effects make the risk only worth while if you have a grave risk of contracting the disease.
I suspect that there is a lot of work going on for that kind of treatment. I haven't read of any credible trials yet.
Typically the best preventative for most disease is any vaccine because it diminishes the chances of beachhead or breakthrough infections. It does it by training your own immune system.
yes of course it is the best
Tell your 14 year old daughter to wait before having sex .Tell her it is the best , safest option
She tells you you are full of shit and says she's not going to take your advice
You keep on trying to persuade her
She digs her heels in
Eventually you stop your futile insistence and do something else .Like provide a contraceptive.
You can bang on about vaccines til the cows come home and the horses have bolted the stable, there will be many , by the looks of it , who will still refuse.
Remdesivir, fluvoxamine perhaps might make up useful treatments
all of which failed basic testing, even when you include the faked studies.
Having followed some of this a lot more closely that you have – there is a lot more to the story than your airy dismissal.
Ivermectin now has a well described mechanism of action against viral replication, and what a lot of people missed was that it was already being studied for this before COVID came along. It's why it was trialed by the original Monash University team in the first place.
If the clinical evidence has proven difficult to pin down – and there are many legit reasons why this has been so – the odious torrent of unjustified 'horse dewormer' bullshit from the 'only the vaccines can save us' crowd isn't.
I suspect that most of the clinical trials have been with hospitalised cases(very easy and convenient sample to source), rather than the just tested positive cases.Its the early intervention ivermectin is being touted for.
Not far away from the 90% level from a different perspective.Over the last three weeks the breakthrough cases for fully vaccinated has risen from 4.75 to 8.8% of the positive cases, an increase of around 85%.
The reason/s for the surge in Denmark needs to be answered.
Are winter viruses, the Delta plus variant, waning immunity, the immune system changing or a combination the cause?
It appears they Denmark, did not have any rules once "Freedom" arrived. So no vaccination passes, no masks, and clubs pubs, and concerts for 50 000 took place.
And they are getting 2500 abt cases a day.
Pop 5.9m
…and Denmark is having around 4-5 deaths per day, which is so far a lot fewer than in the peaks of their previous waves (which were 10-30+ per day for quite long periods). Presumably deaths are lower because of the vaccination rate, but they are also currently creeping up.
Or the death rate is lower because the immunity level is higher amongst those who got the virus 'naturally'….
That too
Yes I did read that.
The herd immunity theory seems to be flawed even with vaccination helping to save lives
herd immunity theory seems to be flawed
Google tells us
And here
So the flaw in herd immunity theory is psychological, inasmuch as it gets promoted in the media & word of mouth as something that works – whereas the extent to which it actually works is context-dependent.
From an ecological perspective, it makes sense to see it as a dynamic interplay between the evolving Covid strains & the immune systems of people in particular social contexts…
The level at which herd immunity for Delta is as yet unknown.
For figure for polio it is 80% for measles the figure is 95%. I suspect that 95% range is where herd immunity for Delta will be reached.
The 90% target is a political target not a scientific and medical target.
With the trouble we are having in reaching the 90% level of vaccination.
It will take a lot to reach 95%.
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-delta-variant-has-affected-our-ability-to-reach-herd-immunity
If a surge occurs at 90%, a return to level 4 lockdown as a circuit breaker will be needed.
A good strategy might be to take the opportunity to use the L4 as a whip to get vaccination up, not lifting the L4 lockdown till the 95% vaccination level is reached.
Estimating the R – naught is not accurate enough and waning antibodies would not help.
So I see the sale of state assets is continuing under this government.
The Australian inurance giant NIB is acquiring 100% of the shares in Kiwi Insurance Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of state-owned bank and financial services provider Kiwi Group Holdings Limited.
I thought a change in government in 2017 was going to end this.
Again we are left deepely disappointed with this big talk, but little do government.
Got a link?
Back in the 2014 election we had a policy of KiwiSure, which would have been great but died like the rest of the campaign.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/126921383/kiwibank-life-insurance-business-sold-to-australian-insurer-nib
See that Natz want to make sure kids get covid.
.
More evidence in favour of Ivermectin … but I'm seriously confused here because I've been led to believe by aggressively assertive Clintonista echo-chamber tribalists that this could only be deliberate misinformation spouted by Trump-supporting anti-vaxxer "deplorables" who never went to boarding-school … yet John Campbell is a doubly-vaxxed leading medic, looking forward to his upcoming booster shot … & almost certainly of a Lab / Lib Dem persuasion. So now I'm scrathcing my head. It’s almost as if – for all their outrageously pompous swaggering – the Clintonista Shill-boys have a tendency to talk complete & utter bollocks.
https://youtu.be/ufy2AweXRkc?t=1
That goes hand in hand with this dairy Daily Kos, which talks about the little already approved generic pill that could very cheaply vs the not yet approved – but hyped branded pills that may do, but very expensively so.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/11/9/2063225/-Trials-suggests-best-treatment-for-COVID-19-may-be-one-that-s-cheap-generic-and-FDA-approved
Absolutely.
It is useful because of its anti-inflammation effect, it can be given after monoclonal antibodies, and earlier than the steroid is used. Of course it can also be given to the vaccinated alongside anti-viral treatments.
Yes, fluvoxamine is looking promising and very cheap!
Ivermectin has a well-understood safety profile when a recommended course at the recommended dose is used. Unfortunately some people are taking random amounts in random ways, which is not necessarily safe at all.
One of the interesting examples of 'the de-wormer that dare not speak it's name' is it's use prophylactically in Utter Pradesh.
Their rates of infection have reversed dramatically
The Astra Zeneca antibody pill does the same – it can prevent infection and also treat any infection. It's an option for the vaccine hesitant.
I suppose it is more palatable for those with degrees and doctorates to issue AZ product than a generic medicine.
Gsays
I know , when I posted the link to that I was told, but ah yes . their deaths would be under reported .Nothing short of a hugely profit making pharmaceutical will do
Unfortunately, because of the ridiculous linking of ivermectin with dumbasses, it probably won’t get any traction because people have been turned against it
For some reason, fluvoxamine has escaped the pile on, and might be the better bet .But have we made any moves re this?
I know , when I posted the link to that I was told, but ah yes . their deaths would be under reported .
And I recall your excellent response – why would have the reporting rates have changed?
Thanks
One Indian medic said they were replacing the malaria drug with it (its use was widespread), because it had fewer health complications when taken, and it might stop the virus attaching to cells.
https://www.indiatoday.in/coronavirus-outbreak/story/why-hcq-ivermectin-dropped-india-covid-treatment-protocol-1857306-2021-09-26
https://healthfeedback.org/claimreview/no-evidence-suggests-a-causal-link-between-ivermectin-recommendation-and-the-decline-of-covid-19-cases-in-the-indian-state-of-uttar-pradesh/
By we, I assume you mean the state.
My reckons have it that they have gone too far down the path of Pfizer vaccine being the be all and end all. To muddy the communication waters with another prophylactic measure would be too confusing for us.
Might place them in breach of contract too?
Funny how when it suits a narrative (lots of covid cases) there is nothing wrong with the reporting, then suddenly, incompetence, under reporting, faulty data etc, come to the fore.
There is a LOT of money to be made from Covid, Uttar Pradesh is not helping.
Edit: Ahh snap RL.
If it turns out that Ivermectin is useless the cost for not using it will be nil. If it turns out it was useful all along – how do we count the cost of that?
Otherwise the dry Scottish /sarc is a thing of joy.
That video that swordfish put up is very good It seems that ivermectin has the same modality as the new Pfizer drug
Let's say that ivermectin actually is beneficial against covid:
The people who jumped at it based on scant evidence still fucked up. They could have as easily jumped on the hydowhatsis, vitamin D, and other bandwagons with the same meagre amount of evidence.
Meanwhile, they pushed up the price for people who actually needed all those things for uses that had a good evidence base at the time. So, yay. Nutters lucked out.
And I might say that for real if the evidence base is more than youtube-dude shilling thunkses to the gullible.
That youtubedude actually provides links to all the research papers he discusses so yous can go and checkitout for yourselfs. Do your own thunking.
reread my comment.
The comment is independent of whether someone finally has a solid evidence base for their youtube claims. And how long has this dude been plugging it? Isn't he the dude with a phd in some sort of online nurse training? what else has he been shilling for clicks?
why are you using red text?
Because it's fun. And it separates the hypothetical consequences of the "let's say" from the rest of the comment, while bullet points or blockquotes seemed a bit weird in that context.
I found it hard to understand what you meant and the red made it worse.
Yeah, the colour contrast is a bit… garish? I'm crap at that sort of stuff. Seemed like a good idea at the time…
Maybe blue would have worked?
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut in sollicitudin lacus. Cras augue massa, iaculis vitae condimentum nec, tristique at erat. Sed vel risus turpis. Sed est arcu, accumsan id neque quis, iaculis scelerisque neque. Donec in consectetur nisi. Duis bibendum euismod libero, at semper nulla lacinia ac. Maecenas aliquam lorem non est egestas, nec dictum odio posuere. In ultricies magna eu lobortis tempor. Praesent consequat egestas libero, et cursus lectus mollis in. Vivamus viverra tristique ante, sit amet porttitor eros euismod vel. Nulla aliquam nunc sed enim ultricies egestas. Integer tincidunt ligula orci, convallis rhoncus leo ornare vitae. Nunc at mollis risus. Integer fermentum tincidunt purus, in pulvinar enim dapibus a.
I shouldn't do that, because if it takes off it will drive me nuts as a moderator.
playing with the toys now…
testvs
testWhat was the initial price and how much has it risen?
I see a few countries have widely used it for covid with none of the ill effects warned of .Are you saying they drove the price up?Has its wide use in Africa driven the price up ?
I doubt that people buying veterinary ivermectin have priced it off the market for horse owners
India makes tonnes of it.
Don't know, don't care. Just aware of how supply and demand works.
"Don't know, don't care."
But care enough to pooh-pooh or diminish any Ivermectin korero…
Yes. Because I care about snake oil remedies and grasping at straws when they undermine actual knowledge about how to deal with this pandemic.
It's quackery being shilled by people who are paid for the attention they get rather than the accuracy of their information.
Pharmac has progressively announced funding for about half a dozen treatments based on their cost and effectiveness. If ivermectin is cheap and has a research base to support it, does pharmac fund it for covid? Quick, send them youtube videos!
I hate not being able to properly reference this, but the cost of Ivermectin was literally pennies. Cheap as. Mostly used in extremely poor third world countries. Unfortunately Covid has forced the price up (that old supply and demand thing) and I believe some are paying mega bucks. Here in NZ, when it was still able to be prescribed by your GP, I know of one couple who paid about $250 each for enough tablets for their family for prevention and if necessary treatment. And no, was not me. (Although it would be a handy tool to have in the tool box.)
How does it feel to lose your job to bullying, homophobia and just because 'women' who don't fully submit don't get to have nice things. And yes resigning – aka self selecting to get out of a shitty situation because your employer and your union can't be bothered upholding their own goddamn standards and 'values' is still being fired and i do hope that Kathleen Stock may consider action against her ex employer and the union involved.
Kathleen Stock at the BBCs Women hour in her own words.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001153q?at_custom1=%5Bpost+type%5D&at_custom3=%40BBCWomansHour&at_custom2=twitter&at_campaign=64&at_medium=custom7&at_custom4=E0AE9ED4-3C87-11EC-BE34-937496E8478F
National is demanding that children in Auckland have a month of schooling before the end of the year. It seems that their COVID for Christmas campaign is going up to the top gear.
The horror of rest of the world standard pandemic management is presumably supposed to drive people back to their cold embrace.
Back in 2020 the Irish hosted their relatives living in the UK home for Christmas.
Our risk is young people infected and their grandparents whose vaccine immunity meeting at Christmas (we need a lot of rapid testing before the get togethers).
Labour appear to think that Nationals' demand is a great idea
I really cannot see ANY benefit in sending children back to school this year in areas which are in lockdown.
I would have supported children in their learning and assisted parents to cope with home schooling.
If a parent was not coping they could be treated like an essential worker and send the child/ren to school part time.
I have a lot more to say on this but I am too busy this afternoon.
From emails already received from parents regarding attendances, will be 40-60% attendance. So there will be a reduced risk there.
Feel sympathy towards those school leaders and the prep that has and will be required for next week. It will me messy and for simplistic reasons perhaps primary school would have been best to continue on line, with a visit to pick up work and clear out their desks on a staged basis during the last week of school. Hopefully parents that are keeping their children at home will not expect any on line teaching for the remaining 4 weeks.
Did I hear correctly that the curriculum changes have been deferred a year ?
Not just the prep but the logistics of getting them to and from school, explaining the rules and reassuring the children. Children are resilient but they also know when they are being hood winked.
I collect 2 primary school age children a couple days a week. I have done so throughout the pandemic, I see what goes on.
20% of covid cases are in children under 12.
Haven't Labour just decided they will go back on the 17th of November? Aren't they still the government?
I wasn’t expecting the young ones to go back until next year.
Any worker who quit working at the Dunedin bakery that just got ordered to pay $300k for shocking abuse and underpayment of staff, could have had a WINZ stand down of over three months before getting an unemployment benefit.
Stand down periods should go, they take the power from the worker and give it to the employer – including to employers that don't deserve to have any power.
Mbie haven't got any where enough investigative staff.Allowing these heinous employers to get away with slavery.Since the employment contracts act employer's have been getting away with wage theft.
If anyone hasn't yet caught up with what the protest placards were saying in Wellington yesterday, here's a helpful guide. Again: it's right there, in their own words.
https://www.renews.co.nz/a-disinformation-researcher-on-all-the-nazi-signs-at-the-wellington-anti-vax-protest-today/
thanks, that looks a really interesting resource.