Well worth reading is Ellen Brown’s Web of Debt about the privately owned Federal Reserve and how it creates money out of thin air demanding real world interest to pay for their scam.
John Key was selected to be part of the Foreign exchange committee to the Federal Reserve of New York. A position he was appointed too after his boss Stephen Bellotti left that committee. His boss shared this committee with Robert Rubin, the man responsible for the repeal of the Glass Steagall act and generally considered to be one of the most corrupt capitalists ever.
Here is what Ellen has to say about the QE2 and how all that money did not go to the economy to get it kick started but to off shore banks were it is hoarded to pay for big bonuses
Goff on Euthanasia (responding to Families First):
Mr Goff said that when his mother was terminally ill three years ago, stopped eating and wanted to die, the family refused to let her.
“She lived for three months, but those three months were entirely without quality and all of us now wonder whether we did the right thing,” he said.
“It’s a hard question. I think we should keep discussing it. I would want to have the choice.”
Many people who have had a close encounter with undignified, distressing death, like Goff, and me, think more discussion this is needed. Consider Choices about Euthanasia.
Cameron is all excited and has reported that Labour has been reported to the Police by the Electoral Commission. What heinous crime you may wonder that it has committed? Well it left a couple of words off the back of a brochure.
The section of the Electoral Act that provides the test on whether or not an advertisement is an election advertisement and needs a promoter statement is (take a deep breath):
“3A Meaning of election advertisement
(1) In this Act, election advertisement—
(a) means an advertisement in any medium that may reasonably be regarded as encouraging or persuading voters to do either or both of the following:
(i) to vote, or not to vote, for a type of candidate described or indicated by reference to views or positions that are, or are not, held or taken (whether or not the name of the candidate is stated):
(ii) to vote, or not to vote, for a type of party described or indicated by reference to views or positions that are, or are not, held or taken (whether or not the name of the party is stated); and
(b) includes—
(i) a candidate advertisement; and
(ii) a party advertisement.
(2) None of the following are election advertisements:
…
(b) contact information (as defined in subsection (3)) published in any medium by a member of Parliament that satisfies all of the following requirements:
(i) the information was published by a member of Parliament in the course of performing his or her role and functions as a member of Parliament; and
(ii) the information was prepared for publication and published by the member of Parliament using funding received under Vote Parliamentary Service; and
(iii) the information was routinely published in that medium before the commencement of the regulated period and continues to be published in that medium during the regulated period; and
(iv) the information is published during the regulated period no more often and to no greater extent than before the commencement of the regulated period; and
(v) the information is published during the regulated period in the same form and style as before the commencement of the regulated period; and
(vi) the information is not included, combined, or associated with an election advertisement (as defined in subsection (1)), or with any other information so as to constitute an election advertisement, that is published by—
(A) the member of Parliament; or
(B) the secretary of the party to which the member of Parliament belongs; or
(C) any other person with the authority of the member of Parliament:”
Labour thought that because it was approved by Parliamentary Services and contained Phil’s contact details it was not an electoral advertisement. The EC in a very technical interpretation has refused to accept this. Because section 204J says the Commission “must” report the matter to the police it has done so.
Labour has withdrawn the pamphlets and indicated that all future pamphlets will have the “authorised by …” statement.
Talk about Nanny State on steroids. Will DPF recommence his campaign against restrictions on freedom of speech? Will Cameron agree that this is nanny state gone wild?
Who pays for it if it’s an election advertisement vs not an election advertisement ? Doesn’t it come from a different pot of cash albeit all from the long suffering taxpayer.
Labour thought that because it was approved by Parliamentary Services and contained Phil’s contact details it was not an electoral advertisement.
What Labour might ‘think’ is not the point. Given the way it was unfairly accused of electoral malpractice in the past – and the recent inexcusable slackness of security of personal information – why didn’t the persons responsible for the pamphlet include the words “authorised by etc.” just to be on the safe side?
Some may say that it’s all very well with the benefit of hindsight to be critical, but I’m starting to have serious doubts about the ability of some of Labour’s internal HQ staff. These are all avoidable mishaps!
LAB approved the materials through Parliamentary Services. After examining the material it was independently considered (by Parliamentary Services) to not be party material or electioneering material.
And so the material, OK’d by Parliamentary Services, had the Parliamentary Services seal placed upon them.
Nice to know that Labour will place the blame anywhere but themselves
So why not just get it right the first time?
Is it because they’re:
Lazy
Arrogant
Incompetent
or all of the above
its not like this is the first time they’ve been in trouble over this kind of carry on and why does it seem as if its always Labour in the gun for this sort of thing? (apart from the VRWC influencing the MSM
No chris 73 you’re right. They’re not lazy and arrogant nor are they really stupid. I suspect the person(s) who made the mistake was(were) not part of the publicity team when the pledge card misadventure occurred and therefore didn’t learn from it. My understanding is that P.S. approved the pledge card too.
Q+A this morning devoted to all the young’ns and how they are going to be needed to keep us a first world country and so much of what I could gather, from amongst the jargon and cliches of those in the know, was that it was super high-tech that was going to get us there.
Just got the Internet Bill this morning (on-line) and suddenly thought, how in hell is a superannuatant ever going to be able to access or stay in touch with the world, unless this Super Duper Broadband world that Mr Joyce is promising us is actually next to free.
$90 a month just to access your money (banking), pay your bills (online) and phone the emergency services all on the basic pension of $251p.w.
Internet connection has become a societal necessity which is generally what happens to services that provide a public good. As such, it needs to be a government service paid for through taxes and not a private provided good that makes some non-productive shareholders a profit.
My refrigerator provides a public good and is considered a necessity. Why wasn’t it publicly provided? Another weird thing about refrigerators (and other goods and services that the govt mostly stays out of) is that they get cheaper, with more features, year on year. Some greedy capitalist keeps making better and cheaper fridges! How unproductive.
My refrigerator provides a public good and is considered a necessity.
You open up your refrigerator to use by your neighbourhood? That’s very generous of you.
they get cheaper, with more features, year on year.
Now let’s ask how this is accomplished. Could it be a combination of producing ever higher volumes of crap (economies of scale), designs which do more with fewer parts and materials (tech and design innovation), employing fewer workers (increased labour productivity), and locating manufacturing in the lowest cost countries possible (reduced labour costs).
All of that is certainly productive. Especially for the capitalist shareholders.
Some greedy capitalist keeps making better and cheaper fridges!
Capitalists don’t make fridges, workers do (e.g. engineers and production line staff)
In part 2 you did a pretty good job of describing the capitalist process. One that benefits both the producer and consumer. I’m struggling to see the problem.
Of course you are. It goes back to the lie you tried to slide in at the start – that capitalists make fridges.
They don’t, workers do, and the capitalists reward themselves from the economic surplus generated by the hard work of the engineers and the production staff by paying as few workers as possible as little as possible.
Marx described the relationship where one party (workers) produce the surplus economic value but where another party (the capitalist major shareholders) has all the power to choose what to do with the economic surplus as being exploitative.
By your logic every good is a public one.
No, it doesn’t. Not sure how you can believe that ‘benefiting Rusty’ = ‘the public good’ without some major brain contortions.
Capitalists take on the risk. Not every investment will see a return so it’s better for society to let people who are good at taking risk carry the burden.
Not every investment will see a return so it’s better for society to let people who are good at taking risk carry the burden.
BS as the Spirit Level proves. Having a small bunch of dictators living it up at everyone else’s expense is bad for society. And then there’s the fact, as the latest crash proves, that those dictators aren’t actually taking any risk – societies around the world have bailed them out when the risk came due.
As for the refrigerator not being supplied by a government owned, worker run factory is because the capitalists don’t want it that way? They wouldn’t be able to tell everyone how important they are and that they should have the bulk of the wealth if they weren’t needed.
So Rusty – why turn this into a Capitalist discussion. Your refrigerator analogy is spurious.
You have not addressed the issue of retirees being able to remain connected to this all singing all dancing technology.
The way I see it technology is rapidly advancing and to a greater exclusion of many in society. I have not seen a great reduction in the costs between ISPs.
Soon (in a couple of years) most of commerce will require an on-line interface with customer and supplier.
At the moment the basic phone provider is $50 plus. For internet, it is another $30 – $40. Cannot see the pension increasing to such an extent – what do they promise? Rate of increase tied to CPI.
That’s the end of the News of the World, thank God. But let’s not kid ourselves about the rest of the British media, and in particular the “liberal” media…
‘Extreme Dishonesty’ — The Guardian, Noam Chomsky and Venezuela
The headline of last Sunday’s Observer article on Venezuela set the tone for the slanted and opportunistic piece of political ‘reporting’ that followed: ‘Noam Chomsky denounces old friend Hugo Chávez for “assault” on democracy’.
And then the opening line launched into a barrage of spin: ‘Hugo Chávez has long considered Noam Chomsky one of his best friends in the west. He has basked in the renowned scholar’s praise for Venezuela’s socialist revolution and echoed his denunciations of US imperialism.’
The ironic sneer directed at the Venezuelan president apparently basking in Chomsky’s ‘praise’, and the sly hint of robotic ‘echoing’ of his buddy’s rants, were indicative of the bias, omissions and
deceptions to follow. Reporter Rory Carroll, the Guardian‘s South America correspondent, had just interviewed Chomsky and set about twisting the conversation into a propaganda piece. (For non-UK readers who may not know: the Observer is the Sunday sister publication of the Guardian newspaper).
Carroll’s skewed view was clear and upfront in his article: ‘Chomsky has accused the socialist leader of amassing too much power and of making an “assault” on Venezuela’s democracy.’ As we will see shortly, this was a highly partial and misleading account of Chomsky’s full remarks, leading him to declare afterwards that the newspaper had displayed ‘extreme dishonesty’ and that
Carroll’s article was ‘quite deceptive’.
The news hook was the publication of an open letter by Chomsky pleading for the release of Venezuelan judge María Lourdes Afiuni who is suffering from cancer. Afiuni, explains Carroll, ‘earned Chávez’s ire in December 2009 by freeing Eligio Cedeño, a prominent banker facing corruption charges.’ After just over a year in jail, awaiting trial on charges of corruption, the Venezuelan authorities ‘softened her confinement to house arrest’.
In the open letter, prepared together with the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University, Chomsky says: ‘Judge Afiuni had my sympathy and solidarity from the very beginning.
The way she was detained, the inadequate conditions of her imprisonment, the degrading treatment she suffered in the Instituto Nacional de Orientación Femenina, the dramatic erosion of her health
and the cruelty displayed against her, all duly documented, left me greatly worried about her physical and psychological wellbeing, as well as about her personal safety.’
He concludes with the plea: ‘I shall keep high hopes that President Chávez will consider a humanitarian act that will end the judge’s detention.’ Towards the end of Carroll’s article, the journalist injected some token balance: ‘The Chávez government deserved credit for sharply reducing poverty and for its policies of promoting self-governing communities and Latin
American unity, Chomsky said. “It’s hard to judge how successful they are, but if they are successful they would be seeds of a better world.” ‘
But the blatant spin of the headline and the article’s lead paragraphs had already done the required job – President Chávez is so extreme that even that radical lefty Noam Chomsky, one of his best friends in the West, has now denounced him.
Chomsky Responds… ‘Extreme Dishonesty’ And A ‘Quite Deceptive’ Report
Activists and bloggers were quick to email Noam Chomsky to ask for his response to Rory Carroll’s article in the Observer. In particular, Chomsky replied as follows to one aggressive challenger who made a series of personal attacks on him: ‘Let’s begin with the headline: complete deception. That continues throughout. You can tell by simply comparing the actual quotes with their comments. As I mentioned, and expected, the New York Times report of a similar interview is much more honest, again revealing the extreme dishonesty of the Guardian.
‘I’m sure you would understand if an Iranian dissident who charged Israel with crimes would also bring up the fact that charges from Iran and its supporters cannot be taken seriously in the light of Iran’s far worse abuses. If you don’t understand that, which I doubt, you really have some problems to think about. If you do understand it, as I assume, the same is true. That’s exactly why bringing up [the jailed US soldier Bradley] Manning (and much more) is highly relevant.’
Joe Emersberger, an activist based in Canada, also approached Chomsky for a reaction to the piece:
‘The Guardian/Observer version, as I anticipated, is quite deceptive. The report in the New York Times is considerably more honest. Both omit much of relevance that I stressed throughout, including the fact that criticisms from the US government or anyone who supports its actions can hardly be taken seriously, considering Washington’s far worse record without any of the real concerns that Venezuela faces, the Manning case for one [Manning is the alleged source for huge amounts of restricted material passed on to WikiLeaks], which is much worse than Judge Afiuni’s. And much else. There’s no transcript, unfortunately. I should know by now that I should insist on a transcript with the Guardian, unless it’s a writer I know and trust.’ (Joe Emersberger, ‘Chomsky Says UK Guardian Article “Quite Deceptive” About his Chavez Criticism’, Z Blogs, July 4, 2011).
In fact the very next day after Carroll’s article appeared, and no doubt stung by the rising tide of internet-based criticism, the Guardian took the unusual step of publishing what is presumably a full transcript of the interview. (Also unusually, the Guardian did not
allow reader comments to be posted under the transcript.) But the transcript only served to prove Chomsky’s point about the ‘deceptive’ nature of the printed article. His comparisons to the
justice system in the United States – in particular, the torture and abuse of Bradley Manning – were edited out. Carroll had asked him about the intervention of the Venezuelan executive in demanding a long jail sentence for Judge Afiuni.
Chomsky replied: ‘It’s obviously improper for the executive to intervene and impose a jail sentence without a trial. And I should say that the United States is in no position to complain about this. Bradley Manning has been imprisoned without charge, under torture, which is what solitary
confinement is. The president in fact intervened. Obama was asked about his conditions and said that he was assured by the Pentagon that they were fine. That’s executive intervention in a case of severe violation of civil liberties and it’s hardly the only one. That doesn’t change the judgment about Venezuela, it just says that what one hears in the United States one can dismiss.’
Chomsky added: ‘Venezuela has come under vicious, unremitting attack by the United States and the west generally – in the media and even in policy. After all the United States sponsored a military coup [in 2002] which failed and since then has been engaged in extensive subversion. And the onslaught […] against Venezuela in commentary is grotesque.’ Nothing of that appeared in the published Observer article. [* See Update below]
Also given scant notice were Chomsky’s observations about positive developments in Venezuela and Latin America generally in trying to overcome the horrendous impacts of over five centuries of European, and latterly also US, colonialism and exploitation: ‘I think what’s happened in Latin America in the past 10 years is probably the most exciting and positive development to take place in the world. For 500 years, since European explorers came, Latin American countries had been separated from one another. They had very limited relations. Integration is a prerequisite for independence. Furthermore internally there was a model that was followed pretty closely by each of the countries: a very small Europeanised, often white elite that concentrated enormous wealth in the midst of incredible poverty. And this is a region, especially South America, which are very rich in resources which you would expect under proper conditions to develop far better than east Asia for example but it hasn’t happened.’
The above quotes by Chomsky are only extracts of the longest answers, by far, that he gave in his interview with Carroll. But they didn’t fit the journalist’s agenda of setting up Chomsky in ‘denouncing’ Chávez’s supposed ‘assault’ on democracy. Carroll once accurately declared that he is ‘not a champion of impartiality’. Indeed, Joe Emersberger has done much sterling work, exposing and challenging Carroll’s biased journalism from Latin America. Carroll and his editors clearly have supreme difficulty in answering Emersberger’s cogent emails, judging by their repeated
failure to respond.
Readers may recall that the Guardian has a dubious track record in recording and accurately reflecting the views of Noam Chomsky; that is, when it doesn’t conform to the usual pattern of completely ignoring him. The Guardian‘s smear of Chomsky in 2005 marked a real
low in the history of this ‘flagship’ newspaper of ‘liberal’ journalism. See ‘Smearing Chomsky – Guardian in the Gutter’, ‘Smearing Chomsky – The Guardian Backs Down’ and the external ombudsman’s report.
Perhaps what is most noteworthy about this whole episode is best summed up by Emersberger:
‘This is not the first time Rory Carroll has taken a highly selective interest in Chomsky’s views on Latin America. When Chomsky signed an open letter in 2008 critical of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, Rory Carroll also jumped all over it. At about the same time, Chomsky signed an open letter to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe about far more grave matters but it was ignored by the Guardian. At the time, I asked Rory Carroll and his editors why they ignored it but they never replied to me. They also ignored an open letter to Uribe signed by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and various other groups. I asked Carroll and his editors why that open letter was ignored and – as usual – no one responded.’
Concluding Remarks
Noam Chomsky was once famously described by the New York Times as ‘arguably the most important intellectual alive’. And yet, as mentioned earlier, the Guardian is normally happy to ignore him and his views. But when Chomsky expresses criticism of an official enemy
of the West, he suddenly does exist and matter for the Guardian. That indicates what we already knew: that the liberal press is perfectly aware of the importance of Chomsky’s work. They just ignore it because it undermines the wrong interests.
Rory Carroll’s article is a wonderful glimpse of the kind of status Chomsky would enjoy if he promoted the myth of the basic benevolence of the West, and focused on the crimes of official enemies. He would be feted as one of the most insightful and brilliant political commentators the world had ever seen. He would be far and away the world’s number one political talking head. His face would be all over the Guardian, the Observer, the Independent, the BBC, the New York Times and so on.
There is a humbling lesson here also, of course, for those people who are all over the media. In important ways, the media is a demeritocracy.
SUGGESTED ACTION
The goal of Media Lens is to promote rationality, compassion and respect for others. If you do write to journalists, we strongly urge you to maintain a polite, non-aggressive and non-abusive tone.
July 6, 2011
Hello
Well, the transcript is there so everyone can judge the article, and Prof Chomsky’s response, for themselves.
Just one point: you say the article omitted Prof Chomsky’s references to Manning and US policy on Venezuela. About half-way there is this: “Its author remains fiercely critical of the US, which he said had tortured Bradley Manning, alleged source of the diplomatic cables exposed by WikiLeaks, and continued to wage a “vicious, unremitting” campaign against Venezuela.
Best
Rory
July 6, 2011
Hello Rory,
Thanks for writing and pointing out that mistake – apologies. It should have read that you had given those points scant attention in comparison to the chosen spin of the ‘dishonest’ headline and main thrust of the ‘deceptive’ article. I’ll post an update.
As you rightly say, and as we noted in the alert, people can see for themselves to what extent the published article reflects what Noam Chomsky said in the interview.
Moreover, Joe Emersberger’s comments about your selective attention to Chomsky’s views, and your failure to respond to past challenges, remain unaddressed. And so do our concluding remarks about the default stance of the Guardian and the media when it comes to reporting Chomsky’s insightful observations: simply ignore them.
Best wishes
David Cromwell
Yeah, I certainly remember reading of the 2005 smear.
I haven’t got time today, but in one of the Open Mikes in the next few days, I’ll briefly outline a NZ Listener smear of Chomsky from a few years ago.
…in the next few days, I’ll briefly outline a NZ Listener smear of Chomsky from a few years ago.
I’ll look forward to reading that, my friend. I hardly bother nowadays to even glance at what was once an essential magazine. Which intellectual giant did Pamela Stirling, that formidable polymath of an editor, assign to the task of smearing Chomsky? Deborah Hill Cone? Joanne Black? Bill Ralston? Raybon Kan? Paul Lewis? The more I think of a possible contender for this Herculean task, the funnier it seems.
Thanks, Morrissey. Looks like it’ll probably be later in the week. I’m just a bit too busy at the moment and (possibly like you and one or two others here) I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I want to provide an effective context, before I outline the details. All takes time 🙂
Today’s Nation was once again an attack on Labour. The so called discussion on Capital Gains developed into a critizem of the Labour Policy.
Garner once again ,as he does every week ,finds fault with Goffs leadership.
What ever has Phil done to this creep?
Their is no doubt that with the Capital Gains tax announcement Labour is going to dominate the debate. However Nat’s will pull every trick they know to rubbish this. I’m looking forward to Friday’s statement by Phil on this. There is no doubt this could be just what Labour needs to boost the polls.
Now I have heard ,from a good source , that this Tory government is considering deregistering theTeachers Union .Anyone heard anything?
It certainly would not surprise me .
If they did deregister the PPTA or the Primary NZEI or could only to pick a fight. The grounds for deregistering have to be pretty compelling and it is many years decades(?) since it was done to a union.
Can’t believe that since the other day when Anne Tolley was asked if any action was planned against theNZEI re NS, she said dismissively no but they will be helping schools to understand NS (!!!) and maybe next year they will look at other means. Good reason to make sure that Tolley is not there next year to do any more damage.
Yes Postman its the media that are to blame for Goffs ineptitude as a leader. He’s never to blame in the lefts eyes, which is of course a socialist mantra, “he’s not to blame its society’s fault” (and anyone with more money than you). If Goff wants traction he needs a personality transplant and policy that resonates with the voters. Goff repeating the same behaviour and tired speeches and expecting a different result, is the epitome of being deranged.
There was another large earthquake off the East coast of Honshu, Japan today. It measured magnitude 7. This coincides with a general increase in the number of all magnitude earthquakes over recent years…
“The latest 3 News Reid Research poll is out and has National opening up its already massive gap over Labour.
One of the real winners in this poll is the rise and rise of the Greens; who seem to now be feeding off Labour’s misery and taking their voters.
National was up 2.1 points on 55.1 percent support while Labour slipped 2.9 points to 29.9 percent. The Greens went up 2.6 points to 9.1 percent.”
Priceless.
[lprent: Also completely off topic and looks to me like it was meant to be diversionary. If I see you do again I will kick you out of commenting for while. Moving to OpenMike.
Oh buggerit – that was too much work. Banned for a week for wasting my time. ]
It’s just showing the volatility of the polls. This one won’t be affected much if at all by the CGT, and certainly won’t be affected by the weekend’s Act.
Wow, like that’s never happened before… I can hardly wait for some MP to say the rules were confusing… others did it too… It’s not fair to just prosecute Labour….
Labour had prior confirmation from Parliamentary Services that those materials were not considered party promotional materials or electioneering materials.
You really are a dipshit, just man up and say “we screwed up”
Maybe in future you might want to go for advice elsewhere…you know the saying “fool me once shame on you, fool me twice and I probably work for Labour”
Labour originally sought and gained sign offs from Parliamentary Services on the flyers etc. i.e. an independent assessment, that the material was not party material and was not electioneering material.
Labour was therefore allowed to use the Parliamentary Services seal on the material, which would not have been permitted had the material been judged at the time to be Labour Party promotional material or electioneering material.
Do Parliamentary Services indemnify political parties from being accountable under the law ?
You seem to think so and Labour’s previous behaviour seems to imply that – but what are the rules? Remember the rules – in this case the laws passed by MPs for MPs. Can’t say they are confusing and claim to be competent at the same time.
Are Labour incompetent or are they self serving muppets who think they are above the law ?
Labour sought out early expert advice, and that independent advice came back that those materials were not party promotional or electioneering materials.
Now that call might have been wrong in the final analysis (we’ll wait and see), but Labour took a lot of care to get this right from the start.
So here we go.. The law was confusing… Others were doing it too…
Oh dear, Labour hasn’t got the numbers to retrospectively validate under urgency.
How handy would the conventional ‘not in the public interest to prosecute’ be?
What about that convention that parliament can’t use the excuse a law was confusing because they wrote it and they voted to get it enacted? OK we let that one go for a while when it was convenient with the EFA, but is it gone forever ?
Well, as I mentioned above, Labour had the material checked and vetted by Parliamentary Services, and at the time it was independently assessed as not being party promotional material nor electioneering material.
So here we go again… The ref made a bad call… the rules were changed…
Sorry CV – the people who make the laws and pass the laws need to understand the laws.
So I guess if they had it checked by Parliamentary Services then they will be confident they didn’t break the law and they will be happy to see it tested in court ?
Remember the Judiciary… I know previously Labour have shown a preference for retrospective validation rather than take their chances in court but they might not get that option this time. But hey PS said it was OK so should be an open and shut case where they are not found guilty – right ?
Actually, Key has just dominated the news over big free trade trip to india – staged romance at the Taj and filmed with Bollywood’s Brangelina all that aspirational stuff. Yet only pulled 2%, and is that not the margin of error?? Gloat all you like Chris , but you know as well as most of us – National’s popularity rides of on Key and lets face it, the public will wake up..
Why are the police being so vindictive in prosecuting Arie Smith-Voorkamp? They are even bullying TV1’s Sunday programme for running the story tonight about his arrest and alleged beating for taking two lightbulbs from an abandoned building. Even the building’s owners didn’t want him charged until the police apparently bullied them too. Something unpleasant going on in the police culture.
Absolutely true, Hilary! I watched Sunday for possibly the second time ever, and was very impressed by Arie and by the building’s owners. His reason (that it was a shame to leave electrical fittings in a building that might collapse) would seem perfectly reasonable to someone with Aspergers who wants to become an electrician! He wasn’t looting anything, just rescuing something…
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Dan FalkBritons who switched on their TVs to “Good Morning Britain” on the morning of Sept. 15, 2020, were greeted by news not from our own troubled world, but from neighboring Venus. Piers Morgan, one of the hosts, was talking about a major science story that had surfaced the ...
Sara LutermanGrowing up autistic in a non-autistic world can be very isolating. We are often strange and out of sync with peers, despite our best efforts. Autistic adults have, until very recently, been largely absent from media and the public sphere. Finding role models is difficult. Finding useful advice ...
Doug JohnsonThe alien-like blooms and putrid stench of Amorphophallus titanum, better known as the corpse flower, draw big crowds and media coverage to botanical gardens each year. In 2015, for instance, around 75,000 people visited the Chicago Botanic Garden to see one of their corpse flowers bloom. More than ...
Getting to Browser Tab Zero so I can reboot the computer is awfully hard when the one open tab is a Table of Contents for the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, and every issue has more stuff I want to read. A few highlights: Gugler et al demonstrating ...
Timothy Ford, University of Massachusetts Lowell and Charles M. Schweik, University of Massachusetts AmherstTo mitigate health inequities and promote social justice, coronavirus vaccines need to get to underserved populations and hard-to-reach communities. There are few places in the U.S. that are unreachable by road, but other factors – many ...
Israel chose to pay a bit over the odds for the Pfizer vaccine to get earlier access. Here’s The Times of Israel from 16 November. American government will be charged $39 for each two-shot dose, and the European bloc even less, but Jerusalem said to agree to pay $56. Israel ...
Orla is a gender critical Marxist in Ireland. She gave a presentation on 15 January 2021 on the connection between postmodern/transgender identity politics and the current attacks on democratic and free speech rights. Orla has been active previously in the Irish Socialist Workers Party and the People Before Profit electoral ...
. . America: The Empire Strikes Back (at itself) Further to my comments in the first part of 2020: The History That Was, the following should be considered regarding the current state of the US. They most likely will be by future historians pondering the critical decades of ...
Nathaniel ScharpingIn March, as the Covid-19 pandemic began to shut down major cities in the U.S., researchers were thinking about blood. In particular, they were worried about the U.S. blood supply — the millions of donations every year that help keep hospital patients alive when they need a transfusion. ...
Sarah L Caddy, University of CambridgeVaccines are a marvel of medicine. Few interventions can claim to have saved as many lives. But it may surprise you to know that not all vaccines provide the same level of protection. Some vaccines stop you getting symptomatic disease, but others stop you ...
Back in 2016, the Portuguese government announced plans to stop burning coal by 2030. But progress has come much quicker, and they're now scheduled to close their last coal plant by the end of this year: The Sines coal plant in Portugal went offline at midnight yesterday evening (14 ...
The Sincerest Form Of Flattery: As anybody with the intestinal fortitude to brave the commentary threads of local news-sites, large and small, will attest, the number of Trump-supporting New Zealanders is really quite astounding. IT’S SO DIFFICULT to resist the temptation to be smug. From the distant perspective of New Zealand, ...
RNZ reports on continued arbitrariness on decisions at the border. British comedian Russell Howard is about to tour New Zealand and other acts allowed in through managed isolation this summer include drag queen RuPaul and musicians at Northern Bass in Mangawhai and the Bay Dreams festival. The vice-president of the ...
As families around the world mourn more than two million people dead from Covid-19, the Plan B academics and their PR industry collaborator continue to argue that the New Zealand government should stop focusing on our managed isolation and quarantine system and instead protect the elderly so that they can ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 10, 2021 through Sat, Jan 16, 2021Editor's ChoiceNASA says 2020 tied for hottest year on record — here’s what you can do to helpPhoto by Michael Held on Unsplash ...
Health authorities in Norway are reporting some concerns about deaths in frail elderly after receiving their COVID-19 vaccine. Is this causally related to the vaccine? Probably not but here are the things to consider. According to the news there have been 23 deaths in Norway shortly after vaccine administration and ...
Happy New Year! No, experts are not concerned that “…one of New Zealand’s COIVD-1( vaccines will fail to protect the country” Here is why. But first I wish to issue an expletive about this journalism (First in Australia and then in NZ). It exhibits utter failure to actually truly consult ...
All nations have shadows; some acknowledge them. For others they shape their image in uncomfortable ways.The staunch Labour supporter was in despair at what her Rogernomics Government was doing. But she finished ‘at least, we got rid of Muldoon’, a response which tells us that then, and today, one’s views ...
Grigori GuitchountsIn November, Springer Nature, one of the world’s largest publishers of scientific journals, made an attention-grabbing announcement: More than 30 of its most prestigious journals, including the flagship Nature, will now allow authors to pay a fee of US$11,390 to make their papers freely available for anyone to read ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Gary Yohe, Henry Jacoby, Richard Richels, and Benjamin Santer Imagine a major climate change law passing the U.S. Congress unanimously? Don’t bother. It turns out that you don’t need to imagine it. Get this: The Global Change Research Act of 1990 was passed ...
“They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”WHO CAN FORGET the penultimate scene of the 1956 movie classic, Invasion of the Body Snatchers? The wild-eyed doctor, stumbling down the highway, trying desperately to warn his fellow citizens: “They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”Ostensibly science-fiction, the movie ...
TheOneRing.Net has got its paws on the official synopsis of the upcoming Amazon Tolkien TV series. It’s a development that brings to mind the line about Sauron deliberately releasing Gollum from the dungeons of Barad-dûr. Amazon knew exactly what they were doing here, in terms of drumming up publicity: ...
Since Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration in 1953, US presidents have joined an informal club intended to provide support - and occasionally rivalry - between those few who have been ‘leaders of the free world’. Donald Trump, elected on a promise to ‘drain the swamp’ and a constant mocker of his predecessors, ...
For over a decade commentators have noted the rise of a new brand of explicitly ideological politics throughout the world. By this they usually refer to the re-emergence of national populism and avowedly illiberal approaches to governance throughout the “advanced” democratic community, but they also extend the thought to the ...
The US House of Representatives has just impeached Donald Trump, giving him the dubious honour of being the only US President to be impeached twice. Ten Republicans voted for impeachement, making it the most bipartisan impeachment ever. The question now is whether the Senate will rise to the occasion, and ...
Kieren Mitchell; Alice Mouton, Université de Liège; Angela Perri, Durham University, and Laurent Frantz, Ludwig Maximilian University of MunichThanks to the hit television series Game of Thrones, the dire wolf has gained a near-mythical status. But it was a real animal that roamed the Americas for at least 250,000 ...
Tide of tidal data rises Having cast our own fate to include rising sea level, there's a degree of urgency in learning the history of mean sea level in any given spot, beyond idle curiosity. Sea level rise (SLR) isn't equal from one place to another and even at a particular ...
Well, some of those chickens sure came home bigly, didn’t they… and proceeded to shit all over the nice carpet in the Capitol. What we were seeing here are societal forces that have long had difficulty trying to reconcile people to the “idea” of America and the reality of ...
In the wake of Donald Trump's incitement of an assault on the US capitol, Twitter finally enforced its terms of service and suspended his account. They've since followed that up with action against prominent QAnon accounts and Trumpers, including in New Zealand. I'm not unhappy with this: Trump regularly violated ...
Peter S. Ross, University of British ColumbiaThe Arctic has long proven to be a barometer of the health of our planet. This remote part of the world faces unprecedented environmental assaults, as climate change and industrial chemicals threaten a way of life for Inuit and other Indigenous and northern ...
Susan St John makes the case for taxing a deemed rate of return on excessive real estate holdings (after a family home exemption), to redirect scarce housing resources to where they are needed most. Read the full article here ...
I’m less than convinced by arguments that platforms like Twitter should be subject to common carrier regulation preventing them from being able to decide who to keep on as clients of their free services, and who they would not like to serve. It’s much easier to create competition for the ...
The hypocritical actions of political leaders throughout the global Covid pandemic have damaged public faith in institutions and governance. Liam Hehir chronicles the way in which contemporary politicians have let down the public, and explains how real leadership means walking the talk. During the Blitz, when German bombs were ...
Over the years, we've published many rebuttals, blog posts and graphics which came about due to direct interactions with the scientists actually carrying out the underlying research or being knowledgable about a topic in general. We'll highlight some of these interactions in this blog post. We'll start with two memorable ...
Yesterday we had the unseemly sight of a landleech threatening to keep his houses empty in response to better tenancy laws. Meanwhile in Catalonia they have a solution for that: nationalisation: Barcelona is deploying a new weapon in its quest to increase the city’s available rental housing: the power ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters, PhD The 2020 global wildfire season brought extreme fire activity to the western U.S., Australia, the Arctic, and Brazil, making it the fifth most expensive year for wildfire losses on record. The year began with an unprecedented fire event ...
NOTE: This is an excerpt from a digital story – read the full story here.Tess TuxfordKo te Kauri Ko Au, Ko te Au ko Kauri I am the kauri, the kauri is me Te Roroa proverb In Waipoua Forest, at the top of the North Island, New ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Coming attraction: IPCC's upcoming major climate assessmentLook for more emphasis on 'solutions,' efforts by cities, climate equity ... and outlook for emissions cuts in ...
Ringing A Clear Historical Bell: The extraordinary images captured in and around the US Capitol Building on 6 January 2021 mirror some of the worst images of America's past.THERE IS A SCENE in the 1982 movie Missing which has remained with me for nearly 40 years. Directed by the Greek-French ...
To impact or not to impeach? I understand why some of those who are justifiably aghast at Trump’s behaviour over recent days might still counsel against impeaching him for a second time. To impeach him, they argue, would run the risk of making him a martyr in the eyes of ...
The Capitol Building, Washington DC, Wednesday, 6 January 2021. Oh come, my little one, come.The day is almost done.Be at my side, behold the sightOf evening on the land.The life, my love, is hardAnd heavy is my heart.How should I live if you should leaveAnd we should be apart?Come, let me ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 3, 2021 through Sat, Jan 9, 2021Editor's ChoiceAfter the Insurrection: Accountability, Reform, and the Science of Democracy The poisonous lies and enablers of sedition--including Senator Hawley, pictured ...
This article, guest authored by Prof. Angela Gallego-Sala & Dr. Julie Loisel, was originally published on the Carbon Brief website on Dec 21, 2020. It is reposted below in its entirety. Click here to access the original article and comments. Peatlands Peatlands are ecosystems unlike any other. Perpetually saturated, their ...
The assault on the US Capitol and constitutional crisis that it has caused was telegraphed, predictable and yet unexpected and confusing. There are several subplots involved: whether the occupation of the Michigan State House in May was a trial run for the attacks on Congress; whether people involved in the ...
On Christmas Eve, child number 1 spotted a crack in a window. It’s a double-glazed window, and inspection showed that the small, horizontal crack was in the outermost pane. It was perpendicular to the frame, about three-quarters of the way up one side. The origins are a mystery. It MIGHT ...
Anne-Marie Broudehoux, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Will the COVID-19 pandemic prompt a shift to healthier cities that focus on wellness rather than functional and economic concerns? This is a hypothesis that seems to be supported by several researchers around the world. In many ways, containment and physical distancing ...
A growing public housing waiting list and continued increase of house prices must be urgently addressed by Government, Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson said today. ...
[Opening comments, welcome and thank you to Auckland University etc] It is a great pleasure to be here this afternoon to celebrate such an historic occasion - the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This is a moment many feared would never come, but ...
The Government is providing $3 million in one-off seed funding to help disabled people around New Zealand stay connected and access support in their communities, Minister for Disability Issues, Carmel Sepuloni announced today. The funding will allow disability service providers to develop digital and community-based solutions over the next two ...
Border workers in quarantine facilities will be offered voluntary daily COVID-19 saliva tests in addition to their regular weekly testing, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. This additional option will be rolled out at the Jet Park Quarantine facility in Auckland starting on Monday 25 January, and then to ...
The next steps in the Government’s ambitious firearms reform programme to include a three-month buy-back have been announced by Police Minister Poto Williams today. “The last buy-back and amnesty was unprecedented for New Zealand and was successful in collecting 60,297 firearms, modifying a further 5,630 firearms, and collecting 299,837 prohibited ...
The Government has released its Public Housing Plan 2021-2024 which outlines the intention of where 8,000 additional public and transitional housing places announced in Budget 2020, will go. “The Government is committed to continuing its public house build programme at pace and scale. The extra 8,000 homes – 6000 public ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has congratulated President Joe Biden on his inauguration as the 46th President of the United States of America. “I look forward to building a close relationship with President Biden and working with him on issues that matter to both our countries,” Jacinda Ardern said. “New Zealand ...
A major investment to tackle wilding pines in Mt Richmond will create jobs and help protect the area’s unique ecosystems, Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor says. The Mt Richmond Forest Park has unique ecosystems developed on mineral-rich geology, including taonga plant species found nowhere else in the country. “These special plant ...
To further protect New Zealand from COVID-19, the Government is extending pre-departure testing to all passengers to New Zealand except from Australia, Antarctica and most Pacific Islands, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “The change will come into force for all flights arriving in New Zealand after 11:59pm (NZT) on Monday ...
Bay Conservation Cadets launched with first intake Supported with $3.5 million grant Part of $1.245b Jobs for Nature programme to accelerate recover from Covid Cadets will learn skills to protect and enhance environment Environment Minister David Parker today welcomed the first intake of cadets at the launch of the Bay ...
The Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Mark Brown have announced passengers from the Cook Islands can resume quarantine-free travel into New Zealand from 21 January, enabling access to essential services such as health. “Following confirmation of the Cook Islands’ COVID ...
Jobs for Nature funding is being made available to conservation groups and landowners to employ staff and contractors in a move aimed at boosting local biodiversity-focused projects, Conservation Minister Kiritapu Allan has announced. It is estimated some 400-plus jobs will be created with employment opportunities in ecology, restoration, trapping, ...
The Government has approved an exception class for 1000 international tertiary students, degree level and above, who began their study in New Zealand but were caught offshore when border restrictions began. The exception will allow students to return to New Zealand in stages from April 2021. “Our top priority continues ...
Today’s deal between Meridian and Rio Tinto for the Tiwai smelter to remain open another four years provides time for a managed transition for Southland. “The deal provides welcome certainty to the Southland community by protecting jobs and incomes as the region plans for the future. The Government is committed ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has appointed Anna Curzon to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). The leader of each APEC economy appoints three private sector representatives to ABAC. ABAC provides advice to leaders annually on business priorities. “ABAC helps ensure that APEC’s work programme is informed by business community perspectives ...
The Government’s prudent fiscal management and strong policy programme in the face of the COVID-19 global pandemic have been acknowledged by the credit rating agency Fitch. Fitch has today affirmed New Zealand’s local currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook and foreign currency rating at AA with a positive ...
The Government is putting in place a suite of additional actions to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, including new emerging variants, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “Given the high rates of infection in many countries and evidence of the global spread of more transmissible variants, it’s clear that ...
$36 million of Government funding alongside councils and others for 19 projects Investment will clean up and protect waterways and create local jobs Boots on the ground expected in Q2 of 2021 Funding part of the Jobs for Nature policy package A package of 19 projects will help clean up ...
The commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Ruapekapeka represents an opportunity for all New Zealanders to reflect on the role these conflicts have had in creating our modern nation, says Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan. “The Battle at Te Ruapekapeka Pā, which took ...
Babies born with tongue-tie will be assessed and treated consistently under new guidelines released by the Ministry of Health, Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Around 5% to 10% of babies are born with a tongue-tie, or ankyloglossia, in New Zealand each year. At least half can ...
At an antagonistic hearing yesterday, the internet giant laid out the ‘worst case scenario’. And Facebook is also considering an ‘amputation’. Hal Crawford was watching.Google is poised to hit self-destruct in Australia according to a fractious Senate hearing into an unprecedented law that will force digital giants to pay money ...
It’s great to hear Phil Twyford celebrating a success. Not a personal ministerial success, it’s fair to say, but a success nevertheless related to arms control. The arms on which Twyford is focused, it should be noted, will make quite a mess if they are triggered. They tend to be ...
Duncan Greive and Leonie Hayden were young hip hop heads and music journalists during the era captured in a new documentary about the rise and fall of South Auckland hip hop label Dawn Raid. Here they discuss the film and their memories (what’s left of them) of that time. Warning: contains ...
Houses might be the most popular and inflated purchases in New Zealand, but there are plenty of other products that are seeing soaring demand and prices over the past few months. Here’s a list of what New Zealanders are spending their money on with international travel out of the picture.Used ...
"The young boy leaps, the muscles in his thighs tensing and twisting as he lifts from the handrail": the noble art of bombing, by Pātea writer Airana Ngarewa A beautifully muscled boy is posted on the side of a pool, his feet fixed to the top of a pair of ...
How Waiwera Hot Pools went from New Zealand’s most visited water park to dereliction and decay. Many who grew up in Auckland likely have fond memories of Waiwera Hot Pools. Like me, they remember summer days spent racing down the slides and playing in the naturally hot pools. But how did ...
A government contract for a P rehab programme was canned after half a million dollars of taxpayer money was given out. Aaron Smale investigates. The Ministry of Health spent over half a million dollars on a P Rehab contract before pulling the pin because there were no results or progress reports. ...
Kia Koropp and her husband John Daubeny have been cruising the Pacific, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean over the past decade with their two children onboard their 50ft yacht, Atea. Starting in 2011 from Auckland, New Zealand, they have sailed more than 64,000 kilometres and just completed their longest ...
We are drowning out the natural world with synthetic sounds, and it’s getting worse, writes Michelle Langstone.It used to be quiet once. Remember that? Remember the hush that settled over the cities like the silence that comes down in a snowstorm? It’s less than a year since Aotearoa first locked ...
Summer reissue: Join Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey and Leonie Hayden in the latest episode of On the Rag as they examine the topic of boobs from every possible angle. First published November 16, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its ...
Seventy-five years after the US detonated the first nuclear tests in the Pacific, New Zealand pledges its support to Joe Biden's first tentative step towards disarmament. Today, the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons comes into effect, making it illegal for New Zealand and the 50 other ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Terry, Professor of Psychology, University of Southern Queensland The challenge of bringing the world’s best tennis players and support staff, about 1,200 people in all, from COVID-ravaged parts of the world to our almost pandemic-free shores was always going to be ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoffrey Browne, Research Fellow in International Urban Development, University of Melbourne The Victorian government has committed to removing 75 road/rail level crossings across Melbourne by 2025. That’s the fastest rate of removal in the city’s history. The scale of the investment — ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW In an age of hyperpartisan politics, the Biden presidency offers a welcome centrism that might help bridge the divides. But it is also Biden’s economic centrism that offers a chance to cut through what has become ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Stevens, Lecturer in History, University of Waikato In a year of surprises, one of the more pleasant was the recent runaway viral popularity of 19th century sea shanties on TikTok. A collaborative global response to pandemic isolation, it saw singers and ...
The sudden departure of Graine Moss from her Chief Executive role at Oranga Tamariki is a vital first step in a sequence of changes that must take place at the Ministry according to a group of wahine Māori leaders. Dame Naida Glavish, Dame Tariana Turia, ...
A new poem from Dunedin poet Jenny Powell.Her uncle’s eyeShe introduced us to her uncle’s eye floating in a jar.Lost in an accident, he hadn’t wanted to lose it again. He left it to her in his will.We must have looked shocked. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘I turn him to ...
The chief executive of Oranga Tamariki is quitting, leaving behind an agency she’s admitted suffers from structural racism. Justin Giovannetti looks at the future of Oranga Tamariki.Grainne Moss’s tenure as head of Oranga Tamariki has been untenable since November when the government’s senior Māori minister wouldn’t express any confidence in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Sainsbury, Senior Lecturer Composition, Australian National University Despite having different cultural backgrounds and experiences — Indigenous composers with an Indigenous mentor, and a pianist descended from Anglo-colonial history — it is nevertheless possible to create a project that can serve as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Plank, Professor in Applied Mathematics, University of Canterbury With new, more infectious variants of COVID-19 detected around the world, and at New Zealand’s border, the risk of further level 3 or 4 lockdowns is increased if those viruses get into the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Hogg, Lecturer in Psychology, Charles Sturt University Horse racing is an ethical hotbed in Australia. The Melbourne Cup alone has seen seven horses die after racing since 2013, and animal cruelty protesters have become a common feature at carnivals. The latest ...
Right now, our most fiery national debate is over whether New Zealanders were nice to the singer Amanda Palmer in a café. Desperate to restore peace in our nation, Hayden Donnell went in search of the truth.Joe Biden had barely finished calling for unity when Amanda Palmer posted a tweet ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut (Pushkin Press, $37)Maths, cyanide, suicide, gardening; ye ...
Wellington artist Estère isn’t just breaking boundaries, she’s dissecting them. Maddi Rowe spoke to her about her new album, Archetypes.“That’s the story of pelicans, they’ll stab themselves in the heart to feed their young.”Despite the somewhat dark subject matter, Estère Dalton’s eyes sparkle with fascination. We’ve met to discuss Archetypes, ...
Cycling advocates are welcoming new advice from the Transport Agency on safe cycling. "Cyclists hate it when drivers pass too close. That's scary and dangerous," said Patrick Morgan from Cycling Action Network. "So it's encouraging to see ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tilman Ruff, Honorary Principal Fellow, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne Today, many around the world will celebrate the first multilateral nuclear disarmament treaty to enter into force in 50 years. The UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear ...
The Public Service Association welcomes the creation of a Chief Executive role to lead the public service’s pay equity work, and the appointment of Grainne Moss to this position. "Unions and public service employers are currently working ...
The Council of Trade Unions is warning that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures out today illustrate that the cost of living is increasing disproportionately for those on lower incomes; resulting in the poor getting poorer. CTU Economist Craig ...
Why are there so many offensive comments on the New Zealand Police Facebook page and are they breaking the law? Janaye Henry investigates. New Zealand Police Facebook pages – there are a number of them, for different regional police districts around the country – are an interesting place to spend ...
Our guide to stopping procrastinating and actually (finally) getting on top of investing. Because there’s a good chance that if you’re reading this, you don’t know a single thing about it.In part one, we covered some of the basic things you need to know about investing – why do it? ...
Children’s Commissioner Andrew Becroft acknowledges the huge effort and commitment of departing Oranga Tamariki Chief Executive Grainne Moss and says her decision to resign today was principled. “The issues facing Oranga Tamariki are beyond individual ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Two Large Waves versus One Tsunami. Chart by Keith Rankin. Two Large Waves versus One Tsunami. Chart by Keith Rankin. With Covid19, Italy shows the classic European pattern, with its early outbreak, substantial recovery thanks to lockdowns and other public health measures, and resurgence thanks to complacency ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabrielle Appleby, Professor, UNSW Law School, UNSW This year has already seen significant progress in the government’s commitment to establish a body – a “Voice” – that would allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have a say when the government ...
Northland farmer Derek Robinson was sentenced earlier today by the District Court in Whangarei for two offences of ill-treating animals at rodeo events. Mr Robinson was found guilty in November last year, following a defended hearing. The charges ...
Under fire Oranga Tamariki chief executive Grainne Moss has announced she will resign, effective February 28, Marc Daalder reports After four and a half years at the helm of child protection agency Oranga Tamariki, chief executive Grainne Moss has announced she will be leaving the position at the end of ...
The Department of Internal Affairs and New Zealand Police acknowledge the sentencing of 36-year-old Aaron Joseph Hutton on charges relating to the possession of child sexual exploitation material, and entering into a dealing involving the sexual exploitation ...
Ngā Tāngata Microfinance (NTM) is calling for tougher penalties for those caught promoting pyramid schemes. Such business models are illegal under the Fair Trading Act 1986. This call comes after the Commerce Commission issued a ‘stop now’ notice ...
British High Commissioner to New Zealand Laura Clarke is calling on young women aged 17 to 25 to apply for the annual ‘Be British High Commissioner for the Day’ competition. The winner will have the opportunity to become an ‘honorary High Commissioner’, ...
The Māori Party is welcoming the resignation of Oranga Tamariki chief executive Grainne Moss after sustained pressure from leading figures within the Māori Party. This resignation is the result of the continued strong pressure of the Māori Party ...
In a historic corner of Dunedin, startup culture is thriving. Catherine McGregor visited the city’s Warehouse Precinct to meet the people driving the movement. When Jason and Kate Lindsey bought the four storey building now known as Petridish, it was an absolute wreck. Once home to a thriving hat and textiles ...
Summer reissue: The Fold’s very first guest is back to tell Duncan Greive how she pulled off the media deal of the year.The chaotic couple of weeks which finally saw the end of the Stuff-NZME saga were riveting and strange, replete with stock exchange announcements, legal challenges and finally the ...
Chris Liddell has dropped his candidacy to become director-general of the Paris-based OECD. Without support from the Ardern government and vilified in the media as somehow being involved in the encouragement by Donald Trump of the Washington riots, he plainly saw he had little chance of crowning his stellar career ...
Tara Ward hands out her first impression roses as she dives deep into the sea of single men vying to win The Bachelorette NZ’s heart. While the world burns in a searing fireball of unpredictability, we can take comfort in the fact that some things never change. The heart still yearns, ...
People from all around New Zealand will be converging on the super-secret Waihopai satellite interception spybase, in Marlborough, on Saturday January 30th. ...
In its Thursday editorial the NZ Herald speaks an important truth: “Investment important to stay on track”. This won’t have startled its more literate readers but in its text it notes the strong result in the latest Global Dairy Trade auction, which prompted Westpac to raise its forecast for dairy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Craig Mark, Professor, Faculty of International Studies, Kyoritsu Women’s University With the spread of COVID-19 steadily worsening in Japan since the onset of winter — daily records for infections and deaths continue to be broken — the fate of the Tokyo Summer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Taylor, Early Career Research Leader, Emerging Viruses, Inflammation and Therapeutics Group, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University All eyes are on COVID-19 vaccines, with Australia’s first expected to be approved for use shortly. But their development in record time, without compromising ...
Yesterday’s government announcement on new state housing is a pathetic response to the biggest housing crisis in New Zealand since the 1940s. At a time when the country needs an industrial-scale state house building programme, the government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Obadiah Mulder, PhD Candidate in Computational Biology, University of Southern California Australia is in the midst of tropical cyclone season. As we write, a cyclone is forming off Western Australia’s Pilbara coast, and earlier in the week Queenslanders were bracing for a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lynette Vernon, School of Education – VC Research Fellow, Edith Cowan University When the holidays end, barring a fresh outbreak of COVID-19, teenagers across Australia will head back to school. Some will bounce out of bed well before the alarm goes off, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW In an age of hyperpartisan politics, the Biden presidency offers a welcome centrism that might help bridge the divides. But it is also Biden’s economic centrism that offers a chance to cut through what has become ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gary Mortimer, Professor of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, Queensland University of Technology Twenty years ago, on January 25 2001, a virtually unknown German supermarket chain quietly opened its first stores in Australia. The two stores – one in Sydney’s inner-west suburb of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liz Giuffre, Senior Lecturer in Communication, University of Technology Sydney Bluey is easily the most successful Australian television show of the last decade. A record-breaking success for its local broadcaster the ABC, as well as production partners BBC Studios and Screen Australia, ...
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permissionIt will take $3 million to clean up 1 million litres of abandoned toxic waste from a property in Ruakaka - three times more than the last big chemical clean-up undertaken by government agencies A two-year mission to clean up 1 million ...
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission. The action Biden took on just his first afternoon in office demonstrates a radical shift in priority for the US when it comes to its efforts to combat the climate crisis. It could put more pressure on New Zealand to step up. ...
Ban Bomb Day event at the New Brighton Pier, 9am, on January 22nd, 2021 January 22nd, 2021, marks the first day the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) Enters into Force and becomes international law. Aotearoa NZ is one of the ...
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by Steve BrauniasFICTION 1 Tell Me Lies by J.P. Pomare (Hachette, $29.99) Every January, there's a new best-selling crime thriller by the New Zealand-born author who lives in Melbourne. Pomare is ...
Our approach so far in trying to end what Dr Collin Tukuitonga describes as a 'racist' disease - rheumatic fever - has not worked. It's time we try something new, he writes. Acute rheumatic fever and the rheumatic heart disease it causes, long-known as a disease of poverty, is a blight on ...
New Zealand triple-code star, Anna Harrison, can't stop returning to the courts - whether it's netball or beach volleyball. She tells Ashley Stanley what keeps drawing her back. The day before Anna Harrison leaps back into netball, she will have one more hit-out at another of her favourite old sports ...
The lights are burning into the night at the New York Yacht Club's America's Cup base as they race to fix their damaged boat. And Suzanne McFadden discovers something surprising may emerge. Out of American Magic’s calamity may come opportunity - for even more speed. While the lights burn bright ...
New to sailing? With the Prada Cup resuming this weekend, here’s how to bluff your way into sounding like a pro. When I was 10, my mum made my brother and I join the local sailing club. It was a favourite pastime of families in Kerikeri, and my brother was actually ...
A formal complaint to the UN, signed by a NZ Muslim group, says France’s Islamophobic laws and policies are entrenching discrimination and breaching human rights laws. The Khadija Leadership Network has joined a global coalition of Muslim organisations to formally complain about the French government’s systemic entrenchment of Islamophobia and discrimination against ...
Summer reissue: Join Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey, Leonie Hayden and a lineup of incredibly successful New Zealand women as they confront their imposter syndrome once and for all. First published 20 October, 2020. Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its members ...
With criticism from National piling on over the property market, the prime minister has detailed when the government will make housing announcements. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marco Rizzi, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Western Australia Some Australians could be receiving a COVID-19 vaccine within weeks. Amid the continued spread of the virus and emergence of highly contagious variants, the federal government has accelerated the start of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Australia’s Threatened Species Strategy — a five-year plan for protecting our imperilled species and ecosystems — fizzled to an end last year. ...
Well worth reading is Ellen Brown’s Web of Debt about the privately owned Federal Reserve and how it creates money out of thin air demanding real world interest to pay for their scam.
John Key was selected to be part of the Foreign exchange committee to the Federal Reserve of New York. A position he was appointed too after his boss Stephen Bellotti left that committee. His boss shared this committee with Robert Rubin, the man responsible for the repeal of the Glass Steagall act and generally considered to be one of the most corrupt capitalists ever.
Here is what Ellen has to say about the QE2 and how all that money did not go to the economy to get it kick started but to off shore banks were it is hoarded to pay for big bonuses
Goff on Euthanasia (responding to Families First):
Many people who have had a close encounter with undignified, distressing death, like Goff, and me, think more discussion this is needed. Consider Choices about Euthanasia.
Cameron is all excited and has reported that Labour has been reported to the Police by the Electoral Commission. What heinous crime you may wonder that it has committed? Well it left a couple of words off the back of a brochure.
The section of the Electoral Act that provides the test on whether or not an advertisement is an election advertisement and needs a promoter statement is (take a deep breath):
“3A Meaning of election advertisement
(a) means an advertisement in any medium that may reasonably be regarded as encouraging or persuading voters to do either or both of the following:
(i) to vote, or not to vote, for a type of candidate described or indicated by reference to views or positions that are, or are not, held or taken (whether or not the name of the candidate is stated):
(ii) to vote, or not to vote, for a type of party described or indicated by reference to views or positions that are, or are not, held or taken (whether or not the name of the party is stated); and
(b) includes—
(i) a candidate advertisement; and
(ii) a party advertisement.
(2) None of the following are election advertisements:
…
(b) contact information (as defined in subsection (3)) published in any medium by a member of Parliament that satisfies all of the following requirements:
(i) the information was published by a member of Parliament in the course of performing his or her role and functions as a member of Parliament; and
(ii) the information was prepared for publication and published by the member of Parliament using funding received under Vote Parliamentary Service; and
(iii) the information was routinely published in that medium before the commencement of the regulated period and continues to be published in that medium during the regulated period; and
(iv) the information is published during the regulated period no more often and to no greater extent than before the commencement of the regulated period; and
(v) the information is published during the regulated period in the same form and style as before the commencement of the regulated period; and
(vi) the information is not included, combined, or associated with an election advertisement (as defined in subsection (1)), or with any other information so as to constitute an election advertisement, that is published by—
(A) the member of Parliament; or
(B) the secretary of the party to which the member of Parliament belongs; or
(C) any other person with the authority of the member of Parliament:”
Labour thought that because it was approved by Parliamentary Services and contained Phil’s contact details it was not an electoral advertisement. The EC in a very technical interpretation has refused to accept this. Because section 204J says the Commission “must” report the matter to the police it has done so.
Labour has withdrawn the pamphlets and indicated that all future pamphlets will have the “authorised by …” statement.
Talk about Nanny State on steroids. Will DPF recommence his campaign against restrictions on freedom of speech? Will Cameron agree that this is nanny state gone wild?
Who pays for it if it’s an election advertisement vs not an election advertisement ? Doesn’t it come from a different pot of cash albeit all from the long suffering taxpayer.
Labour thought that because it was approved by Parliamentary Services and contained Phil’s contact details it was not an electoral advertisement.
What Labour might ‘think’ is not the point. Given the way it was unfairly accused of electoral malpractice in the past – and the recent inexcusable slackness of security of personal information – why didn’t the persons responsible for the pamphlet include the words “authorised by etc.” just to be on the safe side?
Some may say that it’s all very well with the benefit of hindsight to be critical, but I’m starting to have serious doubts about the ability of some of Labour’s internal HQ staff. These are all avoidable mishaps!
I know this is probably a foriegn concept but why don’t Labour dot the eyes and cross the tees
All something like this does is reinforce the notion that the Labour party are arrogant, lazy and think the rules don’t apply to them
Chris, LAB got Parliamentary Services confirmation that this stuff was not considered party/electioneering material and could wear the seal as such.
Pull the other one
So instead of trying to stop issues that they’ve have had in the past they just keep on repeating them
Ok so fair point, Labour arn’t lazy or arrogant they’re just really stupid
Thanks for clearing that up
LAB approved the materials through Parliamentary Services. After examining the material it was independently considered (by Parliamentary Services) to not be party material or electioneering material.
And so the material, OK’d by Parliamentary Services, had the Parliamentary Services seal placed upon them.
Nice to know that Labour will place the blame anywhere but themselves
So why not just get it right the first time?
Is it because they’re:
Lazy
Arrogant
Incompetent
or all of the above
its not like this is the first time they’ve been in trouble over this kind of carry on and why does it seem as if its always Labour in the gun for this sort of thing? (apart from the VRWC influencing the MSM
No chris 73 you’re right. They’re not lazy and arrogant nor are they really stupid. I suspect the person(s) who made the mistake was(were) not part of the publicity team when the pledge card misadventure occurred and therefore didn’t learn from it. My understanding is that P.S. approved the pledge card too.
So wouldn’t it make sense to have someone oversee these things so errors arn’t made?
Naah wheres the fun in that…
Agreed Chris 73. (minus second remark)
The moral of the story… don’t rely (only) on Parliamentary Services for electoral law advice.
Sometimes life really is that simple
Btw, my 5:33pm comment was based on your previous comment which you changed while I was typing mine up. 🙂
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5261850/Legal-aid-plea-is-sick-investor
so very sick of this empty wallet BS by big boys who lost their toys, after stealing everyone else’s
Q+A this morning devoted to all the young’ns and how they are going to be needed to keep us a first world country and so much of what I could gather, from amongst the jargon and cliches of those in the know, was that it was super high-tech that was going to get us there.
Just got the Internet Bill this morning (on-line) and suddenly thought, how in hell is a superannuatant ever going to be able to access or stay in touch with the world, unless this Super Duper Broadband world that Mr Joyce is promising us is actually next to free.
$90 a month just to access your money (banking), pay your bills (online) and phone the emergency services all on the basic pension of $251p.w.
Any suggestions?
Internet connection has become a societal necessity which is generally what happens to services that provide a public good. As such, it needs to be a government service paid for through taxes and not a private provided good that makes some non-productive shareholders a profit.
My refrigerator provides a public good and is considered a necessity. Why wasn’t it publicly provided? Another weird thing about refrigerators (and other goods and services that the govt mostly stays out of) is that they get cheaper, with more features, year on year. Some greedy capitalist keeps making better and cheaper fridges! How unproductive.
You open up your refrigerator to use by your neighbourhood? That’s very generous of you.
Now let’s ask how this is accomplished. Could it be a combination of producing ever higher volumes of crap (economies of scale), designs which do more with fewer parts and materials (tech and design innovation), employing fewer workers (increased labour productivity), and locating manufacturing in the lowest cost countries possible (reduced labour costs).
All of that is certainly productive. Especially for the capitalist shareholders.
Capitalists don’t make fridges, workers do (e.g. engineers and production line staff)
By your logic every good is a public one.
In part 2 you did a pretty good job of describing the capitalist process. One that benefits both the producer and consumer. I’m struggling to see the problem.
Of course you are. It goes back to the lie you tried to slide in at the start – that capitalists make fridges.
They don’t, workers do, and the capitalists reward themselves from the economic surplus generated by the hard work of the engineers and the production staff by paying as few workers as possible as little as possible.
Marx described the relationship where one party (workers) produce the surplus economic value but where another party (the capitalist major shareholders) has all the power to choose what to do with the economic surplus as being exploitative.
No, it doesn’t. Not sure how you can believe that ‘benefiting Rusty’ = ‘the public good’ without some major brain contortions.
I would like to see you try to build a fridge without capital.
I would like to see capital build a fridge without workers.
Moreover, capital can come from different sources.
It does not have to come from a small group of private major shareholders who do none of the actual work which goes into a fridge.
Fridges are probably built mostly by robots.
Capital accumulation can only come from savings.
Capitalists take on the risk. Not every investment will see a return so it’s better for society to let people who are good at taking risk carry the burden.
I’d like to know where you think these people actually exist lol
Untrue. The siphoning off of the economic surplus produced by workers allows capital accumulation by major shareholders at a rapid rate.
BS as the Spirit Level proves. Having a small bunch of dictators living it up at everyone else’s expense is bad for society. And then there’s the fact, as the latest crash proves, that those dictators aren’t actually taking any risk – societies around the world have bailed them out when the risk came due.
As for the refrigerator not being supplied by a government owned, worker run factory is because the capitalists don’t want it that way? They wouldn’t be able to tell everyone how important they are and that they should have the bulk of the wealth if they weren’t needed.
This is a classic reply
If I didn’t have a fridge would I not get sick from spoiled food and therefore use more public health resources?
No eat fresh food 😛
So Rusty – why turn this into a Capitalist discussion. Your refrigerator analogy is spurious.
You have not addressed the issue of retirees being able to remain connected to this all singing all dancing technology.
The way I see it technology is rapidly advancing and to a greater exclusion of many in society. I have not seen a great reduction in the costs between ISPs.
Soon (in a couple of years) most of commerce will require an on-line interface with customer and supplier.
At the moment the basic phone provider is $50 plus. For internet, it is another $30 – $40. Cannot see the pension increasing to such an extent – what do they promise? Rate of increase tied to CPI.
Exactly.
Difficult now we no longer own Telecom of course.
That’s the end of the News of the World, thank God. But let’s not kid ourselves about the rest of the British media, and in particular the “liberal” media…
‘Extreme Dishonesty’ — The Guardian, Noam Chomsky and Venezuela
http://chomsky.info/onchomsky/20110706.htm
MediaLens July 6, 2011
The headline of last Sunday’s Observer article on Venezuela set the tone for the slanted and opportunistic piece of political ‘reporting’ that followed: ‘Noam Chomsky denounces old friend Hugo Chávez for “assault” on democracy’.
And then the opening line launched into a barrage of spin: ‘Hugo Chávez has long considered Noam Chomsky one of his best friends in the west. He has basked in the renowned scholar’s praise for Venezuela’s socialist revolution and echoed his denunciations of US imperialism.’
The ironic sneer directed at the Venezuelan president apparently basking in Chomsky’s ‘praise’, and the sly hint of robotic ‘echoing’ of his buddy’s rants, were indicative of the bias, omissions and
deceptions to follow. Reporter Rory Carroll, the Guardian‘s South America correspondent, had just interviewed Chomsky and set about twisting the conversation into a propaganda piece. (For non-UK readers who may not know: the Observer is the Sunday sister publication of the Guardian newspaper).
Carroll’s skewed view was clear and upfront in his article: ‘Chomsky has accused the socialist leader of amassing too much power and of making an “assault” on Venezuela’s democracy.’ As we will see shortly, this was a highly partial and misleading account of Chomsky’s full remarks, leading him to declare afterwards that the newspaper had displayed ‘extreme dishonesty’ and that
Carroll’s article was ‘quite deceptive’.
The news hook was the publication of an open letter by Chomsky pleading for the release of Venezuelan judge María Lourdes Afiuni who is suffering from cancer. Afiuni, explains Carroll, ‘earned Chávez’s ire in December 2009 by freeing Eligio Cedeño, a prominent banker facing corruption charges.’ After just over a year in jail, awaiting trial on charges of corruption, the Venezuelan authorities ‘softened her confinement to house arrest’.
In the open letter, prepared together with the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University, Chomsky says: ‘Judge Afiuni had my sympathy and solidarity from the very beginning.
The way she was detained, the inadequate conditions of her imprisonment, the degrading treatment she suffered in the Instituto Nacional de Orientación Femenina, the dramatic erosion of her health
and the cruelty displayed against her, all duly documented, left me greatly worried about her physical and psychological wellbeing, as well as about her personal safety.’
He concludes with the plea: ‘I shall keep high hopes that President Chávez will consider a humanitarian act that will end the judge’s detention.’ Towards the end of Carroll’s article, the journalist injected some token balance: ‘The Chávez government deserved credit for sharply reducing poverty and for its policies of promoting self-governing communities and Latin
American unity, Chomsky said. “It’s hard to judge how successful they are, but if they are successful they would be seeds of a better world.” ‘
But the blatant spin of the headline and the article’s lead paragraphs had already done the required job – President Chávez is so extreme that even that radical lefty Noam Chomsky, one of his best friends in the West, has now denounced him.
Chomsky Responds…
‘Extreme Dishonesty’ And A ‘Quite Deceptive’ Report
Activists and bloggers were quick to email Noam Chomsky to ask for his response to Rory Carroll’s article in the Observer. In particular, Chomsky replied as follows to one aggressive challenger who made a series of personal attacks on him: ‘Let’s begin with the headline: complete deception. That continues throughout. You can tell by simply comparing the actual quotes with their comments. As I mentioned, and expected, the New York Times report of a similar interview is much more honest, again revealing the extreme dishonesty of the Guardian.
‘I’m sure you would understand if an Iranian dissident who charged Israel with crimes would also bring up the fact that charges from Iran and its supporters cannot be taken seriously in the light of Iran’s far worse abuses. If you don’t understand that, which I doubt, you really have some problems to think about. If you do understand it, as I assume, the same is true. That’s exactly why bringing up [the jailed US soldier Bradley] Manning (and much more) is highly relevant.’
Joe Emersberger, an activist based in Canada, also approached Chomsky for a reaction to the piece:
‘The Guardian/Observer version, as I anticipated, is quite deceptive. The report in the New York Times is considerably more honest. Both omit much of relevance that I stressed throughout, including the fact that criticisms from the US government or anyone who supports its actions can hardly be taken seriously, considering Washington’s far worse record without any of the real concerns that Venezuela faces, the Manning case for one [Manning is the alleged source for huge amounts of restricted material passed on to WikiLeaks], which is much worse than Judge Afiuni’s. And much else. There’s no transcript, unfortunately. I should know by now that I should insist on a transcript with the Guardian, unless it’s a writer I know and trust.’ (Joe Emersberger, ‘Chomsky Says UK Guardian Article “Quite Deceptive” About his Chavez Criticism’, Z Blogs, July 4, 2011).
In fact the very next day after Carroll’s article appeared, and no doubt stung by the rising tide of internet-based criticism, the Guardian took the unusual step of publishing what is presumably a full transcript of the interview. (Also unusually, the Guardian did not
allow reader comments to be posted under the transcript.) But the transcript only served to prove Chomsky’s point about the ‘deceptive’ nature of the printed article. His comparisons to the
justice system in the United States – in particular, the torture and abuse of Bradley Manning – were edited out. Carroll had asked him about the intervention of the Venezuelan executive in demanding a long jail sentence for Judge Afiuni.
Chomsky replied: ‘It’s obviously improper for the executive to intervene and impose a jail sentence without a trial. And I should say that the United States is in no position to complain about this. Bradley Manning has been imprisoned without charge, under torture, which is what solitary
confinement is. The president in fact intervened. Obama was asked about his conditions and said that he was assured by the Pentagon that they were fine. That’s executive intervention in a case of severe violation of civil liberties and it’s hardly the only one. That doesn’t change the judgment about Venezuela, it just says that what one hears in the United States one can dismiss.’
Chomsky added: ‘Venezuela has come under vicious, unremitting attack by the United States and the west generally – in the media and even in policy. After all the United States sponsored a military coup [in 2002] which failed and since then has been engaged in extensive subversion. And the onslaught […] against Venezuela in commentary is grotesque.’ Nothing of that appeared in the published Observer article. [* See Update below]
Also given scant notice were Chomsky’s observations about positive developments in Venezuela and Latin America generally in trying to overcome the horrendous impacts of over five centuries of European, and latterly also US, colonialism and exploitation: ‘I think what’s happened in Latin America in the past 10 years is probably the most exciting and positive development to take place in the world. For 500 years, since European explorers came, Latin American countries had been separated from one another. They had very limited relations. Integration is a prerequisite for independence. Furthermore internally there was a model that was followed pretty closely by each of the countries: a very small Europeanised, often white elite that concentrated enormous wealth in the midst of incredible poverty. And this is a region, especially South America, which are very rich in resources which you would expect under proper conditions to develop far better than east Asia for example but it hasn’t happened.’
The above quotes by Chomsky are only extracts of the longest answers, by far, that he gave in his interview with Carroll. But they didn’t fit the journalist’s agenda of setting up Chomsky in ‘denouncing’ Chávez’s supposed ‘assault’ on democracy. Carroll once accurately declared that he is ‘not a champion of impartiality’. Indeed, Joe Emersberger has done much sterling work, exposing and challenging Carroll’s biased journalism from Latin America. Carroll and his editors clearly have supreme difficulty in answering Emersberger’s cogent emails, judging by their repeated
failure to respond.
Readers may recall that the Guardian has a dubious track record in recording and accurately reflecting the views of Noam Chomsky; that is, when it doesn’t conform to the usual pattern of completely ignoring him. The Guardian‘s smear of Chomsky in 2005 marked a real
low in the history of this ‘flagship’ newspaper of ‘liberal’ journalism. See ‘Smearing Chomsky – Guardian in the Gutter’, ‘Smearing Chomsky – The Guardian Backs Down’ and the external ombudsman’s report.
Perhaps what is most noteworthy about this whole episode is best summed up by Emersberger:
‘This is not the first time Rory Carroll has taken a highly selective interest in Chomsky’s views on Latin America. When Chomsky signed an open letter in 2008 critical of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, Rory Carroll also jumped all over it. At about the same time, Chomsky signed an open letter to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe about far more grave matters but it was ignored by the Guardian. At the time, I asked Rory Carroll and his editors why they ignored it but they never replied to me. They also ignored an open letter to Uribe signed by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and various other groups. I asked Carroll and his editors why that open letter was ignored and – as usual – no one responded.’
Concluding Remarks
Noam Chomsky was once famously described by the New York Times as ‘arguably the most important intellectual alive’. And yet, as mentioned earlier, the Guardian is normally happy to ignore him and his views. But when Chomsky expresses criticism of an official enemy
of the West, he suddenly does exist and matter for the Guardian. That indicates what we already knew: that the liberal press is perfectly aware of the importance of Chomsky’s work. They just ignore it because it undermines the wrong interests.
Rory Carroll’s article is a wonderful glimpse of the kind of status Chomsky would enjoy if he promoted the myth of the basic benevolence of the West, and focused on the crimes of official enemies. He would be feted as one of the most insightful and brilliant political commentators the world had ever seen. He would be far and away the world’s number one political talking head. His face would be all over the Guardian, the Observer, the Independent, the BBC, the New York Times and so on.
There is a humbling lesson here also, of course, for those people who are all over the media. In important ways, the media is a demeritocracy.
SUGGESTED ACTION
The goal of Media Lens is to promote rationality, compassion and respect for others. If you do write to journalists, we strongly urge you to maintain a polite, non-aggressive and non-abusive tone.
Write to:
Rory Carroll, the Guardian‘s South America correspondent
Email: rory.carr…@guardian.co.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/rorycarroll72
Alan Rusbridger, Guardian editor
Email: alan.rusbrid…@guardian.co.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/arusbridger
Please blind-copy us in on any exchanges or forward them to us later at:
edi…@medialens.org
* Update
July 4, 2011
Dear Rory Carroll,
Hope you’re well there.
Noam Chomsky says your Observer piece yesterday was ‘quite deceptive’ and ‘omit[s] much of relevance that I stressed throughout’.
http://bit.ly/jiG736
What’s your response, please?
Best wishes
David Cromwell and David Edwards
Co-Editors, Media Lens
http://www.medialens.org
July 6, 2011
Hello
Well, the transcript is there so everyone can judge the article, and Prof Chomsky’s response, for themselves.
Just one point: you say the article omitted Prof Chomsky’s references to Manning and US policy on Venezuela. About half-way there is this: “Its author remains fiercely critical of the US, which he said had tortured Bradley Manning, alleged source of the diplomatic cables exposed by WikiLeaks, and continued to wage a “vicious, unremitting” campaign against Venezuela.
Best
Rory
July 6, 2011
Hello Rory,
Thanks for writing and pointing out that mistake – apologies. It should have read that you had given those points scant attention in comparison to the chosen spin of the ‘dishonest’ headline and main thrust of the ‘deceptive’ article. I’ll post an update.
As you rightly say, and as we noted in the alert, people can see for themselves to what extent the published article reflects what Noam Chomsky said in the interview.
Moreover, Joe Emersberger’s comments about your selective attention to Chomsky’s views, and your failure to respond to past challenges, remain unaddressed. And so do our concluding remarks about the default stance of the Guardian and the media when it comes to reporting Chomsky’s insightful observations: simply ignore them.
Best wishes
David Cromwell
Yeah, I certainly remember reading of the 2005 smear.
I haven’t got time today, but in one of the Open Mikes in the next few days, I’ll briefly outline a NZ Listener smear of Chomsky from a few years ago.
Excellent work above, Morrissey.
…in the next few days, I’ll briefly outline a NZ Listener smear of Chomsky from a few years ago.
I’ll look forward to reading that, my friend. I hardly bother nowadays to even glance at what was once an essential magazine. Which intellectual giant did Pamela Stirling, that formidable polymath of an editor, assign to the task of smearing Chomsky? Deborah Hill Cone? Joanne Black? Bill Ralston? Raybon Kan? Paul Lewis? The more I think of a possible contender for this Herculean task, the funnier it seems.
Hurry and post it up, please.
Thanks, Morrissey. Looks like it’ll probably be later in the week. I’m just a bit too busy at the moment and (possibly like you and one or two others here) I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I want to provide an effective context, before I outline the details. All takes time 🙂
Full transcript of the interview here
http://www.zcommunications.org/noam-chomsky-on-venezuela-the-transcript-by-noam-chomsky
Todays Nation was once again mainly an attack onthe
Today’s Nation was once again an attack on Labour. The so called discussion on Capital Gains developed into a critizem of the Labour Policy.
Garner once again ,as he does every week ,finds fault with Goffs leadership.
What ever has Phil done to this creep?
Their is no doubt that with the Capital Gains tax announcement Labour is going to dominate the debate. However Nat’s will pull every trick they know to rubbish this. I’m looking forward to Friday’s statement by Phil on this. There is no doubt this could be just what Labour needs to boost the polls.
Now I have heard ,from a good source , that this Tory government is considering deregistering theTeachers Union .Anyone heard anything?
It certainly would not surprise me .
If they did deregister the PPTA or the Primary NZEI or could only to pick a fight. The grounds for deregistering have to be pretty compelling and it is many years decades(?) since it was done to a union.
Can’t believe that since the other day when Anne Tolley was asked if any action was planned against theNZEI re NS, she said dismissively no but they will be helping schools to understand NS (!!!) and maybe next year they will look at other means. Good reason to make sure that Tolley is not there next year to do any more damage.
Yes Postman its the media that are to blame for Goffs ineptitude as a leader. He’s never to blame in the lefts eyes, which is of course a socialist mantra, “he’s not to blame its society’s fault” (and anyone with more money than you). If Goff wants traction he needs a personality transplant and policy that resonates with the voters. Goff repeating the same behaviour and tired speeches and expecting a different result, is the epitome of being deranged.
Wow you’re strange.
The NZ media is pretty soft on questioning Key and pretty hard on pulling down Goff. That’s obvious.
Hope we get the guy from BBC’s Hardtalk to run one of our election leaders debates 🙂
Why not Kim Hill no right winger would set foot in the studio
The week that was 3 – 10 July
Earthquakes on the Increase
There was another large earthquake off the East coast of Honshu, Japan today. It measured magnitude 7. This coincides with a general increase in the number of all magnitude earthquakes over recent years…
How do you know activity is increasing?
We haven’t been measuring it comprehensively for long, so it would be very difficult to know trends apart from very short term fluctuations.
Felt it in tokyo. A long steady rocking for about 30 sec.
TV3 tonight:
“The latest 3 News Reid Research poll is out and has National opening up its already massive gap over Labour.
One of the real winners in this poll is the rise and rise of the Greens; who seem to now be feeding off Labour’s misery and taking their voters.
National was up 2.1 points on 55.1 percent support while Labour slipped 2.9 points to 29.9 percent. The Greens went up 2.6 points to 9.1 percent.”
Priceless.
[lprent: Also completely off topic and looks to me like it was meant to be diversionary. If I see you do again I will kick you out of commenting for while. Moving to OpenMike.
Oh buggerit – that was too much work. Banned for a week for wasting my time. ]
It’s just showing the volatility of the polls. This one won’t be affected much if at all by the CGT, and certainly won’t be affected by the weekend’s Act.
Forgot to add – John Key up in poplularity to 50.5 and Goff slips [again] down to 6.9.
Double priceless.
Another day, another big poll lead for National,
Time to panic, Labour.
Theres a couple of people that will be shitting bricks tonight:
http://whaleoil.gotcha.co.nz/index.php/2011/07/the-coup-is-on-labourishistory/
Stuff: Labour pamphlets breached rules
Wow, like that’s never happened before… I can hardly wait for some MP to say the rules were confusing… others did it too… It’s not fair to just prosecute Labour….
Labour had prior confirmation from Parliamentary Services that those materials were not considered party promotional materials or electioneering materials.
You really are a dipshit, just man up and say “we screwed up”
Maybe in future you might want to go for advice elsewhere…you know the saying “fool me once shame on you, fool me twice and I probably work for Labour”
Labour originally sought and gained sign offs from Parliamentary Services on the flyers etc. i.e. an independent assessment, that the material was not party material and was not electioneering material.
Labour was therefore allowed to use the Parliamentary Services seal on the material, which would not have been permitted had the material been judged at the time to be Labour Party promotional material or electioneering material.
Yeah keep repeating the line, maybe you’ll convince yourself
CV
Do Parliamentary Services indemnify political parties from being accountable under the law ?
You seem to think so and Labour’s previous behaviour seems to imply that – but what are the rules? Remember the rules – in this case the laws passed by MPs for MPs. Can’t say they are confusing and claim to be competent at the same time.
Are Labour incompetent or are they self serving muppets who think they are above the law ?
Labour sought out early expert advice, and that independent advice came back that those materials were not party promotional or electioneering materials.
Now that call might have been wrong in the final analysis (we’ll wait and see), but Labour took a lot of care to get this right from the start.
So here we go.. The law was confusing… Others were doing it too…
Oh dear, Labour hasn’t got the numbers to retrospectively validate under urgency.
How handy would the conventional ‘not in the public interest to prosecute’ be?
What about that convention that parliament can’t use the excuse a law was confusing because they wrote it and they voted to get it enacted? OK we let that one go for a while when it was convenient with the EFA, but is it gone forever ?
Well, as I mentioned above, Labour had the material checked and vetted by Parliamentary Services, and at the time it was independently assessed as not being party promotional material nor electioneering material.
So here we go again… The ref made a bad call… the rules were changed…
Sorry CV – the people who make the laws and pass the laws need to understand the laws.
So I guess if they had it checked by Parliamentary Services then they will be confident they didn’t break the law and they will be happy to see it tested in court ?
Remember the Judiciary… I know previously Labour have shown a preference for retrospective validation rather than take their chances in court but they might not get that option this time. But hey PS said it was OK so should be an open and shut case where they are not found guilty – right ?
Well it’s a matter for the police now, however Labour did take plenty of care to get this right and sought independent advice in the process to do so.
Its things like this that remind people why Labour were voted out of parliament
Not following the rules
Blaming others for errors
Overwhelming arrogance
Say ten hail Marys and try to sin no more
Actually, Key has just dominated the news over big free trade trip to india – staged romance at the Taj and filmed with Bollywood’s Brangelina all that aspirational stuff. Yet only pulled 2%, and is that not the margin of error?? Gloat all you like Chris , but you know as well as most of us – National’s popularity rides of on Key and lets face it, the public will wake up..
I have no doubt that Labour will get back into power, just not this election
(As for gloating wait until after the election ;))
Why are the police being so vindictive in prosecuting Arie Smith-Voorkamp? They are even bullying TV1’s Sunday programme for running the story tonight about his arrest and alleged beating for taking two lightbulbs from an abandoned building. Even the building’s owners didn’t want him charged until the police apparently bullied them too. Something unpleasant going on in the police culture.
Absolutely true, Hilary! I watched Sunday for possibly the second time ever, and was very impressed by Arie and by the building’s owners. His reason (that it was a shame to leave electrical fittings in a building that might collapse) would seem perfectly reasonable to someone with Aspergers who wants to become an electrician! He wasn’t looting anything, just rescuing something…
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[lprent: Read this again. ]
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[lprent: Read this again. ]