+ 1 for only mild use of mansplaining when there is plenty of opportunity to use it more
+10 for OP’s proving beyond doubt that we do in fact live in a rape culture
+ 7 for all those posters who declare that a drunk woman is partially, if not fully responsible for any subsequent rape that occurs while she is intoxicated (curiously no mention of any men having their dicks cut off while passed out drunk being entirely responsible for the loss of their manly member)
+2 for the poster who declares that, “you will get more credibility here if you post under your ‘usual’ name”. It’s only plus two because frankly it’s getting old and isn’t even intellectually offensive anymore because it’s not like anyone is actually going to use their real names because OP implied they needed more credibility in the first place. An intelligent argument should do just fine actually.
And +20 for this little gem from ratherbefishin, otherwise known as Greg from Waitakere City.
Occupation: Getting well from a serious car accident.
Hmmmm. Probably run down by a pissed off feminist.
Sure, there are predators out there, but your dauhgters [sic] are presenting themselves as bait. Look most rapes, not all, the girls are drunk or on drugs, dressed over provocatively, act like fools, put themselves in situations that is condusive to making the situation worse. It’s the parents fault for not naking them safe and teaching them the right values about mixing in the ‘right’ cirlces….you can’t get rabbits from rats.
“Sure, there are predators out there, but your dauhgters [sic] are presenting themselves as bait.”
There are predators out there, no doubting that, but whatever conduct or dress (lack of) sense, the ‘bait’ argument can only comes from those excusing or mitigating the ‘hunter’.
“Look most rapes, not all, the girls are drunk or on drugs, dressed over provocatively, act like fools, put themselves in situations that is condusive to making the situation worse.”
Doesn’t matter if women are drunk, drugged, in short skirts, boob tubes and give a guy the come on. The self control still remains with the male of the species. Always has, always will… Unless you’re a chimp.
“It’s the parents fault for not naking them safe and teaching them the right values about mixing in the ‘right’ cirlces”
Blame the parents of the victim of sex crimes. Nice work, idiot.
Yeah, I adopted a rating system from http://www.annalsofonlinedating.com/ where either the profiles of daters or their attempts at snagging someone via messaging are rated according to how bad they are.
But the handle ratherbefishin explains volumes about this guy. Some thickheaded kiwi bloke douchebag who wants to string gays up with piano wire and sees women as sub human.
Greg. I promise you, come the revolution, you will be sorry.
Anyone that can write that about rape must have a real struggle stopping themselves from attacking young women. I suggest preventative custody to safeguard society. If the guy hasn’t raped already, I bet he will.
It’s interesting that the commenting gets worse over time, and watching rape culture proponents work hard to prevail. I didn’t read the comments to the end because the thread was becoming ever-more demoralising to read. I assume the pro-rape-culture team continued to dominate the discussion through aggression and insults, seldom making any genuine effort to address the arguments of the protestors.
Still, I believe there has been real progress made in the public consciousness, since I was helped to join the dots to an understanding of rape culture, a few years ago.
The LGBT rights movement is always an inspiration in what can be achieved, but I’m only too aware of the personal brunt of public contempt and derision, and other kinds of psychological and physical violence borne hardest and most continuously by those at the forefront of the movement from the beginning. It was hard and dangerous work, and the fight continues today, but from a position of relative strength. But progress can happen in the teeth of seemingly overwhelming resistance.
The trademe boards are up their with major gaming forums for the level of burning stupid and outright sexist, echo-room bullshit. Nothing that a little “gentle” moderating couldn’t fix, but trademe lacks teh spine to do so, afraid that they’ll loose customers.
To this day I get pageviews from the Trademe forums to a post I wrote about Pippa Wetzell/Paul Henry/Breakfast, apparently from people who can’t spot the fact that my blog isn’t a news site and that the post in question is satire.
A couple of learnings for NZ; Labour is underacheiving (the Cameron Government is nowhere near as hopeless as Key’s lot) and if NZ First go into coalition with the tories after the next election, they can look forward to ceasing to exist 3 years later.
Sort of makes me glad the lib dems failed to get rid of first past the post.
One can only imagine how shockingly poor the conservative party would be if backed by the loonies and racists of the right to hold on to power.
Yep, Al1en, that’s exactly what Ashcroft wants. However, the results don’t help him turn them in that direction. If the poll had shown losses at, say, 20 seats, he could have got traction to move policy to the right; to strengthen the appeal to vavering traditional tory voters who have shifted to the anti-european UKIP. However, what this poll shows is that the electorate wants middle of the road or even left policies. So Cameron has to move to the centre to shore up the tory vote. That’s got to piss off Ashcroft more than just a bit.
Calamity and complacency aside, Labour, as unpopular as can be in government, will be back after only one term out, and whilst not the Labour party many here would prefer it to be, it’s got a well spoken leader that holds to core left principles. The people respond.
Camp mallard should have looked further afield for a game plan than the blinding light of our pm that so clearly bedazzles them and sets their agenda.
A month ago you were saying everything is fine and Shearer will lead Labour to victory and now you are saying that Labour is underachieving. What is happening?
Nothing gives, MS. I was making the comparison with UK Labour, who also started from a poor election result and are lead by someone who is still working to convince his own party of his merits, yet have gone on to gain enough support to govern alone. The NZLP caucus are underacheiving in comparison.
It comes down to attitude mickysavage. At present the caucus catechism is:
our (read ABC club) side is good.
the other side is bad.
We will only take notice of our side.
We will ignore everything the other side says and does.
Today I received my electorate’s first newsletter for the year. It contained a letter (no indication where it came from) from an unnamed new, young member who attended his/her first conference last November.. It was essentially a eulogy to David Shearer and contained such language as…working for a brighter future (now where have I heard that before), more progressive and more inclusive society… this is the Labour way and all of it was achieved at the Conference.
Why am I suspicious of this letter? Well, it has an [insert name here] quality about it.
“Drought gripping the North Island is the most severe in history, with the crisis far from over both for now and in years to come, scientists say.
“Long, dry spells are forecast to double by 2040 as temperatures continue to rise and New Zealand heads towards a more Mediterranean climate.
“Experts warn it could spell the end for farming as we know it and may cost the country billions of dollars in drought relief each year before practices are adjusted.”
“Experts warn it could spell the end for farming as we know it and may cost the country billions of dollars in drought relief each year before practices are adjusted.”
Actually, the best thing we could do would be to have the government buy enough farms to feed everybody and put in place practices (Heaps of R&D at the universities) to farm in the new environment. Then you let all the rest continue or fall upon their own – just as capitalism calls for.
I agree, the best research is being done outside of universities. The unis could get in behind though.
I’ll reiterate what others have said here recently – drought is being created by conventional farming as much as (if not more so) than by climate change.
This TED talk (20 mins) shows how to graze animals so you don’t end up in a drought (both locally and from climate change). Alan Savory has been doing this on the ground research for over 50 years, and developed systems of mob grazing that reverse desertification and sequester carbon and restore local microclimates on such a large scale that they probably would effect macro climate if adopted en masse.
At the end the TED host calls the presentation truly astonishing, but these farm technologies, based on mimicking natural cycles, are well known in sustainably land management circles and are even being used successfully in NZ.
John Liu’s work is worthy too, here he looks at the restoration of the severely damaged huge Loess Plateau in China back into a food producing oasis, as well as restoration in other parts of the world (50mins)
And a quick look (5mins) at the Greening the Desert project in Jordan (one of the driest places on earth supporting humans). Geoff Lawton took 10 acres of salinated man-made desert and had it starting to produce food from trees within four months.
Exactly. For instance, modern farming has destroyed tens of thousands of hectares of tussock land, which were crucial for feeding atmospheric moisture into the land.
At the end the TED host calls the presentation truly astonishing, but these farm technologies, based on mimicking natural cycles, are well known in sustainably land management circles and are even being used successfully in NZ.
That’s one thing that’s been bugging me for years. Academia in NZ is unwilling to accept knowledge gained outside of academia in NZ and that needs to change.
Maybe that happens in some specific branches of academia, DTB, but it couldn’t be applied in Physics, for example. I’m part of academia whether I like the label or not, and apart from Hitler’s attempt at introducing Aryan Physics, I’ve never seen evidence of what you suggest.
Which areas would you say this unwillingness applies to?
You need research working with real farmers on their own land.
Well, if the universities are doing their job, then they are. The simple fact of the matter is that the farmer is unlikely to be able to do the research but once the research has been done can help come up with better methods of implementation and the university owned farms would probably have farm managers on them as well.
“The simple fact of the matter is that the farmer is unlikely to be able to do the research”
Why do you say that? Many farmers practice empirical science anyway, and any farmer with either a good working knowledge of the scientific method, or support with that, can do research on their own property. It’s not rocket science 😉
Universities in NZ aren’t leading the way on developing sustainable practice, they’re following. And the way that universities are structured and operate, the hard sciences in particular, is inherently reductionist, making studying whole systems harder and less likely. This is why we are in the ridiculous situation of trying to solve river/waterway pollution from industrial dairying by chemically treating paddocks to prevent increases in nitrogen, instead of changing farming practices to prevent excess nitrogen in the first place. The inability to see natural cycles in their whole and to work with them is the big stumbling block, that and greed economics/capitalism. Universities are going to research conventional farming, because that’s what we do. They’re not focusing (enough*) on the kind that is making a difference.
Crown research is just as bad. Restructuring that happened in the 80s and 90s prevented the early adoption of sustainable practices, and many of the field researchers lost their jobs. From what I can tell focus was on economics and practices that created financial wealth.
*there are some notable exceptions eg the long-standing Biological Husbandry Unit at Lincoln has been pioneering organics for over 3 decades.
Seriously DTB, watch some of those videos and then compare what they are talking about with what is being done in universities, then you will get what I mean.
Because the farmers are more likely to be using land to make a profit with what they know. If they were doing anything else our waterways wouldn’t be as polluted as they are.
It’s not rocket science
No, it’s a hell of a lot more complex.
The inability to see natural cycles in their whole and to work with them is the big stumbling block, that and greed economics/capitalism.
That I can agree with but i also think that they’re changing. As I said, a number of them now have their own farms to work with and when you’ve got that then you must start to see the entire system rather than just the pieces.
This is why we are in the ridiculous situation of trying to solve river/waterway pollution from industrial dairying by chemically treating paddocks to prevent increases in nitrogen, instead of changing farming practices to prevent excess nitrogen in the first place.
“Because the farmers are more likely to be using land to make a profit with what they know. If they were doing anything else our waterways wouldn’t be as polluted as they are.”
We’re talking at cross purposes. I’m talking about farmers who are doing the cutting edge work on sustainable land management. They’re doing their own research, and being successful at creating new models of farming that don’t wreck the land (or quite as fast). Universities are lagging behind this.
” ” It’s not rocket science”
No, it’s a hell of a lot more complex.”
No, it’s not. Working with biological systems that mimic nature to grow food requires expertise, but you do not need an advanced science degree to understand it, not implement it. Nor study it.
“That I can agree with but i also think that they’re changing. As I said, a number of them now have their own farms to work with and when you’ve got that then you must start to see the entire system rather than just the pieces.”
Why? If you’ve been trained all your working life to look at the isolated detail and not the systems, and if your work situation demands that that is how you do research, and that kind of research is what gets the funding, why would you get to see it differently. Having one’s own farm doesn’t make one see differently – to use your example, if it did then farmers wouldn’t be polluting the environment.
“Or they could be doing both.”
Treating excess nitrogen by applying chemicals to a paddock is equivalent to the old lady that swallowed the fly. It’s just daft. If you manage land holistically in the first place, you don’t need to do that kind of disruptive intervention (or very rarely). I’m guessing you’re not that familiar with the kinds of technologies I’m talking about and don’t really understand the paradigm differences and why they matter. Maybe someone else can explain it?
“The new rules impose “compulsory competitive markets” on the entire health service.
The changes are planned under the overhaul launched by Tory former Health Secretary Andrew Lansley. He claimed there was nothing in it to “promote or permit the transfer of NHS activities to the private sector”.
But now all services are to be offered to the highest bidder from April 1.
The move would allow “any qualified provider” including giants such as Virgin Care to outbid local hospitals.
Critics fear the rules will let companies asset-strip NHS facilities. Labour have warned firms could cherry-pick the easiest, most profitable, procedures, leaving the NHS to pick up the tab for tricky and expensive surgery.”
“This intended ‘privatisation’ will mean a short term of financial gain for
the Tory Party followed by higher costs as shareholders have their hands out for their profit. Charing X Hospital is stuffed with new equipment, but understaffed – I wonder why! This government from what I deduce are thieves and profiteers. How much do they expect to make from our Schools and ‘Academies'”
Rodney Hide explains that since most business owners make less than the minimum wage (why the hell else would anyone run a business!) the pinkos shouldn’t expect a living wage. So there.
Rodney discretely omits any mention of the ability of business owners to sell their business and pay no capital gains tax, assuming that stupid lefties ” think running a business is easy. That’s because they have never done it.”
Good luck trying to sell a business not making money.
You’ll also find, unless a business has locked in contracts apart from stock and plant the business really has no value at all.
Mighty river power is a great investment, hopefully it will stimulate more interest in stocks and away from property
.Apart from property there’s no where else for people to invest there money and get any form of return.
Bait-and-switch is a form of fraud used in retail sales but also practised in other contexts. First, customers are “baited” by merchants’ advertising products or services at a low price; then customers discover the advertised goods are not available. Other products are “switched” for them; however, these items are often costlier. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bait-and-switch
I don’t see the link with encouraging people to invest in the share market?
If there were already a lot of good share ‘products’ on the NZX …. then we would hardly need the government to be ‘baiting’ interest in the sharemarket with the float of MRP. Would we?
Given that the float is going to be well over-subscribed, or that there will be lots of people making a quick profit on the deal, the expectation you’ve raised is that there will be plenty of euphoric cash sloshing about looking for another deal. Hence the ‘switch’.
That’s pretty much the scenario you’ve raised is it not?
How about instead of spending your days posting on the interwebs, you get out there and show them how to do it.
With your abilities and ideas you’d be worth billions within the year.
How about instead of buying shares in a state controlled company so that the state can spend that money on state stuff, you invest in a private company?
Or do you think the state has better ideas about what to do with your capital than you do?
Sure will do, but this is not about me. It’s about how shitty private sector and corporate leadership has been in NZ that they’ve barely created any new worthwhile assets to invest in and so have to go poaching public ones.
Then stop talking about it and get out there and show them how it’s done.
Throwing shit from the bleachers isn’t really that helpful, especially some one with your business acumen and total awesomeness.
NZ need you to get out there and for you to lead the way.
It’s about the $100B in savings deposits in this country where people haven’t bothered to invest that money in jobs, busineses or industry, and have instead just sat that money on the sidelines.
That’s anti-business and anti-growth.
No wonder they have to poach public assets; there’s no imagination there.
” they’ve barely created any new worthwhile assets to invest in”
Well they have… but the worthwhile ones all get bought up by overseas interests. If they were on the stock market they then get de-listed. Just like the State assets will be.
Well yes they have, some small and medium businesses worth say $20M or $100M. Sam Morgan’s Trademe being about the only exception with a value much higher than that.
But on the industrial scale of an MRP? Nothing; absolutely nothing.
Apart from property there’s no where else for people to invest there money and get any form of return.
The whole point of capitalism is that there are massive amounts of ideas around just begging for capital investment and that such capital investment is done in a very highly efficient manner through the stock exchange. If that’s not happening then I’d say that the capitalist ideal just doesn’t work.
Basically, I figure that the ideas are out there but that the rich (who are the only ones with enough accumulated wealth) aren’t investing in them because they want guaranteed returns and not to actually take any risk. This is proven by the way that they’re lining up to buy power shares which they know they can’t lose on as the government can’t let power crash and burn. Basically, the people lining up to buy power company shares are just looking to bludge for the rest of their lives off of the hard work of the rest of NZ.
Monopoly and dictatorship is the natural end point of capitalism and that is what we’re seeing. The accumulation into fewer hands and the governments then passing policies, such as selling state assets, that benefit only those few.
Im over people like Rodney who think that workers should, pretty much, have their wages and conditions slashed.
If he came round to my house telling me that I shouldnt be getting the money that I get from my job, he would be on the floor getting the shit kicked out of him.
“If he came round to my house telling me that I shouldnt be getting the money that I get from my job, he would be on the floor getting the shit kicked out of him.”
He ran away from me when I challenged him in the Environment Waikato building in Hamilton a few weeks after his holiday rort was exposed.
Yellow by party, yellow by nature.
Think of the floor, Millsy. Do it outside. Really, I share your sentiments. How the hell did such naked greed and loathsome thinking ever get taken seriously outside of textbooks on forensic psychiatry?
Maybe we should be happy with a minimum wage that allows us to fly around the world for holidays, have a couple of cars, a few houses, and constantly rising capital value. To come up with this rubbish, Hide really is contemptuous of his readers. One more corrupt self-serving orc who should do us all a favour and just disappear.
Why Israeli Apartheid is Worse Than South Africa’s Version
Is Palestinian Solidarity an Occupied Zone?
by GILAD ATZMON March 09, 2013
Once involved with Palestinian Solidarity you have to accept that Jews are special and so is their suffering; Jews are like no other people, their Holocaust is like no other genocide and anti Semitism is the most vile form of racism the world has ever known and so on and so forth.
But when it comes to the Palestinians, the exact opposite is the case. For some reason we are expected to believe that the Palestinians are not special at all – they are just like everyone else. Palestinians have not been subject to a unique, racist, nationalist and expansionist Jewish nationalist movement, instead, we must all agree that, just like the Indians and the Africans, the Palestinian ordeal results from run-of-the-mill 19th century colonialism – just more of the same old boring Apartheid.
So, Jews, Zionists and Israelis are exceptional, like no one else, while Palestinians are always somehow ordinary, always part of some greater political narrative, always just like everyone else. Their suffering is never due to the particularity of Jewish nationalism, or Jewish racism, or even AIPAC dominating USA foreign policy no, the Palestinian is always a victim of a dull, banal dynamic – general, abstract and totally lacking in particularity.
This raises some serious questions.
Can you think of any other liberation or solidarity movement that prides itself in being boring, ordinary and dull? Can you think of any other solidarity movement that downgrades its subject into just one more meaningless exhibit in a museum of materialist historical happenings? I don’t think so! Did the black South Africans see themselves as being like everyone else? Did Martin Luther King believe his brothers and sisters to be inherently undistinguishable?
I don’t think so. So how come Palestinian solidarity has managed to sink so low that their spokespersons and supporters compete against each other to see who can best eliminate the uniqueness of the Palestinian struggle into just part of a general historical trend such as colonialism or Apartheid?
The answer is simple. Palestinian Solidarity is an occupied zone and, like all such occupied zones must dedicate itself to the fight against ‘anti Semitism’. Dutifully united against racism, fully engaged with LGBT issues in Palestine and in the movement itself, but for one reason or another, the movement is almost indifferent towards the fate of millions of Palestinians living in refugee camps and their Right of Return to their homeland.
But all this can change. Palestinians and their supporters could begin to see their cause for what it is, unique and distinctive. Nor need this be all that difficult. After all, if Jewish nationalism is inherently exceptional as Zionists proclaim, is it not only natural that the victims of such a distinctive racist endeavor are at least, themselves, just as distinctive.
So far, Palestine solidarity has failed to liberate Palestine, but it has succeeded beyond its wildest dreams in creating a Palestine Solidarity Industry, and one largely funded by liberal Zionists. We have been very productive in schlepping activists around the world promoting ‘boycotts’ and ‘sanctions’ meanwhile Israel trade with Britain is booming and Hummus Tzabar is clearly apparent in every British grocery store.
All those attempts to reduce Palestinian ordeal into a dated, dull, generalised materialist narrative should be exposed for what they are – an attempt to appease liberal Zionists. Palestinian suffering is actually unique in history at least as unique as the Zionist project.
Yesterday I came across this from South African minister Ronnie Kasrils. In a comment on Israeli Apartheid he said : “This is much worse than Apartheid…Israeli measures, the brutality, make apartheid look like a picnic. We never had jets attacking our townships; we never had sieges that lasted month after month. We never had tanks destroying houses.”
Kasrils is dead right. It is much worse than Apartheid and far more sophisticated than colonialism. And why? Because what the Zionists did and are doing is neither Apartheid nor is it colonialism. Apartheid wanted to exploit the African, Israel wants the Palestinian gone. Colonialism is an exchange between a mother and a settler state. Israel never had a mother State, though it may well have had a few ‘surrogate mothers’.
Now is the time to look at the unique ordeal of the Palestinian people. Similarly, now is the time to look at the Zionist crime in the light of Jewish culture and identity politics.
Can the solidarity movement meet this challenge? Probably, but like Palestine, it must first, itself, be liberated.
Gilad Atzmon’s latest book is The Wandering Who? A Study of Jewish Identity Politics
Israel has constitutional democracy and a free press. Those are the important things for Pop. He’s a caricature.
Meanwhile, what worries me most about Israel and the hardcore Zionists is how they have managed to refine anti-semitism as being anything they don’t like. Their efforts to rewrite the history of Palestine are heroic in their magnitude. They are writing the Palestinians out of existence.
The one and only thing that Goff ever did that I liked was to tell Tel Aviv that they didn’t decide who he could visit and go ahead with a visit to Arafat. I can’t see either Shearer or Key doing anything comparable.
The one and only thing that Goff ever did that I liked was to tell Tel Aviv that they didn’t decide who he could visit and go ahead with a visit to Arafat.
Fair comment, Murray, but even then, Goff did not have the integrity or the courage to meet with the Hamas leadership.
I can’t see either Shearer or Key doing anything comparable.
Neither can I. I don’t believe any of the talk about how Shearer used to “stare down warlords” in Iraq.
“I don’t believe any of the talk about how Shearer used to “stare down warlords” in Iraq.”
Me neither. Mainly because the country concerned is Somalia. If you have any evidence that Shearer lied about his work and experiances in Lebanon, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Serbia and Somalia, and, latterly, Iraq, then by all means front up with it. Or just admit you’re just making shit up, as usual.
I made nothing up. I simply quoted one of the most common factoids (or, more accurately, falsoids) put into the media at the time Shearer was making his run for the leadership.
Based on his inability to say anything coherently, even when faced with a friendly interviewer, I doubt that he “stared down warlords in Iraq”, as his spin-doctors claimed repeatedly.
You seem to have an emotional investment in Shearer; I wonder if you were one of the ones involved in the spinning of this patently absurd legend.
So, no proof then, Mozza? Why am I not surprised? If you have any reason to doubt Shearer’s work history, now would be a good time to pony up. Otherwise, you tend to look like a bit of a sad sack. BTW, what was it like for you when you did your humanitarian work? Y’know, when you put your life at risk to help others? Do, tell, mate, I’m sure your backstory will be fascinating.
Were you there with Shearer when he did his *humanitarian work*, or when he *stared down warlords*…
If you were not there with him, then your support, like the fantastical words of the PR spin behind Shearer, and Key etc, are simply endorsing the puppets of those who simply, made shit up!
Sad diversion BTW Voice, Mozza is not Trojan horse leader of the LP selling himself as giving a toss about NZ, or its people (include the Africans in that), using a fantastical back story, the rival of the *great self made businessman*, John Key!
Obama got a Nobel prize for peace, yeah, shit gets manufactured to suit a purpose!
Any proof the stories aren’t true, Muz? No? Then bollox to you too. Just another keyboard warrior, sans the balls to actually face reality as it is lives. Y’know, the real difference between you and Moz and David Shearer is that he can’t talk the talk and you two phonies can’t walk the walk.
Voice – So you were not with Shearer on his UN adventures then, we have established that!
Talk of reality, and walk or talk, is foolish, you have no idea about my situations/contributions, than you do of Shearers, thats the reality sport!
As I’ve said on here a long time back, your personal efforts to the LP etc, will not be any less meaningful, in reality, at the time it becomes even more obvious than it already is, David Shearer exposed as yet another parachuted sham traitor pretending to be a Kiwi!
Shearer’s humanitarian work (and personal courage) is well documented and recognised. It long predates his decision to run for Labour leader, or even stand in Mt Albert. (for example, his office was bombed in Baghdad, and yes, he had to deal with warlords in Somalia).
The fact that Shearer is poor at his current job doesn’t mean we have to belittle his previous one(s).
Fair enough. So is it to much to ask for this. I want to see that personal courage on display right up front and centre as Labour Leader standing explicitly for Labour values.
Somalia, knee capping your own colleagues, promising private house building corporates windfall profits, whatever doesn’t count. In this game, you’re only as good as your last sales pitch, not the one you successfully made 10 years ago.
You would think after the Pike River disaster this kind of thing couldn’t happen? What Kiwi Rail’s General Manager Rick Vanerveld has to say is a bloody disgrace & he should be sacked!
If I recall correct this bloke was in the papers axing nearly 200 Track jobs about this time & then I heard he got in contractors. Yip that sounds right as they were contractors in that tunnel, untrained in gas emergency evacuation etc. This mug is backing one of his Managers, who rather then
take the gassed workers for immediate medical treatment, instead takes them for a feed like they had too much to drink…”that’s shocking he should have been fired for that ¬ seeing they were trained.”
It will never happen the bosses always back their own & fudge things over after the pricks!
I wonder if the media are following this story up? I smell a cover up & bet there is a lot more to this story!
Our industrial landscape is starting to resemble third world environments with a govt willingly undermining health, safety and backing management all the way.
Kiwi rail is a classic example as its got slipperys henchmen kicking it at every turn and a puppet CEO natty boy.
OSH and ACC should be claiming a few scalps over this. And this is business as usual when companies axe staff and hire external contractors and sub-contractors, as currently all the health and safety risk is moved onto the external contractors, who usually try and cut corners to save money…
(I’ve done temping, and all we got was a very basic H&S video, while working directly for a company I’ve been given pretty decent H&S)
As I’ve said before, I know two senior H&S people who’ve both confirmed to me that ‘contracting out the risk’ is the major motivation.
The entire trend towards contracting, temping and casualisation is exceedingly bad. It’s damaging at every level. Contracting has a place, but only in certain specific scenarios. Where it is plainly being used to replace full-time employment, this practise must be stamped out.
Looking forward to hearing David Shearer announce strong policy aimed squarely towards at fixing this.
notes not handy, but, the article on TV ONE on cannabis use and opiate use in the NZ workplace blew my mind (but didn’t surprise me). When I dug ditches / drove a dump-truck, a quarter to a third of the crew were stoned or fried. 🙂
Another comment my acquaintances have made is that it’s been more than 20 yrs since the passing of the 1992 H&S Act ….but serious harm injuries have scarcely declined at all. Still hovering around the 5000-7000 pa mark.
Some employers (like my one) do take their H&S responsibilities very seriously; far too many others simply parasite off the system doing the least they can possibly get away with doing. Or less. And their employees (or contractors) simply pick up on the lack of leadership.
It’s not hard. If everyone knows that certain H&S breaches are automatic dismissal offences … then everyone very quickly plays the game.
personally, and objectively Red, I agree with the comment made earlier this week re: we just don’t have the political class (the liquidity or investment) to reverse up the decline; I talk to a wide range of people, from the giftedly “insane” to the lucidly “sane” on these sociological / geographical matters and the outlook seems to be “Gimme Shelter”
(+ thanks to TS and wider directed reading, there is plenty of confirmation on the ‘net if one is not a caught up playing “games” or looking for things to buy) btw, thanks for your endorsement of the influence of “faiths” in all this calamity in your postings.
yet, we could always Welcome China, but then, there is always that great wall, (i don’t think the Chinese will ever forget the Nanking Massacre / RAPE of Nanking either).People are people (for example, all these pissed diplomat / negotiators at UN conferences) and what was sown by the majority of the West (grass for example) will be mown down in time. There is an “eclectic” prophecy for ya; it has all gone too far, in my humble opinion.
Yeap, and the the business hiring temp’s know also they’re getting a shit deal, as usually the workers aren’t that capable due or even interested and so poor work results. As I’ve heard oft from commercial businesses I’ve worked for via student job search.
[insert shoddy contracting via lowest-bidder stories here]
Looking forward to hearing David Shearer announce strong policy aimed squarely towards at fixing this.
O_o
From Captain Mubblefuck?…
We’re more likely to get a complete reversal on asset sales by Key than such a piece of policy from Labour at present /cough
There sure is a lot more to it. http://i.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/7290292/Union-fears-KiwiRail-cuts-threaten-workers-safety This rank and file Union guy blew the whistle on serious Health & Safety issues at Kiwi Rail, including the Kaimai tunnel incident. Those bastards running the railways tried to use the job cuts to get get rid of him. Last I heard he got forced to move up to the far North or be made redundant. In other words ‘sacked’.
I would have thought whistle blowers were protected by law and the Employer would be skating on thin ice if he took a personal grievance?
The following link is to Rod Oram’s comments on Govt proposals to change the RMA. Govt is holding public meetings over next couple of weeks to “explain” their discussion paper. Oram suggests Govt is leaving out vital facts, and just using surveys as factual reasons to change the RMA.
Oram suggests Govt is leaving out vital facts, and just using surveys as factual reasons to change the RMA.
That would be normal for this government. Paint a pretty picture but leave out the facts so that people don’t realise the truth and thus can’t make informed decisions. It’s all part of the We know best syndrome of National and the ideological ignoring of reality.
Granting considerable new powers to central Government such as the ability to take individual consent decisions out of local councils and place them in a new national body; and inserting provisions in local council plans without any consultation.
Yep, more dictatorial control from this government.
Fingers crossed it bloody well works as this would allow us to kick our coal habit within a couple of decades at least. Mainly as you need the infrastructure for harvesting and delivering deuterium on very large scales + manufacture the reactors.
There’s actually a lot of research going on in fusion power sources. The “always 50 years away” really refers to the big tokamak reactors that will eventually get there, but obviously not for a long time and at such a cost that they’re not truly feasible as a source of power.
In the mean time, we may see one of these ‘alternative’ methods take off.
Tokamak’s are problematic mainly due to the fluid physics of the plasma, lots of eddies that reduce fusion output and require large amounts of computing power to model and iron out. ITER will probably provide better data on whether or not Tok’s can ever produce enough power for commercial viability.
And yeah, tok’s and laser-based interial confinement fusion systems have pretty much taken the lion’s share of available funding. ICF particularly as it provides useful data for nuclear weapons, but mainly it’s been international treaties and science politics that’s kept these two methods in the forefront in my opinion*.
The other main alternative runner is the Polywell, which has achieved fusion, but they’ve lost US Naval funding as of 2012 so are trying to get private funding.
As for cold fusion – load of crap at present, too little non-problematic data, in particular Bubble Fusion is another shining example of how science can go wrongzors.
________________________________________
*Could make for a fun history of science area actually… Generally you see a pattern of older, established scientists holding sway over an area and so it becomes difficult to bring in new ideas unless they have a lot of empirical evidence behind them. Seems to affect physics more.
I’ve been following pollywell for 5 or so years now, didn’t know they lost their navel funding though, that sucks. Alternatively, it seemed like the government wasn’t really giving it the funding it deserved and kept everything Top Secret, so this could be an improvement.
Mind you, the basics of the polywell are actually pretty cheap to build and test, though more research is needed to test it’s viability as there’s still some issues with the physics of the plasma confinement and pressure going off the details available.
Anyhow, it’s good to see that Lockheed-Martin’s actually putting the funds from it’s horribly overpriced military hardware to a much more useful technology and letting Skunk Works go nuts :3
I reckon that these developments are about 25 years too late to have a big impact on the energy future of the world, and I’m thinking about India and China here, two massive coal users. The best case I see is for a relatively small number of fusion generators to be built in time for VIP and high priority uses.
Unless of course the dream of having a suitcased size generator putting out a MW of energy comes true, but that’s the stuff of Star Trek.
But remember the circumstances under which the Enterprise crew first met “Q”…it was a desolate picture of earth in the 21st century after the next global war.
furthermore, Wonders of Wonders for you LGBT folk out there 😉 ; at S.A service this morning an extended testimony by a Gay man, artist, novelist, trained pianist, tertiary teacher, about his journey and acceptance. Very moving (although a few Trads. seemed a little bemused, still, that’s progress for you.kinda like how being tr*lld makes ya stronger, iron sharpening Iron and all that stainless. 🙂
I don’t think so, China at least accepts climate change is a very serious issue, and if this reactor is viable, they’ll probably cancel the coal plants waiting to be built and redirect funding towards building these reactors. Heck, depending on how the energy from the reactor is being turned into electricity, you could retrofit current coal burning plant’s with them and drive the in place steam turbine power generators. Saving a lot of infrastructure costs in the process.
And your forgetting just how much shear industrial capacity is present, given the drive, it can easily be redeployed towards producing just about anything, and the FRC reactor Skunk Work’s is proposing is far less complex that a tokamak. Mainly due to the confinement of the plasma via a magnetic bottle which doesn’t need a huge array of powerful electromagnets to run, and so doesn’t need entirely special lining as there’s no plasma eroding it.
It will obviously take time to build and set up using current carbon-based energy sources, but if Skunk Works can get it to produce a large net energy from a self-sustaining fusion reaction, the possibilities are literally mind-boggling. For one, human civilisation might just have enough energy to start mining the air for carbon at an industrial scale and reduce atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Along with no longer needing to dam so many rivers for energy production, allowing for the rehabilitation of certain river systems and removal of dams in very tectonically active areas.
Then there’s the obvious advantages in terms of electrification in the developing world for food and medicine preservation and storage. All from a reactor that is highly portable compared to the nuclear* and carbon-based alternatives.
Are we still stuffed climate and resource wise? Yeap, but this is the sort of technology that when combined with other green-methods would allow us to adapt, survive and even reduce global temperatures. Albeit, a rather problematic set of “if” statements are still involved, mainly as democratic governments can be bloody stupid and some powerful non-state actors (i.e. corporations) have their heads firmly stuck in the short-term, despite the looming crises…
Oh, and it makes SPAAAAAAACE a lot easier to move around in, as this reactor can be used to generate thrust directly, or used to run an ion-based drive array :3
________________________________________
*well, pebble-bed reactors show some promise for portability and safety, but there’s a whole range of issues, including all the usual ones…
This is the absolute tech-solution best case, not saying it won’t happen but I wouldn’t rate it at a higher than 10% chance right now.
The Skunk Works is not going to release this tech to the world (or to China) for a very long time. It would be too much of a strategic advantage for the USA.
Once the technology has a pilot which can produce say 100MW sustained, I’ll believe that it is on the way.
Right now, I’m tempted to put it in the category of civilisation saving solutions requiring “Unobtanium” to work.
Yeap, but this is the sort of technology that when combined with other green-methods would allow us to adapt, survive and even reduce global temperatures
😛
As for this not being available to China, lets just say this tech isn’t exactly hard to replicate (based off currently published research on FRC and other reactors) and Lockhead-Martin might suck deeply and greedily on the teat of US Defence contracts. But this is a major money spinner that would give them a far more secure line of funding than the US DoD contracts. Which is going to get cut to the bone as American politicians are now beginning to stop holding it’s budget as sacrosanct.
Although the moronic right are a significant issue that may cause problems.
Worth bearing in mind that Lockheed Martin could also make a tonne of money exporting the F-22 Raptor, but it’s banned from doing so through national security legislation and technology export restrictions.
True, but that’s mainly because they’re getting government funding to develop and build the F22 airframe, internals and computer systems.
And while certain political douchebags might push for Skunk Works’ FRC reactor tech to not be exported to China and Russia, the shear need for this technology will hopefully hammer those idiots out of sight. Otherwise China’s gotten very good at industrial espionage 😉
Sometimes humanity prevails against it’s more stupid, short-sighted impulses.
They’re still trying the tokamak route, though the stuff being trailed is very interesting. Main issue with the tokamaks is that so far, they appear to need to be rather large to provide significant power (scalability being teh term). Along with the turbulence issues with eddies in the plasma that can cause power spikes/drops. Also China’s part of the ITER project.
But I suspect the Chinese aren’t standing still on other alternatives and their fusion research will be keeping an eye on anything out of Skunk Works.
As for this not being available to China, lets just say this tech isn’t exactly hard to replicate (based off currently published research on FRC and other reactors)
Yep, and other governments, except ours, probably have their research already looking in to it – especially after the release of that video.
Yeap, but this is the sort of technology that when combined with other green-methods would allow us to adapt, survive and even reduce global temperatures
😛
As for this not being available to China, lets just say this tech isn’t exactly hard to replicate (based off currently published research on FRC and other reactors) and Lockhead-Martin might suck deeply and greedily on the teat of US Defence contracts. But this is a major money spinner that would give them a far more secure line of funding than the US DoD contracts. Which is going to get cut to the bone as American politicians are now beginning to stop holding it’s budget as sacrosanct.
Although the moronic right are a significant issue that may cause problems.
Yeap, but this is the sort of technology that when combined with other green-methods would allow us to adapt, survive and even reduce global temperatures
😛
As for this not being available to China, lets just say this tech isn’t exactly hard to replicate (based off currently published research on FRC and other reactors) and Lockhead-Martin might suck deeply and greedily on the teat of US Defence contracts. But this is a major money spinner that would give them a far more secure line of funding than the US DoD contracts. Which is going to get cut to the bone as American politicians are now beginning to stop holding it’s budget as sacrosanct.
Although the moronic right are a significant issue that may cause problems.
When you get a 500 error on a comment just go to the front page and then reload the page that you were on. Your comment is usually there. I also suggest, if you’re really paranoid, a ctrl-a, ctrl-c before hitting submit.
In theory (as in I will believe it when I don’t see it), I should have largely eliminated the main cause of those this afternoon just before 1700 hours. There was a SEO plugin with a bad habit of locking the whole post table when it pulled all 11777 public posts for an analysis. It particularly caused a problem when a re-edit tried to start it a second time while the first was still running (for some obscure reason). Eliminated it, changed it for a less clueless plugin doing the same thing, and couldn’t see the reproducible effect afterwards.
I won’t know for sure until I see some new posts going up when the system is loaded. Ditto for finding out how well the new plugin keeps the search engines updated on comments. This one has less visible controls.
The log hasn’t shown any 500 responses since I restarted the apache server to start analysing the lag at about 2000 (been out)
The tech isn’t coming out of the “Skunk Works” – it’s mostly private sector, or possible government funded projects in France and Japan. The Polywell is pretty well understood, and I think you seriously underestimate China’s tech state of the art.
CV
While thinking about India there was a good update on Radionz this morning on how it is thinking and acting which might put recent vicious attacks on women in the picture among other matters.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday
11:44 Wayne Brittenden’s Counterpoint
Wayne Brittenden has been Radio New Zealand’s correspondent in several capital cities over the years. Each week he gives fresh insights into a wide variety of topics of national and international concern, followed by Chris Laidlaw’s discussion of the issue with guests. Today, while India is now seen as belonging to the middle economic bracket countries, new Oxford University research reveals what critics within India have known all along — that the last 20 years of unfettered market forces haven’t reduced the vast number of those living in dire poverty. Wayne looks at today’s neo-liberal consumerist India, and Chris follows up with Dharmendra Kumar, the Director of the Indian Campaign Group, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Watch. (14′49″)
Download: Ogg Vorbis MP3 | Embed
A less polluting and more efficient power source certainly opens up a lot of opportunities. If it’s used by the public sector to provide cheap power and save natural resources, it could be a great advance. If it ends up in the hands of the same greedy corporates, the price of power probably wouldn’t even go down. The technological solutions are always possible, but we need the social organisation which allows them to be used for more than the benefit of a small minority.
Turning Japanese http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10870285
so in Christchurch.
tail-end of an RNZ article on cancer treatment, along with Stress, Resentment is a significant etiological factor. (best to unload the sack on our back as we tramp through life; His yoke is Light
😉 )
And this is what National’s possibly looking at going into a coalition with? Ye gads, it’s almost enough to make me want to keep ACT’s undead corpse around. Notice too, how he conveniently doesn’t cite any polling evidence.
Well, he has a point. If you take “public support is shifting towards a traditional view of marriage” to mean “by lying to people about the current law and scaremongering about issues that don’t exist and also lying about the process being followed, we’ve created a lot of confusion and then carefully worded our polling questions so they almost get the answers we want”. Craig’s just being more concise, is all.
TV One News has just announced Joyce has committed to fixing Novopay within three months. An education sector person was hailing it on the news on tele as great to hear and that it was about time. But that’s not what Joyce said. He did say that he wanted as much done as possible to fix things within three months. That’s very different. In fact, does this mean that Joyce accepts not as much as possible was done over the past few months? Probably, but people need to listen to these slippery characters. When the three months is up and nothing’s been done Joyce will simply say that he did not give a commitment to fix Novopay within three months, and he’ll be right.
Of course it buys Joyce time and by that time the heat will have gone out and maybe the population will be bored by the story. Trust Mr Joyce? Sure can.
Native Affairs was on tonight (Maori TV) and featured an interview with David Shearer. I didn’t see it, because – not for the first time – it was poorly publicised. Some reaction here …
I never know whether Labour’s media reticence is deliberate strategy or just incompetence. Is it so hard to use social media and other outlets to say: “Today the leader will be on bFM, Maori TV, etc (as happened today). Why not issue a bulletin every day, announcing the day ahead? Too simple?
I learn far more from Google and Twitter than I ever do from the people who are PAID to publicise their party, their polcies, and their people. What on earth do they do all day?
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Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits and quirks of New Zealanders at large. This week: writer and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024, Lauren Groff.The book I wish I’d writtenIf I wish I’d written a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Fechner, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University mavo/Shutterstock Imagine having dinner at a restaurant. The menu offers plant-based meat alternatives made mostly from vegetables, mushrooms, legumes and wheat that mimic meat in taste, texture and smell. Despite being given that ...
“Three Strikes is a dead-end policy proposed by a dead-end government. The Three Strikes law ignores the causes of crime, instead just brutalising people already crushed by the cost of living.” ...
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Australian-born judge in Kiribati could well face deportation later this week after a tribunal ruling that he should be removed from his post. The tribunal’s report has just been tabled in the Kiribati Parliament and is due to be debated by MPs ...
With its clear mandate for police use, political nuances, and nuanced public trust, Denmark's insights provide valuable considerations for Australia and New Zealand. ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews poet Louise Wallace’s debut novel. A famous poet once said to me that he’s always suspicious when a poet publishes a novel. I never really understood why but maybe it’s something to do with cheating on your first form. Louise Wallace is a poet. She’s ...
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next.Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again?First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
Labour in opposition will be shocked to learn which party had six years in power but squandered any chance to make real change. Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. The acid-tongued incoming Otago University chancellor administered a sick burn to the coalition government. He ...
After more than two sleepless days, running through savage terrain, Greig Hamilton didn’t know if he was going to finish one of the most gruelling psychological assaults in sport. He was metres away from the finish line, a yellow gate made famous in a Netflix documentary; a race he’d dreamed ...
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The following interview with former Green Party MP Sue Kedgley came about because she features in the new memoir Hine Toa by activist Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku; the two knew each other at the University of Auckland in the early 70s, when they were both took on leadership roles in the ...
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is seen some as its ‘silicon shield’ against invasion – but how will overseas expansion affect that protection? The post The state of Taiwan’s silicon shield appeared first on Newsroom. ...
There’s relief for building owners bending under the weight of earthquake strengthening rules – and costs – that came into force seven years ago. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced a scheduled 2027 review of the earthquake-prone building regulations will now start this year. Owners will also get ...
Opinion: It has been announced that nine percent of roles at Oranga Tamariki will be disestablished, presumably to help fund the tax cuts promised by the coalition Government. I am reminded of the graphics used to illustrate pandemic events, where five thousand people are standing in a field and then ...
COMMENTARY:By Murray Horton New Zealand needs to get tough with Israel. It’s not as if we haven’t done so before. When NZ authorities busted a Mossad operation in Auckland 20 years ago, the government didn’t say: “Oh well, Israel has the right to defend itself.” No, it arrested, prosecuted, ...
NEWSMAKERS:By Vijay Narayan, news director of FijiVillage Blessed to be part of the University of Fiji (UniFiji) faculty to continue to teach and mentor those who want to join our noble profession, and to stand for truth and justice for the people of the country. I was privileged to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Lowry, Ice Sheet & Climate Modeller, GNS Science Hugh Chittock/Antarctica New Zealand, CC BY-SA As the climate warms and Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets melt, the resulting rise in sea level has the potential to displace hundreds of millions of ...
The government's plan to reintroduce a three strikes regime is being strongly opposed by lawyers, who argue there is no evidence it reduces crime or helps people rehabilitate. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Professor specialising in Internet law, Bond University Do Australian courts have the right to decide what foreign citizens, located overseas, view online on a foreign-owned platform? Anyone inclined to answer “yes” to this question should perhaps also ask ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giovanni E Ferreira, NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney Last week in a post on X, owner of the platform Elon Musk recommended people look into disc replacement if they’re experiencing severe neck or back pain. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University anek.soowannaphoom/Shutterstock NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey caught the headlines yesterday, courtesy of a blistering speech condemning the latest GST carve-up. New South Wales, he claimed, would be A$11.9 billion worse off over the ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived at Kokoda Station, Northern province, at the start of his state visit to Papua New Guinea. Both Albanese and Prime Minister James Marape will meet with the locals and the Northern Provincial government before they begin their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wallace, Professor, School of Politics Economics & Society, Faculty of Business Government & Law, University of Canberra Shutterstock An important principle was invoked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week in defence of the government’s Future Made in Australia industry ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Security forces reinforcements were sent from France ahead of two rival marches in the capital Nouméa today, at the same time and only two streets away one from the other. One march, called by Union Calédonienne party (a component of the ...
A poll last August found that just 16% of New Zealanders oppose bringing back the ‘Three Strikes’ law. The nationwide poll of 1,000 New Zealanders was commissioned by Family First NZ and carried out by Curia Market Research. ...
The solo show from Ana Scotney is both sprawling and intimate, and a must-see, writes Mad Chapman. In the opening moments of Scattergun: After the Death of Rūaumoko, writer and performer Ana Scotney lays out the groundwork, literally. Silently moving around the square stage, Scotney is not so much dancing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Burridge, Professor of Linguistics, Monash University Who makes the words? Why are trees called trees and why are shoes called shoes and who makes the names? – Elliot, age 5, Eltham, Victoria Good question Elliot! Let’s start with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne at amRawpixel.com/Shutterstock Roles of health professionals are still unfortunately often stuck in the past. That is, before the ...
COMMENTARY:By Malcolm Evans Last week’s leaked New York Times staff directive, as to what words can and cannot be used to describe the carnage Israel is raining on Palestinians, is proof positive, since those reports are published verbatim here in New Zealand, that our understanding of the conflict is ...
In the case of New Zealand, the results confirm that there is no popular support for the vicious austerity program being imposed by the National Party-led government, which is backed in all fundamental respects by the opposition Labour Party. ...
The ‘Vampire’ singer has never visited our part of the world, but that might all be about to change. We assess the evidence.Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour is pulling in massive crowds as it whips around the US and Europe, even helping to catapult regular supporting act Chappell Roan ...
Testing of drinking water in rural Canterbury over the weekend by Greenpeace revealed that several public town supplies were reaching levels of nitrate above 5 mg/L - the threshold which a growing body of scientific evidence has linked to increased ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rohan Fisher, Information Technology for Development Researcher, Charles Darwin University It may come as a surprise to hear 2023 was Australia’s biggest bushfire season in more than a decade. Fires burned across an area eight times as big as the 2019–20 Black ...
Responding to the Government’s announcement of changes to resource management laws, Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said: “These changes are a step in the right direction in terms of removing ideological and unworkable ...
More than two years after the Human Rights Council called for the establishment of a national human rights commission, such a body has yet to be formed. ...
Comment:An emergency management system with wide variations in performance, significant capability gaps, funding shortfalls and above all a setup that is not meeting the needs of New Zealanders at times of crisis. The Government’s inquiry into the response to Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events in the North ...
Welcome to the whirring wonders of one brain trying to align its actions with its beliefs within a system it thinks is evil. My brain has been spiralling in a woke conundrum ever since I found out a bookshop I’ve never been to was shutting down. Good Books, a bookshop ...
We repeat our call for criminal justice policy to be based on evidence, something the three strikes regime neglects to recognise – with no evidence that it either reduces crime or assists with rehabilitation. ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara With only four more seats in the 50-member Parliament yet to be officially declared, there is no outright winner in the Solomon Islands elections. As of Monday, the two largest blocs in the winner’s circle, independents and the incumbent Prime Minister Manasseh ...
Two/fiftyseven is a multi-purpose space hidden in the heart of Wellington that is paving a way for sustainable building and responsible landlording in Aotearoa and beyond.By 2060 the world is predicted to double its entire building stock, which equates to building an entire New York City every 34 days, ...
Popstars wasn’t just a reality television revolution, it was also a huge moment for Y2K fashion.It’s 25 years since girl group TrueBliss was formed on New Zealand national television, breaking new ground for both the reality television industry and the shiny clothing industry. With the first episode on NZ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Pepping, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology, Griffith University Marvin / Shutterstock Are all single people insecure? When we think about people who have been single for a long time, we may assume it’s because single people have insecurities that make ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William Geary, Lecturer in Quantitative Ecology & Biodiversity Conservation, The University of Melbourne Trismegist san, Shutterstock Landscapes that have escaped fire for decades or centuries tend to harbour vital structures for wildlife, such as tree hollows and large logs. But these ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher, Lecturer in Marine Science, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Shutterstock/S Curtis Why are we crossing ecological boundaries that affect Earth’s fundamental life-supporting capacity? Is it because we don’t have enough information about how ecosystems respond to change? Or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Crocker, PhD Student in Economics, Deakin University Here’s something for the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia to ponder as it meets next month to set interest rates. It has pushed up rates on 13 occasions since it began its ...
+ 1 for only mild use of mansplaining when there is plenty of opportunity to use it more
+10 for OP’s proving beyond doubt that we do in fact live in a rape culture
+ 7 for all those posters who declare that a drunk woman is partially, if not fully responsible for any subsequent rape that occurs while she is intoxicated (curiously no mention of any men having their dicks cut off while passed out drunk being entirely responsible for the loss of their manly member)
+2 for the poster who declares that, “you will get more credibility here if you post under your ‘usual’ name”. It’s only plus two because frankly it’s getting old and isn’t even intellectually offensive anymore because it’s not like anyone is actually going to use their real names because OP implied they needed more credibility in the first place. An intelligent argument should do just fine actually.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Community/MessageBoard/Messages.aspx?id=1222972&topic=5
And +20 for this little gem from ratherbefishin, otherwise known as Greg from Waitakere City.
Occupation: Getting well from a serious car accident.
Hmmmm. Probably run down by a pissed off feminist.
Sure, there are predators out there, but your dauhgters [sic] are presenting themselves as bait. Look most rapes, not all, the girls are drunk or on drugs, dressed over provocatively, act like fools, put themselves in situations that is condusive to making the situation worse. It’s the parents fault for not naking them safe and teaching them the right values about mixing in the ‘right’ cirlces….you can’t get rabbits from rats.
You +20 that?
“Sure, there are predators out there, but your dauhgters [sic] are presenting themselves as bait.”
There are predators out there, no doubting that, but whatever conduct or dress (lack of) sense, the ‘bait’ argument can only comes from those excusing or mitigating the ‘hunter’.
“Look most rapes, not all, the girls are drunk or on drugs, dressed over provocatively, act like fools, put themselves in situations that is condusive to making the situation worse.”
Doesn’t matter if women are drunk, drugged, in short skirts, boob tubes and give a guy the come on. The self control still remains with the male of the species. Always has, always will… Unless you’re a chimp.
“It’s the parents fault for not naking them safe and teaching them the right values about mixing in the ‘right’ cirlces”
Blame the parents of the victim of sex crimes. Nice work, idiot.
“you can’t get rabbits from rats.”
Or reasoned debate from trade me.
Yeah, I adopted a rating system from http://www.annalsofonlinedating.com/ where either the profiles of daters or their attempts at snagging someone via messaging are rated according to how bad they are.
I didn’t understand the +
Now I do 😉
+ Tard
🙂
Absolutely disgusting.
But the handle ratherbefishin explains volumes about this guy. Some thickheaded kiwi bloke douchebag who wants to string gays up with piano wire and sees women as sub human.
Greg. I promise you, come the revolution, you will be sorry.
Thats not a very nice way to talk about your mother
Anyone that can write that about rape must have a real struggle stopping themselves from attacking young women. I suggest preventative custody to safeguard society. If the guy hasn’t raped already, I bet he will.
It’s interesting that the commenting gets worse over time, and watching rape culture proponents work hard to prevail. I didn’t read the comments to the end because the thread was becoming ever-more demoralising to read. I assume the pro-rape-culture team continued to dominate the discussion through aggression and insults, seldom making any genuine effort to address the arguments of the protestors.
Still, I believe there has been real progress made in the public consciousness, since I was helped to join the dots to an understanding of rape culture, a few years ago.
The LGBT rights movement is always an inspiration in what can be achieved, but I’m only too aware of the personal brunt of public contempt and derision, and other kinds of psychological and physical violence borne hardest and most continuously by those at the forefront of the movement from the beginning. It was hard and dangerous work, and the fight continues today, but from a position of relative strength. But progress can happen in the teeth of seemingly overwhelming resistance.
And there are some hopeful signs:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10870210
” rape culture proponents”
Who are they? Can you cite anyone who says rape culture is great and needs to be maintained?
“rape culture” is a concept which only belongs to feminist ideology, it is not generally accepted.
You are trying to smear anyone who doesn’t pedal feminist doctrine as rape supporters.
You are like those rightwing yanks who accuse anyone who opposes them as being terrorists supporters or sympathisers.
People like you who claim that rape culture doesn’t exist despite all the evidence that it does.
Ask the NZ Police force, they wrote the book on it!
194 million results for “rape culture” on Google. Only 6.5 mil for “deconstructionist Marxist feminist”.
js, thanks for the tautoko yesterday 🙂
Urge to summon Cthulhu rising….
The trademe boards are up their with major gaming forums for the level of burning stupid and outright sexist, echo-room bullshit. Nothing that a little “gentle” moderating couldn’t fix, but trademe lacks teh spine to do so, afraid that they’ll loose customers.
To this day I get pageviews from the Trademe forums to a post I wrote about Pippa Wetzell/Paul Henry/Breakfast, apparently from people who can’t spot the fact that my blog isn’t a news site and that the post in question is satire.
O_o
Well, trademe board users aren’t the brightest bunch at times…
(May the elder things grant me the mighty banhammer of troll-halla to smack the unworthy back unto the wretched lands of talkback, ramen)
Lord Ashcroft spends some more money, doesn’t get the result he hoped for:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/mar/09/labour-election-win-tory-poll
A couple of learnings for NZ; Labour is underacheiving (the Cameron Government is nowhere near as hopeless as Key’s lot) and if NZ First go into coalition with the tories after the next election, they can look forward to ceasing to exist 3 years later.
Sort of makes me glad the lib dems failed to get rid of first past the post.
One can only imagine how shockingly poor the conservative party would be if backed by the loonies and racists of the right to hold on to power.
I wonder if the Lord was using the “research” as a cunning way to direct the Tories in the direction that he wanted. Scare tactics?
Lurch to the right, play to baser instinct. What could go wrong?
Worked so well for JK, even NZ Labour are at it.
Yep, Al1en, that’s exactly what Ashcroft wants. However, the results don’t help him turn them in that direction. If the poll had shown losses at, say, 20 seats, he could have got traction to move policy to the right; to strengthen the appeal to vavering traditional tory voters who have shifted to the anti-european UKIP. However, what this poll shows is that the electorate wants middle of the road or even left policies. So Cameron has to move to the centre to shore up the tory vote. That’s got to piss off Ashcroft more than just a bit.
Calamity and complacency aside, Labour, as unpopular as can be in government, will be back after only one term out, and whilst not the Labour party many here would prefer it to be, it’s got a well spoken leader that holds to core left principles. The people respond.
Camp mallard should have looked further afield for a game plan than the blinding light of our pm that so clearly bedazzles them and sets their agenda.
NZ First will not go into coalition with National. The 1990s are over, everyone out of the pool.
Never predict winston 🙂
What gives TRP?
A month ago you were saying everything is fine and Shearer will lead Labour to victory and now you are saying that Labour is underachieving. What is happening?
Nothing gives, MS. I was making the comparison with UK Labour, who also started from a poor election result and are lead by someone who is still working to convince his own party of his merits, yet have gone on to gain enough support to govern alone. The NZLP caucus are underacheiving in comparison.
So what changes need to be made to Caucus, asked in the most neutral way possible …
It comes down to attitude mickysavage. At present the caucus catechism is:
our (read ABC club) side is good.
the other side is bad.
We will only take notice of our side.
We will ignore everything the other side says and does.
Today I received my electorate’s first newsletter for the year. It contained a letter (no indication where it came from) from an unnamed new, young member who attended his/her first conference last November.. It was essentially a eulogy to David Shearer and contained such language as…working for a brighter future (now where have I heard that before), more progressive and more inclusive society… this is the Labour way and all of it was achieved at the Conference.
Why am I suspicious of this letter? Well, it has an [insert name here] quality about it.
I sincerely hope I’m wrong.
“Drought gripping the North Island is the most severe in history, with the crisis far from over both for now and in years to come, scientists say.
“Long, dry spells are forecast to double by 2040 as temperatures continue to rise and New Zealand heads towards a more Mediterranean climate.
“Experts warn it could spell the end for farming as we know it and may cost the country billions of dollars in drought relief each year before practices are adjusted.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/8405004/North-Island-drought-worst-in-history
Actually, the best thing we could do would be to have the government buy enough farms to feed everybody and put in place practices (Heaps of R&D at the universities) to farm in the new environment. Then you let all the rest continue or fall upon their own – just as capitalism calls for.
University R&D can’t help in this situation. It’s the wrong approach to modifying and applying existing knowledge.
I agree, the best research is being done outside of universities. The unis could get in behind though.
I’ll reiterate what others have said here recently – drought is being created by conventional farming as much as (if not more so) than by climate change.
This TED talk (20 mins) shows how to graze animals so you don’t end up in a drought (both locally and from climate change). Alan Savory has been doing this on the ground research for over 50 years, and developed systems of mob grazing that reverse desertification and sequester carbon and restore local microclimates on such a large scale that they probably would effect macro climate if adopted en masse.
At the end the TED host calls the presentation truly astonishing, but these farm technologies, based on mimicking natural cycles, are well known in sustainably land management circles and are even being used successfully in NZ.
http://www.ted.com/speakers/allan_savory.html
John Liu’s work is worthy too, here he looks at the restoration of the severely damaged huge Loess Plateau in China back into a food producing oasis, as well as restoration in other parts of the world (50mins)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=J3WisjXYik4
And a quick look (5mins) at the Greening the Desert project in Jordan (one of the driest places on earth supporting humans). Geoff Lawton took 10 acres of salinated man-made desert and had it starting to produce food from trees within four months.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sohI6vnWZmk
Exactly. For instance, modern farming has destroyed tens of thousands of hectares of tussock land, which were crucial for feeding atmospheric moisture into the land.
That’s one thing that’s been bugging me for years. Academia in NZ is unwilling to accept knowledge gained outside of academia in NZ and that needs to change.
Maybe that happens in some specific branches of academia, DTB, but it couldn’t be applied in Physics, for example. I’m part of academia whether I like the label or not, and apart from Hitler’s attempt at introducing Aryan Physics, I’ve never seen evidence of what you suggest.
Which areas would you say this unwillingness applies to?
The horticultural arms of universities tend to have farms where they research better methods of farming.
Too much of it is the wrong kind of research. You need research working with real farmers on their own land.
Well, if the universities are doing their job, then they are. The simple fact of the matter is that the farmer is unlikely to be able to do the research but once the research has been done can help come up with better methods of implementation and the university owned farms would probably have farm managers on them as well.
“The simple fact of the matter is that the farmer is unlikely to be able to do the research”
Why do you say that? Many farmers practice empirical science anyway, and any farmer with either a good working knowledge of the scientific method, or support with that, can do research on their own property. It’s not rocket science 😉
Universities in NZ aren’t leading the way on developing sustainable practice, they’re following. And the way that universities are structured and operate, the hard sciences in particular, is inherently reductionist, making studying whole systems harder and less likely. This is why we are in the ridiculous situation of trying to solve river/waterway pollution from industrial dairying by chemically treating paddocks to prevent increases in nitrogen, instead of changing farming practices to prevent excess nitrogen in the first place. The inability to see natural cycles in their whole and to work with them is the big stumbling block, that and greed economics/capitalism. Universities are going to research conventional farming, because that’s what we do. They’re not focusing (enough*) on the kind that is making a difference.
Crown research is just as bad. Restructuring that happened in the 80s and 90s prevented the early adoption of sustainable practices, and many of the field researchers lost their jobs. From what I can tell focus was on economics and practices that created financial wealth.
*there are some notable exceptions eg the long-standing Biological Husbandry Unit at Lincoln has been pioneering organics for over 3 decades.
Seriously DTB, watch some of those videos and then compare what they are talking about with what is being done in universities, then you will get what I mean.
Because the farmers are more likely to be using land to make a profit with what they know. If they were doing anything else our waterways wouldn’t be as polluted as they are.
No, it’s a hell of a lot more complex.
That I can agree with but i also think that they’re changing. As I said, a number of them now have their own farms to work with and when you’ve got that then you must start to see the entire system rather than just the pieces.
Or they could be doing both.
“Because the farmers are more likely to be using land to make a profit with what they know. If they were doing anything else our waterways wouldn’t be as polluted as they are.”
We’re talking at cross purposes. I’m talking about farmers who are doing the cutting edge work on sustainable land management. They’re doing their own research, and being successful at creating new models of farming that don’t wreck the land (or quite as fast). Universities are lagging behind this.
” ” It’s not rocket science”
No, it’s a hell of a lot more complex.”
No, it’s not. Working with biological systems that mimic nature to grow food requires expertise, but you do not need an advanced science degree to understand it, not implement it. Nor study it.
“That I can agree with but i also think that they’re changing. As I said, a number of them now have their own farms to work with and when you’ve got that then you must start to see the entire system rather than just the pieces.”
Why? If you’ve been trained all your working life to look at the isolated detail and not the systems, and if your work situation demands that that is how you do research, and that kind of research is what gets the funding, why would you get to see it differently. Having one’s own farm doesn’t make one see differently – to use your example, if it did then farmers wouldn’t be polluting the environment.
“Or they could be doing both.”
Treating excess nitrogen by applying chemicals to a paddock is equivalent to the old lady that swallowed the fly. It’s just daft. If you manage land holistically in the first place, you don’t need to do that kind of disruptive intervention (or very rarely). I’m guessing you’re not that familiar with the kinds of technologies I’m talking about and don’t really understand the paradigm differences and why they matter. Maybe someone else can explain it?
Golly. Yep. Jim
“David Cameron a liar a cheat a criminal in public office”
The artist taxi driver
Don’t forget Cameron and John Yankee are chums.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hEU9uN-bo0&list=UUGThM-ZZBba1Zl9rU-XeR-A&index=1
This government looks to the U$K for ideas to apply here. 🙁
Tories’ hidden privatisation plan revealed
25 Feb 2013 00:00
The massive step towards full privatisation of the NHS is being made in regulations sneaked out earlier this month – exposed by the Daily Mirror
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nhs-tories-hidden-privatisation-plan-1729681
“The new rules impose “compulsory competitive markets” on the entire health service.
The changes are planned under the overhaul launched by Tory former Health Secretary Andrew Lansley. He claimed there was nothing in it to “promote or permit the transfer of NHS activities to the private sector”.
But now all services are to be offered to the highest bidder from April 1.
The move would allow “any qualified provider” including giants such as Virgin Care to outbid local hospitals.
Critics fear the rules will let companies asset-strip NHS facilities. Labour have warned firms could cherry-pick the easiest, most profitable, procedures, leaving the NHS to pick up the tab for tricky and expensive surgery.”
“This intended ‘privatisation’ will mean a short term of financial gain for
the Tory Party followed by higher costs as shareholders have their hands out for their profit. Charing X Hospital is stuffed with new equipment, but understaffed – I wonder why! This government from what I deduce are thieves and profiteers. How much do they expect to make from our Schools and ‘Academies'”
Heh the Daily Mirror proving that it’s (a little) more than just T&A.
Rodney Hide explains that since most business owners make less than the minimum wage (why the hell else would anyone run a business!) the pinkos shouldn’t expect a living wage. So there.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10870282
Rodney discretely omits any mention of the ability of business owners to sell their business and pay no capital gains tax, assuming that stupid lefties ” think running a business is easy. That’s because they have never done it.”
Or extract living and other expenses from the business’s effectively living directly from its funds.
A rort that rortney would be all too familiar with
He probably also counts poorly paid contractors as sole trader businesses.
Good luck trying to sell a business not making money.
You’ll also find, unless a business has locked in contracts apart from stock and plant the business really has no value at all.
That must be why Rortney and co. are so keen to buy our power generators.
Mighty river power is a great investment, hopefully it will stimulate more interest in stocks and away from property
.Apart from property there’s no where else for people to invest there money and get any form of return.
hopefully it will stimulate more interest in stocks
So it’s a bait and switch then?
Not sure how you get bait and switch?
Not sure how you miss it…
Bait-and-switch is a form of fraud used in retail sales but also practised in other contexts. First, customers are “baited” by merchants’ advertising products or services at a low price; then customers discover the advertised goods are not available. Other products are “switched” for them; however, these items are often costlier.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bait-and-switch
I don’t see the link with encouraging people to invest in the share market?
If there were already a lot of good share ‘products’ on the NZX …. then we would hardly need the government to be ‘baiting’ interest in the sharemarket with the float of MRP. Would we?
Given that the float is going to be well over-subscribed, or that there will be lots of people making a quick profit on the deal, the expectation you’ve raised is that there will be plenty of euphoric cash sloshing about looking for another deal. Hence the ‘switch’.
That’s pretty much the scenario you’ve raised is it not?
That’s because private sector money has proven shitty, unimaginative and non-entrpreneurial.
Because they have created fuck all worth while new ones, they have to invest in assets which are 40 or more years old.
How about instead of spending your days posting on the interwebs, you get out there and show them how to do it.
With your abilities and ideas you’d be worth billions within the year.
“With your abilities and ideas you’d be worth billions within the year.”
You’d be in need of a bailout within minutes 😉
How about instead of buying shares in a state controlled company so that the state can spend that money on state stuff, you invest in a private company?
Or do you think the state has better ideas about what to do with your capital than you do?
Sure will do, but this is not about me. It’s about how shitty private sector and corporate leadership has been in NZ that they’ve barely created any new worthwhile assets to invest in and so have to go poaching public ones.
Then stop talking about it and get out there and show them how it’s done.
Throwing shit from the bleachers isn’t really that helpful, especially some one with your business acumen and total awesomeness.
NZ need you to get out there and for you to lead the way.
But it’s not about me and it’s not about you.
It’s about the $100B in savings deposits in this country where people haven’t bothered to invest that money in jobs, busineses or industry, and have instead just sat that money on the sidelines.
That’s anti-business and anti-growth.
No wonder they have to poach public assets; there’s no imagination there.
” they’ve barely created any new worthwhile assets to invest in”
Well they have… but the worthwhile ones all get bought up by overseas interests. If they were on the stock market they then get de-listed. Just like the State assets will be.
Well yes they have, some small and medium businesses worth say $20M or $100M. Sam Morgan’s Trademe being about the only exception with a value much higher than that.
But on the industrial scale of an MRP? Nothing; absolutely nothing.
Why not put their money in a bank, instead of getting rich from sky rocketing power prices that hurt the poor?
Those who are going to buy shares in MRP are no different than those who own rental property in Christchurch. Both will feed on human misery.
Middle class types will demand higher and higher dividends, and power prices will go higher and higher.
The whole point of capitalism is that there are massive amounts of ideas around just begging for capital investment and that such capital investment is done in a very highly efficient manner through the stock exchange. If that’s not happening then I’d say that the capitalist ideal just doesn’t work.
Basically, I figure that the ideas are out there but that the rich (who are the only ones with enough accumulated wealth) aren’t investing in them because they want guaranteed returns and not to actually take any risk. This is proven by the way that they’re lining up to buy power shares which they know they can’t lose on as the government can’t let power crash and burn. Basically, the people lining up to buy power company shares are just looking to bludge for the rest of their lives off of the hard work of the rest of NZ.
What’s happening now is more and more resembling the later stages of every game of Monopoly that has ever been played.
Nothing to do with investing or creating, all about the consolidation of existing wealth and resources into fewer and fewer hands.
+1
Monopoly and dictatorship is the natural end point of capitalism and that is what we’re seeing. The accumulation into fewer hands and the governments then passing policies, such as selling state assets, that benefit only those few.
Old Kent Road, do not pass Go…
Im over people like Rodney who think that workers should, pretty much, have their wages and conditions slashed.
If he came round to my house telling me that I shouldnt be getting the money that I get from my job, he would be on the floor getting the shit kicked out of him.
“If he came round to my house telling me that I shouldnt be getting the money that I get from my job, he would be on the floor getting the shit kicked out of him.”
He ran away from me when I challenged him in the Environment Waikato building in Hamilton a few weeks after his holiday rort was exposed.
Yellow by party, yellow by nature.
Like so many paid shills, all tough and righteous behind a media article.
lacking any intelligence to argue the issue in public, Banks being especially thick. It’s almost as if they never wrote it themselves……
I wonder what sort of thrill Rodney gets from taking the food out of the mouths of the children of poor workers.
Probably as good as the one he got buying a trophy wife on a ministerial salary.
You mean man The Allen !
If I were truly mean I would have mentioned how Rodney must’ve earned more than Murray.
He could only afford an April.
Think of the floor, Millsy. Do it outside. Really, I share your sentiments. How the hell did such naked greed and loathsome thinking ever get taken seriously outside of textbooks on forensic psychiatry?
Maybe we should be happy with a minimum wage that allows us to fly around the world for holidays, have a couple of cars, a few houses, and constantly rising capital value. To come up with this rubbish, Hide really is contemptuous of his readers. One more corrupt self-serving orc who should do us all a favour and just disappear.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34224.htm
Why Israeli Apartheid is Worse Than South Africa’s Version
Is Palestinian Solidarity an Occupied Zone?
by GILAD ATZMON March 09, 2013
Once involved with Palestinian Solidarity you have to accept that Jews are special and so is their suffering; Jews are like no other people, their Holocaust is like no other genocide and anti Semitism is the most vile form of racism the world has ever known and so on and so forth.
But when it comes to the Palestinians, the exact opposite is the case. For some reason we are expected to believe that the Palestinians are not special at all – they are just like everyone else. Palestinians have not been subject to a unique, racist, nationalist and expansionist Jewish nationalist movement, instead, we must all agree that, just like the Indians and the Africans, the Palestinian ordeal results from run-of-the-mill 19th century colonialism – just more of the same old boring Apartheid.
So, Jews, Zionists and Israelis are exceptional, like no one else, while Palestinians are always somehow ordinary, always part of some greater political narrative, always just like everyone else. Their suffering is never due to the particularity of Jewish nationalism, or Jewish racism, or even AIPAC dominating USA foreign policy no, the Palestinian is always a victim of a dull, banal dynamic – general, abstract and totally lacking in particularity.
This raises some serious questions.
Can you think of any other liberation or solidarity movement that prides itself in being boring, ordinary and dull? Can you think of any other solidarity movement that downgrades its subject into just one more meaningless exhibit in a museum of materialist historical happenings? I don’t think so! Did the black South Africans see themselves as being like everyone else? Did Martin Luther King believe his brothers and sisters to be inherently undistinguishable?
I don’t think so. So how come Palestinian solidarity has managed to sink so low that their spokespersons and supporters compete against each other to see who can best eliminate the uniqueness of the Palestinian struggle into just part of a general historical trend such as colonialism or Apartheid?
The answer is simple. Palestinian Solidarity is an occupied zone and, like all such occupied zones must dedicate itself to the fight against ‘anti Semitism’. Dutifully united against racism, fully engaged with LGBT issues in Palestine and in the movement itself, but for one reason or another, the movement is almost indifferent towards the fate of millions of Palestinians living in refugee camps and their Right of Return to their homeland.
But all this can change. Palestinians and their supporters could begin to see their cause for what it is, unique and distinctive. Nor need this be all that difficult. After all, if Jewish nationalism is inherently exceptional as Zionists proclaim, is it not only natural that the victims of such a distinctive racist endeavor are at least, themselves, just as distinctive.
So far, Palestine solidarity has failed to liberate Palestine, but it has succeeded beyond its wildest dreams in creating a Palestine Solidarity Industry, and one largely funded by liberal Zionists. We have been very productive in schlepping activists around the world promoting ‘boycotts’ and ‘sanctions’ meanwhile Israel trade with Britain is booming and Hummus Tzabar is clearly apparent in every British grocery store.
All those attempts to reduce Palestinian ordeal into a dated, dull, generalised materialist narrative should be exposed for what they are – an attempt to appease liberal Zionists. Palestinian suffering is actually unique in history at least as unique as the Zionist project.
Yesterday I came across this from South African minister Ronnie Kasrils. In a comment on Israeli Apartheid he said : “This is much worse than Apartheid…Israeli measures, the brutality, make apartheid look like a picnic. We never had jets attacking our townships; we never had sieges that lasted month after month. We never had tanks destroying houses.”
Kasrils is dead right. It is much worse than Apartheid and far more sophisticated than colonialism. And why? Because what the Zionists did and are doing is neither Apartheid nor is it colonialism. Apartheid wanted to exploit the African, Israel wants the Palestinian gone. Colonialism is an exchange between a mother and a settler state. Israel never had a mother State, though it may well have had a few ‘surrogate mothers’.
Now is the time to look at the unique ordeal of the Palestinian people. Similarly, now is the time to look at the Zionist crime in the light of Jewish culture and identity politics.
Can the solidarity movement meet this challenge? Probably, but like Palestine, it must first, itself, be liberated.
Gilad Atzmon’s latest book is The Wandering Who? A Study of Jewish Identity Politics
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34224.htm
It’s that bloody Borat again, isn’t it.
Lol
Gosh you’re a funny guy. And you’re serious.
And you’re not right wing. Oh no.
Israel has constitutional democracy and a free press. Those are the important things for Pop. He’s a caricature.
Meanwhile, what worries me most about Israel and the hardcore Zionists is how they have managed to refine anti-semitism as being anything they don’t like. Their efforts to rewrite the history of Palestine are heroic in their magnitude. They are writing the Palestinians out of existence.
The one and only thing that Goff ever did that I liked was to tell Tel Aviv that they didn’t decide who he could visit and go ahead with a visit to Arafat. I can’t see either Shearer or Key doing anything comparable.
The one and only thing that Goff ever did that I liked was to tell Tel Aviv that they didn’t decide who he could visit and go ahead with a visit to Arafat.
Fair comment, Murray, but even then, Goff did not have the integrity or the courage to meet with the Hamas leadership.
I can’t see either Shearer or Key doing anything comparable.
Neither can I. I don’t believe any of the talk about how Shearer used to “stare down warlords” in Iraq.
“I don’t believe any of the talk about how Shearer used to “stare down warlords” in Iraq.”
Me neither. Mainly because the country concerned is Somalia. If you have any evidence that Shearer lied about his work and experiances in Lebanon, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Serbia and Somalia, and, latterly, Iraq, then by all means front up with it. Or just admit you’re just making shit up, as usual.
How about Keys back story, comfortable with that, and his career timeline, and claiming to have not been involved in the attcck on the NZ$ etc?
Such a nice man, from a state home , you know, self made *business man*, he just wants to do whats best and right for his own country….etc, blah!
Yeah, stories, they get made up, then molded to what suits the agenda.
What will it mean for your self worth once you realise you have been taken for yet another ride by the team with the *gay coloured* shirts on!
I made nothing up. I simply quoted one of the most common factoids (or, more accurately, falsoids) put into the media at the time Shearer was making his run for the leadership.
Based on his inability to say anything coherently, even when faced with a friendly interviewer, I doubt that he “stared down warlords in Iraq”, as his spin-doctors claimed repeatedly.
You seem to have an emotional investment in Shearer; I wonder if you were one of the ones involved in the spinning of this patently absurd legend.
So, no proof then, Mozza? Why am I not surprised? If you have any reason to doubt Shearer’s work history, now would be a good time to pony up. Otherwise, you tend to look like a bit of a sad sack. BTW, what was it like for you when you did your humanitarian work? Y’know, when you put your life at risk to help others? Do, tell, mate, I’m sure your backstory will be fascinating.
Were you there with Shearer when he did his *humanitarian work*, or when he *stared down warlords*…
If you were not there with him, then your support, like the fantastical words of the PR spin behind Shearer, and Key etc, are simply endorsing the puppets of those who simply, made shit up!
Sad diversion BTW Voice, Mozza is not Trojan horse leader of the LP selling himself as giving a toss about NZ, or its people (include the Africans in that), using a fantastical back story, the rival of the *great self made businessman*, John Key!
Obama got a Nobel prize for peace, yeah, shit gets manufactured to suit a purpose!
Any proof the stories aren’t true, Muz? No? Then bollox to you too. Just another keyboard warrior, sans the balls to actually face reality as it is lives. Y’know, the real difference between you and Moz and David Shearer is that he can’t talk the talk and you two phonies can’t walk the walk.
Voice – So you were not with Shearer on his UN adventures then, we have established that!
Talk of reality, and walk or talk, is foolish, you have no idea about my situations/contributions, than you do of Shearers, thats the reality sport!
As I’ve said on here a long time back, your personal efforts to the LP etc, will not be any less meaningful, in reality, at the time it becomes even more obvious than it already is, David Shearer exposed as yet another parachuted sham traitor pretending to be a Kiwi!
You’ve established nothing but your own self deluded twatitude, muzza. What a gutless wonder.
Shearer’s humanitarian work (and personal courage) is well documented and recognised. It long predates his decision to run for Labour leader, or even stand in Mt Albert. (for example, his office was bombed in Baghdad, and yes, he had to deal with warlords in Somalia).
The fact that Shearer is poor at his current job doesn’t mean we have to belittle his previous one(s).
Fair enough. So is it to much to ask for this. I want to see that personal courage on display right up front and centre as Labour Leader standing explicitly for Labour values.
Somalia, knee capping your own colleagues, promising private house building corporates windfall profits, whatever doesn’t count. In this game, you’re only as good as your last sales pitch, not the one you successfully made 10 years ago.
Tuning into RNZ this morning I caught the tail end of a news item about a near gassing of workers in the Kaimai tunnel link here; http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/130074/kiwirail-revises-training-after-workers-exposed-to-gas
You would think after the Pike River disaster this kind of thing couldn’t happen? What Kiwi Rail’s General Manager Rick Vanerveld has to say is a bloody disgrace & he should be sacked!
If I recall correct this bloke was in the papers axing nearly 200 Track jobs about this time & then I heard he got in contractors. Yip that sounds right as they were contractors in that tunnel, untrained in gas emergency evacuation etc. This mug is backing one of his Managers, who rather then
take the gassed workers for immediate medical treatment, instead takes them for a feed like they had too much to drink…”that’s shocking he should have been fired for that ¬ seeing they were trained.”
It will never happen the bosses always back their own & fudge things over after the pricks!
I wonder if the media are following this story up? I smell a cover up & bet there is a lot more to this story!
Our industrial landscape is starting to resemble third world environments with a govt willingly undermining health, safety and backing management all the way.
Kiwi rail is a classic example as its got slipperys henchmen kicking it at every turn and a puppet CEO natty boy.
T_T
OSH and ACC should be claiming a few scalps over this. And this is business as usual when companies axe staff and hire external contractors and sub-contractors, as currently all the health and safety risk is moved onto the external contractors, who usually try and cut corners to save money…
(I’ve done temping, and all we got was a very basic H&S video, while working directly for a company I’ve been given pretty decent H&S)
As I’ve said before, I know two senior H&S people who’ve both confirmed to me that ‘contracting out the risk’ is the major motivation.
The entire trend towards contracting, temping and casualisation is exceedingly bad. It’s damaging at every level. Contracting has a place, but only in certain specific scenarios. Where it is plainly being used to replace full-time employment, this practise must be stamped out.
Looking forward to hearing David Shearer announce strong policy aimed squarely towards at fixing this.
notes not handy, but, the article on TV ONE on cannabis use and opiate use in the NZ workplace blew my mind (but didn’t surprise me). When I dug ditches / drove a dump-truck, a quarter to a third of the crew were stoned or fried. 🙂
Another comment my acquaintances have made is that it’s been more than 20 yrs since the passing of the 1992 H&S Act ….but serious harm injuries have scarcely declined at all. Still hovering around the 5000-7000 pa mark.
Some employers (like my one) do take their H&S responsibilities very seriously; far too many others simply parasite off the system doing the least they can possibly get away with doing. Or less. And their employees (or contractors) simply pick up on the lack of leadership.
It’s not hard. If everyone knows that certain H&S breaches are automatic dismissal offences … then everyone very quickly plays the game.
And big fines for directors…and jail time for them if someone actually dies due to management negligence.
personally, and objectively Red, I agree with the comment made earlier this week re: we just don’t have the political class (the liquidity or investment) to reverse up the decline; I talk to a wide range of people, from the giftedly “insane” to the lucidly “sane” on these sociological / geographical matters and the outlook seems to be “Gimme Shelter”
(+ thanks to TS and wider directed reading, there is plenty of confirmation on the ‘net if one is not a caught up playing “games” or looking for things to buy) btw, thanks for your endorsement of the influence of “faiths” in all this calamity in your postings.
yet, we could always Welcome China, but then, there is always that great wall, (i don’t think the Chinese will ever forget the Nanking Massacre / RAPE of Nanking either).People are people (for example, all these pissed diplomat / negotiators at UN conferences) and what was sown by the majority of the West (grass for example) will be mown down in time. There is an “eclectic” prophecy for ya; it has all gone too far, in my humble opinion.
/nod
Yeap, and the the business hiring temp’s know also they’re getting a shit deal, as usually the workers aren’t that capable due or even interested and so poor work results. As I’ve heard oft from commercial businesses I’ve worked for via student job search.
[insert shoddy contracting via lowest-bidder stories here]
O_o
From Captain Mubblefuck?…
We’re more likely to get a complete reversal on asset sales by Key than such a piece of policy from Labour at present /cough
“Looking forward to hearing David Shearer announce strong policy aimed squarely towards at fixing this.”
I’m in danger of toppling over from all this looking forward to things David Shearer should’ve already done.
There sure is a lot more to it. http://i.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/7290292/Union-fears-KiwiRail-cuts-threaten-workers-safety This rank and file Union guy blew the whistle on serious Health & Safety issues at Kiwi Rail, including the Kaimai tunnel incident. Those bastards running the railways tried to use the job cuts to get get rid of him. Last I heard he got forced to move up to the far North or be made redundant. In other words ‘sacked’.
I would have thought whistle blowers were protected by law and the Employer would be skating on thin ice if he took a personal grievance?
Another, more relevant link: http://i.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/business/7530534/Contractors-forced-to-work-long-hours
The following link is to Rod Oram’s comments on Govt proposals to change the RMA. Govt is holding public meetings over next couple of weeks to “explain” their discussion paper. Oram suggests Govt is leaving out vital facts, and just using surveys as factual reasons to change the RMA.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/8400307/Oram-A-naked-power-grab
Yes an excellent read.
That would be normal for this government. Paint a pretty picture but leave out the facts so that people don’t realise the truth and thus can’t make informed decisions. It’s all part of the We know best syndrome of National and the ideological ignoring of reality.
This is a great article by Oram & really exposes National for scare mongering!
And then there’s this bit:
Yep, more dictatorial control from this government.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122573-Clean-Fusion-Power-Could-Be-Feasible-by-2017
Basically this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field-reversed_configuration For more detailed info, check this: http://www.frascati.enea.it/ProtoSphera/ProtoSphera%202001/1.%20General%20framework.htm
Fingers crossed it bloody well works as this would allow us to kick our coal habit within a couple of decades at least. Mainly as you need the infrastructure for harvesting and delivering deuterium on very large scales + manufacture the reactors.
There’s actually a lot of research going on in fusion power sources. The “always 50 years away” really refers to the big tokamak reactors that will eventually get there, but obviously not for a long time and at such a cost that they’re not truly feasible as a source of power.
In the mean time, we may see one of these ‘alternative’ methods take off.
Tokamak’s are problematic mainly due to the fluid physics of the plasma, lots of eddies that reduce fusion output and require large amounts of computing power to model and iron out. ITER will probably provide better data on whether or not Tok’s can ever produce enough power for commercial viability.
And yeah, tok’s and laser-based interial confinement fusion systems have pretty much taken the lion’s share of available funding. ICF particularly as it provides useful data for nuclear weapons, but mainly it’s been international treaties and science politics that’s kept these two methods in the forefront in my opinion*.
The other main alternative runner is the Polywell, which has achieved fusion, but they’ve lost US Naval funding as of 2012 so are trying to get private funding.
As for cold fusion – load of crap at present, too little non-problematic data, in particular Bubble Fusion is another shining example of how science can go wrongzors.
________________________________________
*Could make for a fun history of science area actually… Generally you see a pattern of older, established scientists holding sway over an area and so it becomes difficult to bring in new ideas unless they have a lot of empirical evidence behind them. Seems to affect physics more.
I’ve been following pollywell for 5 or so years now, didn’t know they lost their navel funding though, that sucks. Alternatively, it seemed like the government wasn’t really giving it the funding it deserved and kept everything Top Secret, so this could be an improvement.
That’s typical behaviour from the US Navy, but yeah, without a decent funding line and most investors seemingly rallying around what google likes and now with Lockheed-Martin’s Skunk Works out with an FRC reactor that seems very likely will work, Polywell’s sadly going to struggle :/
Mind you, the basics of the polywell are actually pretty cheap to build and test, though more research is needed to test it’s viability as there’s still some issues with the physics of the plasma confinement and pressure going off the details available.
Anyhow, it’s good to see that Lockheed-Martin’s actually putting the funds from it’s horribly overpriced military hardware to a much more useful technology and letting Skunk Works go nuts :3
derp, forgot the tag /facepalm
I reckon that these developments are about 25 years too late to have a big impact on the energy future of the world, and I’m thinking about India and China here, two massive coal users. The best case I see is for a relatively small number of fusion generators to be built in time for VIP and high priority uses.
Unless of course the dream of having a suitcased size generator putting out a MW of energy comes true, but that’s the stuff of Star Trek.
Howdy Hombre’, “Q” could (he could do just about anything)
haha!
But remember the circumstances under which the Enterprise crew first met “Q”…it was a desolate picture of earth in the 21st century after the next global war.
when you wiki him he’s “omnipotently in white”.
btw, ya don’t say Steven
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10870341
I hear they’re doing a Boy called Sue to the Education Ministry
an important demographic
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10869880
furthermore, Wonders of Wonders for you LGBT folk out there 😉 ; at S.A service this morning an extended testimony by a Gay man, artist, novelist, trained pianist, tertiary teacher, about his journey and acceptance. Very moving (although a few Trads. seemed a little bemused, still, that’s progress for you.kinda like how being tr*lld makes ya stronger, iron sharpening Iron and all that stainless. 🙂
I don’t think so, China at least accepts climate change is a very serious issue, and if this reactor is viable, they’ll probably cancel the coal plants waiting to be built and redirect funding towards building these reactors. Heck, depending on how the energy from the reactor is being turned into electricity, you could retrofit current coal burning plant’s with them and drive the in place steam turbine power generators. Saving a lot of infrastructure costs in the process.
And your forgetting just how much shear industrial capacity is present, given the drive, it can easily be redeployed towards producing just about anything, and the FRC reactor Skunk Work’s is proposing is far less complex that a tokamak. Mainly due to the confinement of the plasma via a magnetic bottle which doesn’t need a huge array of powerful electromagnets to run, and so doesn’t need entirely special lining as there’s no plasma eroding it.
It will obviously take time to build and set up using current carbon-based energy sources, but if Skunk Works can get it to produce a large net energy from a self-sustaining fusion reaction, the possibilities are literally mind-boggling. For one, human civilisation might just have enough energy to start mining the air for carbon at an industrial scale and reduce atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Along with no longer needing to dam so many rivers for energy production, allowing for the rehabilitation of certain river systems and removal of dams in very tectonically active areas.
Then there’s the obvious advantages in terms of electrification in the developing world for food and medicine preservation and storage. All from a reactor that is highly portable compared to the nuclear* and carbon-based alternatives.
Are we still stuffed climate and resource wise? Yeap, but this is the sort of technology that when combined with other green-methods would allow us to adapt, survive and even reduce global temperatures. Albeit, a rather problematic set of “if” statements are still involved, mainly as democratic governments can be bloody stupid and some powerful non-state actors (i.e. corporations) have their heads firmly stuck in the short-term, despite the looming crises…
Oh, and it makes SPAAAAAAACE a lot easier to move around in, as this reactor can be used to generate thrust directly, or used to run an ion-based drive array :3
________________________________________
*well, pebble-bed reactors show some promise for portability and safety, but there’s a whole range of issues, including all the usual ones…
This is the absolute tech-solution best case, not saying it won’t happen but I wouldn’t rate it at a higher than 10% chance right now.
The Skunk Works is not going to release this tech to the world (or to China) for a very long time. It would be too much of a strategic advantage for the USA.
Once the technology has a pilot which can produce say 100MW sustained, I’ll believe that it is on the way.
Right now, I’m tempted to put it in the category of civilisation saving solutions requiring “Unobtanium” to work.
😛
As for this not being available to China, lets just say this tech isn’t exactly hard to replicate (based off currently published research on FRC and other reactors) and Lockhead-Martin might suck deeply and greedily on the teat of US Defence contracts. But this is a major money spinner that would give them a far more secure line of funding than the US DoD contracts. Which is going to get cut to the bone as American politicians are now beginning to stop holding it’s budget as sacrosanct.
Although the moronic right are a significant issue that may cause problems.
Worth bearing in mind that Lockheed Martin could also make a tonne of money exporting the F-22 Raptor, but it’s banned from doing so through national security legislation and technology export restrictions.
True, but that’s mainly because they’re getting government funding to develop and build the F22 airframe, internals and computer systems.
And while certain political douchebags might push for Skunk Works’ FRC reactor tech to not be exported to China and Russia, the shear need for this technology will hopefully hammer those idiots out of sight. Otherwise China’s gotten very good at industrial espionage 😉
Sometimes humanity prevails against it’s more stupid, short-sighted impulses.
Heh.
And it’s not like China is standing still in the field either
http://npre.illinois.edu/news/fusion-reactors-innovation-be-tested-china
They’re still trying the tokamak route, though the stuff being trailed is very interesting. Main issue with the tokamaks is that so far, they appear to need to be rather large to provide significant power (scalability being teh term). Along with the turbulence issues with eddies in the plasma that can cause power spikes/drops. Also China’s part of the ITER project.
But I suspect the Chinese aren’t standing still on other alternatives and their fusion research will be keeping an eye on anything out of Skunk Works.
Yep, and other governments, except ours, probably have their research already looking in to it – especially after the release of that video.
😛
As for this not being available to China, lets just say this tech isn’t exactly hard to replicate (based off currently published research on FRC and other reactors) and Lockhead-Martin might suck deeply and greedily on the teat of US Defence contracts. But this is a major money spinner that would give them a far more secure line of funding than the US DoD contracts. Which is going to get cut to the bone as American politicians are now beginning to stop holding it’s budget as sacrosanct.
Although the moronic right are a significant issue that may cause problems.
😛
As for this not being available to China, lets just say this tech isn’t exactly hard to replicate (based off currently published research on FRC and other reactors) and Lockhead-Martin might suck deeply and greedily on the teat of US Defence contracts. But this is a major money spinner that would give them a far more secure line of funding than the US DoD contracts. Which is going to get cut to the bone as American politicians are now beginning to stop holding it’s budget as sacrosanct.
Although the moronic right are a significant issue that may cause problems.
/facepalm – damn 500 error… Clean up please?
When you get a 500 error on a comment just go to the front page and then reload the page that you were on. Your comment is usually there. I also suggest, if you’re really paranoid, a ctrl-a, ctrl-c before hitting submit.
In theory (as in I will believe it when I don’t see it), I should have largely eliminated the main cause of those this afternoon just before 1700 hours. There was a SEO plugin with a bad habit of locking the whole post table when it pulled all 11777 public posts for an analysis. It particularly caused a problem when a re-edit tried to start it a second time while the first was still running (for some obscure reason). Eliminated it, changed it for a less clueless plugin doing the same thing, and couldn’t see the reproducible effect afterwards.
I won’t know for sure until I see some new posts going up when the system is loaded. Ditto for finding out how well the new plugin keeps the search engines updated on comments. This one has less visible controls.
The log hasn’t shown any 500 responses since I restarted the apache server to start analysing the lag at about 2000 (been out)
The tech isn’t coming out of the “Skunk Works” – it’s mostly private sector, or possible government funded projects in France and Japan. The Polywell is pretty well understood, and I think you seriously underestimate China’s tech state of the art.
Skunk Works is LM’s R&D department 😉
CV
While thinking about India there was a good update on Radionz this morning on how it is thinking and acting which might put recent vicious attacks on women in the picture among other matters.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday
11:44 Wayne Brittenden’s Counterpoint
Wayne Brittenden has been Radio New Zealand’s correspondent in several capital cities over the years. Each week he gives fresh insights into a wide variety of topics of national and international concern, followed by Chris Laidlaw’s discussion of the issue with guests. Today, while India is now seen as belonging to the middle economic bracket countries, new Oxford University research reveals what critics within India have known all along — that the last 20 years of unfettered market forces haven’t reduced the vast number of those living in dire poverty. Wayne looks at today’s neo-liberal consumerist India, and Chris follows up with Dharmendra Kumar, the Director of the Indian Campaign Group, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Watch. (14′49″)
Download: Ogg Vorbis MP3 | Embed
A less polluting and more efficient power source certainly opens up a lot of opportunities. If it’s used by the public sector to provide cheap power and save natural resources, it could be a great advance. If it ends up in the hands of the same greedy corporates, the price of power probably wouldn’t even go down. The technological solutions are always possible, but we need the social organisation which allows them to be used for more than the benefit of a small minority.
A test run with a view to having our very own twelve golden men?.
A lot of posters on here have indicated their displeasure at the Clifford Bay ferry terminal/port.
Youll probably even be less pleasured by the fact the Dictator of Christchurch has said that the govenment does not want to own it.
So it will be privately owned, because the government doesnt belive in public ownership of things like ports, etc.
Cool.
*digs through wikipedia’s fusion power articles*
*finds part of the US Strategic Defence Initiative, aka “Star Wars”*
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MARAUDER
I can haz ion cannon?
Pretty Please?
Excellent. Our first catch of the day…
Go to 6.50 into video. Max suggests tying minimum wage to money supply (that’s how bankers are paid!)
http://maxkeiser.com/2013/03/07/breakingtheset-max-keiser-on-bitcoin-hugo-chavez-myths-latin-american-socialism/
Yoink:
http://www.vice.com/read/the-history-of-scabby-the-rat
Yes, that Rat 😉
Turning Japanese
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10870285
so in Christchurch.
tail-end of an RNZ article on cancer treatment, along with Stress, Resentment is a significant etiological factor. (best to unload the sack on our back as we tramp through life; His yoke is Light
😉 )
Another one from Molly Crabapple:
http://www.vice.com/read/new-york-cops-will-arrest-you-for-carrying-condoms
/sigh
The US is on a slow slide back to absolutism.
Still Allies
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/10/world/asia/china-says-it-will-not-abandon-north-korea.html?_r=0
Interesting.
Not especially. If China doesn’t continue to prop it up, it will have to deal with the hot mess that result. Sounds like realpolitik to me.
Yep. And after all is said and done, North Korea is still a piece (albeit a rather risky, unreliable one) on China’s side of the playing board.
http://tvnz.co.nz/politics-news/marriage-equality-bill-loses-public-support-says-colin-craig-5364683
And this is what National’s possibly looking at going into a coalition with? Ye gads, it’s almost enough to make me want to keep ACT’s undead corpse around. Notice too, how he conveniently doesn’t cite any polling evidence.
Well, he has a point. If you take “public support is shifting towards a traditional view of marriage” to mean “by lying to people about the current law and scaremongering about issues that don’t exist and also lying about the process being followed, we’ve created a lot of confusion and then carefully worded our polling questions so they almost get the answers we want”. Craig’s just being more concise, is all.
Oh yeah, forgot about this:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/06/el-salvador-iraq-police-squads-washington
/shudder
TV One News has just announced Joyce has committed to fixing Novopay within three months. An education sector person was hailing it on the news on tele as great to hear and that it was about time. But that’s not what Joyce said. He did say that he wanted as much done as possible to fix things within three months. That’s very different. In fact, does this mean that Joyce accepts not as much as possible was done over the past few months? Probably, but people need to listen to these slippery characters. When the three months is up and nothing’s been done Joyce will simply say that he did not give a commitment to fix Novopay within three months, and he’ll be right.
Joyce can’t promise anything except behind the scenes bullying.
A guaranteed fix is returning to the working Datacom system these clowns know SFA about the actual detailed technical and process issues.
Of course it buys Joyce time and by that time the heat will have gone out and maybe the population will be bored by the story. Trust Mr Joyce? Sure can.
Sure, but hope the teachers see how disingenuous his remarks are.
Ok not seeing any 500 errors for valid pages apart from at the wp-admin side looking at edit-comment pages. That looks like a simple timeout issue.
Should have fixed the time limit.
Native Affairs was on tonight (Maori TV) and featured an interview with David Shearer. I didn’t see it, because – not for the first time – it was poorly publicised. Some reaction here …
https://twitter.com/search/realtime?q=%23NativeAffairs&src=hash
I never know whether Labour’s media reticence is deliberate strategy or just incompetence. Is it so hard to use social media and other outlets to say: “Today the leader will be on bFM, Maori TV, etc (as happened today). Why not issue a bulletin every day, announcing the day ahead? Too simple?
I learn far more from Google and Twitter than I ever do from the people who are PAID to publicise their party, their polcies, and their people. What on earth do they do all day?
Note to self … it helps if you can read the date on the thread. Sorry.
(insert “embarrassed” smiley here)