Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step right up to the mike …
This is the way the world should be, according to the hypocrites and/or criminals who run the Sensible Sentencing Trust, ACT, some branches of the National Party and the ninnies and numbskulls who support them….
Most crime is caused by a very small group of people, spend a bit of money at the beginning so they stay on the correct path and the country will save millions in the long run.
Wow so if we locked up Trader John when he arrived back in New Zealand he would not have been able to sell our assets and similar crimes against the people of New Zealand
I see an issue with forcefully combining teens who are on welfare due to their parents having issues, and teens on welfare because they themselves became too problematic for their parents to deal with.
Lots of opportunities for sexual abuse and other forms of exploitation and not to mention that some of these teens just don’t cope well with authority.
And where is the research that shows teens living independently go “off the rails” to the extent that the state can justify such a scheme? Seems to me that this is another shift to profit driven welfare delivery.
Bennett in parliament was asked about why those with intractable conditions were being asked to provide a medical certificate every three months when the Doctor has indicated nothing was going to change for 2 or even five years. Bennett of course lied, and said that didn’t happen, and well she might since its not WINZ who picks up the doctors fees.
Its likely those on a benefit will get other illnesses and need to attend the Doctor, have prescription costs etc, and so the likelihood that such an illness happens just after they have been re-certified by their Doctor is very real. But that of course is inefficient, but its not inefficient for WINZ who unnecessarily force people to see there Doctor even if this in itself harmful and onerous.
Now I seem to remember there being a reciprocal respect clause in WINZ manuals, that if WINZ wants efficiency gains why would they impose inefficiency rules on others. Its hypocritical, its wrong, and Bennett is lying to parliament. Bennett has never believe a sickness (or ?congenitical? condition) can last more that a year, you’d think she would have a medical professional alongside of her when she gave such statements regarding health care.
Going to the Doctor can be hazardous to ones health! People who are ill go there! Its therefore something that should not be forced into unnecessarily. Forcing citizens to see Doctors, hasn’t happened since, what the last miltrary regime….?? Its just a bad precedent to set.
Every time the government feels under pressure or wants to hide something, Paula wheels out another reform that may or may not happen and it deflects the conversation.
Yeah. It was a problem with some site coming in and battering it.
I’ve been slowly working towards making it more resilient when I have time (still working on releases).
Since it went down last night anyway just before 10pm due to bots (looked like a new spambot network went online this week) and failed to survive the restart twice (and I finally have a Gold release done), I took the opportunity of it being offline to put the next phase in. Finished up uncompleted at about 6am, grabbed a few hours sleep and went to work to finish the Mac version of the client software…
Sometime this weekend or next week, I should have the last server reconfiguration to put into place. Then we will be ready for an election and capable of surviving the occasional bot storms (and do it on several hundred dollars per month).
“..ed:..we are really spoilt for choice..in bad breakfast television..
..and currently – the simpering of the compere on tv3 when interviewing key caused a serious case of gastric-reflux in me..so i am avoiding their offerings..
@ P Ure:
Morning Report on Natrad is a better option than both, though also pretty lame. The thing is though, that at least (unless you have a TV in the bathroom) you can take a dump/take the kids to the beach whilst listening and feel better about it.
Whereas the TV1 and TV3 equivalent audiences have a problem. (Whilst 3 for a half hour is OKish, there’s still the problems of having to clean up afterwards).
Silence, or noise free/technology free time though is not a bad option. I’m sure you could probably handle the loss of seeing those gorgeous celebs masquerading as journalists for a couple of hours.
Of course, I don’t have these problems. I’m a bit like those John Key, Simon Bridges, Paula Bennett, “The Standard trollers: BM, KK et al’ Natty types. I don’t shit, and I don’t sweat – plus I know what’s best for you.
I’m born to rule dontcha know. I studied Chris Finlayson, and I’m in awe! (AND I smell like a white rose – simply adorable)
Idiot/Savant over at NRT gave Chris Trotter a big fat raspberry yesterday over his take on Jerry Mateparae’s speech to the parliamentary press gallery. Well, lo, the Herald editorial writers today has done exactly what Trotter predicted – that is, used Mateparae’s speech as part of it’s pre-emptive campaign to delegitimise a Labour/Green coalition if National is the largest party after the next election.
Make no mistake. If given a chance, the political/business axis of the right will do everything in it’s power – up to and including trying to annull an election result with the flimiest of legal excuses – to prevent a government coming to power that threatens the neo-liberal consensus and capitalist power.
“The continuous circulation of water in the ocean, the atmosphere , and on the land is fundamental to the availability of water on the planet”.
– The Hydrologic Cycle and the Wisdom of God
“ From this I conclude that Humanistic Geography is neglected because it is too hard. Nevertheless, it should attract the tough-minded and the idealistic…”
@ Ad…..Yi-Fu Tuan …the American geographer?..i would say he would be a Greenie and a good friend of the environmentalists who wish to protect the rivers and aquifers
I remember both Whitlam AND Bainimarama both – in GREAT fucking detail. The former slightly better than the latter – in fact the latter is responsible for my various comments under a p p er sudo err psy, err alias.
I also remember my cousin ( a former spook’s warning)
Cherr bro, snot beart race or creed or changes of gubbamint amongst perceived colonial masters, or Muff McGillicuddy’s wank, wank wankering – who hardly ever heard of the Fiji-ease/EAR NUZULL trevull destnayshun before coming to pear – but are now absolute experts, pulling strings whilst their challengers wear manufektered buzzy suits looking like sommit that came outta a British-designed ark.
For FUCK’s bloody SAKE.
Fiji is probably the BIGGEST reason I (personally) have lost faith in the abilities of ear S oi S, en Goi.Soi.Ess.Boi.
Christ Almightly! No one – other than perhaps the of Michael Field (having to work under a corporate Fearfex) saw it all coming!!!! (He ekshly wrote about it in the early 00’s). And these (MFAT – snr megmint sperts) are the cnuts we’re now expected to entrust our ‘best interests’ and ‘welfare’ and ‘we-know-best’ hope to.
Fuck me with a feather duster.
Pardon me if I don’t have that much confdince.
FFS!
Smart sanctions that never ever were ….. (like political travel sanctions whilst failing to delve deeper – ANZ bank accounts filled with ill-gotten gains, Frankie boy’s history – known to NZDF/OZDF and reported to pollies, training ships where is ‘skills’ were learned;
embouldened (after BOTH Okker and NewZill changes) by a gubba gubbs desperately trying to rub together a couple of ideas to salvage a situation, PRIMARILY of their own fucking making.
Whilst Helen (and of course her advisors and spin doctors) might have been slightly naiive; theres’s a Key and a Muff that have ABSOLUTELY NO fucking ides (other than treats & trinkets-driven tuneties for nego-shay-shun)
” trying to annull an election result with the flimiest of legal excuses”
as far as i know theres no law requiring the biggest party to have first crack at, or demand the right to form a coalition – so that could be quite entertaining
It could be more about “manufacturing consent” regardless of electoral procedures, and GG Mateparae would be well used to both taking orders and doing the ruling class bidding.
this great danish tv series shows how mmp is supposed to work, & its very good drama too. many similar parallels to nz govt too. & also the right are wrong, if they think the biggest party ‘deserves’ to form govt, in borgen the biggest party is the opposition!
Not our precious Hobbitses movies? Yess… cuts them too!
The film/TV/commercial/animation industry in workers organisational terms is basically more of a rabble now than ever before with the exception of Northern Actors and some principled individuals. Tech guilds and all the rest mean little in what has been legislated into an official dependent contracting industry.
Some otherwise sensible people I know that support all sorts of Green and left causes have serious problems viewing their own film industry with some perspective, it is every dog for its self. This is the legacy of the Hobbit Enabling Act. And now the government that removed workers rights to organise won’t assist with macro settings that it could try. If anyone in the industry (apart from John Barnett of course) votes National next time they have rocks in their heads.
When you compare the two its quite clear from his responses that the hobbit deal was ONLY about doing something for warners. If it wasnt about that, and at the time joyce really did see it as being about helping the industry then he would have a better line than a flat out reversal this time, on the same issue wouldnt he
Im talking about how his actions and words on these two situations expose his actual motivation – not whether the film industry should get rebates or subsidies or whatever
” Hudes is trying very hard to expose the corrupt financial system that the global elite are using to control the wealth of the world.”
“A former insider at the World Bank, ex-Senior Counsel Karen Hudes, says the global financial system is dominated by a small group of corrupt, power-hungry figures centered around the privately owned U.S. Federal Reserve. The network has seized control of the media to cover up its crimes, too, she explained. In an interview with The New American, Hudes said that when she tried to blow the whistle on multiple problems at the World Bank, she was fired for her efforts. Now, along with a network of fellow whistleblowers, Hudes is determined to expose and end the corruption. And she is confident of success.
Citing an explosive 2011 Swiss study published in the PLOS ONE journal on the “network of global corporate control,” Hudes pointed out that a small group of entities — mostly financial institutions and especially central banks — exert a massive amount of influence over the international economy from behind the scenes. “What is really going on is that the world’s resources are being dominated by this group,” she explained, adding that the “corrupt power grabbers” have managed to dominate the media as well. “They’re being allowed to do it.”
Relevant to all of our interests, don’t you think?
So, the super-entity may not result from conspiracy. The real question, says the Zurich team, is whether it can exert concerted political power. Perhaps there is too many to sustain collusion. More likely they will compete in the market but act together on common interests. Resisting changes to the network structure may be one such common interest.
Remember the networks of individuals Bruce Jesson put together in “Only Their Purpose is Mad” and works prior to that? Well it’s also true on a global scale. It’s not as intentional as a hive-mind, but it’s still conscious and reflextive like an organism.
Just reminds me to get rid of the mortgage so fast.
I reread the article again. There are so many things wrong with what he has written it is hard to know where to start. I did make a rather restrained comment, will see if he replies.
You would say that would’nt you Weka. To Trotter charge ” Rather than korero, the left-wing social media’s first instinct was to condemn, threaten, punish and shut down”, how do you plead?
Ennui, WJ and JT’s actions were out there in public for all to see. They harassed (2 onto one) and victim blamed a woman telling her story. JT and WJ had the power in that situation. To not act pretty quickly against them would send a message in support of victim blaming, and silencing of victims.
JT especially is a serial offender when it comes to misogyny. How much more are people supposed to put up with?
If it had been Laws I do wonder if they would have stood him down.
However, standing up to their behaviour has sent a strong message. One question is whether the result will be to send the rape culture back under cover as it was before the roastbusters story or if society will front up to change. Sadly, not led by the Government in this regard.
“If it had been Laws I do wonder if they would have stood him down.”
Yes, but that’s about Mediaworks not the left blogosphere. Here is what I commented on Bowalley Rd, the last bit was my response to Trotter’s ideas about racism.
Chris, I take it from your use of quotation marks that you don’t think Tamihere and Jackson were misogynistic in that interview? Fortunately many people disagree with you, and they used their freedom of expression in, well, expressing that. I think the left blogosphere’s responses were perfectly appropriate: they saw behaviour that was unacceptable and they stepped up and did something. Kind of ironic to have you now arguing that was wrong, given the context of the rape club.
Because there can be little doubt that the decision by so many businesses to withdraw their advertising from Radio Live was prompted by the implicit threat of a consumer boycott of their products if they didn’t. Bluntly, the proposition put to Radio Live amounted to: “Take these guys off the air, or, first off, we’ll hurt your advertisers; and then we’ll hurt you.”
Has it occured to you that as part of that decision they looked at what Tamihere and Jackson actually did and decided they didn’t want their businesses associated with that in any way? It was interesting to read the initial responses from companies that pulled their advertising, compared to Countdown, who initially said it was nothing to do with them. When you read the first lot of responses from companies, they read like the people who wrote them were literate about rape culture. These weren’t responses from people merely concerned about profit lines, they were also concerned about ethics.
As for the ‘this is really racism’ angle…
What did Willie and JT see when 3 News broke the Roastbusters story? Two young brown faces. What did they hear? Middle-class Pakeha liberals baying for their blood. To what did their first thoughts turn? Rape Culture or Lynch Law?
That might be worth looking at if it weren’t for the fact that Tamihere and Jackson are both well known for their misogynistic views and attitudes, and their support of rape culture. I’m also less inclined to take notice of your view on this, given your cultural background, than I am to listen to the voices of Mana Wahine, where Maori women have spoken out about their concern over what Tamihere and Jackson did. Did you do any research on what Maori women have said on this in the last week before you wrote your article?
Weka, Karol et al, you have answered my question admirably. QED.
Nothing pleases me less than the prospect of having the bloggers of the “Left” having any influence over long established principles.To quote a well known story, “A little more caution from you; that is no trinket you carry.”
Your principle appears to be that people are entitled to use hate speech. But what I suspect what you really mean is that people are entitled to support misogyny/rape culture but not other kinds of hatred.
If I’ve misunderstood, that’s up to you, because your comments aren’t particularly clear.
Weka, you have definitely misunderstood. Clarity comes from reading, listening, understanding, applying principles, engaging, understanding. And then formulating a response.
Trotters charge was ” Rather than korero, the left-wing social media’s first instinct was to condemn, threaten, punish and shut down”. I think the answer very self evident in the columns here over the last week. Conclusions are made quickly, charges laid, guilt assumed….an example is that you say to me Your principle appears to be that people are entitled to use hate speech. But what I suspect what you really mean is that people are entitled to support misogyny/rape culture but not other kinds of hatred. That is an example of a complete leap of faith, a non informed presumption, and to me quite wrong and slanderous. What right have you to tell me what I am thinking? It backs up Trotters contention on korero.
I have a very real fear that the ‘instincts” shown on this column will not lead to a positive result, so I blew the whistle. Rings of power should not be used, if the Left does not want to go down the same coercive authoritarian path of the Right they should not mirror their “instincts”.
Rings of power should not be used, if the Left does not want to go down the same coercive authoritarian path of the Right they should not mirror their “instincts”.
If it is for a good end, and we find that too many NZers are being regressive (whether they are male or female), why not identify them as part of the problem to be fixed, with firmer measures and sanctions if and when needed.
Particularly after the release of the Roy Morgan results, it can be safely concluded that a large segment of NZ men have a serious attitude problem. Let’s simply push through clear, solid measures which show that progressive attitude and languaging is the only correct and acceptable type to have in this country.
CV, you say, Let’s simply push through clear, solid measures which show that progressive attitude and languaging is the only correct and acceptable type to have in this country.. Let me paraphrase it…let us force people to accept our standards and language, as defined by us, other wise they are heretics….
“let us force people to accept our standards and language, as defined by us, other wise they are heretics….”
In your world there would still be slaves and women wouldn’t vote. We can leave things as they are and continue a rape-type culture. Too bad that 1-3 females will be sexually abused we can’t send any message to a large part of society that they are part of the problem. We’ll just wait for them to come to it in their own time… meanwhile, another hour another sexual abused citizen.
Ennui, you may very well be right, but I have no idea because instead of clarifying what you actually meant you’ve just given me a little lecture on something.
btw, if you reread what I wrote, I intentionally used the words ‘appear’ and ‘suspect’ which clearly indicate that I am expressing what I heard rather than defining what you think. That left an opening for you to correct or clarify. That you failed to do so is all down to you.
You come into a conversation about rape culture, and cherry pick out one sentence from a much longer piece by Trotter. Then you make vague accusations towards myself and others here, but you don’t actually tell us what YOU think. I know a set up when I see one, so either clarify what the fuck you are on abotu or stop wasting my time.
Weka, when I came into the conversation it was in response to you accusing Trotter making apologies for Tamihere and Jackson.
I read the article, was left unconvinced either way by Trotter, and probably more in line with yourself (which is why you leap of faith on what I was thinking was somewhat illustrative). The only part I agree with Trotter on precisely is his contention on the Lefts instincts. Hence my original question.
And that, is the crux of it. If your mind is subtle enough to understand, on that point bloggers of the Left confirm Trotters contention in bucket loads.
The implication is about means justifying ends: Trotters words condemn/threaten/punish are all coercive and authoritarian. If that is where you think the Left should be, all good. Count me out.
I will waste no more of my time on this, yours appears precious to you.
Still no idea what you are on about Ennui. If you look at every comment you have made in this sub-thread, there are examples of implication without saying what you actually mean.
I’m out of patience with this kind of communicating after vto ran us all round in circles yesterday. I don’t know you well enough to know why you communicate like this, but let me just say, if you do want to have a genuine conversation with me, assume I need things spelled out.
” Rather than korero, the left-wing social media’s first instinct was to condemn, threaten, punish and shut down”
is complete bullshit. Numerous offers were made by people to appear on JT&W’s show. the offers were rejected or ignored. On the second day, after they had given a pro forma and weak apology, they decided the conversation was over and proceeded to hit the dump button on anyone who started to talk about it.
It was at that point the Tiso started emailing advertisers.
And aside from that, there have been dozens of posts all over the place from people talking about rape culture, and what it is. They have been happening for a long time, and you can read the comment threads to see how the conversations go.
And beyond even that, this is simply not a slide into totalitarianism as Trotter makes out. that’s just fucking laughable. especially coming from him. this is a guy who thinks that the Crown should have used even more extra-legal means to secure convictions in the alleged terrorism case a few years back. A civil libertarian, he just plain isn’t. So for him to climb up on his high horse and start issuing grave warnings, well. It all just smacks of being part of his long running and well documented animosity to those younger, and more liberal, than he.
weka, I commend you on expressing well, why Trotter has got it so wrong, here and on Bowalley Road. Trotter not listening, though…
… because it’s all about JT & WJ. And when are JT, WJ, and Trotter going to step up for women on low incomes, beneficiaries, low paid, etc, especially Maori and Pasifika women? These women are multiply oppressed by an economic system geared for the privileged, plus (as with women across all demographics) by misogyny, domestic violence, rape culture etc.
But for Trotter, it’s just about working class men.
Thanks karol. I may be banging my head on a brick wall there. Just waiting to see if he can stretch his mind a bit and apply his political analysis to gender. Kind of weird he’s brought ethnicity and completely ignored the reality for Maori women.
Are you white, were you born before the First World War, do you wear a cheesecutter and braces, do you have a moustache? If you can answer “yes” to all of these, then Chris Trotter will passionately defend you. If not, then you’re a distraction.
3. Trotter is disingenuous to to claim the campaign to take them off air is unprecedented. Consumer boycotts for political and social purposes have a long history
You would say that would’nt you Weka. To Trotter charge ” Rather than korero, the left-wing social media’s first instinct was to condemn, threaten, punish and shut down”, how do you plead?
Firstly, I think the whole ‘on trial’ thing is both spurious, and, in this context, highly offensive to all the women who have been raped who have been denied justice legally. Think about that for a moment.
Secondly, if it were two white men preaching race hatred on radio and harassing a Maori woman who had phoned in, would the left still be expected to engage meaningfully with the two white men, and allow them to have their say? What about if it were two men who were harassing a disabled person about their disability? Should the left korero with them on an even footing, allow them to defend their actions?
Honestly, on what planet would you want to give more air to misogyny? The only rationale I can see is if you think that Tamihere and Jackson’s actions weren’t that bad.
Trotter is disingenuous when he says that Tamihere and Jackson were silenced by the left blogosphere. They were silenced by their employers for bringing their employers’ business into disrepute. And good on Mediaworks for doing that.
i really only have a few points to raise on the trotter article
1) theres more than one way to say something – if experienced people like JT and WJ cant figure out a way to say what they want that wont land them in hot water then thats not anyones fault but theirs
2) no-ones free speech has been reduced, has there been anyone kicking in their doors and hauling them off to speech court?- No. The people who pay them either directly or indirectly have decided to take quite normal measures to express the fact that they didnt really like it – either personally or because of the general reaction. Its a money thing, not a rights thing
3) free speech isnt a one way street – say whatever you want – but dont then demand no one challenges you or that no ones tries to win others to their side of the argument
4) theres a vast difference between pub talk and paid talk – if people really cant see that then theres really not much hope for this thing we call free speech.
I say all sorts of things that probably wouldnt go down that well in a client meeting – but when im at work im an agent of my employer. If i did say what im thinking sometimes, there would be consequences. But privately – well thats a different story
the difference being that Willie and JT are paid to talk the way they do. As are Paul Henry, the crews on The Rock etc. They aint being paid to read the news on the BBC World Service.
No, they are only allowed to read the weather….but there’s some RNZ woman who are allowed to contribute. I can’t stand the commercial radio stations these dayz…
Do as many women get an equivalent platform to express their views?
It’s commercial radio. You want on you have to get ratings and you have to get advertisers. Starting with an outspoken profile helps. And the current style seems to be to stir the pot with trash talk and anti-PC drivel.
Whereas you post with an attempted air of non-judgment yet judgment oozes from every word. Your and Trotter’s liberal use of “left” this and “left” that is misplaced and unnecessary.
“condemn, threaten, punish and shut down” could also be examine, question, challenge and seek change through action.
It’s not about JT and WJ and their rehabilitation or realisation it’s about sending message to women and men alike that behaviours need to change and now.
I agree that someone like Paul Henry was far from suspended but supported and praised across the nation. Michael Laws?
I also agree that there may be some racism in this decision, both from the station and the advertisers. easier to let them go because the board and advertisers dont support their politics anyway… whereas to lose a Henry or Laws was to lose free advertising/mouthpiece for their ideological preferences?
Freedom of speech, like any freedom, ought to be exercised prudently, especially by those with power (like radio hosts). It is not a license to inflict harm out of ignorance or ingrained social/cultural ignorance. This is not the first time JT has been misogynistic or homophobic.
he got to speak far more freely on this topic than most victims ever will, and it had consequences. IF he had been a devil’s advocate it might have been different, but they weren’t, they were allowing perpetrators and enablers and the woefully ignorant to nod in agreement and further ingrain their appalling attitudes toward women and abuse.
Me too. The kea is/was unique in its intelligence character and charm.
Keas have been seen pecking at downed high country sheep so:
“They keas must have killed the sheep. We farmers must kill the keas. Bang!”
I wonder why the latest Roy Morgan poll is not trumpeted on high here like the last few Roy Morgan polls. Perhaps because it shows that National have again risen and now rank more then Labour+ Greens. The Roy Morgan poll is the one most beloved by the Left. Sadly The Cunliffe’s honeymoon is already over.
Lolz, i am sure Fisani and the rest of the Tory cheerleaders are overjoyed with the result of the latest Roy Morgan,
After weeks of dissing Winston Peters, NZFirst and talking up Colin Craig’s Conservatives and burning up the goodwill and favors from editors and news programers across the media spectrum Slippery the Prime Minister has to sit there and watch as National rips all the support from Craig’s pot-pourri of assorted fruits and nuts,
Craig contrary to His assertion appears to be only capable of soaking up the remnants of the ACT Party and has failed abysmally to make a dent in the support of NZFirst who in the past few months have taken a definite step to the left into State provision and ownership of a number of areas that have been taboo during the Neo-Liberal reign,
This only leaves one question, can the opposition parties form a stable Government together, my opinion is Yes, on the major issues surrounding economy and the direction and actions of the Government within that economy there is among the three, Labour,Green,NZFirst more agreement than there is disagreement…
Basically, lab have gotten over the leadership change bump and will now probably get get back to solid incremental improvement in the next couple of cycles. The representation issue will fizzle away (except on the sewer), and the government will still be demonstrating incompetence (or, in a new twist, actively claiming incometence like Colman did).
Anne
I would say it was an ironic comment on the regular meme and theme that is heard about Auckland. Don’t let’s start over-sensitising to ordinary words – it leads to anaphylactic outcomes disastrous to discussion. I admit I get fired up about mother-fuc.er, two fairly ordinary words, but I find the combination unacceptable.
Racist? In that Pakeha ignorant of what racism really is kind of way, yes. As someone says in the article, coming from someone with no ties to the Polynesian community it’s still about perceptions of Polynesians as ‘other’. I thought the Herald did relatively well in finding a good person to comment.
Grey, it’s not about the word. It’s about who used it and the context it was used in.
weka
Don’t be always looking for something to grizzle about. Why is there on every site one, apparently female, waiting to jump up, censor things and take others to task?
Perhaps you might have noticed how often there is a one-person ambush waiting to tell everyone what to do, how its done correctly, and passing critical comments of others opinions. I do some of it myself but try to limit it. It is one of those aids in life that, overdone, becomes stifling.
If it was South Africans mentioned, thinking that there are a lot on the North Shore, or whatever, it would be acknowledging a fact.
Good news for young women in 16 and 17 year group. I think it may be only those with babies. Those who have had to live separately from their family will now get the security and support that a good family should provide.
They are to have shared housing provided with up to three of them living together. Older people, or slightly older young ones will be nearby and mentor them and their money will be channelled into providing the necessities first and then presumably an amount for discretionary spending. They are going to be supported, helped and be in training that will prepare them for their future employment and managing their own lives. If done sympathetically and a friendly organised way it will be great.
This should be done widely, meeting whatever need there is, not just a pilot scheme to wave in front of the voters in election year as an example of the wonderful capacity building that this government is doing. But don’t know what will happen when the women turn 18, hope it won’t be ‘throw them in the pool to see if they can swim’ time. And what about working with boys, the young men who apparently do not mature until they are 25, and what a tortuous path they may follow in their younger years?
One swallow does not win an election. But some would swallow it. Let’s have more and show up Labour, try and fight them and the Greens, with the observable facts and evidence on the ground of NACTs good ‘social development’.
The irony there is that if this were being offered under a L/G govt, it might actually work. Under a NACT govt, it’s likely to be hit and miss at best, and that will largely depend on the people in the agencies involved. Some will do good, some will do bad.
I saw something yesterday that said that 16 and 17 yr olds are no longer allowed welfare payments directly. The payments instead go through an agency. Wouldn’t it be better to have a system whereby if the young person can demonstrate they are capable of managing their finances they are allowed to do so? Isn’t it both patronising and disabling to treat all young people as the same?
“and then presumably an amount for discretionary spending.”
What are you basing that one?
“I think it may be only those with babies.”
I didn’t pick that up, I thought it was all 16/17 yr olds who had had to leave home.
Yes weka, I am not sure about the exact details. But because of the vulnerability of that age and the fact they have already got to the baby stage, it doesn’t hurt to treat them all with over care and some rules. And doing their own household budgeting and so on, they would get advice on good diets and what different foods are good for for health and gardening of simple vegetables etc.
The group should be led to the self-managing state. Planning their budgets which they check out together to see how well they are managing etc. And they definitely should not have all their money taken by the agency. But it’s not meant to be just a short-term course where these young ones are left on their own after just learning stuff. Capacity building I said and that’s what I understood is the intention.
You have a lot more faith in the system than I do, and 100% more faith in the intentions of NACT. Mostly I see them as being controlling and manipulative. If the scheme were done with aroha I would agree with some of what you say. But I’ve never seen aroha coming from the Minister, and I know from experience that the state is mostly operating under a punitive welfare regime during NACT govts. I guess the damage they do with this one will just be added to the pile.
My mother-in-law had her first child at 17. Apparently not a completely unheard of occurrence in those days – 70 years approx.
Perhaps instead of talking (endlessly) about the vulnerability and lack of discipline of contemporary women in the same situation, we look for the capability and success of those that manage – and manage well.
They will have more insight into how to achieve success than someone with a completely different idea of “the right time to have a baby” and “poor offspring”. I am sometimes appalled by the lack of insight of those who are trained to help, and like weka think that usually the “help” that is offered by programmes like these from the National party are often applied in conjunction with a big stick.
If this was voluntary, done properly, with good support and access to ongoing education / training you might have a starter.
But given that this is the party that has consistantly cut access to education and training it doesnt seem likely.
Looks more like a way to hand off money to unaccountable private sector organisations.
Also, as can be seen in the legislation they have passed over the last 5 years, they don’t appear to understand the concepts of good governance, accountability or any sort of fiscal competance.
Expect opportunities for rorts, abuse of the system, and potentially abuse of the young women.
“Currently, there are around eight potential sites around the country including in Christchurch, Tokoroa, Whakatane, Auckland, Hamilton and Invercargill.”
At least it’ll only be a pilot. If Labour / Greens get in next year, it might provide a starting point for a decent program.
I believe that there’s a difference between providing support and ensuring that they get it and standing over their shoulder. This new policy from National is obviously the latter.
nz has no legal answer to ponzi schemes. we open ourselves up to the diseases of the world of all types yet don’t take sensible precautionary protective measures or have remedial procedures.
(I suggest while you read listen to youtube of Taco singing Putting on the Ritz, very appropriate.)
And clever experienced keys has been in politics for almost a decade, and came with full knowledge of the dangers to a country and its investors of shonkey schemes. He knew. and he didn’t pass on his knowledge for the benefit of the country. Birds of a feather fly together, the old saying. So he has a bunch that like his style, his money, his panache, his casual cheeriness, his concise answers to difficult or ethical problems with a falling emphasis in his voice.)
Now follow up Taco with Robin Williams on being an alcoholic.
New Bacon for an egg?
Another acquisition by some super-rich prick who probably doesn’t really like the work all that much, just wants to impress visitors to the mansion.
Can only hope it gets donated to a public collection when the golden one passes on..
Die on the job? You can’t picket parliament, corporate headquarters, for a fair redundancy. So Mr Key its not the same.
Are we really that backwards that secured investors get paid out before the bereaved (who get nothing)? That a government that removed protection is not liable for the results?
That owners of undeveloped land get 50% in ChCh from the govt! Yet miners get nowt?
Okay, get the argument that the miners were not unionized, and were paid more so they could take out life insurance etc. But there was one kid who died, on his first day down the mine, who would likely have not gotten any insurance as he might not have taken to the job.
Why can’t boring parrot Chris come up with some original drivel instead this rote-learned crap? No wonder research shows that right wingers have lower IQs when this is the best they can manage: make up a lie, then repeat it to one another like a cultist mantra.
Why don’t they just become Scientologists? At least they’d have more exciting drivel.
It wasn’t the teachers plotting against the children, Thetan Chris, it was Xenu.
The misinformation given is that somehow the PPTA instructs its members to do this or that. The PPTA is run by teachers for teachers. A decision to boycott will be a local majority decision not an instruction from on high.
Is a boycott a good idea? It might just mean that if you want to go it alone, then do so without our help or support. That would be unsurprising wouldn’t it?
Society values money more than sexual assault victims??
“The man behind what is thought to be New Zealand’s largest Ponzi scheme has been sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in prison.”
“Daniel Taylor, 34, a former foster parent for Child Youth and Family, was sentenced to five years and seven months behind bars when he appeared for sentencing in the High Court at Whangarei this morning.
Justice Peter Woodhouse ordered that Taylor serve at least two years and 10 months before he was eligible for parole and expressed doubt at the convicted paedophile’s remorse after it emerged he had penned a single line apology letter to his victims – signed “regards, Daniel Taylor”.”
Yep, it’s a great focus. Better than focusing on, say, funding rape prevention programmes in all high schools. Better to spend time and money chasing the fines…
“You’ve got about four months from the time you’ve been stopped and given a ticket to pay. That’s not bad, and that’s interest-free credit.” says Chester beater Borrows
Don’t know how he can call it “interest-free credit” when the government don’t borrow money to cover it….do they?
He said the measure would apply only to people who ignored repeated 28-day deadlines for fines.
“You’ve got about four months from the time you’ve been stopped and given a ticket to pay. That’s not bad, and that’s interest-free credit.”
/facepalm
Last time I got stopped for speeding I got a fine that I had to pay, not an interest free loan that I could spend anyway I liked.
And, yes, I do think it’s a good move. Loss of license, loss of car (while keeping the debt of course) should make people think. I would be interested in the demographics of it as well.
“A report by the army’s social policy analyst Alan Johnson shows rents for the cheapest quarter of rented homes in the former Auckland City have risen faster than average since 2008 – by 21.6 per cent for three bedrooms and 25 per cent for two bedrooms in the lower quartile, in a period when median rents across Auckland rose by 17 per cent and consumer prices by only 12.5 per cent.
But benefits have been adjusted only in line with consumer prices, and the maximum rates of accommodation supplement have not changed since 2005.
The result is that five out of six low-income groups examined in the report are now worse off in real terms than they were five years ago by amounts ranging from $1.33 a week for a single sickness beneficiary renting a one-bedroom flat to $33.64 a week for an unemployed couple with three children renting a three-bedroom house, both at lower-quartile rents.”
The site was getting pretty damn slow because I managed to comment out the provision of swap space in fstab when I was fiddling last night. It was getting pretty memory constrained..
Just turned the swap on and cleared the outstanding backlog.
For the service provider to comply with the proposed rules it must know how each and every user of its system accessed the allegedly copyright material. One way to ensure this capability is to prevent the use of proxy surfing. I don’t know how they would do it, though.
I was looking for the santa fe institute and got santa fe news, usa instead.
This was one of their articles. Sounds pretty jaw dropping. Like something from bootleg liquor days.
Boston crime boss Whitey Bulger sentenced to life
BOSTON — Former Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for his murderous reign in the 1970s and ’80s, bringing to a close a case that exposed FBI corruption so deep that many people across the city thought he would never be brought to justice. http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/
As someone actually living in Tokyo, I sometimes find myself offside with people more alarmed about the Fukushima situation. I thought this was a timely update about what is currently going on, since Bill posted about this a couple of weeks ago (as I understand it the commencement of the fuel removal operation was delayed for more testing to occur).
Anyway, the Japan Times is a pretty good source of thoroughly-researched news and is frequently critical of the Japanese government and TEPCO on a number of issues, so hopefully the article is informative. Also, the diagram is kinda neat.
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
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 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
It’s the deadliest fictional town in the country, but which death has been the most bonkers? Alex Casey looks back at 10 seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries to find out. Warning: The following ranking story contains famous New Zealand actors appearing to be dead (not alive). The Spinoff has been ...
Water cremation is the biggest thing to happen to the death industry in the last 100 years. Alex Casey meets the people trying to bring it to Aotearoa. Through a set of mirrored doors down the industrial end of Christchurch’s St Asaph Street, death is getting a new lease on ...
How that “Three Strikes” law works in practice
This is the way the world should be, according to the hypocrites and/or criminals who run the Sensible Sentencing Trust, ACT, some branches of the National Party and the ninnies and numbskulls who support them….
http://normanfinkelstein.com/2013/what-life-is-like-if-you-make-one-wrong-move-but-dont-have-connections/
Nanny state at its finest:
Govt eyes live-in mentors to help welfare teens
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11157400
Even people on home dentention aren’t under such surveillance. Great hunting ground for perverts of all kinds.
Good Idea.
Most crime is caused by a very small group of people, spend a bit of money at the beginning so they stay on the correct path and the country will save millions in the long run.
Oh, so it will be a prison house for teens. Thanks for the heads up Bland Man.
Wow so if we locked up Trader John when he arrived back in New Zealand he would not have been able to sell our assets and similar crimes against the people of New Zealand
If only we had thought of it then…
I see an issue with forcefully combining teens who are on welfare due to their parents having issues, and teens on welfare because they themselves became too problematic for their parents to deal with.
Lots of opportunities for sexual abuse and other forms of exploitation and not to mention that some of these teens just don’t cope well with authority.
And where is the research that shows teens living independently go “off the rails” to the extent that the state can justify such a scheme? Seems to me that this is another shift to profit driven welfare delivery.
“another shift to profit driven welfare delivery.”
bingo – its got nothing to do with fixing anything except a private contractors balance sheet
Bennett in parliament was asked about why those with intractable conditions were being asked to provide a medical certificate every three months when the Doctor has indicated nothing was going to change for 2 or even five years. Bennett of course lied, and said that didn’t happen, and well she might since its not WINZ who picks up the doctors fees.
Its likely those on a benefit will get other illnesses and need to attend the Doctor, have prescription costs etc, and so the likelihood that such an illness happens just after they have been re-certified by their Doctor is very real. But that of course is inefficient, but its not inefficient for WINZ who unnecessarily force people to see there Doctor even if this in itself harmful and onerous.
Now I seem to remember there being a reciprocal respect clause in WINZ manuals, that if WINZ wants efficiency gains why would they impose inefficiency rules on others. Its hypocritical, its wrong, and Bennett is lying to parliament. Bennett has never believe a sickness (or ?congenitical? condition) can last more that a year, you’d think she would have a medical professional alongside of her when she gave such statements regarding health care.
Going to the Doctor can be hazardous to ones health! People who are ill go there! Its therefore something that should not be forced into unnecessarily. Forcing citizens to see Doctors, hasn’t happened since, what the last miltrary regime….?? Its just a bad precedent to set.
Every time the government feels under pressure or wants to hide something, Paula wheels out another reform that may or may not happen and it deflects the conversation.
The search function is playing up again (returning small numbers of hits from 1970)
Had that yesterday – it was rather confusing.
Also had the entire site disappear last night. All I got was a blank screen when I tried the address.
“Also had the entire site disappear last night. All I got was a blank screen when I tried the address.”
+1, couldn’t reach the site all evening 🙁
Yeah. It was a problem with some site coming in and battering it.
I’ve been slowly working towards making it more resilient when I have time (still working on releases).
Since it went down last night anyway just before 10pm due to bots (looked like a new spambot network went online this week) and failed to survive the restart twice (and I finally have a Gold release done), I took the opportunity of it being offline to put the next phase in. Finished up uncompleted at about 6am, grabbed a few hours sleep and went to work to finish the Mac version of the client software…
Sometime this weekend or next week, I should have the last server reconfiguration to put into place. Then we will be ready for an election and capable of surviving the occasional bot storms (and do it on several hundred dollars per month).
Many thanks for everything, including my TS addiction!
y’all culda’ been watching Owen get dumped for being an arse on Coro. (oooh, and he wasn’t a happy builder at all).
No tv. Coro is about the only thing I miss. I don’t even know who Owen is, it’s been too long.
(i gob all over tvnz-breakfast-show..and the various entities involved..)
http://whoar.co.nz/2013/ed-wow-excruciating-moments-in-breakfast-television-the-london-connection/
(excerpt..)
“..ed:..we are really spoilt for choice..in bad breakfast television..
..and currently – the simpering of the compere on tv3 when interviewing key caused a serious case of gastric-reflux in me..so i am avoiding their offerings..
..but tvnz never disappoints..”
(cont..)
phillip ure..
@ P Ure:
Morning Report on Natrad is a better option than both, though also pretty lame. The thing is though, that at least (unless you have a TV in the bathroom) you can take a dump/take the kids to the beach whilst listening and feel better about it.
Whereas the TV1 and TV3 equivalent audiences have a problem. (Whilst 3 for a half hour is OKish, there’s still the problems of having to clean up afterwards).
Silence, or noise free/technology free time though is not a bad option. I’m sure you could probably handle the loss of seeing those gorgeous celebs masquerading as journalists for a couple of hours.
Of course, I don’t have these problems. I’m a bit like those John Key, Simon Bridges, Paula Bennett, “The Standard trollers: BM, KK et al’ Natty types. I don’t shit, and I don’t sweat – plus I know what’s best for you.
I’m born to rule dontcha know. I studied Chris Finlayson, and I’m in awe! (AND I smell like a white rose – simply adorable)
@ tim..both of the presenters on morning report annoy me intensely..
..so that isn’t an option..
..and i watch/flick around brekky-telly as part of the news-gathering thing i do each morn…
..i then dive to nat-rad to see what is happening @ nine..
..and then usually retreat into the music-collection..
..(random choice of favourites…6.8 days worth..mmm!!!..warm and tasty..!..)
..phillip ure..
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1311/S00184/lets-be-cleverer-than-sexual-predators.htm
The state continues to have an abysmal track record when it comes to vetting caregivers (mentors will have the same issues)
Idiot/Savant over at NRT gave Chris Trotter a big fat raspberry yesterday over his take on Jerry Mateparae’s speech to the parliamentary press gallery. Well, lo, the Herald editorial writers today has done exactly what Trotter predicted – that is, used Mateparae’s speech as part of it’s pre-emptive campaign to delegitimise a Labour/Green coalition if National is the largest party after the next election.
Make no mistake. If given a chance, the political/business axis of the right will do everything in it’s power – up to and including trying to annull an election result with the flimiest of legal excuses – to prevent a government coming to power that threatens the neo-liberal consensus and capitalist power.
And they’ve been playing war games in the South to remove a government.
Plutocracy, not democracy is now NZ’s governing system.
Remember Whitlam.
Remember Bainimarama
Remember the frequency Kenneth when the River runs dry. What we need is some Capability for the brown-off.
Would Yi-Fu Tuan support Canterbury irrigation?
“The continuous circulation of water in the ocean, the atmosphere , and on the land is fundamental to the availability of water on the planet”.
– The Hydrologic Cycle and the Wisdom of God
“ From this I conclude that Humanistic Geography is neglected because it is too hard. Nevertheless, it should attract the tough-minded and the idealistic…”
@ Ad…..Yi-Fu Tuan …the American geographer?..i would say he would be a Greenie and a good friend of the environmentalists who wish to protect the rivers and aquifers
I remember both Whitlam AND Bainimarama both – in GREAT fucking detail. The former slightly better than the latter – in fact the latter is responsible for my various comments under a p p er sudo err psy, err alias.
I also remember my cousin ( a former spook’s warning)
Cherr bro, snot beart race or creed or changes of gubbamint amongst perceived colonial masters, or Muff McGillicuddy’s wank, wank wankering – who hardly ever heard of the Fiji-ease/EAR NUZULL trevull destnayshun before coming to pear – but are now absolute experts, pulling strings whilst their challengers wear manufektered buzzy suits looking like sommit that came outta a British-designed ark.
For FUCK’s bloody SAKE.
Fiji is probably the BIGGEST reason I (personally) have lost faith in the abilities of ear S oi S, en Goi.Soi.Ess.Boi.
Christ Almightly! No one – other than perhaps the of Michael Field (having to work under a corporate Fearfex) saw it all coming!!!! (He ekshly wrote about it in the early 00’s). And these (MFAT – snr megmint sperts) are the cnuts we’re now expected to entrust our ‘best interests’ and ‘welfare’ and ‘we-know-best’ hope to.
Fuck me with a feather duster.
Pardon me if I don’t have that much confdince.
FFS!
Smart sanctions that never ever were ….. (like political travel sanctions whilst failing to delve deeper – ANZ bank accounts filled with ill-gotten gains, Frankie boy’s history – known to NZDF/OZDF and reported to pollies, training ships where is ‘skills’ were learned;
embouldened (after BOTH Okker and NewZill changes) by a gubba gubbs desperately trying to rub together a couple of ideas to salvage a situation, PRIMARILY of their own fucking making.
Whilst Helen (and of course her advisors and spin doctors) might have been slightly naiive; theres’s a Key and a Muff that have ABSOLUTELY NO fucking ides (other than treats & trinkets-driven tuneties for nego-shay-shun)
” trying to annull an election result with the flimiest of legal excuses”
as far as i know theres no law requiring the biggest party to have first crack at, or demand the right to form a coalition – so that could be quite entertaining
It could be more about “manufacturing consent” regardless of electoral procedures, and GG Mateparae would be well used to both taking orders and doing the ruling class bidding.
Oh im sure thats the game plan – im more thinking that in a court it would get funny watching lawyers arguing something that there is no law for
this great danish tv series shows how mmp is supposed to work, & its very good drama too. many similar parallels to nz govt too. & also the right are wrong, if they think the biggest party ‘deserves’ to form govt, in borgen the biggest party is the opposition!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borgen_%28TV_series%29
Sorry, but that’s pretty much the fevered imagination of a conspiracy theorist at work.
So now Stephen Joyce is opposed to increasing film industry rebates because…
1) they are actually now subsidies
2) the govt doesnt want to support a race to the bottom
yet during the hobbit saga
1) it was a rebate
2) it was needed to keep the industry going and people employed
WTF!?
Time to cut the apron strings?
If so then its time to cut it to the Hobbit films which are still in production?
Not our precious Hobbitses movies? Yess… cuts them too!
The film/TV/commercial/animation industry in workers organisational terms is basically more of a rabble now than ever before with the exception of Northern Actors and some principled individuals. Tech guilds and all the rest mean little in what has been legislated into an official dependent contracting industry.
Some otherwise sensible people I know that support all sorts of Green and left causes have serious problems viewing their own film industry with some perspective, it is every dog for its self. This is the legacy of the Hobbit Enabling Act. And now the government that removed workers rights to organise won’t assist with macro settings that it could try. If anyone in the industry (apart from John Barnett of course) votes National next time they have rocks in their heads.
time to stop being a hypocrite actually.
When you compare the two its quite clear from his responses that the hobbit deal was ONLY about doing something for warners. If it wasnt about that, and at the time joyce really did see it as being about helping the industry then he would have a better line than a flat out reversal this time, on the same issue wouldnt he
Im talking about how his actions and words on these two situations expose his actual motivation – not whether the film industry should get rebates or subsidies or whatever
“Time to cut the apron strings?”
Stephen Joyce wears a pinny?
Zero hedge puts together some good summaries and analyses of the TPPA leak.
http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2013-11-13/leaked-treaty-worse-sopa-and-acta
This absolutely blew me away this morning.
Ex-World Bank employee whistleblower reveals how the global elite rule the world.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/world-bank-whistleblower-reveals-how-the-global-elite-rule-the-world/5353130
” Hudes is trying very hard to expose the corrupt financial system that the global elite are using to control the wealth of the world.”
“A former insider at the World Bank, ex-Senior Counsel Karen Hudes, says the global financial system is dominated by a small group of corrupt, power-hungry figures centered around the privately owned U.S. Federal Reserve. The network has seized control of the media to cover up its crimes, too, she explained. In an interview with The New American, Hudes said that when she tried to blow the whistle on multiple problems at the World Bank, she was fired for her efforts. Now, along with a network of fellow whistleblowers, Hudes is determined to expose and end the corruption. And she is confident of success.
Citing an explosive 2011 Swiss study published in the PLOS ONE journal on the “network of global corporate control,” Hudes pointed out that a small group of entities — mostly financial institutions and especially central banks — exert a massive amount of influence over the international economy from behind the scenes. “What is really going on is that the world’s resources are being dominated by this group,” she explained, adding that the “corrupt power grabbers” have managed to dominate the media as well. “They’re being allowed to do it.”
Relevant to all of our interests, don’t you think?
How long before her mental health is questioned and similar n the media??? And she is scorned because she was sacked for doing a bad job????
Really interesting set of links within that Crunchtime, cheers
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21228354.500-revealed–the-capitalist-network-that-runs-the-world.html#.Ud5_NvmL3nj
So, the super-entity may not result from conspiracy. The real question, says the Zurich team, is whether it can exert concerted political power. Perhaps there is too many to sustain collusion. More likely they will compete in the market but act together on common interests. Resisting changes to the network structure may be one such common interest.
Remember the networks of individuals Bruce Jesson put together in “Only Their Purpose is Mad” and works prior to that? Well it’s also true on a global scale. It’s not as intentional as a hive-mind, but it’s still conscious and reflextive like an organism.
Just reminds me to get rid of the mortgage so fast.
Chris Trotter making all sorts of apologies for Tamihere and Jackson
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/2013/11/a-disturbing-precedent.html
My opinion of Chris Trotter sinks ever lower.
As if “intent” is ever going to make it ok to question the dress standards and drinking habits of rape victims. Ugh.
I reread the article again. There are so many things wrong with what he has written it is hard to know where to start. I did make a rather restrained comment, will see if he replies.
it appears JT and WJ are victims of the ingrained misogynism of society………….
Damn you, you stole my words.
You would say that would’nt you Weka. To Trotter charge ” Rather than korero, the left-wing social media’s first instinct was to condemn, threaten, punish and shut down”, how do you plead?
Ennui, WJ and JT’s actions were out there in public for all to see. They harassed (2 onto one) and victim blamed a woman telling her story. JT and WJ had the power in that situation. To not act pretty quickly against them would send a message in support of victim blaming, and silencing of victims.
JT especially is a serial offender when it comes to misogyny. How much more are people supposed to put up with?
If it had been Laws I do wonder if they would have stood him down.
However, standing up to their behaviour has sent a strong message. One question is whether the result will be to send the rape culture back under cover as it was before the roastbusters story or if society will front up to change. Sadly, not led by the Government in this regard.
“If it had been Laws I do wonder if they would have stood him down.”
Yes, but that’s about Mediaworks not the left blogosphere. Here is what I commented on Bowalley Rd, the last bit was my response to Trotter’s ideas about racism.
Chris, I take it from your use of quotation marks that you don’t think Tamihere and Jackson were misogynistic in that interview? Fortunately many people disagree with you, and they used their freedom of expression in, well, expressing that. I think the left blogosphere’s responses were perfectly appropriate: they saw behaviour that was unacceptable and they stepped up and did something. Kind of ironic to have you now arguing that was wrong, given the context of the rape club.
Because there can be little doubt that the decision by so many businesses to withdraw their advertising from Radio Live was prompted by the implicit threat of a consumer boycott of their products if they didn’t. Bluntly, the proposition put to Radio Live amounted to: “Take these guys off the air, or, first off, we’ll hurt your advertisers; and then we’ll hurt you.”
Has it occured to you that as part of that decision they looked at what Tamihere and Jackson actually did and decided they didn’t want their businesses associated with that in any way? It was interesting to read the initial responses from companies that pulled their advertising, compared to Countdown, who initially said it was nothing to do with them. When you read the first lot of responses from companies, they read like the people who wrote them were literate about rape culture. These weren’t responses from people merely concerned about profit lines, they were also concerned about ethics.
As for the ‘this is really racism’ angle…
What did Willie and JT see when 3 News broke the Roastbusters story? Two young brown faces. What did they hear? Middle-class Pakeha liberals baying for their blood. To what did their first thoughts turn? Rape Culture or Lynch Law?
That might be worth looking at if it weren’t for the fact that Tamihere and Jackson are both well known for their misogynistic views and attitudes, and their support of rape culture. I’m also less inclined to take notice of your view on this, given your cultural background, than I am to listen to the voices of Mana Wahine, where Maori women have spoken out about their concern over what Tamihere and Jackson did. Did you do any research on what Maori women have said on this in the last week before you wrote your article?
Weka, Karol et al, you have answered my question admirably. QED.
Nothing pleases me less than the prospect of having the bloggers of the “Left” having any influence over long established principles.To quote a well known story, “A little more caution from you; that is no trinket you carry.”
Your principle appears to be that people are entitled to use hate speech. But what I suspect what you really mean is that people are entitled to support misogyny/rape culture but not other kinds of hatred.
If I’ve misunderstood, that’s up to you, because your comments aren’t particularly clear.
Weka, you have definitely misunderstood. Clarity comes from reading, listening, understanding, applying principles, engaging, understanding. And then formulating a response.
Trotters charge was ” Rather than korero, the left-wing social media’s first instinct was to condemn, threaten, punish and shut down”. I think the answer very self evident in the columns here over the last week. Conclusions are made quickly, charges laid, guilt assumed….an example is that you say to me Your principle appears to be that people are entitled to use hate speech. But what I suspect what you really mean is that people are entitled to support misogyny/rape culture but not other kinds of hatred. That is an example of a complete leap of faith, a non informed presumption, and to me quite wrong and slanderous. What right have you to tell me what I am thinking? It backs up Trotters contention on korero.
I have a very real fear that the ‘instincts” shown on this column will not lead to a positive result, so I blew the whistle. Rings of power should not be used, if the Left does not want to go down the same coercive authoritarian path of the Right they should not mirror their “instincts”.
If it is for a good end, and we find that too many NZers are being regressive (whether they are male or female), why not identify them as part of the problem to be fixed, with firmer measures and sanctions if and when needed.
Particularly after the release of the Roy Morgan results, it can be safely concluded that a large segment of NZ men have a serious attitude problem. Let’s simply push through clear, solid measures which show that progressive attitude and languaging is the only correct and acceptable type to have in this country.
CV, you say, Let’s simply push through clear, solid measures which show that progressive attitude and languaging is the only correct and acceptable type to have in this country.. Let me paraphrase it…let us force people to accept our standards and language, as defined by us, other wise they are heretics….
Rings of power?
emf (some iron filings).
ennui
“let us force people to accept our standards and language, as defined by us, other wise they are heretics….”
In your world there would still be slaves and women wouldn’t vote. We can leave things as they are and continue a rape-type culture. Too bad that 1-3 females will be sexually abused we can’t send any message to a large part of society that they are part of the problem. We’ll just wait for them to come to it in their own time… meanwhile, another hour another sexual abused citizen.
Ennui: btw I know it would never work, and would generate a backlash from both men and women across the country.
Ennui, you may very well be right, but I have no idea because instead of clarifying what you actually meant you’ve just given me a little lecture on something.
btw, if you reread what I wrote, I intentionally used the words ‘appear’ and ‘suspect’ which clearly indicate that I am expressing what I heard rather than defining what you think. That left an opening for you to correct or clarify. That you failed to do so is all down to you.
You come into a conversation about rape culture, and cherry pick out one sentence from a much longer piece by Trotter. Then you make vague accusations towards myself and others here, but you don’t actually tell us what YOU think. I know a set up when I see one, so either clarify what the fuck you are on abotu or stop wasting my time.
Weka, when I came into the conversation it was in response to you accusing Trotter making apologies for Tamihere and Jackson.
I read the article, was left unconvinced either way by Trotter, and probably more in line with yourself (which is why you leap of faith on what I was thinking was somewhat illustrative). The only part I agree with Trotter on precisely is his contention on the Lefts instincts. Hence my original question.
And that, is the crux of it. If your mind is subtle enough to understand, on that point bloggers of the Left confirm Trotters contention in bucket loads.
The implication is about means justifying ends: Trotters words condemn/threaten/punish are all coercive and authoritarian. If that is where you think the Left should be, all good. Count me out.
I will waste no more of my time on this, yours appears precious to you.
Still no idea what you are on about Ennui. If you look at every comment you have made in this sub-thread, there are examples of implication without saying what you actually mean.
I’m out of patience with this kind of communicating after vto ran us all round in circles yesterday. I don’t know you well enough to know why you communicate like this, but let me just say, if you do want to have a genuine conversation with me, assume I need things spelled out.
The problem of course, is that this:
” Rather than korero, the left-wing social media’s first instinct was to condemn, threaten, punish and shut down”
is complete bullshit. Numerous offers were made by people to appear on JT&W’s show. the offers were rejected or ignored. On the second day, after they had given a pro forma and weak apology, they decided the conversation was over and proceeded to hit the dump button on anyone who started to talk about it.
It was at that point the Tiso started emailing advertisers.
And aside from that, there have been dozens of posts all over the place from people talking about rape culture, and what it is. They have been happening for a long time, and you can read the comment threads to see how the conversations go.
And beyond even that, this is simply not a slide into totalitarianism as Trotter makes out. that’s just fucking laughable. especially coming from him. this is a guy who thinks that the Crown should have used even more extra-legal means to secure convictions in the alleged terrorism case a few years back. A civil libertarian, he just plain isn’t. So for him to climb up on his high horse and start issuing grave warnings, well. It all just smacks of being part of his long running and well documented animosity to those younger, and more liberal, than he.
There is also this thing of him sticking up for his friends JT and WJ, the way he is doing that makes me uncomfortable.
weka, I commend you on expressing well, why Trotter has got it so wrong, here and on Bowalley Road. Trotter not listening, though…
… because it’s all about JT & WJ. And when are JT, WJ, and Trotter going to step up for women on low incomes, beneficiaries, low paid, etc, especially Maori and Pasifika women? These women are multiply oppressed by an economic system geared for the privileged, plus (as with women across all demographics) by misogyny, domestic violence, rape culture etc.
But for Trotter, it’s just about working class men.
Thanks karol. I may be banging my head on a brick wall there. Just waiting to see if he can stretch his mind a bit and apply his political analysis to gender. Kind of weird he’s brought ethnicity and completely ignored the reality for Maori women.
Well done one for trying, but nah. He has Decided.
Are you white, were you born before the First World War, do you wear a cheesecutter and braces, do you have a moustache? If you can answer “yes” to all of these, then Chris Trotter will passionately defend you. If not, then you’re a distraction.
“Let him go, or I’ll have you Longshanks”.
1. He’s not the first or the only one to be concern – he has Josie Pagani onside
2. I think Andrew Geddis, for one, would plead ‘not guilty’ – a decent argument for both keeping them on air or not, imo, is here…
http://www.pundit.co.nz/content/of-speech-and-its-consequences
3. Trotter is disingenuous to to claim the campaign to take them off air is unprecedented. Consumer boycotts for political and social purposes have a long history
You would say that would’nt you Weka. To Trotter charge ” Rather than korero, the left-wing social media’s first instinct was to condemn, threaten, punish and shut down”, how do you plead?
Firstly, I think the whole ‘on trial’ thing is both spurious, and, in this context, highly offensive to all the women who have been raped who have been denied justice legally. Think about that for a moment.
Secondly, if it were two white men preaching race hatred on radio and harassing a Maori woman who had phoned in, would the left still be expected to engage meaningfully with the two white men, and allow them to have their say? What about if it were two men who were harassing a disabled person about their disability? Should the left korero with them on an even footing, allow them to defend their actions?
Honestly, on what planet would you want to give more air to misogyny? The only rationale I can see is if you think that Tamihere and Jackson’s actions weren’t that bad.
Trotter is disingenuous when he says that Tamihere and Jackson were silenced by the left blogosphere. They were silenced by their employers for bringing their employers’ business into disrepute. And good on Mediaworks for doing that.
i really only have a few points to raise on the trotter article
1) theres more than one way to say something – if experienced people like JT and WJ cant figure out a way to say what they want that wont land them in hot water then thats not anyones fault but theirs
2) no-ones free speech has been reduced, has there been anyone kicking in their doors and hauling them off to speech court?- No. The people who pay them either directly or indirectly have decided to take quite normal measures to express the fact that they didnt really like it – either personally or because of the general reaction. Its a money thing, not a rights thing
3) free speech isnt a one way street – say whatever you want – but dont then demand no one challenges you or that no ones tries to win others to their side of the argument
4) theres a vast difference between pub talk and paid talk – if people really cant see that then theres really not much hope for this thing we call free speech.
I say all sorts of things that probably wouldnt go down that well in a client meeting – but when im at work im an agent of my employer. If i did say what im thinking sometimes, there would be consequences. But privately – well thats a different story
the difference being that Willie and JT are paid to talk the way they do. As are Paul Henry, the crews on The Rock etc. They aint being paid to read the news on the BBC World Service.
Do as many women get an equivalent platform to express their views?
No, they are only allowed to read the weather….but there’s some RNZ woman who are allowed to contribute. I can’t stand the commercial radio stations these dayz…
It’s commercial radio. You want on you have to get ratings and you have to get advertisers. Starting with an outspoken profile helps. And the current style seems to be to stir the pot with trash talk and anti-PC drivel.
Whereas you post with an attempted air of non-judgment yet judgment oozes from every word. Your and Trotter’s liberal use of “left” this and “left” that is misplaced and unnecessary.
“condemn, threaten, punish and shut down” could also be examine, question, challenge and seek change through action.
It’s not about JT and WJ and their rehabilitation or realisation it’s about sending message to women and men alike that behaviours need to change and now.
I agree that someone like Paul Henry was far from suspended but supported and praised across the nation. Michael Laws?
I also agree that there may be some racism in this decision, both from the station and the advertisers. easier to let them go because the board and advertisers dont support their politics anyway… whereas to lose a Henry or Laws was to lose free advertising/mouthpiece for their ideological preferences?
Freedom of speech, like any freedom, ought to be exercised prudently, especially by those with power (like radio hosts). It is not a license to inflict harm out of ignorance or ingrained social/cultural ignorance. This is not the first time JT has been misogynistic or homophobic.
he got to speak far more freely on this topic than most victims ever will, and it had consequences. IF he had been a devil’s advocate it might have been different, but they weren’t, they were allowing perpetrators and enablers and the woefully ignorant to nod in agreement and further ingrain their appalling attitudes toward women and abuse.
Almost unnoticed, a duck has gone
RIP another species. When will we realise we are they, and without them we are nothing, probably as extinct?
Some of us do but for those who chase money as the measure of success the disconnect is too big…
DOC cuts, thanks NACT.
And the prospects for a whole lot of other birds has deteriorated.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/environment/news/article.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=11157277
Appalled that the Kea has gone onto the endangered list!
Me too. The kea is/was unique in its intelligence character and charm.
Keas have been seen pecking at downed high country sheep so:
“They keas must have killed the sheep. We farmers must kill the keas. Bang!”
They do harass sheep, and will peck live sheep to get at the fat deposits on the lower back.
So it is understandable that farmers hate them.
Maybe DOC can get one of the corporate farmers to fund the revival of the Kea. Seems to be all the rage these days – corporate sponsors.
I’m sure they’d love to help… no?
Pity the Herald didn’t go into the reasons for continuing native species extinctions.
(this one also applies here..especially to the apostates in this govt..)
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/news/russell-brand-calls-david-cameron-a-filthy-dirty-posh-wer-8939040.html
“..Russell Brand has called David Cameron and George Osborne “filthy – dirty – posh wankers” –
– on fellow comedian Alan Carr’s talk show.
Following on from the Newsnight interview in which he encouraged viewers to spark a political “revolution” and not vote –
– the 38-year-old star has now criticised the government for being “mean and tight”.
“If you’re always cutting benefits and being horrible –
– it’s because you don’t know how to fuck properly” he told Carr on Chatty Man – which airs this Friday.
“I think if your job is to look after the country – and you don’t care about the people who need it most –
– you’re out of order –
– and you’re a filthy – dirt – posh wanker” he argued.
Days after the prime minister gave a speech in favour of austerity –
– surrounded by gold-embellished furniture –
– Brand insists that his privileged background means Cameron is unable to relate to the society he governs.
“It’s alright if you go to Eton – and then you’re in the House of Parliament.
It’s alright for them to say ‘oh don’t worry about gay rights – don’t worry about poor people’ –
– because it’s not part of their lives –
– but it’s part of our lives” said the actor and comedian..”
phillip ure..
I wonder why the latest Roy Morgan poll is not trumpeted on high here like the last few Roy Morgan polls. Perhaps because it shows that National have again risen and now rank more then Labour+ Greens. The Roy Morgan poll is the one most beloved by the Left. Sadly The Cunliffe’s honeymoon is already over.
It was discussed last night on open mike.
“Perhaps because it shows that National have again risen and now rank more then Labour+ Greens.”
Actually when you crunch the numbers in how a govt could acutally be formed under MMP, they come out at left 61, right 61.
And as I’m sure you well know, it’s the poll trends that count, not a single poll.
Lolz, i am sure Fisani and the rest of the Tory cheerleaders are overjoyed with the result of the latest Roy Morgan,
After weeks of dissing Winston Peters, NZFirst and talking up Colin Craig’s Conservatives and burning up the goodwill and favors from editors and news programers across the media spectrum Slippery the Prime Minister has to sit there and watch as National rips all the support from Craig’s pot-pourri of assorted fruits and nuts,
Craig contrary to His assertion appears to be only capable of soaking up the remnants of the ACT Party and has failed abysmally to make a dent in the support of NZFirst who in the past few months have taken a definite step to the left into State provision and ownership of a number of areas that have been taboo during the Neo-Liberal reign,
This only leaves one question, can the opposition parties form a stable Government together, my opinion is Yes, on the major issues surrounding economy and the direction and actions of the Government within that economy there is among the three, Labour,Green,NZFirst more agreement than there is disagreement…
Pretty much, b12.
Basically, lab have gotten over the leadership change bump and will now probably get get back to solid incremental improvement in the next couple of cycles. The representation issue will fizzle away (except on the sewer), and the government will still be demonstrating incompetence (or, in a new twist, actively claiming incometence like Colman did).
It is clearly out of line with all other polls and the indisputable trend that National is on its way out.
One good poll does not make a winning elction Fis.
Don’t sweat the small stuff. Just shows Labour cannabilising the Green vote and National maintaining its overall position.
A simple linear forecast shows the “left” and “right” blocks holding their respective positions.
Cunliffle doesn’t walk on water and, indeed, the party faithful are drinking urine not wine.
Aaaaah Derrrr, did you actually read the poll, it shows this time round Labour is down a bit and the Green Party is up…
TVNZ defends executive after crack at Auckland hit a nerve.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11157404
This bit got a laugh from the audience – talking about Wellington and Christchurch:
Racist?
Anne
I would say it was an ironic comment on the regular meme and theme that is heard about Auckland. Don’t let’s start over-sensitising to ordinary words – it leads to anaphylactic outcomes disastrous to discussion. I admit I get fired up about mother-fuc.er, two fairly ordinary words, but I find the combination unacceptable.
Not too sure the Polynesian communities will see it that way.
Racist? In that Pakeha ignorant of what racism really is kind of way, yes. As someone says in the article, coming from someone with no ties to the Polynesian community it’s still about perceptions of Polynesians as ‘other’. I thought the Herald did relatively well in finding a good person to comment.
Grey, it’s not about the word. It’s about who used it and the context it was used in.
What’s the Auckland meme? Too many Polynesians?
weka
Don’t be always looking for something to grizzle about. Why is there on every site one, apparently female, waiting to jump up, censor things and take others to task?
Perhaps you might have noticed how often there is a one-person ambush waiting to tell everyone what to do, how its done correctly, and passing critical comments of others opinions. I do some of it myself but try to limit it. It is one of those aids in life that, overdone, becomes stifling.
If it was South Africans mentioned, thinking that there are a lot on the North Shore, or whatever, it would be acknowledging a fact.
nup, racist. why make the joke at all? its an assumption that everyone thinks like him.
Perhaps it was a positive observation about Polynesian rugby talent?
Grey, are you wanting me to shut up?
This is a political blog, racism is political. Why would it not be ok to express an opinion about it, esp in response to a question someone raised?
“apparent female”…
is an apparent female a man?
Should have stuck to earlier promise to self, tends to get rather clumsy when discussing this sacred woman thing and embroidery…
Good news for young women in 16 and 17 year group. I think it may be only those with babies. Those who have had to live separately from their family will now get the security and support that a good family should provide.
They are to have shared housing provided with up to three of them living together. Older people, or slightly older young ones will be nearby and mentor them and their money will be channelled into providing the necessities first and then presumably an amount for discretionary spending. They are going to be supported, helped and be in training that will prepare them for their future employment and managing their own lives. If done sympathetically and a friendly organised way it will be great.
This should be done widely, meeting whatever need there is, not just a pilot scheme to wave in front of the voters in election year as an example of the wonderful capacity building that this government is doing. But don’t know what will happen when the women turn 18, hope it won’t be ‘throw them in the pool to see if they can swim’ time. And what about working with boys, the young men who apparently do not mature until they are 25, and what a tortuous path they may follow in their younger years?
One swallow does not win an election. But some would swallow it. Let’s have more and show up Labour, try and fight them and the Greens, with the observable facts and evidence on the ground of NACTs good ‘social development’.
The irony there is that if this were being offered under a L/G govt, it might actually work. Under a NACT govt, it’s likely to be hit and miss at best, and that will largely depend on the people in the agencies involved. Some will do good, some will do bad.
I saw something yesterday that said that 16 and 17 yr olds are no longer allowed welfare payments directly. The payments instead go through an agency. Wouldn’t it be better to have a system whereby if the young person can demonstrate they are capable of managing their finances they are allowed to do so? Isn’t it both patronising and disabling to treat all young people as the same?
“and then presumably an amount for discretionary spending.”
What are you basing that one?
“I think it may be only those with babies.”
I didn’t pick that up, I thought it was all 16/17 yr olds who had had to leave home.
Yes weka, I am not sure about the exact details. But because of the vulnerability of that age and the fact they have already got to the baby stage, it doesn’t hurt to treat them all with over care and some rules. And doing their own household budgeting and so on, they would get advice on good diets and what different foods are good for for health and gardening of simple vegetables etc.
The group should be led to the self-managing state. Planning their budgets which they check out together to see how well they are managing etc. And they definitely should not have all their money taken by the agency. But it’s not meant to be just a short-term course where these young ones are left on their own after just learning stuff. Capacity building I said and that’s what I understood is the intention.
You have a lot more faith in the system than I do, and 100% more faith in the intentions of NACT. Mostly I see them as being controlling and manipulative. If the scheme were done with aroha I would agree with some of what you say. But I’ve never seen aroha coming from the Minister, and I know from experience that the state is mostly operating under a punitive welfare regime during NACT govts. I guess the damage they do with this one will just be added to the pile.
Mr Deeds Goes to Town 😉
My mother-in-law had her first child at 17. Apparently not a completely unheard of occurrence in those days – 70 years approx.
Perhaps instead of talking (endlessly) about the vulnerability and lack of discipline of contemporary women in the same situation, we look for the capability and success of those that manage – and manage well.
They will have more insight into how to achieve success than someone with a completely different idea of “the right time to have a baby” and “poor offspring”. I am sometimes appalled by the lack of insight of those who are trained to help, and like weka think that usually the “help” that is offered by programmes like these from the National party are often applied in conjunction with a big stick.
If this was voluntary, done properly, with good support and access to ongoing education / training you might have a starter.
But given that this is the party that has consistantly cut access to education and training it doesnt seem likely.
Looks more like a way to hand off money to unaccountable private sector organisations.
Also, as can be seen in the legislation they have passed over the last 5 years, they don’t appear to understand the concepts of good governance, accountability or any sort of fiscal competance.
Expect opportunities for rorts, abuse of the system, and potentially abuse of the young women.
“Currently, there are around eight potential sites around the country including in Christchurch, Tokoroa, Whakatane, Auckland, Hamilton and Invercargill.”
At least it’ll only be a pilot. If Labour / Greens get in next year, it might provide a starting point for a decent program.
I believe that there’s a difference between providing support and ensuring that they get it and standing over their shoulder. This new policy from National is obviously the latter.
Any significance in this?
“Meridian Energy’s sliding share price must be making some investors and the Government feel a little nervous.
Shares in the power company hit $1.11 on November 6 but have trended downwards since then.
On Wednesday they touched a low point of $1.01 – just 1c above the first instalment issue price.
There may be a touch of groundhog day feeling coming through.” -Tamsyn Parker
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11157369
So a clear loss once brokerage fees etc are taken into account.
nz has no legal answer to ponzi schemes. we open ourselves up to the diseases of the world of all types yet don’t take sensible precautionary protective measures or have remedial procedures.
(I suggest while you read listen to youtube of Taco singing Putting on the Ritz, very appropriate.)
And clever experienced keys has been in politics for almost a decade, and came with full knowledge of the dangers to a country and its investors of shonkey schemes. He knew. and he didn’t pass on his knowledge for the benefit of the country. Birds of a feather fly together, the old saying. So he has a bunch that like his style, his money, his panache, his casual cheeriness, his concise answers to difficult or ethical problems with a falling emphasis in his voice.)
Now follow up Taco with Robin Williams on being an alcoholic.
Menu”
“All the hunger, all the yearning
With the life-line that you’re burning
Poison lessons that you’re learning
The Road ahead is turning”.
The Living End Wake Up
UNICEF [spokesman ] “By 2020, (not far away now) we will be responding increasingly to the frequency of [ climate disaster ] events.
Alan Johnson, Salvation Army Housing Research- “what we are seeing is publicly funded gentrification” (GI, Pomare)
Bacon on Freud
New Bacon for an egg?
Another acquisition by some super-rich prick who probably doesn’t really like the work all that much, just wants to impress visitors to the mansion.
Can only hope it gets donated to a public collection when the golden one passes on..
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/9404405/State-asset-sales-costly
Your MOM’s expensive.
9m is just morning-after sickness.
Die on the job? You can’t picket parliament, corporate headquarters, for a fair redundancy. So Mr Key its not the same.
Are we really that backwards that secured investors get paid out before the bereaved (who get nothing)? That a government that removed protection is not liable for the results?
Apparently.
Where’s that corporate shill photonz advocating for this. Probably studying up his next load of CT lies.
That owners of undeveloped land get 50% in ChCh from the govt! Yet miners get nowt?
Okay, get the argument that the miners were not unionized, and were paid more so they could take out life insurance etc. But there was one kid who died, on his first day down the mine, who would likely have not gotten any insurance as he might not have taken to the job.
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2013/11/ppta_introduces_apartheid-era_type_bans.html
– Good article from kiwiblog, not quite sure its comparable to apartheid but its poor form from the ppta (not surprising of course)
this appears unattractive.
Schoolkids as pawns always are but from the ppta point of view they’re just protecting their patch I guess
happens across many of the professions I have observed; that’s competition.
well, if the CEO of a charter school says they are bullies they must be…
Notice the charter school has a Chief Executive Officer, state schools have Principals.
Teachers usually want the best for their students, even when misguided their intention is pupil centred. NOT all of course.
quite a bit of research revealing the effect teacher expectations have on the outcomes achieved. Not always egalitarian.
can you explain how the PPTA is making teachers not mix with charter school teachers? Please include evidence.
Why can’t boring parrot Chris come up with some original drivel instead this rote-learned crap? No wonder research shows that right wingers have lower IQs when this is the best they can manage: make up a lie, then repeat it to one another like a cultist mantra.
Why don’t they just become Scientologists? At least they’d have more exciting drivel.
It wasn’t the teachers plotting against the children, Thetan Chris, it was Xenu.
I love you to bro 😉
The misinformation given is that somehow the PPTA instructs its members to do this or that. The PPTA is run by teachers for teachers. A decision to boycott will be a local majority decision not an instruction from on high.
Is a boycott a good idea? It might just mean that if you want to go it alone, then do so without our help or support. That would be unsurprising wouldn’t it?
The CEO is having a moan about not being able to send the pupils to the local school for some specialist subjects.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11156955
If the boys and their whanau choose to enroll in the kura hourua, the kura has plans for some senior students to take certain classes, such as economics or trade studies at external schools such as Whangarei Boys’ High School and NorthTec.
A cut and paste of some quotes with a slanted opinion superimposed. Nobel prize anyone?
It’s Kiwiblog thus it’s probably spinning. As the saying goes:
Best way to sell a lie is to mix in a bit of truth
Society values money more than sexual assault victims??
“The man behind what is thought to be New Zealand’s largest Ponzi scheme has been sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in prison.”
“Daniel Taylor, 34, a former foster parent for Child Youth and Family, was sentenced to five years and seven months behind bars when he appeared for sentencing in the High Court at Whangarei this morning.
Justice Peter Woodhouse ordered that Taylor serve at least two years and 10 months before he was eligible for parole and expressed doubt at the convicted paedophile’s remorse after it emerged he had penned a single line apology letter to his victims – signed “regards, Daniel Taylor”.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11157408
– This is a good move
Yep, it’s a great focus. Better than focusing on, say, funding rape prevention programmes in all high schools. Better to spend time and money chasing the fines…
So every positive action by the govt will be prefaced by ” Better than focusing on, say, funding rape prevention programmes in all high schools”?
Nope, just this one and any time the right and its supporters focus on imagined heinous crime that must be stopped while ignoring real heinous crime.
Oh well when you put it like that…(yeah thats sarcasm)
If I had not retired the machines I’d be eternally outlawed. ” The Road goes on, and on and on…”
whereas cycling, that’s real freedom.
“You’ve got about four months from the time you’ve been stopped and given a ticket to pay. That’s not bad, and that’s interest-free credit.” says Chester beater Borrows
Don’t know how he can call it “interest-free credit” when the government don’t borrow money to cover it….do they?
Futures Trades Pledged (hedged).
One new sling the same old rock
/facepalm
Last time I got stopped for speeding I got a fine that I had to pay, not an interest free loan that I could spend anyway I liked.
And, yes, I do think it’s a good move. Loss of license, loss of car (while keeping the debt of course) should make people think. I would be interested in the demographics of it as well.
Is the car impounded or confiscated permanently?
Just impounded unfortunately, I would sell it to cover costs and let them keep the debt that’s attached to the car.
Is it just speeding fines, or are they applying it to other fines (wof etc)? Am thinking of the whole boy racer thing from a few years back.
In light of this do the political right still view speed cameras as revenue gathering devices?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10830429
http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/tag/revenue-gathering/#axzz2kgH3Uil0
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2010/06/naked_revenue_gathering-2.html
Or have they moved on and realised that breaking the law is actually a crime?
it’s only a crime if you can’t afford to pay the fine – the tory dream
“A report by the army’s social policy analyst Alan Johnson shows rents for the cheapest quarter of rented homes in the former Auckland City have risen faster than average since 2008 – by 21.6 per cent for three bedrooms and 25 per cent for two bedrooms in the lower quartile, in a period when median rents across Auckland rose by 17 per cent and consumer prices by only 12.5 per cent.
But benefits have been adjusted only in line with consumer prices, and the maximum rates of accommodation supplement have not changed since 2005.
The result is that five out of six low-income groups examined in the report are now worse off in real terms than they were five years ago by amounts ranging from $1.33 a week for a single sickness beneficiary renting a one-bedroom flat to $33.64 a week for an unemployed couple with three children renting a three-bedroom house, both at lower-quartile rents.”
That’s the SALVATION army, just before the chemtrailers start another theory 🙂
http://www.ijreview.com/2013/11/93968-thanks-obamacare-tapping-beer-fund/
– Got to pitch the ads at the level of the people you’re trying to sell to I guess
Yup, they should have gone with single payer.
That’s what happens when corporate money infects a democracy.
Opps….
The site was getting pretty damn slow because I managed to comment out the provision of swap space in fstab when I was fiddling last night. It was getting pretty memory constrained..
Just turned the swap on and cleared the outstanding backlog.
Should be faster now.
Well, hopefully now I won’t be getting blank screens.
hey lprent were you involved in setting up CyberPlace ?? They have a similar logo …
Nope. If it involves aesthetics then I am not responsible for it
How’s the War on Drugs going these days?
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/11/us-drug-afgahnistan-opium.html
Patroling and protecting Afghan poppy fields seems to be the latest approach.
Happy opium farmers are Afghans who are less likely to shelter and help anti-US insurgents.
‘
Proxy surfing to be made illegal. Sad to say, there consensus between National Ltd™ and Labour on this aspect of the TPP.
Would you care to explain how?
‘
For the service provider to comply with the proposed rules it must know how each and every user of its system accessed the allegedly copyright material. One way to ensure this capability is to prevent the use of proxy surfing. I don’t know how they would do it, though.
I was looking for the santa fe institute and got santa fe news, usa instead.
This was one of their articles. Sounds pretty jaw dropping. Like something from bootleg liquor days.
Boston crime boss Whitey Bulger sentenced to life
BOSTON — Former Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for his murderous reign in the 1970s and ’80s, bringing to a close a case that exposed FBI corruption so deep that many people across the city thought he would never be brought to justice.
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/
Typhoon Haiyan May Devastate Philippine Economy
http://www.ksdk.com/story/weather/2013/11/11/typhoon-haiyan-hurting-philippines-economy/3497053/
– “This is only the beginning…”
http://www.ibtimes.com/philippines-super-typhoon-only-beginning-far-worse-natural-catastrophes-1468806?
and maybe throw in a Cholera pandemic …
Has something changed between 2011 and today? Cos I haven’t heard a peep about asset sales from Colon Cray. Ready to sell his principles for a ministerial seat? How very un-Christian.
http://tvnz.co.nz/election-2011/conservative-party-asset-sales-lose-money-4560364
National isn’t the only party dining on dead rats in this marriage.
The Japan Times Online: “Risky Fuel Removal about to Start”:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/11/14/national/risky-fuel-removal-about-to-start/#.UoXecXCMlTI
As someone actually living in Tokyo, I sometimes find myself offside with people more alarmed about the Fukushima situation. I thought this was a timely update about what is currently going on, since Bill posted about this a couple of weeks ago (as I understand it the commencement of the fuel removal operation was delayed for more testing to occur).
Anyway, the Japan Times is a pretty good source of thoroughly-researched news and is frequently critical of the Japanese government and TEPCO on a number of issues, so hopefully the article is informative. Also, the diagram is kinda neat.
Something different from Chile: ‘Los Prisoneros’ at Vina del Mar in 2003, perhaps some may be interested in this:
‘Soda Stereo’ de Argentina, one of the best groups ever from Latin America, worth watching and listening to:
That is stuff few here know, and it is a great performance at Vina Del Mar, Chile, that they did in 1987.
Never ending to repeat myself, some of the best of Latin American music comes from the group Illapu:
http://www.illapu.cl/
Their song Vuelvo is popular:
Being a HUMAN BEING, best spoken out by Victor Jara, one of the most hounoured souls that there ever was on this planet: