An achievement, but how impressive remains to be seen. Tory leadership contenders will pounce on the deal like vultures, and their sharp beaks will tear off any shred that is a breach of UK sovereignty, and wave them at the public & media. Will the vassal state theory be validated? A cost/benefit analysis in caucus will just be the start, and the fate of May’s government will then be determined in the court of public opinion.
Sad though our political systems do not seem to protect the integrity of those systems as it seems clear in Brexit rules were broken, ethics questionable and nobody seems to be in jail over it. Just an enquiry and slap on the wrist is not exactly keeping the democratic process safe.
We have donations scandals in NZ on tape, and yep, no criminal prosecution or any one interested in preserving the integrity of democracy either, in the face of all that free money.
Then we have the women who put needles in the strawberries who faces years in prison in OZ, 8 years even for that Fonterra milk hoax who did not even do it.
Just an example of how lightly we treat political crimes against other crimes that can effect the entire country or industry.
I’m for a revote of the Brexit referendum, not enough people voted and there was electoral tampering. Then see if same result when the people of Britain go in to vote on it, with their eyes open.
You get your chance to vote so should use it wisely. I didn’t like the last US election. Maybe we should have a re-vote on that and if I still lose, then another vote after that.
Elections are different to a total and dysfunctional divorce based on phony pretences. And a huge number of Brits did not vote because among other things, the remain brigade told everyone they had it in the bag!
Also if there is election tampering then not sure of the process but I don’t think the result is considered valid????
Wight discusses Western imperialism and how ideologies of neoliberalism and domination have been inculcated to Western leaders in elite institutions of education.
And if you thought that was good, I highly recommend you watch the whole show.
As one commentator expresses it, this is an “amazing stream of awareness and consciousness here that exactly depicts the current socio-political and economic realities.”
There is nothing left about supporting despots like Putin.
[Drawing a line under this. I’m way over having to scroll past idiots, who in lieu of having nothing to say and nothing to share, slap their dicks on the table as though that should be seen as a contribution of some sort.
You are one of a number who disagree with the arguments of viewpoints of Ed (or those he links to)? Then either offer a reasoned argument to support your perspective, or a thought out critique of why those people (and so their views) might be best considered as suspect.
But as for the vacuous sloganeering, name calling and personalised attacks – take it to your facebook account or your twitter account or wherever that might be elsewhere. But stop subjecting readers of this collective and diverse space to it, day after day and (it seems) always as a predictable reaction to other commentators whose views you don’t share.
‘The Standard’ is for discussion and debate, not schoolyard or sandpit nonsense. Sort your crap out.] – B.
I have offered reasoned argument to Ed pretty damned often actually.
Lacking the skills to support his views, he carries on regardless.
The point is, they’re not his views – they’re copied and pasted from elsewhere, which is part of the reason he can’t defend them – he doesn’t understand them.
I get it – you’re down with supporting despotic regimes. I’m not.
I object.
I won’t sit silently while Ed shills for this murderous dictator.
Your crude crap about dick measuring is utterly false – when Ed posts about anything else I leave him alone.
[Evidently you’re an idiot Stuart. Instead of taking the intelligent route, which would have been taking note and desisting from your crap in future, you’ve doubled down by broadening out your attack to include me. It’s an odd self martyrdom kind of thing to have done. But hey…
You claim I’m “down with supporting despotic regimes”? Okay. You either provide a damned unequivocal link to be backing that one up. Or offer up a straightforward apology and retraction. You won’t be able to provide a link. And so, failing a retraction and an apology (and not some half arsed nonsense either), your summer break from ‘ts’ will be starting presently] – B.
You’ve made multiple posts trying to cast doubt on the British case against Russia with respect to the Skripals. One quoted Craig Murray “of a type developed by liars” for example. No evidence has come to light suggesting any other chemical agent however, the British claim seems to have been factual.
You made another post about the suspects visiting Salisbury cathedral, suggesting that their motives were altogether innocent, which seems to have been in error, as Bellingcat’s Russian colleagues The Insider were able to show.
It would be fair to say that these statements of yours support Russia and the campaign of disinformation and propaganda that they have maintained since their embarrassment over MH17.
I assert that Russia under Putin is a despotic regime – let’s go with Montesquieu’s definition: one in which rule is accomplished by fear. The murder of Politikovskaya was politically motivated and intended not merely silence her, but also like-minded journalists. A number of Russian journalists have been obliged to flee Russia in the years immediately after that.
The murder of Nemtsov probably related to the position he was taking on the invasion of the Ukraine. An awful lot of people inconvenient to Putin are murdered – and inconvenient news organs like the Moscow Times have been shut down under his rule.
Putin’s elections are invariably accomplished with large scale ballot tampering. My friends, collating reports from over twenty journalists right across Russia were able to demonstrate widespread fraud in his first election. Similar reports, if less comprehensive, are available on subsequent elections.
These actions are those of a despotic regime even without the lengthy record of atrocities relating to the Chechen campaign. I have yet to see a word in print from you that qualifies your support of them, to balance your pro-Russian speculations and echoing of Russian propaganda in respect of the Skripal affair.
Ed’s reposting of their propaganda and disinformatzia is not a public service, on the contrary, it is in service of a despotic regime, and undesirable.
[Questioning an official narrative doesn’t imply support of anyone or anything. I can’t see any link in your comment to me voicing support of despotism Stuart. And I can’t see any apology in that there shopping list you’ve flung up either. So I won’t see any comments from you until after Feb 3rd] – B.
As John Wight says,” Ignorance is increasingly a choice in our world.”
That’s an interesting way to put it and he’s right.
As a hunter/gatherer a person couldn’t afford to be ignorant. They may not have known what we know today but they had to know everything that the group knew and to extend that knowledge.
Today people get to choose to be ignorant and not to believe the truth and that’s causing all sorts of problems. Climate change denial, voting for schmucks because they’re blue, defending unethical behaviour because its legal etcetera.
A national leader wants us to believe he sanctioned one nation because in their view they were leaders, invaded and destroyed another becuase evil existed they, but didn’t send a assassination squad to kill a man who just wanted to get married. Russia, Saudi, it’s all half glass full and whose pouring. Russia spent generations securing Crimea, blood, treasure, and only lost it for a few decades, what about any number of U.S. bases… etc.
I stand on my record of arguing for freedom of expression here at TS; even when it’s annoying or steps over the line. It’s way better to SAY stupid things and get feedback on it, than to actually DO stupid things and find out too late what the awful cost was.
Even as a moderate left winger I’m happy with most of Ed’s contributions; he flirts with the edges of reasonable sometimes but for the most part I put that down to youthful enthusiasm.
What does irk me is seeing the personal vendettas that are clearly going on here; hell I’ve been on the wrong end of a few of them myself over the years. A small group gangs up on someone and reflexively shits on anything they say with no attempt at counter argument or informed debate. Tempers will flare from time to time, but unceasing repetition going turns this into an ugly form of bullying.
Most of the time it just runs it’s course, but this one has been going on too long and everyone involved needs to read Bill’s very pointed moderation note above. Otherwise I can guarantee some well deserved ‘holidays’ will soon be taken.
Can I ask a favour? I am looking for background stuff on the US opioid crisis. I keep hearing that the likes of Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, are behid a huge a epidemic of addiction in the USA and I just want some reputable background information…
Qoute: Investigators discovered that a single pharmacy in Mount Gay-Shamrock, population 1,779, received more than 16.5 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills between 2006 and 2016. In nearby Williamson, population 2,900, distributors sent almost 21 million opioids to two pharmacies during that same period.
“How many other communities across the country have received millions more opioids than their communities could reasonably sustain?” Harper asked.
Democrats and Republicans on the committee faulted the distributors for missing what they said were signs that too many opioids were going into the state. Quote end.
it has been obvious for a while now that certain, especially poor areas, where literally flooded with pain killers replacing proper medical care. This has been ongoing for a while. Once these people are addicted they are addicted. Does not matter how you get on the juice, it matters if you can find a way to get of it.
and just because you take away the prescription drugs does not meant you take away the addiction, so people now find other stuff to fix the need
According to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 72,000 people in the US are predicted to have died from drug overdoses in 2017 — nearly 200 a day. That’s up from 2016, which was already a record year in which roughly 64,000 people in the US died from overdoses. At least two-thirds of drug overdose deaths in 2016 and 2017 were linked to opioids.
reminds me of the seventies where one could not open a news paper or watch a news cast without reading / hearing of people falling of high roofs or being found dead in public toilets.
Its a friggin mess, and just say no ain’t gonna cut. Heck they killed Roseanne on the “Connors’ show with an overdose, after she got addicted to pain killers after knee surgeries.
Great news Cinny (4) … after all these years of being lied to, the cover ups etc, the bereaved families, friends and colleagues of the Pike River 29, will hopefully begin to have some closure early next year.
Well done Andrew Little for demonstrating some humanity and respect, which since the tragedy has been sadly lacking.
The darkening clouds gather, startled and skitterish.
“Donald Trump ramped up his spat with Emmanuel Macron, the French president, with a denigrating tweet in which he said Parisians had started to learn German during the second world war before the US saved them from occupation.”
If the Referendum on cannabis goes ahead there would have to be advance information on how decriminalisation would work.
Dr Eric Crampton is Head of Research with The New Zealand Initiative. He suggests modelling such new laws be modelled on existing Alcohol regulations. Sounds good.
“Want to make sure councils are able to set rules appropriate to their areas and implement smoking-ban areas around parks? Local alcohol policies do that for alcohol; councils can set up liquor-ban areas.
So “experts like Graeme Edgeler suggest the only sensible question to ask voters would be whether they prefer the current Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, or whether they prefer to allow the sale and supply of cannabis as provided for in draft legislation.”
Is it really sensible to ask voters to choose between a law and a proposed law? To a lawyer, it may seem so. Anyone else could point out that only a handful are likely to have read each piece of legalese. So the percentage of the electorate able to make an informed choice would be in the region of 0.0000024%.
The recent conference agreed the referendum ought to ask these two questions:
1. Should adults be allowed to grow and possess cannabis for personal use?
2. Should adults be allowed to purchase cannabis & cannabis products from licensed premises?
I agree with the conference decision. Both questions are simple & concise. Voters are unlikely to have difficulty comprehending them. Sharing with friends is implicit in the first question, so maybe no need to specify that.
“So “experts like Graeme Edgeler suggest the only sensible question to ask voters would be whether they prefer the current Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, or whether they prefer to allow the sale and supply of cannabis as provided for in draft legislation.””
If that is really his suggestion then he is an idiot. because its actually TWO separate questions conjoined and those who dont like either option are abused!
Most referendum that have been put to the public so far have suffered from this fault. (do you want more emphasis on the victims of crime AND harsher penalties comes to mind!)
A REFERENDUM QUESTION MUST ONLY HAVE A SINGLE PREMISE !
A REFERENDUM QUESTION MUST ONLY HAVE A SINGLE PREMISE !
A REFERENDUM QUESTION MUST ONLY HAVE A SINGLE PREMISE !
but yes there may well be several referendum run concurrently to allow for better understanding of the peoples choice
Anyone who supports whistleblowers still has an opportunity to send in a submission to the review. Rare for me to be impressed by the quality of work done by our public service, but I give them 10/10 for their articulation of the issues identified by the process thus far: http://ssc.govt.nz/sites/all/files/Targeted-Consultation-Summary-May-2018.pdf
I suspect the Jami-Lee Ross saga points to a loophole that the review & consultation process haven’t noticed. A parliamentarian acting in the public interest, exposing wrongdoing in their own party, deserves a support mechanism. The status quo seems to enable their party to victimise an MP who blows the whistle on corruption. That’s so obviously wrong that I’m likely to make a submission citing the apparent loophole. I’d like feedback from readers on this – would particularly appreciate opinions on how real the loophole actually is…
Every entity and agency and department has their own policy.
It’s not that little stoush public servants point to.
It’s the MoT massive fraud in which people who spoke up were hunted down and thrown out, and not even the CE believed them.
The net outcome of all of them is simple: you will never work in Wellington again.
Climate change will decrease fertility enough to lower the human population. Apparently.
Derived from 80 years of birth and weather data out of the United States, the study confirmed a higher number of babies being born in August and September (nine months after the depths of winter), while fewer babies were conceived in summer due to higher temperatures.
Fewer kids mean fewer emissions, which means slower climate change. FIFY.
Win/win ???
Do you have any idea at all of what we are facing? I suspect not.
A loophole where MPs do not need to disclose investment properties owned in superannuation schemes – and claim up to $78,000 in taxpayer-funded subsidies each year – is “stinging taxpayers in the pocket”, according to a Government lobby group.
A Herald investigation of property records for all 121 members of Parliament has discovered that six National MPs use their private superannuation schemes to own property that does not need to be disclosed – unlike assets held in trusts. This is because of an exception in the rules of the Register of Pecuniary Interests.
Can the rest of us also get $78000 per year subsidies to pay off our mortgages?
Your link goes to a 2013 article, am I missing something recent that makes it relevant? Surely there are sufficient things to be outraged about the current opposition rather than dragging up articles from 5 years ago.
True enough, may well be still happening as the spot light conveniently gets turned off by the MSM and the rorting bludgers in the article will probably have found another way of doing it anyway.
Whilst I don’t like rorting and fiddling and pushing the legal boundaries, there is a reason why MPs should be paid well, and that they be accommodated for the special nature of their job which requires most to live in two places with huge travel and time commitments.
That is, they are on a three year contract, renewable at the whim of others.
But it’s the afterwards also that matters. I think of my local MP who had five years in the job, was not re-elected and never was able to get a job in his home town, being blacklisted by small town employers. He fell back onto being a small farmer, selling produce at his house gate. On the night he lost his seat someone burnt down his hay barn.
He was a most generous man, and loaned to a constituent the necessary extra funds for this solo mother with two kids to purchase a modest home with the scheme introduced by Labour in 72-75 by Minister of Housing Roger Douglas.
I met him again a month ago, a hale and hearty 90 year old, up with the play and with a passion for politics still. A truly Christian Sally gentleman, who suffered for his political beliefs and activism after being an MP.
Whilst I don’t like rorting and fiddling and pushing the legal boundaries, there is a reason why MPs should be paid well, and that they be accommodated for the special nature of their job which requires most to live in two places with huge travel and time commitments.
I’m pretty sure that paying people extra to prevent corruption doesn’t actually prevent any corruption. Those who are corrupt will still do it.
Having to live in two places at once requires that the government make available housing in Wellington. The best way to do this is a government owned housing complex with no money paid out for rent to MP for housing. This would be cheaper and get rid of the rort.
I think of my local MP who had five years in the job, was not re-elected and never was able to get a job in his home town, being blacklisted by small town employers.
And hows that different from the rest of the precariat?
He fell back onto being a small farmer, selling produce at his house gate.
Ah, he was actually well off and could support himself anyway.
Bin double entry accounting in Govt. organisation, to lead a creative capitalist renaissance of the collective value systems of NZ society & citizenry.
Donald Trump’s deputy national security adviser is reportedly set to be fired following a dispute with the first lady, Melania Trump.
The US first lady took the extraordinary step of publicly pushing for the move against Mira Ricardel, the top aide to the national security adviser, John Bolton, on Tuesday.
[…]
Ricardel, who was hired in April by Bolton after he assumed the role of Trump’s national security adviser, reportedly clashed with members of the first lady’s staff over seating on a plane during Melania Trump’s recent trip to Africa.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have announced a new efficiency record for LEDs based on perovskite semiconductors, reportedly rivaling that of the best organic LEDs (OLEDs).
The team stated that compared to OLEDs, which are widely used in high-end consumer electronics, the perovskite-based LEDs can be made at much lower costs, and can be tuned to emit light across the visible and near-infrared spectra with high color purity.
The researchers have engineered the perovskite layer in the LEDs to show close to 100% internal luminescence efficiency, opening up future applications in display, lighting and communications, as well as next-generation solar cells.
Get that … close to 100% efficiency!!! This puts mono-crystalline silicon PV’s into buggy whip territory. OK so it’s lab stuff and probably a decade away from a product …. but this is how real change will happen.
That article is referring to the quantum efficiencyof one small part of the photosynthesis process. Overall, the efficiency of turning sunlight into useful chemical energy via photosynthesis is in the low single digits percentage. Real-life commercial PV panels convert incoming sunlight to useful electrical energy with an efficiency of 10% to 20%.
Uhh, that near 100% efficiency is for a perovskite LED turning electrical energy into light. Not quite the same thing as a PV panel turning incoming light into electrical energy. No reversibility going on in those processes.
Some existing commercial LEDs are already very efficient. It was the development of a very efficient blue LED that paved the way for white LEDs (as well as a Nobel for the inventors). At the top end of efficiency, there have been lab demonstrations of white LEDs putting out over 300 lumens/watt (if there were no inefficiencies other than the phosphorescent conversion of some of the blue light to yellow light, the luminous efficacy would be around 370 lumens/watt). But the led bulbs for sale at Bunnings and supermarkets are sadly still only around 80 to 100 lumens per watt, which is still way batter than fluorescent bulbs at 35ish or incandescents at 12ish.
Quote pulled from the link provided by PR:
“A 17-year-old is put in the dock for her choice of underwear, and she was open to meeting someone was the implication, she was asking for it,” Coppinger said.
“Women in this country are getting a little bit weary at the routine victim blaming going on in Irish courts and the failure of lawmakers in this House to do anything about it.”
Recently fake tan and even contraception had been used to discredit women who had the bravery to go to court.
As she held up the pair of underwear in the “incongruous setting” of the Dail, Coppinger asked: “How do you think a rape victim or a woman feels at the incongruous setting of her underwear being shown in the courts, and when is this Dail going to take serious action on the issue of sexual violence?”
She only held the underwear up for a brief moment, and the camera quickly pulled back from her as she did so. The use of props is against the rules of the Dail.”
‘A barrister in the Cork trial told the jury to look at the way the complainant was dressed. That the complainant was “open to meeting someone” because she was “wearing a thong with a lace front”.’
‘Recently fake tan and even contraception had been used to discredit women who had the bravery to go to court’
‘US Vice President Mike Pence has asked to be seated next to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at a dinner on Wednesday evening at the East Asia Summit in Singapore.’
What’s that about?
My first reaction is to say: watch your back, Jacinda. Or am I being unfair?
1+5 my guess. But really i would like to know where “Mother” is gonna sit, considering that he does not want to ‘meet’ women alone without his wife nearby.
My conspiracy theory is that he is going to try to convince her of the error of her ways …. unmarried mother, etc, etc. Whereas she has a long list of subjects such as tariffs, trade etc. LOL. Could be an interesting conversation!
I wonder if he knows that Jacinda is an former Mormon whose uncle is one of the only two NZers who has ever made it to being one of the General Authorities of the worldwide Church of Latter Day Saints?
Aaaah – Pence is actually a born again Catholic … and yes, according to Wikipedia (yes, Adam, Wikipedia) he does follow the Billy Graham Rule.
PS – if anyone wants to know, the PM has gone on this trip without baby or partner. Peters is joining her in Singapore or PNG, from his Paris trip, and Parker is already with her.
Pence is the guy who wants to be caliph at the place of the caliph.
and the caliph needs to go on a tour in Missisipi to help a women win a seat and i think after the last two weeks he just needs to hear a ‘ lock her/him/it/something up” chant to feel all presidential again. I hear all that winning has him packing a sad.
That’s major prestige for Jacinda and New Zealand you ninnys, at an Asian pacific regional meeting. What is this, National Party msm lite?
For our place in the world, what would be most suitable & impactful for NZs image would be if Jacinda could be involved in regular global meet ups with Ivanka Trump and we have a relationship that way – that would give a very popular & memorable image over time in much of the world i would guess, two leading and talented young female ambassadors of their countries on the world stage.
Yes, we like what New Zealand represents, what business links to that can we foster in our own society.
you should buy Ochos, and all other of the NZ artisan made chocolates. There are some really nice products out there and the variety of different chocolates is quite impressive. That does not stop you from also buying Whittakers 🙂 Just don’t ever buy chocolate melts, and cadbury, and Nestle produced chocolates. A lot of that stuff is compound chocolates (vegetable fat vs cocoa butter), contains very little actual chocolate but a lot of sugar.
Don’t worry my wife checks the ingredients list on all chocolate (especially the cooking stuff) we buy but (imho)the best chocolate is Makana chocolate in Blenheim 🙂
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Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
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Looks like Prime Minister may has got her Brexit deal.
She’s called an emergency Cabinet meeting to get it signed off.
That would be an impressive achievement for her, and will truly box her caucus opponents.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/nov/13/cabinet-members-called-in-to-sign-off-mays-brexit-deal
An achievement, but how impressive remains to be seen. Tory leadership contenders will pounce on the deal like vultures, and their sharp beaks will tear off any shred that is a breach of UK sovereignty, and wave them at the public & media. Will the vassal state theory be validated? A cost/benefit analysis in caucus will just be the start, and the fate of May’s government will then be determined in the court of public opinion.
Notably she is briefing each of her Cabinet individually.
Corbyn won’t have an easy time of it.
She won’t get it through parliament.
An unholy alliance of hard-Brexiters, the DUP, tory-Remainers, the SNP and most of the Labour Party will vote it down.
Jo Johnson is sticking it to May at a Remain /People’s Vote event right now. This is a disaster for May who will be gone before Xmas.
Historians will not believe sheer ignorance of Brexit supporters
Future chroniclers will in fact have to distinguish between three kinds of ignorance
“And then there’s pig ignorance – the genuine hallmarked, unadulterated, slack-jawed, open-mouthed, village idiot variety”
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/fintan-o-toole-historians-will-not-believe-sheer-ignorance-of-brexit-supporters-1.3695347
Sad though our political systems do not seem to protect the integrity of those systems as it seems clear in Brexit rules were broken, ethics questionable and nobody seems to be in jail over it. Just an enquiry and slap on the wrist is not exactly keeping the democratic process safe.
We have donations scandals in NZ on tape, and yep, no criminal prosecution or any one interested in preserving the integrity of democracy either, in the face of all that free money.
Then we have the women who put needles in the strawberries who faces years in prison in OZ, 8 years even for that Fonterra milk hoax who did not even do it.
Just an example of how lightly we treat political crimes against other crimes that can effect the entire country or industry.
If Cameron and May’s Brexit leadership leads to the gradual breakup of the EU, I suspect New Zealand will miss it when it’s gone.
I’m for a revote of the Brexit referendum, not enough people voted and there was electoral tampering. Then see if same result when the people of Britain go in to vote on it, with their eyes open.
Too bad.
You get your chance to vote so should use it wisely. I didn’t like the last US election. Maybe we should have a re-vote on that and if I still lose, then another vote after that.
Elections are different to a total and dysfunctional divorce based on phony pretences. And a huge number of Brits did not vote because among other things, the remain brigade told everyone they had it in the bag!
Also if there is election tampering then not sure of the process but I don’t think the result is considered valid????
You get another shot at that in a couple of years kevvy.
That “vote” was marked by massive disenfranchisement, voter suppression, voting machine “malfunctions” and gerrymandering.
Are you pretending Trump and his gang were installed after a fair and transparent process?
And no, I do not endorse the desperate Clintonista fantasy that “the Russians” put him in; it was all Republican Party dirty tricks.
AKA “the Epsom voter”.
John Wight on Western Imperialism.
Wight discusses Western imperialism and how ideologies of neoliberalism and domination have been inculcated to Western leaders in elite institutions of education.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHGJFo-0uYE
And if you thought that was good, I highly recommend you watch the whole show.
As one commentator expresses it, this is an “amazing stream of awareness and consciousness here that exactly depicts the current socio-political and economic realities.”
Open your minds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ5viZQa2F0
Oh the irony.
[On the assumption that’s to be read as yet another snide dig at another commentator, see below] – B.
You would never listen to John Wight.
Stick to Mike Hosking and Duncan Garner.
They operate at your level.
As John Wight says,” Ignorance is increasingly a choice in our world.”
Keep it up Lord HawHaw – you wretched sell out.
There is nothing left about supporting despots like Putin.
[Drawing a line under this. I’m way over having to scroll past idiots, who in lieu of having nothing to say and nothing to share, slap their dicks on the table as though that should be seen as a contribution of some sort.
You are one of a number who disagree with the arguments of viewpoints of Ed (or those he links to)? Then either offer a reasoned argument to support your perspective, or a thought out critique of why those people (and so their views) might be best considered as suspect.
But as for the vacuous sloganeering, name calling and personalised attacks – take it to your facebook account or your twitter account or wherever that might be elsewhere. But stop subjecting readers of this collective and diverse space to it, day after day and (it seems) always as a predictable reaction to other commentators whose views you don’t share.
‘The Standard’ is for discussion and debate, not schoolyard or sandpit nonsense. Sort your crap out.] – B.
I have offered reasoned argument to Ed pretty damned often actually.
Lacking the skills to support his views, he carries on regardless.
The point is, they’re not his views – they’re copied and pasted from elsewhere, which is part of the reason he can’t defend them – he doesn’t understand them.
I get it – you’re down with supporting despotic regimes. I’m not.
I object.
I won’t sit silently while Ed shills for this murderous dictator.
Your crude crap about dick measuring is utterly false – when Ed posts about anything else I leave him alone.
[Evidently you’re an idiot Stuart. Instead of taking the intelligent route, which would have been taking note and desisting from your crap in future, you’ve doubled down by broadening out your attack to include me. It’s an odd self martyrdom kind of thing to have done. But hey…
You claim I’m “down with supporting despotic regimes”? Okay. You either provide a damned unequivocal link to be backing that one up. Or offer up a straightforward apology and retraction. You won’t be able to provide a link. And so, failing a retraction and an apology (and not some half arsed nonsense either), your summer break from ‘ts’ will be starting presently] – B.
Bill we all know you’re a denialist.
You’ve made multiple posts trying to cast doubt on the British case against Russia with respect to the Skripals. One quoted Craig Murray “of a type developed by liars” for example. No evidence has come to light suggesting any other chemical agent however, the British claim seems to have been factual.
You made another post about the suspects visiting Salisbury cathedral, suggesting that their motives were altogether innocent, which seems to have been in error, as Bellingcat’s Russian colleagues The Insider were able to show.
It would be fair to say that these statements of yours support Russia and the campaign of disinformation and propaganda that they have maintained since their embarrassment over MH17.
I assert that Russia under Putin is a despotic regime – let’s go with Montesquieu’s definition: one in which rule is accomplished by fear. The murder of Politikovskaya was politically motivated and intended not merely silence her, but also like-minded journalists. A number of Russian journalists have been obliged to flee Russia in the years immediately after that.
The murder of Nemtsov probably related to the position he was taking on the invasion of the Ukraine. An awful lot of people inconvenient to Putin are murdered – and inconvenient news organs like the Moscow Times have been shut down under his rule.
Putin’s elections are invariably accomplished with large scale ballot tampering. My friends, collating reports from over twenty journalists right across Russia were able to demonstrate widespread fraud in his first election. Similar reports, if less comprehensive, are available on subsequent elections.
These actions are those of a despotic regime even without the lengthy record of atrocities relating to the Chechen campaign. I have yet to see a word in print from you that qualifies your support of them, to balance your pro-Russian speculations and echoing of Russian propaganda in respect of the Skripal affair.
Ed’s reposting of their propaganda and disinformatzia is not a public service, on the contrary, it is in service of a despotic regime, and undesirable.
[Questioning an official narrative doesn’t imply support of anyone or anything. I can’t see any link in your comment to me voicing support of despotism Stuart. And I can’t see any apology in that there shopping list you’ve flung up either. So I won’t see any comments from you until after Feb 3rd] – B.
Bellingcat
The Insider
My friends
Quite the hyporcrite aren’t you, Stu…
That’s an interesting way to put it and he’s right.
As a hunter/gatherer a person couldn’t afford to be ignorant. They may not have known what we know today but they had to know everything that the group knew and to extend that knowledge.
Today people get to choose to be ignorant and not to believe the truth and that’s causing all sorts of problems. Climate change denial, voting for schmucks because they’re blue, defending unethical behaviour because its legal etcetera.
A national leader wants us to believe he sanctioned one nation because in their view they were leaders, invaded and destroyed another becuase evil existed they, but didn’t send a assassination squad to kill a man who just wanted to get married. Russia, Saudi, it’s all half glass full and whose pouring. Russia spent generations securing Crimea, blood, treasure, and only lost it for a few decades, what about any number of U.S. bases… etc.
For those interested here is a link to one of the UK left wing best writers and thinkers.
https://twitter.com/johnwight1?lang=en
He is also a brilliant speaker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZfR4wOkkQw
He is a brilliant speaker. Thanks Ed
Good on you Ed. Please keep up your good work. You are one of the precious few real lefties on this site.
I stand on my record of arguing for freedom of expression here at TS; even when it’s annoying or steps over the line. It’s way better to SAY stupid things and get feedback on it, than to actually DO stupid things and find out too late what the awful cost was.
Even as a moderate left winger I’m happy with most of Ed’s contributions; he flirts with the edges of reasonable sometimes but for the most part I put that down to youthful enthusiasm.
What does irk me is seeing the personal vendettas that are clearly going on here; hell I’ve been on the wrong end of a few of them myself over the years. A small group gangs up on someone and reflexively shits on anything they say with no attempt at counter argument or informed debate. Tempers will flare from time to time, but unceasing repetition going turns this into an ugly form of bullying.
Most of the time it just runs it’s course, but this one has been going on too long and everyone involved needs to read Bill’s very pointed moderation note above. Otherwise I can guarantee some well deserved ‘holidays’ will soon be taken.
Cheers for your comment garibaldi (2.1.2.1.1.1) and to those of Ed as well.
Thank you Garibaldi.
Yes, keep posting Ed. I value your input and am appalled at the attacks on you.
Thanks Ed well worth watching didnt know about Renegade Inc till now John Wright straight shooter damn good stuff .
Worth following on Twitter.
John Wight wrote a brilliant article on Remembrance Day.
Can I ask a favour? I am looking for background stuff on the US opioid crisis. I keep hearing that the likes of Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, are behid a huge a epidemic of addiction in the USA and I just want some reputable background information…
I’d try the agencies that are left to clean up the mess. They won’t pull their punches so there’ll be a bias, but it’s better than cover ups.
I theorise the nasty right wing middle class are mostly just high. And when they clean up, oh, the shame.
Sanctuary,
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/drugs-opioid-oxycontin-drug-addiction-patent-new-drug-richard-sackler-a8529711.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/29/health/purdue-opioids-oxycontin.html
https://topdocumentaryfilms.com/oxycontin-time-bomb/
https://centerfordiscovery.com/blog/netflix-documentary-heroine-highlights-opioid-documentary/
company sponsored over prescription of certain medication that in the end proved very addictive to certain people.
take West Virginia
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/drug-distributors-missed-suspicious-opioid-sales-to-west-virginia-lawmakers-say
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=over+prescription+of+opiods+in+west+virginia&oq=over+prescription+of+opiods+in+west+virginia&aqs=chrome..69i57.9151j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
trying to turn the tide with legislation
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/politics/justice-oks-legislation-to-reduce-opioid-prescribing-in-wv/article_e9331e45-90e7-50c4-b9d8-5c3e2f83d2ee.html
document on how to turn the tide, large read
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdhhr.wv.gov%2Fbph%2FDocuments%2FODCP%2520Reports%25202017%2FProposed%2520Opioid%2520Response%2520Plan%2520for%2520the%2520State%2520of%2520West%2520Virginia%25201%252010%252018.pdf
company says, surly not us
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/05/08/drug-crisis-distributor-apologizes-large-opioid-shipments/589760002/
Qoute: Investigators discovered that a single pharmacy in Mount Gay-Shamrock, population 1,779, received more than 16.5 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills between 2006 and 2016. In nearby Williamson, population 2,900, distributors sent almost 21 million opioids to two pharmacies during that same period.
“How many other communities across the country have received millions more opioids than their communities could reasonably sustain?” Harper asked.
Democrats and Republicans on the committee faulted the distributors for missing what they said were signs that too many opioids were going into the state. Quote end.
it has been obvious for a while now that certain, especially poor areas, where literally flooded with pain killers replacing proper medical care. This has been ongoing for a while. Once these people are addicted they are addicted. Does not matter how you get on the juice, it matters if you can find a way to get of it.
and just because you take away the prescription drugs does not meant you take away the addiction, so people now find other stuff to fix the need
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/22/west-virginia-saw-drop-in-opioid-painkillers-prescribed-deaths-rose.html
however if you are really in need of pain medication you are now out of luck in many cases
https://www.timeswv.com/news/chronic-pain-patients-say-opioid-crackdown-is-hurting-them/article_0418958e-54a0-11e7-907f-533b65b2b713.html
The story repeats across the country.
Overdoses killed up to 200 people a day in 2017 according to Study.
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/8/16/17698204/opioid-epidemic-overdose-deaths-2017
According to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 72,000 people in the US are predicted to have died from drug overdoses in 2017 — nearly 200 a day. That’s up from 2016, which was already a record year in which roughly 64,000 people in the US died from overdoses. At least two-thirds of drug overdose deaths in 2016 and 2017 were linked to opioids.
reminds me of the seventies where one could not open a news paper or watch a news cast without reading / hearing of people falling of high roofs or being found dead in public toilets.
Its a friggin mess, and just say no ain’t gonna cut. Heck they killed Roseanne on the “Connors’ show with an overdose, after she got addicted to pain killers after knee surgeries.
Look at veterans care, it’s federally run for ex service folk.
Some have been trying to get a switch off opiods onto the growing THC/CBD based medications. Being federal that’s illegal so can’t be done.
They’ve been collating some stats on their opioid addictions and side effects so check them out. Sorry can’t recall what they were called.
Hi sanctuary, you may have seen this or may not be what you are after.
After watching Oxyana a couple of years ago, I can’t stop thinking about it.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X5xAu1csU_c
Grim viewing.
Red state white people are overdosing in record numbers.
That is all.
THEY ARE GOING IN TO PIKE
Thrilled for the families, so much respect goes out to them for never giving up. May they find answers and closure in due course.
Kudos Andrew Little.
According to police, whose forensic team will be going in… manslaughter charges could be a possibility.
this indeed is good news.
I do hope this brings much needed relieve to their pain, and that hopefully they may lay their loved ones to rest.
Wonderful news
Hopefully Winnie’s going in first show JK how it’s done.
Great news Cinny (4) … after all these years of being lied to, the cover ups etc, the bereaved families, friends and colleagues of the Pike River 29, will hopefully begin to have some closure early next year.
Well done Andrew Little for demonstrating some humanity and respect, which since the tragedy has been sadly lacking.
The darkening clouds gather, startled and skitterish.
“Donald Trump ramped up his spat with Emmanuel Macron, the French president, with a denigrating tweet in which he said Parisians had started to learn German during the second world war before the US saved them from occupation.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/13/trump-macron-eu-army-german-second-world-war
If the Referendum on cannabis goes ahead there would have to be advance information on how decriminalisation would work.
Dr Eric Crampton is Head of Research with The New Zealand Initiative. He suggests modelling such new laws be modelled on existing Alcohol regulations. Sounds good.
“Want to make sure councils are able to set rules appropriate to their areas and implement smoking-ban areas around parks? Local alcohol policies do that for alcohol; councils can set up liquor-ban areas.
A lot of the problems any regulated cannabis regime would need to solve have already been dealt with in our existing alcohol regulations. The rules may not be perfect, but they are the ones with which we are familiar….”
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/11/13/318388/crampton-a-framework-for-legalisation
So “experts like Graeme Edgeler suggest the only sensible question to ask voters would be whether they prefer the current Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, or whether they prefer to allow the sale and supply of cannabis as provided for in draft legislation.”
Is it really sensible to ask voters to choose between a law and a proposed law? To a lawyer, it may seem so. Anyone else could point out that only a handful are likely to have read each piece of legalese. So the percentage of the electorate able to make an informed choice would be in the region of 0.0000024%.
The recent conference agreed the referendum ought to ask these two questions:
1. Should adults be allowed to grow and possess cannabis for personal use?
2. Should adults be allowed to purchase cannabis & cannabis products from licensed premises?
It was organised by the Cannabis Referendum Coalition, a network of individuals and organisations campaigning for cannabis law reform, website here: http://makeitlegal.nz/?fbclid=IwAR3RkPfB7DzQVBNcr4uQU17ptF1PDWyYIZnzpPHtfP9SlFLiDcxtHbAdjfA
I agree with the conference decision. Both questions are simple & concise. Voters are unlikely to have difficulty comprehending them. Sharing with friends is implicit in the first question, so maybe no need to specify that.
“So “experts like Graeme Edgeler suggest the only sensible question to ask voters would be whether they prefer the current Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, or whether they prefer to allow the sale and supply of cannabis as provided for in draft legislation.””
If that is really his suggestion then he is an idiot. because its actually TWO separate questions conjoined and those who dont like either option are abused!
Most referendum that have been put to the public so far have suffered from this fault. (do you want more emphasis on the victims of crime AND harsher penalties comes to mind!)
A REFERENDUM QUESTION MUST ONLY HAVE A SINGLE PREMISE !
A REFERENDUM QUESTION MUST ONLY HAVE A SINGLE PREMISE !
A REFERENDUM QUESTION MUST ONLY HAVE A SINGLE PREMISE !
but yes there may well be several referendum run concurrently to allow for better understanding of the peoples choice
Anyone who supports whistleblowers still has an opportunity to send in a submission to the review. Rare for me to be impressed by the quality of work done by our public service, but I give them 10/10 for their articulation of the issues identified by the process thus far: http://ssc.govt.nz/sites/all/files/Targeted-Consultation-Summary-May-2018.pdf
I suspect the Jami-Lee Ross saga points to a loophole that the review & consultation process haven’t noticed. A parliamentarian acting in the public interest, exposing wrongdoing in their own party, deserves a support mechanism. The status quo seems to enable their party to victimise an MP who blows the whistle on corruption. That’s so obviously wrong that I’m likely to make a submission citing the apparent loophole. I’d like feedback from readers on this – would particularly appreciate opinions on how real the loophole actually is…
Every entity and agency and department has their own policy.
It’s not that little stoush public servants point to.
It’s the MoT massive fraud in which people who spoke up were hunted down and thrown out, and not even the CE believed them.
The net outcome of all of them is simple: you will never work in Wellington again.
Climate change will decrease fertility enough to lower the human population. Apparently.
Derived from 80 years of birth and weather data out of the United States, the study confirmed a higher number of babies being born in August and September (nine months after the depths of winter), while fewer babies were conceived in summer due to higher temperatures.
https://www.dw.com/en/climate-change-reduces-male-fertility-could-help-drive-extinction/a-46276058
Winter just can’t come quick enough.
Less kids means less emissions means slower climate change
Win/win
Fewer kids mean fewer emissions, which means slower climate change. FIFY.
Win/win ???
Do you have any idea at all of what we are facing? I suspect not.
+ 1. Yes exactly. He doesn’t.
MPs’ property loophole ‘stings taxpayers’
Can the rest of us also get $78000 per year subsidies to pay off our mortgages?
Or is that only for ‘special’ people?
Your link goes to a 2013 article, am I missing something recent that makes it relevant? Surely there are sufficient things to be outraged about the current opposition rather than dragging up articles from 5 years ago.
😳
Been awhile that I’ve forgotten to check the date.
Still, I haven’t heard that this rort has been ended.
True enough, may well be still happening as the spot light conveniently gets turned off by the MSM and the rorting bludgers in the article will probably have found another way of doing it anyway.
Whilst I don’t like rorting and fiddling and pushing the legal boundaries, there is a reason why MPs should be paid well, and that they be accommodated for the special nature of their job which requires most to live in two places with huge travel and time commitments.
That is, they are on a three year contract, renewable at the whim of others.
But it’s the afterwards also that matters. I think of my local MP who had five years in the job, was not re-elected and never was able to get a job in his home town, being blacklisted by small town employers. He fell back onto being a small farmer, selling produce at his house gate. On the night he lost his seat someone burnt down his hay barn.
He was a most generous man, and loaned to a constituent the necessary extra funds for this solo mother with two kids to purchase a modest home with the scheme introduced by Labour in 72-75 by Minister of Housing Roger Douglas.
I met him again a month ago, a hale and hearty 90 year old, up with the play and with a passion for politics still. A truly Christian Sally gentleman, who suffered for his political beliefs and activism after being an MP.
I’m pretty sure that paying people extra to prevent corruption doesn’t actually prevent any corruption. Those who are corrupt will still do it.
Having to live in two places at once requires that the government make available housing in Wellington. The best way to do this is a government owned housing complex with no money paid out for rent to MP for housing. This would be cheaper and get rid of the rort.
And hows that different from the rest of the precariat?
Ah, he was actually well off and could support himself anyway.
Most MP’s are professional bludgers IMHO ?
Wouldn’t get a job in the real world ?
Hopefully Winnie’s going in first show JK & the Natzi’s how it’s done ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_phjB19ZEg
Bin double entry accounting in Govt. organisation, to lead a creative capitalist renaissance of the collective value systems of NZ society & citizenry.
NZ1st!
Imelda Marcos, come on down!
Donald Trump’s deputy national security adviser is reportedly set to be fired following a dispute with the first lady, Melania Trump.
The US first lady took the extraordinary step of publicly pushing for the move against Mira Ricardel, the top aide to the national security adviser, John Bolton, on Tuesday.
[…]
Ricardel, who was hired in April by Bolton after he assumed the role of Trump’s national security adviser, reportedly clashed with members of the first lady’s staff over seating on a plane during Melania Trump’s recent trip to Africa.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/13/melania-trump-mira-ricardel-aide-to-be-fired-white-house-latest
Meanwhile in Australia this news will surprise many who haven’t been watching closely:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-14/woodside-ceo-peter-coleman-argues-for-carbon-price/10494026
This is how real change will happen. (And yes I’m sure you can find the self-interest in this, but that’s how things work in the world.)
Eyeroll from Turnbull.
Real change is doing something (as opposed to talking about doing something)
such as the new LNG powered Russian aframax tankers.
http://sovcomflot.ru/en/press_office/press_releases/item99167.html
Game changer:
https://www.perovskite-info.com/cambridge-team-sets-new-efficiency-record-perovskite-leds
Get that … close to 100% efficiency!!! This puts mono-crystalline silicon PV’s into buggy whip territory. OK so it’s lab stuff and probably a decade away from a product …. but this is how real change will happen.
Gee close to 100% efficiency that is well about as efficient as a plant.
http://www2.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/PBD-quantum-secrets.html
That article is referring to the quantum efficiencyof one small part of the photosynthesis process. Overall, the efficiency of turning sunlight into useful chemical energy via photosynthesis is in the low single digits percentage. Real-life commercial PV panels convert incoming sunlight to useful electrical energy with an efficiency of 10% to 20%.
Uhh, that near 100% efficiency is for a perovskite LED turning electrical energy into light. Not quite the same thing as a PV panel turning incoming light into electrical energy. No reversibility going on in those processes.
Some existing commercial LEDs are already very efficient. It was the development of a very efficient blue LED that paved the way for white LEDs (as well as a Nobel for the inventors). At the top end of efficiency, there have been lab demonstrations of white LEDs putting out over 300 lumens/watt (if there were no inefficiencies other than the phosphorescent conversion of some of the blue light to yellow light, the luminous efficacy would be around 370 lumens/watt). But the led bulbs for sale at Bunnings and supermarkets are sadly still only around 80 to 100 lumens per watt, which is still way batter than fluorescent bulbs at 35ish or incandescents at 12ish.
https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2018/06/advanced-physicsprize2014.pdf
Yeah the article makes that clear, but it’s an impressive step all the same. It demonstrates what is possible
Damn…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/108586673/irish-politician-uses-womens-thong-in-parliament-sex-assault-protest
sometimes you need to show the evidence.
Quote pulled from the link provided by PR:
“A 17-year-old is put in the dock for her choice of underwear, and she was open to meeting someone was the implication, she was asking for it,” Coppinger said.
“Women in this country are getting a little bit weary at the routine victim blaming going on in Irish courts and the failure of lawmakers in this House to do anything about it.”
Recently fake tan and even contraception had been used to discredit women who had the bravery to go to court.
As she held up the pair of underwear in the “incongruous setting” of the Dail, Coppinger asked: “How do you think a rape victim or a woman feels at the incongruous setting of her underwear being shown in the courts, and when is this Dail going to take serious action on the issue of sexual violence?”
She only held the underwear up for a brief moment, and the camera quickly pulled back from her as she did so. The use of props is against the rules of the Dail.”
Wow PR, just wow.
‘A barrister in the Cork trial told the jury to look at the way the complainant was dressed. That the complainant was “open to meeting someone” because she was “wearing a thong with a lace front”.’
‘Recently fake tan and even contraception had been used to discredit women who had the bravery to go to court’
That’s so messed up.
Yup
‘US Vice President Mike Pence has asked to be seated next to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at a dinner on Wednesday evening at the East Asia Summit in Singapore.’
What’s that about?
My first reaction is to say: watch your back, Jacinda. Or am I being unfair?
where will his wife be seated?
poor Jacinda.
1. He’s a racist who only wants to sit next to european looking people.
2. Photo’s with Jacinda would be excellent publicity for Pence and co.
3. He’s a dirty old man.
4. He genuinely thinks she’s awesome.
5. Something else
1+5 my guess. But really i would like to know where “Mother” is gonna sit, considering that he does not want to ‘meet’ women alone without his wife nearby.
But maybe sitting next to is OK?
In that case it sounds like a very trusting relationship sarc.
Thought of another option lmao
6. Red is also his favourite colour.
Billy Graham rule.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Graham_rule
ROFL!!!!!!!!!!
My conspiracy theory is that he is going to try to convince her of the error of her ways …. unmarried mother, etc, etc. Whereas she has a long list of subjects such as tariffs, trade etc. LOL. Could be an interesting conversation!
I wonder if he knows that Jacinda is an former Mormon whose uncle is one of the only two NZers who has ever made it to being one of the General Authorities of the worldwide Church of Latter Day Saints?
Aaaah – Pence is actually a born again Catholic … and yes, according to Wikipedia (yes, Adam, Wikipedia) he does follow the Billy Graham Rule.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Pence#Personal_life
PS – if anyone wants to know, the PM has gone on this trip without baby or partner. Peters is joining her in Singapore or PNG, from his Paris trip, and Parker is already with her.
Random thought of the day: it seems the rule forbids dining alone with female family members as well as unrelated females not one’s spouse. Hmmm …
His wife apparently sat between him and Jacinda.
bwhahahahahahahahahahah
7.) Pence wants to know – if he’s allowed to build a bunker in Wanaka
and how much NZ citizenship costs
Pence considers her an enemy and is keeping his friends and enemies close.
Saying ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’. imo
Pence is the guy who wants to be caliph at the place of the caliph.
and the caliph needs to go on a tour in Missisipi to help a women win a seat and i think after the last two weeks he just needs to hear a ‘ lock her/him/it/something up” chant to feel all presidential again. I hear all that winning has him packing a sad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iznogoud
That’s major prestige for Jacinda and New Zealand you ninnys, at an Asian pacific regional meeting. What is this, National Party msm lite?
For our place in the world, what would be most suitable & impactful for NZs image would be if Jacinda could be involved in regular global meet ups with Ivanka Trump and we have a relationship that way – that would give a very popular & memorable image over time in much of the world i would guess, two leading and talented young female ambassadors of their countries on the world stage.
Yes, we like what New Zealand represents, what business links to that can we foster in our own society.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/108568669/chocs-to-drop-after-record-crowdfunding-campaign-for-kiwi-chocolate-company-ocho
Well done Ocho, I normally buy Whittakers but I’m sure I could be convinced to try Ochos 🙂
you should buy Ochos, and all other of the NZ artisan made chocolates. There are some really nice products out there and the variety of different chocolates is quite impressive. That does not stop you from also buying Whittakers 🙂 Just don’t ever buy chocolate melts, and cadbury, and Nestle produced chocolates. A lot of that stuff is compound chocolates (vegetable fat vs cocoa butter), contains very little actual chocolate but a lot of sugar.
personally i am loving this story.
Don’t worry my wife checks the ingredients list on all chocolate (especially the cooking stuff) we buy but (imho)the best chocolate is Makana chocolate in Blenheim 🙂
Breaking News…
CIA says Saudi crown prince ordered Khashoggi’s murder.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/11/cia-concludes-saudi-crown-prince-ordered-khashoggi-murder-report-181117004639742.html
Should be on today’s Open Mike
I knew it!