Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step right up to the mike…
The High Court disallows Dow/Monsanto to appear as a witness on its own behalf to corrupt our environment ( for now) but how has it come to this ?????
Terrifying thoughts to begin a sweet spring morning that Dow/Monsanto already holds sufficient surreptitious sway in NZ to have received the authority to proceed with non-notifiable GM tampering outside our very strict GM controls! Kia Kaha to the Sustainability Council on our behalf. (And it makes the interference on Ruataniwha seem modest by comparison imho.)
Oh my, just how corrupt is this govt willing to be ?? And all powers of local councils to prevent these developments have been removed.
NB — almost certainly this denial of permission to appear as witness could NOT have occurred under TPPA. In fact, likely it could never have gotten to the High Court !!!
Lyn filmed it. Lynn says it’ll take a day or so to get it online. But it will go online. It was an important debate, and needs to be seen and discussed widely.
Bearing in mind Lyn’s workload at present (and mine for that matter) I wouldn’t expect it before the weekend. Last I saw as she was offloading the GB of video was that she was muttering all three mic’ed being pen-clickers đ I got the impression that pen-clicker was some kind of newly discovered swear word. đ
I liked that debate. Wayne was pretty clear on the how and why. Jane was as sharp as usual. Getting a much clearer view about why it is being pushed for and what the benefits are, and the downsides.
The quality of education (literacy and numeracy) in the countries whose education systems gave us National Standards and Charter Schools. A scroll down to the bottom of the lists is required to see what it’s done for their people aged 16-24. A bit of movement from their results for all adults.
Great debate last night. Some may find it hard to believe but I wanted wayne to put some doubt in my mind about wanting to know more he didnt. He said ftas and tppa bring us prosperity pointing to increased trade with those countries we have them with. His second argument was would we really want to not be in it if the others are in.
Yes. Wayne is knowledgeable on the issues, but I disagree with his underlying philosophy (which reminded me so much of my Dad’s way back when I argued with him – heated debates at the dinner table). My dad was also knowledgeable and very smart, but he didn’t convince me back then, and neither did Wayne last night.
Wayne argued that TPP is a very significant agreement involving all Pacific nations, and as a “trading nation” NZ cannot afford to be left out. But s Kelsey showed, there are already many concerns in other countries about the TPP, and it looks to me that there are a lot of cracks where pressure can be applied so that the TPP will start to crumble.
“it looks to me that there are a lot of cracks where pressure can be applied so that the TPP will start to crumble.”
It will be interesting if one of the first cracks appear in what the pork-barrelling in the U.S. dishes up to resolve the government shutdown. Or at the very least whether the shutdown delays negotiations.
Gormless. I thought I heard joyce saying no. It just seems such a strange thing for the nats to dig their toes in. Perhaps it tells us much of their vote sits amongst baby boomers?
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 6.1
Te Reo Putake, Populuxe and others who slavishly follow the party line will no doubt be amplifying some or all of the latest anti-protestor messages. Promising new targets for Te Reo et al. include:
Watch Niall Ferguson get schooled by real economists
Brad Delong, Paul Krugman and Dean Baker all beat up on Niall Ferguson for making the kind of embarrassing error that would badly damage his career if he were not peddling lies that the rich and powerful want people to believe….
Excellent link: I have often thought that Fergusson was a wannabe Galbraith, Kenneth Clark or Brunowski, acting as a legitimate teller of the tale on a major BBC doc series. In a strange way he reminds me of the very talented Brannagh attempting to don the Shakespearean mantle of Olivier, and never quite succeeding. At-least his attempts were honest, by contrast Niall appears to work on the principle that if a statement is so sweeping it will be received by we humble viewers as true. I don’t mind him being partisan, no amount of eloquence however can make a false proposition any more real.
Yesterday’s Panel with Mora.
The ever-so-reasonable-sounding-Franks was on and began subtly spouting his party line on topics of justice, Supreme court etc and on ACC. Mora invited Dr Duncan Webb to discuss issues and he appeared to progressively dismantle most of Franks points.
I didn’t accuse you of lying, Moz, but of being grossly inaccurate. I provided the link to what was actually said, which bore little resemblance to your fictional ‘transcript’.
At least in earlier exchanges about your inability to transcribe accurately you had the wit to acknowledge that they were just an impression. Which is fine.
I think you need to make up your mind as to whether they are intended to accurately reflect what is said or whether they are just a pisstake. If it’s the latter, I look forward to a few sniggers at the expense of those you target. If its the former, well, you’re just another jonolist. Though an decidely amateur one, obviously.
1.) I didnât accuse you of lying, Moz, but of being grossly inaccurate.
You and a couple of others have repeatedly accused me of “making shit up”. Last night you claimed that “itâs all bullshit from Moz. Nothing in the âtranscriptâ has anything but a passing resemblance to the truth. Ok, Moz gets the names of the participants correct, but the rest is made up.” Yet a few hours later you brazenly claim that you didn’t accuse me of lying. I think you have just been hoist by your own canard.
2.) I provided the link to what was actually said, which bore little resemblance to your fictional âtranscriptâ.
On the contrary, the link shows my rendition of that conversation was accurate. Not word-perfect, of course, and I never pretended it was.
3.) At least in earlier exchanges about your inability to transcribe accurately you had the wit to acknowledge that they were just an impression. Which is fine.
It would be obvious to even the meanest intelligence that my rendition was an impression of what was said. I never claimed it was a transcript. Your quibbling is nothing more than spurious, captious obstinacy.
4.) I think you need to make up your mind as to whether they are intended to accurately reflect what is said or whether they are just a pisstake.
My script was accurate. Not word-perfect, but accurate. I believe I captured Franks’s sneering malevolence, and Mora’s mealy-mouthed flippancy. I didn’t write down everything Chris Wikaira said, because he was well into his speech before I even picked up a piece of paper. Certainly the words are not verbatim, but I made up none of it.
5.) If itâs the latter, I look forward to a few sniggers at the expense of those you target. If its the former, well, youâre just another jonolist. Though an decidely amateur one, obviously.
You mean I’m not professional, like those outstanding specimens at the BBC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, the Grauniad and all the other government-approved cheerleaders and megaphones. I’m a little bit better than that, I think.
Could you explain what you mean please? I’m mystified. It seems that you’re having a sly dig at me, judging by the response of our friend McFlock, but it’s all very obscure.
You’d think they’d have a word or phrase for this by now. Someone who sucks all the attention out of a group of online commentators, so that most of the effort on the blog goes into inanity and discussing inanity and defending inanity and defending/discussing meta-inanity, instead of discussing the things that the blog is actually about. And someone who does this repeatedly in a predictable fashion.
Hence my comment about Jenny leaving and vaccums being filled.
Youâd think theyâd have a word or phrase for this by now. Someone who sucks all the attention out of a group of online commentators, so that most of the effort on the blog goes into inanity and discussing inanity and defending inanity and defending/discussing meta-inanity, instead of discussing the things that the blog is actually about.
The entire raison d’ĂȘtre of my transcripts/reconstructions is to highlight the utter inanity of a significant sector of media commentators in this country. You seem to have mistaken me for my targets. Perhaps you need to ease up on the hallucinogens.
And someone who does this repeatedly in a predictable fashion. Hence my comment about Jenny leaving and vaccums [sic] being filled.
Your comparison is invalid, glib, and stupid. Sadly that’s something that could be said of most of your posts. Hence the general lack of regard for your efforts on this forum.
Cobblers, cobber. You can keep bullshitting all day, but it doesn’t make your dismal effort any more accurate. You are the Stephen Franks of jonolism. It’s great that you now accept it’s only an “impression”. But so is the mark the farmer leaves when he steps in a cowpat. The gumboot still stinks though.
One of the nastier strategies employed by John Key and his parliamentary cronies is to bray “He’s making stuff up” whenever they are confronted with something embarrassing. Here’s a typical example from one of the intellectual powerhouses in the National Party…. http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2012/10/shearer_makes_it_up.html
I’m sure others on this mostly excellent forum have noticed one or two of the resident thugs around here using the same formula. As an example, look at how our thuggish friend Te Reo Putake behaves….
Cobblers, cobber. You can keep bullshitting all day,
There he goes again!
….but it doesnât make your dismal effort any more accurate.
First the allegation that I have been dishonest, then the derogatory epithet (“dismal effort”). I am sure that this bloke manages to intimidate a few locals around Whanganui with such behaviour but, as always, on a forum like this he only ends up making himself look bereft of ideas.
You are the Stephen Franks of jonolism. Itâs great that you now accept itâs only an âimpression”.
I’ve never suggested otherwise. I’ve always admitted that my transcripts are a mix of verbatim recording and reconstruction from memory. They are usually done in haste but they are always true to the character and tenor of the conversation. Only a few naysayers have objected, and that has been, in every case, because they have objected to my reminding them that someone they have worshipped is a fraud or an empty bag of wind. In the case of Te Reo Putake, I recall he was incandescent with indignation when I pointed out the rank hypocrisy of this fraud’s putrid method acting here…. http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/jul/01/barack-obama-nelson-mandela-robben-island-video
Ooooh, reduced to identity speculation. And so typically inaccurate!
No speculation at all. You do live in Whanganui, as you have repeatedly reminded us on this forum. And far from speculating who you are, I merely suggested that your inept attempts to bully and intimidate people on this site are no doubt a continuation of the way you behave in your everyday life. That’s speculating on your behaviour, not on your identity.
I don’t live in Whanganui, Moz. More made up stuff from you. If only your memory was up to your ambition, eh?
And losing arguments does not make you a victim, it just makes you someone who can’t succesfully argue their corner. Of course, if you took more care to be accurate in the first place, you wouldn’t be called on it and you wouldn’t feel as lousy as you obviously do today.
You could always wait until RNZ put up the recording and check your impression against it before posting. That’s called fact checking, it’s really useful for keeping your integrity intact.
Now, now, TRP – mozz has pointed out that you have repeatedly “reminded us” that you live in Wh. I’m sure, having such accurate recollection, links to the comments where you’ve admitted living in Wh will be along presently.
Indeed, it will be a wonderful demonstration of mozz’s outstanding recollective abilities. We will all have to adopt a more humble deference to his important authority when he proves you wrong.
if a transcript is not word-perfect, then it is not accurate.
My renditions are usually pretty close to word-perfect. I even make sure to include every time someone like Hekia Parata uses fillers like “ummmm”, “ahhhh” and “y’know”. The objections to my renditions are ideological.
The matter under debate seems, therefore, to be the level of inaccuracy.
I might get the odd word out of order, or transpose sentences, but I am very particular at rendering the tenor and the essence of these conversations. You know that very well, of course.
You are the Stephen Franks of jonolism. Itâs great that you now accept itâs only an âimpressionâ.
Iâve never suggested otherwise. Iâve always admitted that my transcripts are a mix of verbatim recording and reconstruction from memory. They are usually done in haste but they are always true to the character and tenor of the conversation.
They are either “pretty close to word-perfect” transcripts, or the wording is off but the tenor or impression of the conversation is accurate (or is your memory “near perfect”?). I’m thinking the difference between a photograph and a Monet. The trouble is that the tone is subjective, especially when reading text that is skewed with disparaging names for some of the participants, so really it comes under satire rather than recording.
It seems to me that you sort of want it both ways – when people take the trouble to prove that your transcripts aren’t word perfect (and the ones I’ve compared have not been anywhere close), you concede and claim that even so the tenor is correct, but then you go back to claiming they are near-perfect transcripts for the next one.
I have shown many times the wording of your impressions to be a long, long way from the words actually spoken. You frequently invent entire sentences.
I have even demonstrated this after you have claimed that your impression was an exact transcript.
I’ve also questioned your impression of the tone of conversations before, and found that you add colours like “yell” and “screech” and “awkward silence” when nothing of the like can be heard in the recording.
My conclusion is that you don’t bother to listen back to recordings after writing your impressions to check what you’ve written. Nothing wrong with that but it makes a mockery of any claim to accuracy, either of colour or content.
1.) I have shown many times the wording of your impressions to be a long, long way from the words actually spoken. You frequently invent entire sentences.
I occasionally have to reconstruct sentences for the purpose of continuity. Although I get most of it word-perfect, it’s not always the case.
2.) I have even demonstrated this after you have claimed that your impression was an exact transcript.
We have agreed on this point already. You weaken your case by overstating how wrong I get it, however.
3.) Iâve also questioned your impression of the tone of conversations before, and found that you add colours like âyellâ and âscreechâ and âawkward silenceâ when nothing of the like can be heard in the recording.
Now you’re questioning my judgement. The fact is, there are many awkward and embarrassing silences on Jim Mora’s programme. Sometimes this is because people are too stunned or too disgusted to say anything; that happens when someone like Nevil Breivik Gibson or Dr. Michael Bassett is a guest. Other times it comes from an inability to formulate a response to something inane that Mora or one of his more foolish guests, like Christine (Spankin’) Rankin, has said. Whatever the reason, those silences happen. It says a lot that you are now pretending they don’t happen. And I have not used either “yell” or “screech” to denote the tone of anyone. You’re struggling to make your point as it is, and misquoting me like that is just another dent to your credibility.
4.) My conclusion is that you donât bother to listen back to recordings after writing your impressions to check what youâve written. Nothing wrong with that but it makes a mockery of any claim to accuracy, either of colour or content.
There you go again—wildly overstating your case. I don’t always get things verbatim, and I have always conceded that. Instead of chiding me for it, which would be a reasonable thing to do, you make a crazed and extreme statement, showing me no respect and grossly misrepresenting my character and the calibre of my work.
This spurious quibbling of yours is cynical and dishonest; you were a fan of my transcripts/reconstructions/dramatizations—call them what you will—until I started to target people and organizations and governments who you have, unwisely, chosen to align yourself with.
Mozza, just because silences exist on a program doesn’t mean you can insert them wherever you like and say you’re being accurate.
And no, nothing to do with your choice of target. The truth is I was a fan until I listened to one of the interviews while reading your impressions and noticed that it was about 50% fantasy.
And yes, of course I’m questioning your judgement. I’m also questioning your hearing, your attention span, your understanding of many of the words you throw around, and your sense of importance.
Once again, felix, I am afraid the very good points you make are submerged in a blizzard of extreme statements and distortions. You are obviously an intelligent and discerning fellow, but your determination to portray my (admittedly imperfect) reconstructions/transcripts as “50% fantasy” seriously undermines your credibility.
As a matter of interest, could you cite the occasion on which I apparently falsified half of my transcript? And when have I not understood a word I have “thrown around”? Once again, this looks like a case of belittlement and distortion.
argh shit – any chance of a moderator rolling back my “just out of time” edit? I was trying to change “12m30s” to “12min”, and must have submitted the edit with half a second to spare, or royally bollocked the comment up.
[lprent: Looks like there was an occasional bug in this mornings update of the re-edit. Looks like it is working most of the time, otherwise I’d turn it off until I can get to the backups. ]
Most round-about way of phrasing âmake shit upâ Iâve seen in a long while.
I made up nothing. As we can see from your vicious campaign of misrepresenting and distorting my contributions, you are the one in the business of lying. Not that you do it very well, mind you.
The fact is, there are many awkward and embarrassing silences on Jim Moraâs programme. Sometimes this is because people are too stunned or too disgusted to say anything; that happens when someone like Nevil Breivik Gibson or Dr. Michael Bassett is a guest. Other times it comes from an inability to formulate a response to something inane that Mora or one of his more foolish guests, like Christine (Spankinâ) Rankin, has said. Whatever the reason, those silences happen. It says a lot that you are now pretending they donât happen
those italics indicate the parts of your pieces where you make shit up.
You don’t know what those silences mean. You project meaning into them though, and claim that what you interpret them to mean, is what actually happened.
The classic example of something similar was when someone was talking about someone else, and you claimed that she was actually talking about her husband.
those italics indicate the parts of your pieces where you make shit up.
Nonsense. Your comments are completely spurious. I interpreted their comments, and their awkward and embarrassed silences, fairly and correctly. You know that, too, of course, but you’ve embarked on a course of bloodymindedly backing up the destructive behaviour of a few people determined to sabotage any dissenting voices on this forum.
You donât know what those silences mean. You project meaning into them though, and claim that what you interpret them to mean, is what actually happened.
Okay then, let’s pretend that the long silence that followed after Michael Bassett snarled that Nicky Hager “is a holocaust-denier” was because everyone was simply appreciating Bassett’s wit, eloquence and moral authority. I think most people will agree with me that the silence indicated something else, just as the silences that follow some of Mora’s more inane utterances indicate that something has gone wrong. By all means take a benevolent view of that. Just make sure you let us know when the space shuttle has returned from orbit, will you?
The classic example of something similar was when someone was talking about someone else, and you claimed that she was actually talking about her husband.
Of course, anyone with half a brain could have seen I was taking the michael, but poor old felix and bad12 obviously missed the humour in it. More to the point: so do you, all this time later, which is a worry.
Obviously just another joke. Which is the point. If you want to make jokes, make jokes, but don;t present them as transcripts and get haughty when people say that they aren’t accurate representations of what happened.
It is never the readers’ fault when so many of them don’t get what a writer is doing. It just means the writing doesn’t work.
You see Morrissey, you have nothing but this tiresome bluster. It’s all you ever respond with.
I said your things aren’t worth bothering with. And that’s what I meant. There’s nothing to form a coherent response to. They aren’t realistic descriptions or critiques of what were said, and as humour then they are merely personal attacks on people. What is so grand about saying that you don’t like Wilson’s husband?
Awesome piece there, pointing out that you feel the same way about her husband as she feels about someone else. That was the ‘joke’ right?
Fill yer boots, but like I said, getting on your high horse claiming that it is an accurate depiction of what happened is just rubbish. It does no one any good. It’s better written than kiwiblog comments, if overwrought for my taste, but the level of what is going on is about the same.
1.) You see Morrissey, you have nothing but this tiresome bluster. Itâs all you ever respond with.
That’s not true. I have responded in good faith to every point you made, yet your only rejoinder is to dismiss it all as “tiresome bluster”. That’s laziness on your part, pure and simple. Judging by most of the stuff you’ve written on this forum, you’re far better than that. Maybe you need a good sleep, my friend.
2.) I said your things arenât worth bothering with. And thatâs what I meant. Thereâs nothing to form a coherent response to.
Nonsense. You are simply making no sense.
3.) They arenât realistic descriptions or critiques of what were said, and as humour then they are merely personal attacks on people.
So I don’t critique these people? My evocations of them aren’t realistic? You either: (a) just don’t understand what I’m doing; (b) think that there is something commendable about Jim Mora’s laughing at the victims of state repression or Chris Trotter’s windy admonitions to respect lynch law in the Deep South; or (c) you are deliberately misrepresenting my work.
4.)What is so grand about saying that you donât like Wilsonâs husband?
That’s not what I said. My piece was far more nuanced and serious than that.
5.) Awesome piece there, pointing out that you feel the same way about her husband as she feels about someone else. That was the âjokeâ right?
No, there was more to it than that. I was critiquing one half of a hideous right wing husband-wife team. My purpose was utterly serious, even though my method was, as others have said, satirical.
6.) Fill yer boots, but like I said, getting on your high horse claiming that it is an accurate depiction of what happened is just rubbish. It does no one any good. Itâs better written than kiwiblog comments, if overwrought for my taste, but the level of what is going on is about the same.
I appreciate your positive comparison of my modest oeuvre to Farrar’s miserable, crappy blog. I actually think your writing is very good, most of the time; I’m just mystified as to why you are so truculent in your criticism of what I do. I appreciate I am not always correct and am often overly harsh, but I am absolutely prepared to modify my views.
It is never the readersâ fault when so many of them donât get what a writer is doing.
What on earth are you wittering about? “So many of them”? Even my mortal enemies around here—Te Reo, McFuck, Populuxe—understood I was taking the piss. Only you seem to have been incapable of appreciating the joke.
It just means the writing doesnât work.
It worked fine. If I operated on making my work completely comprehensible to the lowest common denominator (i.e. you and Brett Dale) there would be no point in carrying on. I’m interested in engaging more substantial characters.
The well monied Board and Senior Managers of Might River having bought into the shares big-time with the aid of multi-million dollar bank loans, now in a situation of ongoing negative equity USING the profits, of which 51% belong to you and me, in an attempt to pump up the value where they can safely unload???,
Not to mention the ‘blind trust managers’ who bought into Mighty River en masse on behalf of their very public figure beneficiaries facing the prospect of an ongoing very large loss demanding those in charge of Mighty River do something???,
Bock, Bock, Bock, the chickens have come home to roost early this year Wilbur…
Aaaah losers, the National Party is full of them, the small time ‘i own shares brigade’, how much of that useless paper are you holding,
What’s your dollar losses so far, not quite time to panic just yet, BUT, think September 2015 and the Labour/Green Government should be well on the way to introducing Legislation for the power sector reforms,(of course they may already have it in draft form which will change the above to well on the way to Passing Legislation),
Now you can ‘Gamble’, will your piddling little parcel of shares by September 2015 have regained their original price enabling you to unload them and still keep your shirt, or will the Labour/Green electricity reforms pass through the Parliament befor this can occur and bite another 1/3 off of the share price,
You ‘gamble’, you ‘lose’, thank your mates over at National Party HQ for selling you a ‘Lemon’…
Is the Daily Mail correct in this reporting, or just stirring it up? It reckons Kuwait has developed medical test to detect gays and prevent them from entering the country. Futile or what? Or is it just a way to keep out anyone they choose?
He [Yousouf Mindkar, the director of public health at the Kuwaiti health ministry] told Kuwait newspaper Al Rai: âHealth centres conduct the routine medical check to assess the health of the expatriates when they come into the GCC countries. However, we will take stricter measures that will help us detect gays who will be then barred from entering Kuwait or any of the GCC member states.â
Apparently you can check the hip bones for unusual wear, which is a sure sign of exaggerated mincing. They also put on show tunes and check for elevated heart rate.
Without me this place would be as funny as a Russian bread queue which, if you boyfriend has his way and nationalises the supermarkets, people will discover is not very funny at all.
Actually that comment IS pretty funny (the Russian bread queue one). The problem with most of your other comments that would otherwise be funny is that they’re either cruel, mean or just plain obnoxious. Makes it harder to laugh.
And let’s not forget that the destitution which befell millions of citizens of the former USSR in the 10 years after Gorbachev was largely due to self-serving advice from investment banks like Goldman Sachs and neoliberal institutions like the IMF.
Would that be why ShonKey Python’s booked into Mercy Hospital in Epsom then ? A job lot on the hips AND the simper for oh so busy Baby Churchill World Leader ?
“You are trying to get me banned tempting me like that”
Oh go on, take the bait monkey boy….it was great without you last time, but the funniest part was when you tried to come back too early, and Felix summed you up perfectly
Qatar, another GCC member, will host the men’s soccer world cup in 2022. In 2018, Russia will be the host. Looks like the FIFA has an agenda for the future. So much for sport bringing people together..
There is no way qatar or russia should’ve gotton the next two world cups after Brazil, Blatter is the most corrupt man in sports, all countries should tell fifa they wont contest 2022.
The construction workers and the women who service the Qatari population.
The abuses of foreign workers have been going on for years. If FIFA intended on making Qatar clean up it’s act, it might have been worth awarding the games there, but all they seem worried about is playing in the heat…. oh, and the money (and they’d give up the wellbeing of the players for the money too, I reckon).
3rd Degree Burns
Marie Dyhrberg
-1/3 of crime not reported
-20000 IPCA complaints per year; 5% investigated.
-“seeing a slippery slope” develop
-implementation of Curruther’s reform recommendations should produce greater openness
Ian Lambie
-“I see some inappropriate / illegal behaviour”.
36% of police staff lack confidence that their superiors will action (in-house) complaints.
surprisingly, considering the studio audience, before the ‘debate’ they were split 50/50 over whether “the public are losing trust in the Police”.
Overall ‘Vote’ for the country- 56% Yes, the police are losing our trust.
Well, this old dog can come in from the cold and rest his bone.
Exclamation of the evening: “Only Jesus is beyond reproach, and he’s got His detractors” (Same)- Pam Corkery.
(excellent to see the lawyers giving Garner and Espinor a tune-up) đ
The police prosecutor struck me as having the same intonations and simplistic analogies as the police association guy (name escapes me at moment). Must be a cop thing. But when she likened confidence in the police to still supporting the All Blacks even if a player fumbled the ball, the line screaming to be used was the damage match-fixing did to cricket, or even championship wrestling in the US. The last thing we need is a police force with the credibility of WWE.
Have to agree with you there mate. Every time he surfaces I’m left wondering if he has that job for life or will they update for the modern world one day.
Some of you may have seen a short item on 3news about a factory fire that killed (as was reported last night), 10 workers in Bangladesh. You might have said to yourself, “Bloody hell, not again”.
Turns out that once again it is a factory that has contracts with Gap and Walmart. You would think they would have acted to ensure their workplaces were safe after over 1000 workers died in the Rana Plaza collapse and fire several months ago.
“While 90 other companies have joined together in the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, an agreement between companies and unions, Walmart has refused. Instead, Walmart teamed up with Gap to create a corporate-controlled program that is hardly more than a facelift of the programs that have failed Bangladeshi workers in the past. Meanwhile, the death toll continues to climb. Please take action now â join with us in calling on Walmart and Gap to stop putting profits over peopleâs lives”.
According to a new report by the Congressional Research Service, cutting taxes for the wealthiest does not cause economic growth, despite constant conservative claims that it will. Instead, tax cuts for the rich merely exacerbate income inequality,
Which is what we on the left have been saying for decades.
Barking – and one day they could have their finger on the button.
So to pull all this logic together, God anoints priests to work in the church directly and kings to go out into the marketplace to conquer, plunder, and bring back the spoils to the church. The reason governmental regulation has to disappear from the marketplace is to make it completely available to the plunder of Christian “kings” who will accomplish the “end time transfer of wealth.” Then “God’s bankers” will usher in the “coming of the messiah.” The government is being shut down so that God’s bankers can bring Jesus back.
Ted Cruz may well be barking mad about a lot of stuff, but he is close to the mark here:
When you hear this attack on religion, it’s not really an attack on religion. The fundamental basis is this. Socialism requires that government becomes your God. That’s why they have to destroy your concept of God. They have to destroy all your loyalties except loyalty to the government. That’s what’s behind homosexual marriage. It’s really more about the destruction of the traditional family than about homosexuality, because you need also to destroy loyalty to the family.
An example of this is the state’s removal of all reference of obligations owed to deity in law. The state is happy enough to pay lip service to deity and exercise the benefit of making oath, but when it comes to obligations, the rules of the state are given the status of law while the real law is ignored.
sadly, I was sighing with you over the direction UT takes. (well-meaning is possible though…still, wotteva ewe say is generally OK with me) đ All Good This End đ
The creative field behind. The revelation of such ( not exclusively) to the historic figures of
Christ, John, Thomas. A syncretic Way , of course, my friend.
absolutely (and don’t forget the LDS).
anyway joe, this has been a central tenet of my thesis all through.
However, thanks to TS commentators, some helpful books and an enquiring mind…
so, here’s a mousetrap;
“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”
-Mark 10:42-
so simple really đ
was reading yesterday of more RC cover-ups (from the highest levels) in the St Paul-Minnesota region.
@ Tony Parker….reasons for closure seem spurious, unfathomable and cooked ..at least to the School Principal interviewed on National Radio…which makes one wonder ….did Nact plan to replace this state school community with Nact’s own special Charter School imposition?…ie usurp the buildings for a Charter School?….Was this the hidden agenda for the illegitimate closure?
Activity is King. Doesn’t matter that bad law is rushed onto the books, that govt gets more accomplished at choosing lawyers that given them the decisions they want, oh, no, the cost are left to future parliaments to pay. Take Howards policies regards kiwis in OZ. The upper chamber in Australia doesn’t work, and we in NZ don’t have one, hopefully as money becomes scare society may again feel the need to write good law.
Is this going to be your daily comment, pr?
The Herald is a right wing rag and constantly writes puff pieces in support of their corporate mates.
Show me a more independent source lauding this government please.
The IMF must be expecting the Christchurch rebuild to be getting up to full speed then. For the sake of the people who live there, I hope so. They’ve been waiting far too long.
pukesh roque the only reason GDP is up is because the US dollar is sliding on a downward spiral.
If the debt ceiling in the US is not solved its bubble bursting time!
The US stock market is already in free fall the property bubble in NZ will follow our dollar will increase in value reducing our exports!
Leading back to 2008 scenarios!
Sorry, can’t find the comment which alerted me to Gordon Campbell’s article as it relates to the need for an independent body to identify and refer back to appropriate appellate courts, potential miscarriages of justice:
The considered views of Professor Graham Zellick* recounted in Campbell’s article really do underline what an hubristic, dangerous philistine is Judith Collins in Justice.
This government more and more resembles the crazed Tea Party backwoodsmen of the US.
*Professor Zellick – the man who headed the equivalent UK body 2003-2008.
Change clocked. Nature: abstract (paper pay walled) and summary.
The Indonesian city of Manokwari is poised to become an unwitting icon for climate change. In about 2020, the coastal location will become one of the first places in recent history to adopt an entirely new climate â one in which its coldest years will be consistently hotter than any of the past 150 years.
That is one finding of a study published today in Nature1, which attempts to create a region-specific index of climate change. Researchers sought to identify the point at which temperature oscillations in each area will exceed the bounds of historical variability. Such âclimate departuresâ are predicted to start in the tropics and then spread to higher latitudes. If carbon dioxide emissions continue unabated, Earthâs mean climate could depart from historical averages in 2047.
– Well maybe Sonny Bill you should stop whatever it is your manager tells you to do and start using your head, yes I’m sure you feel bad for the guy whos place you took however if you had declared your availability before the announcement none of this would have happened
But then that’d be less publicity for you I suppose…
In just 2 daysâ time, African leaders could kill off a great institution, leaving the world a more dangerous place. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the worldâs first and only global court to adjudicate crimes against humanity. But leaders of Sudan and Kenya, who have inflicted terror and fear across their countries, are trying to drag Africa out of the ICC, allowing them the freedom to kill, rape, and inspire hatred without consequences. I know that together we can change this. But we have to join hands and call on the voices of reason at the African Union (AU) â Nigeria and South Africa â to speak out and ensure that the persecuted are protected by the ICC. Join me by adding your name to the petition now and share it with everyone — when we have hit 1 million our petition will be delivered straight into the AU conference hall where Africaâs leaders are meeting in Addis Ababa. –Desmond Tutu
Although the governmentâs initiative promotes a separation between Islam and politics, opponents say that the new push serves the decidedly political purpose of casting a divine glow on the brutal crackdown against supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi. Hundreds of Morsiâs backers in the Muslim Brotherhood have been killed and thousands arrested by authorities, who describe them as âterrorists.â
âThis is the new regime trying to create an official Islam, a state Islam, which doesnât exist within the Islamic tradition,â said Emad Shahin, a professor of public policy at the American University in Cairo. âItâs providing a religious justification to tolerate the killing of possibly thousands of people, and it is sending alarming signals into many segments of society. This is exactly what you call fa**ism.â
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”. Matt. 12:28- imho, a lovely piece of scripture.
As Adam Smith (a fellow Scot) said in his “scripture” “all wealth comes from labour”. He is right, whether physical or mental, labour is the source of all wealth. Unrest , wars, political upheaval and inequality are a product of the struggle for control of the wealth. What is recent is simply that it is now globally apparent thanks to global communications.
A peaceful protester holds up a sign on the side of the footpath or pedestrian walk along Queen Street for a while, then gets approached by two yellow vested “City Crew” or “City View” staffers employed by Council. One wore a security firm’s sign on his shirt too. They approached the person and asked: “Have you been here for long?” The protester answered: “A while”, so they asked: “Will you be here any much longer?” The person facing them answers with: “Well, I have set myself some time, but probably not all that much longer”. Then the two City Council staffers ask: “Do you mind me asking me for your name?” The protester answers: “Why, what is the problem, this is freedom of expression, democracy?” Also the person says: “I do not feel I need to give you any details.” Then the senior person of the Council staff says (he is Pakeha, his colleagues Polynesian of large build): “Well, do you mind me taking a photo then?” The protester says: “Well, no that is your choice, I have no problem with that”. So the Council staffer steps back a bit, takes a photo and after that they walk on. He also said before that, they were concerned with “City Profile”.
What I also noticed is: Auckland City has suddenly been “cleansed” of ALL beggars and other persons, that I used to see in Queen Street and thereabouts. Now, what is going on, I ask?
To me this is: FASCISM in the making!!! There are under Mayor Len Brown and his Council now efforts made to remove “undesired” out of the CBD and possibly other areas, no matter whether they are begging, sitting around too long, or daring to stage a quiet, peaceful, sidewalk kind of “protest”!!!
This is highly concerning, and it is worth mentioning here, as we have also here in New Zealand too many that are SILENT in their majority, and most are the typical “law abiding”, “hard working”, “decent” and “peaceful” MIDDLE CLASS.
Do you, as middle class member, or other Aucklander find that this is acceptable, what I just described? If so, or if not, I ask for your feedback, please, a worried Auckland, with a migrant background, from a “free view” kind of culture,
No, it’s not acceptable. It’s entirely unacceptable. From what you’ve described Auckland is not as far down the track of restricting the right of protest as the US. So I’m guessing there will be a few battles to fight to keep the right to protest on a footpath if there are bureaucrats worried about the ‘tone’. Maybe they should be worrying about how to fix the problems that cause the protests.
There was NO issue about the “tone”, as the person just stood there, did not even speak to people, unless being asked for a flyer, some of which he had! So I found it appalling, when I heard about it.
I didn’t mean to imply there was a problem with the tone of the protester, I meant the snobby ‘tone of the neighbourhood’ meme that some people, and the bureaucrats drag out when things they don’t like confront them. I think the officials being concerned about the “city profile” pretty much fits the bill.
Exhibit #1 You can’t even build a Bunnings store on a shithole site on Great North Road without upsetting themiddle class liberal folk of Grey Lynn – an unkempt guy with a sign could lower property values!
Exhibit #2 We have a homeless person who comes into our work a couple of times a week. He goes into the loos open to visitors and washes himself, he never takes more than his shirt off and he is quiet and tidy. Someone mentioned this to our manager (a nice, earnest, middle class cookie cutter middle manager type who lacks a sense of humour or an imagination and spends most of his life re-measuring and re-weighing the pig) and he called security. Most of the staff were appalled. This guy isn’t harming anyone. So now we conspire to keep the old guys visits secret.
Given those two examples of our middleclass groupthink, what chance do you think has beggar has in Queen Street?
Sanctuary, I don’t think the Bnnings protest is at all in the same bag as the harrassment of street protestors and the guy washing himself.
There is an issue in my area of how commercial and retail interests are getting the prime sites in terms of the regeneration of the area. There is far less provision for community activities in the sites being allocated – it all smacks of money talking in the direction local councils are taking towards local developments.
OTOH, not allowing the guy to wash, or protests or begging in Queen Street is an issue of middle classes wanting to colonise and protect spaces in their own interest.
McFlock – yes, I know all that, but the attempt was made to challenge, and get answers, without even identifying themselves. So naturally the person refused to state name and so forth. The whole attitude of those persons was disgusting, I feel, as they should just have left the guy alone, as he was just standing there, and I saw it, doing NO harm or disturbance at all.
It seems they just personally disliked the fact someone was standing there with a controversial sign, raising question, that were not really offensive either, just challenging an office’s handling of something.
And yes, the middle class are dangerous in my view, that is to Sanctuary, as they are blinded by generated “fears” and mindless “narrow thinking” how things should be, they also fear to take a stand, so condone authoritarian approaches by authorities.
There was research done many years ago, in Los Angeles and also in Sweden, showing that about 80 per cent of human beings in any society rather put up with abuse, or even collectively join abuse to others, merely to protect themselves from being “different” or in danger of risking their “security”.
That is human behaviour, and the Nazis knew that you can intimidate and manipulate, so do others, nowadays.
But having been on both sides of the petty security fence, I’ve also found that pieces of paper scare enforcers as much as they intimidate the populace.
The guards were either deployed (my guess is by a shopkeeper who made a complaint) or came across the protestor on their travels – in the first case, they’d be annoyed at having to do work; in the second case they’d just be bored. The knack is to be more trouble than it’s worth without raising their hackles (vengeance can motivate an awful lot of paperwork and dot-connecting in the depths of the graveyard shift đ ).
Mind you, doing security in Dunners my preferred tactic was generally to have a cup of tea and a chat before/ratherthan demanding name rank and serial number, unless the situation demanded prickface from the get-go.
This is Andean music in its original form, and those not appreciative of this better take no notice. This is about Latin America and the REAL people living there and that deserve all rights and respects, and many to fight for them, all in line with revolutionary solidarity.
There is much more at stake, there are established presidents and forces, and they are voted for, they cannot be thrown out, but some here on this and other forums pretend that there is major change possible, while that all depends on what other people and countries do.
Get a wake up call, please, I am despairing anyway. X
The biggest enemy of New Zealand are your OWN PEople!!!
I see and hear this every day, I witness it all the time, at work, at open spaces, at social events, New Zealanders are NO LONGER ONE, you are ALL divided and full of suspicion and hatred towards each other, this makes you weak and vulnerable. The enemy knows this, that is the employers, the bosses, the admin and so, so they take you to the cleaners.
Also one major is migration without much cohesion, so anybody can come, sell skills, investment, even just buy a house and get PR, but they do NOT connect and have little expectation to be part of NZ.
I have hundreds of stories, and you lefties better wake up to this too, as the politically correct approach has long been redundant.
We are screwed, sold and shat on, that is NZ 2013, and I am a damned migrant myself saying this, I should not have to, as you Kiwis should be speaking up, but almost nobody does.
What a shame and shambles this country has become. I feel sorry and sick and ashamed!
xtasy
You make good points and are onto it. But there is a strange psychological process in one’s mind that I discovered some years back. That is, on the day that you are out of sorts, everyone else seems dull and unfriendly. I think it’s called transference or something.
And for the sake of your health you will need to take some time off thinking how things are, worrying and sad as it is. Have a book to read about something else, some fiction with some good happy bits in it, or look at Yes Minister and then Eddie Izzard or the like and have a soothing drink and go to bed so you wake refreshed to worry and again present facts and solutions the next day. Things are happening and we can only run alongside the moving present and try to remove most of the rotten material before it reaches its destructive potential.
While others just concentrate on themselves, looking at the ground around them, someone has to look up and talk about the obstacles looming. But it’s tiring and dispiriting, and we all have to give ourselves a break. Remind yourself that there are good people trying to make a breakthrough, and while the thinkers are (probably a large) minority, it’s not something to bear on your own. Watch Babylon 5 for a different slant even.
Thatâs interesting Morrissey, who are you apologising to?
I was apologising to my old friend Te Reo Putake, whom I had erroneously accused of living in … (shudder) … Whanganui.
You probably have quite a choice, being fairly free-ranging in your egg throwing.
Actually, I’m pretty precise, but I take your larger point, and think this is the perfect time to make a broad apology to everyone I may have offended over the last two and a half years….
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund â When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayersâ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund â and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 âredesign of the welfare stateâ â which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty â various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being âWorking for Familiesâ, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing âon why Melissa is muteâ. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Leeâs ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
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Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from âserious populist discontentâ. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring âhard-working peopleâ. ...
Chris Trotter writes –Â MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling â or non-handling â of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealandâs two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from âserious populist discontentâ. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring âhard-working peopleâ. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
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The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
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The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to âdefend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.â To achieve this, they have pledged they âwill not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes –Â The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workersâ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
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Itâs a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
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Turning what Labour called the âholiday highwayâ into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
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You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes –Â Thereâs a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere â mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand mediaâs failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting MÄori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that wonât compromise Beijingâs plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
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Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
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David Farrar writes –  The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, youâd think the public service was being eviscerated.  While the mediaâs view of the cuts is incomplete, itâs also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iranâs drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
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True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealandâs good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National governmentâs lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for TÄmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Governmentâs democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Governmentâs proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change thatâs great for the planet and great for consumers after her memberâs bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the countryâs books after Teanau Tuionoâs membersâ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his memberâs bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Todayâs advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Governmentâs newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealandâs urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
MÄori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, MÄori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Governmentâs refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. âRecently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachersâ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.  âThe Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. âScience, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During todayâs meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. âThe Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in TaupĆ as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the TaupĆ International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. âAnticipation for the ITM TaupĆ Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. âThe coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. âThis project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sectorâs productivity,â Mr Jones says. âThe project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Governmentâs plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. âBenefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Governmentâs commitment to doubling New Zealandâs renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealandâs latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. âOur Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. âNew Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Governmentâs intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. âThe introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Todayâs announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Governmentâs plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. âInflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sectorâs role in the export-led recovery of the economy. âI am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Governmentâs support for the revitalisation the sector.  "New Zealandâs wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. âThe inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. âMy meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singaporeâs outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.  Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpartâs almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During todayâs meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. âI am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. âPets are important members of many Kiwi families. Itâs estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iranâs shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.  âThese attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.  "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand â Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.  âDame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,â says Dr Reti. âI have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Governmentâs 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. âBoosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Governmentâs plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.  âOur country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,â Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.  âWe cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. âThis is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.  âThe strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin itârule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. Â âNew Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new âFast-track Approvals Billâ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister â the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory â gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australiaâs flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But thatâs changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum âre-imaginedâ itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-oldâs seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so itâs wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhardâs rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock Youâd be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesnât require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project Youâre not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesnât fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Booksâ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingwayâs Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans peopleâs self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelonaâs city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoffâs Wellington editor Joel MacManus: âYou can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups âClimate Action VUWâ, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Governmentâs âWar on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modiâs popularity has grown exponentially â and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, theyâre better for the environment. No, thatâs not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
âIt will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealandersâ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether youâre watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, itâs not the done thing to know â let alone ask â what our colleagues are paid. Yet, itâs easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The governmentâs plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoffâs morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up â and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. Itâs consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
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Opinion: With maths understanding at 42 percent for Year 8 students, there’s no doubt something has to be done. But how? The post Financial literacy should be on all of us appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Hineaupounamu âMissyâ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When ASIO boss Mike Burgess delivered his annual threat assessment earlier this year, he stressed the rising danger posed by espionage and foreign interference. âIn 2024, threats to our way of life have surpassed ...
The Tribunal had called on Minister for Children Karen Chhour to provide evidence at an urgent inquiry into the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Midjourney image by T.J. Thomson As more than half of Australian office workers report using generative artificial intelligence (AI) for work, weâre starting to see this technology affect every ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Nicole Sharwood, Injury epidemiologist | Expert Witness, UNSW Sydney Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock Injuries are the leading cause of disability and death among Australian children and adolescents. At least a quarter of all emergency department presentations during childhood are injury-related. Injuries can ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, Living with Disability Research Centre, La Trobe University Shutterstock/Ground PictureMany Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Salman Shooshtarian, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Salman Shooshtarian Asbestos has been found in mulch used for playgrounds, schools, parks and gardens across Sydney and Melbourne. Local communities naturally fear for the health of their ...
Family First says that the latest abortion statistics make grim and upsetting reading, with a 25% increase in abortions since the decriminalisation of abortion in March 2020. According to an Official Information Act request received by Right to Life ...
Ipsos New Zealand's inaugural participation in a global study on populism reveals a pervasive sense of societal and economic decline among New Zealanders. MORE DETAILS AND FULL REPORT HERE Ipsos New Zealand's inaugural participation in a global study ...
WTF and OMG !!!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11137661
The High Court disallows Dow/Monsanto to appear as a witness on its own behalf to corrupt our environment ( for now) but how has it come to this ?????
Terrifying thoughts to begin a sweet spring morning that Dow/Monsanto already holds sufficient surreptitious sway in NZ to have received the authority to proceed with non-notifiable GM tampering outside our very strict GM controls! Kia Kaha to the Sustainability Council on our behalf. (And it makes the interference on Ruataniwha seem modest by comparison imho.)
Oh my, just how corrupt is this govt willing to be ?? And all powers of local councils to prevent these developments have been removed.
NB — almost certainly this denial of permission to appear as witness could NOT have occurred under TPPA. In fact, likely it could never have gotten to the High Court !!!
And is last night’s debate Prof Jane Kelsey vs Dr Wayne to be available online please ?? many thx LPrent.
Lyn filmed it. Lynn says it’ll take a day or so to get it online. But it will go online. It was an important debate, and needs to be seen and discussed widely.
Bearing in mind Lyn’s workload at present (and mine for that matter) I wouldn’t expect it before the weekend. Last I saw as she was offloading the GB of video was that she was muttering all three mic’ed being pen-clickers đ I got the impression that pen-clicker was some kind of newly discovered swear word. đ
I liked that debate. Wayne was pretty clear on the how and why. Jane was as sharp as usual. Getting a much clearer view about why it is being pushed for and what the benefits are, and the downsides.
thx so much for making the efforts to have it available .. and yes, pen clickers are trouble to sound techies !!
The quality of education (literacy and numeracy) in the countries whose education systems gave us National Standards and Charter Schools. A scroll down to the bottom of the lists is required to see what it’s done for their people aged 16-24. A bit of movement from their results for all adults.
Wonder where NZ lies as not on the List.
Here’s the data for NZ on the OECD website
http://gpseducation.oecd.org/CountryProfile?primaryCountry=NZL&treshold=10&topic=EO
Good to hear Cunliffe re-affirming the very sensible policy to increase the age of super eligibility gradually.
Great debate last night. Some may find it hard to believe but I wanted wayne to put some doubt in my mind about wanting to know more he didnt. He said ftas and tppa bring us prosperity pointing to increased trade with those countries we have them with. His second argument was would we really want to not be in it if the others are in.
Yes. Wayne is knowledgeable on the issues, but I disagree with his underlying philosophy (which reminded me so much of my Dad’s way back when I argued with him – heated debates at the dinner table). My dad was also knowledgeable and very smart, but he didn’t convince me back then, and neither did Wayne last night.
Wayne argued that TPP is a very significant agreement involving all Pacific nations, and as a “trading nation” NZ cannot afford to be left out. But s Kelsey showed, there are already many concerns in other countries about the TPP, and it looks to me that there are a lot of cracks where pressure can be applied so that the TPP will start to crumble.
Don’t mind being ‘in’ … but ‘in’ what? (And how deep?)
And as I said yesterday…why handcuff ourselves to a “diminishing superpower” (as the front page of the Jakarta Globe read).
“it looks to me that there are a lot of cracks where pressure can be applied so that the TPP will start to crumble.”
It will be interesting if one of the first cracks appear in what the pork-barrelling in the U.S. dishes up to resolve the government shutdown. Or at the very least whether the shutdown delays negotiations.
http://stoptpp.org/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-cohen/tpp-is-a-race-to-the-bott_b_4058743.html
Gormless. I thought I heard joyce saying no. It just seems such a strange thing for the nats to dig their toes in. Perhaps it tells us much of their vote sits amongst baby boomers?
National are stuck. They have been so unequivocal that they can’t go back, even though it makes perfect sense.
and so do you, today.
ÂżQue?
/niet/
New Targets for Our Willing Executioners
Te Reo Putake, Populuxe and others who slavishly follow the party line will no doubt be amplifying some or all of the latest anti-protestor messages. Promising new targets for Te Reo et al. include:
(1) Those dirty hippies at Greenpeace…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24461644
(2) The outrageous Yelena Mizulina….
http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-duma-activist-defamation/25059748.html
(3) The troublemaker Baba Jukwe….
http://www.voanews.com/content/baba-jukwe-zimbabwes-elusive-whistleblower/1702810.html
Happy hunting, democracy-haters.
Watch Niall Ferguson get schooled by real economists
Brad Delong, Paul Krugman and Dean Baker all beat up on Niall Ferguson for making the kind of embarrassing error that would badly damage his career if he were not peddling lies that the rich and powerful want people to believe….
http://members5.boardhost.com/medialens/msg/1381318334.html
Excellent link: I have often thought that Fergusson was a wannabe Galbraith, Kenneth Clark or Brunowski, acting as a legitimate teller of the tale on a major BBC doc series. In a strange way he reminds me of the very talented Brannagh attempting to don the Shakespearean mantle of Olivier, and never quite succeeding. At-least his attempts were honest, by contrast Niall appears to work on the principle that if a statement is so sweeping it will be received by we humble viewers as true. I don’t mind him being partisan, no amount of eloquence however can make a false proposition any more real.
Yesterday’s Panel with Mora.
The ever-so-reasonable-sounding-Franks was on and began subtly spouting his party line on topics of justice, Supreme court etc and on ACC. Mora invited Dr Duncan Webb to discuss issues and he appeared to progressively dismantle most of Franks points.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/2572168 (from about 11:19 in)
Careful, logie: Te Reo Putake will accuse you of lying….
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-09102013/#comment-707482
I didn’t accuse you of lying, Moz, but of being grossly inaccurate. I provided the link to what was actually said, which bore little resemblance to your fictional ‘transcript’.
At least in earlier exchanges about your inability to transcribe accurately you had the wit to acknowledge that they were just an impression. Which is fine.
I think you need to make up your mind as to whether they are intended to accurately reflect what is said or whether they are just a pisstake. If it’s the latter, I look forward to a few sniggers at the expense of those you target. If its the former, well, you’re just another jonolist. Though an decidely amateur one, obviously.
1.) I didnât accuse you of lying, Moz, but of being grossly inaccurate.
You and a couple of others have repeatedly accused me of “making shit up”. Last night you claimed that “itâs all bullshit from Moz. Nothing in the âtranscriptâ has anything but a passing resemblance to the truth. Ok, Moz gets the names of the participants correct, but the rest is made up.” Yet a few hours later you brazenly claim that you didn’t accuse me of lying. I think you have just been hoist by your own canard.
2.) I provided the link to what was actually said, which bore little resemblance to your fictional âtranscriptâ.
On the contrary, the link shows my rendition of that conversation was accurate. Not word-perfect, of course, and I never pretended it was.
3.) At least in earlier exchanges about your inability to transcribe accurately you had the wit to acknowledge that they were just an impression. Which is fine.
It would be obvious to even the meanest intelligence that my rendition was an impression of what was said. I never claimed it was a transcript. Your quibbling is nothing more than spurious, captious obstinacy.
4.) I think you need to make up your mind as to whether they are intended to accurately reflect what is said or whether they are just a pisstake.
My script was accurate. Not word-perfect, but accurate. I believe I captured Franks’s sneering malevolence, and Mora’s mealy-mouthed flippancy. I didn’t write down everything Chris Wikaira said, because he was well into his speech before I even picked up a piece of paper. Certainly the words are not verbatim, but I made up none of it.
5.) If itâs the latter, I look forward to a few sniggers at the expense of those you target. If its the former, well, youâre just another jonolist. Though an decidely amateur one, obviously.
You mean I’m not professional, like those outstanding specimens at the BBC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, the Grauniad and all the other government-approved cheerleaders and megaphones. I’m a little bit better than that, I think.
You know how nature abhors a vacuum…?
You know how nature abhors a vacuum�
That’s an intriguingly gnomic comment, weka. Could you elucidate for those of us that aren’t quite as smart as you?
Yeah, sorry, just a comment on the space left by Jenny which you have so promptly and generously filled.
oooooh
zing
Could you explain what you mean please? I’m mystified. It seems that you’re having a sly dig at me, judging by the response of our friend McFlock, but it’s all very obscure.
You’d think they’d have a word or phrase for this by now. Someone who sucks all the attention out of a group of online commentators, so that most of the effort on the blog goes into inanity and discussing inanity and defending inanity and defending/discussing meta-inanity, instead of discussing the things that the blog is actually about. And someone who does this repeatedly in a predictable fashion.
Hence my comment about Jenny leaving and vaccums being filled.
Youâd think theyâd have a word or phrase for this by now. Someone who sucks all the attention out of a group of online commentators, so that most of the effort on the blog goes into inanity and discussing inanity and defending inanity and defending/discussing meta-inanity, instead of discussing the things that the blog is actually about.
The entire raison d’ĂȘtre of my transcripts/reconstructions is to highlight the utter inanity of a significant sector of media commentators in this country. You seem to have mistaken me for my targets. Perhaps you need to ease up on the hallucinogens.
And someone who does this repeatedly in a predictable fashion. Hence my comment about Jenny leaving and vaccums [sic] being filled.
Your comparison is invalid, glib, and stupid. Sadly that’s something that could be said of most of your posts. Hence the general lack of regard for your efforts on this forum.
Cobblers, cobber. You can keep bullshitting all day, but it doesn’t make your dismal effort any more accurate. You are the Stephen Franks of jonolism. It’s great that you now accept it’s only an “impression”. But so is the mark the farmer leaves when he steps in a cowpat. The gumboot still stinks though.
One of the nastier strategies employed by John Key and his parliamentary cronies is to bray “He’s making stuff up” whenever they are confronted with something embarrassing. Here’s a typical example from one of the intellectual powerhouses in the National Party….
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2012/10/shearer_makes_it_up.html
I’m sure others on this mostly excellent forum have noticed one or two of the resident thugs around here using the same formula. As an example, look at how our thuggish friend Te Reo Putake behaves….
Cobblers, cobber. You can keep bullshitting all day,
There he goes again!
….but it doesnât make your dismal effort any more accurate.
First the allegation that I have been dishonest, then the derogatory epithet (“dismal effort”). I am sure that this bloke manages to intimidate a few locals around Whanganui with such behaviour but, as always, on a forum like this he only ends up making himself look bereft of ideas.
You are the Stephen Franks of jonolism. Itâs great that you now accept itâs only an âimpression”.
I’ve never suggested otherwise. I’ve always admitted that my transcripts are a mix of verbatim recording and reconstruction from memory. They are usually done in haste but they are always true to the character and tenor of the conversation. Only a few naysayers have objected, and that has been, in every case, because they have objected to my reminding them that someone they have worshipped is a fraud or an empty bag of wind. In the case of Te Reo Putake, I recall he was incandescent with indignation when I pointed out the rank hypocrisy of this fraud’s putrid method acting here….
http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/jul/01/barack-obama-nelson-mandela-robben-island-video
and here….
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-07072013/#comment-659198
But so is the mark the farmer leaves when he steps in a cowpat. The gumboot still stinks though.
Should have quit while you were behind. That only makes you look crude. Then again, maybe it plays well in Whanganui….
Ooooh, reduced to identity speculation. And so typically inaccurate!
Ooooh, reduced to identity speculation. And so typically inaccurate!
No speculation at all. You do live in Whanganui, as you have repeatedly reminded us on this forum. And far from speculating who you are, I merely suggested that your inept attempts to bully and intimidate people on this site are no doubt a continuation of the way you behave in your everyday life. That’s speculating on your behaviour, not on your identity.
I withdraw and apologize, and skulk back to my corner.
That’s interesting Morrissey, who are you apologising to? You probably have quite a choice, being fairly free-ranging in your egg throwing.
I don’t live in Whanganui, Moz. More made up stuff from you. If only your memory was up to your ambition, eh?
And losing arguments does not make you a victim, it just makes you someone who can’t succesfully argue their corner. Of course, if you took more care to be accurate in the first place, you wouldn’t be called on it and you wouldn’t feel as lousy as you obviously do today.
You could always wait until RNZ put up the recording and check your impression against it before posting. That’s called fact checking, it’s really useful for keeping your integrity intact.
Now, now, TRP – mozz has pointed out that you have repeatedly “reminded us” that you live in Wh. I’m sure, having such accurate recollection, links to the comments where you’ve admitted living in Wh will be along presently.
Indeed, it will be a wonderful demonstration of mozz’s outstanding recollective abilities. We will all have to adopt a more humble deference to his important authority when he proves you wrong.
if a transcript is not word-perfect, then it is not accurate.
The matter under debate seems, therefore, to be the level of inaccuracy.
if a transcript is not word-perfect, then it is not accurate.
My renditions are usually pretty close to word-perfect. I even make sure to include every time someone like Hekia Parata uses fillers like “ummmm”, “ahhhh” and “y’know”. The objections to my renditions are ideological.
The matter under debate seems, therefore, to be the level of inaccuracy.
I might get the odd word out of order, or transpose sentences, but I am very particular at rendering the tenor and the essence of these conversations. You know that very well, of course.
cf:
They are either “pretty close to word-perfect” transcripts, or the wording is off but the tenor or impression of the conversation is accurate (or is your memory “near perfect”?). I’m thinking the difference between a photograph and a Monet. The trouble is that the tone is subjective, especially when reading text that is skewed with disparaging names for some of the participants, so really it comes under satire rather than recording.
It seems to me that you sort of want it both ways – when people take the trouble to prove that your transcripts aren’t word perfect (and the ones I’ve compared have not been anywhere close), you concede and claim that even so the tenor is correct, but then you go back to claiming they are near-perfect transcripts for the next one.
I have shown many times the wording of your impressions to be a long, long way from the words actually spoken. You frequently invent entire sentences.
I have even demonstrated this after you have claimed that your impression was an exact transcript.
I’ve also questioned your impression of the tone of conversations before, and found that you add colours like “yell” and “screech” and “awkward silence” when nothing of the like can be heard in the recording.
My conclusion is that you don’t bother to listen back to recordings after writing your impressions to check what you’ve written. Nothing wrong with that but it makes a mockery of any claim to accuracy, either of colour or content.
1.) I have shown many times the wording of your impressions to be a long, long way from the words actually spoken. You frequently invent entire sentences.
I occasionally have to reconstruct sentences for the purpose of continuity. Although I get most of it word-perfect, it’s not always the case.
2.) I have even demonstrated this after you have claimed that your impression was an exact transcript.
We have agreed on this point already. You weaken your case by overstating how wrong I get it, however.
3.) Iâve also questioned your impression of the tone of conversations before, and found that you add colours like âyellâ and âscreechâ and âawkward silenceâ when nothing of the like can be heard in the recording.
Now you’re questioning my judgement. The fact is, there are many awkward and embarrassing silences on Jim Mora’s programme. Sometimes this is because people are too stunned or too disgusted to say anything; that happens when someone like Nevil Breivik Gibson or Dr. Michael Bassett is a guest. Other times it comes from an inability to formulate a response to something inane that Mora or one of his more foolish guests, like Christine (Spankin’) Rankin, has said. Whatever the reason, those silences happen. It says a lot that you are now pretending they don’t happen. And I have not used either “yell” or “screech” to denote the tone of anyone. You’re struggling to make your point as it is, and misquoting me like that is just another dent to your credibility.
4.) My conclusion is that you donât bother to listen back to recordings after writing your impressions to check what youâve written. Nothing wrong with that but it makes a mockery of any claim to accuracy, either of colour or content.
There you go again—wildly overstating your case. I don’t always get things verbatim, and I have always conceded that. Instead of chiding me for it, which would be a reasonable thing to do, you make a crazed and extreme statement, showing me no respect and grossly misrepresenting my character and the calibre of my work.
This spurious quibbling of yours is cynical and dishonest; you were a fan of my transcripts/reconstructions/dramatizations—call them what you will—until I started to target people and organizations and governments who you have, unwisely, chosen to align yourself with.
Mozza, just because silences exist on a program doesn’t mean you can insert them wherever you like and say you’re being accurate.
And no, nothing to do with your choice of target. The truth is I was a fan until I listened to one of the interviews while reading your impressions and noticed that it was about 50% fantasy.
And yes, of course I’m questioning your judgement. I’m also questioning your hearing, your attention span, your understanding of many of the words you throw around, and your sense of importance.
All have been found lacking on many occasions.
Once again, felix, I am afraid the very good points you make are submerged in a blizzard of extreme statements and distortions. You are obviously an intelligent and discerning fellow, but your determination to portray my (admittedly imperfect) reconstructions/transcripts as “50% fantasy” seriously undermines your credibility.
As a matter of interest, could you cite the occasion on which I apparently falsified half of my transcript? And when have I not understood a word I have “thrown around”? Once again, this looks like a case of belittlement and distortion.
%3Ca%20href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.radionz.co.nz%2Faudio%2Fplayer%2F2572169%22%20rel%3D%22nofollow%22%3EThis%20recording%3C%2Fa%3E(about%2012m%20in%20for%20the%20ToW%20discussion)%0Aversus%20%0A%3Ca%20href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fthestandard.org.nz%2Fopen-mike-09102013%2F%23comment-707380%22%20rel%3D%22nofollow%22%3Ethis%20summary%3C%2Fa%3E%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%0A50%25%20fantasy%20would%20be%20a%20highly%20conservative%20estimate.
[translates as]
This recording(about 12m30s in for the ToW discussion)
versus
this summary
50% fantasy would be a highly conservative estimate.
[lprent: fixed and confirmation that it is in the edit. ]
argh shit – any chance of a moderator rolling back my “just out of time” edit? I was trying to change “12m30s” to “12min”, and must have submitted the edit with half a second to spare, or royally bollocked the comment up.
[lprent: Looks like there was an occasional bug in this mornings update of the re-edit. Looks like it is working most of the time, otherwise I’d turn it off until I can get to the backups. ]
thanks muchly đ
đ
Most round-about way of phrasing “make shit up” I’ve seen in a long while.
Most round-about way of phrasing âmake shit upâ Iâve seen in a long while.
I made up nothing. As we can see from your vicious campaign of misrepresenting and distorting my contributions, you are the one in the business of lying. Not that you do it very well, mind you.
sorry, where’s the links to trp claiming they live in Whanganui?
those italics indicate the parts of your pieces where you make shit up.
You don’t know what those silences mean. You project meaning into them though, and claim that what you interpret them to mean, is what actually happened.
The classic example of something similar was when someone was talking about someone else, and you claimed that she was actually talking about her husband.
those italics indicate the parts of your pieces where you make shit up.
Nonsense. Your comments are completely spurious. I interpreted their comments, and their awkward and embarrassed silences, fairly and correctly. You know that, too, of course, but you’ve embarked on a course of bloodymindedly backing up the destructive behaviour of a few people determined to sabotage any dissenting voices on this forum.
You donât know what those silences mean. You project meaning into them though, and claim that what you interpret them to mean, is what actually happened.
Okay then, let’s pretend that the long silence that followed after Michael Bassett snarled that Nicky Hager “is a holocaust-denier” was because everyone was simply appreciating Bassett’s wit, eloquence and moral authority. I think most people will agree with me that the silence indicated something else, just as the silences that follow some of Mora’s more inane utterances indicate that something has gone wrong. By all means take a benevolent view of that. Just make sure you let us know when the space shuttle has returned from orbit, will you?
The classic example of something similar was when someone was talking about someone else, and you claimed that she was actually talking about her husband.
You mean this little episode….
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-22032013/#comment-607420
Of course, anyone with half a brain could have seen I was taking the michael, but poor old felix and bad12 obviously missed the humour in it. More to the point: so do you, all this time later, which is a worry.
Yeah, that’s the one.
And I remember it because that’s when I decided your little things aren’t worth bothering with.
And here you are claiming it wasn’t a joke at all:
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-18042013/#comment-621262
Obviously just another joke. Which is the point. If you want to make jokes, make jokes, but don;t present them as transcripts and get haughty when people say that they aren’t accurate representations of what happened.
It is never the readers’ fault when so many of them don’t get what a writer is doing. It just means the writing doesn’t work.
Iâm a little bit better than that, I think. I think so too, even if (I think) I know more about rugby than you!!!!! Carry on amusing me please.
Yeah, thatâs the one. And I remember it because thatâs when I decided your little things arenât worth bothering with.
You mean: that’s when you realized you didn’t have a hope of formulating a coherent or intelligent response.
Word of advice, my flustered, bewildered friend: quit while you’re behind.
You see Morrissey, you have nothing but this tiresome bluster. It’s all you ever respond with.
I said your things aren’t worth bothering with. And that’s what I meant. There’s nothing to form a coherent response to. They aren’t realistic descriptions or critiques of what were said, and as humour then they are merely personal attacks on people. What is so grand about saying that you don’t like Wilson’s husband?
Awesome piece there, pointing out that you feel the same way about her husband as she feels about someone else. That was the ‘joke’ right?
Fill yer boots, but like I said, getting on your high horse claiming that it is an accurate depiction of what happened is just rubbish. It does no one any good. It’s better written than kiwiblog comments, if overwrought for my taste, but the level of what is going on is about the same.
1.) You see Morrissey, you have nothing but this tiresome bluster. Itâs all you ever respond with.
That’s not true. I have responded in good faith to every point you made, yet your only rejoinder is to dismiss it all as “tiresome bluster”. That’s laziness on your part, pure and simple. Judging by most of the stuff you’ve written on this forum, you’re far better than that. Maybe you need a good sleep, my friend.
2.) I said your things arenât worth bothering with. And thatâs what I meant. Thereâs nothing to form a coherent response to.
Nonsense. You are simply making no sense.
3.) They arenât realistic descriptions or critiques of what were said, and as humour then they are merely personal attacks on people.
So I don’t critique these people? My evocations of them aren’t realistic? You either: (a) just don’t understand what I’m doing; (b) think that there is something commendable about Jim Mora’s laughing at the victims of state repression or Chris Trotter’s windy admonitions to respect lynch law in the Deep South; or (c) you are deliberately misrepresenting my work.
4.)What is so grand about saying that you donât like Wilsonâs husband?
That’s not what I said. My piece was far more nuanced and serious than that.
5.) Awesome piece there, pointing out that you feel the same way about her husband as she feels about someone else. That was the âjokeâ right?
No, there was more to it than that. I was critiquing one half of a hideous right wing husband-wife team. My purpose was utterly serious, even though my method was, as others have said, satirical.
6.) Fill yer boots, but like I said, getting on your high horse claiming that it is an accurate depiction of what happened is just rubbish. It does no one any good. Itâs better written than kiwiblog comments, if overwrought for my taste, but the level of what is going on is about the same.
I appreciate your positive comparison of my modest oeuvre to Farrar’s miserable, crappy blog. I actually think your writing is very good, most of the time; I’m just mystified as to why you are so truculent in your criticism of what I do. I appreciate I am not always correct and am often overly harsh, but I am absolutely prepared to modify my views.
Pb, your style works for me.
Chin up Morrissey.
Obviously just another joke.
Obviously. But not to you, obviously.
It is never the readersâ fault when so many of them donât get what a writer is doing.
What on earth are you wittering about? “So many of them”? Even my mortal enemies around here—Te Reo, McFuck, Populuxe—understood I was taking the piss. Only you seem to have been incapable of appreciating the joke.
It just means the writing doesnât work.
It worked fine. If I operated on making my work completely comprehensible to the lowest common denominator (i.e. you and Brett Dale) there would be no point in carrying on. I’m interested in engaging more substantial characters.
1: no,I don’t know that
2: “mortal enemy”? Get over yourself.
But it’s obvious that you can’t engage, Morrissey. You never do.
All you do is say:
‘I’m too clever for you and I am obviously correct. fapfapfapaboutmyownstaidproseforahundredwordsfapfap.’
But itâs obvious that you canât engage, Morrissey. You never do.
Actually, the precise opposite is the case, my friend.
All you do is say: âIâm too clever for you and I am obviously correct. fapfapfapaboutmyownstaidproseforahundredwordsfapfap.â
Again, I don’t do that, and I certainly don’t think that I’m cleverer than you or anyone else here.
…without a trace of irony đ
Can’t wait to see what the MOM fans spin is on the fact that MRP can’t think of anything better to do with its profits than buy shares in itself.
Rod Oram tweeted:
The well monied Board and Senior Managers of Might River having bought into the shares big-time with the aid of multi-million dollar bank loans, now in a situation of ongoing negative equity USING the profits, of which 51% belong to you and me, in an attempt to pump up the value where they can safely unload???,
Not to mention the ‘blind trust managers’ who bought into Mighty River en masse on behalf of their very public figure beneficiaries facing the prospect of an ongoing very large loss demanding those in charge of Mighty River do something???,
Bock, Bock, Bock, the chickens have come home to roost early this year Wilbur…
This is what Warren Buffet prefers, the less shares there are the more valuble the remaining shares are
This is good
3/10 must try harder
I own shares in MRP and I approve of this action
Aaaah losers, the National Party is full of them, the small time ‘i own shares brigade’, how much of that useless paper are you holding,
What’s your dollar losses so far, not quite time to panic just yet, BUT, think September 2015 and the Labour/Green Government should be well on the way to introducing Legislation for the power sector reforms,(of course they may already have it in draft form which will change the above to well on the way to Passing Legislation),
Now you can ‘Gamble’, will your piddling little parcel of shares by September 2015 have regained their original price enabling you to unload them and still keep your shirt, or will the Labour/Green electricity reforms pass through the Parliament befor this can occur and bite another 1/3 off of the share price,
You ‘gamble’, you ‘lose’, thank your mates over at National Party HQ for selling you a ‘Lemon’…
Is the Daily Mail correct in this reporting, or just stirring it up? It reckons Kuwait has developed medical test to detect gays and prevent them from entering the country. Futile or what? Or is it just a way to keep out anyone they choose?
Apparently you can check the hip bones for unusual wear, which is a sure sign of exaggerated mincing. They also put on show tunes and check for elevated heart rate.
I know I shouldn’t but I did LOL at your sarcasm.
KK actually demonstrated funniness for once…
…it’s a sub. – routine they’ve learned.
For once…my arse.
Without me this place would be as funny as a Russian bread queue which, if you boyfriend has his way and nationalises the supermarkets, people will discover is not very funny at all.
Actually that comment IS pretty funny (the Russian bread queue one). The problem with most of your other comments that would otherwise be funny is that they’re either cruel, mean or just plain obnoxious. Makes it harder to laugh.
klueless klutz waiting in a russian bread que is better than the 4 million sleeping under tarpaulins in the US the home of the free market.
And let’s not forget that the destitution which befell millions of citizens of the former USSR in the 10 years after Gorbachev was largely due to self-serving advice from investment banks like Goldman Sachs and neoliberal institutions like the IMF.
23 years CV poverty in Russia is worse than ever!
And roger douglas gave advice too, apparently
intercontinental economic fuckup.
Would that be why ShonKey Python’s booked into Mercy Hospital in Epsom then ? A job lot on the hips AND the simper for oh so busy Baby Churchill World Leader ?
and women?
You are trying to get me banned tempting me like that.
I will show restraint, but it is a shame as I did have a good gag about Persian rugs.
Hiding behind the drapes? mouse got your tongue?
“You are trying to get me banned tempting me like that”
Oh go on, take the bait monkey boy….it was great without you last time, but the funniest part was when you tried to come back too early, and Felix summed you up perfectly
I think the funniest part is how my presence seems to have such a massive affect on you.
LOL….if you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask someone else first
don’t give ’em an aneurysm; “for all have sinned and fallen short…”
Gape me! đ
“Uh uh ah…Afternoon Delight!”.
I can’t see that s/he has any affect(ion) for you as that have connotations of being a pleasurable event.
However you may have meant that you have a massive effect on them – probably mostly disgust?
What are they teaching children these days about language…. đ
Probably the same thing they’re teaching monkeys.
Qatar, another GCC member, will host the men’s soccer world cup in 2022. In 2018, Russia will be the host. Looks like the FIFA has an agenda for the future. So much for sport bringing people together..
Hundreds of workers (slaves) have died in Qatar getting ready for the FIFA 2022 blood games. And more are dying every day.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/02/qatar-workers-deaths-fifa-world-cup-2022
There is no way qatar or russia should’ve gotton the next two world cups after Brazil, Blatter is the most corrupt man in sports, all countries should tell fifa they wont contest 2022.
Blatter has some competition for that “most corrupt” title.
BD thats your free market working
The construction workers and the women who service the Qatari population.
The abuses of foreign workers have been going on for years. If FIFA intended on making Qatar clean up it’s act, it might have been worth awarding the games there, but all they seem worried about is playing in the heat…. oh, and the money (and they’d give up the wellbeing of the players for the money too, I reckon).
Bloody good reason for avoiding their airlines and their countries. I will spend my pink dollars elsewhere.
3rd Degree Burns
Marie Dyhrberg
-1/3 of crime not reported
-20000 IPCA complaints per year; 5% investigated.
-“seeing a slippery slope” develop
-implementation of Curruther’s reform recommendations should produce greater openness
Ian Lambie
-“I see some inappropriate / illegal behaviour”.
36% of police staff lack confidence that their superiors will action (in-house) complaints.
surprisingly, considering the studio audience, before the ‘debate’ they were split 50/50 over whether “the public are losing trust in the Police”.
Overall ‘Vote’ for the country- 56% Yes, the police are losing our trust.
Well, this old dog can come in from the cold and rest his bone.
Exclamation of the evening: “Only Jesus is beyond reproach, and he’s got His detractors” (Same)- Pam Corkery.
(excellent to see the lawyers giving Garner and Espinor a tune-up) đ
The police prosecutor struck me as having the same intonations and simplistic analogies as the police association guy (name escapes me at moment). Must be a cop thing. But when she likened confidence in the police to still supporting the All Blacks even if a player fumbled the ball, the line screaming to be used was the damage match-fixing did to cricket, or even championship wrestling in the US. The last thing we need is a police force with the credibility of WWE.
He’s “need a gun on every hip” Greg O’Conner, police union broken record guy.
that’s the chappie. Bit of a dick, really.
Have to agree with you there mate. Every time he surfaces I’m left wondering if he has that job for life or will they update for the modern world one day.
Outage was due to a MSNbot from redmond going apeshit scanning the site
I’d increased the limits the other day, evidently too far. Dropped them back and increased the block time from 10 minutes to an hour
Pablo Honey .
Some of you may have seen a short item on 3news about a factory fire that killed (as was reported last night), 10 workers in Bangladesh. You might have said to yourself, “Bloody hell, not again”.
Turns out that once again it is a factory that has contracts with Gap and Walmart. You would think they would have acted to ensure their workplaces were safe after over 1000 workers died in the Rana Plaza collapse and fire several months ago.
“While 90 other companies have joined together in the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, an agreement between companies and unions, Walmart has refused. Instead, Walmart teamed up with Gap to create a corporate-controlled program that is hardly more than a facelift of the programs that have failed Bangladeshi workers in the past. Meanwhile, the death toll continues to climb. Please take action now â join with us in calling on Walmart and Gap to stop putting profits over peopleâs lives”.
From International Labor Rights Forum
http://action.laborrights.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=7262
Ach! Nothing’s changed then? Shame on companies like Gap and Walmart.
Oh wow, even tories are coming around to Keynesianism.
Another plank of credibility removed from those who want to see inequality and hardship persist in the world.
Ha, this sub-link is good:
Which is what we on the left have been saying for decades.
Barking – and one day they could have their finger on the button.
So to pull all this logic together, God anoints priests to work in the church directly and kings to go out into the marketplace to conquer, plunder, and bring back the spoils to the church. The reason governmental regulation has to disappear from the marketplace is to make it completely available to the plunder of Christian “kings” who will accomplish the “end time transfer of wealth.” Then “God’s bankers” will usher in the “coming of the messiah.” The government is being shut down so that God’s bankers can bring Jesus back.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/morgan-guyton/the-theology-of-governmen_b_4020537.html
Ted Cruz may well be barking mad about a lot of stuff, but he is close to the mark here:
An example of this is the state’s removal of all reference of obligations owed to deity in law. The state is happy enough to pay lip service to deity and exercise the benefit of making oath, but when it comes to obligations, the rules of the state are given the status of law while the real law is ignored.
Ah, got it, you’re actually a religious loony who wants to bring back god’s law.
Another Koch Bros funded politician.
Buyers regret.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/10/the-kochs-cant-control-the-monster-they-created/280435/
The deity can always challenge their eviction in the court of the hundred, so who gives a shit.
deep Sigh Crumpy
‘sokay.
I don’t know about your one, but I’m pretty sure UT’s deity doesn’t really exist.
sadly, I was sighing with you over the direction UT takes. (well-meaning is possible though…still, wotteva ewe say is generally OK with me) đ All Good This End đ
The creative field behind. The revelation of such ( not exclusively) to the historic figures of
Christ, John, Thomas. A syncretic Way , of course, my friend.
Itâs really more about the destruction of the traditional family than about homosexuality, because you need also to destroy loyalty to the family.
hahahahahahahh… tell that to the families of many homosexual people.
religious zealots are the same as junkies !
Tut tut.
Yeah, anointed.
/
http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/rafael-cruz-declares-son-ted-cruz-anointed-
WOBH may be anointed (with some concoction)
absolutely (and don’t forget the LDS).
anyway joe, this has been a central tenet of my thesis all through.
However, thanks to TS commentators, some helpful books and an enquiring mind…
so, here’s a mousetrap;
“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”
-Mark 10:42-
so simple really đ
was reading yesterday of more RC cover-ups (from the highest levels) in the St Paul-Minnesota region.
oops, St Paul-Minneapolis
So another school closure has been ruled as unlawful.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11138079
That’s 2 now that have been challenged and found to be unlawful. She’s not doing well with this.
@ Tony Parker….reasons for closure seem spurious, unfathomable and cooked ..at least to the School Principal interviewed on National Radio…which makes one wonder ….did Nact plan to replace this state school community with Nact’s own special Charter School imposition?…ie usurp the buildings for a Charter School?….Was this the hidden agenda for the illegitimate closure?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11137643
– Well done John Key and Bill english, you don’t have to be flashy you just need to get the job done
and ignore the current account balance (amongst other indicators).
Activity is King. Doesn’t matter that bad law is rushed onto the books, that govt gets more accomplished at choosing lawyers that given them the decisions they want, oh, no, the cost are left to future parliaments to pay. Take Howards policies regards kiwis in OZ. The upper chamber in Australia doesn’t work, and we in NZ don’t have one, hopefully as money becomes scare society may again feel the need to write good law.
sigh
Growth is unsustainable so it’s certainly nothing to be crowing about. Bringing about the destruction of our environment isn’t what we need to do.
A “Toast” , My Friends. đ
Is this going to be your daily comment, pr?
The Herald is a right wing rag and constantly writes puff pieces in support of their corporate mates.
Show me a more independent source lauding this government please.
PR knows how to link to whale-snot too… if you’d prefer… đ
The IMF must be expecting the Christchurch rebuild to be getting up to full speed then. For the sake of the people who live there, I hope so. They’ve been waiting far too long.
pukesh roque the only reason GDP is up is because the US dollar is sliding on a downward spiral.
If the debt ceiling in the US is not solved its bubble bursting time!
The US stock market is already in free fall the property bubble in NZ will follow our dollar will increase in value reducing our exports!
Leading back to 2008 scenarios!
Sorry, can’t find the comment which alerted me to Gordon Campbell’s article as it relates to the need for an independent body to identify and refer back to appropriate appellate courts, potential miscarriages of justice:
http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2013/10/10/gordon-campbell-on-the-cunliffe-speech-and-the-mark-lundy-decision/
The considered views of Professor Graham Zellick* recounted in Campbell’s article really do underline what an hubristic, dangerous philistine is Judith Collins in Justice.
This government more and more resembles the crazed Tea Party backwoodsmen of the US.
*Professor Zellick – the man who headed the equivalent UK body 2003-2008.
Change clocked. Nature: abstract (paper pay walled) and summary.
The Indonesian city of Manokwari is poised to become an unwitting icon for climate change. In about 2020, the coastal location will become one of the first places in recent history to adopt an entirely new climate â one in which its coldest years will be consistently hotter than any of the past 150 years.
That is one finding of a study published today in Nature1, which attempts to create a region-specific index of climate change. Researchers sought to identify the point at which temperature oscillations in each area will exceed the bounds of historical variability. Such âclimate departuresâ are predicted to start in the tropics and then spread to higher latitudes. If carbon dioxide emissions continue unabated, Earthâs mean climate could depart from historical averages in 2047.
Visualised.
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/mora/PublicationsCopyRighted/Cities%20Timing.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/9268153/Sonny-Bill-I-would-ve-had-lifelong-regrets
– Well maybe Sonny Bill you should stop whatever it is your manager tells you to do and start using your head, yes I’m sure you feel bad for the guy whos place you took however if you had declared your availability before the announcement none of this would have happened
But then that’d be less publicity for you I suppose…
(Sorry just had to get that of my chest)
lightweight
Well some blame Kearney’s handling of the situation.
“(Sorry just had to get that of my chest)”
Good idea, your wife was looking for her undergarment.
In just 2 daysâ time, African leaders could kill off a great institution, leaving the world a more dangerous place. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the worldâs first and only global court to adjudicate crimes against humanity. But leaders of Sudan and Kenya, who have inflicted terror and fear across their countries, are trying to drag Africa out of the ICC, allowing them the freedom to kill, rape, and inspire hatred without consequences. I know that together we can change this. But we have to join hands and call on the voices of reason at the African Union (AU) â Nigeria and South Africa â to speak out and ensure that the persecuted are protected by the ICC. Join me by adding your name to the petition now and share it with everyone — when we have hit 1 million our petition will be delivered straight into the AU conference hall where Africaâs leaders are meeting in Addis Ababa. –Desmond Tutu
The proposed new yoke – same as old yoke.
Although the governmentâs initiative promotes a separation between Islam and politics, opponents say that the new push serves the decidedly political purpose of casting a divine glow on the brutal crackdown against supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi. Hundreds of Morsiâs backers in the Muslim Brotherhood have been killed and thousands arrested by authorities, who describe them as âterrorists.â
âThis is the new regime trying to create an official Islam, a state Islam, which doesnât exist within the Islamic tradition,â said Emad Shahin, a professor of public policy at the American University in Cairo. âItâs providing a religious justification to tolerate the killing of possibly thousands of people, and it is sending alarming signals into many segments of society. This is exactly what you call fa**ism.â
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/in-egypt-a-campaign-to-promote-an-egyptian-islam/2013/10/09/45060fca-29b3-11e3-b141-298f46539716_story.html
New best friends.
http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/09/libya-approves-u-s-operations-to-get-benghazi-suspects/
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”. Matt. 12:28- imho, a lovely piece of scripture.
As Adam Smith (a fellow Scot) said in his “scripture” “all wealth comes from labour”. He is right, whether physical or mental, labour is the source of all wealth. Unrest , wars, political upheaval and inequality are a product of the struggle for control of the wealth. What is recent is simply that it is now globally apparent thanks to global communications.
Yup, depressed.
http://grist.org/list/this-video-will-get-you-off-factory-farmed-meat-or-depress-you-or-both/
Today in Auckland City:
A peaceful protester holds up a sign on the side of the footpath or pedestrian walk along Queen Street for a while, then gets approached by two yellow vested “City Crew” or “City View” staffers employed by Council. One wore a security firm’s sign on his shirt too. They approached the person and asked: “Have you been here for long?” The protester answered: “A while”, so they asked: “Will you be here any much longer?” The person facing them answers with: “Well, I have set myself some time, but probably not all that much longer”. Then the two City Council staffers ask: “Do you mind me asking me for your name?” The protester answers: “Why, what is the problem, this is freedom of expression, democracy?” Also the person says: “I do not feel I need to give you any details.” Then the senior person of the Council staff says (he is Pakeha, his colleagues Polynesian of large build): “Well, do you mind me taking a photo then?” The protester says: “Well, no that is your choice, I have no problem with that”. So the Council staffer steps back a bit, takes a photo and after that they walk on. He also said before that, they were concerned with “City Profile”.
What I also noticed is: Auckland City has suddenly been “cleansed” of ALL beggars and other persons, that I used to see in Queen Street and thereabouts. Now, what is going on, I ask?
To me this is: FASCISM in the making!!! There are under Mayor Len Brown and his Council now efforts made to remove “undesired” out of the CBD and possibly other areas, no matter whether they are begging, sitting around too long, or daring to stage a quiet, peaceful, sidewalk kind of “protest”!!!
This is highly concerning, and it is worth mentioning here, as we have also here in New Zealand too many that are SILENT in their majority, and most are the typical “law abiding”, “hard working”, “decent” and “peaceful” MIDDLE CLASS.
Do you, as middle class member, or other Aucklander find that this is acceptable, what I just described? If so, or if not, I ask for your feedback, please, a worried Auckland, with a migrant background, from a “free view” kind of culture,
Xtasy
No, it’s not acceptable. It’s entirely unacceptable. From what you’ve described Auckland is not as far down the track of restricting the right of protest as the US. So I’m guessing there will be a few battles to fight to keep the right to protest on a footpath if there are bureaucrats worried about the ‘tone’. Maybe they should be worrying about how to fix the problems that cause the protests.
There was NO issue about the “tone”, as the person just stood there, did not even speak to people, unless being asked for a flyer, some of which he had! So I found it appalling, when I heard about it.
I didn’t mean to imply there was a problem with the tone of the protester, I meant the snobby ‘tone of the neighbourhood’ meme that some people, and the bureaucrats drag out when things they don’t like confront them. I think the officials being concerned about the “city profile” pretty much fits the bill.
Exhibit #1 You can’t even build a Bunnings store on a shithole site on Great North Road without upsetting themiddle class liberal folk of Grey Lynn – an unkempt guy with a sign could lower property values!
Exhibit #2 We have a homeless person who comes into our work a couple of times a week. He goes into the loos open to visitors and washes himself, he never takes more than his shirt off and he is quiet and tidy. Someone mentioned this to our manager (a nice, earnest, middle class cookie cutter middle manager type who lacks a sense of humour or an imagination and spends most of his life re-measuring and re-weighing the pig) and he called security. Most of the staff were appalled. This guy isn’t harming anyone. So now we conspire to keep the old guys visits secret.
Given those two examples of our middleclass groupthink, what chance do you think has beggar has in Queen Street?
Sanctuary, I don’t think the Bnnings protest is at all in the same bag as the harrassment of street protestors and the guy washing himself.
There is an issue in my area of how commercial and retail interests are getting the prime sites in terms of the regeneration of the area. There is far less provision for community activities in the sites being allocated – it all smacks of money talking in the direction local councils are taking towards local developments.
OTOH, not allowing the guy to wash, or protests or begging in Queen Street is an issue of middle classes wanting to colonise and protect spaces in their own interest.
ask to see their ID. And security licence/certificate of approval if they’re wearing a security uniform.
McFlock – yes, I know all that, but the attempt was made to challenge, and get answers, without even identifying themselves. So naturally the person refused to state name and so forth. The whole attitude of those persons was disgusting, I feel, as they should just have left the guy alone, as he was just standing there, and I saw it, doing NO harm or disturbance at all.
It seems they just personally disliked the fact someone was standing there with a controversial sign, raising question, that were not really offensive either, just challenging an office’s handling of something.
And yes, the middle class are dangerous in my view, that is to Sanctuary, as they are blinded by generated “fears” and mindless “narrow thinking” how things should be, they also fear to take a stand, so condone authoritarian approaches by authorities.
There was research done many years ago, in Los Angeles and also in Sweden, showing that about 80 per cent of human beings in any society rather put up with abuse, or even collectively join abuse to others, merely to protect themselves from being “different” or in danger of risking their “security”.
That is human behaviour, and the Nazis knew that you can intimidate and manipulate, so do others, nowadays.
aye, true enough.
But having been on both sides of the petty security fence, I’ve also found that pieces of paper scare enforcers as much as they intimidate the populace.
The guards were either deployed (my guess is by a shopkeeper who made a complaint) or came across the protestor on their travels – in the first case, they’d be annoyed at having to do work; in the second case they’d just be bored. The knack is to be more trouble than it’s worth without raising their hackles (vengeance can motivate an awful lot of paperwork and dot-connecting in the depths of the graveyard shift đ ).
Mind you, doing security in Dunners my preferred tactic was generally to have a cup of tea and a chat before/ratherthan demanding name rank and serial number, unless the situation demanded prickface from the get-go.
From Chilean Illapu Blog:
“Top Comments
jaime contreras 9 months ago
En 1977 , con 17 años de edad,y elemento del grupo Fulano de tal de la ciudad de san Luis PotosĂ, MĂ©xico, cantamos las canciones de Illapu, los aplausos nunca los olvidarĂ©. Mi padre me dijo entonces, queï»ż habĂamos descubierto una hermosa mĂșsica y desde luego identidad. Las cantamos en plazas y fuimos felices y hoy mĂĄs. GRACIAS ILLAPU…”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXRTfOy4EVY
This is Andean music in its original form, and those not appreciative of this better take no notice. This is about Latin America and the REAL people living there and that deserve all rights and respects, and many to fight for them, all in line with revolutionary solidarity.
Viva, el pueblo de Chile y Peru!
Awesome!
Respeto a Camilla Vallejo, la Comunista y Socialista de Chile, por la educacion libre:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q84DTTsKHrs
I am struggling to get sense into some people here, I know, but the following just shows the bloody challenge we face, few here even get it (if ever):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSukitimNdo
There is much more at stake, there are established presidents and forces, and they are voted for, they cannot be thrown out, but some here on this and other forums pretend that there is major change possible, while that all depends on what other people and countries do.
Get a wake up call, please, I am despairing anyway. X
The biggest enemy of New Zealand are your OWN PEople!!!
I see and hear this every day, I witness it all the time, at work, at open spaces, at social events, New Zealanders are NO LONGER ONE, you are ALL divided and full of suspicion and hatred towards each other, this makes you weak and vulnerable. The enemy knows this, that is the employers, the bosses, the admin and so, so they take you to the cleaners.
Also one major is migration without much cohesion, so anybody can come, sell skills, investment, even just buy a house and get PR, but they do NOT connect and have little expectation to be part of NZ.
I have hundreds of stories, and you lefties better wake up to this too, as the politically correct approach has long been redundant.
We are screwed, sold and shat on, that is NZ 2013, and I am a damned migrant myself saying this, I should not have to, as you Kiwis should be speaking up, but almost nobody does.
What a shame and shambles this country has become. I feel sorry and sick and ashamed!
Perhaps you ought to consider earlier nights. Just saying. đ
lol
xtasy
You make good points and are onto it. But there is a strange psychological process in one’s mind that I discovered some years back. That is, on the day that you are out of sorts, everyone else seems dull and unfriendly. I think it’s called transference or something.
And for the sake of your health you will need to take some time off thinking how things are, worrying and sad as it is. Have a book to read about something else, some fiction with some good happy bits in it, or look at Yes Minister and then Eddie Izzard or the like and have a soothing drink and go to bed so you wake refreshed to worry and again present facts and solutions the next day. Things are happening and we can only run alongside the moving present and try to remove most of the rotten material before it reaches its destructive potential.
While others just concentrate on themselves, looking at the ground around them, someone has to look up and talk about the obstacles looming. But it’s tiring and dispiriting, and we all have to give ourselves a break. Remind yourself that there are good people trying to make a breakthrough, and while the thinkers are (probably a large) minority, it’s not something to bear on your own. Watch Babylon 5 for a different slant even.
Thatâs interesting Morrissey, who are you apologising to?
I was apologising to my old friend Te Reo Putake, whom I had erroneously accused of living in … (shudder) … Whanganui.
You probably have quite a choice, being fairly free-ranging in your egg throwing.
Actually, I’m pretty precise, but I take your larger point, and think this is the perfect time to make a broad apology to everyone I may have offended over the last two and a half years….
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-twGsynRkcck/T-ZJ60GmKjI/AAAAAAAAAmU/NxR0af4EyKs/s1600/cute-sad-kitten06.jpg