Which of these two stories is causing more controversy and outrage in the US?
by GLENN GREENWALD
New York Daily News, Friday:
“Fiercely anti-American lyrics from Korean rapper Psy have been unearthed just two weeks before the star is scheduled to perform for President Obama. The ‘Gangnam Style’ singer calls for US soldiers to be killed in one song, prompting a short-lived petition to ax Psy from the bill at the Christmas in Washington celebration.
“In 2004, Psy rapped on a South Korean metal band’s song, ‘Dear American’, at a protest concert, The Washington Post reported. ‘Kill those f—ing Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives’, he said. ‘Kill those f—ing Yankees who ordered them to torture. Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers. Kill them all slowly and painfully.’
“Two years earlier, after a pair of Korean schoolgirls were mowed down by a U.S.-operated armored vehicle, Psy again expressed vitriol toward America. Onstage, he smashed a plastic model of a U.S. tank into pieces as the crowd cheered, The Korea Herald reported.
“Psy apologized in a statement to the Daily News, adding that the song in question is from nearly a decade ago, and was ‘part of a deeply emotional reaction to the war in Iraq and the killing of two Korean schoolgirls.'”
…..
The Guardian, Friday:
“The US military is facing fresh questions over its targeting policy in Afghanistan after a senior army officer suggested that troops were on the lookout for ‘children with potential hostile intent’. In comments which legal experts and campaigners described as ‘deeply troubling’, army Lt Col Marion Carrington told the Marine Corp Times that children, as well as ‘military-age males’, had been identified as a potential threat because….”
Dr T, yeah its a tough one as the news media is so strictly controlled globally these days by so few players, and while the internet makes it possible for more points of view to see the light of day, its also easier to use to muddy issues, and flat out deceive. So many people are quick to play the conspiracy card, yet how to they know that any of the sources being read from/researched are pucker.
Short of being on-site and or seeing something first hand it really is now becoming hard to take any news items seriously, thats the environment which has purposefully been created, the lies now run too wide/deep, and ingrained into the minds and beliefs of the masses.
With the media industry including the entertainment industry, music tv, movies, sports etc, and a history of manufacturing *news* events to broadcast as *news*, for me the question has to be asked!
The news/entertainment industry also have a long history with the military, so again the question has to be asked.
The more that people become part of the lies, and the further the lies propagate, the distance between ever being able to understand truth becomes harder to bridge.
I asked the taxi driver in San Francisco why everyone was so polite and distant and he said “you could be sued”.
I said to the workman under the Golden Gate Bridge “everything here is so big !”
He said “It’s big alright”.
There was a farmers market by the docks – people must have driven in with home grown produce from the countryside around San Fransisco. They looked prosperous.
There were street people everywhere !! SPOILERS !!!!
According to US Policy announced well over a year ago (paraphrased):
If you are in an environment where the US wants your resources you are fubar. If you are male, if you are tall enough to see over a kitchen table and you are not American then you are a Military Combatant, thus a target. Those unfortunates who may be near you, such as the Mother and siblings sitting at the table with you when the Drone strike occurs, are still seen as collaborators or more commonly as complicit targets but are usually just written off as old fashioned collateral damage and as such are not counted as people.
At least the recent progression towards full fledged fascism in the US means that now their own citizens are also seen as viable targets to be assassinated bombed destroyed irradicated and generally dealt to. Especially if the target has the quaint idea the US has not the right nor the integrity to play Policeman to the World.
I was reading an article on why austerity won’t cure the UK government’s deficit…
Economics 101’s first principle is that if households, companies and banks are simultaneously saving and building up surpluses, as they are at present, then someone in the system has to have a deficit to compensate, otherwise there is a downward depressive economic vortex. That someone necessarily is the government. Its deficit is the counterpart of surpluses elsewhere.
This was in the context of what creates a good society and George Osborne dividing society into strivers and shirkers (i.e. beneficiaries and people in low pay, low status jobs) in justifying further cuts to benefits for the low paid and unemployed.
Coming to a NZ town near you, I suspect. What will Labour do? wring it’s collective hands but go with it. Or do what Ed Miliband seems intent on doing -going into bat for people losing their livelihoods. This despite the ‘New Labour’ leftovers believing they will be seen as siding with ‘scroungers’
In a high-risk move that could come to define his leadership, Miliband appears ready to order his party to oppose real-term reductions in income for millions of the poorest and most vulnerable, announced in Wednesday’s autumn statement, when proposals are placed before parliament next month…
Senior Labour figures stopped short of confirming that Labour would vote against the cuts in the Commons in January. But it is understood that unless fundamental changes are made to the coming welfare uprating bill, Miliband will be prepared to give the order…
Damn, so many interesting things on the net today. I’ve already made myself late.
Just wanted to mention two items that I don’t have time to link to:
Dave Armstrong in today’s Dom-Post has a column on the lethal effects of cost-cutting public services;
And Bryce Edwards has a blog at “Liberation” about ‘Viper-Gate’ – (I know I’m in a hurry….)
Also running late due to the amount of interesting things to read this morning and no time to comment except to say Happy Birthday and Big Ups to the Standard. Keep up the great work everybody and don’t give into bullies of the MP kind. Kia Kaha.
Bryce:“Much of the allegations are opaque and without any solid verification. They appear to involve an attempt to censor members’ participation in blogs such as The Standard,….”
Hope commentators on the Standard are not into mob rule? We keep reading the word “verification” but in this case should we skip all that and use the allegations to vilify/denigrate Labour leadership?
We should also consider the possibility that the MP in question (assuming there is a factual basis for these allegations) is very much out on his/her own and is in the process of being told by his/her fellow MPs that he/she is really quite a special class of fool, and should just shut his/her mouth, because look at the mess he/she has made. Again!
But this is all rumour and speculation, so some scepticism is warranted, especially since it doesn’t really make sense that the party would be trying to silence some critics while accepting a very high profile one back into the party. Why would the party do something that defied all good sense? When has that ever happened?
Thanks for posting that link Bastard. Haven’t had a chance to catch up with the viper gate storm until right now. Theres too many words to describe the consternation around this and too little time but I keep coming back to to the thought: Are they trying to write the book on “How to lose friends and alinenate voters?” If they treat their membership as the enemy they create a vacuum(an even bigger one) and loose the next election. There will be no one left to do the valuable work of the party foot soldier. Everything they are doing lately just confirms that my choice of no longer party voting Labour, after 9 elections, is the right choice. Under MMP the Greens always got my electorate vote but now I’m going two ticks for them – or by then it might be a vote for Mana and a vote for Green, who knows, but I do know it won’t be Labour
BTV
Thanks for that Bryce Edwards link. I’ve not been able to understand the way that politics has changed in NZ and why it’s so hard to get backbone and keenness for the job now from the two heavies. What Edwards says seems a good explanation.
Thanks for posting the links Bastard and Rosie.
I think Edwards’ analysis is somewhat distorted by his previous misconception, still not eradicated, that the Standard is a Labour Party blog.
I’ve been coming here for about 3 years, and there has always been some strong criticism of the Labour Party – nothing new about it. However, it would be fair to say that frustration has set in, and more here are feeling angry at Labour than previously, and there seems to be more and more to be angry about.
agree, js. Edwards shows he isn’t really that familiar with The Standard. But I agree with him on the top-down electoral professionalisation of politics: for right wing and the NZ Labour party anyway – not so much for Greens and Mana.
So what day does Labours anti blog faction close you chaps down?
It will be a bit sad the Standard going.
I would disagree with 99.9% of your propaganda
Democracy allows for different views even if you are wrong.
Exactly even with the obvious and unashamed left bias as long as your agreement is justified etc it would seem everyone gets a fair hearing on here.
Even I get my four cent rankings allowed.
So any thoughts, that Labour mp’s are censoring this blog.
[lprent: No-one including Labour MP’s or even the yet to be passed “cyber-bully” bill (which goes far beyond it’s mandate) has a shit show in hell of censoring this blog.
It is always possible to out a pseudonym that is used on another blog. This approach was pioneered here by Whaleoil before everyone wised up and stopped leaving comments on his site under their favourite handle. People really need to just avoid sites that don’t have solid privacy statements. That is the issue in this case.
Clearly it isn’t going to be hard for CV and others to reappear under a different handle whenever he feels like it. It is just a pain losing a handle that you’re spent so much effort in building.
Shortly I’ll have the code in place to ensure that makes it impossible penetrate the anonymity of comments left on our data system, while still allowing moderators to moderate. This needed to be put into place anyway because of the implications of ipV6.
Shortly afterwards the data for this site will depart to locations outside of the NZ jurisdiction and will be pretty hard to find. It won’t interfere with the functionality of this site, you’re already talking to many servers worldwide.
And the sad reality is that we receive no data or speed benefit from being in NZ because of the ridiculous costs of overseas traffic. Currently ALL traffic to and from The Standard goes over overseas pipes. This is despite 70% of it being from NZ addresses and >95% of all humans being from NZ addresses. The rest of the traffic, mostly overseas bots of various types costs us $2/GB over 25 GB and typically unless rationed costs more than the rest of our server costs.
In short I’m not too happy with the way that NZ is heading towards becoming a net unfriendly state. The kind of stupidity by a Labour MP is just on par with the idiotic attempt back in the 90’s by National MP to install net-nanny on every PC in NZ. I guess we don’t elect MP’s for their intelligence… ]
I consider threatening regular posters so that they withdraw from the site and the NZ politics online community pretty effective censorship, don’t you?
You are right. But when you get the likes of Morrissey Questioning a poster
About him posting. Apart from being elitist (typical Morrissey) it
has the smell of censorship. Maybe he is part of the Curran Faction.
As I have said in another post. I disagree with 99.9% of what is posted on here.
It’s a socialist cesspit of the first degree. The worry is if the anti Bloging faction.
Can’t tolerate a little insurrection within its own blogs.
What would happen if labour does the imposable and wins the next election.
What happen to the free blogs such as Whale, Not PC, No Minister and Kiwi blog.
I didn’t say Labour. I said Curran faction. There is a big difference.
I didn’t claim Morrissey was author or moderator. He is just a lefty minion.
But he was being dictatorial on a poster.
Which has the smell of censorship.
gee, i must have been busy the week a DJ pranked the Prime Minister of NZ, anyone got the link?
or is this just one more example of the PM talking bs to the media, who absent of independant thought, simply print without question whatever comes out of the PM’s orifice
also probably best to ignore the PM saying that he sometimes does not know when he is live on air:
– no more face left to palm
Key and the nurse were very different in that she was mortified at having not been 100% on top of her job and duties while he thinks he can smile and mumble his way out of any mistake. ‘I’m just an easy screw-up guy no worries – just like the rest of you.’ The voters have eaten it up until now. The nurse wins the integrity stakes, but the punishment she administered was disproportionate.
Grant Robertson on Red Alert “Sunday Sports: Omnishambles”
Excerpt:
…The way NZ Cricket has handled this situation, and others over recent years shows an administration that is deeply flawed, and is bringing the game they are charged with looking after into disrepute. Everyone involved has been treated badly, and some will struggle to make the positive impact on the game that they should.
Comment1:
Good parable.
Let’s hope Lab – sorry, the Black Caps – can sort things out.
And as if to show ridiculous nature of the MSM, this comment from yesterday with a link to an article about workers ratings, productivity and so on….
Do you spend your work days aimlessly drifting between the water cooler, bathroom, Facebook and job websites?
If so, you’re one of New Zealand’s “lost souls”, the people identified in a workplace productivity survey as our biggest time-wasters – losing 21 per cent of the day.
Awww, ain’t that cute. And good for your KPIs, it seems.
Spending office hours staring at cute and cuddly animals could actually help boost your work performance. Try telling that to your boss next time she catches you peering at a puggle.
But researchers at Hiroshima University recently found university students who viewed images of baby animals, such as puppies and kittens, performed set tasks with greater time and care.
Apparently, staring at ”less cute” adult animals or ”pleasant foods” (such as steak or sushi) was not nearly so productive
The MSM – Just printing shit for a very long time!
Does any of the research show whether wasting readers time with useless bits of research helps get journos more or less focused on the really important news?
Day 345 in another annus horribilus in the DICTATORSHIP of NZ Aotearoa has just commenced.
For those in Auckland, who may have a bit of spare time on their hands on Friday morning, 14 Dec. 2012:
Social Welfare Minister Paula Bennett is holding a speech to community members at the Mt Albert Baptist Church, at 732 New North Road, Mt Albert, Auckland (not far from the intersection with St Lukes Rd) – at about 10 am on 14 December!
AAAP and others are planning to attend, as far as I learned, to “receive” her from 09:50 am, and let her know, what they think of the new welfare reforms she and NatACT are planning to hammer through Parliament over the coming months.
So if you want to be counted, perhaps drop by and join others, to be vocal with your opinion.
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Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits and quirks of New Zealanders at large. This week: writer and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024, Lauren Groff.The book I wish I’d writtenIf I wish I’d written a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Fechner, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University mavo/Shutterstock Imagine having dinner at a restaurant. The menu offers plant-based meat alternatives made mostly from vegetables, mushrooms, legumes and wheat that mimic meat in taste, texture and smell. Despite being given that ...
“Three Strikes is a dead-end policy proposed by a dead-end government. The Three Strikes law ignores the causes of crime, instead just brutalising people already crushed by the cost of living.” ...
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Australian-born judge in Kiribati could well face deportation later this week after a tribunal ruling that he should be removed from his post. The tribunal’s report has just been tabled in the Kiribati Parliament and is due to be debated by MPs ...
With its clear mandate for police use, political nuances, and nuanced public trust, Denmark's insights provide valuable considerations for Australia and New Zealand. ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews poet Louise Wallace’s debut novel. A famous poet once said to me that he’s always suspicious when a poet publishes a novel. I never really understood why but maybe it’s something to do with cheating on your first form. Louise Wallace is a poet. She’s ...
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next.Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again?First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
Labour in opposition will be shocked to learn which party had six years in power but squandered any chance to make real change. Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. The acid-tongued incoming Otago University chancellor administered a sick burn to the coalition government. He ...
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is seen some as its ‘silicon shield’ against invasion – but how will overseas expansion affect that protection? The post The state of Taiwan’s silicon shield appeared first on Newsroom. ...
There’s relief for building owners bending under the weight of earthquake strengthening rules – and costs – that came into force seven years ago. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced a scheduled 2027 review of the earthquake-prone building regulations will now start this year. Owners will also get ...
Opinion: It has been announced that nine percent of roles at Oranga Tamariki will be disestablished, presumably to help fund the tax cuts promised by the coalition Government. I am reminded of the graphics used to illustrate pandemic events, where five thousand people are standing in a field and then ...
After more than two sleepless days, running through savage terrain, Greig Hamilton didn’t know if he was going to finish one of the most gruelling psychological assaults in sport. He was metres away from the finish line, a yellow gate made famous in a Netflix documentary; a race he’d dreamed ...
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The following interview with former Green Party MP Sue Kedgley came about because she features in the new memoir Hine Toa by activist Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku; the two knew each other at the University of Auckland in the early 70s, when they were both took on leadership roles in the ...
COMMENTARY:By Murray Horton New Zealand needs to get tough with Israel. It’s not as if we haven’t done so before. When NZ authorities busted a Mossad operation in Auckland 20 years ago, the government didn’t say: “Oh well, Israel has the right to defend itself.” No, it arrested, prosecuted, ...
NEWSMAKERS:By Vijay Narayan, news director of FijiVillage Blessed to be part of the University of Fiji (UniFiji) faculty to continue to teach and mentor those who want to join our noble profession, and to stand for truth and justice for the people of the country. I was privileged to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Lowry, Ice Sheet & Climate Modeller, GNS Science Hugh Chittock/Antarctica New Zealand, CC BY-SA As the climate warms and Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets melt, the resulting rise in sea level has the potential to displace hundreds of millions of ...
The government's plan to reintroduce a three strikes regime is being strongly opposed by lawyers, who argue there is no evidence it reduces crime or helps people rehabilitate. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Professor specialising in Internet law, Bond University Do Australian courts have the right to decide what foreign citizens, located overseas, view online on a foreign-owned platform? Anyone inclined to answer “yes” to this question should perhaps also ask ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giovanni E Ferreira, NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney Last week in a post on X, owner of the platform Elon Musk recommended people look into disc replacement if they’re experiencing severe neck or back pain. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University anek.soowannaphoom/Shutterstock NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey caught the headlines yesterday, courtesy of a blistering speech condemning the latest GST carve-up. New South Wales, he claimed, would be A$11.9 billion worse off over the ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived at Kokoda Station, Northern province, at the start of his state visit to Papua New Guinea. Both Albanese and Prime Minister James Marape will meet with the locals and the Northern Provincial government before they begin their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wallace, Professor, School of Politics Economics & Society, Faculty of Business Government & Law, University of Canberra Shutterstock An important principle was invoked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week in defence of the government’s Future Made in Australia industry ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Security forces reinforcements were sent from France ahead of two rival marches in the capital Nouméa today, at the same time and only two streets away one from the other. One march, called by Union Calédonienne party (a component of the ...
A poll last August found that just 16% of New Zealanders oppose bringing back the ‘Three Strikes’ law. The nationwide poll of 1,000 New Zealanders was commissioned by Family First NZ and carried out by Curia Market Research. ...
The solo show from Ana Scotney is both sprawling and intimate, and a must-see, writes Mad Chapman. In the opening moments of Scattergun: After the Death of Rūaumoko, writer and performer Ana Scotney lays out the groundwork, literally. Silently moving around the square stage, Scotney is not so much dancing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Burridge, Professor of Linguistics, Monash University Who makes the words? Why are trees called trees and why are shoes called shoes and who makes the names? – Elliot, age 5, Eltham, Victoria Good question Elliot! Let’s start with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne at amRawpixel.com/Shutterstock Roles of health professionals are still unfortunately often stuck in the past. That is, before the ...
COMMENTARY:By Malcolm Evans Last week’s leaked New York Times staff directive, as to what words can and cannot be used to describe the carnage Israel is raining on Palestinians, is proof positive, since those reports are published verbatim here in New Zealand, that our understanding of the conflict is ...
In the case of New Zealand, the results confirm that there is no popular support for the vicious austerity program being imposed by the National Party-led government, which is backed in all fundamental respects by the opposition Labour Party. ...
The ‘Vampire’ singer has never visited our part of the world, but that might all be about to change. We assess the evidence.Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour is pulling in massive crowds as it whips around the US and Europe, even helping to catapult regular supporting act Chappell Roan ...
Testing of drinking water in rural Canterbury over the weekend by Greenpeace revealed that several public town supplies were reaching levels of nitrate above 5 mg/L - the threshold which a growing body of scientific evidence has linked to increased ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rohan Fisher, Information Technology for Development Researcher, Charles Darwin University It may come as a surprise to hear 2023 was Australia’s biggest bushfire season in more than a decade. Fires burned across an area eight times as big as the 2019–20 Black ...
Responding to the Government’s announcement of changes to resource management laws, Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said: “These changes are a step in the right direction in terms of removing ideological and unworkable ...
More than two years after the Human Rights Council called for the establishment of a national human rights commission, such a body has yet to be formed. ...
Comment:An emergency management system with wide variations in performance, significant capability gaps, funding shortfalls and above all a setup that is not meeting the needs of New Zealanders at times of crisis. The Government’s inquiry into the response to Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events in the North ...
Welcome to the whirring wonders of one brain trying to align its actions with its beliefs within a system it thinks is evil. My brain has been spiralling in a woke conundrum ever since I found out a bookshop I’ve never been to was shutting down. Good Books, a bookshop ...
We repeat our call for criminal justice policy to be based on evidence, something the three strikes regime neglects to recognise – with no evidence that it either reduces crime or assists with rehabilitation. ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara With only four more seats in the 50-member Parliament yet to be officially declared, there is no outright winner in the Solomon Islands elections. As of Monday, the two largest blocs in the winner’s circle, independents and the incumbent Prime Minister Manasseh ...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/08/psy-lyrics-anti-us-anger
Which of these two stories is causing more controversy and outrage in the US?
by GLENN GREENWALD
New York Daily News, Friday:
“Fiercely anti-American lyrics from Korean rapper Psy have been unearthed just two weeks before the star is scheduled to perform for President Obama. The ‘Gangnam Style’ singer calls for US soldiers to be killed in one song, prompting a short-lived petition to ax Psy from the bill at the Christmas in Washington celebration.
“In 2004, Psy rapped on a South Korean metal band’s song, ‘Dear American’, at a protest concert, The Washington Post reported. ‘Kill those f—ing Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives’, he said. ‘Kill those f—ing Yankees who ordered them to torture. Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers. Kill them all slowly and painfully.’
“Two years earlier, after a pair of Korean schoolgirls were mowed down by a U.S.-operated armored vehicle, Psy again expressed vitriol toward America. Onstage, he smashed a plastic model of a U.S. tank into pieces as the crowd cheered, The Korea Herald reported.
“Psy apologized in a statement to the Daily News, adding that the song in question is from nearly a decade ago, and was ‘part of a deeply emotional reaction to the war in Iraq and the killing of two Korean schoolgirls.'”
…..
The Guardian, Friday:
“The US military is facing fresh questions over its targeting policy in Afghanistan after a senior army officer suggested that troops were on the lookout for ‘children with potential hostile intent’. In comments which legal experts and campaigners described as ‘deeply troubling’, army Lt Col Marion Carrington told the Marine Corp Times that children, as well as ‘military-age males’, had been identified as a potential threat because….”
Read more….
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/08/psy-lyrics-anti-us-anger
Hi Morrissey,
Have you ever thought that much “news” is made up simply to get a reaction?
The more I look into it, the more fake it all becomes. Some of the events reported in the “news”, are likely to not even be happening.
muzza. I take in then that you are speaking of any and every type of news reporting? You can hardly be selective about this.
Dr T, yeah its a tough one as the news media is so strictly controlled globally these days by so few players, and while the internet makes it possible for more points of view to see the light of day, its also easier to use to muddy issues, and flat out deceive. So many people are quick to play the conspiracy card, yet how to they know that any of the sources being read from/researched are pucker.
Short of being on-site and or seeing something first hand it really is now becoming hard to take any news items seriously, thats the environment which has purposefully been created, the lies now run too wide/deep, and ingrained into the minds and beliefs of the masses.
With the media industry including the entertainment industry, music tv, movies, sports etc, and a history of manufacturing *news* events to broadcast as *news*, for me the question has to be asked!
The news/entertainment industry also have a long history with the military, so again the question has to be asked.
The more that people become part of the lies, and the further the lies propagate, the distance between ever being able to understand truth becomes harder to bridge.
A very good point, my friend.
The US has always had a misplaced sense of patriotism.
And an overinflated sense of place in the world, a bit like ancient times when humans thought the planets revolved around the earth.
AWW. Many terrible things can be found in the Bible!!
Given that they’re currently the only superpower worth speaking of, I’d hardly say their exceptionalism was entirely delusional.
I asked the taxi driver in San Francisco why everyone was so polite and distant and he said “you could be sued”.
I said to the workman under the Golden Gate Bridge “everything here is so big !”
He said “It’s big alright”.
There was a farmers market by the docks – people must have driven in with home grown produce from the countryside around San Fransisco. They looked prosperous.
There were street people everywhere !! SPOILERS !!!!
According to US Policy announced well over a year ago (paraphrased):
If you are in an environment where the US wants your resources you are fubar. If you are male, if you are tall enough to see over a kitchen table and you are not American then you are a Military Combatant, thus a target. Those unfortunates who may be near you, such as the Mother and siblings sitting at the table with you when the Drone strike occurs, are still seen as collaborators or more commonly as complicit targets but are usually just written off as old fashioned collateral damage and as such are not counted as people.
At least the recent progression towards full fledged fascism in the US means that now their own citizens are also seen as viable targets to be assassinated bombed destroyed irradicated and generally dealt to. Especially if the target has the quaint idea the US has not the right nor the integrity to play Policeman to the World.
The Savings Paradox
I was reading an article on why austerity won’t cure the UK government’s deficit…
This was in the context of what creates a good society and George Osborne dividing society into strivers and shirkers (i.e. beneficiaries and people in low pay, low status jobs) in justifying further cuts to benefits for the low paid and unemployed.
Coming to a NZ town near you, I suspect. What will Labour do? wring it’s collective hands but go with it. Or do what Ed Miliband seems intent on doing -going into bat for people losing their livelihoods. This despite the ‘New Labour’ leftovers believing they will be seen as siding with ‘scroungers’
Damn, so many interesting things on the net today. I’ve already made myself late.
Just wanted to mention two items that I don’t have time to link to:
Dave Armstrong in today’s Dom-Post has a column on the lethal effects of cost-cutting public services;
And Bryce Edwards has a blog at “Liberation” about ‘Viper-Gate’ – (I know I’m in a hurry….)
Also running late due to the amount of interesting things to read this morning and no time to comment except to say Happy Birthday and Big Ups to the Standard. Keep up the great work everybody and don’t give into bullies of the MP kind. Kia Kaha.
Heres the Dave Armstrong article from the dompost
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/columnists/dave-armstrong/8057640/The-tragedy-of-state-penny-pinching
He always writes a good article and then gets rubbished by the tards that frequent the comment sections of fairfax
Bryce Edwards here.
Some pragmatic discussion from Edwards, and again also via the link to Imperator Fish.
Bryce:“Much of the allegations are opaque and without any solid verification. They appear to involve an attempt to censor members’ participation in blogs such as The Standard,….”
Hope commentators on the Standard are not into mob rule? We keep reading the word “verification” but in this case should we skip all that and use the allegations to vilify/denigrate Labour leadership?
The below from Imperator Fish
Seems like a sensible position at this juncture!
Thanks for posting that link Bastard. Haven’t had a chance to catch up with the viper gate storm until right now. Theres too many words to describe the consternation around this and too little time but I keep coming back to to the thought: Are they trying to write the book on “How to lose friends and alinenate voters?” If they treat their membership as the enemy they create a vacuum(an even bigger one) and loose the next election. There will be no one left to do the valuable work of the party foot soldier. Everything they are doing lately just confirms that my choice of no longer party voting Labour, after 9 elections, is the right choice. Under MMP the Greens always got my electorate vote but now I’m going two ticks for them – or by then it might be a vote for Mana and a vote for Green, who knows, but I do know it won’t be Labour
BTV
Thanks for that Bryce Edwards link. I’ve not been able to understand the way that politics has changed in NZ and why it’s so hard to get backbone and keenness for the job now from the two heavies. What Edwards says seems a good explanation.
Thanks for posting the links Bastard and Rosie.
I think Edwards’ analysis is somewhat distorted by his previous misconception, still not eradicated, that the Standard is a Labour Party blog.
I’ve been coming here for about 3 years, and there has always been some strong criticism of the Labour Party – nothing new about it. However, it would be fair to say that frustration has set in, and more here are feeling angry at Labour than previously, and there seems to be more and more to be angry about.
agree, js. Edwards shows he isn’t really that familiar with The Standard. But I agree with him on the top-down electoral professionalisation of politics: for right wing and the NZ Labour party anyway – not so much for Greens and Mana.
So what day does Labours anti blog faction close you chaps down?
It will be a bit sad the Standard going.
I would disagree with 99.9% of your propaganda
Democracy allows for different views even if you are wrong.
Exactly even with the obvious and unashamed left bias as long as your agreement is justified etc it would seem everyone gets a fair hearing on here.
Even I get my four cent rankings allowed.
We may be getting getting there Mr Roy, but I don’t like the destination nor the mode of transport. http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/12/eric-roy-and-his-hand-basket.html
So any thoughts, that Labour mp’s are censoring this blog.
[lprent: No-one including Labour MP’s or even the yet to be passed “cyber-bully” bill (which goes far beyond it’s mandate) has a shit show in hell of censoring this blog.
It is always possible to out a pseudonym that is used on another blog. This approach was pioneered here by Whaleoil before everyone wised up and stopped leaving comments on his site under their favourite handle. People really need to just avoid sites that don’t have solid privacy statements. That is the issue in this case.
Ummm there is a post in that. Nope – I already wrote that a year ago.
Clearly it isn’t going to be hard for CV and others to reappear under a different handle whenever he feels like it. It is just a pain losing a handle that you’re spent so much effort in building.
Shortly I’ll have the code in place to ensure that makes it impossible penetrate the anonymity of comments left on our data system, while still allowing moderators to moderate. This needed to be put into place anyway because of the implications of ipV6.
Shortly afterwards the data for this site will depart to locations outside of the NZ jurisdiction and will be pretty hard to find. It won’t interfere with the functionality of this site, you’re already talking to many servers worldwide.
And the sad reality is that we receive no data or speed benefit from being in NZ because of the ridiculous costs of overseas traffic. Currently ALL traffic to and from The Standard goes over overseas pipes. This is despite 70% of it being from NZ addresses and >95% of all humans being from NZ addresses. The rest of the traffic, mostly overseas bots of various types costs us $2/GB over 25 GB and typically unless rationed costs more than the rest of our server costs.
In short I’m not too happy with the way that NZ is heading towards becoming a net unfriendly state. The kind of stupidity by a Labour MP is just on par with the idiotic attempt back in the 90’s by National MP to install net-nanny on every PC in NZ. I guess we don’t elect MP’s for their intelligence… ]
They can’t censor this blog nor close it down as it’s not theirs.
I would hate to see one of the last few bastions of free and open speech close shop or red alertafied.
I consider threatening regular posters so that they withdraw from the site and the NZ politics online community pretty effective censorship, don’t you?
Tell that to Curran (actually, I think we are, all of us).
So any thoughts, that Labour mp’s are censoring this blog.
Yet another addle-pated, ignorant comment. Why are you still here?
“Why are you still here?”
Watching the melt down. Hasn’t been so much fun since the Berlin wall fell. 🙂
lolz that comment wasn’t to you, libby. Guess you’re here ‘coz you’re lonely then.
You are right. But when you get the likes of Morrissey Questioning a poster
About him posting. Apart from being elitist (typical Morrissey) it
has the smell of censorship. Maybe he is part of the Curran Faction.
As I have said in another post. I disagree with 99.9% of what is posted on here.
It’s a socialist cesspit of the first degree. The worry is if the anti Bloging faction.
Can’t tolerate a little insurrection within its own blogs.
What would happen if labour does the imposable and wins the next election.
What happen to the free blogs such as Whale, Not PC, No Minister and Kiwi blog.
Are you retarded? Labour has no say over this blog whatsoever, and Morrissey isn’t an author or moderator.
What the hell are you on about?
I didn’t say Labour. I said Curran faction. There is a big difference.
I didn’t claim Morrissey was author or moderator. He is just a lefty minion.
But he was being dictatorial on a poster.
Which has the smell of censorship.
I think our friend Morrissey was actually addressing that blithering ignoramus Brett Dale.
“Radio stations ring me up, say they’re different people, and I don’t know I’m on air sometimes. It happens.” http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/8057945/2Day-threats-mount-as-prank-anger-rises
gee, i must have been busy the week a DJ pranked the Prime Minister of NZ, anyone got the link?
or is this just one more example of the PM talking bs to the media, who absent of independant thought, simply print without question whatever comes out of the PM’s orifice
also probably best to ignore the PM saying that he sometimes does not know when he is live on air:
– no more face left to palm
Key and the nurse were very different in that she was mortified at having not been 100% on top of her job and duties while he thinks he can smile and mumble his way out of any mistake. ‘I’m just an easy screw-up guy no worries – just like the rest of you.’ The voters have eaten it up until now. The nurse wins the integrity stakes, but the punishment she administered was disproportionate.
‘Know your country’
What do you reckon about new info site Wiki New Zealand: http://wikinewzealand.org/
I’m a fan!
This is a bit naughty but I can’t resist.
Grant Robertson on Red Alert “Sunday Sports: Omnishambles”
Excerpt:
Comment1:
Hangi rocks can get to 1100 C. Imagine if the Maori had used JP4. They could probably have turned structural steel to plastic.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/science/8059237/Hangi-feast-of-magnetic-field-data
And as if to show ridiculous nature of the MSM, this comment from yesterday with a link to an article about workers ratings, productivity and so on….
Followed up today with this little beauty
The MSM – Just printing shit for a very long time!
Does any of the research show whether wasting readers time with useless bits of research helps get journos more or less focused on the really important news?
Day 345 in another annus horribilus in the DICTATORSHIP of NZ Aotearoa has just commenced.
For those in Auckland, who may have a bit of spare time on their hands on Friday morning, 14 Dec. 2012:
Social Welfare Minister Paula Bennett is holding a speech to community members at the Mt Albert Baptist Church, at 732 New North Road, Mt Albert, Auckland (not far from the intersection with St Lukes Rd) – at about 10 am on 14 December!
AAAP and others are planning to attend, as far as I learned, to “receive” her from 09:50 am, and let her know, what they think of the new welfare reforms she and NatACT are planning to hammer through Parliament over the coming months.
So if you want to be counted, perhaps drop by and join others, to be vocal with your opinion.