People in dangerous bushfire zones delay taking action until the last minute because they're too optimistic about their own risk, new research has shown.
The highest fire danger warning has been forecast for Sydney, the first time the warning has been issued in Australia’s most populous region since the ‘catastrophic’ category was introduced in 2009.
Yes. But they often live in areas where the fire risk is high every year. I think they also see stories of how the fire will burn some houses but skip others, sometimes because the owners defended the house.
Until recently the advice was to leave early OR stay and defend your house if you made the recommended clearing of material from around the house. The worst decision was to stay and then leave when the fire front could be seen.
The 2009 bushfires in Victoria swept through some small towns where people had taken shelter after leaving their homes. Up up 180 lost there lives.
Victoria is an area Im more familiar with and there is a long history of large loss of life
2009 – 7 February – March “Black Saturday” (173 deaths)
1939 – December – January “Black Friday” (71 deaths)
1926 – 14 February – March “Black Sunday” (60 deaths)
1944 – December – February (51 deaths)
1983 – 16 February “Ash Wednesday” (47 in Victoria)
1962 – 14–16 January (33 deaths)
1969 – 8 January (23 deaths)
1942 – Western Victoria (20 deaths) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushfires_in_Victoria
Yep, I've seen a few in Sydney. One I saw progressed from the south, then SW, West, NW, then north of Sydney .. almost as if someone was driving around with a box of matches.
NSW police later caught some kids carrying matches according to ABC radio, but I don't know the details.
Not covered much, this side of the globe especially.
His work was described by one journalist as; "gentrified xenophobia", but such a description is questionable, and motive for such comment worthy of further examination.
The issues he puts forward is important even to NZ, more particularly in relation to use of immigration as a "numbers game".
Axiomatic, looking clearly at global migration patterns in the 21st century with a net population growth of around up to quarter of a million people per day, and a commonly overlooked potential for mass movement by "climate/environmental refugees" on top of other migration.
This is before the topic of cultural and religious domination (as opposed to integration) is even seriously considered.
Europe is really in a precarious situation, and is going to have to wake up very soon.
I accept, that many historic European "ills" identity/sub-culture (ref: the empire accusation) needed some fixing, but this blame game wont solve the real problems facing them.
Long-time Repug strategist reckons the way to Dump-a-chump is to make the Senate trial vote a secret ballot. Since that only requires a handful of Republican senators, it might be a lot likelier than most people think.
However, she doesn't mention that the plan requires Mitch McTurtle to sacrifice his Senate seat for the greater benefit to the Republican party. Because he would become the lightning rod for angry Drumpfkins by actually allowing the vote to make it a secret ballot. That might be the biggest obstacle to the whole plan.
No sign of the shield wall cracking yet because any public signs of cracking will bring the immediate wrath of Drumpf.
If cracking starts, I suspect there's a good chance we might not see any public cracks until there's an announcement that the world's most stable genius has won everything and solved all the world's problems and don't blame him when it all turns to shit after he left because it was all perfect when he finished his work.
Then over the next few months the stories of late-night delegations visiting the White House will trickle out …
Yeah, it's a long shot. About the only way I could see it happening is if they become convinced they'll lose the senate majority as well as the presidency with the fake-bronze Brezhnev at the top, but might have a chance of keeping the senate with something like a Pence-Haley ticket.
Depends on how important it is to make it clear that the president is required to act in accordance with the constitution and in the best interests of the country.
So if the idea is to set the norm that the president is elected to be an unacccountable king to do whatever the fuck he wants for four years, then sure, just pretend it's all good to just wait to let the voters sort it out. That seems to be the Repug position.
But if it's still important to hold the principle that the president is still a citizen accountable to the law and constitution, then it seems clear his behaviour has stepped so far over the line that Congress has no choice but to go through the process, even if it may be electorally disadvantageous to individual members. That seems to be the Dem position.
The clearest rehearsal for the Repugs is their performance in the Russian election interference hearings. They made their decision to lock down behind him then.
It's good mental protection to be as pessimistic as possible right now.
That would be Sean Davis, founder of The Federalist website? Another Alex Jones type, minus the performance art? His twitter is certainly … ahem … interesting.
Meanwhile, searching Taylor's transcript for that quote (to find the context) turns up nothing, and searching da webz for that quote only turns up the kookiest of Repug and far-right sites.
You sure you're not just spattering around shit that's just been outright fabricated?
So the context is Zeldin is trying to get Taylor to make some sort of assertion about what Trump's state of mind or motivation was when he tried to extort Ukraine into opening sham investigations into his political opponents.
It's pure diversionary smokescreen.that is immaterial to establishing or refuting the fact that Trump was indeed trying to extort Ukraine by withholding the aid approved by Congress.
BTW maui, do you think it's OK for the president to withhold Congress approved and taxpayer funded aid to try to extort a foreign country into smearing a political opponent of the president?
This is now the fourth time I've asked you this exact question. The first time you evaded, and the next two you ghosted.
I really can't understand why it might be difficult to answer "no, it's not OK". Unless you're anticipating the need to be able to claim "yes, it is ok" when the evidence becomes undeniable to even the most delusional Drumpfkin.
Zeldin’s Twitter rant was a classic racist dog whistle. It was a wink and nod to all his pals who hate seeing a woman of color wearing a hijab in a position of power. But it was written with just the right lack of specificity that he could claim ignorance when confronted with the nasty implications of his message.
[…]
Last month, for example, she recalibrated her defense of a tweet during the 2012 Gaza War, in which she wrote, “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.” In response to a New York Times column about her tweet and the history of anti-Semitic portrayals of Jews as deceitful manipulators, she defended her criticism of the Israeli military but said she regretted unintentionally invoking the trope.
Zeldin, however, has shown no such willingness to evolve.
In 2015 he met with the Long Island Oath Keepers, a New York chapter of a far-right anti-government militia movement. He has appeared as a guest on a radio show hosted by Frank Gaffney, an Islamophobic conspiracy theorist who has also had white nationalist Jared Taylor on his show. Gaffney is best known for suggesting that former President Barack Obama is Muslim, accusing opponents of submitting to Sharia and objecting to having Muslim members of Congress serve on the House Intelligence Committee because they might leak information to the Muslim Brotherhood. Last year, Zeldin held a fundraising event with Sebastian Gorka, a former White House adviser who was photographed wearing a medal indicating membership in the Vitezi Rend, a Hungarian group that collaborated with the Nazis in World War II.
and a bright note over their previous support of fascisim .
" Brazil's Ex-President Lula Freed, Promises to Continue Fight for Justice " https://youtu.be/Za-MGgbQxjY
If only he hadn't changed the constitution to run for office again, and then stopped the election count for 24 hours, before being declared winner with just enough votes to win outright and avoiding a run off and drawing the attention of the poll observers who warned of serious irregularities.
It always seems sadder when left wing politicians get power crazy and corrupt.
Care to explain the 24 hour "pause" in announcing the results? That doesn't usually go along with free and fair elections. Or are you one of these one eyed type leftists who excuse any abuse of democracy because it is committed by a Socialist and is therefore okay?
Maybe not – Mark Weisbrot seems to think otherwise. We should go with the default assumption based on historical experience – which is a resource-theft coup engineered by the global hegemon.
There was a 24 hour pause because at the centre of virtually all Central and South American elections there is the odour of Dodgy on the air.
When the ticket to a better life revolves around knowing someone with some political pull, we will always get candidates with hidden agendas. Left, Right, doesn't matter.
The OAS recommended a system of vote counting that goes in 2 parts. First a very quick count to get the general gist, and then the slower more careful count
"Kevin Cashman @kevinmcashman – 1:36 UTC · Nov 11, 2019
Eventually, the official count was released: Morales won in the first round 47.08% to 36.51%. If you had been watching the polls before the election, 5 out of 6 of them predicted the same result. Weird to have a fraud that matches up with polls." Poll Tracker: Bolivia's 2019 Presidential Race
Listen to Weisbrot. There are two counts – a quick count and an official count. The quick count has historically been stopped before 100% as it is meant to be indicative only. The official count carries on to 100%. The supposed 'pause' is simply the time interval between the cessation of the quick count and the end of the official count. If Weisbrot is correct, and there is no reason to assume he's not, the accusation is bullshit.
So I'm sticking with my hunch – yet another resource-theft coup orchestrated by the global hegemon and gleefully and violently supported by local elites on the ground who stand to benefit. A Marxist (and I'm not one) would correctly call it "primitive accumulation". The suggestion is that the resource in question is lithum – there's a truckload of money to be made in the near future with batteries I'm picking. BTW – are you actually Juan Guaido with a bit of time on your hands?
A thought experiment and a question. An oak tree was planted somewhere in Auckland in 1840, by a Maori who wants to see how these new fangled trees grew. In 1880, an acorn fell from this tree and grew spontaneously. In 1919 a grieving Pakeha parent took a sapling from this second oak tree and planted it on the slopes of one of Auckland's cones as a quiet memorial to a son lost in the Geat War. Today, this NZ third generation oak is 100 years old and the family of the person who planted it – informally, just amongst themselves – know of it's story and take comfort when they walk or drive past when they see "their" tree.
The question is, is that oak tree now a native, or is it forever an exotic?
Mankind made it happen, planted the seed or it was on the hoof of his horse = exotic tree
….If a South American Macaw flew from Sydney to Devonport and deposited an Australian native plant seed that flourished, is that plant native or exotic?
Correct me if I'm wrong but native is something that can be in other countries but is of the place its found and endemic is native but only found in that place .
So a non endemic native is self introduced through natural methods. As opposed to introduced by other means .
Which kinda means that as humans have always naturally spread across the planet, anyone not forcibly transplanted is native . Especially their offspring.
Good question, can't be answered definitively. I listened to someone describing a native person as one who recognised every bird call in a place, knew its meaning and how that changed according to season and time of day. I think this definition, given our present dire situation, is more useful than circumstantial; first-in-first-served model we have come to accept.
I think that if we used that definition Robert there wouldn't be anyone in the country who could possibly claim the title of being a "native" of New Zealand.
Do you know, for example, what is the call of a sooty shearwater chick when it wants to be fed by its father rather than its mother? Please provide a full, detailed, explanation of the differences between the calls made to each parent.
I wouldn't worry it is just a made up definition. Experts in one type of knowledge were experts for that and not everyone was/is expert in all areas imo
I really wasn't planning to lose any sleep over it Marty. Do I have to put JOKE everywhere?
On the other hand I am desperately interested in the question about the Mutton bird*. I haven't been able to determine the exact sequence of notes in each of the calls I was inquiring about and I thought that Robert was sure to know.
Alwyn; it may surprise you greatly to learn that I spent a season on one of the most far-flung titi islands, Putauhinu, south of Rakiura/Stewart Island and while I can certainly describe a range of calls made by parent and chick titi, having heard them many, many times, I could not differentiate as finely as you have demanded, however, I haven't claimed to be a native of Putauhinu, so don't feel compromised. I imagine, reading your question, that you are very familiar with the range of calls the galah and consider your self a native of Australia?
I am truly impressed Robert. Even in my much younger days I think I would have found spending time on those Southern Islands rather harder than I would have desired. Tramping on Stewart Island itself was quite enough for me.
I wonder if bird calls actually do get as selective as my hypothesis suggests? Surely not.
As far as Australian birds go I found them to be much more spectacular in their colouring than New Zealand ones but I can't think of any where the song was attractive. Just the opposite of most New Zealand species. Still I suppose the Australian birds were quite appropriate for the country. The sounded just as raucous as most of the inhabitants.
It wasn’t my definition, Marty, it was that of a man who teaches "becoming native" and begins by training people to recognise bird calls and their meanings. It's fascinating stuff and his ability to know stuff about his surroundings through the behaviour of birds is phenomenal. He's a tracker also and takes his awareness to incredible levels with his reading of tiny signs in the environment. He runs a podcast course that I highly recommend; with a bit of training, you too could become native
He's American, living in America. His concept is an interesting one though, but one of many views on what "native" might mean. I like to hear various interpretations and recognise that a person can hold more than one view quite comfortably; the trick being not to negate one with another. We were talking today about a woman from Rekohu who "jumped ship" while it was anchored at Rakiura and made her way to Oraka, just down the road from me where she met and married a Maori man, bore children whose children's children are amongst those I taught when I was a teacher a couple of decades ago. Was she native to this role?
I don't really use the term native – a bit too much baggage to me here, let alone from over there. Indigenous, Māori, Ngāi Tahu mean a lot more. Plenty of people without a whakapapa want to be native here – I don't really care tbh.
Have you had a gander at this?
A project dedicated to creating a Ngāi Tahu Atlas of place names and histories
Yeah, that's wonderful, isn't it. I saw it when it was at its early stage, presented to us at the council. You see Hautere off the bottom of the south coast? I went there one day; hitch-hiked on a DoC provided helicopter; marvellous island, wouldn't want to stay there for more than an afternoon though; very, very exposed. Hineahitea and her man paddled from there to the mainland in a coracle made from twisted branches and seal skins, to escape being marooned there for his misdeeds. She was the brains behind the escape, imo
My mate Stewart Bull, speaking in our big yurt, said he thinks tikanga, rather than tikanga Maori, when he's involved in shared kaitiaki projects. He tangata tino pai ia!
I often wonder how the rellies lived on Whenua Hou and carved a life out of there – amazingly resilient and so generous – as many of their descendants are today. Haven't been there – will need to be saving the Kākāpō I spose – but the pouwhenua look great.
Whenua Hou is just across the water from us; te Ara a Kewa. I can see it from the beach. Like you, I've not yet been there, but have friends who have. Kakapo work is hard! Perhaps you know Estelle Leask?
Early visitors from Europe to New Zealand generally referred to the indigenous inhabitants as "New Zealanders" or as "natives".[12] The Māori used the term Māori to describe themselves in a pan-tribal sense.[ii] Māori people often use the term tangata whenua (literally, "people of the land") to identify in a way that expresses their relationship with a particular area of land; a tribe may be the tangata whenua in one area, but not in another.[13] The term can also refer to the Māori people as a whole in relation to New Zealand (Aotearoa) as a whole.
The point of environmentalism. Surely to enhance said biodiversity. That includes introducing new species. We are an introduced species, that has increased diversity of Aotearoa. Western Europeans have done more to maximize the number of species in Nz. The question of protection is one of stopping degradation of previous species, this does not mean Maori since they drive, eat, behave much like pakeha, and are human beings, no human left behind!
if we can introduce a tree that saves the kiwi should we? hell yes.
How about a genetical engineered tree that provides a nest that allows the kiwi the ability to peck a intruding cat, stout in the back of the head. Over time kiwis could become canavories…
oh, on, science, how about WiFi absorbing wall paint that heats your home rather than your brain. 5G will lower my power bill and stop me getting brain cancer, whoopi.
A long time ago a wise old Māori woman told me that where you are born if there is a tree or significant tree species nearby, then that will become your spiritual tree species for life. There was no distinction between native and exotic. That was a mind opener for sure…
The deaths are before the coroner and will be for a very long time. It's not likely to ever be 100% certain the switch was the direct cause but when you understand how all this works there's a strong possibility it's connected. Were this a food product, or a seat belt, or airbag, there would be an immediate recall to err on the side of caution. Do we have to wait till the coroner's make their recommendations before Pharmac cancel this switch??
All of a sudden the Minister of Health is suddenly taken this 'very seriously' and asking a lot of questions. I guess the word "deaths" in the public arena isn't a good look from a PR perspective. And we know how the one thing Ministers HATE is being publicly embarrassed.
David Clark has been bombarded with our concerns about this switch all year, some of us have been attempting to correspond with him since September 2018 when this was first mooted because we knew full well this outcome was likely. 'Attempted' because it's been very difficult to get a response, and the responses we did get are all identical cut and paste jobs. Not even acknowledgments from his office that our correspondence had been received. Welcome to NZ democracy where our elected representatives deliberately ignore or fob off serious situations they don't want to deal with until the shit really hits the fan in the media and they're forced to act all ministerial.
(nb if anyone still wants to try that line that the brands/generics are exactly the same then I'm going to either totally ignore you or give you what for. Probably ignore you because I don't want to get a ban. In real life you'd probably get screamed at. I'm not even trying to be polite and reasonable any more if you're not prepare to listen or do your research and many of my peers in this fight have reached this point as well)
+100000 Kay. Did hear the coverage on RNZ National yesterday and immediately thought of you; and I now see that it has also been widely covered in other media – TVNZ, Herald, The Press, Stuff , Voxy amongst others.
For anyone interested in the other coverage, rather than links to each of these other media, here is a generic Google link with links to these other media articles in the last 24 hours
Anyone regularly here on TS who takes the line that generics are no different from 'branded' versions are being wilfully and woefully ignorant.
Espiner has done well to keep this pot boiling…isn't it interesting how being personally affected by a serious health crisis heightens one's awareness of the significant issues threatening the lives of others?
As a nation we can fix this….so why the hell is it dragging on?
Ha, you are so right re: Generics vs Best in field Brand names.
We all know what you mean. The ingredients lists on the Coke, Watties and Gillette labels are identical to the Pams Products labels. Teenagers the world over are fed up with trying to convince their Mum's that Coca-cola and Fun Cola are exactly the same thing.
I have no experience with prescription drugs but with Colas, sorry Mum, everyone knows they aren't the same thing and yes we can taste it.
On assumed advice from MOH/IMAC and using a combination of standing orders and unapproved indication.
Babies as young as 6mths of age have been and can be injected with MMR vaccine.
Unapproved Indication means the product is not licenced for use in ages 6-11mths age group.
The same applies to pregnant women with DTaP/Flu. Unlicensed use.
Unapproved Indications have no established safety profile which has basis in recent science, and has IMAC Says "No Efficacy Answer"(no protective benefit profile) at all. Zero.
As per publicly available IMAC/MOH documents. Linked.
[It didn’t take you long after your 3-month ban to jump on one of your hobby horses and ride roughshod over a thread that is about generic vs. brand drugs and whether a switch of prescribing an epilepsy drug may have contributed to the deaths of three patients. In addition, your selective quoting belies an inquisitive mind in search of accuracy and the truth. I have no patience for you hijacking threads so let this be your only warning – Incognito]
The full quote from the link, which One Two has cherry-picked to create a deceptive impression, is:
How well does MMR0 protect infants aged 6–11 months from measles?There is no efficacy answer. Any immunity from MMR administered when they are under 12 months old is determined by the presence of maternal measles antibody. If there is enough maternal antibody to inactivate the vaccine the infant will not develop any immunity. If there is no maternal antibody then they probably will develop immunity. We cannot determine the likelihood of maternal measles antibody in individual babies.
Two of the babies given MMR vazcines at well under twelve months of age are my grandniece and grandnephew. Because their mother is a doctor helping deal with a measles outbreak where the majority of those with measles are idiot anti-vaxxers.
If any readers are considering whether an infant under twelve months should get vaccinated, the reason for the "over twelve months" recommendation is that it's less effective for younger infants, due to the possible residual presence of maternal antibodies. So the recommendation for infants that received their first dose before twelve months is that they get a further 2 doses (3 total) to ensure best protection.
Oddly enough, one big factor that might "create expanded cohorts of susceptibles in all age groups" is actually getting measles.
It seems that one of the long-term effects of measles in some people is that it reduces or destroys the immunity they had developed towards other diseases – it seems measles causes immune system amnesia. Yet one more reason to ensure your measles vaccination has been done.
To be honest, I really don't like. I'm only moved to have a say when I see misinformation that might cause actual harm.
So I'm happy to drop out when the misinformation moves on to someone just re-asserting something previously shown to be a taken-out-of-context cherry pick, or delving into the minutiae at the fringes of a topic that really don't affect the core issue.
In the spirit of continuing honesty, I'm surprised at the continued tolerance here of harmful anti-vax misinformation. Particularly since we're dealing with an outbreak that's harming thousands that's at least partly due to anti-vax misinformation getting spread into vulnerable communities. But hey, this site is not my playground, those that put the work into making the playground available and keep it running get to set the rules.
Hi Andre, I have left a long moderation note for One Two at 6:44 PM.
I wish to respond to your comments about tolerance and the apparent lack of ‘policing’ on this site.
With an online forum such as this site, there are two aspects to consider: content and process-flow.
Content is determined by Authors who write Posts but also by the commenters. The site does not dictate nor restrict content and shouldn’t IMO.
Moderators keep their distance and only jump in when the boundaries are crossed or rules violated as set out in the site’s Policy. The idea is that commenters self-moderate and nobody excludes others, for example.
As with the content, the process-flow is largely determined by the online ‘commentariat’, the online community. It is up to all of you/us to deal with stuff in a positive constructive way that allows for dissenting views, disagreements, differences of opinions, criticism, and even personal dislikes or rather dislike of content and/or style of comment, given that we don’t know each other from a bar of soap on this site. What is not tolerated is personal insults, for example.
The rules-boundaries are lenient to encourage free and frank debate on a wide range of topics. As with all free speech, this can create tension, especially when the boundaries get ‘tested’.
I hope this clarifies how I view things here, as commenter and as moderator.
Thanks for all that, particularly since I'm pretty sure your actual expertise about the workings of the immune system far exceeds mine. And apologies for my contributions to a situation that took up so much of your time.
Where I'm coming from on this topic is I see anti-vax speech as something that can plausibly lead to direct specific harm to identifiable vulnerable persons.
To me, that puts it on a moral plane pretty darn close to that occupied by hate speech. Were I to put the effort in and get invited to join the team helping keep the site running, I'd certainly want to treat it as such, which is probably a pretty good indication I shouldn't ever be granted that authority.
"Welcome to NZ democracy where our elected representatives deliberately ignore or fob off serious situations they don't want to deal with until the shit really hits the fan in the media and they're forced to act all ministerial."
From memory, this was the interview where the Minister said something like how important is was to maintain the independence of Pharmac. (even if it's killing people apparently)
Some of elected reps really are masochists at times, and don't seem to have adequate bullshit detectors fitted
More coverage likely on Checkpoint and One news this evening according to my close source. I'd love to see David facing the cameras telling us he's ordered Pharmac to stop the switch immediately (flying pigs….)
Pharmac will fight this to the death for the simple reason this is their business model, and conceding now will mean they can no longer pull this stunt with certain classes of drugs. People's lives have never come into their decisions, only money.
"People's lives have never come into their [Pharmac's] decisions, only money." As a Pharmac beneficiary, that doesn't strike me as a fair opinion.
IMHO, it would be more reasonable to state that 'Pharmac's decisions are based on people's health outcomes and maximising value for money on a limited budget."
Given PHARMAC’s mandate, generics will always play a major part in the decision-making. In the US, the vast majority of prescribed drugs are generics and cost up to 85% less than the corresponding brand drugs.
For information, links to a couple of relevant papers (the first from your link.)
“Generic lamotrigine versus brand-name Lamictal bioequivalence in patients with epilepsy: A field test of the FDA bioequivalence standard.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26201987
In that relatively small study, 40% of epilepsy patients were categorised as generic brittle.
I think that epilepsy and the ‘NZ experience’ with the drug switch are not typical and should not be used to jump to conclusions and make sweeping statements about generics vs. brand drugs.
Interesting again, thinking about possible crossover between genetic-brittle and generic-brittle, and making the most of the hand you’re dealt.
Like your last para – agreed, and shouldn't be used as yet another stick with which to beat Pharmac, when we are collectively so much better off than previous generations. Is this as good as it gets, and if it is, would that be so terrible?
Being the beneficiary of various generics @Incognito, I agree. However in this case I don't really see that as the issue here. More to do with the way the Minister and Pharmac have responded when concerns have been raised.
There are multiple issues at play. It started off with one aspect @ 7 but then the money aspect got dragged into it @ 7.3.1 and in an unfair, uninformed and prejudiced way, IMO.
Mayor Andy Foster invites the wrath of the Taxpayers Union. They'll be into him boots and all – won't they?
He's reintroducing catered lunches which he led moves to get rid of some years back.
"People felt when you didn't have lunches provided on days when you were working through [into the afternoon], councillors tended to disappear all over the place to get lunch. It reduced team bonding."
I know in the scheme of things it's small change. I understand the sense of everyone eating together and the context of their meeting days. And I reckon if it'd been a Labour mayor introducing it the loonies would be going loopy about 'sense of entitlement, troughing lefties' and the usual.
I don't know why, just like anyone going to work, the councillors can't take lunch with them and sit and eat together and do the 'team bonding.' Can't team bonding happen unless it's a free lunch? Or can't highly motivated, organised people, with the serious responsibility of an important job, actually organise and their own lunch a couple of days a week so as to enable the critical team building?
You watch, Jordan Williams and David Farrar will be spewing!
A big assumption there as to what type of lunch would be provided, Duke. As a Wellingtonian, I can assure you that we have an abundance (even overabundance) of caterers providing very healthy lighter style lunches with lots of fresh produce and options (vegetarian.vegan. gluten free, dairy free etc. LOL.
Multiple Options like that cost a lot more to provide, you seem to be in the industry and would be hoping its a 'smorgasbord' of vegan this and gluten free that
I understand why you might be a bit sensitive to other people's comments at present and I want you to know that I am disgusted by the ongoing personal attacks you continue to be subjected to by Greywarshark.
Its a case of "Pot/Kettle" and Grey needs to look in a mirror.
Much for all her/his/its " lets be positive, kind" etc sanctimonious sermons, Grey has been posting snide put downs of other commenters who Grey thinks should not comment on TS regularly since she/he/it first started commenting here as Prism on 28 October 2009 – and through her/his/its transition through "Rose-Tinted" and "greywarbler" to "Greywarshark".
And not just on TS but also on TDB (and then wonders why her/his/its comments as "greywarbler" disappear), and on Bowalley Road. Just two days ago this appeared on Bowalley Road.
greywarbler said…
Odysseus your comment reminds me of the words odious. Please try not to bring Islam into the conversation at the slightest chance. You don't seem to have anything worthwhile to say, so don't just post a sneer and stick a put-down onto it like a post-it. I see about Odysseus, he was 'Famed for his courage, intelligence, and leadership', so try to live up to your name.
So please don’t think others here support Grey’s put downs of you . Many otheres have been in your position in the past.
In terms of the TS Policy, I would have thought that the following provision of TS Policy was relevant but it is not my right to suggest moderation be exercised –
"What we’re not prepared to accept are pointless personal attacks, or tone or language that has the effect of excluding others. "
And just wanted to mention that I am a female in a similar age range/same decade to Grey albeit a few years younger so my comments are not a "OK Boomer" situation.
Re people, I agree 'it' is not appropriate – was thinking of birds and fish.
Putting both handles (Grey and Duke's full handles) into Search comes up with almost two pages of interactions going back to 2015, of which quite a few have little "bites/nibbles" and more. But not sure this search has picked up all the recent ones, but will leave it there. But Duke is just one person who has had this treatment.
Had a closer look at the list that popped out of that search and it is missing a lot over the last month or so as have done a more detailed check going back from today to Sept. If I get time, I will drop an email to you at the back end in the next day or so.
Perhaps Foster is trying to find work for his predecessor Justin?
He owned, or at least part owned, a salad bar business if my memory serves me right. Perhaps the Council will give him the contract if he goes back to it?
Gee I manage every day to get up and make my lunch and be out the door by 7 . Like a huge amount of workers in this country. This is why we grow to despise the people up the food chain .
Yes I have read it weka. And don't understand why you do not discourage such pointless negativity in these negative times. A place for prople to cojme and do the new thing of talking and thinking of politics is so important these days. Why do you not encourage a greater number instead of allowing a smug, sneering type like this troll?
That comment I asked you to read *is my discouraging pointless negativity. Yours.
Beyond that, it's a balancing act. The ethos of TS is robust debate. There are limits on that, hence the language and tone part of the Policy.
Duke isn't (usually) a troll. He's annoying at times but that's not unusual here, and he brings useful perspectives to the site. Gosman is our resident (RW) troll if you want a standard to go by. Puckish Rogue at times too, but he gets away with it more because he is also often funny.
Other than that, any of the regulars can get into trouble if they start doing comments that are abusive with no politics. Mostly a reminder to not do that will suffice, but sometimes people get a short ban (or long one if they give the moderator shit).
I'll say again, that ime the best way to change the culture of the place is to encourage and do the kinds of comments that you want to see here. Giving people shit for giving people shit will almost always result in more shit. Moderation will limit the shit posting, trolling and flames, but it won't create good interactions or better comments, it just creates the space for them. Improving the commentary requires creative acts.
Those that desire to dine on butterfly wings in a white whine sauce can and the bill will still be cheaper than caterers. Caterers are so Elizabethan (II). Attach an extensive Uber Eats menu to the 'We're workin' late you bastards' memo.
Un-bloody-believable: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/117378375/epas-inappropriate-reaction-to-students-speech. From the start, the Environmental Protection Agency has consistently demonstrated that its role is the opposite of its title. The fact that a young woman who spoke in support of environmental protection was subjected to a 'shout over' then accused of being bad mannered is bizarre. The farcical EPA should be disposed of. At the very least, Allan Freeth should be sent down the road – the fish is obviously still rotting from the head.
Yes aom. Freeth represents those old men with old minds and contempt for new ideas especially if they come from youth. The National Party is littered with such people.
Forest & Bird has called the EPA's reaction to a speech a student gave during a stakeholder meeting – which included sending an apology letter to attendees – "totally inappropriate".
…Forest & Bird's Lower North Island regional manager Karen Evans was at the event and said she was taken aback by the response to the speech.
"Allan Freeth publicly chastised her [the student] for lack of 'politeness' and the inappropriateness of the speech – seemingly more concerned about the offence caused to other 'invited guests'. From what I witnessed, I believe he was particularly acknowledging a rep from the oil and gas industry, who not only shouted at Sorcha during and after her speech, but immediately stormed out and accosted senior EPA staff to express his outrage at the 'ridiculousness', inappropriateness and 'bad taste' of her speech."
Apart from the 'inversion' by Freeth over what was unacceptable. Shines a light on 'private meetings' EPA runs where it only wants to listen to one side.
Looking at the management team seems to be far too many 'acting' in their job title, maybe one or 2. Theres is 6.
“I do not recall discussing WikiLeaks with [Stone], nor do I recall being aware of Mr. Stone having discussed WikiLeaks with individuals associated with my campaign."
Socialists and Unidas Podemos have made a preliminary deal to form a coalition government.
Caretaker Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the leader of left-wing Unidas Podemos, Pablo Iglesias, have signed a preliminary agreement to form a coalition government after Sunday’s inconclusive repeat general election in Spain. Despite months of negotiations between the parties to strike a governing deal following the April poll, the two leaders have done this deal less than 48 hours after Sunday’s vote
ILG just on the radio regarding Immigration – Labour in the 2017 election had no targets
So that we have only a minimal reduction – we now have a need for many thousands of additional houses and large increase in cars on the road – No wonder we haveSTILL major issues that remain from the change of government – Time to deliver because the consequences of this NON DELIVERY is crushing the country.
"In total, these changes are estimated to reduce net migration by 20,000-30,000. Without these changes there would be up to 10,000 more houses needed and up to 20,000 more vehicles on our roads annually. Our immigration system will be regularly reviewed to ensure it is functioning well."
I've been listening to Michelle Boag on RNZ. She hates the notions of common good and communities working together in education and schools, she wants dog-eat-dog competitive ways of operating. No surprise.
I suppose in a world of free speech, getting a female dog on to spout narrow-minded, self serving rabidity probably helps cover the angles. Mind you she did say, "I know some principals." I'd bet they haven't got empires to protect too. Not.
I didn't hear it Peter but she'll be coming at it from the angle of "personal responsibility" and everyone having the "freedom to choose" etc. etc. In other words as you say… dog eat dog competition in all things.
The thought of "common good" and "communities working together" would conjure up the dreaded word "socialism" in the books of the neo-liberal apostles, or even worse "communism".
Bridges also said that in his shambolic interview this morning. He said he wants the competitive model to continue and spoke against the cooperative model. Idiot!
As you've backed away from no efficacy answer as well as completely ignored the unapproved indication.
– No vaccine efficacy profile exists
– No licenced safety profile exists
If you require further explanation of the above and why maternal antibodies are only relevant in vaccine context to illustrate how vaccines have created inferior maternal antibodies. We can have that conversation.
To address the immune amnesia hypothesis, which is not new.
First of all vaccine antibody theory needs to be examined. And for that the link below
Rolf Martin Zinkernagel AC, FAA is Professor of Experimental Immunology at the University of Zurich.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1996 for the discovery of how the immune syatem recognises virus infected cells.
Abstract
'So-called 'immunological memory' is, in my view, a typical example where a field of enquiry, i.e. to understand long-term protection to survive reexposure to infection, has been overtaken by 'l'art pour l'art' of 'basic immunology'
The remainder of the abstract is in the link provided.
It's saying that immune memory is not necessary for protective immunity.
If correct, then immune amnesia isn’t relevant except to expose the desperation of the vaccine industry.
Mina 2019is flawed for many primary reasons. None more so than as linked to above.
[You may have some good points to make but most of your comments create a foggy web of cherry-picked facts, links to humongous hard-to-read documents by (overseas) regulatory agencies, and science sophistry. The outcome is that you confuse people into thinking that vaccination is ineffective and dangerous and that governments, including NZ’s, and the pharma-industrial complex, cover this up.
With a complex topic such as the immune system and the subject of vaccination, we need clarity and not somebody with an agenda and poor communication skills clouding people’s minds.
For example, you quote Rolf Zinkernagel, Professor of Experimental Immunology at the University of Zurich and Nobel Laureate “for their discoveries concerning the specificity of the cell mediated immune defence”, to support your questionable opinions in a misleading appeal to authority. Zinkernagel questions how the idea of “immunological memory” explains the improved resistance against disease caused by a second infection with the same agent through vaccination and he rejects this concept. However, he does not reject the effectivity of vaccines and vaccination. In fact, it is quite the opposite.
Here’s the full abstract of another more recent review by Zinkernagel in the high-impact journal IMMUNOLOGICAL REVIEWS:
What if protective immunity is antigen-driven and not due to so-called “memory” B and T cells?
Zinkernagel RM.
Abstract
Vaccines or early childhood exposure to infection mediate immunity, that is, improved resistance against disease and death caused by a second infection with the same agent. This has been explained by and equaled to immunological memory, that is, an “altered immune system behavior” that is maintained in a presumably antigen-independent fashion. This review summarizes epidemiological and experimental data, that largely falsify this idea and that show that periodic re-exposure to antigen either, artificially as vaccines or naturally as low-level persisting antigens or infections, or immune complexes on follicular dendritic cells or endemic re-exposure is necessary for protection. Both, the huge success of vaccines in controlling childhood infections, the reduction in clinical disease and the chance of endemically re-exposure, have gradually reduced periodical re-exposure to infections and thereby endangered protective herd immunity. In parallel, vaccine deniers have created susceptibility islands even in an otherwise well vaccinated population, thereby creating a very new situation when compared to the later parts of the 20th century. If protective Immunity is-as emphasized here-antigen driven, then increasingly frequent revaccinations will be necessary (even more so with too much attenuated vaccines) to maintain both herd immunity and individual resistance to acute infections. Of course, this rule also applies to tumor vaccines. [my emphasis]
The reason I quote the full abstract is that other people can read and come to their own conclusions rather than be guided by your nebulous comments and ‘statements of fact’.
In summary, nobody is served by your comments here about vaccination. In fact, it confuses (‘drowns’) and misleads with potentially dire consequences. If you want to make a point about vaccination, keep it simple with clear arguments with integrity and in an honest manner. Banned for another two weeks and bans will escalate from hereon – Incognito]
That's an interesting April 2012 review by Zinkernagel. Here's a more recent link regarding "Immunological memory: What’s in a name?"
"Altogether, we agree with the conclusion proposed in the introductory review [ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29664563 ]; that immunologic memory is best conceived of as a multi-dimensional concept with physical correlates in far more components of the adaptive and innate immune system than previously appreciated."
It may be that our incomplete understanding of the 'arms race' between the human immune system and pathogens, coupled with evolving vaccination programmes, is incubating a crisis similar to the rise of multidrug-resistant pathogens fueled by the indiscriminate use of antibiotics.
Nevertheless, remember this hopeful quote by Prof. Christine Stabell Benn in her January 2019 TEDx talk How vaccines train the immune system in ways no one expected:
That's an interesting April 2012 review by Zinkernagel.
If you have taken a look into RZ's background then you understand the credibility his assessments have regarding vaccination theory .
The goalposts were shifted from the position I had aligned with the generic drug changes ,and the consequences coming to light of the dangers of the changes.
The position was that of using unlicensed vaccines (Unapproved Indication) which lack not only an adequately proven P3 safety profile, but also are confirmed to have zero efficacy vaccine profile.
Not Safe
Not effective
That leaves only a risk profile.
The current government have deemed (on assumed advise of MOH/IMAC which those agencies in turn have been provided with from offshore) that it is appropriately safe and effective to inject 6-11mth babies with MMR vaccine.
It is scientifically and medically the complete opposite. But this is where NZ finds itself as a result of 30 years of expanding government vaccine programs.
Andre responded avoiding the discussion about unapproved indication and no efficacy answer, so it is not apparent if he believes it acceptable or not to used unlicensed vaccines on some of the most vulnerable age groups in NZ.
Given that his direct relatives under 12mths were injected with MMR, it could be deduced he does agree in using unlicensed, useless and dangerous vaccines on 6-11mth babies.
If you would like to discuss the how this has come to be NZ's public health decision, and the consequences of the entry and exit of such decision points, I would be more than happy to have that conversation with you initially.
If not then the below may/may not be of interest.
The Finland study is cited in NZ Immunisation Handbook 2017 as the safety study for the unapproved indication, and indeed is the only study cited/referenced in NZ's official MMR documents available to the public regarding MMR vaccine safety. The study is from 1986. Ref 24
It was a vaccinated vs vaccinated study. Which can't provide any sane definition of a safety profile because the participants were already vaccinated, and were then vaccinated with MMR2 v non inert placebo vaccine.
That is not real science, which is precisely why the charade is currently falling apart around the world including NZ.
Merck sponsored this study (MMR2) and >90% of study participants had been previously vaccinated per Finnish national schedule prior to commencement of the study
Study states that lack of boosting by wild virus increases rate of vaccine failure and creates expanding cohorts of susceptibles in all age groups
Given how long ago you were bloating around shouting how you were going to vaccinate your kids anyway, and then got repeatedly emotional and abusive when I asked you to post the evidence. Perhaps you've forgotten?
I don't care what you do marty, it's none of my business. But you had some inner sense of [whatever it was] which compelled you to bring that up yet again as if I believe anything you write.
12-18 months or so, after you first said you were going to take action.
So as you don't get the message mixed up again…
I do not care what decisions you make about vaccinating your kids.
you kept going on about it so I wanted to tie it off
Your memory isn't very good Marty. I can re-post the conversations if you like?
All done now
Not comprehending well at all, are you. In the previous message twice I stated that I do not care.
Thanks.
That is twice you have thanked me, and if you can muster up the brain cells to recall the original conversation where I advised you not to take any decision outside of your own head in my direction.
In thanking me, it feels like you are seeking to outsource your parental decision making [whatever form that comes] in my direction, yet again.
I didn't ask to know your family business, marty. But I understand your head set from the years we have swapped messages here, that you felt like a big man putting it onto me, eh.
The comment you responded to must have triggered the shit out of you. Yeah you were triggered, I can tell from the words you used. Again, don’t put your fear onto me.
Just keep it to yourself, and perhaps continue to avoid reading the links and comments I post. The science contained isn't aligned with your alleged choices, it doesn’t support your alleged choices. Not at all, and the surface has not even been scratched.
Do you have any thoughts or comments about NZ government and health agencies using an unlicensed vaccine which has no efficacy answer and no adequate safety profile?
Used on 6-11mths old babies outside the license issued by the FDA to the vaccine manufacturers ?
Do you understand the reasons of why this is happening ?
Edit: McFlock. Perhaps you might like to have a try?
Andre stil hasn’t a clue. What about the rest of you skeptics .
tbh I don't really think you're an authority on much and certainly not this subject – but you know that already. So just move on please. As I said – I just wanted to put your question to bed, which I have now done. Thanks.
Marty, your memory isn't good at all. It is distinctly like you’re trying to prove something to yourself.
It was never my question to enquire if you vaccinated your kids or not.
You stated a long time ago that you were going to. You shouted it numerous times because you couldn’t handle the contents of my comments.
All this time later and you still can’t handle it, but must show otherwise. Amazing.
I didn't ask you initially. Thats all your own wasted brain cells.
My comment and follow ups to you were for you to post the evidence of your actions, such was your bluster over an extended time. I asked you to post the evidence when you put yourself in my face, which you repeatedly did.
What does matter is that you have now selfishly wanted to close off what you started.
Hardly the actions of a reflective individual. More of a narcissistic tendency IMO.
Oh, and anyone can be an authority on this or any subject, marty.
All it takes is the ability to read and a network of people in various places doing lotsa science and legal stuff.
Any broader contribution from me for this thread would only be to reiterate the fact that you're still plugging this scaremongering bullshit even after literally hundreds of people have been hospitalised.
And then my arse would cop a ban because I have no polite words with which to describe my opinion of you.
plugging this scaremongering bullshit after literally hundreds of people have been hospitalised.
I'm currently using the governments official public immunisation documents and referenced research citations , which illustrate the reasons for the issues faced.
That being caused by government vaccine programs. The primary study from 1986 says that vqccines failure will continue to become more of a problem
How is using govt documents and referenced scaremingering?
Read the Finland 1986 study I linked to. It’sall in there. Farcical.
Hospitalizations are a meaningless metric. Surely you understand why?
yup. You will cherry-pick from govt documents and peer-reviewed articles, but you don't trust the data upon which many of those documents and articles are based.
Linking to Andres comment further exposes his level of misunderstanding of simple concepts like cherry picking consists of, and highlights his lack of basic comprehension.
It also signals there must be some other factors why the two of you denialists won't or can't accept the govts own documents which tell you the studies they cite as evidence of safety with the vaccine program.
The study (singular) relied on as primary evidence of MMR vaccine safety is from 1986 and is an insult to science, medicine and the public health.
That singular study is currently being used by NZ agencies as evidence that it is safe to inject 6-11m babies with an unlicensed product with no efficacy profile and inadequate safety profile
The manufacturers approval licence was not issued for 6-11m babies.
Because the P3 testing was not completed in that age group which is why the national schedule is and will remain starting at 12/15mths for MMR1.
Unsafe – No adequate safety profile. Off licence use.
No benefit – There is no efficacy answer.
The Immunisation Handbook and IMAC quick sheets cite the same singular study as evidence of MMR vaccine safety from 1986.
Ka pai to this new invention. You see if we invest in smart solutions to the challenges of becoming a carbon neutral society we will find them.
A bioplastic made of organic fish waste that would otherwise end up in landfill – with the potential to replace plastic in food and drink packaging – has landed its UK designer a prestigious international award and £30,000 prize.
Lucy Hughes, 24, a graduate in product design from the University of Sussex, scooped the James Dyson award for her biodegradable and compostable material known as MarinaTex.
Hughes sought to tackle the problems of environmentally harmful single-use plastics and inefficient waste streams by harnessing fish offcuts to create an eco-friendly plastic alternative. Global figures estimate that 40% of plastic produced for packaging is used once and discarded.
Ka pai to the Palau government for making laws to protect their reef fish.
The Palau government says its new National Marine Sanctuary Act enables islanders and tourists to eat pelagic fish while reducing demand for coral reef fish
The minister for natural resources, environment and tourism, Fleming Sengebau, made the comment while attending the Pacific Ocean Finance Conference in Fiji this week
Someone needs to be held accountable for the Shambles that health services is in up North.
Congratulations to all the Tangata who got tohu at the Waiata awards.
Maraki is a great company that shows that Tangata Whenua O Aotearoa have the skills of our Tipuna.
Ka pai for Te Kura for teaching the correct history. We have to teach all of our tamariki our true history so they can understand why Maori are we're we are at the minute.
Here is one of my favourite subjects mitigate climate change to protect all our Mokopuna future.
The IEA expects the growth of renewables to accelerate over the coming decades, but warned it would not be enough to put a ceiling on the energy sector’s emissions before 2040.
Dr Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director, said there was a “deep disparity” between the aim to tackle the climate crisis by curbing carbon emissions and the existing policies which had allowed a “relentless upward march” for emissions.
The IEA’s latest figures estimate that carbon emissions are on track to keep rising by 100m tonnes a year for at least another 20 years under existing policy plans.
This rate would be two-thirds slower than the emissions hikes recorded in previous decades, but would fall very far short of what is needed to achieve the goals of the Paris agreement.
“We will need to see great political will around the world,” Birol said. “This is why I believe that the world needs to build a grand coalition encompassing governments, investors, companies and everyone else who is genuinely committed to tackling climate change.”
The IEA said it presented the modelling based on stated policies to “hold up a mirror” to global governments to show the consequences of their policies.
Venice council flooded moments after rejecting climate crisis plan
Rightwing parties reject proposals as lagoon city faces worst flooding in 53 years
Veneto’s regional council rejected a plan to combat climate change minutes before its offices on the Grand Canal, in Venice, were flooded, it has emerged as the city continues to battle high water levels.
Venice has been hit by recurrent flooding since Tuesday, with 70% of the lagoon city engulfed on Friday morning as the acqua alta, or high water, level reached 1.54 metres amid heavy downpours. Tuesday night, as Veneto councillors were debating the climate emergency in Ferro Fini Palace, Venice experienced its worst flooding since 1966.
Politicians from the regional council’s majority rightwing parties: the League, Brothers of Italy and Forza Italia, rejected amendments to fight the climate crisis in the 2020 budget that were proposed by the centre-left Democratic party.
Sharing pictures of the room as water entered, Andrea Zanoni, the Democratic party’s deputy chairman of the council’s environment committee, wrote on Facebook: “Ironically, the chamber was flooded two minutes after the majority parties rejected our proposals to tackle climate change
That's awesome that our biggest food company's are lowering the sugar and salt in our food. Whanau I dropped coffee and tea out of my diet to just Wai well 99. Of the time for the first time my blood pressure has reduced.
Prefabricated whare is the way of the future just like Tiny Whare the beauty about Tiny Whare is the bank won't own your hip pocket for life.
I think Hawaii needs renewable energy from my research most of Hawaii power comes from diesel generators may be a bit of talking to make it work we have to grab new technologies and make it work for Pacific tangata.
Dr Henare Williams book Kaumatua is a book I would like to read.
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TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
Today marks a tragic milestone for New Zealanders as the Coalition Government side with big tobacco to repeal the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins and Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti. Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 19 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has hosted members of the Green Party Caucus at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawahia. The audience follows the King’s Hui-aa-Motu on 20 January, where more than 10,000 people gathered to discuss national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Rachael Potter, Research Associate and Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology, University of South Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Pregnant women and workers with children are often unfairly treated by their bosses and colleagues, despite laws to protect against workplace discrimination ...
Reacting to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s refusal to rule out introducing new taxes at the budget, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “Today’s refusal to rule out new taxes suggests the Government is nothing more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne Aila Images/Shutterstock Aged-care workers will receive a significant pay increase after the Fair Work Commission ruled they ...
He’s bringing ‘Sophie’ back, yeah. Goodshirt’s ‘Sophie’ music video is one of the most instantly recognisable New Zealand music videos of all time. Featuring a woman listening to the song on headphones while her entire house is burgled behind her, the video won the New Zealand music award for Best ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University A year ago, the AUKUS agreement was formally announced between Australian and UK Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese and Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden. The agreement mapped out the “optimal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andreas Helwig, Associate Professor, Electro-Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern Queensland SmartS/Shutterstock Steam locomotives clattering along railway tracks. Paddle steamers churning down the Murray. Dreadnought battleships powered by steam engines. Many of us think the age of steam has ended. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carrie Leonetti, Associate Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Victims who experience family violence in Aotearoa New Zealand are treated differently, depending on which part of the justice system they turn to for help. But a new member’s bill ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Tesch, Visiting Fellow at the ANU Centre for European Studies, Australian National University In perhaps the least surprising news of the year, Vladimir Putin has triumphed at the Russian ballot box and been enthroned for the fifth time as president. He ...
The Papua New Guinea Supreme Court has stopped a byelection for the Madang Open seat being held until an appeal filed by former MP Bryan Kramer is concluded. Kramer had appealed to the Supreme Court over a National Court decision not to review his application of the Leadership Tribunal decision ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Despite a “historic” ceasefire agreement in Papua New Guinea between Enga authorities and tribal leaders after months of bitter warfare, a young woman has been found brutally killed near Kaekin village, Wapenamanda. Despite the peace agreement and signing concluded in Port Moresby last Thursday ...
The second season of Ryan Murphy’s Feud is a sadder and slower entry into his canon of true story-telling, leaning heavily on a verdict about the cost of a single work of art. Hollywood heavyweight Ryan Murphy has had a bit of “ick” about him in the last few years. ...
People in dangerous bushfire zones delay taking action until the last minute because they're too optimistic about their own risk, new research has shown.
The highest fire danger warning has been forecast for Sydney, the first time the warning has been issued in Australia’s most populous region since the ‘catastrophic’ category was introduced in 2009.
https://lighthouse.mq.edu.au/article/november-2019/get-out-now-why-sydneys-first-catastrophic-fire-warning-will-save-lives
Yes. But they often live in areas where the fire risk is high every year. I think they also see stories of how the fire will burn some houses but skip others, sometimes because the owners defended the house.
Until recently the advice was to leave early OR stay and defend your house if you made the recommended clearing of material from around the house. The worst decision was to stay and then leave when the fire front could be seen.
The 2009 bushfires in Victoria swept through some small towns where people had taken shelter after leaving their homes. Up up 180 lost there lives.
Victoria is an area Im more familiar with and there is a long history of large loss of life
2009 – 7 February – March “Black Saturday” (173 deaths)
1939 – December – January “Black Friday” (71 deaths)
1926 – 14 February – March “Black Sunday” (60 deaths)
1944 – December – February (51 deaths)
1983 – 16 February “Ash Wednesday” (47 in Victoria)
1962 – 14–16 January (33 deaths)
1969 – 8 January (23 deaths)
1942 – Western Victoria (20 deaths)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushfires_in_Victoria
Yep, I've seen a few in Sydney. One I saw progressed from the south, then SW, West, NW, then north of Sydney .. almost as if someone was driving around with a box of matches.
NSW police later caught some kids carrying matches according to ABC radio, but I don't know the details.
Morning!
Check out the stats 11-12 mins in. Interesting changes.
Hoover Inst – The Strange Death of Europe
Posting because its not a perspective covered much.
Agreed A.
Not covered much, this side of the globe especially.
His work was described by one journalist as; "gentrified xenophobia", but such a description is questionable, and motive for such comment worthy of further examination.
The issues he puts forward is important even to NZ, more particularly in relation to use of immigration as a "numbers game".
Axiomatic, looking clearly at global migration patterns in the 21st century with a net population growth of around up to quarter of a million people per day, and a commonly overlooked potential for mass movement by "climate/environmental refugees" on top of other migration.
This is before the topic of cultural and religious domination (as opposed to integration) is even seriously considered.
Europe is really in a precarious situation, and is going to have to wake up very soon.
I accept, that many historic European "ills" identity/sub-culture (ref: the empire accusation) needed some fixing, but this blame game wont solve the real problems facing them.
I enjoyed his perspective.
I'm only just checking replies to my post because I was afraid of backlash!! Happy there is none of that so I can go to sleep without any upset.
Long-time Repug strategist reckons the way to Dump-a-chump is to make the Senate trial vote a secret ballot. Since that only requires a handful of Republican senators, it might be a lot likelier than most people think.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/11/12/path-to-removing-donald-trump-from-office-229911
However, she doesn't mention that the plan requires Mitch McTurtle to sacrifice his Senate seat for the greater benefit to the Republican party. Because he would become the lightning rod for angry Drumpfkins by actually allowing the vote to make it a secret ballot. That might be the biggest obstacle to the whole plan.
It is in the Repugs interest to have such vote anonymity electorally. But can't see it helping the Dems.
No sign of the Senate majority shield wall cracking yet.
No sign of the shield wall cracking yet because any public signs of cracking will bring the immediate wrath of Drumpf.
If cracking starts, I suspect there's a good chance we might not see any public cracks until there's an announcement that the world's most stable genius has won everything and solved all the world's problems and don't blame him when it all turns to shit after he left because it was all perfect when he finished his work.
Then over the next few months the stories of late-night delegations visiting the White House will trickle out …
I cannot see the collective Repug leadership entertaining an alternative future this close to the election.
They are locked.
Yep, impeachment is a god send to Trump, go and look and his donation numbers since this all started..soaring
'If you think of the Internet as an ATM machine, impeachment is the PIN code'
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-donations-impeachment-inquiry-public-hearings-1.5354954
The Dems fail again at understanding how to do politics, no surprises there.
Yeah, it's a long shot. About the only way I could see it happening is if they become convinced they'll lose the senate majority as well as the presidency with the fake-bronze Brezhnev at the top, but might have a chance of keeping the senate with something like a Pence-Haley ticket.
alternatively…there is an election…next year!
Depends on how important it is to make it clear that the president is required to act in accordance with the constitution and in the best interests of the country.
So if the idea is to set the norm that the president is elected to be an unacccountable king to do whatever the fuck he wants for four years, then sure, just pretend it's all good to just wait to let the voters sort it out. That seems to be the Repug position.
But if it's still important to hold the principle that the president is still a citizen accountable to the law and constitution, then it seems clear his behaviour has stepped so far over the line that Congress has no choice but to go through the process, even if it may be electorally disadvantageous to individual members. That seems to be the Dem position.
The clearest rehearsal for the Repugs is their performance in the Russian election interference hearings. They made their decision to lock down behind him then.
It's good mental protection to be as pessimistic as possible right now.
Dems having a few issues with their key witness testimonies…
https://twitter.com/leezeldin/status/1192244842346295298
That would be Sean Davis, founder of The Federalist website? Another Alex Jones type, minus the performance art? His twitter is certainly … ahem … interesting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Federalist_(website)
Meanwhile, searching Taylor's transcript for that quote (to find the context) turns up nothing, and searching da webz for that quote only turns up the kookiest of Repug and far-right sites.
You sure you're not just spattering around shit that's just been outright fabricated?
p. 299 of the Taylor deposition.
So the context is Zeldin is trying to get Taylor to make some sort of assertion about what Trump's state of mind or motivation was when he tried to extort Ukraine into opening sham investigations into his political opponents.
It's pure diversionary smokescreen.that is immaterial to establishing or refuting the fact that Trump was indeed trying to extort Ukraine by withholding the aid approved by Congress.
BTW maui, do you think it's OK for the president to withhold Congress approved and taxpayer funded aid to try to extort a foreign country into smearing a political opponent of the president?
This is now the fourth time I've asked you this exact question. The first time you evaded, and the next two you ghosted.
I really can't understand why it might be difficult to answer "no, it's not OK". Unless you're anticipating the need to be able to claim "yes, it is ok" when the evidence becomes undeniable to even the most delusional Drumpfkin.
You dohave a thing for vile RWNJs.
Zeldin’s Twitter rant was a classic racist dog whistle. It was a wink and nod to all his pals who hate seeing a woman of color wearing a hijab in a position of power. But it was written with just the right lack of specificity that he could claim ignorance when confronted with the nasty implications of his message.
[…]
Last month, for example, she recalibrated her defense of a tweet during the 2012 Gaza War, in which she wrote, “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.” In response to a New York Times column about her tweet and the history of anti-Semitic portrayals of Jews as deceitful manipulators, she defended her criticism of the Israeli military but said she regretted unintentionally invoking the trope.
Zeldin, however, has shown no such willingness to evolve.
In 2015 he met with the Long Island Oath Keepers, a New York chapter of a far-right anti-government militia movement. He has appeared as a guest on a radio show hosted by Frank Gaffney, an Islamophobic conspiracy theorist who has also had white nationalist Jared Taylor on his show. Gaffney is best known for suggesting that former President Barack Obama is Muslim, accusing opponents of submitting to Sharia and objecting to having Muslim members of Congress serve on the House Intelligence Committee because they might leak information to the Muslim Brotherhood. Last year, Zeldin held a fundraising event with Sebastian Gorka, a former White House adviser who was photographed wearing a medal indicating membership in the Vitezi Rend, a Hungarian group that collaborated with the Nazis in World War II.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lee-zeldin-ilhan-omar-racist-dog-whistle_n_5c54d2b5e4b0871047537f47
Nice deflection Joe…
Always a pleasure to note how you the opinions, half-truths and outright lies of bigots like Zeldin appeal to you, sport.
and 21 NZ firefighters are in OZ to help.
more usa fuckery in the world, in their fight against socialism … " Bolivian President Evo Morales Forced Out In Coup "
https://youtu.be/fdovnOeBR_0
and a bright note over their previous support of fascisim .
" Brazil's Ex-President Lula Freed, Promises to Continue Fight for Justice "
https://youtu.be/Za-MGgbQxjY
If only he hadn't changed the constitution to run for office again, and then stopped the election count for 24 hours, before being declared winner with just enough votes to win outright and avoiding a run off and drawing the attention of the poll observers who warned of serious irregularities.
It always seems sadder when left wing politicians get power crazy and corrupt.
Listening uncritically to the OAC on left-wing latin american governments is a mistake.
They have a long history of fomenting regime change in central and south america.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_regime_change_in_Latin_America
Morales still is the elected president (from his previous term) until December so this cannot be anything but a coup.
It's always sad to see left-wingers repeat the accusations of Trump and Rubio.
Care to explain the 24 hour "pause" in announcing the results? That doesn't usually go along with free and fair elections. Or are you one of these one eyed type leftists who excuse any abuse of democracy because it is committed by a Socialist and is therefore okay?
If anyone is one-eyed Gosman, it is you, and we are all painfully aware of it.
An abuse of democracy is to force a democratically elected official to resign before his previous term is even finished. Care to explain that one?
Maybe not – Mark Weisbrot seems to think otherwise. We should go with the default assumption based on historical experience – which is a resource-theft coup engineered by the global hegemon.
Why do YOU think there was a sudden 24 hour pause in counting the results of the election?
There was a 24 hour pause because at the centre of virtually all Central and South American elections there is the odour of Dodgy on the air.
When the ticket to a better life revolves around knowing someone with some political pull, we will always get candidates with hidden agendas. Left, Right, doesn't matter.
The OAS recommended a system of vote counting that goes in 2 parts. First a very quick count to get the general gist, and then the slower more careful count
http://cepr.net/images/stories/reports/bolivia-elections-2019-11.pdf?v=2
"Kevin Cashman @kevinmcashman – 1:36 UTC · Nov 11, 2019
Eventually, the official count was released: Morales won in the first round 47.08% to 36.51%. If you had been watching the polls before the election, 5 out of 6 of them predicted the same result. Weird to have a fraud that matches up with polls."
Poll Tracker: Bolivia's 2019 Presidential Race
Listen to Weisbrot. There are two counts – a quick count and an official count. The quick count has historically been stopped before 100% as it is meant to be indicative only. The official count carries on to 100%. The supposed 'pause' is simply the time interval between the cessation of the quick count and the end of the official count. If Weisbrot is correct, and there is no reason to assume he's not, the accusation is bullshit.
So I'm sticking with my hunch – yet another resource-theft coup orchestrated by the global hegemon and gleefully and violently supported by local elites on the ground who stand to benefit. A Marxist (and I'm not one) would correctly call it "primitive accumulation". The suggestion is that the resource in question is lithum – there's a truckload of money to be made in the near future with batteries I'm picking. BTW – are you actually Juan Guaido with a bit of time on your hands?
si
A thought experiment and a question. An oak tree was planted somewhere in Auckland in 1840, by a Maori who wants to see how these new fangled trees grew. In 1880, an acorn fell from this tree and grew spontaneously. In 1919 a grieving Pakeha parent took a sapling from this second oak tree and planted it on the slopes of one of Auckland's cones as a quiet memorial to a son lost in the Geat War. Today, this NZ third generation oak is 100 years old and the family of the person who planted it – informally, just amongst themselves – know of it's story and take comfort when they walk or drive past when they see "their" tree.
The question is, is that oak tree now a native, or is it forever an exotic?
Mother Earth made the arrangements = native tree
Mankind made it happen, planted the seed or it was on the hoof of his horse = exotic tree
….If a South American Macaw flew from Sydney to Devonport and deposited an Australian native plant seed that flourished, is that plant native or exotic?
That macaw story is a good one .
Correct me if I'm wrong but native is something that can be in other countries but is of the place its found and endemic is native but only found in that place .
So a non endemic native is self introduced through natural methods. As opposed to introduced by other means .
Which kinda means that as humans have always naturally spread across the planet, anyone not forcibly transplanted is native . Especially their offspring.
If we agree that central Africa is the cradle of mankind…the only endemic people are those there. The rest of us, migrating exotics.
Good question, can't be answered definitively. I listened to someone describing a native person as one who recognised every bird call in a place, knew its meaning and how that changed according to season and time of day. I think this definition, given our present dire situation, is more useful than circumstantial; first-in-first-served model we have come to accept.
Good answer! 🙂
I think that if we used that definition Robert there wouldn't be anyone in the country who could possibly claim the title of being a "native" of New Zealand.
Do you know, for example, what is the call of a sooty shearwater chick when it wants to be fed by its father rather than its mother? Please provide a full, detailed, explanation of the differences between the calls made to each parent.
I wouldn't worry it is just a made up definition. Experts in one type of knowledge were experts for that and not everyone was/is expert in all areas imo
I really wasn't planning to lose any sleep over it Marty. Do I have to put JOKE everywhere?
On the other hand I am desperately interested in the question about the Mutton bird*. I haven't been able to determine the exact sequence of notes in each of the calls I was inquiring about and I thought that Robert was sure to know.
* (titi if you prefer).
alywn, just in case you are not aware of it, the website NZ Birds online, may have the answer to any questions about our birds.
(Including many recordings of different calls for any species.)
Alwyn; it may surprise you greatly to learn that I spent a season on one of the most far-flung titi islands, Putauhinu, south of Rakiura/Stewart Island and while I can certainly describe a range of calls made by parent and chick titi, having heard them many, many times, I could not differentiate as finely as you have demanded, however, I haven't claimed to be a native of Putauhinu, so don't feel compromised. I imagine, reading your question, that you are very familiar with the range of calls the galah and consider your self a native of Australia?
I am truly impressed Robert. Even in my much younger days I think I would have found spending time on those Southern Islands rather harder than I would have desired. Tramping on Stewart Island itself was quite enough for me.
I wonder if bird calls actually do get as selective as my hypothesis suggests? Surely not.
As far as Australian birds go I found them to be much more spectacular in their colouring than New Zealand ones but I can't think of any where the song was attractive. Just the opposite of most New Zealand species. Still I suppose the Australian birds were quite appropriate for the country. The sounded just as raucous as most of the inhabitants.
I prefer titi
Marty – all definitions are made up.
lol your one was that is for sure Robert
It wasn’t my definition, Marty, it was that of a man who teaches "becoming native" and begins by training people to recognise bird calls and their meanings. It's fascinating stuff and his ability to know stuff about his surroundings through the behaviour of birds is phenomenal. He's a tracker also and takes his awareness to incredible levels with his reading of tiny signs in the environment. He runs a podcast course that I highly recommend; with a bit of training, you too could become native
awesome – he sounds like a real tohuka – does he whakapapa to the deep south?
He's American, living in America. His concept is an interesting one though, but one of many views on what "native" might mean. I like to hear various interpretations and recognise that a person can hold more than one view quite comfortably; the trick being not to negate one with another. We were talking today about a woman from Rekohu who "jumped ship" while it was anchored at Rakiura and made her way to Oraka, just down the road from me where she met and married a Maori man, bore children whose children's children are amongst those I taught when I was a teacher a couple of decades ago. Was she native to this role?
I don't really use the term native – a bit too much baggage to me here, let alone from over there. Indigenous, Māori, Ngāi Tahu mean a lot more. Plenty of people without a whakapapa want to be native here – I don't really care tbh.
Have you had a gander at this?
Yeah, that's wonderful, isn't it. I saw it when it was at its early stage, presented to us at the council. You see Hautere off the bottom of the south coast? I went there one day; hitch-hiked on a DoC provided helicopter; marvellous island, wouldn't want to stay there for more than an afternoon though; very, very exposed. Hineahitea and her man paddled from there to the mainland in a coracle made from twisted branches and seal skins, to escape being marooned there for his misdeeds. She was the brains behind the escape, imo
My mate Stewart Bull, speaking in our big yurt, said he thinks tikanga, rather than tikanga Maori, when he's involved in shared kaitiaki projects. He tangata tino pai ia!
Yeah Stewart is a nice guy.
I often wonder how the rellies lived on Whenua Hou and carved a life out of there – amazingly resilient and so generous – as many of their descendants are today. Haven't been there – will need to be saving the Kākāpō I spose – but the pouwhenua look great.
https://ngaitahu.iwi.nz/our_stories/connecting-people-place-and-time-tk76/
Whenua Hou is just across the water from us; te Ara a Kewa. I can see it from the beach. Like you, I've not yet been there, but have friends who have. Kakapo work is hard! Perhaps you know Estelle Leask?
Sounds weird to me.
The point of environmentalism. Surely to enhance said biodiversity. That includes introducing new species. We are an introduced species, that has increased diversity of Aotearoa. Western Europeans have done more to maximize the number of species in Nz. The question of protection is one of stopping degradation of previous species, this does not mean Maori since they drive, eat, behave much like pakeha, and are human beings, no human left behind!
if we can introduce a tree that saves the kiwi should we? hell yes.
Cat and stoat eating trees?
How about a genetical engineered tree that provides a nest that allows the kiwi the ability to peck a intruding cat, stout in the back of the head. Over time kiwis could become canavories…
oh, on, science, how about WiFi absorbing wall paint that heats your home rather than your brain. 5G will lower my power bill and stop me getting brain cancer, whoopi.
Tokoekas don't struggle with cats now – no GE required.
A long time ago a wise old Māori woman told me that where you are born if there is a tree or significant tree species nearby, then that will become your spiritual tree species for life. There was no distinction between native and exotic. That was a mind opener for sure…
Nice, mauī
For anyone who didn't catch this breaking on Checkpoint last night:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018721883/three-deaths-reported-after-epilepsy-drug-switch
or the written version
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/403116/three-deaths-following-epilepsy-drug-brand-switch
The deaths are before the coroner and will be for a very long time. It's not likely to ever be 100% certain the switch was the direct cause but when you understand how all this works there's a strong possibility it's connected. Were this a food product, or a seat belt, or airbag, there would be an immediate recall to err on the side of caution. Do we have to wait till the coroner's make their recommendations before Pharmac cancel this switch??
All of a sudden the Minister of Health is suddenly taken this 'very seriously' and asking a lot of questions. I guess the word "deaths" in the public arena isn't a good look from a PR perspective. And we know how the one thing Ministers HATE is being publicly embarrassed.
David Clark has been bombarded with our concerns about this switch all year, some of us have been attempting to correspond with him since September 2018 when this was first mooted because we knew full well this outcome was likely. 'Attempted' because it's been very difficult to get a response, and the responses we did get are all identical cut and paste jobs. Not even acknowledgments from his office that our correspondence had been received. Welcome to NZ democracy where our elected representatives deliberately ignore or fob off serious situations they don't want to deal with until the shit really hits the fan in the media and they're forced to act all ministerial.
(nb if anyone still wants to try that line that the brands/generics are exactly the same then I'm going to either totally ignore you or give you what for. Probably ignore you because I don't want to get a ban. In real life you'd probably get screamed at. I'm not even trying to be polite and reasonable any more if you're not prepare to listen or do your research and many of my peers in this fight have reached this point as well)
+100000 Kay. Did hear the coverage on RNZ National yesterday and immediately thought of you; and I now see that it has also been widely covered in other media – TVNZ, Herald, The Press, Stuff , Voxy amongst others.
For anyone interested in the other coverage, rather than links to each of these other media, here is a generic Google link with links to these other media articles in the last 24 hours
https://www.google.com/search?q=epilepsy+new+zealand&rlz=1C1LDJZ_enNZ499&sxsrf=ACYBGNRhAj8SNpQ0rUY7ufWHZ8KSLsZcOQ:1573594520439&source=lnt&tbs=qdr:d&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwii4KSz0OXlAhUWA3IKHSReBbYQpwUIKQ&biw=1024&bih=724&dpr=1.25
"….thought about you. ( vw )
Anyone regularly here on TS who takes the line that generics are no different from 'branded' versions are being wilfully and woefully ignorant.
Espiner has done well to keep this pot boiling…isn't it interesting how being personally affected by a serious health crisis heightens one's awareness of the significant issues threatening the lives of others?
As a nation we can fix this….so why the hell is it dragging on?
Thanks Kay for posting.
Ha, you are so right re: Generics vs Best in field Brand names.
We all know what you mean. The ingredients lists on the Coke, Watties and Gillette labels are identical to the Pams Products labels. Teenagers the world over are fed up with trying to convince their Mum's that Coca-cola and Fun Cola are exactly the same thing.
I have no experience with prescription drugs but with Colas, sorry Mum, everyone knows they aren't the same thing and yes we can taste it.
Medication changes and/or medical experiments?
Also as below.
On assumed advice from MOH/IMAC and using a combination of standing orders and unapproved indication.
Babies as young as 6mths of age have been and can be injected with MMR vaccine.
Unapproved Indication means the product is not licenced for use in ages 6-11mths age group.
The same applies to pregnant women with DTaP/Flu. Unlicensed use.
Unapproved Indications have no established safety profile which has basis in recent science, and has IMAC Says "No Efficacy Answer"(no protective benefit profile) at all. Zero.
As per publicly available IMAC/MOH documents. Linked.
[It didn’t take you long after your 3-month ban to jump on one of your hobby horses and ride roughshod over a thread that is about generic vs. brand drugs and whether a switch of prescribing an epilepsy drug may have contributed to the deaths of three patients. In addition, your selective quoting belies an inquisitive mind in search of accuracy and the truth. I have no patience for you hijacking threads so let this be your only warning – Incognito]
The full quote from the link, which One Two has cherry-picked to create a deceptive impression, is:
Two of the babies given MMR vazcines at well under twelve months of age are my grandniece and grandnephew. Because their mother is a doctor helping deal with a measles outbreak where the majority of those with measles are idiot anti-vaxxers.
If any readers are considering whether an infant under twelve months should get vaccinated, the reason for the "over twelve months" recommendation is that it's less effective for younger infants, due to the possible residual presence of maternal antibodies. So the recommendation for infants that received their first dose before twelve months is that they get a further 2 doses (3 total) to ensure best protection.
IMAC says there is no science which they can use as evidence of efficacy.
Efficacy profile from vaccine = zero.
Your comment served only to endorse and confirm what IMAC say in their own document.
Which part of no efficacy answer did you not understand?
While you're searching for info here is an explanation of what is happening and why.
And the cycle of vaccine failure through waning inferior anti bodies continues to create expanded cohorts of susceptibles in all age groups.
References available on request. You can share the CDC/Mayo Clinic research with your relative the doctor.
Oddly enough, one big factor that might "create expanded cohorts of susceptibles in all age groups" is actually getting measles.
It seems that one of the long-term effects of measles in some people is that it reduces or destroys the immunity they had developed towards other diseases – it seems measles causes immune system amnesia. Yet one more reason to ensure your measles vaccination has been done.
https://www.livescience.com/measles-wipes-immune-memory.html
See my Moderation note @ 3:49 PM.
Incognito I have read the note. Cheers.
If I continue the convo with Andre, seeing as he has again responded.
Is a fresh comment in OM , away from the drug swap thread going to be ok?
Thanks and if you and Andre like to continue your exchange on OM, you can do so.
Thanks for the confirmation.
Why do you hate people protecting their children from easily communicable diseases?
To be honest, I really don't like. I'm only moved to have a say when I see misinformation that might cause actual harm.
So I'm happy to drop out when the misinformation moves on to someone just re-asserting something previously shown to be a taken-out-of-context cherry pick, or delving into the minutiae at the fringes of a topic that really don't affect the core issue.
In the spirit of continuing honesty, I'm surprised at the continued tolerance here of harmful anti-vax misinformation. Particularly since we're dealing with an outbreak that's harming thousands that's at least partly due to anti-vax misinformation getting spread into vulnerable communities. But hey, this site is not my playground, those that put the work into making the playground available and keep it running get to set the rules.
Hi Andre, I have left a long moderation note for One Two at 6:44 PM.
I wish to respond to your comments about tolerance and the apparent lack of ‘policing’ on this site.
With an online forum such as this site, there are two aspects to consider: content and process-flow.
Content is determined by Authors who write Posts but also by the commenters. The site does not dictate nor restrict content and shouldn’t IMO.
Moderators keep their distance and only jump in when the boundaries are crossed or rules violated as set out in the site’s Policy. The idea is that commenters self-moderate and nobody excludes others, for example.
As with the content, the process-flow is largely determined by the online ‘commentariat’, the online community. It is up to all of you/us to deal with stuff in a positive constructive way that allows for dissenting views, disagreements, differences of opinions, criticism, and even personal dislikes or rather dislike of content and/or style of comment, given that we don’t know each other from a bar of soap on this site. What is not tolerated is personal insults, for example.
The rules-boundaries are lenient to encourage free and frank debate on a wide range of topics. As with all free speech, this can create tension, especially when the boundaries get ‘tested’.
I hope this clarifies how I view things here, as commenter and as moderator.
Cheers,
Incognito
Thanks for all that, particularly since I'm pretty sure your actual expertise about the workings of the immune system far exceeds mine. And apologies for my contributions to a situation that took up so much of your time.
Where I'm coming from on this topic is I see anti-vax speech as something that can plausibly lead to direct specific harm to identifiable vulnerable persons.
To me, that puts it on a moral plane pretty darn close to that occupied by hate speech. Were I to put the effort in and get invited to join the team helping keep the site running, I'd certainly want to treat it as such, which is probably a pretty good indication I shouldn't ever be granted that authority.
"Welcome to NZ democracy where our elected representatives deliberately ignore or fob off serious situations they don't want to deal with until the shit really hits the fan in the media and they're forced to act all ministerial."
From memory, this was the interview where the Minister said something like how important is was to maintain the independence of Pharmac. (even if it's killing people apparently)
Some of elected reps really are masochists at times, and don't seem to have adequate bullshit detectors fitted
More coverage likely on Checkpoint and One news this evening according to my close source. I'd love to see David facing the cameras telling us he's ordered Pharmac to stop the switch immediately (flying pigs….)
Pharmac will fight this to the death for the simple reason this is their business model, and conceding now will mean they can no longer pull this stunt with certain classes of drugs. People's lives have never come into their decisions, only money.
Maybe, or maybe not tonight Josephine.
They might be too busy waiting for NZQA’s ‘Comms People” to get back to them
"People's lives have never come into their [Pharmac's] decisions, only money." As a Pharmac beneficiary, that doesn't strike me as a fair opinion.
IMHO, it would be more reasonable to state that 'Pharmac's decisions are based on people's health outcomes and maximising value for money on a limited budget."
Given PHARMAC’s mandate, generics will always play a major part in the decision-making. In the US, the vast majority of prescribed drugs are generics and cost up to 85% less than the corresponding brand drugs.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31626574
Interesting thanks Incognito, especially re "Narrow Therapeutic Index (NTI) drugs".
There seems to have been some uncertainty about whether the anti-epilepsy drug lamotrigene and its generics should be categorised as NTI drugs.
For information, links to a couple of relevant papers (the first from your link.)
It is pretty complex. Did you see the term “generic-brittle”?
Here’s another recent abstract from the same authors: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30579779
In that relatively small study, 40% of epilepsy patients were categorised as generic brittle.
I think that epilepsy and the ‘NZ experience’ with the drug switch are not typical and should not be used to jump to conclusions and make sweeping statements about generics vs. brand drugs.
Interesting again, thinking about possible crossover between genetic-brittle and generic-brittle, and making the most of the hand you’re dealt.
Like your last para – agreed, and shouldn't be used as yet another stick with which to beat Pharmac, when we are collectively so much better off than previous generations. Is this as good as it gets, and if it is, would that be so terrible?
Being the beneficiary of various generics @Incognito, I agree. However in this case I don't really see that as the issue here. More to do with the way the Minister and Pharmac have responded when concerns have been raised.
There are multiple issues at play. It started off with one aspect @ 7 but then the money aspect got dragged into it @ 7.3.1 and in an unfair, uninformed and prejudiced way, IMO.
11000 brand switches (about half switched so far according to RNZ).
Each year, SUDEP affects about 1 in 1,000 adults with epilepsy and 1 in 4,500 children with epilepsy.
Three almost seems lower than expected.
Mayor Andy Foster invites the wrath of the Taxpayers Union. They'll be into him boots and all – won't they?
He's reintroducing catered lunches which he led moves to get rid of some years back.
"People felt when you didn't have lunches provided on days when you were working through [into the afternoon], councillors tended to disappear all over the place to get lunch. It reduced team bonding."
I know in the scheme of things it's small change. I understand the sense of everyone eating together and the context of their meeting days. And I reckon if it'd been a Labour mayor introducing it the loonies would be going loopy about 'sense of entitlement, troughing lefties' and the usual.
I don't know why, just like anyone going to work, the councillors can't take lunch with them and sit and eat together and do the 'team bonding.' Can't team bonding happen unless it's a free lunch? Or can't highly motivated, organised people, with the serious responsibility of an important job, actually organise and their own lunch a couple of days a week so as to enable the critical team building?
You watch, Jordan Williams and David Farrar will be spewing!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/117357944/wellington-mayor-andy-foster-brings-back-catered-councillor-lunches
"Or can't highly motivated, organised people, with the serious responsibility of an important job,"
A catered lunch probably means they all fall asleep by 3PM meals like that have that effect.
Now free drinks at 4Pm thats real team bonding.
A big assumption there as to what type of lunch would be provided, Duke. As a Wellingtonian, I can assure you that we have an abundance (even overabundance) of caterers providing very healthy lighter style lunches with lots of fresh produce and options (vegetarian.vegan. gluten free, dairy free etc. LOL.
Multiple Options like that cost a lot more to provide, you seem to be in the industry and would be hoping its a 'smorgasbord' of vegan this and gluten free that
It was being light hearted.
"It was being light hearted."
So was mine – hence the LOL in my comment.
I understand why you might be a bit sensitive to other people's comments at present and I want you to know that I am disgusted by the ongoing personal attacks you continue to be subjected to by Greywarshark.
Its a case of "Pot/Kettle" and Grey needs to look in a mirror.
Much for all her/his/its " lets be positive, kind" etc sanctimonious sermons, Grey has been posting snide put downs of other commenters who Grey thinks should not comment on TS regularly since she/he/it first started commenting here as Prism on 28 October 2009 – and through her/his/its transition through "Rose-Tinted" and "greywarbler" to "Greywarshark".
And not just on TS but also on TDB (and then wonders why her/his/its comments as "greywarbler" disappear), and on Bowalley Road. Just two days ago this appeared on Bowalley Road.
So please don’t think others here support Grey’s put downs of you . Many otheres have been in your position in the past.
In terms of the TS Policy, I would have thought that the following provision of TS Policy was relevant but it is not my right to suggest moderation be exercised –
"What we’re not prepared to accept are pointless personal attacks, or tone or language that has the effect of excluding others. "
I just don't bother commenting much here any more
And just wanted to mention that I am a female in a similar age range/same decade to Grey albeit a few years younger so my comments are not a "OK Boomer" situation.
It's not gone unnoticed, although I will keep a closer eye on if Duke is being targeted specifically.
(best not refer to people as 'it', thanks).
Re people, I agree 'it' is not appropriate – was thinking of birds and fish.
Putting both handles (Grey and Duke's full handles) into Search comes up with almost two pages of interactions going back to 2015, of which quite a few have little "bites/nibbles" and more. But not sure this search has picked up all the recent ones, but will leave it there. But Duke is just one person who has had this treatment.
https://thestandard.org.nz/search/greywarshark+Dukeofurl/?search_comments=true&search_posts=true&search_sortby=date
Yes but if you look at that list it's mostly comments within the bounds of TS until the last few months, which is when I noticed a change as well.
Had a closer look at the list that popped out of that search and it is missing a lot over the last month or so as have done a more detailed check going back from today to Sept. If I get time, I will drop an email to you at the back end in the next day or so.
this is why I rarely use the TS search 😉
I'm ok with what you've told me so far, and will keep an eye on it, cheers.
Perhaps Foster is trying to find work for his predecessor Justin?
He owned, or at least part owned, a salad bar business if my memory serves me right. Perhaps the Council will give him the contract if he goes back to it?
Gee I manage every day to get up and make my lunch and be out the door by 7 . Like a huge amount of workers in this country. This is why we grow to despise the people up the food chain .
Put downs, negative again Duke of Url?
[give it a rest please. Please also let me know when you have read this, thanks https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-07-11-2019/#comment-1665176 – weka]
Oh thats that Jane Austen Character again , Mr Greywarshark
mod note for you above.
Yes I have read it weka. And don't understand why you do not discourage such pointless negativity in these negative times. A place for prople to cojme and do the new thing of talking and thinking of politics is so important these days. Why do you not encourage a greater number instead of allowing a smug, sneering type like this troll?
That comment I asked you to read *is my discouraging pointless negativity. Yours.
Beyond that, it's a balancing act. The ethos of TS is robust debate. There are limits on that, hence the language and tone part of the Policy.
Duke isn't (usually) a troll. He's annoying at times but that's not unusual here, and he brings useful perspectives to the site. Gosman is our resident (RW) troll if you want a standard to go by. Puckish Rogue at times too, but he gets away with it more because he is also often funny.
Other than that, any of the regulars can get into trouble if they start doing comments that are abusive with no politics. Mostly a reminder to not do that will suffice, but sometimes people get a short ban (or long one if they give the moderator shit).
I'll say again, that ime the best way to change the culture of the place is to encourage and do the kinds of comments that you want to see here. Giving people shit for giving people shit will almost always result in more shit. Moderation will limit the shit posting, trolling and flames, but it won't create good interactions or better comments, it just creates the space for them. Improving the commentary requires creative acts.
Uber Eats.
Those that desire to dine on butterfly wings in a white whine sauce can and the bill will still be cheaper than caterers. Caterers are so Elizabethan (II). Attach an extensive Uber Eats menu to the 'We're workin' late you bastards' memo.
(I work alone and drive myself hard.)
Un-bloody-believable: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/117378375/epas-inappropriate-reaction-to-students-speech. From the start, the Environmental Protection Agency has consistently demonstrated that its role is the opposite of its title. The fact that a young woman who spoke in support of environmental protection was subjected to a 'shout over' then accused of being bad mannered is bizarre. The farcical EPA should be disposed of. At the very least, Allan Freeth should be sent down the road – the fish is obviously still rotting from the head.
Yes aom. Freeth represents those old men with old minds and contempt for new ideas especially if they come from youth. The National Party is littered with such people.
Freeth's all about Freeth. When at telstra clear he pretty much demanded to be in any ads being shot for his own self promotion.
They lost good senior telco operators who grew sick of his ways and broken promises.
he’s clearly a club member swanning about in troughsville now.
Snap! Sorry for double posting below.
when the elephant in the room shits on you
Apart from the 'inversion' by Freeth over what was unacceptable. Shines a light on 'private meetings' EPA runs where it only wants to listen to one side.
Looking at the management team seems to be far too many 'acting' in their job title, maybe one or 2. Theres is 6.
https://www.epa.govt.nz/about-us/our-people/management-team/
Lots to unpack out of that one? Inviting Greenpeace is a "gesture " but others (oil companies?) are stakeholders? Who decides the category – the EPA?
Would this have happened if the speaker had not been a young person (woman) but an older white male?
Lookd at the CEO expenses. Nothing much to the enviromental stakeholders, mostly CEO type meetings. Couldn't see when the board terms expired.
Roger Stone’s trial continues.
https://twitter.com/rachelweinerwp/status/1194276332865294338
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/12/roger-stone-trial-donald-trump-wikileaks-070368
Socialists and Unidas Podemos have made a preliminary deal to form a coalition government.
Caretaker Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the leader of left-wing Unidas Podemos, Pablo Iglesias, have signed a preliminary agreement to form a coalition government after Sunday’s inconclusive repeat general election in Spain. Despite months of negotiations between the parties to strike a governing deal following the April poll, the two leaders have done this deal less than 48 hours after Sunday’s vote
https://elpais.com/elpais/2019/11/12/inenglish/1573562718_041862.html?
ILG just on the radio regarding Immigration – Labour in the 2017 election had no targets
So that we have only a minimal reduction – we now have a need for many thousands of additional houses and large increase in cars on the road – No wonder we haveSTILL major issues that remain from the change of government – Time to deliver because the consequences of this NON DELIVERY is crushing the country.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/117318375/the-dirty-little-secret-in-new-zealands-migration-debate
"In total, these changes are estimated to reduce net migration by 20,000-30,000. Without these changes there would be up to 10,000 more houses needed and up to 20,000 more vehicles on our roads annually. Our immigration system will be regularly reviewed to ensure it is functioning well."
https://www.labour.org.nz/immigration
I've been listening to Michelle Boag on RNZ. She hates the notions of common good and communities working together in education and schools, she wants dog-eat-dog competitive ways of operating. No surprise.
I suppose in a world of free speech, getting a female dog on to spout narrow-minded, self serving rabidity probably helps cover the angles. Mind you she did say, "I know some principals." I'd bet they haven't got empires to protect too. Not.
I didn't hear it Peter but she'll be coming at it from the angle of "personal responsibility" and everyone having the "freedom to choose" etc. etc. In other words as you say… dog eat dog competition in all things.
The thought of "common good" and "communities working together" would conjure up the dreaded word "socialism" in the books of the neo-liberal apostles, or even worse "communism".
Bridges also said that in his shambolic interview this morning. He said he wants the competitive model to continue and spoke against the cooperative model. Idiot!
Andre. 7.2.2.1.1.1
As you've backed away from no efficacy answer as well as completely ignored the unapproved indication.
– No vaccine efficacy profile exists
– No licenced safety profile exists
If you require further explanation of the above and why maternal antibodies are only relevant in vaccine context to illustrate how vaccines have created inferior maternal antibodies. We can have that conversation.
To address the immune amnesia hypothesis, which is not new.
First of all vaccine antibody theory needs to be examined. And for that the link below
Immunological memory ≠ protective immunity
Abstract
The remainder of the abstract is in the link provided.
It's saying that immune memory is not necessary for protective immunity.
If correct, then immune amnesia isn’t relevant except to expose the desperation of the vaccine industry.
Mina 2019 is flawed for many primary reasons. None more so than as linked to above.
[You may have some good points to make but most of your comments create a foggy web of cherry-picked facts, links to humongous hard-to-read documents by (overseas) regulatory agencies, and science sophistry. The outcome is that you confuse people into thinking that vaccination is ineffective and dangerous and that governments, including NZ’s, and the pharma-industrial complex, cover this up.
With a complex topic such as the immune system and the subject of vaccination, we need clarity and not somebody with an agenda and poor communication skills clouding people’s minds.
For example, you quote Rolf Zinkernagel, Professor of Experimental Immunology at the University of Zurich and Nobel Laureate “for their discoveries concerning the specificity of the cell mediated immune defence”, to support your questionable opinions in a misleading appeal to authority. Zinkernagel questions how the idea of “immunological memory” explains the improved resistance against disease caused by a second infection with the same agent through vaccination and he rejects this concept. However, he does not reject the effectivity of vaccines and vaccination. In fact, it is quite the opposite.
Here’s the full abstract of another more recent review by Zinkernagel in the high-impact journal IMMUNOLOGICAL REVIEWS:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29664570
The reason I quote the full abstract is that other people can read and come to their own conclusions rather than be guided by your nebulous comments and ‘statements of fact’.
In summary, nobody is served by your comments here about vaccination. In fact, it confuses (‘drowns’) and misleads with potentially dire consequences. If you want to make a point about vaccination, keep it simple with clear arguments with integrity and in an honest manner. Banned for another two weeks and bans will escalate from hereon – Incognito]
That's an interesting April 2012 review by Zinkernagel. Here's a more recent link regarding "Immunological memory: What’s in a name?"
It may be that our incomplete understanding of the 'arms race' between the human immune system and pathogens, coupled with evolving vaccination programmes, is incubating a crisis similar to the rise of multidrug-resistant pathogens fueled by the indiscriminate use of antibiotics.
Nevertheless, remember this hopeful quote by Prof. Christine Stabell Benn in her January 2019 TEDx talk How vaccines train the immune system in ways no one expected:
Hi Drowsy, good shout thanks for the link.
If you have taken a look into RZ's background then you understand the credibility his assessments have regarding vaccination theory .
The goalposts were shifted from the position I had aligned with the generic drug changes ,and the consequences coming to light of the dangers of the changes.
The position was that of using unlicensed vaccines (Unapproved Indication) which lack not only an adequately proven P3 safety profile, but also are confirmed to have zero efficacy vaccine profile.
Not Safe
Not effective
That leaves only a risk profile.
The current government have deemed (on assumed advise of MOH/IMAC which those agencies in turn have been provided with from offshore) that it is appropriately safe and effective to inject 6-11mth babies with MMR vaccine.
It is scientifically and medically the complete opposite. But this is where NZ finds itself as a result of 30 years of expanding government vaccine programs.
Andre responded avoiding the discussion about unapproved indication and no efficacy answer, so it is not apparent if he believes it acceptable or not to used unlicensed vaccines on some of the most vulnerable age groups in NZ.
Given that his direct relatives under 12mths were injected with MMR, it could be deduced he does agree in using unlicensed, useless and dangerous vaccines on 6-11mth babies.
If you would like to discuss the how this has come to be NZ's public health decision, and the consequences of the entry and exit of such decision points, I would be more than happy to have that conversation with you initially.
If not then the below may/may not be of interest.
The Finland study is cited in NZ Immunisation Handbook 2017 as the safety study for the unapproved indication, and indeed is the only study cited/referenced in NZ's official MMR documents available to the public regarding MMR vaccine safety. The study is from 1986. Ref 24
It was a vaccinated vs vaccinated study. Which can't provide any sane definition of a safety profile because the participants were already vaccinated, and were then vaccinated with MMR2 v non inert placebo vaccine.
That is not real science, which is precisely why the charade is currently falling apart around the world including NZ.
hey mate – got the kids vaccinated now. Thanks.
Why do you reckon that is of any interest to me?
Given how long ago you were bloating around shouting how you were going to vaccinate your kids anyway, and then got repeatedly emotional and abusive when I asked you to post the evidence. Perhaps you've forgotten?
I don't care what you do marty, it's none of my business. But you had some inner sense of [whatever it was] which compelled you to bring that up yet again as if I believe anything you write.
12-18 months or so, after you first said you were going to take action.
So as you don't get the message mixed up again…
I do not care what decisions you make about vaccinating your kids.
Cool – you kept going on about it so I wanted to tie it off – took a while to get it sorted. All done now. Thanks.
Your memory isn't very good Marty. I can re-post the conversations if you like?
Not comprehending well at all, are you. In the previous message twice I stated that I do not care.
That is twice you have thanked me, and if you can muster up the brain cells to recall the original conversation where I advised you not to take any decision outside of your own head in my direction.
In thanking me, it feels like you are seeking to outsource your parental decision making [whatever form that comes] in my direction, yet again.
I didn't ask to know your family business, marty. But I understand your head set from the years we have swapped messages here, that you felt like a big man putting it onto me, eh.
The comment you responded to must have triggered the shit out of you. Yeah you were triggered, I can tell from the words you used. Again, don’t put your fear onto me.
Just keep it to yourself, and perhaps continue to avoid reading the links and comments I post. The science contained isn't aligned with your alleged choices, it doesn’t support your alleged choices. Not at all, and the surface has not even been scratched.
Kia Kaha
you sound a bit worked up buddy – chillax, you don't care remember
chuckles
Do you have any thoughts or comments about NZ government and health agencies using an unlicensed vaccine which has no efficacy answer and no adequate safety profile?
Used on 6-11mths old babies outside the license issued by the FDA to the vaccine manufacturers ?
Do you understand the reasons of why this is happening ?
Edit: McFlock. Perhaps you might like to have a try?
Andre stil hasn’t a clue. What about the rest of you skeptics .
tbh I don't really think you're an authority on much and certainly not this subject – but you know that already. So just move on please. As I said – I just wanted to put your question to bed, which I have now done. Thanks.
Marty, your memory isn't good at all. It is distinctly like you’re trying to prove something to yourself.
It was never my question to enquire if you vaccinated your kids or not.
You stated a long time ago that you were going to. You shouted it numerous times because you couldn’t handle the contents of my comments.
All this time later and you still can’t handle it, but must show otherwise. Amazing.
I didn't ask you initially. Thats all your own wasted brain cells.
My comment and follow ups to you were for you to post the evidence of your actions, such was your bluster over an extended time. I asked you to post the evidence when you put yourself in my face, which you repeatedly did.
What does matter is that you have now selfishly wanted to close off what you started.
Hardly the actions of a reflective individual. More of a narcissistic tendency IMO.
Oh, and anyone can be an authority on this or any subject, marty.
All it takes is the ability to read and a network of people in various places doing lotsa science and legal stuff.
And the time invested to navigate through it.
Lol whatever one two.
What network? The only network that pumps out anti-vaxx information is Facebook. Well known as a Russian misinformation platform.
one of Putin’s useful idiots are you?
Any broader contribution from me for this thread would only be to reiterate the fact that you're still plugging this scaremongering bullshit even after literally hundreds of people have been hospitalised.
And then my arse would cop a ban because I have no polite words with which to describe my opinion of you.
I'm currently using the governments official public immunisation documents and referenced research citations , which illustrate the reasons for the issues faced.
That being caused by government vaccine programs. The primary study from 1986 says that vqccines failure will continue to become more of a problem
How is using govt documents and referenced scaremingering?
Read the Finland 1986 study I linked to. It’sall in there. Farcical.
Hospitalizations are a meaningless metric. Surely you understand why?
yup. You will cherry-pick from govt documents and peer-reviewed articles, but you don't trust the data upon which many of those documents and articles are based.
Dunning-Kruger, come pick up your stupid kid.
Linking to Andres comment further exposes his level of misunderstanding of simple concepts like cherry picking consists of, and highlights his lack of basic comprehension.
It also signals there must be some other factors why the two of you denialists won't or can't accept the govts own documents which tell you the studies they cite as evidence of safety with the vaccine program.
The study (singular) relied on as primary evidence of MMR vaccine safety is from 1986 and is an insult to science, medicine and the public health.
That singular study is currently being used by NZ agencies as evidence that it is safe to inject 6-11m babies with an unlicensed product with no efficacy profile and inadequate safety profile
The manufacturers approval licence was not issued for 6-11m babies.
Because the P3 testing was not completed in that age group which is why the national schedule is and will remain starting at 12/15mths for MMR1.
Unsafe – No adequate safety profile. Off licence use.
No benefit – There is no efficacy answer.
The Immunisation Handbook and IMAC quick sheets cite the same singular study as evidence of MMR vaccine safety from 1986.
The data is garbage.
Meanwhile, hundreds of real people have been in hospital from a real disease.
See my Moderation note @ 6:44 PM.
Kia Ora 1 News.
I'm trying to teach my lot to be minimalist Ma Te Wa.
One of My Tipuna philosophys was to grab new technologies vaxcernation are great to protect our tamariki.
I don't stress at Christmas time now my Tamariki are grown.
Free I have a different reality it's like Ed TV
Ka kite Ano
Ka pai to this new invention. You see if we invest in smart solutions to the challenges of becoming a carbon neutral society we will find them.
A bioplastic made of organic fish waste that would otherwise end up in landfill – with the potential to replace plastic in food and drink packaging – has landed its UK designer a prestigious international award and £30,000 prize.
Lucy Hughes, 24, a graduate in product design from the University of Sussex, scooped the James Dyson award for her biodegradable and compostable material known as MarinaTex.
Hughes sought to tackle the problems of environmentally harmful single-use plastics and inefficient waste streams by harnessing fish offcuts to create an eco-friendly plastic alternative. Global figures estimate that 40% of plastic produced for packaging is used once and discarded.
Ka kite Ano link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/14/plastic-substitute-made-of-fish-waste-hauls-in-uk-designer-dyson-award
Ka pai to the Palau government for making laws to protect their reef fish.
The Palau government says its new National Marine Sanctuary Act enables islanders and tourists to eat pelagic fish while reducing demand for coral reef fish
The minister for natural resources, environment and tourism, Fleming Sengebau, made the comment while attending the Pacific Ocean Finance Conference in Fiji this week
Ka kite Ano link below.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/403323/palau-s-choose-pelagic-programme-protecting-reef-fish
Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute.
https://youtu.be/hT_nvWreIhg
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Condolences to the Samoan people who losted their tamariki.
America needs tougher gun laws.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Someone needs to be held accountable for the Shambles that health services is in up North.
Congratulations to all the Tangata who got tohu at the Waiata awards.
Maraki is a great company that shows that Tangata Whenua O Aotearoa have the skills of our Tipuna.
Ka pai for Te Kura for teaching the correct history. We have to teach all of our tamariki our true history so they can understand why Maori are we're we are at the minute.
Ka kite Ano
Here is one of my favourite subjects mitigate climate change to protect all our Mokopuna future.
The IEA expects the growth of renewables to accelerate over the coming decades, but warned it would not be enough to put a ceiling on the energy sector’s emissions before 2040.
Dr Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director, said there was a “deep disparity” between the aim to tackle the climate crisis by curbing carbon emissions and the existing policies which had allowed a “relentless upward march” for emissions.
The IEA’s latest figures estimate that carbon emissions are on track to keep rising by 100m tonnes a year for at least another 20 years under existing policy plans.
This rate would be two-thirds slower than the emissions hikes recorded in previous decades, but would fall very far short of what is needed to achieve the goals of the Paris agreement.
“We will need to see great political will around the world,” Birol said. “This is why I believe that the world needs to build a grand coalition encompassing governments, investors, companies and everyone else who is genuinely committed to tackling climate change.”
The IEA said it presented the modelling based on stated policies to “hold up a mirror” to global governments to show the consequences of their policies.
Ka kite Ano link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/13/climate-change-do-more-now-or-risk-catastrophe-warns-energy-agency
Here is a interesting Phenomenon.
Venice council flooded moments after rejecting climate crisis plan
Rightwing parties reject proposals as lagoon city faces worst flooding in 53 years
Veneto’s regional council rejected a plan to combat climate change minutes before its offices on the Grand Canal, in Venice, were flooded, it has emerged as the city continues to battle high water levels.
Venice has been hit by recurrent flooding since Tuesday, with 70% of the lagoon city engulfed on Friday morning as the acqua alta, or high water, level reached 1.54 metres amid heavy downpours. Tuesday night, as Veneto councillors were debating the climate emergency in Ferro Fini Palace, Venice experienced its worst flooding since 1966.
Politicians from the regional council’s majority rightwing parties: the League, Brothers of Italy and Forza Italia, rejected amendments to fight the climate crisis in the 2020 budget that were proposed by the centre-left Democratic party.
Sharing pictures of the room as water entered, Andrea Zanoni, the Democratic party’s deputy chairman of the council’s environment committee, wrote on Facebook: “Ironically, the chamber was flooded two minutes after the majority parties rejected our proposals to tackle climate change
Ka kite Ano link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/15/venice-council-flooded-moments-after-rejecting-climate-crisis-plan
Kia Ora 1 News.
That's awesome that our biggest food company's are lowering the sugar and salt in our food. Whanau I dropped coffee and tea out of my diet to just Wai well 99. Of the time for the first time my blood pressure has reduced.
Prefabricated whare is the way of the future just like Tiny Whare the beauty about Tiny Whare is the bank won't own your hip pocket for life.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
I think Hawaii needs renewable energy from my research most of Hawaii power comes from diesel generators may be a bit of talking to make it work we have to grab new technologies and make it work for Pacific tangata.
Dr Henare Williams book Kaumatua is a book I would like to read.
Ka kite Ano