‘An apparent Jeremy Corbyn supporter has created a website detailing The Guardian‘s most anti-Corbyn headlines of the past two years.
Quite a list…….
The website, called Dump The Guardian!, gives 36 examples of times when the paper has run negative stories about Corbyn. Some of the examples featured include…’
I’m sure similar lists could be made for Espiner and Ferguson on Morning Report.
To see the bias on the Herald, ZB, Stuff and Garner’s awful show, you need to look at Murdoch’s garbage for a comparison.
What are the real issues Ed? Why attack a journo then? Perhaps you could state why this National led gov’t is keen on stopping any info coming to the public’s view concerning Auckland’s rail report.
Good questions but the point of eds posting is esoteric – personally I’d prefer 1 link with some original comment or thought but that ain’t the way ed rolls. Forcefed or nothing – but the plaintive cries will soon come out from ed…
It takes all sorts and ed is included so take it all with a grainary of salt ed ☺
The good thing is that these newspapers can’t win by keeping with this trajectory.
With the proportion of young people in the UK voting Labour and the proportion of old people voting Conservative, the newspapers are pandering to a population that will be dead in 10-20 years (and a minority even sooner) … and so will the newspapers if they don’t change.
BM
There is nothing that I despise more than some supercilious creep like yourself who skates on thin ice and knows just how to manipulate the blog, making moderating type criticisms like a smart alec. And what drives you mad apparently is someone who is concerned about many issues. Too much information! Makes your synapses pop apparently.
I see Joyce hasn’t learnt his lesson offered up in Nationals loss to NZF Leader Winston Peters.
Joyce was snapped last week with some of the Hundertwasser fund raisers.
After previously receiving substantial Government funding it now looks like further taxpayer funding is coming from his Govt through the heritage fund. It is what it is ‘more pork barrel politics with an election coming up.
Here the RNZ interview. Incredible given Joyce is on record saying no more taxpayers money. Must not be going well for Shane Reti if he has to do a flip flop. Expect WP to be laughing about it; http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=201847467
‘One in nine NZers hit by ‘significant income fall
A joint study by Deloitte and Victoria University’s School of Government has found one in nine New Zealanders will experience a significant fall in income in any given year.
Lower to middle income earners are even more vulnerable, with the odds dropping to one in six.
Report co-author and Deloitte partner Dave Farrelly said the odds of being caught in serious financial strife surprised him.’
Considering the earthquake risk, is it wise for Wellington city to build upwards?
Is Wellington really constrained in its ability to grow out ? There seems to be plenty of scope for growth between Wellington, Kapiti and the Wairarapa rail corridor.
Would it not be more beneficial for council to buy buildings rather than lease?
Developers would be looking for long-term leases and the guarantee of income, yet it is expected that the housing provided will be cost neutral for ratepayers in the long term. However, if council decided to buy instead of lease, it would not only be cost neutral, it would also result with council owning new assets.
On Daily Review last night swordfish posted a great link on the Yougov detail of how/who voted in the UK. Fascinating. (Hope you don’t mind swordfish.)
Maybe (low income) Labour voters are more likely to die quite young? the UK health system, no longer being comprehensive care for all from cradle to the grave.
All the oldie voters I know in the UK, would never vote for the Tories.
This is a bit of self-indulgent narcissism – so feel free to disregard it – as many will, I know.
And I wish to make absolutely certain I still intend to work for the Labour Party to become the government in September.
So, what I’m talking about is a sort of cathartic moment – when the darkness dawns and the light goes out.
Let me explain. I attended a meeting in ChCh for Labour party workers, and Andrew Little spoke to the troops – preaching to the converted.
What I should have heard was a vision of what NZ would become under a truly progressive Labour-led government. A moving image of equality and fairness, a sharing of the wealth of the country among all its people and a determination to tackle the really big issues facing this country.
What I heard was a prescription for better administration – for neoliberalism with a smiling face. Waiting lists would be tackled, houses built, NEETs given training and so on.
All worth working and fighting for – but so so limited, so so mediocre! So so lacking in real willingness to fundamentally change any damn thing!
Frankly, I was deeply disappointed. But perhaps the fault was mine – perhaps I expected too much of a Labour Party still mired in the muck of Rogernomics?
Yes you are right Tony you did expect too much. If you have ever tried to move forward when standing in the mire in your gumboots, you will know how hard it is to lift them out and move forward. Rogernomics has led us deep and left us there.
What you would have liked to hear was a big picture, full-colour cenario but you know talk is easy, and if Andrew Little is going to provide services, tackle problems, housing, etc. actually DO SOMETHING INTELLIGENT AND POSITIVE. that will be 100% better than Dr Dolittle’s government of strange animals which we have now.
So buck up Tony, it will be a brighter future, but in winter the sun rises later in the day and then we rejoice to get it. We have been in the winter of our discontent so long that small amounts of regular sunshine will start a NewZeal Spring.
You’re not on your own Tony V. I went to a Greens meeting recently and felt just like you did. There’s no fire in their bellies, their meetings are just a 101 introduction. They don’t even have enough faith in themselves to call out neoliberalism for what it is.
I don’t think we are expecting too much, I just don’t think the talent is there.
@ garibaldi (8.2) … the Greens lost the fire in their bellies, the day Russel Norman left Parliament. Even Meteria Turei is a diluted version of what she once was. She used to spit hell, fire and brimstone at the Natz, alongside Russel. But not anymore now. The spirit seems to have gone out of the party with the fire. Pity.
Rod Donald must be turning in his grave to see what the Greens have come down to now, a murky shade of blue!
@Tony Veitch (not etc), garibaldi, you probably are right about Labour piecemeal messaging, too many policy wonks, and power points and not enough activism, but what is the alternative, they can hardly be worse that National and ACT!
Little is more cunning that everyone gives him credit for. He’s trying to navigate his own neoliberal MP’s, the shark Natz, dirty politics and the voters, many of whom still believe the MSM myth that the NZ economy is doing great guns! I’m just hoping that Labour don’t get the same nightmare advisor/management team that Cunliffe used with Vote positive, somewhere between an insurance slogan and mirth.
Also there are some good people in the Green party – Gareth Hughes and Barry Coates are still activists and deliver new ideas and speeches.
Yes saveNZ we know we have to vote for them because there is no alternative.
There are good people in Labour and the Greens but they get no exposure because of ‘discipline’.
“Boring” will not beat the Natz.
Corbyn got through to the people. There’s so much we could learn from Brit Labours campaign but we’re too proud/stupid/ignorant, or just too mired in neoliberalism,to do so.
no-o I think solid work by an mp shows through in the end.
And discipline in caucus is a shedload better than the post-clark Labour caucus bullshit. It just poisons the entire well: even the good mps have to start backstabbing in self defense – politics being the only pasttime that comes to mind where a backstab can actually be self defense lol
I think the way Natz dirty politics is steering the discourses is very cunning too. They are keeping the lefties focused on Labour and Greens messaging and their gaps… while superficially mimicking similar messaging. But under the covers the National party actions are actually very FAR RIGHT, not like Labour at all. It’s very far right, media control, state official controls, cronyism, deregulation of everything from environment to state assets, destruction of the welfare state etc.
The trick is not to bother with National messing or the Ministry of Truth propaganda and just look at what the Natz are up too not believe their press releases.
Like Trump, National’s policy doesn’t actually doesn’t make any sense – like some deranged is at the helm, homeless in expensive hotels, state houses being sold off or empty and then government paying more money to build less houses to private developers, buying fake carbon credits while promoting 100% pure NZ, building dams in areas that are prone to drought and making it worse by catching the water to get more water intensive business at the drought prone spot, giving water away for free to foreign interests, having zero tax havens that you don’t have to declare who owns the money… while using NZ respectability to mask it. Giving casino’s state money, even giving them TVNZ space to put a conference in, that get’s more gamblers here, sending millions on sheep to Saudi businessmen to die in a desert in the hope they might impress someone somewhere to give them a trade deal. Perservering with the zombie TPPA when even the US has pulled out, mass surveillance, having our SAS kill civilians in Afghanistan but pretending it didn’t happen….
The trick is to say to yourself – I wonder what the NZ mafia are up to now? And then keep tally life Blip did with Key. Just noting how the political machine shapes the once reasonably healthy NZ society so it is bulimic, it looks like a country but it’s real sick, though that’s not on show.
I remember the days when Corbyn campaigned for his initial Labour leadership bid. He was challenged during an interview that he obviously wasn’t interested in financial contributions to his party by wealthy donors. His answer was (not verbatim): “Well I am very interested in their contributions, but I don’t want small donations to the party, I’ll make them pay their fair share of tax instead”.
Evidently Corbyn’s campaign was financed with lots of small donations of 22 pounds each.
The much-mocked Corbyn had a very clear plan from the very beginning. “The politics of hope are not an inevitable reaction when politics fails,” he declared in a speech at the London School of Economics in May 2016. “The politics of hope have to be rebuilt.” Rebuilding, the Labour leader explained, required three things. First, “a vision to inspire people that politics has the power to make a positive difference to their lives.” Second, “trust – that people believe both that we can and that we will change things for the better.” Third, “the involvement and engagement of people to make the first two possible.”
1. Coal’s quickening demise, even in China
2. Diesel use in China declining fast as the economy becomes less oil intensive
3. Global carbon emissions are stabilising
Won’t necessarily save the world of course.
Just a good set of patterns for carbon use.
Coal isn’t the only fossil fuel at risk. Because of the rapidly improving performance and cost of batteries, Barry is “bullish” on electric vehicles. And as a result, he is bearish on oil demand, noting that “there was always this historic view on oil about peak supply but it’s about peak demand being an equal dynamic.” BNEF and the credit rating agency Fitch have made similar warnings.
It really does look like fossil fuels are on the out.
Of course we could, and should, have started that decades ago. The problem of leaving it to ‘the market’ is that it’s taken far longer than it should have.
“But some are already saying this year’s final could be overshadowed, perhaps even marred, by the fact the America’s Cup is a terrible, overly complicated, comically litigious excuse for a sport where the winner makes the rules – often for their own benefit – and nobody in the world actually cares about it anyway.”
I know, td. Yachts have feelings too. Fact is, I’ve one parked in the back yard and I know it’s yearning to get back in the lake. The Civilian post is funny though…
Our sailing history stretches back as far as we do. Most vehicular sports burn oil or calories, you race yachts sitting on your bottom while holding a stick and a rope. Being good at it requires a tuned sense of balance and an ability to read nature. It’s fun if you’re that way inclined.
Interesting that the hot-rods they’re racing in Bermuda are based on the twin hull design that Kupe showed up in, not the whaling barques that tied up centuries later.
The learn to sail fee at Taipa Sailing club is about $100. If that’s a bit steep I’m sure a couple of big Bacon and Egg pies for the family BBQ at the end of the month will do the trick. Sailing is not elitist, it’s available to everyone that wants to have a go. It’s one of the neat things about living in NZ.
Yep, sailors and fans want to watch the very best the world has to offer, the pinnacle of the game. Of course, the kids tootling around off Taipa…if you think the Bermuda Cats are boring…. Same with all sports, golfers don’t want to flick on Sky and watch the Helensville Open. They were just playing in the Muriwai Open.
This is as big as this sport gets, kids that started with tipping little sailing dinghys over on Lake Pupuke are duking it out with the very best in the world. Our competitors have a bottomless budget. I think it’s cool, I’m digging it, but if others are not interested, that’s cool too.
After becoming becalmed for an hour on Lake Te Anau during a race, I know what boring is; frustration too. I’ve no objection or opinion about those who like to watch high-end yacht racing but would baulk at the level of reporting it gets (apparently) in the mainstream media, though not having a tv means I’m not subject to that, nor news of the Lions. I feel blessed.
Becalmed is ok provided competitors are as well. When in the only zero pressure spot in the bay, frustration becomes a clubhouse ribbing.
With regard the level of reporting I see it in the same light as all lead stories, we get the media we deserve. Kiwis doing well on the world stage imparts a sense of accomplishment for recipients that need never leave the couch. “We’ve Won”.
I wonder which headline would get the most clicks? “House Prices Rise.” House Prices Stabilise.” or “House Prices Down.”
The one that gets the most clicks, that’s what we’re going to get.
Don’t you watch pirate live streams on your comp for sports Rob? (just nod, don’t type,)
Go the Middle Eastern Muslim Country Airline Team!
Too much emphasis on competition and big money spoils it for me, After the learn to sail at Taipa, it’s learn to race. That cuts out a few potential sailors.
Hi, love your name. I like those Twiss bronzes at the city end of the bridge.
I acknowledge that there is a mindset that views competition as de-constructive. I don’t. I think it is nature. All creatures and plants compete.
I also acknowledge that there is a view that would state “So you are no smarter than an ant or a lettuce huh Dave?”
I race myself. I set my phone stop watch and set off down to the letterbox, check it, work hard back up the drive, back into the office and loudly declare “I beat myself.” A racetubator. I figure I’m not hurting anyone and if someone else wants to race with me, I’m up for it. I think competing is a natural wholesome unavoidable pleasure in this day and age. it used to be about staying alive.
I still sail racing dinghies (not expensive) quite keenly. Sailing is a weather-dependent sport, like skiing or surfing. It can be heaven, but on some days it is better not to sail. I think that nowadays there is far too much emphasis on training. The emphasis should not be on how to win, it should be on how to enjoy sailing your boat. Before the days of intensive training we went out and did what we enjoyed doing. Sad to say, that is now a foreign concept for most trainees. They come in after training OK, but not with that light in the eye we oldies used to have after some really exciting blasts on a reach – something that simply does not exist in our current training programmes. Grafton Gully is right. Our sport is the poorer for it.
Yeah, if you’re that way inclined why join a sailing dinghy club? Those cats just go sailing. They are the majority.
Youngsters, particularly boys, naturally compete. Trying to get to the buoy first is a whole lot more attractive when you’re 15 rather than 50. Those tacking kids leap from side to side like coil springs. Bugger that.
Kids racing between buoys is not the ruination of yachting.
I think this change in attitude is a result of professionalism in sport. It is approached as a way to make money/have a career, rather than something you do for pleasure/escapism.
The America’s Cup was THE LEAD STORY on TVNZ One news last night. IMHO, nothing could more neatly illustrate the upper-class news values, class bias and neoliberal echo chamber of TVNZ.
A sport dominated by rich whites, viewable only on pay TV, and of interest primarily to a boat-owning segment of the middle class, led the news. What next, leading with Polo and a report on the this year’s fox hunting in Victoria?
90,000 young people neither in education or employmnet is scarcely reported upon. An elite sport for the idle rich? HELL YEAH!
Tally-ho! I’m with Sanctuary. Amazing, those yachts, technological marvels, poetry in action, but so’s a butterfly and I’d squash every yacht if it would ensure the survival of butterflies. Trouble is, we are moving in the direction of Save the Yachts, damn the butterflies.!
How do you feel about the business of exploring space Robert? Let’s go to some really remote place, unspoiled by people, and have a look at it just because we can, better than going to Antarctica, everybody goes there.
Planting trees in the desert was a post WW2 immense project to help stop the creeping desertification and many have been planted. But no we must have more fuel so we can go to somewhere special in space that we can brag about where movers and shakers congregate.
we should be invading space at full speed for many reasons ,
long term survival,
because it would be interesting ,
why not,
because young people have nothing much to get excited about , the rough necks of the world like me die inside at the thought that life is all about safety and mortgages.
it would /could unify the human race
So throw the health and safety books away and fire leaky rafts off into space and learn from the survivors.
bwaghorn
I have thought it would be an interesting end of life odyssey for adventurous old people to have ‘tours of duty’ to foreign lands where our allies or others have laid land mines. It would be dangerous, even knowing the techniques for safety wouldn’t stop the occasional death. But those times you know the value of being alive and alert. Here drones would be useful.
Once one had got old and bored why not be a hero and help some poor benighted people to have some land and growing area for their village on once dangerous areas. And help people not just amuse your own curiosity with boyhood fantasies. Read the space fiction, watch it on screen, live the taught excitement of this ventureon the Earth.
your idea is better than dribbling on oneself in a corner waiting to be euthanized .
Sci fi is often sci fact ,if you hang around long enough ,and the fact that i won’t is my only thing i hate about being mortal
I’m guessing you’ve just read Joe Bennett’s just-published article, ” What to do next after we reach Mars?”, Grey. If not, you’re in for a treat.
Space travel? Forget it. More of the same, as you describe.
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;”
I am also uninterested in the whole sail boat race thing. I avoid coverage of it like the plague.
Who exactly is interested? Not many people that I know.
Sailing used to be an art and DIY technology that everyone was involved in: an important mode of transport. Expensive sailing races are for the otherwise idle rich.
English will be very interested in holding the old mug aloft in one hand and a lions head in the other. On the world stage, representing us all. It may just happen –be brave, batten down the hatches is my nautical– and jolly rugger input.
The coverage is only delayed 1.5hrs not 5hrs, pretty damn good if you are not paying for it. If you want to bitch, go and get sky sport and watch it live like other people that want to watch sport live !
So it’s not free to air then. My mistake on the 5 hours, but you know 5 hours compared with 1 hour and a half is still delayed television, not free to air.
As for your pretty good comment, some of us have higher standards what is public broadcasting.
But then again, I don’t really care, as I have Netflix becasue I like good TV. Most gambling web sites will give you access to sport/game if you bet on it. So no need to pay for a monthly prescription.
It looks like Annie Goldson’s latest documentary, on Kim Dotcom, Caught in the Web will be on at this year’s Wellington Film Festival – hopefully also at the Auckland Festival. Click on the preceding title for a review.
so we are friends with the israelis again.
excuse me while i blow up some balloons.
i understand the pm wrote a letter of apology.
was it the typical polly apology eg: “sorry you feel that way’ or was it more fulsome?
what are we, as a nation sorry for?
where is the acknowledgement of responsibility and hurt in issues closer to home, eg children in state care.
It is ah, not one NZ comedian is this sharp or indeed funny in the sphere of politics. Most avoid politics like the plague, which I get, they have families, and we have a very tiny industry – so they don’t rock the boat. How lovely it is for the Tories to have all this self censorship, no one can then point fingers.
Hundertwasser museum in Whangarei are very happy.
“We are thrilled to tell you that the Hundertwasser art Centre project has just received a grant of $3.5 million from the New Zealand Lotteries Commission significant project fund. This means we have met our first target – raising $16,250,000 by 30 June 2017. Read more about it on our website……?
So horrible. Apparently it had recently been refurbished, what happened to the sprinklers? People are apparently trapped inside and the firefighters are spraying water but how the hell are the people supposed to get out – it’s 24 stories? It looks totally engulfed in flames.
I changed posting name so as not to be confused with the other Ed – who posts more frequently than I do.
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Can we trust the Trump cabinet to act in the public interest?Nine of Trump’s closest advisers are billionaires. Their total net worth is in excess of $US375b (providing there is not a share-market crash). In contrast, the total net worth of Trump’s first Cabinet was about $6b. (Joe Biden’s Cabinet ...
Welcome back to our weekly roundup. We hope you had a good break (if you had one). Here’s a few of the stories that caught our attention over the last few weeks. This holiday period on Greater Auckland Since our last roundup we’ve: Taken a look back at ...
Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partnerSometimes I feel like my only friendIs the city I live in, The City of AngelsLonely as I am together we crySong: Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith, Flea, John Frusciante.A home is engulfed in flames during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area. ...
Open access notablesLarge emissions of CO2 and CH4 due to active-layer warming in Arctic tundra, Torn et al., Nature Communications:Climate warming may accelerate decomposition of Arctic soil carbon, but few controlled experiments have manipulated the entire active layer. To determine surface-atmosphere fluxes of carbon dioxide and ...
It's election year for Wellington City Council and for the Regional Council. What have the progressive councillors achieved over the last couple of years. What were the blocks and failures? What's with the targeting of the mayor and city council by the Post and by central government? Why does the ...
Over the holidays, there was a rising tide of calls for people to submit on National's repulsive, white supremacist Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill, along with a wave of advice and examples of what to say. And it looks like people rose to the occasion, with over 300,000 ...
The lie is my expenseThe scope of my desireThe Party blessed me with its futureAnd I protect it with fireI am the Nina The Pinta The Santa MariaThe noose and the rapistAnd the fields overseerThe agents of orangeThe priests of HiroshimaThe cost of my desire…Sleep now in the fireSongwriters: Brad ...
This is a re-post from the Climate BrinkGlobal surface temperatures have risen around 1.3C since the preindustrial (1850-1900) period as a result of human activity.1 However, this aggregate number masks a lot of underlying factors that contribute to global surface temperature changes over time.These include CO2, which is the primary ...
There are times when movement around us seems to slow down. And the faster things get, the slower it all appears.And so it is with the whirlwind of early year political activity.They are harbingers for what is to come:Video: Wayne Wright Jnr, funder of Sean Plunket, talk growing power and ...
Hi,Right now the power is out, so I’m just relying on the laptop battery and tethering to my phone’s 5G which is dropping in and out. We’ll see how we go.First up — I’m fine. I can’t see any flames out the window. I live in the greater Hollywood area ...
2024 was a tough year for working Kiwis. But together we’ve been able to fight back for a just and fair New Zealand and in 2025 we need to keep standing up for what’s right and having our voices heard. That starts with our Mood of the Workforce Survey. It’s your ...
Time is never time at allYou can never ever leaveWithout leaving a piece of youthAnd our lives are forever changedWe will never be the sameThe more you change, the less you feelSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan.Babinden - Baba’s DayToday, January 8th, 2025, is Babinden, “The Day of the baba” or “The ...
..I/We wish to make the following comments:I oppose the Treaty Principles Bill."5. Act binds the CrownThis Act binds the Crown."How does this Act "bind the Crown" when Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which the Act refers to, has been violated by the Crown on numerous occassions, resulting in massive loss of ...
Everything is good and brownI'm here againWith a sunshine smile upon my faceMy friends are close at handAnd all my inhibitions have disappeared without a traceI'm glad, oh, that I found oohSomebody who I can rely onSongwriter: Jay KayGood morning, all you lovely people. Today, I’ve got nothing except a ...
Welcome to 2025. After wrapping up 2024, here’s a look at some of the things we can expect to see this year along with a few predictions. Council and Elections Elections One of the biggest things this year will be local body elections in October. Will Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Canadians can take a while to get angry – but when they finally do, watch out. Canada has been falling out of love with Justin Trudeau for years, and his exit has to be the least surprising news event of the New Year. On recent polling, Trudeau’s Liberal party has ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Much like 2023, many climate and energy records were broken in 2024. It was Earth’s hottest year on record by a wide margin, breaking the previous record that was set just last year by an even larger margin. Human-caused climate-warming pollution and ...
Submissions on National's racist, white supremacist Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill are due tomorrow! So today, after a good long holiday from all that bullshit, I finally got my shit together to submit on it. As I noted here, people should write their own submissions in their own ...
Ooh, baby (ooh, baby)It's making me crazy (it's making me crazy)Every time I look around (look around)Every time I look around (every time I look around)Every time I look aroundIt's in my faceSongwriters: Alan Leo Jansson / Paul Lawrence L. Fuemana.Today, I’ll be talking about rich, middle-aged men who’ve made ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 29, 2024 thru Sat, January 4, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Hi,The thing that stood out at me while shopping for Christmas presents in New Zealand was how hard it was to avoid Zuru products. Toy manufacturer Zuru is a bit like Netflix, in that it has so much data on what people want they can flood the market with so ...
And when a child is born into this worldIt has no conceptOf the tone of skin it's living inAnd there's a million voicesAnd there's a million voicesTo tell you what you should be thinkingSong by Neneh Cherry and Youssou N'Dour.The moment you see that face, you can hear her voice; ...
While we may not always have quality political leadership, a couple of recently published autobiographies indicate sometimes we strike it lucky. When ranking our prime ministers, retired professor of history Erik Olssen commented that ‘neither Holland nor Nash was especially effective as prime minister – even his private secretary thought ...
Baby, be the class clownI'll be the beauty queen in tearsIt's a new art form, showin' people how little we care (yeah)We're so happy, even when we're smilin' out of fearLet's go down to the tennis court and talk it up like, yeah (yeah)Songwriters: Joel Little / Ella Yelich O ...
Open access notables Why Misinformation Must Not Be Ignored, Ecker et al., American Psychologist:Recent academic debate has seen the emergence of the claim that misinformation is not a significant societal problem. We argue that the arguments used to support this minimizing position are flawed, particularly if interpreted (e.g., by policymakers or the public) as suggesting ...
What I’ve Been Doing: I buried a close family member.What I’ve Been Watching: Andor, Jack Reacher, Xmas movies.What I’ve Been Reflecting On: The Usefulness of Writing and the Worthiness of Doing So — especially as things become more transparent on their own.I also hate competing on any day, and if ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by John Wihbey. A version of this article first appeared on Yale Climate Connections on Nov. 11, 2008. (Image credits: The White House, Jonathan Cutrer / CC BY 2.0; President Jimmy Carter, Trikosko/Library of Congress; Solar dedication, Bill Fitz-Patrick / Jimmy Carter Library; Solar ...
Morena folks,We’re having a good break, recharging the batteries. Hope you’re enjoying the holiday period. I’m not feeling terribly inspired by much at the moment, I’m afraid—not from a writing point of view, anyway.So, today, we’re travelling back in time. You’ll have to imagine the wavy lines and sci-fi sound ...
Completed reads for 2024: Oration on the Dignity of Man, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola A Platonic Discourse Upon Love, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola Of Being and Unity, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola The Life of Pico della Mirandola, by Giovanni Francesco Pico Three Letters Written by Pico ...
Welcome to 2025, Aotearoa. Well… what can one really say? 2024 was a story of a bad beginning, an infernal middle and an indescribably farcical end. But to chart a course for a real future, it does pay to know where we’ve been… so we know where we need ...
Welcome to the official half-way point of the 2020s. Anyway, as per my New Years tradition, here’s where A Phuulish Fellow’s blog traffic came from in 2024: United States United Kingdom New Zealand Canada Sweden Australia Germany Spain Brazil Finland The top four are the same as 2023, ...
Completed reads for December: Be A Wolf!, by Brian Strickland The Magic Flute [libretto], by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Emanuel Schikaneder The Invisible Eye, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Owl’s Ear, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Waters of Death, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Spider, by Hanns Heinz Ewers Who Knows?, by Guy de Maupassant ...
Well, it’s the last day of the year, so it’s time for a quick wrap-up of the most important things that happened in 2024 for urbanism and transport in our city. A huge thank you to everyone who has visited the blog and supported us in our mission to make ...
Leave your office, run past your funeralLeave your home, car, leave your pulpitJoin us in the streets where weJoin us in the streets where weDon't belong, don't belongHere under the starsThrowing light…Song: Jeffery BuckleyToday, I’ll discuss the standout politicians of the last 12 months. Each party will receive three awards, ...
Hi,A lot’s happened this year in the world of Webworm, and as 2024 comes to an end I thought I’d look back at a few of the things that popped. Maybe you missed them, or you might want to revisit some of these essay and podcast episodes over your break ...
Hi,I wanted to share this piece by film editor Dan Kircher about what cinema has been up to in 2024.Dan edited my documentary Mister Organ, as well as this year’s excellent crowd-pleasing Bookworm.Dan adores movies. He gets the language of cinema, he knows what he loves, and writes accordingly. And ...
The Green Party has welcomed the provisional ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and reiterated its call for New Zealand to push for an end to the unlawful occupation of Palestine. ...
The Green Party welcomes the extension of the deadline for Treaty Principles Bill submissions but continues to call on the Government to abandon the Bill. ...
Complaints about disruptive behaviour now handled in around 13 days (down from around 60 days a year ago) 553 Section 55A notices issued by Kāinga Ora since July 2024, up from 41 issued during the same period in the previous year. Of that 553, first notices made up around 83 ...
The time it takes to process building determinations has improved significantly over the last year which means fewer delays in homes being built, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “New Zealand has a persistent shortage of houses. Making it easier and quicker for new homes to be built will ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is pleased to announce the annual list of New Zealand’s most popular baby names for 2024. “For the second consecutive year, Noah has claimed the top spot for boys with 250 babies sharing the name, while Isla has returned to the most popular ...
Work is set to get underway on a new bus station at Westgate this week. A contract has been awarded to HEB Construction to start a package of enabling works to get the site ready in advance of main construction beginning in mid-2025, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“A new Westgate ...
Minister for Children and for Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour is encouraging people to use the resources available to them to get help, and to report instances of family and sexual violence amongst their friends, families, and loved ones who are in need. “The death of a ...
Uia te pō, rangahaua te pō, whakamāramatia mai he aha tō tango, he aha tō kāwhaki? Whitirere ki te ao, tirotiro kau au, kei hea taku rātā whakamarumaru i te au o te pakanga mo te mana motuhake? Au te pō, ngū te pō, ue hā! E te kahurangi māreikura, ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says people with diabetes and other painful conditions will benefit from a significant new qualification to boost training in foot care. “It sounds simple, but quality and regular foot and nail care is vital in preventing potentially serious complications from diabetes, like blisters or sores, which can take a long time to heal ...
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour is pleased to see Pharmac continue to increase availability of medicines for Kiwis with the government’s largest ever investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the government,” says Mr Seymour. “When this government assumed ...
Mā mua ka kite a muri, mā muri ka ora e mua - Those who lead give sight to those who follow, those who follow give life to those who lead. Māori recipients in the New Year 2025 Honours list show comprehensive dedication to improving communities across the motu that ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is wishing all New Zealanders a great holiday season as Kiwis prepare for gatherings with friends and families to see in the New Year. It is a great time of year to remind everyone to stay fire safe over the summer. “I know ...
Asia Pacific Report About 200 demonstrators gathered in the heart of New Zealand’s biggest city Auckland today to welcome the Gaza ceasefire due to come into force tomorrow, but warned they would continue to protest until justice is served with an independent and free Palestinan state. Jubilant scenes of dancing ...
The Government has released the first draft of its long-awaited Gene Technology Bill, following through on the election promise to harness the potential of biotechnology by ending the de facto ban on genetic engineering in Aotearoa New Zealand.While the country does not and has never completely banned genetic engineering (GE), ...
Comment: Graduation ceremonies are energising. Attending one recently, I felt the positivity from being surrounded by hundreds of young people at their career-launching point.Among them was one of my sons. He struggled through school and left before his mates. As a 21-year-old he qualified as a sparky, and I was ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liam Byrne, Honorary Fellow, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne Should a US president by judged by what they achieved, or by what they failed to do? Joe Biden’s administration is over. Though we have an extensive ...
COMMENTARY:By Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson and Junior S. Ami With just over a year left in her tenure as Prime Minister of Samoa, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa faces a political upheaval threatening a peaceful end to her term. Ironically, the rule of law — the very principle that elevated her to ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. A year ago I met a lovely older gentleman at a Christmas party who owned racehorses. He wasn’t “in the business”, as he said, he just enjoyed horses and so owned a couple as a hobby. After a dozen questions from me ...
The Pacific profiles series shines a light on Pacific people in Aotearoa doing interesting and important work in their communities, as nominated by members of the public. Today, Grace Colcord, Shea Wātene and Devyn Baileh, co-founders of Brown Town.All photos by Geoffery Matautia.Brown Town is an Ōtautahi community ...
The actor and comedian takes us through her life in television, from early Shortland Street rejection to the enduring power of the Gilmore Girls. Browse local telly offerings and you’ll likely encounter Kura Forrester soon enough. Whether you know her best as loveable Lily in Double Parked or Puku the ...
Making rēwana is about more than just a recipe – it’s a journey of patience, care and persistence.A subtle smell is filling our living room as my son crawls around playing with his nana. It has the familiar scent of freshly baked bread, with a slight hint of sweetness. ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Saturday 18 January appeared first on Newsroom. ...
From dubious health claims to too-good-to-be-true deals to bizarre clickbait confessions from famous people, scam ads are filling Facebook feeds, sucking users in and ripping them off. So why won’t Meta do anything about it? I’ve had a Facebook account since 2006, when it first became available to the ...
A year out from leaving the bear pit that is the pinnacle of our democracy, I have returned to something familiar. A working life in litigation, mainly in employment law, has brought me full circle, refreshed old skills and exposed me to some realities and values which have stunned me.But ...
2025 is the Year of the Snake, so it should be another productive year for the David Seymours of the world by which I mean of course people with an enigmatic and introspective nature. Those born in previous Snake years – 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001 – will flourish in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney The acclaimed American filmmaker David Lynch has died at the age of 78. While a cause of death has yet to be publicly announced, Lynch, a lifelong tobacco enthusiast, revealed ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Monika Ferguson, Senior Lecturer in Mental Health, University of South Australia People presenting at emergency with mental health concerns are experiencing the longest wait times in Australia for admission to a ward, according to a new report from the Australasian College of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Blazevich, Professor of Biomechanics, Edith Cowan University We’re nearing the halfway point of this year’s Australian Open and players like the United States’ Reilly Opelka (ranked 170th in the world ) and France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (ranked 30th) captured plenty of ...
Asia Pacific Report Four researchers and authors from the Asia-Pacific region have provided diverse perspectives on the media in a new global book on intercultural communication. The Sage Handbook of Intercultural Communication published this week offers a global, interdisciplinary, and contextual approach to understanding the complexities of intercultural communication in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin T. Jones, Senior Lecturer in History, CQUniversity Australia In his farewell address, outgoing US President Joe Biden warned “an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy”. The comment suggests ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hrvoje Tkalčić, Professor, Head of Geophysics, Director of Warramunga Array, Australian National University A map showing the ‘Martian dichotomy’: the southern highlands are in yellows and oranges, the northern lowlands in blues and greens.NASA / JPL / USGS Mars is home ...
A new poem by Niamh Hollis-Locke.Field-notes: Midsummer, 9pm, walking barefoot in the reserve after a storm, the sky still light, the city strung out across backs of the hills Dunes of last week’s cut grass washed downslope against the bracken, drifts of pale wet stems rotting into one ...
The poll, conducted between 9-13 January, shows National down 4.6 points to 29.6%, while Labour have risen 4.0 points from last month, overtaking them with30.9%. ...
As the world farewells visionary director David Lynch, we return to this 2017 piece by Angela Cuming about escaping into the haunting world of Twin Peaks. I was only 10 years old when Twin Peaks – and the real world – found me.Once a week, in the dark, I ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marc C-Scott, Associate Professor of Screen Media | Deputy Associate Dean of Learning & Teaching, Victoria University Screenshot/YouTube The 2025 Australian Open (AO) broadcast may seem similar to previous years if you’re watching on the television. However, if you’re watching online ...
By Anish Chand in Suva A Fiji community human rights coalition has called on Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka to halt his “reckless expansion” of government and refocus on addressing Fiji’s pressing challenges. The NGO Coalition on Human Rights (NGOCHR) said it was outraged by the abrupt and arbitrary reshuffling of ...
A selection of the best shows, movies, podcasts and playlists that kept us entertained over the holidays. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here.Leo (Netflix) My partner and I watched exactly one thing on the TV in our Japan accommodation while ...
Toby Manhire tells you everything you need to know ahead of season two of Severance.After an agonising wait – nearly three years between waffles, thanks to US actor and writer strikes and, some say, creative squabbles – Severance returns today, Friday January 17. For my money the first season ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a 32-year-old mother of a one-year-old shares her approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female. Age: 32. Ethnicity: East Asian – NZ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Talia Fell, PhD Candidate, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland The Los Angeles wildfires are causing the devastating loss of people’s homes. From A-list celebrities such as Paris Hilton to an Australian family living in LA, thousands ...
The outgoing and incoming presidents have both claimed credit for the historic deal, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund for The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
‘An apparent Jeremy Corbyn supporter has created a website detailing The Guardian‘s most anti-Corbyn headlines of the past two years.
Quite a list…….
The website, called Dump The Guardian!, gives 36 examples of times when the paper has run negative stories about Corbyn. Some of the examples featured include…’
https://www.thecanary.co/2017/06/12/someone-put-the-guardians-36-most-anti-corbyn-headlines-all-in-one-place-its-not-pretty-images/
http://theguardian.fivefilters.org/
I’m sure similar lists could be made for Espiner and Ferguson on Morning Report.
To see the bias on the Herald, ZB, Stuff and Garner’s awful show, you need to look at Murdoch’s garbage for a comparison.
The Herald wants you to be scared….
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11854593
Suzie Ferguson’s voice suggests she is more concerned about the fate of a sailing team than child poverty….
Distraction………… just another meaningless message to keep you from paying attention to the issues that really matter
What are the real issues Ed? Why attack a journo then? Perhaps you could state why this National led gov’t is keen on stopping any info coming to the public’s view concerning Auckland’s rail report.
Good questions but the point of eds posting is esoteric – personally I’d prefer 1 link with some original comment or thought but that ain’t the way ed rolls. Forcefed or nothing – but the plaintive cries will soon come out from ed…
It takes all sorts and ed is included so take it all with a grainary of salt ed ☺
The good thing is that these newspapers can’t win by keeping with this trajectory.
With the proportion of young people in the UK voting Labour and the proportion of old people voting Conservative, the newspapers are pandering to a population that will be dead in 10-20 years (and a minority even sooner) … and so will the newspapers if they don’t change.
Ed: Perhaps someone could create an equivalent site for the examples you mention.
Stop spamming open mike Paul.
Do you have no control? this is the sort of behaviour that got you banned last time around,
Ed is considerably more informative than Poison Peter. If you don’t like their comments just scroll on by.
BM
There is nothing that I despise more than some supercilious creep like yourself who skates on thin ice and knows just how to manipulate the blog, making moderating type criticisms like a smart alec. And what drives you mad apparently is someone who is concerned about many issues. Too much information! Makes your synapses pop apparently.
I see Joyce hasn’t learnt his lesson offered up in Nationals loss to NZF Leader Winston Peters.
Joyce was snapped last week with some of the Hundertwasser fund raisers.
After previously receiving substantial Government funding it now looks like further taxpayer funding is coming from his Govt through the heritage fund. It is what it is ‘more pork barrel politics with an election coming up.
Here the RNZ interview. Incredible given Joyce is on record saying no more taxpayers money. Must not be going well for Shane Reti if he has to do a flip flop. Expect WP to be laughing about it;
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=201847467
Isn’t it a Lotteries grant?
Some ideas for the Green or Labour’s manifesto.
https://mobile.twitter.com/ToryFibs/status/872558456712114177/photo/1
I suspect that quite a few of those (or the NZ equivalent) are already in Labour or the Greens’ policies. Have you looked?
The brighter future……
‘One in nine NZers hit by ‘significant income fall
A joint study by Deloitte and Victoria University’s School of Government has found one in nine New Zealanders will experience a significant fall in income in any given year.
Lower to middle income earners are even more vulnerable, with the odds dropping to one in six.
Report co-author and Deloitte partner Dave Farrelly said the odds of being caught in serious financial strife surprised him.’
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/332968/one-in-nine-nzers-hit-by-significant-income-fall
The brighter future……
‘Struggling schools are going into debt to fund support staff they say are necessary for pupils’ education needs.’
http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/93635019/schools-support-staff-day-marked-with-strain
The brighter future……
‘90,000 young Kiwis have no job, no training to go to’
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/93170524/90000-young-kiwis-have-no-job-no-training-to-go-to
You’re talking to yourself again, Paul.
Yes dear
No, he’s highlighting things about this government and capitalism in general that you simply don’t like and you’re getting upset about it.
@ BM (3.1.1.1) … you don’t have to read Ed’s intelligent posts you know.
Ignore BM – we like your stuff.
Hi Ed (3.1.1 and previous comments) … many thanks for your informative posts. Much appreciated. Keep ’em coming please.
Aldous Harding, just a great artist. This video will test all you folk fans out there.
And this will test feminists, too. Is this what is called having your satire and letting it eat you, too?
Did you spot the reference of the dance, and what she is wearing?
if there is anything deep in that song i swear i missed it due to the fact a hot girl was dancing with not much on , not complaining mind you
completely lost on me, care to explain?
It’s a homage to Apocalypse Now scene.
There are no free lunches. Or is there?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/93651601/campbell-barry-stand-on-council-meals-is-about-fairness-to-all
Considering the earthquake risk, is it wise for Wellington city to build upwards?
Is Wellington really constrained in its ability to grow out ? There seems to be plenty of scope for growth between Wellington, Kapiti and the Wairarapa rail corridor.
Would it not be more beneficial for council to buy buildings rather than lease?
Developers would be looking for long-term leases and the guarantee of income, yet it is expected that the housing provided will be cost neutral for ratepayers in the long term. However, if council decided to buy instead of lease, it would not only be cost neutral, it would also result with council owning new assets.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/93410105/council-asks-developers-to-convert-innercity-buildings-into-affordable-apartments-and-it-will-be-landlord
Are the Wellington City Council working in the best interest of private developers or in the best interest of ratepayers overall?
Lester and Eagle (both of which are associated with Labour) seem to be driving this, thus how will this reflect on Labour?
On Daily Review last night swordfish posted a great link on the Yougov detail of how/who voted in the UK. Fascinating. (Hope you don’t mind swordfish.)
https://yougov.co.uk/news/2017/06/13/how-britain-voted-2017-general-election/
Older people vote Conservative. Better educated vote Labour. Hmmm?
73% Guardian readership voted Labour? Must have a lot of their readers swearing over the coverage and opinion pieces over the last few years.
Maybe (low income) Labour voters are more likely to die quite young? the UK health system, no longer being comprehensive care for all from cradle to the grave.
All the oldie voters I know in the UK, would never vote for the Tories.
As far as I can recall repeated surveys show that the better educated are more likely to vote Labour – in this country too
This is a bit of self-indulgent narcissism – so feel free to disregard it – as many will, I know.
And I wish to make absolutely certain I still intend to work for the Labour Party to become the government in September.
So, what I’m talking about is a sort of cathartic moment – when the darkness dawns and the light goes out.
Let me explain. I attended a meeting in ChCh for Labour party workers, and Andrew Little spoke to the troops – preaching to the converted.
What I should have heard was a vision of what NZ would become under a truly progressive Labour-led government. A moving image of equality and fairness, a sharing of the wealth of the country among all its people and a determination to tackle the really big issues facing this country.
What I heard was a prescription for better administration – for neoliberalism with a smiling face. Waiting lists would be tackled, houses built, NEETs given training and so on.
All worth working and fighting for – but so so limited, so so mediocre! So so lacking in real willingness to fundamentally change any damn thing!
Frankly, I was deeply disappointed. But perhaps the fault was mine – perhaps I expected too much of a Labour Party still mired in the muck of Rogernomics?
Yes you are right Tony you did expect too much. If you have ever tried to move forward when standing in the mire in your gumboots, you will know how hard it is to lift them out and move forward. Rogernomics has led us deep and left us there.
What you would have liked to hear was a big picture, full-colour cenario but you know talk is easy, and if Andrew Little is going to provide services, tackle problems, housing, etc. actually DO SOMETHING INTELLIGENT AND POSITIVE. that will be 100% better than Dr Dolittle’s government of strange animals which we have now.
So buck up Tony, it will be a brighter future, but in winter the sun rises later in the day and then we rejoice to get it. We have been in the winter of our discontent so long that small amounts of regular sunshine will start a NewZeal Spring.
You’re not on your own Tony V. I went to a Greens meeting recently and felt just like you did. There’s no fire in their bellies, their meetings are just a 101 introduction. They don’t even have enough faith in themselves to call out neoliberalism for what it is.
I don’t think we are expecting too much, I just don’t think the talent is there.
@ garibaldi (8.2) … the Greens lost the fire in their bellies, the day Russel Norman left Parliament. Even Meteria Turei is a diluted version of what she once was. She used to spit hell, fire and brimstone at the Natz, alongside Russel. But not anymore now. The spirit seems to have gone out of the party with the fire. Pity.
Rod Donald must be turning in his grave to see what the Greens have come down to now, a murky shade of blue!
@Tony Veitch (not etc), garibaldi, you probably are right about Labour piecemeal messaging, too many policy wonks, and power points and not enough activism, but what is the alternative, they can hardly be worse that National and ACT!
Little is more cunning that everyone gives him credit for. He’s trying to navigate his own neoliberal MP’s, the shark Natz, dirty politics and the voters, many of whom still believe the MSM myth that the NZ economy is doing great guns! I’m just hoping that Labour don’t get the same nightmare advisor/management team that Cunliffe used with Vote positive, somewhere between an insurance slogan and mirth.
Also there are some good people in the Green party – Gareth Hughes and Barry Coates are still activists and deliver new ideas and speeches.
Yes saveNZ we know we have to vote for them because there is no alternative.
There are good people in Labour and the Greens but they get no exposure because of ‘discipline’.
“Boring” will not beat the Natz.
Corbyn got through to the people. There’s so much we could learn from Brit Labours campaign but we’re too proud/stupid/ignorant, or just too mired in neoliberalism,to do so.
no-o I think solid work by an mp shows through in the end.
And discipline in caucus is a shedload better than the post-clark Labour caucus bullshit. It just poisons the entire well: even the good mps have to start backstabbing in self defense – politics being the only pasttime that comes to mind where a backstab can actually be self defense lol
I think the way Natz dirty politics is steering the discourses is very cunning too. They are keeping the lefties focused on Labour and Greens messaging and their gaps… while superficially mimicking similar messaging. But under the covers the National party actions are actually very FAR RIGHT, not like Labour at all. It’s very far right, media control, state official controls, cronyism, deregulation of everything from environment to state assets, destruction of the welfare state etc.
The trick is not to bother with National messing or the Ministry of Truth propaganda and just look at what the Natz are up too not believe their press releases.
Like Trump, National’s policy doesn’t actually doesn’t make any sense – like some deranged is at the helm, homeless in expensive hotels, state houses being sold off or empty and then government paying more money to build less houses to private developers, buying fake carbon credits while promoting 100% pure NZ, building dams in areas that are prone to drought and making it worse by catching the water to get more water intensive business at the drought prone spot, giving water away for free to foreign interests, having zero tax havens that you don’t have to declare who owns the money… while using NZ respectability to mask it. Giving casino’s state money, even giving them TVNZ space to put a conference in, that get’s more gamblers here, sending millions on sheep to Saudi businessmen to die in a desert in the hope they might impress someone somewhere to give them a trade deal. Perservering with the zombie TPPA when even the US has pulled out, mass surveillance, having our SAS kill civilians in Afghanistan but pretending it didn’t happen….
The trick is to say to yourself – I wonder what the NZ mafia are up to now? And then keep tally life Blip did with Key. Just noting how the political machine shapes the once reasonably healthy NZ society so it is bulimic, it looks like a country but it’s real sick, though that’s not on show.
You were probably hoping like Minto the left had learned something from Corbyn.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2017/06/12/what-does-the-corbyn-result-in-the-uk-mean-for-new-zealand/
Here is something Labour could take in:
I remember the days when Corbyn campaigned for his initial Labour leadership bid. He was challenged during an interview that he obviously wasn’t interested in financial contributions to his party by wealthy donors. His answer was (not verbatim): “Well I am very interested in their contributions, but I don’t want small donations to the party, I’ll make them pay their fair share of tax instead”.
Evidently Corbyn’s campaign was financed with lots of small donations of 22 pounds each.
And here is another one from The Intercept (https://theintercept.com/2017/06/11/jeremy-corbyn-is-leading-the-left-out-of-the-wilderness-and-toward-power/):
Some really big shifts in energy consumption across the world:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-13/the-seismic-shifts-transforming-global-energy-in-five-charts
1. Coal’s quickening demise, even in China
2. Diesel use in China declining fast as the economy becomes less oil intensive
3. Global carbon emissions are stabilising
Won’t necessarily save the world of course.
Just a good set of patterns for carbon use.
‘Coal is dead’ and oil faces ‘peak demand,’ says world’s largest investment group
It really does look like fossil fuels are on the out.
Of course we could, and should, have started that decades ago. The problem of leaving it to ‘the market’ is that it’s taken far longer than it should have.
The yachting – nobody cares 🙂
“But some are already saying this year’s final could be overshadowed, perhaps even marred, by the fact the America’s Cup is a terrible, overly complicated, comically litigious excuse for a sport where the winner makes the rules – often for their own benefit – and nobody in the world actually cares about it anyway.”
http://www.thecivilian.co.nz/could-this-years-americas-cup-be-marred-by-the-fact-its-a-horrible-sport-where-the-winner-makes-the-rules-and-nobody-cares/
Robert, some people do care very much.
I know, td. Yachts have feelings too. Fact is, I’ve one parked in the back yard and I know it’s yearning to get back in the lake. The Civilian post is funny though…
Our sailing history stretches back as far as we do. Most vehicular sports burn oil or calories, you race yachts sitting on your bottom while holding a stick and a rope. Being good at it requires a tuned sense of balance and an ability to read nature. It’s fun if you’re that way inclined.
Interesting that the hot-rods they’re racing in Bermuda are based on the twin hull design that Kupe showed up in, not the whaling barques that tied up centuries later.
The learn to sail fee at Taipa Sailing club is about $100. If that’s a bit steep I’m sure a couple of big Bacon and Egg pies for the family BBQ at the end of the month will do the trick. Sailing is not elitist, it’s available to everyone that wants to have a go. It’s one of the neat things about living in NZ.
Yep, sailors and fans want to watch the very best the world has to offer, the pinnacle of the game. Of course, the kids tootling around off Taipa…if you think the Bermuda Cats are boring…. Same with all sports, golfers don’t want to flick on Sky and watch the Helensville Open. They were just playing in the Muriwai Open.
This is as big as this sport gets, kids that started with tipping little sailing dinghys over on Lake Pupuke are duking it out with the very best in the world. Our competitors have a bottomless budget. I think it’s cool, I’m digging it, but if others are not interested, that’s cool too.
After becoming becalmed for an hour on Lake Te Anau during a race, I know what boring is; frustration too. I’ve no objection or opinion about those who like to watch high-end yacht racing but would baulk at the level of reporting it gets (apparently) in the mainstream media, though not having a tv means I’m not subject to that, nor news of the Lions. I feel blessed.
Becalmed is ok provided competitors are as well. When in the only zero pressure spot in the bay, frustration becomes a clubhouse ribbing.
With regard the level of reporting I see it in the same light as all lead stories, we get the media we deserve. Kiwis doing well on the world stage imparts a sense of accomplishment for recipients that need never leave the couch. “We’ve Won”.
I wonder which headline would get the most clicks? “House Prices Rise.” House Prices Stabilise.” or “House Prices Down.”
The one that gets the most clicks, that’s what we’re going to get.
Don’t you watch pirate live streams on your comp for sports Rob? (just nod, don’t type,)
Go the Middle Eastern Muslim Country Airline Team!
Too much emphasis on competition and big money spoils it for me, After the learn to sail at Taipa, it’s learn to race. That cuts out a few potential sailors.
Hi, love your name. I like those Twiss bronzes at the city end of the bridge.
I acknowledge that there is a mindset that views competition as de-constructive. I don’t. I think it is nature. All creatures and plants compete.
I also acknowledge that there is a view that would state “So you are no smarter than an ant or a lettuce huh Dave?”
I race myself. I set my phone stop watch and set off down to the letterbox, check it, work hard back up the drive, back into the office and loudly declare “I beat myself.” A racetubator. I figure I’m not hurting anyone and if someone else wants to race with me, I’m up for it. I think competing is a natural wholesome unavoidable pleasure in this day and age. it used to be about staying alive.
I still sail racing dinghies (not expensive) quite keenly. Sailing is a weather-dependent sport, like skiing or surfing. It can be heaven, but on some days it is better not to sail. I think that nowadays there is far too much emphasis on training. The emphasis should not be on how to win, it should be on how to enjoy sailing your boat. Before the days of intensive training we went out and did what we enjoyed doing. Sad to say, that is now a foreign concept for most trainees. They come in after training OK, but not with that light in the eye we oldies used to have after some really exciting blasts on a reach – something that simply does not exist in our current training programmes. Grafton Gully is right. Our sport is the poorer for it.
Yeah, if you’re that way inclined why join a sailing dinghy club? Those cats just go sailing. They are the majority.
Youngsters, particularly boys, naturally compete. Trying to get to the buoy first is a whole lot more attractive when you’re 15 rather than 50. Those tacking kids leap from side to side like coil springs. Bugger that.
Kids racing between buoys is not the ruination of yachting.
I think this change in attitude is a result of professionalism in sport. It is approached as a way to make money/have a career, rather than something you do for pleasure/escapism.
The America’s Cup was THE LEAD STORY on TVNZ One news last night. IMHO, nothing could more neatly illustrate the upper-class news values, class bias and neoliberal echo chamber of TVNZ.
A sport dominated by rich whites, viewable only on pay TV, and of interest primarily to a boat-owning segment of the middle class, led the news. What next, leading with Polo and a report on the this year’s fox hunting in Victoria?
90,000 young people neither in education or employmnet is scarcely reported upon. An elite sport for the idle rich? HELL YEAH!
Tally-ho! I’m with Sanctuary. Amazing, those yachts, technological marvels, poetry in action, but so’s a butterfly and I’d squash every yacht if it would ensure the survival of butterflies. Trouble is, we are moving in the direction of Save the Yachts, damn the butterflies.!
How do you feel about the business of exploring space Robert? Let’s go to some really remote place, unspoiled by people, and have a look at it just because we can, better than going to Antarctica, everybody goes there.
Planting trees in the desert was a post WW2 immense project to help stop the creeping desertification and many have been planted. But no we must have more fuel so we can go to somewhere special in space that we can brag about where movers and shakers congregate.
we should be invading space at full speed for many reasons ,
long term survival,
because it would be interesting ,
why not,
because young people have nothing much to get excited about , the rough necks of the world like me die inside at the thought that life is all about safety and mortgages.
it would /could unify the human race
So throw the health and safety books away and fire leaky rafts off into space and learn from the survivors.
“because young people have nothing much to get excited about”
So let’s pour our remaining credit into sky rockets!
Help me, Jesus!
bwaghorn
I have thought it would be an interesting end of life odyssey for adventurous old people to have ‘tours of duty’ to foreign lands where our allies or others have laid land mines. It would be dangerous, even knowing the techniques for safety wouldn’t stop the occasional death. But those times you know the value of being alive and alert. Here drones would be useful.
Once one had got old and bored why not be a hero and help some poor benighted people to have some land and growing area for their village on once dangerous areas. And help people not just amuse your own curiosity with boyhood fantasies. Read the space fiction, watch it on screen, live the taught excitement of this ventureon the Earth.
your idea is better than dribbling on oneself in a corner waiting to be euthanized .
Sci fi is often sci fact ,if you hang around long enough ,and the fact that i won’t is my only thing i hate about being mortal
I’m guessing you’ve just read Joe Bennett’s just-published article, ” What to do next after we reach Mars?”, Grey. If not, you’re in for a treat.
Space travel? Forget it. More of the same, as you describe.
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;”
(Fragment of Yeats)
I wouldn’t mourn the cabbage white. Or Peter Dunne.
Pernicious pest!
And cabbage whites are a problem also.
I am also uninterested in the whole sail boat race thing. I avoid coverage of it like the plague.
Who exactly is interested? Not many people that I know.
Sailing used to be an art and DIY technology that everyone was involved in: an important mode of transport. Expensive sailing races are for the otherwise idle rich.
English will be very interested in holding the old mug aloft in one hand and a lions head in the other. On the world stage, representing us all. It may just happen –be brave, batten down the hatches is my nautical– and jolly rugger input.
Forgot–add —-a pair of paulas bloomers,” the mainsail”, draped around the English shoulders.
I agree with you, Carolyn. A sail though, springing to the wind, that’s magic! A screen between you and it though, is a sadness.
Your post is full of moaning and short on facts.
For example the Americas cup will be on free to air.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/2017/06/america-s-cup-to-be-broadcast-free-to-air-but-with-1-5hr-delay.html
By definition that is not free to air if it is delayed by 5 hours, that is called delayed coverage.
The coverage is only delayed 1.5hrs not 5hrs, pretty damn good if you are not paying for it. If you want to bitch, go and get sky sport and watch it live like other people that want to watch sport live !
So it’s not free to air then. My mistake on the 5 hours, but you know 5 hours compared with 1 hour and a half is still delayed television, not free to air.
As for your pretty good comment, some of us have higher standards what is public broadcasting.
But then again, I don’t really care, as I have Netflix becasue I like good TV. Most gambling web sites will give you access to sport/game if you bet on it. So no need to pay for a monthly prescription.
The news is owned by billionaires, so course this is headline news.
Once again Brownlee proves he is not fit to hold public office. What a spineless, useless sack of shit he is.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/93662467/israel-to-restore-diplomatic-ties-with-new-zealand-brownlee-refuses-to-endorse-earlier-policy
Gutless retorically if not visually.
It looks like Annie Goldson’s latest documentary, on Kim Dotcom, Caught in the Web will be on at this year’s Wellington Film Festival – hopefully also at the Auckland Festival. Click on the preceding title for a review.
See the website for the doco here.
Click on The Trailer box for a taste of the film.
thanks, interesting, I’ll probably watch it if it becomes available outside of cinemas.
Syrian artist and refugee Abdalla Al Omari depicts world leaders as refugees.
https://twitter.com/_abdallaomari_
so we are friends with the israelis again.
excuse me while i blow up some balloons.
i understand the pm wrote a letter of apology.
was it the typical polly apology eg: “sorry you feel that way’ or was it more fulsome?
what are we, as a nation sorry for?
where is the acknowledgement of responsibility and hurt in issues closer to home, eg children in state care.
This appeared in my YouTube as I rather like Frankie Boyle.
It’s 35 minutes long, so McFlock won’t be watching. Aired on election night in the UK, good for a laugh, only if your not easily offended.
I did watch it Adam and thought it sharp and perceptive and funny. How sad that we have no equivalent – at all.
It is ah, not one NZ comedian is this sharp or indeed funny in the sphere of politics. Most avoid politics like the plague, which I get, they have families, and we have a very tiny industry – so they don’t rock the boat. How lovely it is for the Tories to have all this self censorship, no one can then point fingers.
And we don’t have a Labour Party with socilalist principles.
Hundertwasser museum in Whangarei are very happy.
“We are thrilled to tell you that the Hundertwasser art Centre project has just received a grant of $3.5 million from the New Zealand Lotteries Commission significant project fund. This means we have met our first target – raising $16,250,000 by 30 June 2017. Read more about it on our website……?
It will be a bright colourful point and a change from NZ often dour style. I think we should run with that and have gurning competitions in a people’s fair.
(http://metro.co.uk/2016/09/21/world-gurning-championships-are-as-brilliant-as-you-would-expect-6142686/
huge fire in london block of flats
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-40269625
So horrible. Apparently it had recently been refurbished, what happened to the sprinklers? People are apparently trapped inside and the firefighters are spraying water but how the hell are the people supposed to get out – it’s 24 stories? It looks totally engulfed in flames.
I changed posting name so as not to be confused with the other Ed – who posts more frequently than I do.
A few weeks ago I saw an excellent graph showing government debt in billions, from the start of the Labour-led government to now – a clear downward curve until National’s tax cuts just after they were elected and a clear upwards curve from then.
Does anyone have a link for it?