Of all of the accusations of chemical weapons use in Syria, there isn't one other than Douma where the OPCW inspectors actually visited the sites. All of the evidence was received from those making the accusations, that is, the terrorists. The OPCW declared it was not safe to visit those areas but happily accepted evidence from those who would have harmed them.
Thanks, wonder when this story will get some coverage on MSM (as the original attack and US response did), wouldn't it be nice to see Kim Hill interview someone about this for instance?
It's the same people that made up their minds long ago repeating the same things over and over again, apparently hoping that repetition will make it stick in people's mind. Only this time, they didn't even have the courtesy to include information about their grounds for disagreement with the OPCW for anyone to follow up on.
Presumably their vague insinuations still rely on the thoroughly debunked efforts of the likes of Henderson and Postol, but since they don't actually give any links or names, it's hard to tell.
It's all very reminiscent of the way 9/11 troofers operate.
"It's all very reminiscent of the way 9/11 troofers operate" well you would know all about that pal, as that is where your Russuagate conspiracy has taken you…down the rabbit hole where not lights shine.
No, it's completely different. There is no evidence to support the claims made by the 9/11 "truthers." In stark contrast to that, the testimony of experts, and the concerns of these renowned and non-partisan academics about the attempts to manipulate and silence OPCW inspectors is credible, and compelling:
Since the publication by the OPCW of its final report in March 2019, a series of worrying developments has raised serious and substantial concerns with respect to the conduct of that investigation. These developments include instances in which OPCW inspectors involved with the investigation have identified major procedural and scientific irregularities, the leaking of a significant quantity of corroborating documents, and damning statements provided to UN Security Council meetings. It is now well established that some senior inspectors involved with the investigation, one of whom played a central role, reject how the investigation derived its conclusions, and OPCW management now stands accused of accepting unsubstantiated or possibly manipulated findings with the most serious geo-political and security implications. Calls by some members of the Executive Council of the OPCW to allow all inspectors to be heard were blocked. …
Turns out the Democratic party had paid trolls trying to influence the US elections, now isn't that ironic…though I am sure this beautiful irony will sail blissfully above some heads..
"Majid Padellan, who runs the nearly 900,000-follower-strong Twitter account— and has been slammed previously for urging Bernie Sanders to drop out of the 2020 presidential race — allegedly accepted more than $57,000 from a pro-Biden PAC, Really American, last year,"
From your New York Post piece (a Murdoch-owned rag):
In his Twitter bio, Padellan says he’s a senior adviser to the PAC …
So, someone that openly discloses he is in a paid employment relationship with a political action committee posts tweets favourable to the politician his employer supports, and you think this is somehow news?
Are you really so desperate to find something – anything – you can use to slam Dems that you're reduced to recycling attempted Repug bullshit pushed out through Murdoch outlets?
Yeah I guess all the media coverage of this in the US is because he was so transparent that he was being paid US 60,000 ($83,500 NZD) by the Dems to Troll…
so people need a sign now to tell them not to throw rubbish on the ground?
There probably aren't enough rubbish bins, so leave your rubbish under/next to the full ones and then tweet a photo to the mayor/council. Throwing your shit on the footpath is something else.
Are we giving away NZ expertise and patents that should be staying with us as part of our comparative advantage in trading with other nations? Has globalisation just sliced through that economic dictum? Then again China is providing its internal market anyway, how to stop the rot?
Feb.15/2021 Zespri chairman accused of trying to intimidate regulator Kiwifruit NZ in 'threatening' and 'offensive' phone call
Later economists deviated from Adam Smith in developing new lines of inquiry, but retained his insights. Inspired by The Wealth of Nations, David Ricardo developed the theory of comparative advantage, which shows that nations should specialize and then trade, which led to greater prosperity.
I despise the Americas Cup on every level. Hope we lose and hope our government stops paying it any attention or funding. We've got a homelessness crisis, in case you didn't notice.
Quite a good piece on the Great White American Cup here…
America's Cup is about wealth and privilege, not diversity
"At the moment the America’s Cup looks like a regatta for white blokes of immense wealth and privilege. I looked at the crew list for American Magic and amongst the 164 mug shots I did not pick out one black face. So whatever happened to Black Lives Matter? In sailing, they not only don’t matter, they don’t even exist."
President of the USA and apparently the free world looks like he really should probably be in a rest home or at the very least not the leader of the most powerful country in the entire world…
It think it's the attack line ordered to be pushed to deflect from the successful reception of Biden's near two trillion dollar covid relief package.
What's fascinating is why someone who identifies as "socialist Labour at heart", wouldn't champion the projected reduction in poverty in the u.s, and applaud Joe Biden just launched the second war on poverty but chooses to attack the man instead?
Fuck you you really are a chump…seriously, come on man, if Biden was actually serious about cutting poverty in a meaningful way he would have pushed through the minium wage like he promised…
I get it that simple arithmetic is beyond your cognitive abilities, and the numbers involved are higher than you can count to even if you take your shoes and socks off, but the simple reality is there are not enough votes in the senate to pass a $15 minimum wage. The vote was 58 against vs 42 for.
edit: Here’s a better explainer that includes this gem:
The bottom line: Senators who didn’t stand behind the increase on Friday are likely to be targeted by progressives.
Progressives that target those senators and cause them to lose will be extremely likely to end up with a Repug instead. Who wouldn’t even vote for something like the COVID relief package. Which would be a huge step in the wrong direction for progressive priorities.
Of course you see the logic in not actually fighting for anything important, let alone fighting for the very thing your own Biden/Dems promised again and again and Again only a few months ago…you have been trained well….so very well, I wish my dogs were as easy to train as seem to have been.
And I guess because you have been grovelling on your knees and kissing the boot for so long that it has become just normal a daily routine for you now, you probably don't even notice…
So the "socialist Labour at heart" guy has no good words for the old fella whose policy will cut child poverty in half and general poverty by a third, but will castigate him for not pushing through the minimum wage element to the bill, even though it wasn't up to him anyway, and the blame falls solely on the moderate democrats who wouldn't vote for it. Gotcha.
Now, “Fuck you you really are a chump”, you say? Er, okay. lol
So there is evidence that he has done anything other than plunge millions of children in to poverty via his villainous Crimes Act of 1994? Could you post it for us please?
If you don't want to congratulate a u.s president getting huge wins to fight poverty in his first 50 days, with a whopping 75% public support, I guess you just have to say so and admit you're not really fighting half as hard as the Dems did for poor people, just the old, cold war, still living rent free inside your head.
I wonder what one will pay rent and put food on the table?
The Dems fight hard for poor people, do they? I think you might have them confused with people who really do that, like the governments in Venezuela (1999 to present day) and Brazil (2003 to 2016)—both of which the "Dems" have ruthlessly helped to traduce, undermine, and—in the case of Brazil—destroy.
I'm skeptical about anything Biden and his cronies say; that skepticism is based on long and careful observation of what he and his cronies have done over the last two generations. You are the one who exhibits a fundamentalist style of faith in these people, you are the one who states his readiness to believe their assurances, in spite of everything they have done, and failed/refused to do, in the past.
You are the one who exhibits a fundamentalist style of faith in these people, you are the one who states his readiness to believe their assurances, in spite of everything they have done, and failed/refused to do, in the past.
I thought I just noted how Thornton, a "socialist Labour at heart" wouldn't say anything positive about a president, and an american president at that, who through independent analysis, is going to make huge inroads into poverty and child poverty.
In then noting a similar double standard, I dared you to escape your comfort zone to say something good about him after pushing this unprecedented bill, yet rather than give just even the littlest "yeah, good start, it will help millions of poor people", you failed.
I think I'll stick with the hand I played. You are of course quite free to continue to twist.
Well obviously it goes without saying that you are quite OK with the most powerful nation on the planet being led by an old guy clearly displaying some sort of early onset degenerative age related condition….as we all well know when it comes to being a team player numero uno with the US Democratic Party, you are the man, which is I assume, also why you apply absolutely no critical thinking to this subject.
"Some sort of degenerative age-related condition" awaits most if not all of us. Biden will have good days and bad, but on his worst day will be better than the previous incumbent was on his 'best' day, imho. You don't have to be a Biden fan to know that.
The cognitive decline, visible to anyone who watches him speak, is the least of the reasons to be concerned about Biden. A more serious and urgent concern is his decision to bomb Syria, wasting Syrian lives and American money. As this young American ice fisherman pointed out the other day, why is Biden spending money on bombing Syria when he owes him two grand?
It's marginal in the extreme. How much money is he going to commit this year to the bombing of several countries, to the undermining and destruction of democracy in Latin America, and the maintenance of more than five thousand military bases, 600 of which are overseas?
…so maybe he is suggesting that instead of every new US president continuing the former presidents forever wars across the planet, maybe, just maybe they would be better off spending some of those billions if not trillions on..oh I don’t know, how about the fifteen dollar minimum wage that Biden campaigned on, don’t you think that would be the sane and right thing to do?
…or this Biden continuation of the USA’s wars and interventions across the globe…
“Imposed by the United States, European Union as well as other countries, the sanctions have sparked economic, humanitarian and development crises, devastating the entire population, especially those living in extreme poverty, women, medical workers, individuals with life-threatening diseases and indigenous peoples.”
Independent UN rights expert calls for unilateral sanctions to be dropped against Venezuela
“United Nations voiced concerns that sanctions imposed under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act – also known as the Caesar Act – risk exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in Syria, especially in the course of COVID-19 pandemic, and put Syrians at even greater risk of rights violations.”
UN rights expert urges United States to remove sanctions hindering rebuilding in Syria
No worries. If his congitive decline is so obvious to anyone who watches him speak that it can be discerned without error by anyone who watches him speak (without context or patient history), he's not long for this world anyway. Save your rage for the next one.
well that was a comment that went nowhere much and said even less…as usual.
We all know you have no empathy for any human suffering that is sanctioned by the West and approved by a compliant western media…nothing new to see here.
Where exactly did you see the rage in my comment? are you sure you are not projecting there pal…
OK, here it is in a different way: if Biden is in generally observable mental decline over just a year or so of public appearances (as alleged), the policies you have a problem with are not his policies, and he will be dead soon, anyway.
"Rage"? Adrian presented evidence that Biden is continuing the U.S. regime's aggression against Venezuela and Syria. Where was the "rage" in that? If you want an example of rage at its ugliest and most brutal, I suggest you delve a little into the speeches of Joe Biden. Not the ones where he plagiarized Neil Kinnock, but the really ugly ones, where he unleashes his rage….
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The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
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Opinion: With maths understanding at 42 percent for Year 8 students, there’s no doubt something has to be done. But how? The post Financial literacy should be on all of us appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When ASIO boss Mike Burgess delivered his annual threat assessment earlier this year, he stressed the rising danger posed by espionage and foreign interference. “In 2024, threats to our way of life have surpassed ...
The Tribunal had called on Minister for Children Karen Chhour to provide evidence at an urgent inquiry into the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Midjourney image by T.J. Thomson As more than half of Australian office workers report using generative artificial intelligence (AI) for work, we’re starting to see this technology affect every ...
The OPCW saga is not going away
https://couragefound.org/2021/03/statement-of-concern-the-opcw-investigation-of-alleged-chemical-weapons-use-in-douma-syria/
Try passing this off as a few "outliers"
Lots of powerful signatures on there. Thanks Francesca
Of all of the accusations of chemical weapons use in Syria, there isn't one other than Douma where the OPCW inspectors actually visited the sites. All of the evidence was received from those making the accusations, that is, the terrorists. The OPCW declared it was not safe to visit those areas but happily accepted evidence from those who would have harmed them.
It's plainly written in the OPCW reports.
Thanks, wonder when this story will get some coverage on MSM (as the original attack and US response did), wouldn't it be nice to see Kim Hill interview someone about this for instance?
More from the Courage Foundation
This is not just 2 dissenting officers of the OPCW, the concern is growing
https://couragefound.org/2021/03/additional-background-information-regarding-the-opcw-ffm-investigation-of-the-alleged-chemical-attack-in-douma-april-7-2018/
It's the same people that made up their minds long ago repeating the same things over and over again, apparently hoping that repetition will make it stick in people's mind. Only this time, they didn't even have the courtesy to include information about their grounds for disagreement with the OPCW for anyone to follow up on.
Presumably their vague insinuations still rely on the thoroughly debunked efforts of the likes of Henderson and Postol, but since they don't actually give any links or names, it's hard to tell.
It's all very reminiscent of the way 9/11 troofers operate.
"It's all very reminiscent of the way 9/11 troofers operate" well you would know all about that pal, as that is where your Russuagate conspiracy has taken you…down the rabbit hole where not lights shine.
" it's hard to tell."
Might I suggest you take a remedial reading course?
Care to check out the Courage Foundation
Even you Andre , with your hidebound clinging to worn out narratives , and desperate google searches will find it hard to discredit
No, it's completely different. There is no evidence to support the claims made by the 9/11 "truthers." In stark contrast to that, the testimony of experts, and the concerns of these renowned and non-partisan academics about the attempts to manipulate and silence OPCW inspectors is credible, and compelling:
Turns out the Democratic party had paid trolls trying to influence the US elections, now isn't that ironic…though I am sure this beautiful irony will sail blissfully above some heads..
"Majid Padellan, who runs the nearly 900,000-follower-strong Twitter account — and has been slammed previously for urging Bernie Sanders to drop out of the 2020 presidential race — allegedly accepted more than $57,000 from a pro-Biden PAC, Really American, last year,"
https://nypost.com/2021/03/10/brooklyn-dad-influencer-slammed-for-taking-pac-money/
https://www.rt.com/usa/517744-resistance-brooklyn-dad-democratic-payments/
From your New York Post piece (a Murdoch-owned rag):
So, someone that openly discloses he is in a paid employment relationship with a political action committee posts tweets favourable to the politician his employer supports, and you think this is somehow news?
Are you really so desperate to find something – anything – you can use to slam Dems that you're reduced to recycling attempted Repug bullshit pushed out through Murdoch outlets?
Maybe Thornton is jealous this guy got paid for his posts when he allegedly just does it pro boner.
Sounds the stuff of the Presidential Medal of Freedom doesn't it? That's how it works isn't it?
Yeah I guess all the media coverage of this in the US is because he was so transparent that he was being paid US 60,000 ($83,500 NZD) by the Dems to Troll…
An opportunity in NZ for a specialist green business.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/countrylife/audio/2018787280/a-side-hustle-in-saffron
Who let the dogs out? The filthy beasts with doggy breath and uncombed hair.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2021/03/mayor-phil-goff-gives-aucklanders-a-growling-after-filthy-return-to-level-1.html
mariners
so people need a sign now to tell them not to throw rubbish on the ground?
There probably aren't enough rubbish bins, so leave your rubbish under/next to the full ones and then tweet a photo to the mayor/council. Throwing your shit on the footpath is something else.
Take it home, or to the nearest bin.. just bloody lazy.
Imagine if McDs had to install, empty, and maintain surrounding bins for the trash they generate.
but, but, you can't interfere with the Great God of Commerce!
Are we giving away NZ expertise and patents that should be staying with us as part of our comparative advantage in trading with other nations? Has globalisation just sliced through that economic dictum? Then again China is providing its internal market anyway, how to stop the rot?
Feb.15/2021 Zespri chairman accused of trying to intimidate regulator Kiwifruit NZ in 'threatening' and 'offensive' phone call
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/124239808/zespri-chairman-accused-of-trying-to-intimidate-regulator-kiwifruit-nz-in-threatening-and-offensive-phone-call
Economics: Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2018/07/a-quick-review-of-250-years-of-economic-theory-about-tariffs
Later economists deviated from Adam Smith in developing new lines of inquiry, but retained his insights. Inspired by The Wealth of Nations, David Ricardo developed the theory of comparative advantage, which shows that nations should specialize and then trade, which led to greater prosperity.
check out the difference between comparative advantage and competitive advantage. you seem to have them confused.
I despise the Americas Cup on every level. Hope we lose and hope our government stops paying it any attention or funding. We've got a homelessness crisis, in case you didn't notice.
Quite a good piece on the Great White American Cup here…
America's Cup is about wealth and privilege, not diversity
"At the moment the America’s Cup looks like a regatta for white blokes of immense wealth and privilege. I looked at the crew list for American Magic and amongst the 164 mug shots I did not pick out one black face. So whatever happened to Black Lives Matter? In sailing, they not only don’t matter, they don’t even exist."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/opinion/300219613/mark-reason-americas-cup-is-about-wealth-and-privilege-not-diversity
President of the USA and apparently the free world looks like he really should probably be in a rest home or at the very least not the leader of the most powerful country in the entire world…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdNm-rvodZU
Sure thing, Rupert.
You're very good at.. deflecting.
It think it's the attack line ordered to be pushed to deflect from the successful reception of Biden's near two trillion dollar covid relief package.
What's fascinating is why someone who identifies as "socialist Labour at heart", wouldn't champion the projected reduction in poverty in the u.s, and applaud Joe Biden just launched the second war on poverty but chooses to attack the man instead?
I'll happily take stumbling, mumbling Joe over any republican, when The policies would reduce poverty by more than half for children and for people in households experiencing job loss. Poverty would fall about 42 percent for Black, non-Hispanic people, 39 percent for Hispanic people, and 34 percent for white, non-Hispanic people, reducing the disparities in poverty rates for Black, non-Hispanic people and Hispanic people relative to white, non-Hispanic people
Fuck you you really are a chump…seriously, come on man, if Biden was actually serious about cutting poverty in a meaningful way he would have pushed through the minium wage like he promised…
Malcolm X Speech: “You’re A Political Chump!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7QxccW72qU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOORavg2RGI
I get it that simple arithmetic is beyond your cognitive abilities, and the numbers involved are higher than you can count to even if you take your shoes and socks off, but the simple reality is there are not enough votes in the senate to pass a $15 minimum wage. The vote was 58 against vs 42 for.
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/nation-world/senators-vote-15-dollar-minimum-wage/507-ca50e569-4757-4bed-a13f-f687853c85c0
edit: Here’s a better explainer that includes this gem:
Progressives that target those senators and cause them to lose will be extremely likely to end up with a Repug instead. Who wouldn’t even vote for something like the COVID relief package. Which would be a huge step in the wrong direction for progressive priorities.
https://www.axios.com/senate-minimum-wage-democrats-568568ca-ba2f-4bfa-bcdd-cfecaf93dae2.html
Of course you see the logic in not actually fighting for anything important, let alone fighting for the very thing your own Biden/Dems promised again and again and Again only a few months ago…you have been trained well….so very well, I wish my dogs were as easy to train as seem to have been.
And I guess because you have been grovelling on your knees and kissing the boot for so long that it has become just normal a daily routine for you now, you probably don't even notice…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tOkpntQtBM
So the "socialist Labour at heart" guy has no good words for the old fella whose policy will cut child poverty in half and general poverty by a third, but will castigate him for not pushing through the minimum wage element to the bill, even though it wasn't up to him anyway, and the blame falls solely on the moderate democrats who wouldn't vote for it. Gotcha.
Now, “Fuck you you really are a chump”, you say? Er, okay. lol
I'll happily take stumbling, mumbling Joe over any republican…
So would I. But that's an extremely low standard to judge him by.
Right, so say something good about him taking kids out of poverty. I dare you 😉
So there is evidence that he has done anything other than plunge millions of children in to poverty via his villainous Crimes Act of 1994? Could you post it for us please?
Sure
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13-03-2021/#comment-1783143
Great. Why didn't he support publicly funded healthcare?
If you don't want to congratulate a u.s president getting huge wins to fight poverty in his first 50 days, with a whopping 75% public support, I guess you just have to say so and admit you're not really fighting half as hard as the Dems did for poor people, just the old, cold war, still living rent free inside your head.
I wonder what one will pay rent and put food on the table?
The Dems fight hard for poor people, do they? I think you might have them confused with people who really do that, like the governments in Venezuela (1999 to present day) and Brazil (2003 to 2016)—both of which the "Dems" have ruthlessly helped to traduce, undermine, and—in the case of Brazil—destroy.
Ah, one of those types who won't recognise any good from them they hate. How very fundamentalist of you.
"Hate" them? That's your word, not mine. You throw around the word “hate” in the same cavalier fashion as our friend McFlock throws around the word “rage.”
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13-03-2021/#comment-1783132
I'm skeptical about anything Biden and his cronies say; that skepticism is based on long and careful observation of what he and his cronies have done over the last two generations. You are the one who exhibits a fundamentalist style of faith in these people, you are the one who states his readiness to believe their assurances, in spite of everything they have done, and failed/refused to do, in the past.
I thought I just noted how Thornton, a "socialist Labour at heart" wouldn't say anything positive about a president, and an american president at that, who through independent analysis, is going to make huge inroads into poverty and child poverty.
In then noting a similar double standard, I dared you to escape your comfort zone to say something good about him after pushing this unprecedented bill, yet rather than give just even the littlest "yeah, good start, it will help millions of poor people", you failed.
I think I'll stick with the hand I played. You are of course quite free to continue to twist.
Not giving a press conference could be due to not wanting to spread Covid-19.
I do think that Biden is managing the pandemic medically and economically in a responsible way.
Well obviously it goes without saying that you are quite OK with the most powerful nation on the planet being led by an old guy clearly displaying some sort of early onset degenerative age related condition….as we all well know when it comes to being a team player numero uno with the US Democratic Party, you are the man, which is I assume, also why you apply absolutely no critical thinking to this subject.
"Some sort of degenerative age-related condition" awaits most if not all of us. Biden will have good days and bad, but on his worst day will be better than the previous incumbent was on his 'best' day, imho. You don't have to be a Biden fan to know that.
https://apnews.com/article/732eb0035d994cc3b58f83bb0164200f
I agree that Biden is better than Tweetyturd*. But, let's face it, he's still a menace to decent people everywhere.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/12/us/politics/joe-biden-iraq-war.html
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/17/joe-biden-role-iraq-war
https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/trump-biden-town-halls-live-coverage-thursday/card/LnG2f3sMGoajoyNI1ATq
* Respek to my man Andre, king of the anti-Trump zingers!
You set the bar so high:
"After 50 days as president, Biden still hasn’t given a news conference. Critics and allies wonder why."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/press-conferences-biden-administration/2021/03/12/332285e6-81e3-11eb-81db-b02f0398f49a_story.html
He must have the same thing HRC had. An obviously terminal condition that killed her within months of the interwebz making the diagnosis.
Oh wait…
The cognitive decline, visible to anyone who watches him speak, is the least of the reasons to be concerned about Biden. A more serious and urgent concern is his decision to bomb Syria, wasting Syrian lives and American money. As this young American ice fisherman pointed out the other day, why is Biden spending money on bombing Syria when he owes him two grand?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaAX0shNhWY
Dude has had a stutter all his life.
But ok, let's say it's HRC syndrome, inexorable and terminal.
His supposedly mental decline doesn't seem to be reflecting in greater-than-usual levels of irrationality in US foreign or domestic policy.
And in some respects, such as children's immigration detention facilities, things seem to be improving.
Well, at least he's more rational than Trump. As you point out, there will be marginal improvements in some areas.
Not marginal for the kids in cages. Or the people receving $2k instead of $600.
It's marginal in the extreme. How much money is he going to commit this year to the bombing of several countries, to the undermining and destruction of democracy in Latin America, and the maintenance of more than five thousand military bases, 600 of which are overseas?
So the Morrissey Scale jumps from "marginal" to "complete reversal of 60 years of US military and foreign policies" with nothing in between?
I assume Morrissey was alluding to this kind of waste….
Report: US wasted billions on cars, buildings in Afghanistan
"A report released by the U.S. government’s Afghanistan watchdog has found that America has wasted billions of dollars in the war-torn country on buildings and vehicles that were either abandoned or destroyed"
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/report-us-wasted-billions-cars-buildings-afghanistan-76176528
…so maybe he is suggesting that instead of every new US president continuing the former presidents forever wars across the planet, maybe, just maybe they would be better off spending some of those billions if not trillions on..oh I don’t know, how about the fifteen dollar minimum wage that Biden campaigned on, don’t you think that would be the sane and right thing to do?
Indeed. But it didn't get through the Senate, did it? How is that Biden's fault? Are you even familiar with the concept of a legislative process?
And how does a government even spend money on the minimum wage? Doesn't that come from employers?
…or this Biden continuation of the USA’s wars and interventions across the globe…
“Imposed by the United States, European Union as well as other countries, the sanctions have sparked economic, humanitarian and development crises, devastating the entire population, especially those living in extreme poverty, women, medical workers, individuals with life-threatening diseases and indigenous peoples.”
Independent UN rights expert calls for unilateral sanctions to be dropped against Venezuela
https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/02/1084642
…or this
“United Nations voiced concerns that sanctions imposed under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act – also known as the Caesar Act – risk exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in Syria, especially in the course of COVID-19 pandemic, and put Syrians at even greater risk of rights violations.”
UN rights expert urges United States to remove sanctions hindering rebuilding in Syria
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1081032
No worries. If his congitive decline is so obvious to anyone who watches him speak that it can be discerned without error by anyone who watches him speak (without context or patient history), he's not long for this world anyway. Save your rage for the next one.
well that was a comment that went nowhere much and said even less…as usual.
We all know you have no empathy for any human suffering that is sanctioned by the West and approved by a compliant western media…nothing new to see here.
Where exactly did you see the rage in my comment? are you sure you are not projecting there pal…
Oh, sorry, you missed the point.
OK, here it is in a different way: if Biden is in generally observable mental decline over just a year or so of public appearances (as alleged), the policies you have a problem with are not his policies, and he will be dead soon, anyway.
Save your rage for the next one.
"Rage"? Adrian presented evidence that Biden is continuing the U.S. regime's aggression against Venezuela and Syria. Where was the "rage" in that? If you want an example of rage at its ugliest and most brutal, I suggest you delve a little into the speeches of Joe Biden. Not the ones where he plagiarized Neil Kinnock, but the really ugly ones, where he unleashes his rage….
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/us/joe-biden-crime-laws.html
https://youtu.be/qQfetkoGrpU