The NZ Herald's coverage of the pandemic is surely the final blow to its reputation as anything other than ill informed trash. Panicking mongering on a scale that will get them rightly censored in a state of emergency is not responsible. And having reliable geriatric Tories like Audrey Young whine the government isn't panicking like they think they should is hilarious.
The response when the inevitable boarder closure, in reality 14 quarantine for all arrivals, comes in next week, along with social distancing enforced by a state of emergency will be a sight to behold.
An alternate view is that the ground is being prepared for the above.
The only thing that would make her not a weak leader is to give money to rich people and call it a 'fiscal stimulus'. That would be heroic, novel/cutting edge, courageous, far-sighted, business-savvy, street smart, and (of course) make us want to have a beer with her. Fran would be giggly with dizzy delight and Audrey could keep insisting that we have always been at war with Eurasia.
Well, well, well. This evening, Jacinda Ardern, after correctly consulting the Ministry of Health, introduced strong moves that we all know about now. And what does the crappy Herald's Heather du Plessis-Allen have to say?? Well, apparently our PM has dithered on just about everything, but now rashly made an attempt to look strong, which could cost our beloved country dearly. (Had she read Audrey Young's column?)
This rabid right-wing propaganda is laughable. I suspect that if du Plessis-Allen had half a brain, it would die of loneliness.
The overnight explosion of Covid cases in Spain should cause NZ to close the boarder for passengers.
My current timeline =
Virus peaks May-June
July WHO finially admits it "may" be contagious when the patient is asymptomatic (something which was known by researchers back in Janurary). They will also discover research showing the virus remains active on stainless steel benches for 9 days and on other surfaces for much longer than "a few hours" (research done in February) contradicting statements made by both WHO and the CDC.
July/August governments worldwide declare quarantine, but this time all will be untied in imposing serious consequences for breaches including jail and extremely high fines
September/Oct virus is defeated due to the mass global quarantine, at this point millions will have suffered needlessly
But, but…on the upside, the economy has been allowed to tick over almost as per usual.
Whew.
When a news report about The Virus can conclude without mention of the impact on The Economy will be the day that we can be comforted that the human impact has claimed priority status.
Fuck The Economy I say….arguably, from the POV of most of us, it was pretty much fucked anyways.
Aged care providers should advise all visitors and staff to stay away from the facility if they are ill. If visitors have cold or flu symptoms, they should be symptom free for 48 hours before they visit.
Visitors should also stay away if they have been in Category 1a and 1b and 2 countries and territories or they have been in close contact with someone confirmed with COVID-19 in the last 14 days. We ask they stay away for 14 days from their date of departure or close contact.
During visits, aged care providers should advise people to stay one metre apart.
Always a good idea to check the info before you opine and criticise. Last time I checked, Chris Martenson doesn’t work for MoH but is or as a YouTuber.
Chris Martenson is more credible then our own health authorities imho which is why I mention his name. He's been ahead of this right from the start pointing out on his first caronavirus video on Jan 23 (US) that given the advice from WHO the chances of it not becoming a pandemic were zero.
It’s been clear that you hold Chris Martenson in high regard, which is your prerogative. As a YouTuber, he doesn’t he carry official responsibility nor is he accountable to anyone; he can say pretty much whatever he feels like. You might think he is an authority (on COVID-19?) but he has none.
If he cites research (not his own) that states that someone who is unwell with Cvd remains contagious for at least 10 days after they recover then this appears to be consistent with the advice that I quoted (stay away for 14 days). BTW, have you checked the cited research?
In any case, MoH isn’t WHO.
Your (rhetorical?) question whether they (MoH? NZ Government?) are trying “to kill off old people thus solving the pension crisis” is beyond absurd, IMHO.
Your (rhetorical?) question whether they (MoH? NZ Government?) are trying “to kill off old people thus solving the pension crisis” is beyond absurd, IMHO.
Anyone who makes such a ludicrous statement – even if it is rhetorical – is not deserving of serious consideration.
"are they trying to kill off old people thus solving the pension crisis?"
A, I too am not ok with this rhetoric, and think you can make your points here without it. We haven't seen it here yet, but there are apparent left wing people on social media running lines about covid being a boomer clear out. It's grossly anti-social, although not surprising given we've had a year of sustained ageism against older people. I know this is not what you are doing, but tensions are high and using language like that at all adds fuel to the fire.
Of those most at risk (those over 70), most are not boomers.
PS
1. I would not describe criticism of the boomer legacy as ageism, there are many critics who are boomers themselves (just as there are Jewish critics of Likud ultra-nationalist Zionism).
2. The idea that criticism of those in power (aging white men) is ageist, racist and sexist is one of the great deceits of our time.
Given that the vast majority of 'aging white men' are no more 'powerful' than any other person, it's one of the great deceits of our time to smear them as an identity group on that entirely bogus basis.
I suggest you travel to any other nation that is numerically dominated by some other ethnicity, and find out just how much 'white privilege' counts for fuck all.
"Of those most at risk (those over 70), most are not boomers."
Might want to tell the ageist, bye boomer fucks that. Not that it will make a difference, because prejudice doesn't care about facts.
1. I would not describe criticism of the boomer legacy as ageism, there are many critics who are boomers themselves (just as there are Jewish critics of Likud ultra-nationalist Zionism).
I wouldn't either. But that's not what I referred to. 'Ok Boomer' being used to dismiss people's arguments or thoughts based on perception of age and/or mentality was always going to intersect with the ageist strain in our society.
People thinking, and actively expressing, that it's ok for elderly people to die is just a more obvious extreme. We treat elderly people badly already, and it's no surprise that the Boomer Remover meme is inaccurate and arising fast.
Lefties defended Ok Boomer in a way that wouldn't have been tolerated for other groups, as if older people are only priviledged. We threw intersectionality out the windor. It's ridiculous, and utterly unnecessary. There's no good reason why we couldn't have coined a different terms that focuses on wealth instead of age/generation. But the reasons we didn't are related to ageism.
Even more a stupid characterisation when many of the advantages that they think boomers got, actually happened for the previous generation.
For example 80% of pre boomers retired owning their own home. It looks like it is heading towards 55% of boomers, the "lucky" generation that were restructured out of work, by Rogernomics, paid 60% top tax rate so Rob's mob could retire at 60, and the children of the rich could get, "free" university, and paid 22% interest rates.
Even the people that started the Neo-liberal, “unfortunate experiment” that caused the problems for young people, were not, “boomers”.
As always, blaming beneficiaries, the old, and anyone else they can think of is used to mask the real culprits, the lazy entitled children of the rich, of all generations.
Looking at those tweets, are they talking about removing someone from politics rather than covid deaths? Or both? I've just seen it as a meme re covid, but was it in use before that?
Did Amy Goodman ever call Timothy McVeigh a "U.S. Opposition leader"?
Reading out the "War and Peace Report" at the start of Democracy Now! the other night, Amy Goodman identified the absurd, incompetent and discredited putschist Juan Guaidó with the bland title "Venezuelan Opposition leader."
Quite right, AB. I am an admirer of Amy Goodman, but I was disturbed when she read that little propaganda nugget with about the same level of awareness that, say, Simon Dallow brings to his newsreading.
Saying it was the best way to ensure he didn’t contaminate the Australian population any further, authorities have ordered Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to spend the next 5-8 years in isolation on Manus Island.
A health department spokesperson said he realised it was an inconvenience for Mr Dutton, but assured him that Australia’s processes were very efficient.
“This is actually a very quick and humane process and Mr Dutton can expect to be reunited with his family in 2025, maybe even later”.
The spokesperson said Mr Dutton would be free to move around the island. “I’m sure there will be plenty to keep him entertained over the next few years”.
Asked whether Mr Dutton would be allowed to be transferred temporarily to Australia for medical treatment if required, the spokesperson said ‘no’. “That would set an unrealistic precedent of compassion”.
While the msm choose not to investigate or report on the problems with OPCW governance, the issue is not going to go away in a hurry.
A fourth OPCW whistleblower has emerged to defend the two veteran inspectors who challenged a cover-up of the chemical weapons probe in Douma, Syria. The new whistleblower lamented that other staffers have been “frightened into silence.”
"There is still no mechanism at the organisation to enable the calling out of irregular behaviour to protect the integrity of the organisation. It is quite unbelievable that valid scientific concerns are being brazenly ignored in favour of a predetermined narrative. "
Thanks for that, Brigid. Sadly, though, such rigorous and serious journalism holds no sway with broadcasters (and therefore shapers of middlebrow opinion) as Kim Hill, John Campbell, and Jesse Mulligan.
The essential is to ensure the health system is able to cope (safety gear for staff, enough pulmonary respirators) – which means the “lockdown” approach when threat to it emerges.
The problem when doing this when the number cases is still low, is that this number of low instances will recur and recur – so how often does one lockdown?
In China they have replaced societal lockdown with more targeted hyper activity to stop spread (which we are doing at the moment).
Do you think that we actually have a reliable value for the number of cases there are? You suggest that it is still low but how can we know that? After all there is a claim at the link below that the person showed all the symptoms of the disease but testing was refused.
Wouldn't it be better to test people a little more freely. If the symptoms reported match the ones we are supposed to look for carry out a test. Better to know real numbers rather than fool ourselves with false numbers that are too low.
Singapore, which seems to be doing very well at detecting and isolating victims seems to be doing very well in that regard.
I would presume as soon as we know of community spread there will be places people can go to be tested – containers or caravans in car-parks/drive by zones (and those who have no vehicle a van that goes to their houses).
It depends how many test kits are available. If they are a scarce resource then it's not worth using them on otherwise well people who can self-isolate and recover in their own home. It's best to keep them for people who need hospital care so that the hospital staff and other patients can be protected.
Wouldn't it be better to test people a little more freely. If the symptoms reported match the ones we are supposed to look for carry out a test. Better to know real numbers rather than fool ourselves with false numbers that are too low.
Absolutely … we're making the same mistake as the US & other Western Nations. If we're genuinely interested in containment, delay & quickly detecting any signs of community spread then we need to drop this ludicrously restrictive test criteria.
Again, we're in Don't Test / Don't Tell territory … setting ourselves up for a major fall.
Let's shut down all labwork except for covid-19 tests. If we have all the material resources for the tests, any lab techs not doing the actual tests are in training to learn the protocols.
Now people start dropping dead because none of those other tests are being done. So there's a line between the resources we allocate and (to use the economic term) the "opportunity cost" of allocating those resources to a particular condition.
Lady got sick. She's worried she infected immunosuppressed kids with covid-19, even though she doesn't meet the criteria for diagnostic (rather than screening) testing.
I'm worried she infected those kids with something else.
Sanders has called for Trump to be tested after his exposure to the Bolsonaro aide with Covid-19. Here is Trump's anticipated post-test announcement – a bit ahead of time:
I had the coronavirus test – it was a very strong test. I was totally exonerated, there was no sign of the virus. I have a very strong constitution, maybe the strongest ever, history will tell. The doctors said "Sir you have a very strong constitution, scientifically speaking". The virus was very weak when it came up against my constitution – very weak. The doctors thought it almost looked like fake virus – or at least very weak. Or fake. History will tell. If you have a strong constitution you won't get this foreign virus. It's a foreign virus from the outside and we won't let it take over our country. We've built the best economy ever to fight the foreign virus. We are cutting taxes to make the economy stronger, stronger than the virus. It's like a wall, an antivirus wall against foreign viruses and people bringing it in. If you haven't got a strong constitution it's not good, not good. We might lose some people to the foreign virus. We hope not but we're doing a great job. Maybe there's not much we can do if you haven't got a strong constitution, though we can make the economy stronger, much stronger, they say the best ever. We need people with strong constitutions to fight the virus, if you're weak maybe that's not what we need? We'll see, history will tell . Thank-you
And while he is untested everyone else at the White House is at risk (and those they meet) – and if they they want to be responsible will have to get tested. And presumably if any test positive the Donald will be angry at them if they make that result public.
But then given the age of those on Capitol Hill, this may be Trump finally acting on his promise to drain the swamp …
Personally i am not too worried about the illness itself, but the economic outfall from having the world shut down. How much of our medicine comes from overseas? Spare parts? Water treatment chemicals? and so on ….that is what i think will be long term a bigger issue then the 'flu' itself.
She lives rural and goes to town about once a month. We visited her a few days ago to speak about the virus and how we wanted to go about as a family. We live a bit all over and it does help to know where the others are at. And as we had tea and spoke about it she said the following: I could not find panadol anywhere in town, do you think it is because of it. She is old stock NZ she does not do panic buying.
There was a time Sabine, within the memory of some who comment here, that NZ imported sweet fuck all.
We made stuff….even tellyvisions and cars and clothing and machinery. We made socks.
We were not quite self-sufficient, but fairly close to it.
My bet is that we will do just fine…those that survive. We just need to try and make sure some of those really useful (but recently scorned) No.8 wire types keep kicking.
If this wee virus destroys The Economy, sinks the Good Ship Capitalism…that's fine by me.
If this wee virus destroys The Economy, sinks the Good Ship Capitalism…that's fine by me.
Reset time.
Hopefully.
Didn't take you for some who wished for the mass death of billions …
Incidentally the last great crisis we experienced in the Western world that killed a large fraction of the population was the Black Death, which is directly implicated in the end of feudalism and the beginnings of capitalism. So it's not obvious that the collapse you are hoping for will deliver the utopian outcome you dream of.
You don't think capitalism is going to cause "the mass death of billions"?
Forgotten about human caused global warming, already?
Which is already caused many more deaths than the virus is likely too.
Unless we find an alternative to the constant growth, necessitated by capitalisms, constant drive to find ever more elaborate ways of ripping other people off, and using ever more resources, we are fucked!
Yup, we made shit cars that cost a fortune (in my youth three times as many people/capita died on our roads than last year), a set of re-treaded tyres cost a months wages, a car battery cost three weeks wages, TV's were close to $5k in today's money, clothes were three times today's prices, shoes were shit and an affordable pair of NZ made socks barely lasted a school term.
The top,end of town got locally assembled complete knockdown kits. The rest of us had to settle for semi knocked down kits, assembled with locally made components.
Not correct 4 eyes. Car assembly was an import substitution regime. Hence CKD packs required glass, batteries, tyres, upholstery and wiring looms-all NZ manufactured. I spent 20 years in the industry and know a bit about it’s history.
Wages were in line with costs. So a high wage economy meant that production costs were high. But the overall effect was a more equitable economy. By the way not all locally produced items were crap. The NZ clothing industry, NZ carpets, The NZ made tyres were actually exported – large countries concentrated on standard sizes and the NZ tyre industry supplied many of the older but still in some demand tyre sizes. We had the moulds and the older machinery. The loss of the PYE factory from Waihi meant the town suffered a huge loss of high payed employment. Now despite having the largest gold mine in the country – the town has one of lowest socio-economic areas in NZ.
Then you'll know full well that the NZ of my youth was a staid, authoritarian shit hole that chopped down anyone who stood up or stood out. It was a racist, sexist, society, dominated and controlled by the whims and wants of a small, select group; boorish white men and their tradwives. Your averring that somehow my recollections of just how miserable and overpriced the place was are wrong reminds me of those boors.
Almost always from a position of intellectual arrogance, about how boring and expensive New Zealand was. In other words, working class people were too comfortable, and didn't appreciate the "specialness" of "superior" people.
The fact that, in that "boring shithole" almost all kids were fed, housed, could look forward to a decently paid job, where you could afford to spend holidays at the beach, and go tramping and sailing, and could get a good education, doesn't figure, because now, a few can get much richer, and we have cheap TV's.
The fact that many, even in a full time job, now cannot afford food or a house, means that NZ for most, is way more "expensive" than back then.
We were never comfortable. We were never able to spend holidays at the beach, and go tramping and sailing. My education stopped at the 5th form and I was never able pursue such a formidable array of middle-class pastimes as yourself and then list them as interests.
But thanks for the reminder that many of today's righteous
pontificators from the left are supercilious twats.
Writing on The Conversation, Griffith University’s Professor Mark Pearson offered some tips for balancing our need to know what’s happening with taking care of our mental health, including:
Avoiding 24/7 news channels,
Seeking out informative, long-form journalism, and
Using primary sources where possible, such as the WHO or Ministry of Health.
It’s also essential that we interrogate where information is coming from. This is the time to tune into your inner sceptic and think before you share.
The UK's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance previously said that shutting down mass events would not have a "big effect" on transmission rates, but he did not rule out such a move going forward. Whitehall sources said the government's approach has not changed but there are concerns about the burden that large events might put on health services and the police.
The Welsh RU has admitted the reason why they cancelled the 6 Nations game with Scotland was because everything else had been called off (following the herd).
The Tory government leading from behind on this one.
But as their adviser has noted this (outdoor events) will make little difference to transmission rates (schools/universities and bars/restaurants/clubs/theatres and retail/workplaces will ensure spread).
Now sure I will always slag this lot off for weak domestic policy, but we have such a sensible and resolute Prime Minister in a crisis. Here's her key points from this afternoon:
Effective from midnight Sunday, all travellers, except for those coming from the Pacific islands, will have to self-isolate for 14 days on their arrival to New Zealand
The PM says the rules are the toughest in the world
She told New Zealanders not to travel overseas if they don't have to and issued stark advice: no hugs, hongi or handshakes
All cruise ships have been asked to not come to NZ until June 30
There will also be further announcements on mass gatherings
Shocking admission by Simon Bridges today: the National Party are not New Zealanders!
He tweeted:
"It’s good to see coronavirus being treated with more seriousness and urgency for the good of our country after a lot of pressure from National and New Zealanders."
We are looking forward to more detail about exactly how self isolation will work and be enforced. This is critically important. (2/3)
I smell Law & Order and a potential for electioneering.
Self-isolation guidance
…
We are asking people to take simple, common-sense steps to avoid close contact with other people as much as possible, like you would with the seasonal flu virus. We know it is a stressful time, but taking these measures will help protect you, your family, and all of New Zealand from COVID-19 and other common infectious diseases. [my italics]
Update:
Iraqi military says 33 rockets used in Taji base attack.
3 U.S. and 2 Iraqi soldiers have critical injuries.
Reuters reports:
The Iraqi military said the U.S. or other foreign forces should not use the attack as pretext to take military action without Iraq's approval. It called on all foreign troops to quickly implement a parliamentary resolution calling for their withdrawal.
Taji whack again folks, two US Air Defence personal (US Army Ground Base Air Defence) have received serious life threatening injuries.
The odds are shorting for a NZ & Australian casualties in the near future if the Iranian back militias keep this steady rate of rocket attacks.
If they want to stop these attacks on Taji someone needs to be actively patrolling on foot 24/7 right up to the rocket line the furthest limit of where a rocket can be successfully launched and be guaranteed a hit.
"Let’s imagine as total a shutdown of Britain as it is possible to manage. Schools closed, offices empty, shops shut – save those selling food. Minimal public transport. Airports closed. Older people deliberately isolated."
"At this point, Boris Johnson and his advisers argue, they would run slap bang into the waiting Coronavirus. There would be health service carnage."
<snip>
"In that way, the population will acquire “herd immunity”. This will beat the virus in the medium term, and flatten its peak in the short – staggering out those hospital admissions over time, and thus preventing the NHS from being over-run completely. This is the core of the case argued this week by Patrick Vallance.
That it is made by the Government’s Chief Scientific Officer doesn’t mean that it represents “the science”. For strictly speaking, there is no such thing.
Rather, Johnson is being guided by a plan partly based on a certain scientific reading of events. Some scientists agree with it; others don’t. That’s in the nature of the beast. Probably because, as ConservativeHome keeps repeating, the decisions that the Government must make are not scientific, but political."
The show looks a bit worse for wear with the extra early wake up.
Twins.
What a rude person you are Duncan talking over the top of our Prime Minister. Use are just upset that our government is handling this virus situation well.
You want some more tissue for use and your m8s.
Earthquake in Christchurch this morning.???.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand's dropped the official cash rate to 0.25.%.
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The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
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A new Caste system?
A fascinating (and potentially disturbing) interview.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018738292/does-free-will-truly-exist
and a worrying observation for 'the left' at around the 25 minute mark
The NZ Herald's coverage of the pandemic is surely the final blow to its reputation as anything other than ill informed trash. Panicking mongering on a scale that will get them rightly censored in a state of emergency is not responsible. And having reliable geriatric Tories like Audrey Young whine the government isn't panicking like they think they should is hilarious.
What a shit show of a paper.
They appear to be painting the PM as a weak leader…making me picture the alternative and it's not good
The response when the inevitable boarder closure, in reality 14 quarantine for all arrivals, comes in next week, along with social distancing enforced by a state of emergency will be a sight to behold.
An alternate view is that the ground is being prepared for the above.
Audrey has always been an obedient servant of the party.
The only thing that would make her not a weak leader is to give money to rich people and call it a 'fiscal stimulus'. That would be heroic, novel/cutting edge, courageous, far-sighted, business-savvy, street smart, and (of course) make us want to have a beer with her. Fran would be giggly with dizzy delight and Audrey could keep insisting that we have always been at war with Eurasia.
😀
Which will, of course, "trickle down".
Latest predictions from Australia, 60% of Australia will catch coronavirus. Mortality rate of 2%
thats 300,000 Australians.
its not about panicking, it’s about putting in place drastic measures to prevent a catastrophic event.
but blame the paper and the 4th estate. Who else does the government listen too?
Well, well, well. This evening, Jacinda Ardern, after correctly consulting the Ministry of Health, introduced strong moves that we all know about now. And what does the crappy Herald's Heather du Plessis-Allen have to say?? Well, apparently our PM has dithered on just about everything, but now rashly made an attempt to look strong, which could cost our beloved country dearly. (Had she read Audrey Young's column?)
This rabid right-wing propaganda is laughable. I suspect that if du Plessis-Allen had half a brain, it would die of loneliness.
If the Government had acted sooner, National's fan boys would have been screaming about "economic sabotage".
And trying to figure out a way their cronies could make money out of it.
yes 100%
The overnight explosion of Covid cases in Spain should cause NZ to close the boarder for passengers.
My current timeline =
Virus peaks May-June
July WHO finially admits it "may" be contagious when the patient is asymptomatic (something which was known by researchers back in Janurary). They will also discover research showing the virus remains active on stainless steel benches for 9 days and on other surfaces for much longer than "a few hours" (research done in February) contradicting statements made by both WHO and the CDC.
July/August governments worldwide declare quarantine, but this time all will be untied in imposing serious consequences for breaches including jail and extremely high fines
September/Oct virus is defeated due to the mass global quarantine, at this point millions will have suffered needlessly
But, but…on the upside, the economy has been allowed to tick over almost as per usual.
Whew.
When a news report about The Virus can conclude without mention of the impact on The Economy will be the day that we can be comforted that the human impact has claimed priority status.
Fuck The Economy I say….arguably, from the POV of most of us, it was pretty much fucked anyways.
This is downright offensive…are they trying to kill off old people thus solving the pension crisis?
Ministry of Health says people who are unwell must stay away from rest homes for 48 hrs. If someone is unwell with Cvd then they remain contagious for at least 10 days after they recover according to research cited by Chris Martenson during one of the Peak Prosperity YT updates.
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-novel-coronavirus-information-specific-audiences/covid-19-information-aged-care-providers
Always a good idea to check the info before you opine and criticise. Last time I checked, Chris Martenson doesn’t work for MoH but is or as a YouTuber.
Chris Martenson is more credible then our own health authorities imho which is why I mention his name. He's been ahead of this right from the start pointing out on his first caronavirus video on Jan 23 (US) that given the advice from WHO the chances of it not becoming a pandemic were zero.
Because gold buggers and parasitic property speculators will be our saviours.
//
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1238469881294721024
It’s been clear that you hold Chris Martenson in high regard, which is your prerogative. As a YouTuber, he doesn’t he carry official responsibility nor is he accountable to anyone; he can say pretty much whatever he feels like. You might think he is an authority (on COVID-19?) but he has none.
If he cites research (not his own) that states that someone who is unwell with Cvd remains contagious for at least 10 days after they recover then this appears to be consistent with the advice that I quoted (stay away for 14 days). BTW, have you checked the cited research?
In any case, MoH isn’t WHO.
Your (rhetorical?) question whether they (MoH? NZ Government?) are trying “to kill off old people thus solving the pension crisis” is beyond absurd, IMHO.
Anyone who makes such a ludicrous statement – even if it is rhetorical – is not deserving of serious consideration.
"are they trying to kill off old people thus solving the pension crisis?"
A, I too am not ok with this rhetoric, and think you can make your points here without it. We haven't seen it here yet, but there are apparent left wing people on social media running lines about covid being a boomer clear out. It's grossly anti-social, although not surprising given we've had a year of sustained ageism against older people. I know this is not what you are doing, but tensions are high and using language like that at all adds fuel to the fire.
Of those most at risk (those over 70), most are not boomers.
PS
1. I would not describe criticism of the boomer legacy as ageism, there are many critics who are boomers themselves (just as there are Jewish critics of Likud ultra-nationalist Zionism).
2. The idea that criticism of those in power (aging white men) is ageist, racist and sexist is one of the great deceits of our time.
Given that the vast majority of 'aging white men' are no more 'powerful' than any other person, it's one of the great deceits of our time to smear them as an identity group on that entirely bogus basis.
Yeah I get it, liberals and lefties calling out privilege get in the way of … those with capital who own and decide the natural order of things….
I suggest you travel to any other nation that is numerically dominated by some other ethnicity, and find out just how much 'white privilege' counts for fuck all.
Who set the WTO rules, the Bretton Woods system etc?
"Of those most at risk (those over 70), most are not boomers."
Might want to tell the ageist, bye boomer fucks that. Not that it will make a difference, because prejudice doesn't care about facts.
I wouldn't either. But that's not what I referred to. 'Ok Boomer' being used to dismiss people's arguments or thoughts based on perception of age and/or mentality was always going to intersect with the ageist strain in our society.
People thinking, and actively expressing, that it's ok for elderly people to die is just a more obvious extreme. We treat elderly people badly already, and it's no surprise that the Boomer Remover meme is inaccurate and arising fast.
Lefties defended Ok Boomer in a way that wouldn't have been tolerated for other groups, as if older people are only priviledged. We threw intersectionality out the windor. It's ridiculous, and utterly unnecessary. There's no good reason why we couldn't have coined a different terms that focuses on wealth instead of age/generation. But the reasons we didn't are related to ageism.
I was quite ok with Michael Cullen’s “rich prick” 😉
So was I.
Not all rich are "pricks" and not all "pricks" are rich, so "rich pricks" is descriptive of a certain subset of wealthy people.
Even more a stupid characterisation when many of the advantages that they think boomers got, actually happened for the previous generation.
For example 80% of pre boomers retired owning their own home. It looks like it is heading towards 55% of boomers, the "lucky" generation that were restructured out of work, by Rogernomics, paid 60% top tax rate so Rob's mob could retire at 60, and the children of the rich could get, "free" university, and paid 22% interest rates.
Even the people that started the Neo-liberal, “unfortunate experiment” that caused the problems for young people, were not, “boomers”.
As always, blaming beneficiaries, the old, and anyone else they can think of is used to mask the real culprits, the lazy entitled children of the rich, of all generations.
thank-you so much for this analysis.
Berners and co are loving it
#BoomerRemover
Probably because Sanders (and Biden) is too old to be a boomer.
But what they overlook most of those vulnerable (over 70) are not boomers.
"Berners and co are loving it"
Are you sure? Or is it shitposters and trolls?
Looking at those tweets, are they talking about removing someone from politics rather than covid deaths? Or both? I've just seen it as a meme re covid, but was it in use before that?
More than a few among the profiles.
yeah, but did you check the accounts to see if they are genuine?
Did Amy Goodman ever call Timothy McVeigh a "U.S. Opposition leader"?
Reading out the "War and Peace Report" at the start of Democracy Now! the other night, Amy Goodman identified the absurd, incompetent and discredited putschist Juan Guaidó with the bland title "Venezuelan Opposition leader."
Amy is a gem – she's allowed some carelessly-chosen words at times (assuming she even wrote the bulletin)
Quite right, AB. I am an admirer of Amy Goodman, but I was disturbed when she read that little propaganda nugget with about the same level of awareness that, say, Simon Dallow brings to his newsreading.
Yeah – let's hope it's a one-off.
Peter Dutton ordered to self-isolate on Manus Island for 5 – 8 years.
Thanks – a good laugh; sometimes schadenfreude really is the best medicine.
Quite a gathering.
https://twitter.com/AusintheUS/status/1235997767476097026
Now here is an advert one can relate to:
https://twitter.com/thejuicemedia/status/1238667841655541760
If only that were an actual news report…
That is clever
Brilliant.
While the msm choose not to investigate or report on the problems with OPCW governance, the issue is not going to go away in a hurry.
A fourth OPCW whistleblower has emerged to defend the two veteran inspectors who challenged a cover-up of the chemical weapons probe in Douma, Syria. The new whistleblower lamented that other staffers have been “frightened into silence.”
"There is still no mechanism at the organisation to enable the calling out of irregular behaviour to protect the integrity of the organisation. It is quite unbelievable that valid scientific concerns are being brazenly ignored in favour of a predetermined narrative. "
https://thegrayzone.com/2020/03/12/opcw-whistleblower-mistreatment-douma-investigators/
Sunday's remembrance service for the Christchurch mosque attacks has been cancelled.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/03/christchurch-mosque-attack-memorial-cancelled.html
Thanks for that, Brigid. Sadly, though, such rigorous and serious journalism holds no sway with broadcasters (and therefore shapers of middlebrow opinion) as Kim Hill, John Campbell, and Jesse Mulligan.
Why every minute counts with coronavirus response. An easily readable post with graphs, the author keeps things moving along rather compellingly…
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F%40tomaspueyo%2Fcoronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR118RhKss6bdYlulF7sonGM3rQkaL249Z5e2WE3v_75KSOWQFb7We0-1Cs&h=AT2YT2pH7IfLK7bqRxYqtUdNkRmtcltr3B1RatEMbu6IoZe–EiVCe0FpGNlvn5iqQf93T8wBvz8_fQAGrdckBS9nCAKU9PuLhckCQpWaQpLX7dZr22gJlb3Wgjzs828zJqLXsJPTXW0E1jn9lbdd6737NG3vzdGjHDykWM
The essential is to ensure the health system is able to cope (safety gear for staff, enough pulmonary respirators) – which means the “lockdown” approach when threat to it emerges.
The problem when doing this when the number cases is still low, is that this number of low instances will recur and recur – so how often does one lockdown?
In China they have replaced societal lockdown with more targeted hyper activity to stop spread (which we are doing at the moment).
Do you think that we actually have a reliable value for the number of cases there are? You suggest that it is still low but how can we know that? After all there is a claim at the link below that the person showed all the symptoms of the disease but testing was refused.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/120277695/coronavirus-auckland-mums-request-to-be-tested-for-virus-rejected
Wouldn't it be better to test people a little more freely. If the symptoms reported match the ones we are supposed to look for carry out a test. Better to know real numbers rather than fool ourselves with false numbers that are too low.
Singapore, which seems to be doing very well at detecting and isolating victims seems to be doing very well in that regard.
Short answer no, not really.
I would presume as soon as we know of community spread there will be places people can go to be tested – containers or caravans in car-parks/drive by zones (and those who have no vehicle a van that goes to their houses).
It depends how many test kits are available. If they are a scarce resource then it's not worth using them on otherwise well people who can self-isolate and recover in their own home. It's best to keep them for people who need hospital care so that the hospital staff and other patients can be protected.
Absolutely … we're making the same mistake as the US & other Western Nations. If we're genuinely interested in containment, delay & quickly detecting any signs of community spread then we need to drop this ludicrously restrictive test criteria.
Again, we're in Don't Test / Don't Tell territory … setting ourselves up for a major fall.
Okey dokey then.
Let's shut down all labwork except for covid-19 tests. If we have all the material resources for the tests, any lab techs not doing the actual tests are in training to learn the protocols.
Now people start dropping dead because none of those other tests are being done. So there's a line between the resources we allocate and (to use the economic term) the "opportunity cost" of allocating those resources to a particular condition.
Lady got sick. She's worried she infected immunosuppressed kids with covid-19, even though she doesn't meet the criteria for diagnostic (rather than screening) testing.
I'm worried she infected those kids with something else.
Case number 6, a person returning from the USA (attended a church service here before symptoms).
Time to add to the list of nations where returnees go into 14 day isolation.
argh shit.
That one's a worry.
This fucker should hang by his heels.
https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1238563294073384965
edit:
https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/1238552960524668928
https://twitter.com/SenSherrodBrown/status/1238571872779935744
Sanders has called for Trump to be tested after his exposure to the Bolsonaro aide with Covid-19. Here is Trump's anticipated post-test announcement – a bit ahead of time:
I had the coronavirus test – it was a very strong test. I was totally exonerated, there was no sign of the virus. I have a very strong constitution, maybe the strongest ever, history will tell. The doctors said "Sir you have a very strong constitution, scientifically speaking". The virus was very weak when it came up against my constitution – very weak. The doctors thought it almost looked like fake virus – or at least very weak. Or fake. History will tell. If you have a strong constitution you won't get this foreign virus. It's a foreign virus from the outside and we won't let it take over our country. We've built the best economy ever to fight the foreign virus. We are cutting taxes to make the economy stronger, stronger than the virus. It's like a wall, an antivirus wall against foreign viruses and people bringing it in. If you haven't got a strong constitution it's not good, not good. We might lose some people to the foreign virus. We hope not but we're doing a great job. Maybe there's not much we can do if you haven't got a strong constitution, though we can make the economy stronger, much stronger, they say the best ever. We need people with strong constitutions to fight the virus, if you're weak maybe that's not what we need? We'll see, history will tell . Thank-you
Shit you're being ironic. I didn't spot that the first time through ….
This is the problem with trying to be funny these days.
Sorry – I'm just imaging how even Covid-19 could be turned into some creepy, disgusting reinforcement of MAGA.
And while he is untested everyone else at the White House is at risk (and those they meet) – and if they they want to be responsible will have to get tested. And presumably if any test positive the Donald will be angry at them if they make that result public.
But then given the age of those on Capitol Hill, this may be Trump finally acting on his promise to drain the swamp …
Mar-a-PLago
https://twitter.com/KrisKetzKMBC/status/1238586300447547393
Maybe tRump is a "Super Carrier "? aka asymptomatic carrier. He would like that!
The greatest carrier, let me tell you!
Lovely thread.
https://twitter.com/leonardocarella/status/1238511612270690305
All of our 'social housing builders' and crappy apartment builders should watch this and learn about the importance of balconies, no matter how small.
they are truly important things.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/411738/live-ardern-briefs-media-following-covid-19-cabinet-committee-meeting
this is good.
let's hope it will help.
Personally i am not too worried about the illness itself, but the economic outfall from having the world shut down. How much of our medicine comes from overseas? Spare parts? Water treatment chemicals? and so on ….that is what i think will be long term a bigger issue then the 'flu' itself.
How much of our medicine comes from overseas?
Close to 100%. No reason to think it won’t continue to be shipped to NZ.
Well, it will have to be produced first before it can be shipped.
My Mother in Law was trying to buy panadol in Whakatane can could not find any anywhere. So you might want to check up on that.
China hopefully can go back to work – even if only running a half shift, but if it does not, then we are going to have an issue.
Same as with spare parts – my local car fixer is getting worried, parts are not coming, it appears.
my own raw material supplier already announced price increases for may, i have been hording since January but it will only last so long.
Fuck it, but we are living in intersting times.
"My Mother in Law was trying to buy panadol in Whakatane can could not find any anywhere. So you might want to check up on that. "
Bit of panic buying maybe ? There's certainly a crap load of paracetamols registered and available in NZ from lots of different manufacturers.
https://medsafe.govt.nz/regulatory/DbSearch.asp
Supply issues aren't new.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/376495/national-paracetamol-shortage-leads-to-restrictions
She lives rural and goes to town about once a month. We visited her a few days ago to speak about the virus and how we wanted to go about as a family. We live a bit all over and it does help to know where the others are at. And as we had tea and spoke about it she said the following: I could not find panadol anywhere in town, do you think it is because of it. She is old stock NZ she does not do panic buying.
There are a few big local companies like Douglas Pharmaceuticals that do excellent cheap generics of some medicines.
good. good. 🙂
Yep – don't think they supply many in NZ anymore though, mostly just do vitamins and such like for NZ these days.
https://medsafe.govt.nz/regulatory/DbSearch.asp
Most of our pharmaceutical medicines come from other companies who manufacture in Asia and Europe.
https://douglas.co.nz/products/prescription-products
Indeed not many left compared to how many they used to provide in NZ and most of those on the page are manufactured offshore by other companies.
As I've pointed out the vast majority of pharmaceuticals supplied in NZ come from offshore.
Correct, most of our medicines are imported, just like many other things that we depend on.
Some countries e.g. India have stopped exporting medicines so there could be a shortage of medicines.
Possibly, I read this in the Guardian or heard on Dr John Campbell's daily update a few days ago.
I'm expecting shortages of things, god knows what though.
There was a time Sabine, within the memory of some who comment here, that NZ imported sweet fuck all.
We made stuff….even tellyvisions and cars and clothing and machinery. We made socks.
We were not quite self-sufficient, but fairly close to it.
My bet is that we will do just fine…those that survive. We just need to try and make sure some of those really useful (but recently scorned) No.8 wire types keep kicking.
If this wee virus destroys The Economy, sinks the Good Ship Capitalism…that's fine by me.
Reset time.
Hopefully.
😉
If this wee virus destroys The Economy, sinks the Good Ship Capitalism…that's fine by me.
Reset time.
Hopefully.
Didn't take you for some who wished for the mass death of billions …
Incidentally the last great crisis we experienced in the Western world that killed a large fraction of the population was the Black Death, which is directly implicated in the end of feudalism and the beginnings of capitalism. So it's not obvious that the collapse you are hoping for will deliver the utopian outcome you dream of.
"Incidentally the last great crisis we experienced in the Western world that killed a large fraction of the population was the Black Death, "
I'd nominate the first world war followed by the influenza pandemic.
Great presentation from the late Hans Rosling. (@1.48)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo
Good point; Hans Rosling really pioneered the current methods of visual data driven analysis and I really like him.
But still it was the Black Death that is on the timeline with the beginnings of capitalism.
You don't think capitalism is going to cause "the mass death of billions"?
Forgotten about human caused global warming, already?
Which is already caused many more deaths than the virus is likely too.
Unless we find an alternative to the constant growth, necessitated by capitalisms, constant drive to find ever more elaborate ways of ripping other people off, and using ever more resources, we are fucked!
Yup, we made shit cars that cost a fortune (in my youth three times as many people/capita died on our roads than last year), a set of re-treaded tyres cost a months wages, a car battery cost three weeks wages, TV's were close to $5k in today's money, clothes were three times today's prices, shoes were shit and an affordable pair of NZ made socks barely lasted a school term.
/
Trekkas!
We assembled the cars and televisions … we made tyres.
The top,end of town got locally assembled complete knockdown kits. The rest of us had to settle for semi knocked down kits, assembled with locally made components.
Not correct 4 eyes. Car assembly was an import substitution regime. Hence CKD packs required glass, batteries, tyres, upholstery and wiring looms-all NZ manufactured. I spent 20 years in the industry and know a bit about it’s history.
The top end of town had to put up with the same shit. Nice.
yeah and a house was 20k.
Going back to locally producing shitty, over priced goods will make houses more affordable?
Wages were in line with costs. So a high wage economy meant that production costs were high. But the overall effect was a more equitable economy. By the way not all locally produced items were crap. The NZ clothing industry, NZ carpets, The NZ made tyres were actually exported – large countries concentrated on standard sizes and the NZ tyre industry supplied many of the older but still in some demand tyre sizes. We had the moulds and the older machinery. The loss of the PYE factory from Waihi meant the town suffered a huge loss of high payed employment. Now despite having the largest gold mine in the country – the town has one of lowest socio-economic areas in NZ.
well the inverse situation suggests it.
Not convinced all local goods were shitty,either.
Made in Hong Kong was the default for…'shitty'.
For a start, we are now importing shitty overpriced goods that last 6 months, if you are lucky. The NZ made whitewear, lasted 20 years or more.
The shitty knocked down cars were because we had to accept shitty, made for the colonies, crap from UK.
TV's were new technology back then. They were expensive, everywhere.
I was there. You?
Definitely.
Then you'll know full well that the NZ of my youth was a staid, authoritarian shit hole that chopped down anyone who stood up or stood out. It was a racist, sexist, society, dominated and controlled by the whims and wants of a small, select group; boorish white men and their tradwives. Your averring that somehow my recollections of just how miserable and overpriced the place was are wrong reminds me of those boors.
You must have lived in a different country.
Certainly not the one I grew up in.
/
https://www.blogger.com/profile/13583435107822078614
I heard statements like yours before.
Almost always from a position of intellectual arrogance, about how boring and expensive New Zealand was. In other words, working class people were too comfortable, and didn't appreciate the "specialness" of "superior" people.
The fact that, in that "boring shithole" almost all kids were fed, housed, could look forward to a decently paid job, where you could afford to spend holidays at the beach, and go tramping and sailing, and could get a good education, doesn't figure, because now, a few can get much richer, and we have cheap TV's.
The fact that many, even in a full time job, now cannot afford food or a house, means that NZ for most, is way more "expensive" than back then.
But it is more interesting now for you? Yay.
We were never comfortable. We were never able to spend holidays at the beach, and go tramping and sailing. My education stopped at the 5th form and I was never able pursue such a formidable array of middle-class pastimes as yourself and then list them as interests.
But thanks for the reminder that many of today's righteous
pontificators from the left are supercilious twats.
So far it's just a blip to the Kiwisaver.
Maybe for my industry we use up a bit of that Sick Leave accrual.
https://sciblogs.co.nz/lately-in-science/2020/03/14/news-coverage-drove-zika-interest/ [recommended reading]
From the Feeds on the RH side of The Standard homepage.
The UK is set to ban mass gatherings next week
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51882897
The Welsh RU has admitted the reason why they cancelled the 6 Nations game with Scotland was because everything else had been called off (following the herd).
The Tory government leading from behind on this one.
But as their adviser has noted this (outdoor events) will make little difference to transmission rates (schools/universities and bars/restaurants/clubs/theatres and retail/workplaces will ensure spread).
Now sure I will always slag this lot off for weak domestic policy, but we have such a sensible and resolute Prime Minister in a crisis. Here's her key points from this afternoon:
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/cruise-ships-banned-all-overseas-arrivals-self-isolate
There have been some wonderful parodies on this site recently but you take first prize.
"we have such a sensible and resolute Prime Minister in a crisis".
In just a dozen words you have, with a straight face, come out with the funniest statement of the day.
Macro came up with a lovely opinion on Peter Dutton. It takes second place
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-14-03-2020/#comment-1691295
Did fine with Christchurch massacre.
Pretty good on climate change response internationally.
Also good response on the Northland droughts.
And doing great on this one.
There's no leader in the country comes close.
your entertainment remains a priority, Alwyn
Covid 19 infection more serious in the elderly and in certain geographic areas. Antibody Dependent Enhancement a possible explanation.
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1286457920300344
ADE has been shown to increase the severity of Dengue after previous infection.
science.sciencemag.org/content/358/6365/929
heh
https://twitter.com/west_on/status/1238552107147505664
The NHL was cancelled.
https://www.narcity.com/news/ca/sk/coronavirus-vaccine-made-in-saskatchewan-is-now-in-the-testing-stages
Shocking admission by Simon Bridges today: the National Party are not New Zealanders!
He tweeted:
"It’s good to see coronavirus being treated with more seriousness and urgency for the good of our country after a lot of pressure from National and New Zealanders."
https://twitter.com/simonjbridges/status/1238692711831502848
I smell Law & Order and a potential for electioneering.
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-novel-coronavirus-health-advice-general-public/covid-19-novel-coronavirus-self-isolation [This page was last updated 14 March 2020.]
Dawn raids on old people?
Can't see that backfiring at all …
The responses to Simon’s tweets are brutal
No wonder the junior staffers who run his accounts get so emotional..
It did bring tears to my eyes …
Dammit ! We need a constructive opposition or we will become a matriarchy !
Camp Tagi in Iraq has just been attacked again.
https://www.twitter.com/SaadAbedine/status/1238743685115895808
Update:
Iraqi military says 33 rockets used in Taji base attack.
3 U.S. and 2 Iraqi soldiers have critical injuries.
Reuters reports:
The Iraqi military said the U.S. or other foreign forces should not use the attack as pretext to take military action without Iraq's approval. It called on all foreign troops to quickly implement a parliamentary resolution calling for their withdrawal.
https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN2110L4?__twitter_impression=true
Taji whack again folks, two US Air Defence personal (US Army Ground Base Air Defence) have received serious life threatening injuries.
The odds are shorting for a NZ & Australian casualties in the near future if the Iranian back militias keep this steady rate of rocket attacks.
If they want to stop these attacks on Taji someone needs to be actively patrolling on foot 24/7 right up to the rocket line the furthest limit of where a rocket can be successfully launched and be guaranteed a hit.
Could you remind me why our troops are still there ?
The Iraqi government responded to the attack by asking foreign forces to leave and to not fight back against those firing rockets at them.
"Let’s imagine as total a shutdown of Britain as it is possible to manage. Schools closed, offices empty, shops shut – save those selling food. Minimal public transport. Airports closed. Older people deliberately isolated."
"At this point, Boris Johnson and his advisers argue, they would run slap bang into the waiting Coronavirus. There would be health service carnage."
<snip>
"In that way, the population will acquire “herd immunity”. This will beat the virus in the medium term, and flatten its peak in the short – staggering out those hospital admissions over time, and thus preventing the NHS from being over-run completely. This is the core of the case argued this week by Patrick Vallance.
That it is made by the Government’s Chief Scientific Officer doesn’t mean that it represents “the science”. For strictly speaking, there is no such thing.
Rather, Johnson is being guided by a plan partly based on a certain scientific reading of events. Some scientists agree with it; others don’t. That’s in the nature of the beast. Probably because, as ConservativeHome keeps repeating, the decisions that the Government must make are not scientific, but political."
<snip>
https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2020/03/johnsons-extra-virus-mission-to-help-save-the-world.html
Kia Ora The Am Show.
The show looks a bit worse for wear with the extra early wake up.
Twins.
What a rude person you are Duncan talking over the top of our Prime Minister. Use are just upset that our government is handling this virus situation well.
You want some more tissue for use and your m8s.
Earthquake in Christchurch this morning.???.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand's dropped the official cash rate to 0.25.%.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Newshub.
Shady move good on the defense move against him trying to get exclusive rights to a – – -.
Everyone has to be calm and careful and look for the positive phenomenon of this virus.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Tangi should be able to continue you will just have to keep hygienic practices up and use the East Coast wave.
Yes most of the 100.000 students with out Internet will be Maori in rual places.
That panel found in Turanginui A Kiwa will be interesting.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora The Am Show.
EdTV
100.000 tamariki with out devices that could be used to educate them if our schools are closed because of the virus.
You should have seen the way your m8s reacted when I made that dig yesterday wow.
We will have to go back to the days of old one parent working and one at home there would need to be a few changes to the systems to make that work.
Its good to see a big company doing some thing for free to help it's tangata.
Going to the Auckland Islands watch out for the Great White Sharks there are a few of those in Aotearoa to.
If our country was ran fairly in the past there would be low unemployment in the regions.
Ka kite Ano.