[It seems you are new here and started with spamming the site and spreading false information about the PM’s agenda on vaccination. You have one day to provide compelling and convincing evidence that Jacinda Ardern is interested in implementing ‘forced vaccination’ in NZ. If you fail to comply, you will be banned permanently from this site – Incognito]
It looks like quite the paranoid delusional stretch to go from what Ardern actually said to "Forced Vaccination Agenda?".
Nevertheless, when safe and effective vaccines are available but there are grossly antisocial individuals who refuse to be vaccinated without good medical reason, I'd be all for holding them accountable should they get the disease and spread it to others.
In the context of places like the US, that accountability might come in the form of lawsuits for damages. In NZ, as I understand it, there's precedent for prosecuting through the justice system those that spread disease such as HIV.
They either make it mandatory, or they don't – remains to be seen as currently we don't even have a scientific consensus as to what this virus actually is.. But unless they are making the vaccine for Covid 19 mandatory the Anti Vax People will not volunteer themselves or their children for a vaccine. No matter what the PM says or not.
Currently however we do nothing when un-vaccinated children / adults spread measels. I think it falls under "Meh", what can be done about it.
Currently, yeah, it seems to be "meh" about unvaccinated (without good medical reason) people spreading measles. I can't think of any other examples in our society where wilful gross negligence causing easily preventable harm to others is tolerated without incurring consequences.
It's time consequences were applied to those that end up spreading disease because they refused to take an extremely cheap, simple and safe precaution against spreading that disease.
It's time consequences were applied to those that end up spreading disease because they refused to take an extremely cheap, simple and safe precaution against spreading that disease.
Andre. Pray tell what exactly are the "consequences" you demand be brought down upon the heads of these willful disease spreaders?
Fines? Imprisonment? Forced vaccination? Termination of employment? Denial of benefits or publicly funded healthcare, expulsion from educational facilities?
"Extremely cheap, simple and safe precaution…" not so much for the approximately 91 poor souls per year so seriously injured by a vaccine that they qualify for ACC cover.
(I have an OIA list of successful claims per year for vaccine injury from ACC if anyone wishes to query this number. )
And every single time the experiences of these victims of vaccine harm are dismissed by the likes of the 60% of Kiwis (such as yourself) who wholeheartedly and without reservation accept the official narrative that 'all vaccines are safe and effective', the gulf betwixt the twain will widen.
The accepted claims related to vaccinations are associated with different injury groups; the most common accepted injury group is infections. The infection injury group accounts for 47% of the accepted claims. It is also worth noting that serious or fatal treatment injuries as a result of vaccinations are vanishingly rare; accounting for fewer than 0.2% of claims made in the 10-year period you mention. (my italics)
Note that at a rate of 0.2% for serious or fatal with an average of 91 claims per year – that works out to once every five or six years that someone thinks someone has suffered a serious or fatal injury from vaccination. And with the way a very active group of kooks are trying hard to falsely paint vaccines as dangerous, I suspect even that one incident every five or six years is more likely than not a misattribution. But sure Rosemary, carry on with trying to present a false argument that anti-vaxxers have any kind of reason or logic on their side.
As for consequences for disease spreaders – personally I think recovering the full cost of treating them and the unfortunates they passed it on to plus the consequential costs suffered by their unfortunate victims would be a good place to start.
Oh, Andre. I do so envy your sureness on this issue.
I guess you have never, ever spoken to someone who has experienced first hand an adverse reaction to a vaccine? A parent, perhaps, who 'lost' their previously milestone hitting child after a post- immunisation fever caused significant neurological damage?
A senior citizen, persuaded to have their very first flu vaccine, who ends up seriously ill with the flu for the first time in their lives?
No, I guess not.
How is it that while many of those who are vaccine hesitant acknowledge the overall benefits of some vaccines, it is almost unheard of for a proponent of vaccines to acknowledge that some people are harmed by vaccines and that not all vaccines are effective?
Surely respectful discussion with the 40% of the population who do not share your unquestioning belief in the safety and efficacy of vaccines would be more productive than the jackboot to the neck approach?
Because hey….in New Zealand we don't even hold those who willfully drink and drive responsible for the injuries they cause. And drink driving is illegal.
You're almost certainly falling for the correlation means causation fallacy.
Childhood vaccinations are frequent enough that the onset of any problems will likely occur *shortly after* a vaccination for significant numbers of children. But that association in time does not *prove* that the vaccine caused the problem. That proof can only come from careful examination of massive data sets. And that careful examination shows the opposite – that vaccines do not cause almost all of the ailments that have been attributed to them.
As just one example, here's a look at encephalopathies that have been falsely blamed on vaccines.
To be sure, there have been a very few instances of vaccines making it out into general public use and then failing to meet the extremely stringent safety performance expected of them. Invariably, those particular vaccines have been withdrawn extremely rapidly.
As to that idiot segment of the population that has deluded themselves into fearing vaccines through following their feels and ignoring facts, reason, knowledge – I dunno.
Education won't help those who refuse to be educated. Presenting facts and evidence won't help those who refuse to consider them. Coddling them with empathy about their feels doesn't seem a likely route to bring them into the world of reason and evidence.
That doesn't leave much else other than holding them accountable for the outcome of their stupidity, which so far they have been entirely insulated from.
If you bothered to try to understand what I actually wrote, you might have twigged to the idea that your brother-in-law falls into the category of people I think deserve the protection of widespread herd immunity from the diseases anti-vaxxers seem so determined to spread around. That herd immunity is created by widespread vaccination of the general public. Because he actually has a medically sound reason not to be vaccinated.
The risk of allergic reaction (with anaphylaxis at the extreme) is a significant part of questionnaires to be asked before administering a vaccine. Every single time I've received a vaccination, the provider has been particularly careful on that point, coming at it with questions from several different angles.
Rare as those reactions actually are, they are still the reason why you're expected to stay at the doctor's office for a waiting time after receiving the vaccination. It's also important to note that such reactions, when appropriately managed, are a temporary nuisance, not a long term problem.
Many news articles about a study of influenza vaccine and miscarriages raised good questions—but for questionable reasons, reports Rob Wipond.
(This article appeared in The BMJ (British Medical Journal), January 5, 2018.)
When reporting on medical studies, the popular press has a habit of sensationalising. So the muted response to a recent research paper reporting increased risk of miscarriage with influenza vaccines was at first sight surprising.
In any discussion of influenza epidemiology we should acknowledge the careful and steady (one could even say fearless) work of Danuta Skowronski and her Canadian public health colleagues. It was they who found that the 2008-9 flu shot doubled the risk of illness from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic flu. Their observations were considered important enough to alter Canadian vaccine recommendations for the 2009-10 season. However, for some reason, they had a good deal of difficulty getting their study finally published. (Skowronski, PLoS Med 2010;7(4):e1000258) This observational study was a revelation, even a shock, to many public health experts. US officials never publicly acknowledged the findings…..This is just one of a number of important papers published over the years by Skowronski and her colleagues, who have a reputation for high scientific and ethical standards.
I wondered if I could find an answer to the simple question of “Who is most likely to experience adverse effects of influenza vaccination?” Might it be related to age, gender, having the vaccine for the first time, having reactions in the past, being pregnant, a history of not having the flu, or other factors?
The first paper I found, from JAMA, seemed to conclude that there are no side effects; I had imagined them or, as my wife correctly pointed out, it might be coincidence that I had the vaccination and then symptoms from some other cause. That was hard for me to believe, but I knew that she could be right.
So I couldn’t find an answer to my simple question of who was most likely to get side effects from influenza vaccination despite hundreds of millions being vaccinated every year. I was also left with the conclusion that researchers are much more interested in efficacy than side effects, which fits with the observation that adverse effects are poorly collected and poorly reported in randomised trials. Indeed, I found two systematic reviews of multiple trials of effectiveness. It’s understandable that researchers, particularly those who develop vaccines, will be much more interested in efficacy than side effects, particularly in the context of antivaccinationists making a tremendous amount of noise about mostly false adverse effects of vaccines. The researchers, who will rightly believe in the great effectiveness of vaccines, will not want people to be put off from being vaccinated. But patients are interested in both efficacy and side effects, and if they are to give genuinely informed consent they need high quality evidence on both. The nurse who vaccinated gave me no information at all (perhaps because she knew I was a doctor, and I didn’t ask) and told my wife there were no side effects (perhaps she’d read the JAMA trial).
This discussion happened just over one year ago.
One year ago. And one of the planet's more reputable medical journals publishes and allows open discussion on the more than murky field of vaccine research.
The top image is hosted on a site selling massively expensive debunked cancer "treatments" (e.g. gcMAF – " Once proclaimed a ‘magic protein’ capable of curing cancer, GcMAF has been proven ineffective."). The site also features some 'unconventional' theories on the origins of cancer ( e.g. "cancer is NOT a genetic disease" )
Indeed. Then with a little more digging to find the names of people associated with that site selling massively expensive debunked cancer "treatment" … well… virtual chocolate fish to everyone who correctly guesses.
It is a question and a concern designed to promote healthy discussion on this matter. We have recently seen the “COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020” being rushed through parliament in a way that was deeply concerning to The Human Rights Commission. This act gives government the power to issue orders that require persons to take any specified action, or any specified measure, if the government believes it will help to prevent the spread of Covid-19. This overrides The Bill of Rights and deeply concerns me that the government may consider mandatory vaccinations when a vaccine comes along. This concern was heightened with another recent event when “The Covid-19 Public Health Response (Safeguard from forced vaccinations)” amendment bill, tabled by Jami-Lee Ross was rejected by other political parties and after viewing the video of Nationals Christopher Luxon responded “Yes I do” to the question “Do you support cutting benefits to solo parents who do not vaccinate their children?”
I am not against vaccines, but I support The Bill of Rights and the freedom of individuals to choose.
[You do not seem to understand the Moderation request. You have been asked to put up evidence for an agenda by Jacinda Ardern to implement forced vaccination in NZ. It follows directly from your first comment @ 1 and its content and presentation. The onus is on you to comply with the Moderation request, not to argue your agenda and detract with BORA, et cetera. NB Christopher Luxon is not even in Parliament yet and you have created another strawman.
I find your opening gambit highly disingenuous. There are other ways to design and promote discussion on the matter of COVID-19 vaccination.
By associating your ‘discussion’ with Jacinda Ardern, and with 100 days until the Election, you politicised the issue from the outset.
I suspect that you have an agenda and ulterior motives, and my suspicion is further raised by the company website you are associated with.
Are there currently any examples of forced vaccination in NZ?
Are there currently any examples of mandatory vaccination in NZ?
Being deeply concerned is no reason to deliberately spread disinformation to stoke fear.
Did you know that it is not mandatory to tell your partner that you are HIV-positive before having sex as long as you use a condom for protection (of your partner)?
Did you know that currently there is no vaccine against HIV?
If your comment @ 1 was merely based on your speculation and concern, you can provide a clarification as such that leaves no doubt whatsoever that you made it up and that Jacinda Ardern has no such plans for forced vaccination.
You have until tomorrow or face a permanent ban – Incognito]
[As I suspected, you’re not interested to “promote healthy discussion”. You deliberately started off in a highly politicised manner and together with your website this immediately gave away your agenda. I’ve given you an opportunity to take your contribution to where we can trust you and respect you for your opinions and engage with you in good faith, but you decided not to take it. I take this as another sign of your disingenuous agenda. Long story short, you were warned and you are now banned permanently from this site – Incognito]
We all live in a society. The cost of the huge benefits we receive from that is that our freedoms can never be absolute.
Individuals cannot have absolute freedom if that freedom takes away the freedom of others. In this case, a poor uptake of a covid 19 vaccine places all in danger. Some measure of coercion is unfortunately necessary for the good if the majority (and the fruitcake anti vaxxer minority themselves).
Not true. No vaccine is ever 100% effective, and most do not give lifetime immunity. So the anti vaxxers keep the virus alive in the community and it will spread to the vulnerable, especially new immigrants to NZ that arrive from countries where prenventative healthcare is less prevalent.
And those who because of legitimate medical reasons and not their own selfishness, have no option but to rely on the herd sharing the risks of vaccination.
And you have a duty to report accurately and factually, not flout garbage touted by the very people with whom you say you disagree.
The rights of people always carry responsibilities as well. The right to an opinion does demand the responsibility to be as informed, accurate and factual as possible.
Otherwise, you are badly informed, stupid, a quack or a nutter, vapid, vacuous and vacant.
English has a wide vocabulary for people who offer crazy notions as bona fide opinions.
It's a pretty good clue when someone says something like "I am not against vaccines, but …" in the midst of raising all kinds of spurious concerns. Then when you do a search on them and find their handle on another forum linking approvingly to a notorious anti-vaxxer …
And personally, I respect you for using your full name, and for your posts. Absolutely opposed to your views, but you and others hold them and it is important they be aired and refuted.
Are you or are you not the Michael Kelly that commented on the No Punches Pulled blog linking to a video featuring Judy Mikovits PLANDEMIC?
(not linking because that site and its comments are nuttier than the buffet at a squirrel convention)
As for handles here, the culture is that most commenters use a pseudonym. Including almost all authors, even those whose real life identities are openly disclosed. When I started commenting here, it frankly felt weird not using my full name, but that's what this forum is.
In the USA the MAGA crowd believe that covid tests are a way of collecting a person's DNA, and they are dead against taking a vaccine. Yes it's a crazy way of thinking, but that's how the trump supporters roll.
Freedom of choice is one matter but spreading MAGA propaganda narratives is another. JS
I am not against a healthy discussion about vaccination per se. I regard this though as a strawman argument because
1 there is currently no vaccine against Covid-19
2 It is not the way of NZ to enforce vaccination on those who do not wish to have it as long as those doing so have a knowledge of what they are doing
3 The best example is for the vaccination given to teenage girls where there is an ability for them to opt for or not personally, despite what their guardians may or may not believe.
4 A specific regime of vaccination unless you/guardian specifically opt out will catch the 'can't be bothered' parents of which there are many.
5 Despite no compulsory vaccination those who do not vaccinate or arrange to have their children vaccinated may find that some avenues may be closed for them and their children eg
-Travel some countries may not allow unvaccinated travellers from NZ to visit their countries in much the same way as earlier generations of travellers up to the 1990s at least could not visit places unless we could show up to date vaccination certificates for yellow fever & malaria in 1996 in Mauritius and Kenya.
-Private NZ places such as rest homes, early childhood orgs etc may legitimately ask that people wishing to avail themselves of services offered may be required to produce vaccination certificates so that the resthome, ECE is able to keep residents/children safe. I do not regard this as punitive but of a responsible owner of an enterprise. There is no Bill of Rights provisions to say that a private owner is not able to take reasonable steps and must admit those who do not abide by these reasonable steps. Just as despite some of our greatest social advance/freedoms there are still some will not admit LGBT to their private homes or home based businesses.
So while interesting the post is in response to 'screamers' in the media doing a beat-up.
We obviously will have to regard all threats to our individual liberty seriously just as we accept many provisions for the greater good, harking back really to King John and the Robber barons when I lost my ability to raise a private army!
I had thought that the strength of this legislation COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020 was diluted that it was time bound just as the Declarations of Emergency etc under the Health and Civil Defence Acts all the way through the pandemic were time bound.
It quotes junk science. This is one of my my biggest objections. Advancing an argument should be done without recourse to dubious websites/science.
"COVID-19 is really two different diseases. In the first few days, it is like a very bad cold. In some people, it then morphs into pneumonia which can be life-threatening. What I found is that treatments for the cold don’t work well for the pneumonia, and vice versa. Most of the published studies have looked at treatments for the cold but used for the pneumonia. I just looked at how well the treatments for the cold worked for the cold. There are five studies done this way, four of hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin and one with hydroxychloroquine plus doxycycline, and they all show that treating the cold part of COVID-19—the early part—works very well."
I guess the minute WHO came out against it, it was pretty obvious that there was at least some value in the drugs. They seem to specialise in disinformation and promoting confusion.
A relevant article in the Herald in regard to the conversations about statues and public monuments that have been discussed in the last few days:
"George Floyd protests: New Zealand's controversial statues and the calls to bring them down – Micheal Neilson"
One of the statues discussed was Captain Cook –
But it was not until last year, for the 250th commemorations of Cook's arrival in the country, that it was removed.
Today new sculptures stand in its place, produced by Tupara – one of his tupuna Te Maro, and "Crook Cook" is about to be erected in the grounds of Tairāwhiti Museum.
Rather than it being pulled down in dramatic fashion, as has been seen overseas, Tupara said it was good to see the community come to a consensus over a two-year consultation period, even if it had taken nearly 50 years for Māori to be listened to.
"Not everybody was happy, many wanted the statue completely destroyed, but we were keen to continue a cordial relationship.
"It started conversations about our true history. Half the population is Māori here, but there was almost no imagery to reflect that.
"Cook had also only ever been depicted as this heroic figure, and selectively taught about in the curriculum, editing out things like the diseases and abuse and killings his crew brought through the Pacific. His connections with slavery are also rarely discussed."
However, the sense of achievement from that success was overshadowed very quickly,
But in recent weeks the Gisborne District Council once again come under fire after failing to consult iwi over its decision to install two new Endeavour replica models in the town centre.
Protests today, led by youth, took place, as the council under pressure reversed its decision.
"A lot of people are pretty disappointed," Tupara said.
"It really ran counter to everything we've just been through, like no lessons have been learned."
For those that remain unaware – there are almost always those, who despite setbacks, have persisted to right wrongs. The example above shows how unless the change is genuine, it is one battle after another to get real systematic and institutional change.
“Talk to us — that's the whole point,” said a protester at this morning's extraordinary meeting of Gisborne district councillors as they voted unanimously to revoke their earlier decision to instal models of James Cook's Endeavour ship in Gisborne city without community consultation.
Because the face is not readily recognisable as a likeness of Cook, and the uniform is incorrect, it was thought for many years to not be a statue of Cook at all. A plaque was installed in October 1998 with the words ‘‘Who is he? We have no idea?” based on this erroneous conclusion.
[…]
Is the uniform correct?
No. Cook is not wearing the uniform of a British naval officer, nor does his uniform resemble that of any other European naval uniforms.(6) The uniform has been described as ‘Italian’ in style.
The sculptor has him wearing a coat with collar down and buttoned across the chest – a late-eighteenth/early nineteenth century style, dating from after Cook’s death. He wears a Lieutenant’s coat, with Captain’s epaulettes.
On his head he wears a Captain’s bicorne (a style which replaced the tricorne in the 1790s) worn in the ‘athwart’ (side-to-side) style as it would have commonly been worn in the 1790s. Cook’s uniform would have included a tricorne hat and an open coat with a low collar and no epaulettes (as shown in the Webber portrait).
We shouldn't waste money on one for helen clark because it'll just get smashed up.
Although if one does get made I suppose we could put its remnants in Te Papa.
The description on the piece could read:
"helen clark's statue was destroyed amidst protests against celebrating a leader who oversaw widespread right-wing reform of our social welfare system, who thought she could get away with further dispossession of Maori in the 21st century, who reached agreement with the Australian government to wreck thousands of peoples' lives by removing all rights from New Zealanders living there and who continued to uphold the raison d'être of the previous government which spent nine years destroying the cultural fabric of our nation through blind adherence to neo-liberal principles displaying almost complete disdain for the welfare of citizens."
Yes, okay then. A statue for helen clark would be good.
There are many better ways to acknowledge people than statues. Might as well put up a sign saying "Here's your symbol, protesters gather here". Helen Clark would be getting vandalised every pissed-up Saturday night.
They also feed the false notion of progress being achieved by a lone Superhero. That's Hollywood history.
Paula Southgate's got the right idea. Take it away. Put it somewhere where you have to go to to see it, a museum perhaps. Put a description up that tells the truth: 'Hamilton was a murderer who…' etc.
The EU accuses China of misinformation fudging its Corona virus infection rates showing a sudden jump in numbers then an immediate flat line no other outbreak has followed that pattern ,the guardian.
This is the outbreak on Chinas border with Russia I believe.
Could just hokey up some completely fake numbers like that McLaughlin does. Though I s'pose it's a bit harder to pull it off when you've got to mollify 50-odd caucus members than when you just have to pacify an Individual-1.
'Could' just hokey up some completely fake numbers? Chuckle, chuckle.
Washington Post May 23rd:
“Every once in a while, President Trump tweets something like this:
“96% Approval Rating in the Republican Party. Thank you!”
He doesn’t offer a source for the purported poll number because there is literally no evidence that a source exists. For more than a year, Trump’s just occasionally shared random assessments of his popularity within his party, never offering any explanation for where the figure came from.
In fact, he’s painting himself into a corner, as we reported last month. In January 2019, he started claiming that his approval with Republicans was 93 percent. Last summer, he cranked it up to 94 percent. Then, as impeachment loomed and he sought to keep Republicans in line, it climbed to 95 percent. A month ago, under fire for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, he decided he’d hit 96 percent.”
The demand for an apology is a stunt, its ridiculous, he told them to do it, they'd be sacked if they didn't humour him and the gesture in his little mind is slamming the hoax media. In itself it's a lovely little of picture of someone who's lost it.
What should have Trump 💩ing his pants is this- the ONE indicator I've been telling all of you to watch, the one that has NEVER budged, not once, and has been at 94% in Gallup data pretty steady.
In Incognito’s reference above at #5, Trump wrote "which I felt were FAKE based on the incredible enthusiasm we are receiving".
I was going to point out that the self-proclaimed genius President does not understand what the word 'incredible' actually means.
Then I examined the language of the tweet. It sums up his approach to science, to evidence, to fact-based logic.
He wrote "which I felt".
Feelings- not thought, not logic, not understood- "felt".
This is of course what informs his supporters.
It also informs many voters in NZ.
Fortunately, Ardern (and Robertson whom I saw recently at a budget presentation to the local Chamber of Commerce) are both empathetic and genuine individuals who connect at the levels of both feelings and intellect.
But, as Andre says below, there are other opinions……….
Sadly true. All these posers pulling down statues in England of historic slave traders, yet blissfully ignoring the millions of slaves in the world today, particularly in West Africa, and even within England itself of Eastern European sex slaves.
But the issue here is removing old statues put up by historical people living in a different era. Removing a new statue put up in the current era is a very different idea.
The Moutoa memorial is one example, the English inscription reads:
"To the memory of those brave men who fell at Moutoa 14 May 1864 in defence of law and order, against fanaticism and barbarism. This monument is erected by the Province of Wellington."
At first glance one might assume this inscription is a bit racist. But it's actually a memorial to Maori warriors who fought a contemporary 'insurgency' (for want of a better term). A blog comment doesn't do justice to the history of this statue; but this piece from the Whanganui Chronicle is pretty good.
Samuel Clemmens (Mark Twain) had this to say about the Whanganui memorial to the Kūpapa (Queenites) who fought alongside colonials.
The other monument cannot be rectified. Except with dynamite. It is a mistake all through, and a strangely thoughtless one. It is a monument erected by white men to Maoris who fell fighting with the whites and against their own people, in the Maori war. “Sacred to the memory of the brave men who fell on the 14th of May, 1864,” etc. On one side are the names of about twenty Maoris. It is not a fancy of mine; the monument exists. I saw it. It is an object-lesson to the rising generation. It invites to treachery, disloyalty, unpatriotism. Its lesson, in frank terms is, “Desert your flag, slay your people, burn their homes, shame your nationality—we honor such.”
The Whanganui Chronicle piece I linked explains the history in detail of that difficult time, and why Twain's tourist impression is misguided. I don’t think destroying a piece of history is going to solve anything
I mean, its like why don't Black Live Matters don't acknowledge white victims of police brutality, or why don't female survivors of sexual assault don't acknowledge male victims of sexual assault and and and……….
and yeah, funny that you mention Mao and Hitler – now i think in China – where Mao did all his killing – he is somewhat a hero, and one day there might be a generation that will knock over his edifices but Hitler, you will be hard pressed to find anything re Hitler in public places in Germany, you will however find many cast bronze, or carved sculptures that were lifted to the memory of his victims. Heck, whole Concentration Camps were kept in order to show the plight of the victims of the Nazis.
And yeah, the audacity of US American Protesters – many whom are people of color, and their white allies, to protest the shit that is going on in their own country and their own communities rather then some stuff in Thailand or elsewhere. Must be hypocrisy.
And in the meantime, some other cop somewhere in the US is gonna kill someone cause he / she can. For no other reason. Mind if i were inclined to be a serial killer in the US i would join the coppers…..so as long as i was afraid and scared for my life i can kill someone life on telly over 8 min and 48 seconds.
Your main point is absolutely correct. Slavery is very much with us today. Not just in the economic sense of poorly-paid wage slaves, but literal, imprisoned, abused slaves. Millions of them.
Obedience and loyalty to the cult trumps millennia of resistance.
As a child in the Hasidic community, I was taught from a young age: Kneeling for a cross falls under "let yourself get killed, don't do it."
My beliefs might've evolved, but seeing the head of any Jewish Coalition RT an idea that killed Jews throughout history, is mind boggling. https://t.co/SQFmwCEskQ
A great story from Australia, one I had not known but which brought a tear to my eye. Five year old article about an event in 1968 but very topical today about one man's ethical stand and its aftermath.
They were friends. They carried his coffin after his early death in 2006. The long link is a good read but I think you've got most of it already. He was Salvation Army so had a good background for developing a social conscience.
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A brief postscript to yesterday’s newsletter…Watching the predawn speeches just now, the reverence of those speaking and the respectful nature of those listening under umbrellas in the dark. I felt a great sadness at the words from Christopher Luxon last evening still in my head. The singing in the dark accompanied ...
by Don Franks While on holiday,I stayed a few days in Scotland with a friend who showed me one of the country’s great working-class achievements. It was a few miles out of central Edinburgh, a huge cantilever bridge across the river Forth. The Forth Bridge was the first major structure ...
Time To Call A Halt: Chris Hipkins knows that iwi leaders possess the means to make life very difficult for his government. Notwithstanding their objections, however, the Prime Minister’s direction of travel – already clearly signalled by his very public demotion of Nanaia Mahuta – must be confirmed by an emphatic and ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 29, 2023 thru Sat, Feb 4, 2023. Story of the Week Social change more important than physical tipping points1.5-degree Goal not plausible Photo: CLICCS / Universität Hamburg Limiting global ...
So Long - And Thanks For All The Fish: In the two-and-a-bit years since Jacinda Ardern’s electoral triumph of 2020, virtually every decision she made had gone politically awry. In the minds of many thousands of voters a chilling metamorphosis had taken place. The Faerie Queen had become the Wicked ...
Look at us here on our beautiful islands in the South Pacific at the start of 2023, we have come so far.Ten days ago we saw a Māori Governor General swearing in our new PM and our first Pasifika Deputy PM, ahead of this year’s parliament where they will be ...
The Herald’s headline writers are at it again! A sensible and balanced piece by Liam Dann on the battle against inflation carries a headline that suggests that NZ is doing worse than the rest of the world. Check it out and see for yourself if I am right. Is this ...
Photo by Anna Demianenko on UnsplashTLDR: Here’s my longer reads and listens for the weekend for sharing with The Kaka’s paying subscribers. I’ve opened this one up for all to give everyone a taste of the sorts of extras you get as a full paying subscriber.Subscribe nowDeeper reads and listens ...
Hello from the middle of a long weekend where I’m letting the last few days unspool, not ready, not yet, to give words to the hardest of what we heard.Instead, today, here are some good words from other people.Mother CourageWhen I wrote last year about Mum and Dad’s move to ...
Workers Now is a new slate of candidates contesting this year’s general election. James Robb and Don Franks are the people behind this initiative and they are hoping to put the spotlight on working people’s interests. Both are seasoned activists who have campaigned for workers’ rights over many decades. Here is ...
Buzz from the Beehive Politicians keen to curry favour with Māori tribal leaders have headed north for Waitangi weekend. More than a few million dollars of public funding are headed north, too. Not all of this money is being trumpeted on the Beehive website, the Government’s official website. ...
Insurers face claims of over $500 million for cars, homes and property damaged in the floods. They are already putting up premiums and pulling insurance from properties deemed at high risk of flooding. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: This week in the podcast of our weekly hoon webinar for paying subscribers, ...
Our Cranky Uncle Game can already be played in eight languages: English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. About 15 more languages are in the works at various stages of completion or have been offered to be done. To kick off the new year, we checked with how ...
The (new) Prime Minister said nobody understands what co-governance means, later modified to that there were so many varying interpretations that there was no common understanding.Co-governance cannot be derived from the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It does not use the word. It refers to ‘government’ on ...
It’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka. Jump on this link for our chat about the week’s news with special guests Auckland Central MP Chloe Swarbrick and Auckland City Councillor Julie Fairey, including:Auckland’s catastrophic floods, which ...
In March last year, in a panic over rising petrol prices caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the government made a poor decision, "temporarily" cutting fuel excise tax by 25 cents a litre. Of course, it turned out not to be temporary at all, having been extended in May, July, ...
This month’s open thread for climate related topics. Please be constructive, polite, and succinct. The post Unforced variations: Feb 2023 first appeared on RealClimate. ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two fresh press releases had been posted when we checked the Beehive website at noon, both of them posted yesterday. In one statement, in the runup to Waitangi Day, Maori Crown Relations Minister Kelvin Davis drew attention to happenings on a Northland battle site in 1845. ...
It’s that time of the week again when I’m on the site for an hour for a chat in an Ask Me Anything with paying subscribers to The Kaka. Jump in for a chat on anything, including:Auckland’s catastrophic floods, which are set to cost insurers and the Government well over ...
Australia’s Treasurer Jim Chalmers (left) has published a 6,000 word manifesto called ‘Capitalism after the Crises’ arguing for ‘values-based capitalism’. Yet here in NZ we hear the same stale old rhetoric unchanged from the 1990s and early 2000s. Photo: Getty ImagesTLDR: The rest of the world is talking about inflation ...
A couple of weeks ago, after NCEA results came out, my son’s enrolment at Auckland Uni for this year was confirmed - he is doing a BSc majoring in Statistics. Well that is the plan now, who knows what will take his interest once he starts.I spent a bit of ...
Kia ora. What a week! We hope you’ve all come through last weekend’s extreme weather event relatively dry and safe. Header image: stormwater ponds at Hobsonville Point. Image via Twitter. The week in Greater Auckland There’s been a storm of information and debate since the worst of the flooding ...
Hi,At 4.43pm yesterday it arrived — a cease and desist letter from the guy I mentioned in my last newsletter. I’d written an article about “WEWE”, a global multi-level marketing scam making in-roads into New Zealand. MLMs are terrible for many of the same reasons megachurches are terrible, and I ...
Time To Call A Halt: Chris Hipkins knows that iwi leaders possess the means to make life very difficult for his government. Notwithstanding their objections, however, the Prime Minister’s direction of travel – already clearly signalled by his very public demotion of Nanaia Mahuta – must be confirmed by an emphatic ...
Open access notables Via PNAS, Ceylan, Anderson & Wood present a paper squarely in the center of the Skeptical Science wheelhouse: Sharing of misinformation is habitual, not just lazy or biased. The signficance statement is obvious catnip: Misinformation is a worldwide concern carrying socioeconomic and political consequences. What drives ...
Mark White from the Left free speech organisation Plebity looks at the disturbing trend of ‘book burning’ on US campuses In the abstract, people mostly agree that book banning is a bad thing. The Nazis did us the favor of being very clear about it and literally burning books, but ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has undergone a stern baptisim of fire in his first week in his new job, but it doesn’t get any easier. Next week, he has a vital meeting in Canberra with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, where he has to establish ...
As PM Chris Hipkins says, it’s a “no brainer” to extend the fuel tax cut, half price public subsidy and the cut to the road user levy until mid-year. A no braoner if the prime purpose is to ease the burden on people struggling to cope with the cost of ...
Buzz from the Beehive Cost-of-living pressures loomed large in Beehive announcements over the past 24 hours. The PM was obviously keen to announce further measures to keep those costs in check and demonstrate he means business when he talks of focusing his government on bread-and-butter issues. His statement was headed ...
Poor Mike Hosking. He has revealed himself in his most recent diatribe to be one of those public figures who is defined, not by who he is, but by who he isn’t, or at least not by what he is for, but by what he is against. Jacinda’s departure has ...
New Zealand is the second least corrupt country on earth according to the latest Corruption Perception Index published yesterday by Transparency International. But how much does this reflect reality? The problem with being continually feted for world-leading political integrity – which the Beehive and government departments love to boast about ...
TLDR: Including my pick of the news and other links in my checks around the news sites since 4am. Paying subscribers can see them all below the fold.In Aotearoa’s political economyBrown vs Fish Read more ...
TLDR: Including my pick of the news and other links in my checks around the news sites since 4am. Paying subscribers can see them all below the fold.In Aotearoa’s political economyBrown vs Fish Read more ...
In other countries, the target-rich cohorts of swinging voters are given labels such as ‘Mondeo Man’, ‘White Van Man,’ ‘Soccer Moms’ and ‘Little Aussie Battlers.’ Here, the easiest shorthand is ‘Ford Ranger Man’ – as seen here parked outside a Herne Bay restaurant, inbetween two SUVs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / ...
In other countries, the target-rich cohorts of swinging voters are given labels such as ‘Mondeo Man’, ‘White Van Man,’ ‘Soccer Moms’ and ‘Little Aussie Battlers.’ Here, the easiest shorthand is ‘Ford Ranger Man’ – as seen here parked outside a Herne Bay restaurant, inbetween two SUVs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / ...
Transport Minister and now also Minister for Auckland, Michael Wood has confirmed that the light rail project is part of the government’s policy refocus. Wood said the light rail project was under review as part of a ministerial refocus on key Government projects. “We are undertaking a stocktake about how ...
Sometime before the new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced that this year would be about “bread and butter issues”, National’s finance spokesperson Nicola Willis decided to move from Wellington Central and stand for Ohariu, which spreads across north Wellington from the central city to Johnsonville and Tawa. It’s an ...
They say a week is a long time in politics. For Mayor Wayne Brown, turns out 24 hours was long enough for many of us to see, quite obviously, “something isn’t right here…”. That in fact, a lot was going wrong. Very wrong indeed.Mainly because it turns ...
One of the most effective, and successful, graphics developed by Skeptical Science is the escalator. The escalator shows how global surface temperature anomalies vary with time, and illustrates how "contrarians" tend to cherry-pick short time intervals so as to argue that there has been no recent warming, while "realists" recognise ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Here’s a quick roundup of the news today for paying subscribers on a slightly frantic, very wet, and then very warm day. In Aotearoa’s political economy today Read more ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Here’s a quick roundup of the news today for paying subscribers on a slightly frantic, very wet, and then very warm day. In Aotearoa’s political economy today Read more ...
Tomorrow we have a funeral, and thank you all of you for your very kind words and thoughts — flowers, even.Our friend Michèle messaged: we never get to feel one thing at a time, us grownups, and oh boy is that ever the truth. Tomorrow we have the funeral, and ...
Lynn and I have just returned from a news conference where Hipkins, fresh from visiting a relief centre in Mangere, was repeatedly challenged to justify the extension of subsidies to create more climate emissions when the effects of climate change had just proved so disastrous. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The ...
Lynn and I have just returned from a news conference where Hipkins, fresh from visiting a relief centre in Mangere, was repeatedly challenged to justify the extension of subsidies to create more climate emissions when the effects of climate change had just proved so disastrous. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The ...
A new Prime Minister, a revitalised Cabinet, and possibly revised priorities – but is the political and, importantly, economic landscape much different? Certainly some within the news media were excited by the changes which Chris Hipkins announced yesterday or – before the announcement – by the prospect of changes in ...
Currently the government's strategy for reducing transport emissions hinges on boosting vehicle fuel-efficiency, via the clean car standard and clean car discount, and some improvements to public transport. The former has been hugely successful, and has clearly set us on the right path, but its also not enough, and will ...
Buzz from the Beehive Before he announced his Cabinet yesterday, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced he would be flying to Australia next week to meet that country’s Prime Minister. And before Kieran McAnulty had time to say “Three Waters” after his promotion to the Local Government portfolio, he was dishing ...
The quarterly labour market statistics were released this morning, showing that unemployment has risen slightly to 3.4%. There are now 99,000 people unemployed - 24,000 fewer than when Labour took office. So, I guess the Reserve Bank's plan to throw people out of work to stop wage rises "inflation", and ...
Another night of heavy rain, flooding, damage to homes, and people worried about where the hell all this water is going to go as we enter day twenty two of rain this year.Honestly if the government can’t sell Three Waters on the back of what has happened with storm water ...
* Dr Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Chris Hipkins continues to be the new broom in Government, re-setting his Government away from its problem areas in his Cabinet reshuffle yesterday, and trying to convince voters that Labour is focused on “bread and butter” issues. The ministers responsible for unpopular ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins continues to be the new broom in Government, re-setting his Government away from its problem areas in his Cabinet reshuffle yesterday, and trying to convince voters that Labour is focused on “bread and butter” issues. The ministers responsible for unpopular reforms in water and DHB centralisation ...
Hi,It’s weird to me that in 2023 we still have people falling for multi-level marketing schemes (MLMs for short). There are Netflix documentaries about them, countless articles, and last year we did an Armchaired and Dangerous episode on them.Then you check a ticketing website like EventBrite and see this shit ...
Nanaia Mahuta fell the furthest in the Cabinet reshuffle. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: PM Chris Hipkins unveiled a Cabinet this afternoon he hopes will show wavering voters that a refreshed Labour Government is focused on ‘bread and butter cost of living’ issues, rather than the unpopular, unwieldy and massively centralising ...
Nanaia Mahuta fell the furthest in the Cabinet reshuffle. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: PM Chris Hipkins unveiled a Cabinet this afternoon he hopes will show wavering voters that a refreshed Labour Government is focused on ‘bread and butter cost of living’ issues, rather than the unpopular, unwieldy and massively centralising ...
Shortly, the absolute state of Wayne Brown. But before that, something I wrote four years ago for the council’s own media machine. It was a day-in-the-life profile of their many and varied and quite possibly unnoticed vital services. We went all over Auckland in 48 hours for the story, the ...
Completed reads for January Lilith, by George MacDonald The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (poem), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Christabel (poem), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok, by Anonymous The Lay of Kraka (poem), by Anonymous 1066 and All That, by W.C. Sellar and R.J. ...
Pity the poor Brits. They just can’t catch a break. After years of reporting of lying Boris Johnson, a change to a less colourful PM in Rishi Sunak has resulted in a smooth media pivot to an end-of-empire narrative. The New York Times, no less, amplifies suggestions that Blighty ...
On that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth.Genesis 6:11-12THE TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS that dumped a record-breaking amount of rain on Auckland this anniversary weekend will reoccur with ever-increasing frequency. The planet’s atmosphere is ...
Buzz from the Beehive There has been plenty to keep the relevant Ministers busy in flood-stricken Auckland over the past day or two. But New Zealand, last time we looked, extends north of Auckland into Northland and south of the Bombay Hills all the way to the bottom of the ...
Kia ora e te whānau. Today, we mark the anniversary of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi - and our commitment to working in partnership with Māori to deliver better outcomes and tackle the big issues, together. ...
We’ve just announced a massive infrastructure investment to kick-start new housing developments across New Zealand. Through our Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, we’re making sure that critical infrastructure - like pipes, roads and wastewater connections - is in place, so thousands more homes can be built. ...
The Green Party is joining more than 20 community organisations to call for an immediate rent freeze in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, after reports of landlords intending to hike rents after flooding. ...
When Chris Hipkins took on the job of Prime Minister, he said bread and butter issues like the cost of living would be the Government’s top priority – and this week, we’ve set out extra support for families and businesses. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to provide direct support to low-income households and to stop subsidising fossil fuels during a climate crisis. ...
The tools exist to help families with surging costs – and as costs continue to rise it is more urgent than ever that we use them, the Green Party says. ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today held their first bilateral meeting in Canberra. It was Chris Hipkins’ first overseas visit since he took office, reflecting the close relationship between New Zealand and Australia. “New Zealand has no closer partner than Australia. I was pleased to ...
New Zealand will immediately provide humanitarian support to those affected by the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by these earthquakes. Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones affected,” ...
An historic Northland pā site with links to Ngāpuhi chief Hongi Hika is to be handed back to iwi, after collaboration by government, private landowners and local hapū. “It is fitting that the ceremony for the return of the Pākinga Pā site is during Waitangi weekend,” said Regional Development Minister ...
The Government is investing in a suite of initiatives to unlock Māori and Pacific resources, talent and knowledge across the science and research sector, Research, Science and Innovation Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Two new funds – He tipu ka hua and He aka ka toro – set to ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for India tomorrow as she continues to reconnect Aotearoa New Zealand to the world. The visit will begin in New Delhi where the Foreign Minister will meet with the Vice President Hon Jagdeep Dhankar and her Indian Government counterparts, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and ...
Over $10 million infrastructure funding to unlock housing in Whangārei The purchase of a 3.279 hectare site in Kerikeri to enable 56 new homes Northland becomes eligible for $100 million scheme for affordable rentals Multiple Northland communities will benefit from multiple Government housing investments, delivering thousands of new homes for ...
The Government is supporting one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most significant historic sites, the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, as it continues to recover from the impacts of COVID-19. “The Waitangi Treaty Grounds are a taonga that we should protect and look after. This additional support will mean people can continue to ...
A memorial event at a key battle site in the New Zealand land wars is an important event to mark the progress in relations between Māori and the Crown as we head towards Waitangi Day, Minister for Te Arawhiti Kelvin Davis said. The Battle of Ohaeawai in June 1845 saw ...
More Police officers are being deployed to the frontline with the graduation of 54 new constables from the Royal New Zealand Police College today. The graduation ceremony for Recruit Wing 362 at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua was the first official event for Stuart Nash since his reappointment as Police ...
The Government is unlocking an additional $700,000 in support for regions that have been badly hit by the recent flooding and storm damage in the upper North Island. “We’re supporting the response and recovery of Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, Northland, and Bay of Plenty regions, through activating Enhanced Taskforce Green to ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has welcomed the announcement that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, will visit New Zealand this month. “Princess Anne is travelling to Aotearoa at the request of the NZ Army’s Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals, of which she is Colonel in Chief, to ...
A new Government and industry strategy launched today has its sights on growing the value of New Zealand’s horticultural production to $12 billion by 2035, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said. “Our food and fibre exports are vital to New Zealand’s economic security. We’re focussed on long-term strategies that build on ...
25 cents per litre petrol excise duty cut extended to 30 June 2023 – reducing an average 60 litre tank of petrol by $17.25 Road User Charge discount will be re-introduced and continue through until 30 June Half price public transport fares extended to the end of June 2023 saving ...
The strong economy has attracted more people into the workforce, with a record number of New Zealanders in paid work and wages rising to help with cost of living pressures. “The Government’s economic plan is delivering on more better-paid jobs, growing wages and creating more opportunities for more New Zealanders,” ...
The Government is providing a further $1 million to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced today. “Cabinet today agreed that, given the severity of the event, a further $1 million contribution be made. Cabinet wishes to be proactive ...
The new Cabinet will be focused on core bread and butter issues like the cost of living, education, health, housing and keeping communities and businesses safe, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. “We need a greater focus on what’s in front of New Zealanders right now. The new Cabinet line ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will travel to Canberra next week for an in person meeting with Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. “The trans-Tasman relationship is New Zealand’s closest and most important, and it was crucial to me that my first overseas trip as Prime Minister was to Australia,” Chris Hipkins ...
The Government is providing establishment funding of $100,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. “We moved quickly to make available this funding to support Aucklanders while the full extent of the damage is being assessed,” Kieran McAnulty ...
As the Mayor of Auckland has announced a state of emergency, the Government, through NEMA, is able to step up support for those affected by flooding in Auckland. “I’d urge people to follow the advice of authorities and check Auckland Emergency Management for the latest information. As always, the Government ...
Ka papā te whatitiri, Hikohiko ana te uira, wāhi rua mai ana rā runga mai o Huruiki maunga Kua hinga te māreikura o te Nota, a Titewhai Harawira Nā reira, e te kahurangi, takoto, e moe Ka mōwai koa a Whakapara, kua uhia te Tai Tokerau e te kapua pōuri ...
Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Social Development and Employment, has activated Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG) in response to flooding and damaged caused by Cyclone Hale in the Tairāwhiti region. Up to $500,000 will be made available to employ job seekers to support the clean-up. We are still investigating whether other parts ...
The 2023 General Election will be held on Saturday 14 October 2023, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “Announcing the election date early in the year provides New Zealanders with certainty and has become the practice of this Government and the previous one, and I believe is best practice,” Jacinda ...
Jacinda Ardern has announced she will step down as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party. Her resignation will take effect on the appointment of a new Prime Minister. A caucus vote to elect a new Party Leader will occur in 3 days’ time on Sunday the 22nd of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation’s politics team. In this podcast Michelle and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe.Lukas Coch/AAP Australia’s cash rate has hit 3.35%, after the Reserve Bank raised interest rates for the ninth time in a row – and signalled ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hannah Della Bosca, PhD Candidate and Research Assistant at Sydney Environment Institute, University of Sydney Shutterstock While the days of overt climate denial are mostly over, there’s a distinct form of denial emerging in its stead. You may have experienced ...
A potential cyclone that could bring more severe wet weather to the upper North Island is now forecast to form a day earlier, Stuff reports. Due to ideal cyclone-formation conditions over the Coral Sea, a low south of the Solomon Islands has a high chance of turning into a cyclone ...
Author I.S. Belle reveals the top five influences on her debut LGBT horror/paranormal YA novel, Zombabe.Zombabe is a LGBT found family horror/paranormal YA about a group of friends putting down an ancient evil inextricably linked to their sleepy town of Bulldeen, Maine. Does all of that bring anything to ...
New Zealand prime minister Chris Hipkins and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese are holding a joint press conference in Canberra. Watch live here. ...
The New Zealand government is providing $1.5 million in humanitarian support to those affected by destructive earthquakes in Turkey and Syria last night, foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced. The contribution of $1m to Turkey and $500,000 to Syria will be made via the International Federation of Red Cross and ...
In a state-of-the-nation-style lunchtime speech in Auckland today, the leader of the Act Party has taken aim at both major party leaders. “Throughout this speech,” David Seymour told supporters at the Maritime Museum, “I will do my best to differentiate between the Chrisses, but it may not be easy.” Seymour ...
In Canberra Chris Hipkins has met with Australia’s Anthony Albanese in Canberra, exchanging a few brief words to gathered reporters before heading inside for a closed doors meeting. Hipkins was driven into the courtyard of Parliament House, where he was greeted by Albanese in person. “Welcome prime minister,” said Albanese. A beaming ...
The acclaimed fashion designer has been crowned the ‘undisputed king of the frock’ – but with identical dresses widely available on fast fashion outlets, questions are being asked about his design practices.This story was first published on Stuff. He has been described as the “knight of New Zealand fashion”, his ...
In Canberra New Zealand’s media pack has arrived at Australia’s parliament ahead of this afternoon’s visit from prime minister Chris Hipkins. The PM will be met by his counterpart Anthony Albanese in the courtyard of parliament house, before heading inside for a closed doors meeting. Following the 45 minute meeting, ...
Two new funding initiatives, totalling $22 million, have been approved by Cabinet today to help ensure the cultural sector has the “certainty and support to thrive”, announced Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. $10 million of Covid-19 recovery funding will support established arts, cultural and diversity festivals, while $12 ...
New Zealand Politics Daily is a collation of the most prominent issues being discussed in New Zealand. It is edited by Dr Bryce Edwards of The Democracy Project. Items of interest and importance todayWAITANGI, CO-GOVERNANCE, THREE WATERS Thomas Cranmer: Waitangi Day and the quiet revolution Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Waitangi in 2023: Plenty ...
ACT leader David Seymour has delivered a speech painting National and Labour as two sides of the same coin, and calling co-governance a "culture war". ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Quigley, Associate Professor of Earthquake Science, The University of Melbourne Mustafa Karali / AP A pair of huge earthquakes have struck in Turkey, leaving more than 3,000 people dead and unknown numbers injured or displaced. The first quake, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kalinda Griffiths, Scientia lecturer, UNSW Sydney Getty/Marianne Purdie Cancer figures provide stark evidence of the gap between the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous people in Australia. The difference is confronting – and it’s increasing over ...
NZ Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have used a joint media conference to affirm the nations' relationship is that of "family". ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Alcohol bans are being reimposed on Northern Territory Indigenous communities, as the federal and territory governments grapple with intractable problems in Alice Springs and elsewhere in the NT. The situation in Alice Springs and the ...
I was told to avoid gluten. I was told it was all in my head. When 10% of women experience endometriosis, why does it take so long for its classic symptoms to be recognised? It was 2011 when I had my first period. It felt like a very exciting moment ...
In Canberra Chris Hipkins has touched down in Australia’s capital – his first overseas visit since becoming prime minister just three weeks ago. After disembarking from the Airforce Boeing, Hipkins was greeted by his former caucus colleague and current high commissioner to Australia, Dame Annette King. The pair hugged on ...
The rise of TikTok-inspired ‘algospeak’ is making online communication even more of a nightmare, writes SYSCA‘s Lucy Blakiston.This is an excerpt from the Shit You Should Care About daily newsletter – sign up here.Content warning: sexual assault The other day I was chatting with a friend about algospeak – ...
School, finally, is back this week in the nation’s largest city to howls of relief from many parents and (one hopes) some students also. Yet the resumption of normal service shouldn’t obscure a curious inconsistency. The past few weeks have shown ...
MediaRoom column: On the eve of a Cabinet decision on the fate of the proposed public broadcasting merger, questions emerge over the engagement by the TVNZ chief executive of two former National government aides to change the narrative and push TVNZ's view on the Government's plan Within weeks of taking over ...
Olivia Sisson performs a good old-fashioned cost comparison – and it might change the way you buy your veges.The price of food in New Zealand is shocking. So, how to cope? The recommendations are starting to feel like the avo-toast-flat-white trope. Cut those items out and there it is, ...
An early morning fire at an egg-laying farm in Orini, Waikato yesterday has claimed the lives of at least 50,000 hens. The farm is operated by New Zealand’s largest egg producer Zeagold, the country’s biggest egg producer, whose eggs are sold under ...
The Natural and Built Environment Bill and Spatial Planning Bill will make resource management issues worse and should be withdrawn, Federated Farmers has told the Environment Select Committee. "Farmers agree the costly, slow and unpredictable processes ...
New police minister Stuart Nash has met with new health minister Ayesha Verrall to talk about the issue with the aim of preventing ram raids. Nash wants to speed up the scheduled reduction of dairies that can sell cigarettes. Nash made the comments at a police graduation ceremony in Porirua last ...
It’s Tuesday, February 7 and welcome to a special edition of The Spinoff’s live updates. Stewart Sowman-Lund will be on the ground in Canberra today as PM Chris Hipkins meets with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese. What you need to know Chris Hipkins will meet Australian PM ...
Politicking by politicians was less overt but whether there was less politics probably depends on your definition of the word and what lay beneath the optics, 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. ...
Why is it becoming harder to achieve debt-free status? Money Sweetspot is a new company that uses compassion and incentives to help people pay off their debts. Co-founder Sasha Lockley talks to Simon about using gamification to increase financial literacy, breaking the cycle of poverty, and how she intends to ...
Prime minister Chris Hipkins is heading to Australia today for his first face-to-face meeting with an international leader. He’ll be meeting with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese during his single-day visit to Canberra. The Spinoff live updates will be on the ground in Australia as the meeting takes place and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By C Raina MacIntyre, Professor of Global Biosecurity, NHMRC Principal Research Fellow, Head, Biosecurity Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney Pexels/Uriel Mont The question of whether and to what extent face masks work to prevent respiratory infections such as COVID and influenza ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Mackinnon, Professor and Director, Centre for Clean Energy Technologies and Practices, Queensland University of Technology Superconducting cables transmit electicity without lossesShutterstock For most of us, transmitting power is an invisible part of modern life. You flick the switch and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Munro, Professor, Faculty of Education and Arts, Australian Catholic University Shutterstock Many students are returning to school this year face a renewed focus on grammar. Just before Christmas, the NSW curriculum was overhauled to include the “explicit teaching of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Debra Dudek, Associate professor, School of Arts and Humanities, Edith Cowan University Universal Life is full of surprises – some pleasant and some painful – but there can be no surprises without expectations. We expect the sun to come up ...
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[It seems you are new here and started with spamming the site and spreading false information about the PM’s agenda on vaccination. You have one day to provide compelling and convincing evidence that Jacinda Ardern is interested in implementing ‘forced vaccination’ in NZ. If you fail to comply, you will be banned permanently from this site – Incognito]
It looks like quite the paranoid delusional stretch to go from what Ardern actually said to "Forced Vaccination Agenda?".
Nevertheless, when safe and effective vaccines are available but there are grossly antisocial individuals who refuse to be vaccinated without good medical reason, I'd be all for holding them accountable should they get the disease and spread it to others.
In the context of places like the US, that accountability might come in the form of lawsuits for damages. In NZ, as I understand it, there's precedent for prosecuting through the justice system those that spread disease such as HIV.
.
They either make it mandatory, or they don't – remains to be seen as currently we don't even have a scientific consensus as to what this virus actually is.. But unless they are making the vaccine for Covid 19 mandatory the Anti Vax People will not volunteer themselves or their children for a vaccine. No matter what the PM says or not.
Currently however we do nothing when un-vaccinated children / adults spread measels. I think it falls under "Meh", what can be done about it.
I cant see it being mandatory, but if you don't get it you will probably face travel restrictions outside of NZ.
yeah, like we do now with people who don't vaccinate. Right?
Currently, yeah, it seems to be "meh" about unvaccinated (without good medical reason) people spreading measles. I can't think of any other examples in our society where wilful gross negligence causing easily preventable harm to others is tolerated without incurring consequences.
It's time consequences were applied to those that end up spreading disease because they refused to take an extremely cheap, simple and safe precaution against spreading that disease.
It's time consequences were applied to those that end up spreading disease because they refused to take an extremely cheap, simple and safe precaution against spreading that disease.
Andre. Pray tell what exactly are the "consequences" you demand be brought down upon the heads of these willful disease spreaders?
Fines? Imprisonment? Forced vaccination? Termination of employment? Denial of benefits or publicly funded healthcare, expulsion from educational facilities?
"Extremely cheap, simple and safe precaution…" not so much for the approximately 91 poor souls per year so seriously injured by a vaccine that they qualify for ACC cover.
(I have an OIA list of successful claims per year for vaccine injury from ACC if anyone wishes to query this number. )
And every single time the experiences of these victims of vaccine harm are dismissed by the likes of the 60% of Kiwis (such as yourself) who wholeheartedly and without reservation accept the official narrative that 'all vaccines are safe and effective', the gulf betwixt the twain will widen.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12338534
Your OIA info that you're ominously making out as showing vaccinations are dangerous – is it the response to Kayla French that includes this?
Note that at a rate of 0.2% for serious or fatal with an average of 91 claims per year – that works out to once every five or six years that someone thinks someone has suffered a serious or fatal injury from vaccination. And with the way a very active group of kooks are trying hard to falsely paint vaccines as dangerous, I suspect even that one incident every five or six years is more likely than not a misattribution. But sure Rosemary, carry on with trying to present a false argument that anti-vaxxers have any kind of reason or logic on their side.
As for consequences for disease spreaders – personally I think recovering the full cost of treating them and the unfortunates they passed it on to plus the consequential costs suffered by their unfortunate victims would be a good place to start.
Oh, Andre. I do so envy your sureness on this issue.
I guess you have never, ever spoken to someone who has experienced first hand an adverse reaction to a vaccine? A parent, perhaps, who 'lost' their previously milestone hitting child after a post- immunisation fever caused significant neurological damage?
A senior citizen, persuaded to have their very first flu vaccine, who ends up seriously ill with the flu for the first time in their lives?
No, I guess not.
How is it that while many of those who are vaccine hesitant acknowledge the overall benefits of some vaccines, it is almost unheard of for a proponent of vaccines to acknowledge that some people are harmed by vaccines and that not all vaccines are effective?
Surely respectful discussion with the 40% of the population who do not share your unquestioning belief in the safety and efficacy of vaccines would be more productive than the jackboot to the neck approach?
Because hey….in New Zealand we don't even hold those who willfully drink and drive responsible for the injuries they cause. And drink driving is illegal.
You're almost certainly falling for the correlation means causation fallacy.
Childhood vaccinations are frequent enough that the onset of any problems will likely occur *shortly after* a vaccination for significant numbers of children. But that association in time does not *prove* that the vaccine caused the problem. That proof can only come from careful examination of massive data sets. And that careful examination shows the opposite – that vaccines do not cause almost all of the ailments that have been attributed to them.
As just one example, here's a look at encephalopathies that have been falsely blamed on vaccines.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2603512/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4718347/
To be sure, there have been a very few instances of vaccines making it out into general public use and then failing to meet the extremely stringent safety performance expected of them. Invariably, those particular vaccines have been withdrawn extremely rapidly.
As to that idiot segment of the population that has deluded themselves into fearing vaccines through following their feels and ignoring facts, reason, knowledge – I dunno.
Education won't help those who refuse to be educated. Presenting facts and evidence won't help those who refuse to consider them. Coddling them with empathy about their feels doesn't seem a likely route to bring them into the world of reason and evidence.
That doesn't leave much else other than holding them accountable for the outcome of their stupidity, which so far they have been entirely insulated from.
My brother-in-law, a retired cardiologist was unlucky enough to suffer anaphylactic shock from a flu shot, and now refuses to take the flu vaccine.
Andre would have him strung up
If you bothered to try to understand what I actually wrote, you might have twigged to the idea that your brother-in-law falls into the category of people I think deserve the protection of widespread herd immunity from the diseases anti-vaxxers seem so determined to spread around. That herd immunity is created by widespread vaccination of the general public. Because he actually has a medically sound reason not to be vaccinated.
The risk of allergic reaction (with anaphylaxis at the extreme) is a significant part of questionnaires to be asked before administering a vaccine. Every single time I've received a vaccination, the provider has been particularly careful on that point, coming at it with questions from several different angles.
Rare as those reactions actually are, they are still the reason why you're expected to stay at the doctor's office for a waiting time after receiving the vaccination. It's also important to note that such reactions, when appropriately managed, are a temporary nuisance, not a long term problem.
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/general-recs/adverse-reactions.html
Heh!
Andre might need a break from noose tying (those hanging ropes are hard and heavy) and have a read…
https://robwipond.com/archives/1758
Many news articles about a study of influenza vaccine and miscarriages raised good questions—but for questionable reasons, reports Rob Wipond.
(This article appeared in The BMJ (British Medical Journal), January 5, 2018.)
When reporting on medical studies, the popular press has a habit of sensationalising. So the muted response to a recent research paper reporting increased risk of miscarriage with influenza vaccines was at first sight surprising.
…and just one response from a BMJ reader.
https://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k15/rr
In any discussion of influenza epidemiology we should acknowledge the careful and steady (one could even say fearless) work of Danuta Skowronski and her Canadian public health colleagues. It was they who found that the 2008-9 flu shot doubled the risk of illness from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic flu. Their observations were considered important enough to alter Canadian vaccine recommendations for the 2009-10 season. However, for some reason, they had a good deal of difficulty getting their study finally published. (Skowronski, PLoS Med 2010;7(4):e1000258) This observational study was a revelation, even a shock, to many public health experts. US officials never publicly acknowledged the findings…..This is just one of a number of important papers published over the years by Skowronski and her colleagues, who have a reputation for high scientific and ethical standards.
And further from a former BMJ editor….
https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2019/03/13/richard-smith-who-is-most-likely-to-have-side-effects-to-flu-vaccination/
I wondered if I could find an answer to the simple question of “Who is most likely to experience adverse effects of influenza vaccination?” Might it be related to age, gender, having the vaccine for the first time, having reactions in the past, being pregnant, a history of not having the flu, or other factors?
The first paper I found, from JAMA, seemed to conclude that there are no side effects; I had imagined them or, as my wife correctly pointed out, it might be coincidence that I had the vaccination and then symptoms from some other cause. That was hard for me to believe, but I knew that she could be right.
So I couldn’t find an answer to my simple question of who was most likely to get side effects from influenza vaccination despite hundreds of millions being vaccinated every year. I was also left with the conclusion that researchers are much more interested in efficacy than side effects, which fits with the observation that adverse effects are poorly collected and poorly reported in randomised trials. Indeed, I found two systematic reviews of multiple trials of effectiveness. It’s understandable that researchers, particularly those who develop vaccines, will be much more interested in efficacy than side effects, particularly in the context of antivaccinationists making a tremendous amount of noise about mostly false adverse effects of vaccines. The researchers, who will rightly believe in the great effectiveness of vaccines, will not want people to be put off from being vaccinated. But patients are interested in both efficacy and side effects, and if they are to give genuinely informed consent they need high quality evidence on both. The nurse who vaccinated gave me no information at all (perhaps because she knew I was a doctor, and I didn’t ask) and told my wife there were no side effects (perhaps she’d read the JAMA trial).
This discussion happened just over one year ago.
One year ago. And one of the planet's more reputable medical journals publishes and allows open discussion on the more than murky field of vaccine research.
Beware Andre….your head just might explode…
The top image is hosted on a site selling massively expensive debunked cancer "treatments" (e.g. gcMAF – " Once proclaimed a ‘magic protein’ capable of curing cancer, GcMAF has been proven ineffective."). The site also features some 'unconventional' theories on the origins of cancer ( e.g. "cancer is NOT a genetic disease" )
No surprises there.
Indeed. Then with a little more digging to find the names of people associated with that site selling massively expensive debunked cancer "treatment" … well… virtual chocolate fish to everyone who correctly guesses.
Paleo Pete?
No chocolate fish for you! (I had to look up who Paleo Pete is – I can see why he might fit)
Mrs Kelly's young fulla?
We have a winner!
https://opencorporates.com/companies/nz/565346
See my Moderation note @ 7:08 AM.
It is a question and a concern designed to promote healthy discussion on this matter. We have recently seen the “COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020” being rushed through parliament in a way that was deeply concerning to The Human Rights Commission. This act gives government the power to issue orders that require persons to take any specified action, or any specified measure, if the government believes it will help to prevent the spread of Covid-19. This overrides The Bill of Rights and deeply concerns me that the government may consider mandatory vaccinations when a vaccine comes along. This concern was heightened with another recent event when “The Covid-19 Public Health Response (Safeguard from forced vaccinations)” amendment bill, tabled by Jami-Lee Ross was rejected by other political parties and after viewing the video of Nationals Christopher Luxon responded “Yes I do” to the question “Do you support cutting benefits to solo parents who do not vaccinate their children?”
I am not against vaccines, but I support The Bill of Rights and the freedom of individuals to choose.
[You do not seem to understand the Moderation request. You have been asked to put up evidence for an agenda by Jacinda Ardern to implement forced vaccination in NZ. It follows directly from your first comment @ 1 and its content and presentation. The onus is on you to comply with the Moderation request, not to argue your agenda and detract with BORA, et cetera. NB Christopher Luxon is not even in Parliament yet and you have created another strawman.
I find your opening gambit highly disingenuous. There are other ways to design and promote discussion on the matter of COVID-19 vaccination.
By associating your ‘discussion’ with Jacinda Ardern, and with 100 days until the Election, you politicised the issue from the outset.
I suspect that you have an agenda and ulterior motives, and my suspicion is further raised by the company website you are associated with.
Are there currently any examples of forced vaccination in NZ?
Are there currently any examples of mandatory vaccination in NZ?
Being deeply concerned is no reason to deliberately spread disinformation to stoke fear.
Did you know that it is not mandatory to tell your partner that you are HIV-positive before having sex as long as you use a condom for protection (of your partner)?
Did you know that currently there is no vaccine against HIV?
If your comment @ 1 was merely based on your speculation and concern, you can provide a clarification as such that leaves no doubt whatsoever that you made it up and that Jacinda Ardern has no such plans for forced vaccination.
You have until tomorrow or face a permanent ban – Incognito]
[As I suspected, you’re not interested to “promote healthy discussion”. You deliberately started off in a highly politicised manner and together with your website this immediately gave away your agenda. I’ve given you an opportunity to take your contribution to where we can trust you and respect you for your opinions and engage with you in good faith, but you decided not to take it. I take this as another sign of your disingenuous agenda. Long story short, you were warned and you are now banned permanently from this site – Incognito]
We all live in a society. The cost of the huge benefits we receive from that is that our freedoms can never be absolute.
Individuals cannot have absolute freedom if that freedom takes away the freedom of others. In this case, a poor uptake of a covid 19 vaccine places all in danger. Some measure of coercion is unfortunately necessary for the good if the majority (and the fruitcake anti vaxxer minority themselves).
I disagree that a poor uptake of a covid-19 vaccine places us all in danger. Surely it only places in danger those who do not take the vaccine?
Not true. No vaccine is ever 100% effective, and most do not give lifetime immunity. So the anti vaxxers keep the virus alive in the community and it will spread to the vulnerable, especially new immigrants to NZ that arrive from countries where prenventative healthcare is less prevalent.
Just Google the topic, but to get you started:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/27/us-warning-pandemic-anti-vaxxers
https://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/initiative/detection/immunization_misconceptions/en/index2.html
And those who because of legitimate medical reasons and not their own selfishness, have no option but to rely on the herd sharing the risks of vaccination.
And you have a duty to report accurately and factually, not flout garbage touted by the very people with whom you say you disagree.
The rights of people always carry responsibilities as well. The right to an opinion does demand the responsibility to be as informed, accurate and factual as possible.
Otherwise, you are badly informed, stupid, a quack or a nutter, vapid, vacuous and vacant.
English has a wide vocabulary for people who offer crazy notions as bona fide opinions.
Boorish, biased, bigoted, prejudiced, potty, pillock, contrary, conspiratorial, clot, foolish, fanciful, flibbertigibbet.
Mac1. And you are certainly using that wide vocabulary with all the words starting with p, v, b. I am impressed! Great stuff.
You left out "fucking idiots " Mac, but then I know that's not your style.
People who cling "RIGHTS "always disregard the corresponding "RESPONSIBILITIES."
You left out "fucking idiots " Mac, but then I know that's not your style.
People who cling to "RIGHTS "always disregard the corresponding "RESPONSIBILITIES."
How can you tell if someone is an anti-vaxxer?
It's a pretty good clue when someone says something like "I am not against vaccines, but …" in the midst of raising all kinds of spurious concerns. Then when you do a search on them and find their handle on another forum linking approvingly to a notorious anti-vaxxer …
I do not hide behind any handle or first name only. I have never written on any blog against vaccines.
And personally, I respect you for using your full name, and for your posts. Absolutely opposed to your views, but you and others hold them and it is important they be aired and refuted.
Are you or are you not the Michael Kelly that commented on the No Punches Pulled blog linking to a video featuring Judy Mikovits PLANDEMIC?
(not linking because that site and its comments are nuttier than the buffet at a squirrel convention)
As for handles here, the culture is that most commenters use a pseudonym. Including almost all authors, even those whose real life identities are openly disclosed. When I started commenting here, it frankly felt weird not using my full name, but that's what this forum is.
“…nuttier than the buffet at a squirrel convention” – ha, very good.
Hi Michael
In the USA the MAGA crowd believe that covid tests are a way of collecting a person's DNA, and they are dead against taking a vaccine. Yes it's a crazy way of thinking, but that's how the trump supporters roll.
Freedom of choice is one matter but spreading MAGA propaganda narratives is another. JS
I am not against a healthy discussion about vaccination per se. I regard this though as a strawman argument because
1 there is currently no vaccine against Covid-19
2 It is not the way of NZ to enforce vaccination on those who do not wish to have it as long as those doing so have a knowledge of what they are doing
3 The best example is for the vaccination given to teenage girls where there is an ability for them to opt for or not personally, despite what their guardians may or may not believe.
4 A specific regime of vaccination unless you/guardian specifically opt out will catch the 'can't be bothered' parents of which there are many.
5 Despite no compulsory vaccination those who do not vaccinate or arrange to have their children vaccinated may find that some avenues may be closed for them and their children eg
-Travel some countries may not allow unvaccinated travellers from NZ to visit their countries in much the same way as earlier generations of travellers up to the 1990s at least could not visit places unless we could show up to date vaccination certificates for yellow fever & malaria in 1996 in Mauritius and Kenya.
-Private NZ places such as rest homes, early childhood orgs etc may legitimately ask that people wishing to avail themselves of services offered may be required to produce vaccination certificates so that the resthome, ECE is able to keep residents/children safe. I do not regard this as punitive but of a responsible owner of an enterprise. There is no Bill of Rights provisions to say that a private owner is not able to take reasonable steps and must admit those who do not abide by these reasonable steps. Just as despite some of our greatest social advance/freedoms there are still some will not admit LGBT to their private homes or home based businesses.
So while interesting the post is in response to 'screamers' in the media doing a beat-up.
We obviously will have to regard all threats to our individual liberty seriously just as we accept many provisions for the greater good, harking back really to King John and the Robber barons when I lost my ability to raise a private army!
I had thought that the strength of this legislation COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020 was diluted that it was time bound just as the Declarations of Emergency etc under the Health and Civil Defence Acts all the way through the pandemic were time bound.
It quotes junk science. This is one of my my biggest objections. Advancing an argument should be done without recourse to dubious websites/science.
See my Moderation note @ 11:03 AM.
See my second Moderation note @ 11:03 AM.
It should be "opt out only", just like teenage MMR.
And opt out means can't go to school.
Maybe a social welfare file flag that they deliberately made themselves a public menace.
Perhaps a nice Lima line.
It appears someone does not appreciate the distinction between available to all and compulsory for all.
Hydroxychloroquine just won't lie down and die
from Yale
https://medicine.yale.edu/yigh/news-article/25085/
https://academic.oup.com/aje/advance-article/doi/10.1093/aje/kwaa093/5847586
an excerpt
"COVID-19 is really two different diseases. In the first few days, it is like a very bad cold. In some people, it then morphs into pneumonia which can be life-threatening. What I found is that treatments for the cold don’t work well for the pneumonia, and vice versa. Most of the published studies have looked at treatments for the cold but used for the pneumonia. I just looked at how well the treatments for the cold worked for the cold. There are five studies done this way, four of hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin and one with hydroxychloroquine plus doxycycline, and they all show that treating the cold part of COVID-19—the early part—works very well."
I guess the minute WHO came out against it, it was pretty obvious that there was at least some value in the drugs. They seem to specialise in disinformation and promoting confusion.
A relevant article in the Herald in regard to the conversations about statues and public monuments that have been discussed in the last few days:
"George Floyd protests: New Zealand's controversial statues and the calls to bring them down – Micheal Neilson"
One of the statues discussed was Captain Cook –
However, the sense of achievement from that success was overshadowed very quickly,
For those that remain unaware – there are almost always those, who despite setbacks, have persisted to right wrongs. The example above shows how unless the change is genuine, it is one battle after another to get real systematic and institutional change.
Please add links to the source if you are quoting.
Gisborne councillors are fortunately seeing the error of their ways: http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/local-news/20200610/decision-revoked/
Sorry, Sacha I thought I had on the name of the article and author, but obviously didn't.
Thanks for the reminder.
George Floyd protests: New Zealand's controversial statues and the calls to bring them down
(Missed link on 3. Had to change devices to provide link.)
Crook Cook.
Because the face is not readily recognisable as a likeness of Cook, and the uniform is incorrect, it was thought for many years to not be a statue of Cook at all. A plaque was installed in October 1998 with the words ‘‘Who is he? We have no idea?” based on this erroneous conclusion.
[…]
Is the uniform correct?
No. Cook is not wearing the uniform of a British naval officer, nor does his uniform resemble that of any other European naval uniforms.(6) The uniform has been described as ‘Italian’ in style.
The sculptor has him wearing a coat with collar down and buttoned across the chest – a late-eighteenth/early nineteenth century style, dating from after Cook’s death. He wears a Lieutenant’s coat, with Captain’s epaulettes.
On his head he wears a Captain’s bicorne (a style which replaced the tricorne in the 1790s) worn in the ‘athwart’ (side-to-side) style as it would have commonly been worn in the 1790s. Cook’s uniform would have included a tricorne hat and an open coat with a low collar and no epaulettes (as shown in the Webber portrait).
https://tairawhitimuseum.org.nz/2019/03/26/the-crook-cook-the-story-of-the-statue-2/
It's great the councillors have seen the error of their ways… again.
But really how many times do they need to be reminded? How many times do tangata whenua have to be the ones reminding?
The rubber band that takes them back to the original non-consultative decision making process needs to be broken.
We have so little history commemorated here.
We need a lot more controversial public memorials, not fewer.
A statue to Mr Floyd is in order for starters.
Also one for
– Kate Shephard
– King Potatau
– Helen Clark
– Colin McCahon
– Mr Baxter the anti war activist
– Mr Upham VC and bar
– One at Mangere for Stonefields protest
– multiple for medical people who got us through COVID 19.
A dozen more. Stop being afraid.
Up and down the country. 1 a year for a decade. Go check out the one NZTA and Waikato did south of Meremere for the big battle there.
Proud, troubled, uneven, but more importantly, US.
We shouldn't waste money on one for helen clark because it'll just get smashed up.
Although if one does get made I suppose we could put its remnants in Te Papa.
The description on the piece could read:
"helen clark's statue was destroyed amidst protests against celebrating a leader who oversaw widespread right-wing reform of our social welfare system, who thought she could get away with further dispossession of Maori in the 21st century, who reached agreement with the Australian government to wreck thousands of peoples' lives by removing all rights from New Zealanders living there and who continued to uphold the raison d'être of the previous government which spent nine years destroying the cultural fabric of our nation through blind adherence to neo-liberal principles displaying almost complete disdain for the welfare of citizens."
Yes, okay then. A statue for helen clark would be good.
Upham VC has a statue already in Amberley since 1997.
https://www.hurunui.govt.nz/find/about-the-district/history/charles-upham-vc-and-bar
Archibald Baxter had a ‘guerilla statue’ in Wellington in 2016 for a short time.
I’d add, Ad, statues for Mother Suzanne Aubert, the CO and member of the NZ Legislative Council, Mark Briggs.
There are many better ways to acknowledge people than statues. Might as well put up a sign saying "Here's your symbol, protesters gather here". Helen Clark would be getting vandalised every pissed-up Saturday night.
They also feed the false notion of progress being achieved by a lone Superhero. That's Hollywood history.
"We need a lot more controversial public memorials, not fewer.
A statue to Mr Floyd is in order for starters."
Why on earth for?
And Helen Clark?
Ad, it is just so hard to tell how serious you are trying to be..
We have a statue for Keith Park in Thames – the town where was born. There is also a statue of Keith Park in London in Waterloo Place just off from Trafalgar Square.
For those who don't know who this NZer is,
Paula Southgate's got the right idea. Take it away. Put it somewhere where you have to go to to see it, a museum perhaps. Put a description up that tells the truth: 'Hamilton was a murderer who…' etc.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/121802338/man-vows-to-tear-captain-hamilton-statue-down
Gizzy should put up a statue of Kupe somewhere up the street from Cap Cook, But make Kupe bigger and riding a Polynesian double-hulled waka
The EU accuses China of misinformation fudging its Corona virus infection rates showing a sudden jump in numbers then an immediate flat line no other outbreak has followed that pattern ,the guardian.
This is the outbreak on Chinas border with Russia I believe.
[Link required]
Guardian disinformation article
Wow, didn't realise the amount of disinformation and cold war BS that Europe's had to deal with, on top of everything else
National could have saved itself a lot of agony by simply (!) demanding retraction of the poll results 😉
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/donald-trumps-america/300032157/donald-trump-demands-apology-retraction-of-cnn-poll-showing-joe-biden-leading
Simon and Paula would still be riding
high.Could just hokey up some completely fake numbers like that McLaughlin does. Though I s'pose it's a bit harder to pull it off when you've got to mollify 50-odd caucus members than when you just have to pacify an Individual-1.
I quite like the pragmatic approach. John Key was pretty good at it.
That's one opinion, I can find others.
'Could' just hokey up some completely fake numbers? Chuckle, chuckle.
Washington Post May 23rd:
“Every once in a while, President Trump tweets something like this:
“96% Approval Rating in the Republican Party. Thank you!”
He doesn’t offer a source for the purported poll number because there is literally no evidence that a source exists. For more than a year, Trump’s just occasionally shared random assessments of his popularity within his party, never offering any explanation for where the figure came from.
In fact, he’s painting himself into a corner, as we reported last month. In January 2019, he started claiming that his approval with Republicans was 93 percent. Last summer, he cranked it up to 94 percent. Then, as impeachment loomed and he sought to keep Republicans in line, it climbed to 95 percent. A month ago, under fire for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, he decided he’d hit 96 percent.”
The demand for an apology is a stunt, its ridiculous, he told them to do it, they'd be sacked if they didn't humour him and the gesture in his little mind is slamming the hoax media. In itself it's a lovely little of picture of someone who's lost it.
Oh, and it'll be 97% next month!
Wait till it reaches 105%
OANN is on the job.
He should be worried.
In Incognito’s reference above at #5, Trump wrote "which I felt were FAKE based on the incredible enthusiasm we are receiving".
I was going to point out that the self-proclaimed genius President does not understand what the word 'incredible' actually means.
Then I examined the language of the tweet. It sums up his approach to science, to evidence, to fact-based logic.
He wrote "which I felt".
Feelings- not thought, not logic, not understood- "felt".
This is of course what informs his supporters.
It also informs many voters in NZ.
Fortunately, Ardern (and Robertson whom I saw recently at a budget presentation to the local Chamber of Commerce) are both empathetic and genuine individuals who connect at the levels of both feelings and intellect.
But, as Andre says below, there are other opinions……….
It seems some lives matter more than others or is we don't like to interfere in the affairs of others.
https://wkzo.com/news/articles/2020/jun/08/thai-exiles-kidnapping-sparks-protests-over-missing-critics/1026879/?refer-section=world
Sadly true. All these posers pulling down statues in England of historic slave traders, yet blissfully ignoring the millions of slaves in the world today, particularly in West Africa, and even within England itself of Eastern European sex slaves.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/time.com/longform/african-slave-trade/%3famp=true
And why on earth does NZ even accept the yuan bank notes, each one with the potrait of Mao, a far greater killer than Hitler ever was.
Sadly the world is a hypocritical place where coloured lives dont matter if they live in Africa or China.
I'm fairly sure that if a statue of a known and documented sex slaver was put up in England it would be torn down.
Yeah but a very English good mate of a sex slaver won't even answer questions to a court about him, but then He must be above that sort of thing.
lol, took me a moment to twig. Not sure how English he is though, aren't they a German family?
Half-German, but marrying into other Royal families was SOP back then.
But the issue here is removing old statues put up by historical people living in a different era. Removing a new statue put up in the current era is a very different idea.
The Moutoa memorial is one example, the English inscription reads:
At first glance one might assume this inscription is a bit racist. But it's actually a memorial to Maori warriors who fought a contemporary 'insurgency' (for want of a better term). A blog comment doesn't do justice to the history of this statue; but this piece from the Whanganui Chronicle is pretty good.
Samuel Clemmens (Mark Twain) had this to say about the Whanganui memorial to the Kūpapa (Queenites) who fought alongside colonials.
– Following the Equator
The Whanganui Chronicle piece I linked explains the history in detail of that difficult time, and why Twain's tourist impression is misguided. I don’t think destroying a piece of history is going to solve anything
And some say he was referring to the Kūpapa.
I mean, its like why don't Black Live Matters don't acknowledge white victims of police brutality, or why don't female survivors of sexual assault don't acknowledge male victims of sexual assault and and and……….
and yeah, funny that you mention Mao and Hitler – now i think in China – where Mao did all his killing – he is somewhat a hero, and one day there might be a generation that will knock over his edifices but Hitler, you will be hard pressed to find anything re Hitler in public places in Germany, you will however find many cast bronze, or carved sculptures that were lifted to the memory of his victims. Heck, whole Concentration Camps were kept in order to show the plight of the victims of the Nazis.
And yeah, the audacity of US American Protesters – many whom are people of color, and their white allies, to protest the shit that is going on in their own country and their own communities rather then some stuff in Thailand or elsewhere. Must be hypocrisy.
And in the meantime, some other cop somewhere in the US is gonna kill someone cause he / she can. For no other reason. Mind if i were inclined to be a serial killer in the US i would join the coppers…..so as long as i was afraid and scared for my life i can kill someone life on telly over 8 min and 48 seconds.
I guess my post was not too clear. I absolutely support Black Lives Matter. No question there.
It is just sad how the majority of victims in the world are ignored.
Your main point is absolutely correct. Slavery is very much with us today. Not just in the economic sense of poorly-paid wage slaves, but literal, imprisoned, abused slaves. Millions of them.
Obedience and loyalty to the cult trumps millennia of resistance.
'Murica.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abolitionism#/media/File:Official_medallion_of_the_British_Anti-Slavery_Society_(1795).jpg
A great story from Australia, one I had not known but which brought a tear to my eye. Five year old article about an event in 1968 but very topical today about one man's ethical stand and its aftermath.
https://www.filmsforaction.org/articles/the-white-man-in-that-photo/
Great story, RIP Peter Norman
Yes. A very cruel world for the very brave.
Read about this a few years ago.
Pretty inspiring stuff.
Think they were all friends for years (without reading the long link)
They were friends. They carried his coffin after his early death in 2006. The long link is a good read but I think you've got most of it already. He was Salvation Army so had a good background for developing a social conscience.
Imagine having Parliament apologise to you , even six years after your death in 2012. http://www.andrewleigh.com/3389
Something the Australian PM, John Howard, could not do for the stolen generation of aboriginals earlier……..
Thanks for the wonderful read.