“On the ninth of October 2012, the Taliban shot me on the left side of my forehead. They shot my friends too. They thought that the bullet would silence us. But they failed. And out of that silence came thousands of voices. The terrorists thought they would change my aims and stop my ambitions. But nothing changed in my life, except this. Weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born. I’m not against anyone, neither am I here to speak in terms of personal revenge against the Taliban or any other terrorist group. I’m here to speak up for the right of education of every child.”
If you were in any way serious, you would have published something by Afghan women who actually know what they are talking about. I suggest you Google “Malalai Joya”.
it was very moving to watch footage of Pakistani child labourers making mud bricks on the television. Just small children excavating, hauling, forming, trimming bricks all day, everyday to earn the food that sustains them. Their learning- that life is about endurance.
And yes, I know the Americans in Afghanistan and drone attacks in Pakistan are an outrage.
That’s good, because Malala Yousafzei is certainly not allowed to state that truth. If she did, of course, she would be a “terrorist” and certainly not tolerated as a “spokesperson” for anything. It’s telling that one of the other stories on the link you provide is another attack on a democratically elected Arab government, which it calls, obediently, a “ruling faction.”…. http://www.euronews.com/2013/04/02/hamas-criticised-for-school-separation-of-the-sexes
She is stating her own truth and has been doing that for years, which is why she was a target in the first place (imo, of course). Whether that matches your ‘experience’ from afar is neither here nor there, Of course it matches the dominant discourse of the west, but that that is incidental, and yes, it does give her a platform that others who criticise western involvement in Pakistan or Afganistan might not so easily get. But that doesn’t detract from her aim of ensuring educational opportunities for girls. Sometimes even the interests of opposites coincide.
As for Palestine – it’s up to the people and their democratically elected leaders to work out whether separate schools is mainly for recognising cultural and religious norms, or whether it is about marginalising girls’ education. Time will tell, but people who don’t trust the motivations of the elected representatives have a right to voice concern – as in any country (again, imo – I’m strange like that, thinking a electors has a right to disagree with those they elected).
As for ‘ruling faction’ take how you will, but Hamas doesn’t govern Palestine does it? So it can’t be called a government, unless you have somehow converted the Gaza strip into a fully-fledged nation-state. I would have called them the ‘ruling body’ or ‘ruling council’, but that’s just because it sounds better to my English-as-a-first-language ear.
She is delivering a partial, carefully monitored narrative. If you are serious, you will watch Malalai Joya, who is not afraid of speaking the whole truth…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcZhQLbvgEw
I recommend you watch the whole thing, of course, but if you are pressed for time, you should go straight to 17:34 for images of the fine work on behalf of freedom and democracy in Afghanistan carried out by the US “Kill Team” Task Force 373.
As for ‘ruling faction’ take how you will, but Hamas doesn’t govern Palestine does it?
Your ignorance is astounding. Hamas won the only full and fair democratic election in the whole of the middle east in 2006.
“Your ignorance is astounding. Hamas won the only full and fair democratic election in the whole of the middle east in 2006.”
Your reading skills leave something to be desired as well. You might care to try again and look where I said “As for Palestine – it’s up to the people and their democratically elected leaders”… My point was technical – they are not the government of Palestine – the potential homeland that included Gaza and the West Bank – if the world got it’s act together. That was what they elections were for in 2006. Despite winning the election they do not control the Palestinian Legislative Council, they administer only Gaza.
You know, sometimes you’re so arrogant, so sure of your knowledge and cynical about other people’s knowledge and keen to ‘correct’ them you can’t even be bothered to do more than skim read, it seems. Hence you miss quite a lot from people who might actually agree with some bits that you may present. And then you’re just straight out rude.
Gaza is a locked ghetto, controlled, oppressed and harassed daily by the Israeli regime. The Hamas government, elected by free and fair elections in 2006, has about the same power as the Judenrat had in the Warsaw Ghetto.
You know, sometimes you’re so arrogant, so sure of your knowledge and cynical about other people’s knowledge and keen to ‘correct’ them you can’t even be bothered to do more than skim read, it seems. Hence you miss quite a lot from people who might actually agree with some bits that you may present. And then you’re just straight out rude.
Yes, you’re right, rosy. I recognize you are an intelligent and concerned person, and I do agree with what you say, almost all of the time. There are certainly cynical and nasty people who lurk on this board; I’ll try to save my worst for them, not the good guys.
Malala is a light in a dark world. She inspires and will inspire hope and courage in millions of crushed and misused girls.
She may only inspire cynicism for you though…
What a foolish and obtuse post. The cynicism here is the fact this girl, whose country endures daily terror at the hands of the United States, is speaking at the U.N. and is not allowed to state that truth. This girl is only sixteen, and no doubt she is genuine, but she is being used by people who really are cynical—murderously cynical. I note that one of the people smiling vacantly and indulgently behind her is that corpse Ban Ki Moon.
You need to find out what “cynical” actually means before you spray that word around.
Your mode of dialogue Morrissey is often denigrating or self-congratulatory.
However, i get that you want to debate politics, not the message that Malala, this tough independent thinking young woman was bravely and eloquently communicating in one of the world’s great forums.
You may ‘cynically’ beleive that she is being used, you may ‘cynically’ think that she is ‘not being allowed to speak the truth’ (your opinion of ‘truth’ btw) and you may ‘cynically’ think that others who don’t want to focus on what you are focussing on are foolish or obtuse. That’s your right in a blog. I just don’t like your attitude or style – and that’s my right.
My comment was to respect Malala the individual, who has been through so much over the past 3 years, and who is clearly an inspiration to so many.
Your mode of dialogue Morrissey is often denigrating or self-congratulatory.
There was nothing self-congratulatory in what I wrote; my purpose was to remind you of your profligate and inaccurate use of language.
You may ‘cynically’ beleive that she is being used, you may ‘cynically’ think that she is ‘not being allowed to speak the truth’ (your opinion of ‘truth’ btw)…
I see you are still at it. You obviously did not check what “cynical” means. And you are now trying to say that the truth is something we all make up, as if what is being done in Afghanistan and Pakistan every day is merely in our minds.
My comment was to respect Malala the individual, who has been through so much over the past 3 years, and who is clearly an inspiration to so many.
Nonsense. If you had any respect for Malala Yousafzei, you would acknowledge the constraints she is under, and acknowledge the political uses she is being put to, with the utmost cynicism. (Look it up.)
Your views on how you think Malala is ‘being used’ have crowded out any possible acceptance that Malala deserves respect
But maybe you do respect her courage and her desire to promote the right of education for girls? If you do then it doesn’t reflect in any of your comments.
If you don’t respect her as a human being because you believe that she is ‘being used’ or is insincere, then imo …. you are cynical. I could have used the words heartless, or jaded, or disrespectful, but i thought cynical was a better fit.
Your attempt to impel this discussion towards a debate on what’s going on in Pakistan and Afghanistan is not what this is about.
Your views on how you think Malala is ‘being used’ have crowded out any possible acceptance that Malala deserves respect
Nowhere have I suggested she does not deserve respect. She is a brave girl. But she is being used by brutal and cynical politicians. Either you realize that and are simply pretending to be obtuse, or you approve of their cynical manipulation of her as an exhibit to somehow justify what “our” troops and drones are doing to her country.
I note that you sarcastically place the phrase ‘being used’ in quote marks, as if she is not being used.
I could have used the words heartless, or jaded, or disrespectful, but i thought cynical was a better fit.
You still don’t have a clue about the language you so ineptly use.
Your attempt to impel this discussion towards a debate on what’s going on in Pakistan and Afghanistan is not what this is about.
So it is MY attempt to impel this discussion towards politics, is it? You really are naïve if you think that the British and U.S. regimes parading this girl as an exhibit is anything other than politics of the most shameful, craven and hypocritical stripe.
well, Morrisey you have well and truly made your point that you think ‘cynicism’ is defined by the way in which Malala is, in your word, “being used” by the UN and “British and U.S. regimes”.
furthermore you continue to berate my use of language…. really? Your use of language is imo loaded and emotive – viz: “parading this girl as an exhibit is anything other than politics of the most shameful, craven and hypocritical stripe”
But i’m pleased that this little exchange has resulted in your comment: “Nowhere have I suggested she does not deserve respect. She is a brave girl.”
And with that in mind i’d like to add that nowehere in all my comments on this thread have a denied that there may be people who have engineered the publicity afforded to Malala in order to ‘cynically’ serve their own ends.
You argue your points very well, locus. I concede that my comments about you were overly harsh and, indeed, even unfair. Your reading of Malala is more nuanced than I gave you credit for—and it appears, on further inspection, that you DO know what “cynical” means.
As they say in parliament, I withdraw and apologize.
When Key came to power, he looked over the various proposals and had a word to SkyCity. I don’t care a jot that this is not exactly how things are supposed to be done in public project tenders. It was just the sort of touch I had hoped he would possess.
Right wing commentator coming right out and saying that he likes corruption in his political heroes. Nothing plainer. What is worrisome is that the current moral/political environment means that Roughan feels enabled to say it.
This is in the Herald this morning – Clare Trevett’s column.
” The coverage of the whole “man-ban” issue has exposed the party’s fundamental flaws: its factions, the tensions between the caucus and the party, and the perception that the party is overly concerned with issues of identity.
Amid the leadership issues, there has been a serious debate internally in Labour this week about the wisdom of Maryan Street promoting her euthanasia private members’ bill.
Labour is terrified it will be drawn out of the ballot.
The debate would extend into election year and give the Conservatives another platform to boost its support as a potential partner for a third-term National Government. ”
My Comment : Labour MPs need to concentrate on issues of real importance to its people – the lack of jobs, housing,
the decline in the health of rivers, lakes and beaches, whatever Tony Ryall is doing to undermine our public health system …., the list is endless. And maybe if Labour MPs did that, instead of playing with side issues it would start to get some traction in the polls. Maybe !
All is forgiven Shearer/Goff …. please just keep drifting the Labour Party into sustained decline as you are.
You can always rely on the gloriously loyal Trevett.
The theme I would encourage them to publicize is basic hope to get a better life … because with this degree of inequality, and in such a cold winter, there sure ain’t much, and people need some.
Hope of as better life? Perhaps the euthanasia bill is what is needed with a third Tory term.
Which reminds me: just because a Labour MP is pushing for a euthanasia bill, it doesn’t mean that Labour can’t focus on important issues of income, job and benefit inequity. Its not the euthanasia bill’s fault that Labour can’t get its act together on political economy issues which have more public resonance.
I can’t help but think, CV, that somewhere in NZ there’s a university-educated, lesbian, Māori policy analyst with political ambitions and a partner with a terminal illness, who managed to irk you in some way…
Huh? What and where is the clamour for the euthanasia bill?
This is the euthanasia bill for terminally ill patients, rather than the terminally incompetent current Labour leadership team and their stubborn backers and careerists?
Audrey Young has an interesting take on the issue. She says
“Cunliffe is the candidate that National believes is the greatest threat to John Key. Several ministers have said so privately. By that reasoning he is the candidate that Labour should choose.
He has behaved well for eight months now, with no undermining of the leader. He is a polished performer.
According to DigiPoll he would be the preferred replacement by 31.8 per cent of all voters (against 16.6 for Robertson and 13.5 for Little) and 37.7 per cent of Labour voters (19.1 for Robertson and 14 for Little).
His detractors believe that were he to be elected leader, the wider electorate would tire of him quickly, as many of his colleagues have.
Robertson is a less polarising figure, not tested as a minister, respected in Parliament and in the party but less known by the public.
His backers installed Shearer, the complete novice.”
To my mind if there is to be a new leader (and there can there not be?) let’s not try and predict who ahead of time. That’s why there’s a process. Having said that to my way of thinking its Cunliffe’s time. There is no way to predict the electorate’s reaction until it happens. But it can’t be worse than this. And I believe it will be a whole lot better.
I do not buy the story that Cunliffe is hard to work with – if the people in his electorate do not find him hard to work with and the people who have had him as a consultant to their businesses did not find him hard to work with, I do not see why the Labour caucus are the exception.
Instead I think that in choosing David Shearer Labour made an analogous choice to that of the Maori Party when it chose to go into coalition with National, the justification being that “you can make more gains at the table than you can away from it.” In Labour’s case, the table in question most likely includes lobbyists for the NZ elites as well as defenders of US interests. The problem in both cases is that power is so now concentrated and the demands of the powerful so antithetical to the interests of most citizens that the gains from subservience are no more than fig leaves which are not sufficient to cover a “sold out” status. Meanwhile, it is left to the legal fraternity, the HRC and John Campbell to defend the rights of New Zealanders.
I do not buy the story that Cunliffe is hard to work with…
Agreed. It’s a load of bollocks. It should be remembered that the MSM, almost without exception, pushed the ‘Shearer for leader’ line as hard as they could. Like their political counterparts they can’t admit to being wrong (maybe) so they drop in a supposed Cunliffe negative to save face.
“His (cunliffe’s) detractors believe that were he to be elected leader, the wider electorate would tire of him quickly, as many of his colleagues have………. Robertson is a less polarising figure, not tested as a minister, respected in Parliament and in the party but less known by the public.”
Cunliffe’s caucus detractors just don’t get it ! They installed Shearer, they’ve watched him muck up, and they STILL think they know best as to what the electorate wants. Robertson hasn’t had Cabinet experience – how can they possibly think he (or Little for that matter) could become Prime Minister.
Putting inexperienced people into the leadership position is doing us all a huge disservice.
ps Don’t know what’s happening with the italics – that’s meant to just be for the quoted bit.
Those who screwed up TWICE should not be players in the next step of the Leadership selection.
Shearer is a about to resign. It is weeks away. Goff, King, Mallard and a few more should announce their retirement at the next election at the same time.
Robertson has to stand down as Deputy at the same time.
Naaa Robertson should never be leader. He is one of those people that is destined to stand in the background and work there. Thats where he is good, but if he tried to step up then, Oh dear the Fat Controller has delusions of Grandeur. But who else apart from Cunliffe could lead the party AND unite the voters?
Cunliffe. Articulate, knows policy inside out, is a little arrogant but hell with his credentials he can afford to be.
Robertson?? The Fat Controller destined to be in the Background.
Little?? Has the Personality of an Envelope
Jones?? Porno anyone
\and on it goes ad infinitum. The rest are wanna be’s in comparison!
This is beautiful
Make her Prime Minister of Ireland.
Clare Daly Irish politician calls it out like it is by labeling Obama a hypocrite and a war criminal.
I suspect embarrassing and politically fatal emails or personal details about that MP would be revealed any time it looked like she might actually succeed.
Uncle Bain says nephew did it, not brother.
Nick-picking which family member was the mass
murderer. Oh wait, Uncle Bain speaks with such
authority, would rather his brother son be the
culprit. Something went wrong with that family,
and he can’t say he’s not part of that family and
also be so very much a part of the family.
Sweden to send Judge to London, and will pass
judgment by holding court over Assauge in Ecuadorean? Embassy,
if found guilty Sweden will build a cell in the
embassy for Assuage to serve his sentence.
oh, wait, Sweden is a pragmatic liberal democracy.
Atheist say on National Radio we need the God idea.
oh, wait, like the idea could be ignored and thrown
into the darkness of historical curiosity, I wish.
Claiming the distorting, the early mistakes on the road
to science and morality, ‘God’ was and still is a
necessity is true, but really, isn’t there much better
stuff on our rise to self-awareness, self-reflection.
National party, will grow NZ with gutter capitalism.
Gambling outlet to fund unethical conference centre.
Oh, wait, conference cancelled as big corporation
did not wish to be associated with growth in crime and
gambling harm. Picture of child left in casino car-park
dying of thirst causes conference of water bottlers
to cancel. Oh, wait, CEO of SkyCity, totally aware of
the connection and need to distance itself from unethical
immoral practices in case a backlash occurs against gambling
(harming future profitability). Oops, another Tolkien loving
unionist cancel family trip to hobbit movies.
Crusher “Collins” policy saves cyclist life. Oh, wait,
three injured, one dead die a young driver mows them down
in Hamilton. Hamilton is now notorious for childracers
burning up the tarmac, in a car cult of excessive car rage.
No tolerance for graffiti, massive tolerance for car rage,
as yet another night of roaring cars is heard across the
Hmailton night (and day).
New study on fracking, quoting from Science magazine (can’t find the magazine link just yet) but this needs to be read and understood:
“‘Dynamic triggering’
Quakes with a magnitude of 2 or lower, which can hardly be felt, are routinely produced in fracking, said geologist William Ellsworth of the U.S. Geological Survey, an expert on human-induced earthquakes who was not involved in the study.
The largest fracking-induced earthquake “was magnitude 3.6, which is too small to pose a serious risk,” he wrote in Science.
But van der Elst and colleagues found evidence that injection wells can set the stage for more dangerous quakes. Because pressure from wastewater wells stresses nearby faults, if seismic waves speeding across Earth’s surface hit the fault it can rupture and, months later, produce an earthquake stronger than magnitude 5.
What seems to happen is that wastewater injection leaves local faults “critically loaded,” or on the verge of rupture. Even weak seismic waves from faraway quakes are therefore enough to set off a swarm of small quakes in a process called “dynamic triggering.”
“I have observed remote triggering in Oklahoma,” said seismologist Austin Holland of the Oklahoma Geological Survey, who was not involved in the study. “This has occurred in areas where no injections are going on, but it is more likely to occur in injection areas.”
Once these triggered quakes stop, the danger is not necessarily over. The swarm of quakes, said Heather Savage of Lamont-Doherty and a co-author of the study, “could indicate that faults are becoming critically stressed and might soon host a larger earthquake.”
For instance, seismic waves from an 8.8 quake in Maule, Chile, in February 2010 rippled across the planet and triggered a 4.1 quake in Prague, Oklahoma – site of the Wilzetta oil field – some 16 hours later.
That was followed by months of smaller tremors in Oklahoma, and then the largest quake yet associated with wastewater injection, a 5.7 temblor in Prague on November 6, 2011.
That quake destroyed 14 homes, buckled a highway and injured two people.
The Prague quake is “not only one of the largest earthquakes to be associated with wastewater disposal, but also one of the largest linked to a remote triggering event,” said van der Elst.
The Chile quake also caused a swarm of small temblors in Trinidad, Colorado, near wells where wastewater used to extract methane from coal beds had been injected.
On August 22, 2011, a magnitude 5.3 quake hit Trinidad, damaging dozens of buildings.
The 9.1 earthquake in Japan in March 2011, which caused a devastating tsunami, triggered a swarm of small quakes in Snyder, Texas – site of the Cogdell oil field. That autumn, Snyder experienced a 4.5 quake.
The presence of injection wells does not mean an area is doomed to have a swarm of earthquakes as a result of seismic activity half a world away, and a swarm of induced quakes does not necessarily portend a big one.
Guy, Arkansas; Jones, Oklahoma; and Youngstown, Ohio, have all experienced moderate induced quakes due to fluid injection from oil or gas drilling. But none has had a quake triggered by a distant temblor.
Long-distance triggering is most likely where wastewater wells have been operating for decades and where there is little history of earthquake activity, the researchers write.
“The important thing now is to establish how common this is,” said Oklahoma’s Holland, referring to remotely triggered quakes. “We don’t have a good answer to that question yet.”
Before the advent of injection wells, triggered earthquakes were a purely natural phenomenon. A 7.3 quake in California’s Mojave Desert in 1992 set off a series of tiny quakes north of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, for instance.
Now, according to the Science paper, triggered quakes can occur where human activity has weakened faults.
Current federal and state regulations for wastewater disposal wells focus on protecting drinking water sources from contamination, not on earthquake hazards.
“Injection-induced earthquakes, such as those that struck in 2011, clearly contribute to the seismic hazard. Quantifying their contribution presents difficult challenges that will require new research into the physics of induced earthquakes and the potential for inducing large-magnitude events. The petroleum industry needs clear requirements for operation, regulators must have a solid scientific basis for those requirements, and the public needs assurance that the regulations are sufficient and are being followed. The current regulatory frameworks for wastewater disposal wells were designed to protect potable water sources from contamination and do not address seismic safety. One consequence is that both the quantity and timeliness of information on injection volumes and pressures reported to regulatory agencies are far from ideal for managing earthquake risk from injection activities. In addition, seismic monitoring capabilities in many of the areas in which wastewater injection activities have increased are not capable of detecting small earthquake activity that may presage larger seismic events. “
Well pickle my tit. Audrey Young header “Key defaults to arrogance…..” Connecting dots at last Auds? Finally dawning how certain things happened and why? Better late than never I spose.
The Hatchet Man Speaks
Alex Gibney interviewed by Kim Hill
Radio NZ National, Saturday 13 July 2013, 8:10 a.m.
Fans of Kim Hill’s TV and radio interviews have been treated to some pretty interesting characters over the years. There was JEFFREY ARCHER in 1994, screaming furiously: “I’ve been warned about you!” There have been the slightly sad, unintentionally funny ones, such as the witless, under-prepared U.S. ambassador CHARLES SWINDELLS….
AMBASSADOR SWINDELLS: Errrrrr… Iraq is a terrorist state. HILL:[patiently but insistently] What’s the link?
….[Long, awkward pause]…
AMBASSADOR: We are attacking terrorism on all fronts. HILL: Well, no you’re not. When are you going to attack Saudi Arabia?
…[Long, embarrassing pause]…
AMBASSADOR: Uh…..
Then there are the more malevolent, sinister ones. For some reason, Hill’s most rancorous, rankly hypocritical interviewees have mostly been Englishmen. Who could ever forget the thuggish Blair cabinet minister GEOFF HOON nervelessly insisting that “weapons of mass destruction will be found in Iraq”? And nobody who heard it will ever forget that neo-conservative apologist and pompous blowhard WILLIAM SHAWCROSS frothing with anger after Hill confronted him with his own hypocrisy in 2004….
KIM HILL: As you eloquently say in your book, a lot of Saddam Hussein’s atrocities were committed with the sanction of the United States. SHAWCROSS:[erupting] I DID NOT SAY THAT! HILL:[coolly] No-o-o-o-o-o? SHAWCROSS:[gibbering with fury] This is an ABSURD interview! I did NOT say that! I did NOT say that!
(FACT: He DID say that.)
She also has interviewed, and generally got the better of the slimy careerist PETER HAIN, the hapless former Australian prime minister JOHN HOWARD and the buffoonish, ignorant, malicious restaurant critic-cum-political commentator A.A. GILL.
This morning, however, she interviewed someone who for sheer malice and hypocrisy makes Archer look like Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Hain like Nelson Mandela, Hoon like a choir-boy and Shawcross like Albert Schweitzer. Her guest was the unspeakable ALEX GIBNEY, the director of We Steal Secrets, an Obama-friendly Soviet-style hatchet job on dissenter Julian Assange.
I’ll let Gibney speak for himself now. Unless you are an inveterate worshipper of his heartless documentaries, and a motivated hater of Julian Assange, you will not fail to notice how flippant and cynical–as well as unfunny—so many of his little wisecracks are. Nor will you fail to be shocked by the dark, Swiftian irony of some of his observations—all of it unintended by Gibney, of course….
ALEX GIBNEY: Ahhhhh, if you have a significant amount of street cred, you ahhhhhhm feel entitled to be bad. It’s like going for a jog and then coming back and having fast food!
About Father Murphy, who got away with abusing deaf children until they exposed his crimes….. GIBNEY: People who do nasty stuff like to find rationalizations for their behavior and then that lets them walk round feeling good about themselves.
About the deaf children who exposed Father Murphy…. GIBNEY: What attracted me was their heroism. They showed this was part of a systematic ahhhhhhhhhm… KIM HILL: Cover-up? GIBNEY: Yeah, cover-up.
About Pope Benedict XVI…. GIBNEY: Ratzinger used to be in the Doctrine of the Faith, which used to be the Inquisition. …. A trail of coverups. That is the REAL crime. A systematic program of covering up. The Archbishop turned on the children and told them, “YOU are to blame for bringing shame on the Church!”
KIM HILL: This Kafkaesque nightmare when nobody believed them. GIBNEY: Yes, that’s absolutely true.
KIM HILL: As you say, “Deny, minimize and blame” has been the modus operandi of the Catholic Church. Has it changed? GIBNEY:[gravely, with utmost compassion in voice] I fear not.
….[Long, pregnant pause]….
KIM HILL: Let us turn to Julian Assange. The Assangeists, as you call them, have said it’s a very unfair attack. GIBNEY: Well I think it’s religious. Ahhhh, ha ha ha ha ha ha! The Assangeistas’ have this blind faith. What my film does is to look at the way an individual has become corrupt. It’s this noble cause corruption I was talking about….. Assange was mendacious, fundamentally wrong. He was so rigid and ideological as to endanger people’s lives. His original sin was the Swedish case. He purposely conflated it with Wikileaks, said it was a put-up job by the CIA. Now, I admit that there is no evidence that anyone was hurt by the release of the Afghan war logs. I disagree with the U.S. government on this. He was reckless to publish them without redaction. This separated him from the Guardian and the New York Times. Assange was on the moral low ground just to be “pure” to his “ideals”. KIM HILL: Is it impossible that there was a conspiracy? GIBNEY: Anything is possible! Martians might invade! But it’s quite clear this is a matter between one man and two women. Everybody was saying to him, take care of it. He made a calculated decision. KIM HILL: There’s no hero in this story. Certainly you don’t think Julian Assange is a hero but neither do you believe Bradley Manning was a hero either. GIBNEY: I think he was a kind of hero. He was naive—he didn’t think through what he was doing. Bradley Manning is an “everyday” hero, not someone like Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela, but an everyday hero. …. Let’s be honest. …[snicker]… I don’t think we’d like to be in a world where soldiers routinely gave up information they had sworn to keep secret.
Re Adrian Lamo, who betrayed Bradley Manning…. GIBNEY: He’s a narcissist, I think that’s clear. Manning had to reach out to someone, and he reached out to someone who turned him in.
KIM HILL: Assange asked you for a million dollars for an interview. GIBNEY: That reveals his character. … He has defiled his own cause… I think the idea of Wikileaks in its purest form is brilliant…. Assange was overcome by narcissism and noble cause corruption. That’s what the U.S. government does: “We stand for democracy and freedom, so shouldn’t we be able to waterboard a few terrorists?” NO! No, we shouldn’t!
The interview finished, thankfully, soon afterward, and the music of the great Richard Thompson soothed the outraged sensibilities of the listeners.
Then, straight after the 9 a.m. news, listeners heard this….
KIM HILL: Lots of responses to the interview with Alex Gibney. Morrissey writes, in an outraged fashion: Alex Gibney called Julian Assange “mendacious, fundamentally wrong”, “rigid” and “ideological.” He sniggered at the “talkshow hosts and senators calling for drone strikes against Assange”; he mocked Assange for thinking “I have terrible enemies and they are coming after me!”, he coldly and calculatedly compared Assange to scientologists.
If he had any integrity, Gibney would have made a documentary in cooperation with the Catholic Church, pouring scorn and heaping abuse on the deaf children who exposed the crimes of Father Murphy.
But that would not have got him lionized in Washington, of course.
Yours in disgust at fawning liberal hypocrites….
Hmmmm…. interesting logic, Morrissey.
RESULT!!!!!
Alex Gibney is the director of Silence in the House of God, a documentary about a priest who abused deaf boys, and We Steal Secrets, a government-approved character assassination of Julian Assange. Both films are showing in New Zealand soon.
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Dunedin’s summer thus far has been warm and humid… and it looks like we’re in for a grey Christmas. But it is now officially Christmas Day in this time zone, so never mind. This year, I’ve stumbled across an Old English version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen: It has a population of just under 3.5 million inhabitants, produces nearly 550,000 tons of beef per year, and boasts a glorious soccer reputation with two World ...
Morena all,In my paywalled newsletter yesterday, I signed off for Christmas and wished readers well, but I thought I’d send everyone a quick note this morning.This hasn’t been a good year for our small country. The divisions caused by the Treaty Principles Bill, the cuts to our public sector, increased ...
This morning’s six standouts for me at 6.30 am include:Kāinga Ora is quietly planning to sell over $1 billion worth of state-owned land under 300 state homes in Auckland’s wealthiest suburbs, including around Bastion Point, to give the Government more fiscal room to pay for tax cuts and reduce borrowing.A ...
Hi,It’s my birthday on Christmas Day, and I have a favour to ask.A birthday wish.I would love you to share one Webworm story you’ve liked this year.The simple fact is: apart from paying for a Webworm membership (thank you!), sharing and telling others about this place is the most important ...
The last few days have been a bit too much of a whirl for me to manage a fresh edition each day. It's been that kind of year. Hope you don't mind.I’ve been coming around to thinking that it doesn't really matter if you don't have something to say every ...
The worms will live in every hostIt's hard to pick which one they eat the mostThe horrible people, the horrible peopleIt's as anatomic as the size of your steepleCapitalism has made it this wayOld-fashioned fascism will take it awaySongwriter: Twiggy Ramirez Read more ...
Hi,It’s almost Christmas Day which means it is almost my birthday, where you will find me whimpering in the corner clutching a warm bottle of Baileys.If you’re out of ideas for presents (and truly desperate) then it is possible to gift a full Webworm subscription to a friend (or enemy) ...
This morning’s six standouts for me at 6.30am include:Rachel Helyer Donaldson’s scoop via RNZ last night of cuts to maternity jobs in the health system;Maddy Croad’s scoop via The Press-$ this morning on funding cuts for Christchurch’s biggest food rescue charity;Benedict Collins’ scoop last night via 1News on a last-minute ...
A listing of 25 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 15, 2024 thru Sat, December 21, 2024. Based on feedback we received, this week's roundup is the first one published soleley by category. We are still interested in ...
Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Are we heading ...
So the Solstice has arrived – Summer in this part of the world, Winter for the Northern Hemisphere. And with it, the publication my new Norse dark-fantasy piece, As Our Power Lessens at Eternal Haunted Summer: https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/winter-solstice-2024/as-our-power-lessens/ As previously noted, this one is very ‘wyrd’, and Northern Theory of Courage. ...
The Natural Choice: As a starter for ten percent of the Party Vote, “saving the planet” is a very respectable objective. Young voters, in particular, raised on the dire (if unheeded) warnings of climate scientists, and the irrefutable evidence of devastating weather events linked to global warming, vote Green. After ...
The Government cancelled 60% of Kāinga Ora’s new builds next year, even though the land for them was already bought, the consents were consented and there are builders unemployed all over the place. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political ...
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on UnsplashEvery morning I get up at 3am to go around the traps of news sites in Aotearoa and globally. I pick out the top ones from my point of view and have been putting them into my Dawn Chorus email, which goes out with a podcast. ...
Over on Kikorangi Newsroom's Marc Daalder has published his annual OIA stats. So I thought I'd do mine: 82 OIA requests sent in 2024 7 posts based on those requests 20 average working days to receive a response Ministry of Justice was my most-requested entity, ...
Welcome to the December 2024 Economic Bulletin. We have two monthly features in this edition. In the first, we discuss what the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update from Treasury and the Budget Policy Statement from the Minister of Finance tell us about the fiscal position and what to ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have submitted against the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, slamming the Bill as a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an attack on tino rangatiratanga and the collective rights of Tangata Whenua. “This Bill seeks to legislate for Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles that are ...
I don't knowHow to say what's got to be saidI don't know if it's black or whiteThere's others see it redI don't get the answers rightI'll leave that to youIs this love out of fashionOr is it the time of yearAre these words distraction?To the words you want to hearSongwriters: ...
Our economy has experienced its worst recession since 1991. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, December 20 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above and the daily Pick ‘n’ Mix below ...
Twas the Friday before Christmas and all through the week we’ve been collecting stories for our final roundup of the year. As we start to wind down for the year we hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas and new year. If you’re travelling please be safe on ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the year’s news with: on climate. Her book of the year was Tim Winton’s cli-fi novel Juice and she also mentioned Mike Joy’s memoir The Fight for Fresh Water. ...
The Government can head off to the holidays, entitled to assure itself that it has done more or less what it said it would do. The campaign last year promised to “get New Zealand back on track.” When you look at the basic promises—to trim back Government expenditure, toughen up ...
Open access notables An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment:Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and , ...
“Like you said, I’m an unreconstructed socialist. Everybody deserves to get something for Christmas.”“ONE OF THOSE had better be for me!” Hannah grinned, fascinated, as Laurie made his way, gingerly, to the bar, his arms full of gift-wrapped packages.“Of course!”, beamed Laurie. Depositing his armful on the bar-top and selecting ...
Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney. “The data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller ...
One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...
Sparse offerings outside a Te Kauwhata church. Meanwhile, the Government is cutting spending in ways that make thousands of hungry children even hungrier, while also cutting funding for the charities that help them. It’s also doing that while winding back new building of affordable housing that would allow parents to ...
It is difficult to make sense of the Luxon Coalition Government’s economic management.This end-of-year review about the state of economic management – the state of the economy was last week – is not going to cover the National Party contribution. Frankly, like every other careful observer, I cannot make up ...
This morning I awoke to the lovely news that we are firmly back on track, that is if the scale was reversed.NZ ranks low in global economic comparisonsNew Zealand's economy has been ranked 33rd out of 37 in an international comparison of which have done best in 2024.Economies were ranked ...
Remember those silent movies where the heroine is tied to the railway tracks or going over the waterfall in a barrel? Finance Minister Nicola Willis seems intent on portraying herself as that damsel in distress. According to Willis, this country’s current economic problems have all been caused by the spending ...
Similar to the cuts and the austerity drive imposed by Ruth Richardson in the 1990’s, an era which to all intents and purposes we’ve largely fiddled around the edges with fixing in the time since – over, to be fair, several administrations – whilst trying our best it seems to ...
String-Pulling in the Dark: For the democratic process to be meaningful it must also be public. WITH TRUST AND CONFIDENCE in New Zealand’s politicians and journalists steadily declining, restoring those virtues poses a daunting challenge. Just how daunting is made clear by comparing the way politicians and journalists treated New Zealanders ...
Dear Nicola Willis, thank you for letting us know in so many words that the swingeing austerity hasn't worked.By in so many words I mean the bit where you said, Here is a sea of red ink in which we are drowning after twelve months of savage cost cutting and ...
The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral organisation committed to advancing open government. Countries which join are supposed to co-create regular action plans with civil society, committing to making verifiable improvements in transparency, accountability, participation, or technology and innovation for the above. And they're held to account through an Independent ...
Today I tuned into something strange: a press conference that didn’t make my stomach churn or the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Which was strange, because it was about the torture of children. It was the announcement by Erica Stanford — on her own, unusually ...
This is a must watch, and puts on brilliant and practical display the implications and mechanics of fast-track law corruption and weakness.CLICK HERE: LINK TO WATCH VIDEOOur news media as it is set up is simply not equipped to deal with the brazen disinformation and corruption under this right wing ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting Secretary Erin Polaczuk is welcoming the announcement from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden that she is opening consultation on engineered stone and is calling on her to listen to the evidence and implement a total ban of the product. “We need ...
The Government has announced a 1.5% increase in the minimum wage from 1 April 2025, well below forecast inflation of 2.5%. Unions have reacted strongly and denounced it as a real terms cut. PSA and the CTU are opposing a new round of staff cuts at WorkSafe, which they say ...
The decision to unilaterally repudiate the contract for new Cook Strait ferries is beginning to look like one of the stupidest decisions a New Zealand government ever made. While cancelling the ferries and their associated port infrastructure may have made this year's books look good, it means higher costs later, ...
Hi there! I’ve been overseas recently, looking after a situation with a family member. So apologies if there any less than focused posts! Vanuatu has just had a significant 7.3 earthquake. Two MFAT staff are unaccounted for with local fatalities.It’s always sad to hear of such things happening.I think of ...
Today is a special member's morning, scheduled to make up for the government's theft of member's days throughout the year. First up was the first reading of Greg Fleming's Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill, which was passed unanimously. Currently the House is debating the third reading of ...
We're going backwardsIgnoring the realitiesGoing backwardsAre you counting all the casualties?We are not there yetWhere we need to beWe are still in debtTo our insanitiesSongwriter: Martin Gore Read more ...
Willis blamed Treasury for changing its productivity assumptions and Labour’s spending increases since Covid for the worsening Budget outlook. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, December 18 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above ...
Today the Auckland Transport board meet for the last time this year. For those interested (and with time to spare), you can follow along via this MS Teams link from 10am. I’ve taken a quick look through the agenda items to see what I think the most interesting aspects are. ...
Hi,If you’re a New Zealander — you know who Mike King is. He is the face of New Zealand’s battle against mental health problems. He can be loud and brash. He raises, and is entrusted with, a lot of cash. Last year his “I Am Hope” charity reported a revenue ...
Probably about the only consolation available from yesterday’s unveiling of the Half-Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) is that it could have been worse. Though Finance Minister Nicola Willis has tightened the screws on future government spending, she has resisted the calls from hard-line academics, fiscal purists and fiscal hawks ...
The right have a stupid saying that is only occasionally true:When is democracy not democracy? When it hasn’t been voted on.While not true in regards to branches of government such as the judiciary, it’s a philosophy that probably should apply to recently-elected local government councillors. Nevertheless, this concept seemed to ...
Long story short: the Government’s austerity policy has driven the economy into a deeper and longer recession that means it will have to borrow $20 billion more over the next four years than it expected just six months ago. Treasury’s latest forecasts show the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s fiscal strategy of ...
Come and join myself and CTU Chief Economist for a pop-up ‘Hoon’ webinar on the Government’s Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) with paying subscribers to The Kākā for 30 minutes at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream to watch our chat. Don’t worry if ...
In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...
New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...
At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...
AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...
Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob HensonIn this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...
In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...
Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...
On Friday the government announced it would double the number of toll roads in New Zealand as well as make a few other changes to how toll roads are used in the country. The real issue though is not that tolling is being used but the suggestion it will make ...
The Prime Minister yesterday engaged in what looked like a pre-emptive strike designed to counter what is likely to be a series of depressing economic statistics expected before the end of the week. He opened his weekly post-Cabinet press conference with a recitation of the Government’s achievements. “It certainly has ...
This whooping cough story from south Auckland is a good example of the coalition government’s approach to social need – spend money on urging people to get vaccinated but only after you’ve cut the funding to where they could get vaccinated. This has been the case all year with public ...
National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...
After years of advocacy, the Green Party is very happy to hear the Government has listened to our collective voices and announced the closure of the greyhound racing industry, by 1 August 2026. ...
In response to a new report from ERO, the Government has acknowledged the urgent need for consistency across the curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools. ...
The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...
Thank you for the invitation to speak with you tonight on behalf of the political party I belong to - which is New Zealand First. As we have heard before this evening the Kinleith Mill is proposing to reduce operations by focusing on pulp and discontinuing “lossmaking paper production”. They say that they are currently consulting on the plan to permanently shut ...
Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...
Kiwis planning a swim or heading out on a boat this summer should remember to stop and think about water safety, Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop and ACC and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. “New Zealand’s beaches, lakes and rivers are some of the most beautiful in the ...
The Government is urging Kiwis to drive safely this summer and reminding motorists that Police will be out in force to enforce the road rules, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“This time of year can be stressful and result in poor decision-making on our roads. Whether you are travelling to see ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says Health New Zealand will move swiftly to support dozens of internationally-trained doctors already in New Zealand on their journey to employment here, after a tripling of sought-after examination places. “The Medical Council has delivered great news for hardworking overseas doctors who want to contribute ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced four appointments to New Zealand’s intelligence oversight functions. The Honourable Robert Dobson KC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, and the Honourable Brendan Brown KC has been appointed as a Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants. The appointments of Hon Robert Dobson and Hon ...
Improvements in the average time it takes to process survey and title applications means housing developments can progress more quickly, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk says. “The government is resolutely focused on improving the building and construction pipeline,” Mr Penk says. “Applications to issue titles and subdivide land are ...
The Government’s measures to reduce airport wait times, and better transparency around flight disruptions is delivering encouraging early results for passengers ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Improving the efficiency of air travel is a priority for the Government to give passengers a smoother, more reliable ...
The Government today announced the intended closure of the Apollo Hotel as Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) in Rotorua, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. This follows a 30 per cent reduction in the number of households in CEH in Rotorua since National came into Government. “Our focus is on ending CEH in the Whakarewarewa area starting ...
The Government will reshape vocational education and training to return decision making to regions and enable greater industry input into work-based learning Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds says. “The redesigned system will better meet the needs of learners, industry, and the economy. It includes re-establishing regional polytechnics that ...
The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Regulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. “Synthetic refrigerants are found in a ...
People travelling on State Highway 1 north of Hamilton will be relieved that remedial works and safety improvements on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway were finished today, with all lanes now open to traffic, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“I would like to acknowledge the patience of road users ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. “I would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...
Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...
The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayers’ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. “Treasury and most ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. “Freedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...
Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last year’s Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Network’s new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...
The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...
The Government is backing the response into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says. “Cabinet has approved new funding of $20 million to enable MPI to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 ...
Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...
Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Mr Horsley’s experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. “He is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. “Earlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...
The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. “The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which was introduced today, is the second Bill – the other being the Statutes Amendment Bill - that ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed design of Stage 1, paving the way for main works construction to begin in late 2025.“The Government is moving at ...
The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...
Court timeliness, access to justice, and improving the quality of existing regulation are the focus of a series of law changes introduced to Parliament today by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee. The three Bills in the Regulatory Systems (Justice) Amendment Bill package each improve a different part of the ...
A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says. “These trusts, and the communities they serve from the Far North to the deep south, will benefit from the rich experience, knowledge, ...
The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit). “The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and ...
It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says. “This Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this ...
“Accelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops. I am running a standalone consultation on engineered stone to understand what the industry is currently doing to manage the risks, and whether further regulatory intervention is needed,” says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister ...
Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia – if it’s good for the people, get on with it. Enhanced reporting on the public sector’s delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders, Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says. Compiled together for the ...
Mr Roger Holmes Miller and Ms Tarita Hutchinson have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says. “I would like to welcome the new members joining the Charities Registration Board. “The appointment of Ms Hutchinson and Mr Miller will strengthen the Board’s capacity ...
More building consent and code compliance applications are being processed within the statutory timeframe since the Government required councils to submit quarterly data, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “In the midst of a housing shortage we need to look at every step of the build process for efficiencies ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey is proud to announce the first three recipients of the Government’s $10 million Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund which will enable more Kiwis faster access to mental health and addiction support. “This fund is part of the Government’s commitment to investing in ...
New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday's devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. "Vanuatu is a member of our Pacific family and we are supporting it in this time of acute need," Mr Peters says. "Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu, and we will be ...
The Government welcomes the Commerce Commission’s plan to reduce card fees for Kiwis by an estimated $260 million a year, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.“The Government is relentlessly focused on reducing the cost of living, so Kiwis can keep more of their hard-earned income and live a ...
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Part of the speech to the UN by 16 year-old Malala Yousafzei
Interestingly, nothing about the American forces who kill more people in Afghanistan than anyone.
This girl is being used, unfortunately.
Whoosh, Morrissey. Talk about missing the point completely.
To reiterate –
If you were in any way serious, you would have published something by Afghan women who actually know what they are talking about. I suggest you Google “Malalai Joya”.
If you were in any way serious I suggest you would have looked at the link and seen the first word was ‘Pakistani’.
I’m sorry, but to dismiss someone who survived what she has is pretty callous.
[And yes, I know the Americans in Afghanistan and drone attacks in Pakistan are an outrage].
it was very moving to watch footage of Pakistani child labourers making mud bricks on the television. Just small children excavating, hauling, forming, trimming bricks all day, everyday to earn the food that sustains them. Their learning- that life is about endurance.
And (not infrequently) dying from heat exhaustion on a sun baked hell scape of clay bricks…
No wonder they want to join the Taliban!
And yes, I know the Americans in Afghanistan and drone attacks in Pakistan are an outrage.
That’s good, because Malala Yousafzei is certainly not allowed to state that truth. If she did, of course, she would be a “terrorist” and certainly not tolerated as a “spokesperson” for anything. It’s telling that one of the other stories on the link you provide is another attack on a democratically elected Arab government, which it calls, obediently, a “ruling faction.”….
http://www.euronews.com/2013/04/02/hamas-criticised-for-school-separation-of-the-sexes
She is stating her own truth and has been doing that for years, which is why she was a target in the first place (imo, of course). Whether that matches your ‘experience’ from afar is neither here nor there, Of course it matches the dominant discourse of the west, but that that is incidental, and yes, it does give her a platform that others who criticise western involvement in Pakistan or Afganistan might not so easily get. But that doesn’t detract from her aim of ensuring educational opportunities for girls. Sometimes even the interests of opposites coincide.
As for Palestine – it’s up to the people and their democratically elected leaders to work out whether separate schools is mainly for recognising cultural and religious norms, or whether it is about marginalising girls’ education. Time will tell, but people who don’t trust the motivations of the elected representatives have a right to voice concern – as in any country (again, imo – I’m strange like that, thinking a electors has a right to disagree with those they elected).
As for ‘ruling faction’ take how you will, but Hamas doesn’t govern Palestine does it? So it can’t be called a government, unless you have somehow converted the Gaza strip into a fully-fledged nation-state. I would have called them the ‘ruling body’ or ‘ruling council’, but that’s just because it sounds better to my English-as-a-first-language ear.
She is stating her own truth…
She is delivering a partial, carefully monitored narrative. If you are serious, you will watch Malalai Joya, who is not afraid of speaking the whole truth….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcZhQLbvgEw
I recommend you watch the whole thing, of course, but if you are pressed for time, you should go straight to 17:34 for images of the fine work on behalf of freedom and democracy in Afghanistan carried out by the US “Kill Team” Task Force 373.
As for ‘ruling faction’ take how you will, but Hamas doesn’t govern Palestine does it?
Your ignorance is astounding. Hamas won the only full and fair democratic election in the whole of the middle east in 2006.
“Your ignorance is astounding. Hamas won the only full and fair democratic election in the whole of the middle east in 2006.”
Your reading skills leave something to be desired as well. You might care to try again and look where I said “As for Palestine – it’s up to the people and their democratically elected leaders”… My point was technical – they are not the government of Palestine – the potential homeland that included Gaza and the West Bank – if the world got it’s act together. That was what they elections were for in 2006. Despite winning the election they do not control the Palestinian Legislative Council, they administer only Gaza.
You know, sometimes you’re so arrogant, so sure of your knowledge and cynical about other people’s knowledge and keen to ‘correct’ them you can’t even be bothered to do more than skim read, it seems. Hence you miss quite a lot from people who might actually agree with some bits that you may present. And then you’re just straight out rude.
….they administer only Gaza.
Gaza is a locked ghetto, controlled, oppressed and harassed daily by the Israeli regime. The Hamas government, elected by free and fair elections in 2006, has about the same power as the Judenrat had in the Warsaw Ghetto.
You know, sometimes you’re so arrogant, so sure of your knowledge and cynical about other people’s knowledge and keen to ‘correct’ them you can’t even be bothered to do more than skim read, it seems. Hence you miss quite a lot from people who might actually agree with some bits that you may present. And then you’re just straight out rude.
Yes, you’re right, rosy. I recognize you are an intelligent and concerned person, and I do agree with what you say, almost all of the time. There are certainly cynical and nasty people who lurk on this board; I’ll try to save my worst for them, not the good guys.
http://m.spiegel.de/international/world/a-910587.html
Malala is a light in a dark world. She inspires and will inspire hope and courage in millions of crushed and misused girls.
She may only inspire cynicism for you though…
Malala is a light in a dark world. She inspires and will inspire hope and courage in millions of crushed and misused girls.
She may only inspire cynicism for you though…
What a foolish and obtuse post. The cynicism here is the fact this girl, whose country endures daily terror at the hands of the United States, is speaking at the U.N. and is not allowed to state that truth. This girl is only sixteen, and no doubt she is genuine, but she is being used by people who really are cynical—murderously cynical. I note that one of the people smiling vacantly and indulgently behind her is that corpse Ban Ki Moon.
You need to find out what “cynical” actually means before you spray that word around.
Have to agree with Mozza – Unfortunately the reaction here, is exactly what the UN speech, was designed to do !
Cynical, hypocritical propaganda, at its purist, which is terribly sad.
Your mode of dialogue Morrissey is often denigrating or self-congratulatory.
However, i get that you want to debate politics, not the message that Malala, this tough independent thinking young woman was bravely and eloquently communicating in one of the world’s great forums.
You may ‘cynically’ beleive that she is being used, you may ‘cynically’ think that she is ‘not being allowed to speak the truth’ (your opinion of ‘truth’ btw) and you may ‘cynically’ think that others who don’t want to focus on what you are focussing on are foolish or obtuse. That’s your right in a blog. I just don’t like your attitude or style – and that’s my right.
My comment was to respect Malala the individual, who has been through so much over the past 3 years, and who is clearly an inspiration to so many.
Your mode of dialogue Morrissey is often denigrating or self-congratulatory.
There was nothing self-congratulatory in what I wrote; my purpose was to remind you of your profligate and inaccurate use of language.
You may ‘cynically’ beleive that she is being used, you may ‘cynically’ think that she is ‘not being allowed to speak the truth’ (your opinion of ‘truth’ btw)…
I see you are still at it. You obviously did not check what “cynical” means. And you are now trying to say that the truth is something we all make up, as if what is being done in Afghanistan and Pakistan every day is merely in our minds.
My comment was to respect Malala the individual, who has been through so much over the past 3 years, and who is clearly an inspiration to so many.
Nonsense. If you had any respect for Malala Yousafzei, you would acknowledge the constraints she is under, and acknowledge the political uses she is being put to, with the utmost cynicism. (Look it up.)
Morrissey, you really don’t get it do you.
Your views on how you think Malala is ‘being used’ have crowded out any possible acceptance that Malala deserves respect
But maybe you do respect her courage and her desire to promote the right of education for girls? If you do then it doesn’t reflect in any of your comments.
If you don’t respect her as a human being because you believe that she is ‘being used’ or is insincere, then imo …. you are cynical. I could have used the words heartless, or jaded, or disrespectful, but i thought cynical was a better fit.
Your attempt to impel this discussion towards a debate on what’s going on in Pakistan and Afghanistan is not what this is about.
Your views on how you think Malala is ‘being used’ have crowded out any possible acceptance that Malala deserves respect
Nowhere have I suggested she does not deserve respect. She is a brave girl. But she is being used by brutal and cynical politicians. Either you realize that and are simply pretending to be obtuse, or you approve of their cynical manipulation of her as an exhibit to somehow justify what “our” troops and drones are doing to her country.
I note that you sarcastically place the phrase ‘being used’ in quote marks, as if she is not being used.
I could have used the words heartless, or jaded, or disrespectful, but i thought cynical was a better fit.
You still don’t have a clue about the language you so ineptly use.
Your attempt to impel this discussion towards a debate on what’s going on in Pakistan and Afghanistan is not what this is about.
So it is MY attempt to impel this discussion towards politics, is it? You really are naïve if you think that the British and U.S. regimes parading this girl as an exhibit is anything other than politics of the most shameful, craven and hypocritical stripe.
well, Morrisey you have well and truly made your point that you think ‘cynicism’ is defined by the way in which Malala is, in your word, “being used” by the UN and “British and U.S. regimes”.
furthermore you continue to berate my use of language…. really? Your use of language is imo loaded and emotive – viz: “parading this girl as an exhibit is anything other than politics of the most shameful, craven and hypocritical stripe”
But i’m pleased that this little exchange has resulted in your comment: “Nowhere have I suggested she does not deserve respect. She is a brave girl.”
And with that in mind i’d like to add that nowehere in all my comments on this thread have a denied that there may be people who have engineered the publicity afforded to Malala in order to ‘cynically’ serve their own ends.
You argue your points very well, locus. I concede that my comments about you were overly harsh and, indeed, even unfair. Your reading of Malala is more nuanced than I gave you credit for—and it appears, on further inspection, that you DO know what “cynical” means.
As they say in parliament, I withdraw and apologize.
thanks for your civil apology Morrissey… i recognise we were talking at cross purposes
Why don’t you write your own fucking article instead of hijacking somebody else’s then you can say what you like.
Why don’t you write your own fucking article instead of hijacking somebody else’s then you can say what you like.
I often do. Have you not noticed?
Sure have. I’ve also noticed how much is cut paste and copy V’s original work. Keep it up, it gives me something else to read.
Sure have. I’ve also noticed how much is cut paste and copy V’s original work.
There’s a quota, is there? Anyway, a great deal of my stuff on this site is composed by me.
Keep it up, it gives me something else to read.
I don’t believe you read a great deal.
Love that girl!
This should be promoted to a guest post.
Who pays this prick Roughan ?
Conscience ???
Nought but a cheerleeader for foreigner ShonKey Python’s dream of New Zealand as a global financial outpost for the already obscenely wealthy.
Mums and Dads ? Kiwis ? Bah !
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10897465
I read the first sentence which was all I needed to know that it was a PR piece for SkyCity. Pure propaganda and nothing else.
I loved this bit:
Right wing commentator coming right out and saying that he likes corruption in his political heroes. Nothing plainer. What is worrisome is that the current moral/political environment means that Roughan feels enabled to say it.
Yep, MSM commenter coming straight out and saying that they like corruption as if it’s normal. This is how NZ has become corrupt.
The Old Board Room Trout Fran – at it again – with a tone of complaint – distract distract.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10897515
This is in the Herald this morning – Clare Trevett’s column.
” The coverage of the whole “man-ban” issue has exposed the party’s fundamental flaws: its factions, the tensions between the caucus and the party, and the perception that the party is overly concerned with issues of identity.
Amid the leadership issues, there has been a serious debate internally in Labour this week about the wisdom of Maryan Street promoting her euthanasia private members’ bill.
Labour is terrified it will be drawn out of the ballot.
The debate would extend into election year and give the Conservatives another platform to boost its support as a potential partner for a third-term National Government. ”
My Comment : Labour MPs need to concentrate on issues of real importance to its people – the lack of jobs, housing,
the decline in the health of rivers, lakes and beaches, whatever Tony Ryall is doing to undermine our public health system …., the list is endless. And maybe if Labour MPs did that, instead of playing with side issues it would start to get some traction in the polls. Maybe !
All is forgiven Shearer/Goff …. please just keep drifting the Labour Party into sustained decline as you are.
You can always rely on the gloriously loyal Trevett.
The theme I would encourage them to publicize is basic hope to get a better life … because with this degree of inequality, and in such a cold winter, there sure ain’t much, and people need some.
optimistic Ad
Hope of as better life? Perhaps the euthanasia bill is what is needed with a third Tory term.
Which reminds me: just because a Labour MP is pushing for a euthanasia bill, it doesn’t mean that Labour can’t focus on important issues of income, job and benefit inequity. Its not the euthanasia bill’s fault that Labour can’t get its act together on political economy issues which have more public resonance.
/sarc
I can’t help but think, CV, that somewhere in NZ there’s a university-educated, lesbian, Māori policy analyst with political ambitions and a partner with a terminal illness, who managed to irk you in some way…
Huh? What and where is the clamour for the euthanasia bill?
This is the euthanasia bill for terminally ill patients, rather than the terminally incompetent current Labour leadership team and their stubborn backers and careerists?
Audrey Young has an interesting take on the issue. She says
“Cunliffe is the candidate that National believes is the greatest threat to John Key. Several ministers have said so privately. By that reasoning he is the candidate that Labour should choose.
He has behaved well for eight months now, with no undermining of the leader. He is a polished performer.
According to DigiPoll he would be the preferred replacement by 31.8 per cent of all voters (against 16.6 for Robertson and 13.5 for Little) and 37.7 per cent of Labour voters (19.1 for Robertson and 14 for Little).
His detractors believe that were he to be elected leader, the wider electorate would tire of him quickly, as many of his colleagues have.
Robertson is a less polarising figure, not tested as a minister, respected in Parliament and in the party but less known by the public.
His backers installed Shearer, the complete novice.”
The article is at http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10897462
To my mind if there is to be a new leader (and there can there not be?) let’s not try and predict who ahead of time. That’s why there’s a process. Having said that to my way of thinking its Cunliffe’s time. There is no way to predict the electorate’s reaction until it happens. But it can’t be worse than this. And I believe it will be a whole lot better.
I do not buy the story that Cunliffe is hard to work with – if the people in his electorate do not find him hard to work with and the people who have had him as a consultant to their businesses did not find him hard to work with, I do not see why the Labour caucus are the exception.
Instead I think that in choosing David Shearer Labour made an analogous choice to that of the Maori Party when it chose to go into coalition with National, the justification being that “you can make more gains at the table than you can away from it.” In Labour’s case, the table in question most likely includes lobbyists for the NZ elites as well as defenders of US interests. The problem in both cases is that power is so now concentrated and the demands of the powerful so antithetical to the interests of most citizens that the gains from subservience are no more than fig leaves which are not sufficient to cover a “sold out” status. Meanwhile, it is left to the legal fraternity, the HRC and John Campbell to defend the rights of New Zealanders.
Agreed. It’s a load of bollocks. It should be remembered that the MSM, almost without exception, pushed the ‘Shearer for leader’ line as hard as they could. Like their political counterparts they can’t admit to being wrong (maybe) so they drop in a supposed Cunliffe negative to save face.
“His (cunliffe’s) detractors believe that were he to be elected leader, the wider electorate would tire of him quickly, as many of his colleagues have………. Robertson is a less polarising figure, not tested as a minister, respected in Parliament and in the party but less known by the public.”
Cunliffe’s caucus detractors just don’t get it ! They installed Shearer, they’ve watched him muck up, and they STILL think they know best as to what the electorate wants. Robertson hasn’t had Cabinet experience – how can they possibly think he (or Little for that matter) could become Prime Minister.
Putting inexperienced people into the leadership position is doing us all a huge disservice.
ps Don’t know what’s happening with the italics – that’s meant to just be for the quoted bit.
Its also destroying what could be promising Labour political careers early on.
Those who screwed up TWICE should not be players in the next step of the Leadership selection.
Shearer is a about to resign. It is weeks away. Goff, King, Mallard and a few more should announce their retirement at the next election at the same time.
Robertson has to stand down as Deputy at the same time.
Naaa Robertson should never be leader. He is one of those people that is destined to stand in the background and work there. Thats where he is good, but if he tried to step up then, Oh dear the Fat Controller has delusions of Grandeur. But who else apart from Cunliffe could lead the party AND unite the voters?
Cunliffe. Articulate, knows policy inside out, is a little arrogant but hell with his credentials he can afford to be.
Robertson?? The Fat Controller destined to be in the Background.
Little?? Has the Personality of an Envelope
Jones?? Porno anyone
\and on it goes ad infinitum. The rest are wanna be’s in comparison!
This is beautiful
Make her Prime Minister of Ireland.
Clare Daly Irish politician calls it out like it is by labeling Obama a hypocrite and a war criminal.
I suspect embarrassing and politically fatal emails or personal details about that MP would be revealed any time it looked like she might actually succeed.
Uncle Bain says nephew did it, not brother.
Nick-picking which family member was the mass
murderer. Oh wait, Uncle Bain speaks with such
authority, would rather his brother son be the
culprit. Something went wrong with that family,
and he can’t say he’s not part of that family and
also be so very much a part of the family.
Sweden to send Judge to London, and will pass
judgment by holding court over Assauge in Ecuadorean? Embassy,
if found guilty Sweden will build a cell in the
embassy for Assuage to serve his sentence.
oh, wait, Sweden is a pragmatic liberal democracy.
Atheist say on National Radio we need the God idea.
oh, wait, like the idea could be ignored and thrown
into the darkness of historical curiosity, I wish.
Claiming the distorting, the early mistakes on the road
to science and morality, ‘God’ was and still is a
necessity is true, but really, isn’t there much better
stuff on our rise to self-awareness, self-reflection.
National party, will grow NZ with gutter capitalism.
Gambling outlet to fund unethical conference centre.
Oh, wait, conference cancelled as big corporation
did not wish to be associated with growth in crime and
gambling harm. Picture of child left in casino car-park
dying of thirst causes conference of water bottlers
to cancel. Oh, wait, CEO of SkyCity, totally aware of
the connection and need to distance itself from unethical
immoral practices in case a backlash occurs against gambling
(harming future profitability). Oops, another Tolkien loving
unionist cancel family trip to hobbit movies.
Crusher “Collins” policy saves cyclist life. Oh, wait,
three injured, one dead die a young driver mows them down
in Hamilton. Hamilton is now notorious for childracers
burning up the tarmac, in a car cult of excessive car rage.
No tolerance for graffiti, massive tolerance for car rage,
as yet another night of roaring cars is heard across the
Hmailton night (and day).
New study on fracking, quoting from Science magazine (can’t find the magazine link just yet) but this needs to be read and understood:
“‘Dynamic triggering’
Quakes with a magnitude of 2 or lower, which can hardly be felt, are routinely produced in fracking, said geologist William Ellsworth of the U.S. Geological Survey, an expert on human-induced earthquakes who was not involved in the study.
The largest fracking-induced earthquake “was magnitude 3.6, which is too small to pose a serious risk,” he wrote in Science.
But van der Elst and colleagues found evidence that injection wells can set the stage for more dangerous quakes. Because pressure from wastewater wells stresses nearby faults, if seismic waves speeding across Earth’s surface hit the fault it can rupture and, months later, produce an earthquake stronger than magnitude 5.
What seems to happen is that wastewater injection leaves local faults “critically loaded,” or on the verge of rupture. Even weak seismic waves from faraway quakes are therefore enough to set off a swarm of small quakes in a process called “dynamic triggering.”
“I have observed remote triggering in Oklahoma,” said seismologist Austin Holland of the Oklahoma Geological Survey, who was not involved in the study. “This has occurred in areas where no injections are going on, but it is more likely to occur in injection areas.”
Once these triggered quakes stop, the danger is not necessarily over. The swarm of quakes, said Heather Savage of Lamont-Doherty and a co-author of the study, “could indicate that faults are becoming critically stressed and might soon host a larger earthquake.”
For instance, seismic waves from an 8.8 quake in Maule, Chile, in February 2010 rippled across the planet and triggered a 4.1 quake in Prague, Oklahoma – site of the Wilzetta oil field – some 16 hours later.
That was followed by months of smaller tremors in Oklahoma, and then the largest quake yet associated with wastewater injection, a 5.7 temblor in Prague on November 6, 2011.
That quake destroyed 14 homes, buckled a highway and injured two people.
The Prague quake is “not only one of the largest earthquakes to be associated with wastewater disposal, but also one of the largest linked to a remote triggering event,” said van der Elst.
The Chile quake also caused a swarm of small temblors in Trinidad, Colorado, near wells where wastewater used to extract methane from coal beds had been injected.
On August 22, 2011, a magnitude 5.3 quake hit Trinidad, damaging dozens of buildings.
The 9.1 earthquake in Japan in March 2011, which caused a devastating tsunami, triggered a swarm of small quakes in Snyder, Texas – site of the Cogdell oil field. That autumn, Snyder experienced a 4.5 quake.
The presence of injection wells does not mean an area is doomed to have a swarm of earthquakes as a result of seismic activity half a world away, and a swarm of induced quakes does not necessarily portend a big one.
Guy, Arkansas; Jones, Oklahoma; and Youngstown, Ohio, have all experienced moderate induced quakes due to fluid injection from oil or gas drilling. But none has had a quake triggered by a distant temblor.
Long-distance triggering is most likely where wastewater wells have been operating for decades and where there is little history of earthquake activity, the researchers write.
“The important thing now is to establish how common this is,” said Oklahoma’s Holland, referring to remotely triggered quakes. “We don’t have a good answer to that question yet.”
Before the advent of injection wells, triggered earthquakes were a purely natural phenomenon. A 7.3 quake in California’s Mojave Desert in 1992 set off a series of tiny quakes north of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, for instance.
Now, according to the Science paper, triggered quakes can occur where human activity has weakened faults.
Current federal and state regulations for wastewater disposal wells focus on protecting drinking water sources from contamination, not on earthquake hazards.
– See more at: http://www.prairiebizmag.com/event/article/id/15229/#sthash.mfbyYJOH.dpuf
http://www.prairiebizmag.com/event/article/id/15229/
This?
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/341/6142/1225942.abstract
“Injection-induced earthquakes, such as those that struck in 2011, clearly contribute to the seismic hazard. Quantifying their contribution presents difficult challenges that will require new research into the physics of induced earthquakes and the potential for inducing large-magnitude events. The petroleum industry needs clear requirements for operation, regulators must have a solid scientific basis for those requirements, and the public needs assurance that the regulations are sufficient and are being followed. The current regulatory frameworks for wastewater disposal wells were designed to protect potable water sources from contamination and do not address seismic safety. One consequence is that both the quantity and timeliness of information on injection volumes and pressures reported to regulatory agencies are far from ideal for managing earthquake risk from injection activities. In addition, seismic monitoring capabilities in many of the areas in which wastewater injection activities have increased are not capable of detecting small earthquake activity that may presage larger seismic events. “
From the truth is stranger then fiction department tampons are more dangerous then guns in Texas.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/12/tampons-confiscated-texas_n_3588177.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular
Well pickle my tit. Audrey Young header “Key defaults to arrogance…..” Connecting dots at last Auds? Finally dawning how certain things happened and why? Better late than never I spose.
The Hatchet Man Speaks
Alex Gibney interviewed by Kim Hill
Radio NZ National, Saturday 13 July 2013, 8:10 a.m.
Fans of Kim Hill’s TV and radio interviews have been treated to some pretty interesting characters over the years. There was JEFFREY ARCHER in 1994, screaming furiously: “I’ve been warned about you!” There have been the slightly sad, unintentionally funny ones, such as the witless, under-prepared U.S. ambassador CHARLES SWINDELLS….
AMBASSADOR SWINDELLS: Errrrrr… Iraq is a terrorist state.
HILL: [patiently but insistently] What’s the link?
….[Long, awkward pause]…
AMBASSADOR: We are attacking terrorism on all fronts.
HILL: Well, no you’re not. When are you going to attack Saudi Arabia?
…[Long, embarrassing pause]…
AMBASSADOR: Uh…..
Then there are the more malevolent, sinister ones. For some reason, Hill’s most rancorous, rankly hypocritical interviewees have mostly been Englishmen. Who could ever forget the thuggish Blair cabinet minister GEOFF HOON nervelessly insisting that “weapons of mass destruction will be found in Iraq”? And nobody who heard it will ever forget that neo-conservative apologist and pompous blowhard WILLIAM SHAWCROSS frothing with anger after Hill confronted him with his own hypocrisy in 2004….
KIM HILL: As you eloquently say in your book, a lot of Saddam Hussein’s atrocities were committed with the sanction of the United States.
SHAWCROSS: [erupting] I DID NOT SAY THAT!
HILL: [coolly] No-o-o-o-o-o?
SHAWCROSS: [gibbering with fury] This is an ABSURD interview! I did NOT say that! I did NOT say that!
(FACT: He DID say that.)
She also has interviewed, and generally got the better of the slimy careerist PETER HAIN, the hapless former Australian prime minister JOHN HOWARD and the buffoonish, ignorant, malicious restaurant critic-cum-political commentator A.A. GILL.
This morning, however, she interviewed someone who for sheer malice and hypocrisy makes Archer look like Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Hain like Nelson Mandela, Hoon like a choir-boy and Shawcross like Albert Schweitzer. Her guest was the unspeakable ALEX GIBNEY, the director of We Steal Secrets, an Obama-friendly Soviet-style hatchet job on dissenter Julian Assange.
I’ll let Gibney speak for himself now. Unless you are an inveterate worshipper of his heartless documentaries, and a motivated hater of Julian Assange, you will not fail to notice how flippant and cynical–as well as unfunny—so many of his little wisecracks are. Nor will you fail to be shocked by the dark, Swiftian irony of some of his observations—all of it unintended by Gibney, of course….
ALEX GIBNEY: Ahhhhh, if you have a significant amount of street cred, you ahhhhhhm feel entitled to be bad. It’s like going for a jog and then coming back and having fast food!
About Father Murphy, who got away with abusing deaf children until they exposed his crimes…..
GIBNEY: People who do nasty stuff like to find rationalizations for their behavior and then that lets them walk round feeling good about themselves.
About the deaf children who exposed Father Murphy….
GIBNEY: What attracted me was their heroism. They showed this was part of a systematic ahhhhhhhhhm…
KIM HILL: Cover-up?
GIBNEY: Yeah, cover-up.
About Pope Benedict XVI….
GIBNEY: Ratzinger used to be in the Doctrine of the Faith, which used to be the Inquisition. …. A trail of coverups. That is the REAL crime. A systematic program of covering up. The Archbishop turned on the children and told them, “YOU are to blame for bringing shame on the Church!”
KIM HILL: This Kafkaesque nightmare when nobody believed them.
GIBNEY: Yes, that’s absolutely true.
KIM HILL: As you say, “Deny, minimize and blame” has been the modus operandi of the Catholic Church. Has it changed?
GIBNEY: [gravely, with utmost compassion in voice] I fear not.
….[Long, pregnant pause]….
KIM HILL: Let us turn to Julian Assange. The Assangeists, as you call them, have said it’s a very unfair attack.
GIBNEY: Well I think it’s religious. Ahhhh, ha ha ha ha ha ha! The Assangeistas’ have this blind faith. What my film does is to look at the way an individual has become corrupt. It’s this noble cause corruption I was talking about….. Assange was mendacious, fundamentally wrong. He was so rigid and ideological as to endanger people’s lives. His original sin was the Swedish case. He purposely conflated it with Wikileaks, said it was a put-up job by the CIA. Now, I admit that there is no evidence that anyone was hurt by the release of the Afghan war logs. I disagree with the U.S. government on this. He was reckless to publish them without redaction. This separated him from the Guardian and the New York Times. Assange was on the moral low ground just to be “pure” to his “ideals”.
KIM HILL: Is it impossible that there was a conspiracy?
GIBNEY: Anything is possible! Martians might invade! But it’s quite clear this is a matter between one man and two women. Everybody was saying to him, take care of it. He made a calculated decision.
KIM HILL: There’s no hero in this story. Certainly you don’t think Julian Assange is a hero but neither do you believe Bradley Manning was a hero either.
GIBNEY: I think he was a kind of hero. He was naive—he didn’t think through what he was doing. Bradley Manning is an “everyday” hero, not someone like Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela, but an everyday hero. …. Let’s be honest. …[snicker]… I don’t think we’d like to be in a world where soldiers routinely gave up information they had sworn to keep secret.
Re Adrian Lamo, who betrayed Bradley Manning….
GIBNEY: He’s a narcissist, I think that’s clear. Manning had to reach out to someone, and he reached out to someone who turned him in.
KIM HILL: Assange asked you for a million dollars for an interview.
GIBNEY: That reveals his character. … He has defiled his own cause… I think the idea of Wikileaks in its purest form is brilliant…. Assange was overcome by narcissism and noble cause corruption. That’s what the U.S. government does: “We stand for democracy and freedom, so shouldn’t we be able to waterboard a few terrorists?” NO! No, we shouldn’t!
The interview finished, thankfully, soon afterward, and the music of the great Richard Thompson soothed the outraged sensibilities of the listeners.
Then, straight after the 9 a.m. news, listeners heard this….
KIM HILL: Lots of responses to the interview with Alex Gibney. Morrissey writes, in an outraged fashion: Alex Gibney called Julian Assange “mendacious, fundamentally wrong”, “rigid” and “ideological.” He sniggered at the “talkshow hosts and senators calling for drone strikes against Assange”; he mocked Assange for thinking “I have terrible enemies and they are coming after me!”, he coldly and calculatedly compared Assange to scientologists.
If he had any integrity, Gibney would have made a documentary in cooperation with the Catholic Church, pouring scorn and heaping abuse on the deaf children who exposed the crimes of Father Murphy.
But that would not have got him lionized in Washington, of course.
Yours in disgust at fawning liberal hypocrites….
Hmmmm…. interesting logic, Morrissey.
RESULT!!!!!
Alex Gibney is the director of Silence in the House of God, a documentary about a priest who abused deaf boys, and We Steal Secrets, a government-approved character assassination of Julian Assange. Both films are showing in New Zealand soon.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10897071
Juror sentenced to 10 days, for contempt!
Seems reasonable.
Except allegedly he was told by court staff that he wouldn’t be needed so didn’t make arrangements with his work.
Wouldn’t it be really, really great if the, ah, ‘inert’ Labour Party signed up to this, and meant it:
http://econ4.org/statement-on-building-the-new-economy
But, alas , I fear it is frighten the horses territory.