Slightly less flippantly, talking to recent immigrant teachers at my kids' school, we in NZ have a reputation for being a bit less shitty to immigrants than Australia is. At least to white immigrants that speak English well, that is.
Also, outdoor recreation activities in available in New Zealand were much more appealing to my examples than what is available in Oz. Though since these conversations were with teachers at school camps, that's a heavily biased sample.
I'm sure that almost everyone would consider a 3 year freeze to be anything but "temporary" as you describe it.
Why, and when, do you expect interest rates to rise? You say that 'with an expectation of rising interest rates; not to mention rising house prices. ' whereas TOP do not expect that to happen. If the freeze was to work they say that "with reduced spending, the Reserve Bank will keep interest rates low, and house prices will continue to rise". Why should the interest rates rise if the wage freeze works?
There would seem to be rather more logic in the TOP argument that low interest rates will lead to higher house prices rather than your own statement that rising interest rates will lead to rising prices.
It used to be a well known fable that government borrowing consumed the countries savings and leads to higher interest rates. This narrative was even offered a number of times by the previous National prime minister (as a justification for under funding public services). But it appears TOP have figured out that actually its the RBNZ which decides what interest rates are suitable.
that would give some insight of the historical issues between Israel and the Palistinians but also of the middle eastern region.
As for the comments by Netanyahu at a news conference were that he will not rest until all is quiet in Gaza (or in that vain), will of cause help him politically right now given the internal problems in Israel and the price is paid in, yes yet again… innocent blood. 1/3 of the death are children. Go figure.
No; Francesca & Anker, there are significant differences between the current IDF war crimes, and the systematic murder of approximately 20 million unarmed civilians and PoWs in the holocaust (6 million jewish in the Shoah sub-holocaust, which they are still a bit sensitive about). Such comparisons are just inviting today's OM to devolve into accusations of antisemitism. If you have to Godwin yourself, then Kristallnacht might be a better comparison. Though you are not short of other historical (non-nazi) atrocities to choose from. Parihaka comes to mind for an Aotearoan example.
Also, I can't see that Gantz quote in the text of the CBS article the Guardian references. It may be in one of the video clips, but so undoubtedly are lots of footage of the dead and wounded. That is one time I am not inclined to seek out the primary source! This is the closest I could find:
Netanyahu has vowed to expand the offensive, saying "this will take time," … Gantz said Israel's strikes were "only the beginning" and the military said it was activating some 5,000 reservists and sending troop reinforcements to the Gaza border…
CBS News Radio correspondent Robert Berger, who's covered the Middle East for decades, said the Biden administration appears to be treading cautiously as it wants to avoid getting off to a bad start with Israel.
Berger noted also that as Israeli cities are being bombarded, it would be difficult for the U.S. not to back Israel's right to self-defense. That's what Israel would like to hear, unequivocally, from President Biden, but Israel realizes it will come under increasing pressure from the U.S. to show restraint, so it may be trying to hit Hamas as hard as it can before diplomatic time runs out.
Biden is going to have to do more than mouth empty concern soon, if he doesn't want people (maybe even some Democrat senators who he needs on his side) to start questioning all the US military aid to Israel. It looks like nothing will happen on that until tomorrow (NY Sunday) though:
According to diplomats at the UN, the US mission, led by ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, had been in favour of a security council statement but had been overruled by Washington. However, the prospect of a demonstration of US isolation at the general assembly, on a scale reminiscent of the Trump era, helped bring the White House and state department around to accepting an open meeting.
“They were advising Washington that if they don’t have this meeting on Sunday, if you block too hard and say no to everything, it will go to the general assembly, and the numbers there are not good,” one UN diplomat said.
And on Wednesday, there was no end in sight. Israel's Defense Minister said the attacks on armed groups in Gaza were to be stepped up, to bring what he promised to be "total, long term quiet."
You are right on that, Fransesca! End of the second sentence of the second paragraph. I didn't see it on first skim-through, and a ctrl-f search for "Gantz" only turned up the later quote, – I should have copy/ pasted "total, long term quiet" instead. Also, it was the Guardian's CBS link rather than something I hunted out myself (actually hypertexted in your own quote – so I could've got there via that if I realized earlier and left my own link out).
Comparing Gaza situation to Parihaka; Gaza has been a sore spot for 50 years. Parihaka was one important centre of Maori settlement and culture, Gaza is the main city for the vast majority of the Palestinians. But true to say that Gaza and Parihaka are both atrocities on vulnerable people by a dominant armed and aggressive force.
Are we going to ask for sanctions against Israel for this? What will appease them for the dreadful happenings in WW2, would it be enough if the Middle East could come to terms with them as a precursor to giving Palestinians their own country?
I am not sure how many atrocities have been committed against Jews over the centuries, but after the shock of being ejected from Spain and then Poland, it's no wonder that they wanted a country they could call their own, see brief History early to 2010:
Some Jews, a Judaean tribe from the Levant, migrated to Europe just before the rise of the Roman Empire. A notable early event in the history of the Jews in the Roman Empire was Pompey's conquest of Judea beginning in 63 BCE, although Alexandrian Jews had migrated to Rome before this event.
The pre-World War II Jewish population of Europe is estimated to have been close to 9 million, or 57% of Jews worldwide. Around 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, which was followed by the emigration of much of the surviving population.
The Jewish population of Europe in 2010 was estimated to be approximately 1.4 million (0.2% of European population) or 10% of the world's Jewish population. In the 21st century, France has the largest Jewish population in Europe, followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia and Ukraine.
Being banished from your home after centuries of residence in Spain on the whim of royalty after being excellent citizens must have been a huge shock causing despair in Jewish hearts.
The Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain refers to a period of history during the Muslim rule of Iberia in which Jews were generally accepted in society and Jewish religious, cultural and economic life blossomed. This "Golden Age" is variously dated from the 8th to 12th centuries.
Spanish Inquisition – Sultan Bayezid II sent Kemal Reis to save the Arabs and Sephardic Jews of Spain from the Spanish Inquisition in 1492, and granted them permission to settle in the Ottoman Empire, (…since Jews in 1492,,,had been banished from Spain).
The Spanish Inquisition was established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms and was under the direct control of the Spanish monarchy. It was not definitively abolished until 1834, during the reign of Isabel II….
The expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, as well as expulsion from Austria, Hungary and Germany, stimulated a widespread Jewish migration to the much more tolerant Poland. Indeed, with the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, Poland became the recognized haven for exiles from the rest of Europe; and the resulting accession to the ranks of Polish Jewry made it the cultural and spiritual center of the Jewish people in Europe.
Gaza building destruction. News reports say these buildings are being destroyed by rockets, yet the way the fall look like controlled demolitions?. Certainly they fall cleanly, lucky that a rocket can be so accurate to take out a building in that fashion
Wow; aj, that's a blast from the past! I haven't read about "controlled demolitions" conjectures since the conspiracy theorists moved on from the 2001 September 11th attacks on the USA. Who do you reckon it was behind this fiendish plot ; the Illuminati, Elvis, or shape-shifting aliens?
Not at all, it just seems weird that a rocket or two can do that to a building. Have a look at some of the footage. We know they can be very accurate so it's probably just that – highly accurate.
I have mentioned before in today's OM that video images of warzones are the one kind of primary source that I take care to avoid. So I will leave it up to the UN inspection teams to make their assessments in due course (having civil engineering expertise which I lack). Hopefully sooner rather than later.
There is plenty of room for scepticism with respect to 9/11, the report after all was assembled by the same less-than-remarkably-truthful political clique that determined there were WMDs in Fallujah, and was notably lacking physical evidence.
The use of controlled demolitions against occupied populations is not unprecedented.
I realise that this is what passes for an attempt at humour on your part, but it is, I feel, misguided.
Some atrocities, like the Moscow Bombings, or 9/11, or the Gunpowder Plot for that matter, are almost unimaginable betrayals, were they perpetrated by the authorities.
Rather than discounting the possibility, the evidence must be examined carefully. Anyone who lived through Rogergnomics in NZ has learned that a significant proportion of those in power at any time may well be raging sociopaths.
Lidice was destroyed as retaliation, they didn't pretend someone else did it.
911 and the current events have a clear and pretty well documented cause (planes filmed flying into buildings / hamas claiming they fired rockets) and plausible effect (buildings damaged to the point of collapse).
I'm not trying to draw a parallel with 9/11 at all, more with Lidice.
If it transpired that IDF had undertaken controlled demolitions, by the use of dust charges perhaps, rather than exclusively missile or smart bomb strikes, I would not be at all surprised – though it would evaporate the notional figleaf of targeting cells of combatants or whatever the pretext is for current action.
We had a long discussion a couple of years back about 9/11 – and I consider the report of the commission at best rudimentary. Absent physical evidence I'm unlikely to revise that view.
It would help if you leave out the personal insults; some react badly to it and it can quickly descend into a flame war, which I don’t find ironic in the slightest given the topic of conversation.
It would also help if you add some info about the image such as what, where, when and who took the photo.
The picture was from Times Of Israel with the caption
Palestinians inspect destroyed buildings following overnight Israeli airstrikes in Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip, May 14, 2021
I used this one because it shows the central crater common to these large israeli bombs and the obliteration in immediate area from blast including wrecked structural concrete.
The 'dust explosions' have lighter damage around, mostly light facades, windows and roof sheeting. I had a holiday job when I was a student in a factory processing wheat for flour and starch. They said if you hear the fire alarm, run…dont walk out. This below is dust explosion with no crater and heavier structures nearby still standing
Although contemporary use is more commonly delivered by air as FAE strikes, dust charges have long been popular for military demolitions, being effective against buildings, and not requiring detailed examination of building structure or very precise siting of the charge, lending them to reasonably rapid deployment, especially when retreating.
Your picture could have been the result of any number of different forms of explosive attacks, including charges placed by ground forces.
Thermobaric weapons arent 'dust explosions' which rely on say fine flour dust or similar to rapidly burn from ignition point
Your previous comments were 'dust charges' which is absurd as these large high explosive bombs have been commonly shown in screen grabs from video of them falling onto the buildings that then explode
I love the way you take the mantle of expertise on subjects on which you are, and choose to remain, shamefully ignorant.
But moving past your fatuous trolling to the demolition of civilian dwellings and infrastructure such as a functioning media centre.
The use of house demolition under international law is today governed by the Fourth Geneva Convention, enacted in 1949, which protects non-combatants in occupied territories. Article 53 provides that "Any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons … is prohibited."[42] In its accompanying commentaries, the International Committee of the Red Cross refers to demolition only being justified by "imperative military requirements", which the Convention itself distinguishes from security considerations. The ICRC has clarified that the term "military operations" refers only to "movements, maneuvers, and other action taken by the armed forces with a view to fighting" and does not cover action undertaken as a punishment. In a further reservation, the ICRC regards the tactic as legitimate only "where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations".
This, and not your suddenly acquired ersatz understanding of explosives, is the heart of the matter. It is why I instanced the destruction of Lidice, which was demolished, as the Israelis are demolishing buildings at present, as an illegal form of collective punishment.
So you're suggesting "controlled demolitions" of the buildings in Gaza?
Why sneak a team into enemy-controlled territory, place charges, and sneak out again? In order to pretend to drop a bomb on the buildings?
Or are you suggesting "controlled demolitions" of Israeli buildings in order to make the Hamas rockets look more powerful than they actually are? I can at least see a bit of a point to that version.
Whether they are achieved by bombardment or groundbased explosives, demolition is a fair description of what's happening in Gaza.
Ordinarily a force with the kind of power imbalance enjoyed by the Israelis would use ground teams because it's appreciably cheaper and usually much more controllable. Bombs can fall on wedding parties and the like, generating undesirable media responses. But Israel gets a lot of ordnance at low or no cost, some of it may finally be as accurate as claimed, and they may be expected to produce trial results for some items too.
"controlled demolitions" of Israeli buildings in order to make the Hamas rockets look more powerful than they actually are
I have no evidence for that. The Israeli government are not so scrupulous I would rule it out, but they are also pretty thick-skinned with regard to world opinion. Short of graphic slaughter of their own civilians they'd struggle to generate a sympathetic response that eclipsed the disproportionate casualties among Palestinians.
Ordinarily a force with the kind of power imbalance enjoyed by the Israelis would use ground teams because it's appreciably cheaper and usually much more controllable.
[citation needed]
The reference to Lidice is misleading, imo. Lidice was the killing of an entire population and destruction of their dwellings in a single act.
I believe the goal of Netenyahu (beyond immediate domestic political survival) is to continue the Palestinian diaspora to a point the ever-shrinking territory can be annexed. But part of this strategy is to make it difficult to report on the hardship on the ground so the Palestinians have difficulty getting international attention – hence the destruction of media offices.
War crimes? Yes. But not Lidice. More like what was done to the Armenians.
Part of the Lidice item is a demolition which the Nazis recorded for propaganda purposes. We don't have the full reel here, but about 2.30 you can see something of what they were about.
At a political level, the process resembles the Armenian genocide – but the demolition somewhat resembles Lidice – and the parallel ought to trouble the conscience of the perpetrators.
The mk84 (2000lb) bomb comes in at around $3100 US when supplied to the US (other countries pay more – though Israel may not) the JDAM kit is quoted at anything from $17k to $40k – some of those being bulk deals or date back to 2011. So all-up around $50k US – pretty cheap really.
Presumably 500 kgs, give or take, of high explosives for tactical use, without the guidance or casing is somewhat cheaper – though not amazingly so.
The cost of the operation isn't just the explosives. It's the probability of loss of the delivery mechanism for those explosives.
Aircraft: no anti-air threat, precision placement, not much more complex than a training flight.
Ground team: at least half a dozen highly trained individuals who can slip into the heart of Gaza undetected with multiple car bombs (two people each bomb), then slip out again.
Cost: extensive training for the specific mission (would be a bugger for someone to park outside the wrong building), plus the cost of training each soldier and the probability of them being captured or killed in the mission.
Sure, losing a jet and pilot would be expensive, but the probability of that would be incredibly low.
Whereas, while the odds of a ground attack being sprung might be well less than 50% (for the sake of argument), the risk is non-trivial. To do what they can do anyway.
Did the ground forces delivering the "dust charges" do so in IDF-branded vehicles that none of the watching media noticed or mentioned? Or were the "dust charges" delivered by FedEx?
Who knows – either the ground forces weren't there – official version – or they've gone off the radar so to speak. I'm sure the most moral army in the world can be trusted unsupervised – about as much as a US cop who switches off his camera.
Israel restricts dual use materials, cement and reinforcing steel among them, from entering Gaza. Poorly constructed buildings tend to collapse with little prompting.
"Rocket" is a general term used by the media to describe anything from a firework (a very small rocket) to an ICBM (a very, very big rocket).
Technically, a "rocket" is a device that is powered by the chemical reaction of liquid or solid fuel propellants (most likely including an oxidiser) to lift a payload that could be anything from a warhead to a spaceship. Additionally rockets that are not capable of leaving the earth atmosphere are unguided – sounding rockets, rocket pods on helicopter gunships or used by rocket artillery all being examples. Hence, Hamas launch "rockets" at Israel.
A "missile" is powered by any number of engine types – rocket, ramjet, turbojet, pulsejet or even hybrids of the above, has some sort of guidance system and has an explosive warhead, hence Israel uses "missiles" to shoot down "rockets."
The most likely weapons being used on buildings in Gaza will be neither of the above but rather guided bombs like the JDAM or Paveway series of laser and GPS guided weapons. These are kits bolted onto old fashioned "dumb" bombs that give them much improved accuracy and these guys are the ones that really pack a punch – up to 1000kg, more than enough for a few (when accurately and leisurely dropped from medium altitude against no opposition) to demolish a building.
Anyway, I wouldn't get too excited and build an entire world view/conspiracy theory based off a journalists inexact description of the cause of an explosion.
Sharing an hotel breakfast buffet with aircrew, apparently.
180 local cases. That’s what Taiwan’s Dr. Fauci, Chen Shih-chung just confirmed on TV today (May 15th). After holding out for wave after wave, containing each breach with citizen vigilance, contact tracing and cool-headed and coordinated government action, there is now uncontained community spread of COVID-19 in Taiwan. How did we get to here?
(CNN)One of the most vaccinated countries in the world is experiencing a Covid-19 outbreak.
While other nations struggle to secure enough vaccines, the Seychelles is in the enviable position of having already fully immunized more than 61.4% of the population.
But that hasn't been enough to stop the spread of Covid.
Over the past month, case numbers have been rising in the Indian Ocean archipelago, prompting authorities to impose restrictions in the country of 98,000 people. Data released Thursday shows there are more than 2,700 active cases.
Of the current active cases, 33% have been fully vaccinated, according to the Ministry of Health.
i expect cases to go up in the US again with the removal of masks. The vaccine helps to make it less deadly, but one can still get it and still transmit it. But maybe that is the new growth sector of the future – covid outbreaks. s/
That's a roll up your sleeves read there; Joe90! Though the google scholar link downloads a pdf rather than online pages. I won't pretend to follow all the calculations, but some of the assumptions are a little suspect.
In particular, based largely off patterns with previous coronaviruses epidemics, they put both the: Loss rate of sterilizing, and partial, immunity at 1/2 per year. While more recent research shows that these values may be unduly pessimistic, at least with known variants and the Pfizer (Comirnaty) vaccine. Further viral mutation leading to new Variants of Concern will probably require at least a third, though not necessarily yearly shots:
Comirnaty’s six-month data is a testament to the vaccine’s durability, which is likely to be maintained up to at least 12 months following the initial two-dose regimen… The six-month data from the Phase III portion of the Phase I/II/III trial showed a 3.7-point drop to 91.3% efficacy against symptomatic disease…
In general, a vaccine that triggers a durable response for the first six months typically has longer-term durability, Thomas added. And so, despite mRNA vaccines being a new technology, it is unlikely that Comirnaty’s efficacy will drop below 50% protection in the next six months, he noted. Regulatory agencies’ passing grade for Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) is 50%.
Ive had 5 in last year and havent even had the Covid one yet.
2 flu- separate years, 2 others which were some sort of catchup of vaccines past and 1 pneumonia ( which I jumped in early last year once it was clear a lot people were dying from secondary pneumonia)
Its like having dental xrays, just a thing you do as necessary
"But that hasn't been enough to stop the spread of Covid." [Seychelles]
Thats because you are doing cut and pastes without any understanding, Seychelles is a tourist country and those arriving for holiday and testing positive are counted as in community.
Its getting ludicrous for the cut and pasters, people who couldnt read beyond the first paragraph in scientific medical paper are like magpies with some shiny object when they swoop on a pre publication paper that hasnt even been peer reviewed.
The Seychelles is relying on China-made Sinopharm and Covishield, the AstraZeneca vaccine made in India. Of all fully vaccinated people, 57% received Sinopharm, which was given to those ages 18 to 60, while 43% took Covishield, which was given to those over 60.
As for efficacy, that rather depends on what studies you look at. Possibly relating to variant specificity (with different geographical areas), as well as dose interval period:
Covishield is Serum Institute of India’s version of AZD1222…
AZD1222’s efficacy was around 54.9% when the second dose was given less than six weeks after the first dose, as per a February study analysing Covid-19 cases in phase 3 clinical trial participants across the UK, Brazil and South Africa. The efficacy increased to 59.9% when the second dose was given 6-8 weeks after the first dose, 63.7% when the second dose was at 9-11 weeks, and 82.4% when the dosing interval stretched to 12 weeks or more…
According to Oxford University and AstraZeneca, interim results from phase 3 clinical trials conducted on 32,000 participants across the US, Chile and Peru show that the vaccine had an efficacy of 79% against symptomatic Covid-19 when the interval between doses was four weeks. More importantly, the efficacy in the cases of severe or critical symptomatic Covid-19 was 100%.
The efficacy found in these trials is much higher than its efficacy in trials conducted in countries like the UK and Brazil.
The ongoing Phase III clinical trials of one of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines, which have been conducted in five Arab countries since the summer of 2020, show an efficacy of 78.89 percent on people aged 18 and above, the company executives said during a seminar about vaccine development held in Shanghai on Thursday.
The clinical trials also show a 100 percent protection against severe illness and hospitalization of COVID-19 patients
The problem is that these are all interim results against a mutating virus, so may not be entirely predictive for new variants. Also, to be blunt; whether you can trust the results from drug companies who have a profit motive to inflate their stated efficacy. As for Sputnik 5 (or S5light), the Russian's unwillingness to release their data (and some suspiciously fabricated looking numbers) makes it impossible to say for sure.
Ok, thanks. The thing is that it seems that we cannot know what the true level of immunity is at any given point in time in the Seychelles and against the different variants that may be brought into the country by travellers. Thus, it would be prudent not to rely on vaccination alone, despite the high vaccination numbers, wouldn’t you say?
But 60% isn't a high vaccination rate, either. 60% in six months from new is pretty good distribution and puts them on the path to an effective vaccination level, assuming they don't keep bringing in new variants to [checks notes] a global tourist destination [sigh].
The medical experts have allways said they arent a total asnswer
Are you even aware 95% is 1 in 20, who dont get the complete cover obviously not.
Then there is those who claim they are being tested when they arent or say they are vaccinated when they arent – we have seen this in the MIQ system here where there it wasnt voluntary. A sports team that had compulsory vaccinations to travel and play sounds very much like that, but we shall see on that one whether they are the 1 in 20 !
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Thousands of retired Black professional football players, their families and supporters are demanding an end to the controversial use of “race-norming” to determine which players are eligible for payouts in the NFL’s $1 billion settlement of brain injury claims, a system experts say is discriminatory.
Former Washington running back Ken Jenkins, 60, and his wife Amy Lewis on Friday delivered 50,000 petitions demanding equal treatment for Black players to Senior U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody in Philadelphia, who is overseeing the massive settlement. Former players who suffer dementia or other diagnoses can be eligible for a payout.
Under the settlement, however, the NFL has insisted on using a scoring algorithm on the dementia testing that assumes Black men start with lower cognitive skills. They must therefore score much lower than whites to show enough mental decline to win an award. The practice, which went unnoticed until 2018, has made it harder for Black former players to get awards.
So on the eve of lifting mask and distancing restrictions, reports are that the majority of anti-vaccers in the US are hardcore Republican Trumpers. And this is a problem?
Well, I can take a Darwinian view of who we're talking about in this exact instance.
But the general principle remains that having a large pool of people where the disease can propagate easily and mutate frequently (because of the large numbers of people currently carrying the disease) is not a good thing.
The point that I take from [Maōri poet] ranapiri and from considering the poetry of breath is not to speak for others but to recognise the responsibility that we have to each other to listen and respond.
I also take this image of shared breath to suggest that the role of professors – and of all teachers, writers, and researchers – should ultimately be not to profess but to enable the sharing of others’ breath, voices, opinions, and words, so that we can all learn, so that we can all breathe a little more easily.
A decent snapshot of the burning question where & how did Covid-19 originate. It is basically a critical appraisal of a (the) recent piece written by Nicholas Wade on this topic.
I kinda take the view that it's somewhat of a distraction whether it was a lab escape or zoonosis directly transferred from the wild.
Both possibilities are completely live at this point, and investigating both possibilities have shown a number of risky practices in labs and in handling wildlife that are risks of being the source of a new pandemic. As are the risks of a new pandemic originating from industrial farming that was a more widespread concern prior to this pandemic breaking out.
All of these issues need attention and improvement. I kinda fear that if the source is definitely proven to be one or the other, then all the focus will go on eliminating that specific risk, and efforts to mitigate the other identified risks drop by the wayside.
It's something I've seen happen all to often in the wake of other cockups, where the identified root cause ends up being the only thing that gets corrected and all the other problem areas (that didn't turn out to be the cause this time around) get forgotten.
I hear you and it could be used as an distraction but I don’t think it is. In fact, I think it quite critical that we’ll be able to answer it and draw conclusions from that. Eliminating other possibilities as the cause doesn’t mean eliminating forever as possible future causes. For example, if the virus originated naturally, it won’t mean we can relax the rules in labs, as these should still be audited and reviewed on a regular basis, as they are here in NZ. I think we need to find out, if we can, and accept all possible consequences, implications, and outcomes of that knowledge.
The problem is that the National Party is not modelled on and thus not representative of Aotearoa-New Zealand as a whole and constantly behind the eight ball. You would expect that to some degree from conservatives. The Party needs to modernise its caucus, its leadership, and its thinking and these things go hand in hand. As it is, National is politically stuffed.
They're sore that they won't be able to sell the water assets off, and line their own pockets in the process.
Tau's comment shows them for what they are,
Co-governance would provide a safeguard against any future government that wants to privatise the waters assets that are being transferred from councils, he said.
"Labour governments in the 1980s and National governments in the 1990s and 2010s, including the one in which Judith Collins served as a senior minister, have not been able to resist the temptation of selling public infrastructure – from electricity networks to rail to offshore interests.
"The Ngāi Tahu presence provides extra protection against that."
old white man, but not for a few months. interesting to see that nats want either , a has been, or somone so new and shiny, that he hasnt been assigned a study buddy. nats have obviously gone down the rascist route, wonder what dr shane and simon truly think of that. nats demographic has changed a lot in the last two yrs, very male pale stale. a zero sum game.
I think the issue is that both Reti and Bridges support their current Leader in this and that they don’t see it as racism as such at all. Labelling them as racists, correctly or incorrectly, is distracting from their arguments and rhetoric and thus not countering them as effectively as one should or could. Countering doesn’t necessarily mean winning the argument either AKA point-scoring. No wonder Te Pāti Māori has had enough of being a political football in Parliament.
Interesting. My take on Reti is that he’s squirming not because he’s trying to show his loyalty to and defend his Leader but because he’s actually agreeing with her and defending the indefensible and being disloyal to his roots. I could be wrong, of course. In any case, he’s put himself in this position and only he can resolve it. Then again, a man’s ambition can be his downfall.
That pundit is right, Reti has gone as far as he could in National and it is only downhill from here for him, I reckon. He seems to have put all his eggs in Judith’s little basket and if she’s toast, he’s the fried egg on top.
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The audacity of National’s “u-turn” over housing intensification is an extraordinary slap in the face for Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis. If it does nothing else, it raises questions about their political judgement, not for the first time.. Some in the Caucus have still not forgiven them for their ...
As the general election approaches, the Association of Former Members of the Parliament of New Zealand has organised an essay competition to to foster democracy. Secondary school students are being challenged to identify the important elements of a successful democracy, explain their value and consider whether they can be improved ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: For paying subscribers, here's my pick of the week’s top six news developments, quotes and charts of the week with my personal reflections, plus my suggestions for Sunday reading and listening. There’s also one fun thing. In summary this week, my six takeaways were:Christopher ...
With Open Arms: Is it at all reasonable to suppose that a colonial society in which whites traditionally occupied all the upper rungs of the ethnic hierarchy, and where the colonised were relegated to the bottom of the socio-economic ladder, will respond positively to a concerted indigenous push from below, ...
Hi,Just a quick online-only update that Webworm won “Best Team Investigation” last night at the Voyagers.This means a lot, especially considering we were up against giant newsrooms like Stuff and TVNZ:WINNER: David Farrier and Hayden Donnell | Webworm – The Downward Spiral of Arise ChurchJUDGES: Alan Sunderland and Ali Ikram“This ...
May 28, 2025.Ladies and gentlemen. It’s a beautiful clear morning here in Auckland City. We’re heading for a maximum temperature of 14 degrees, and the local time is now 10:30am. Please remain seated if you’d like to, or get up and walk around the plane if you prefer. New regulations ...
Somebody has made a new survey and it tells us this little waterlogged nation of ours is rocketing up the misery charts. Maybe they took it before the sun came back out.Or maybe they took it any time in the last two years. Because negativity is quite surely the new ...
The appointment of Elizabeth Longworth as Chair of the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO was one of just two press statements on the government’s official website today. Perhaps that’s because ministers have been busy preparing speeches for the Labour Party faithful who have gathered in Wellington for the party’s ...
Alarm bells have been rung by the department after its Deputy Director-General for Operations warns, ‘the initial view shows that we do not have sufficient funding to cover our basic running costs’.Thomas Cranmer writes – Following last week’s budget, alarm bells have been rung by the Department ...
Luxon went after the NIMBY vote, declaring National’s 2021 bipartisan deal with Labour to make it much easier to put three townhouses on a regular section ‘wrong’. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: The week’s news in Aotearoa’s political economy I covered via The Kākā for subscribers included:The Labour ...
Hello! This is the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the week.Here’s what you may have missed.Last Sunday’s column was about the budget A big chunk of this year’s budget coverage was brought to us by the words crass, gauche and venal. The big questions ...
Hi,Usually Webworms are quite focussed — this one is the opposite. No rhyme or reason. A bit like my brain: sometimes ultra-focussed, other times utterly unable to settle on a goddamn thing. And as we head into the weekend, there are a bunch of things buzzing around in my head ...
The Mainstream Media, and especially the New Zealand Herald, regularly carry misinformed columns on the causes of the country’s low-grade economic performance over recent years. One old codger, John Gascoigne, who describes himself as “a Cambridge-based economic commentator” (not the university, alas!) correctly told us early this week that New ...
The Treasury released its budget economic forecasts. What do they say about the economy over the next four months?Let me begin me with an irritation. One post-budget headline was ‘Treasury optimistic over recession risk in Budget 2023'. Treasury being optimistic is almost an oxymoron. They fire down the centre.It is ...
1. Who most likely gave LOTO Luxon the idea to pull the rug on the urban density policy?a. A leading thinker on affordable housing b. A leading thinker on 15 minute cities c. A leading thinker on sustainable urban planning d. National-Party-supporting property developers2 . With what was this illustration made?a. Artificial inseminationb. ...
Buzz from the BeehivePoint of Order tallied $314.4 million of spending in the latest ministerial statements posted on the government’s official website. This includes a lump of money to – yes, really – help identify businesses in tourism and hospitality which treat their staffs well and to fund the ...
It’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for an hour from midday (my apologies for the late start today), including:the Government’s payment of $130 million of Climate Emergency Fund money to NZ Steel to help it cut ...
National/ACT would have 62 seats in a 120 seat Parliament if the latest poll results were replicated in the October election, but micro-movements around the median and the size of Te Pāti Māori’s caucus will decide who governs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National/ACT could govern alone after October ...
Welcome to Friday – again! Hard to believe we’re almost in June. Here’s our latest roundup of stories that caught our eye this week. The Week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Matt covered the transport highlights from this year’s Budget. On Tuesday, Matt asked if the end is ...
What should one make of the Reserve Bank Governor’s extraordinary donation of a hostage to fortune in forecasting an end to interest rate hikes? Conspiracy theorists will be scratching their tinfoil hats and mumbling about positioning for a whacking great payoff on being forced out by a new government. ...
Shocking The Pakeha: An entirely forgivable impulse, some might say, given how easily so many Pakeha are shocked. Merely to suggest that Te Tiriti o Waitangi should be taken seriously is sufficient to set some Pakeha off. Others are shocked by the inclusion of more than a word or two ...
National will be buoyed, and Labour possibly slightly depressed after last night’s One News Kantar poll. National and ACT on 48 per cent with 62 seats between them, enough to form a Government. Meanwhile, Labour was down one per cent to 35, and the Greens dropped four per cent ...
It’s been an eventful week for the New Zealand economy. On one side, the Reserve Bank was seen as putting the brakes on the Official Cash Rate, with a 25 basis points increase heralded as good news for mortgage-holders. On another, NZ’s record current account deficit is seen as posing ...
Luxon told voters in Birkenhead yesterday that the Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS) that his deputy Nicola Willis shaped with Labour Housing Minister Megan Woods in 2021 were a mistake. File photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR:National Leader Christopher Luxon looks set to abandon within weeks the ...
I have already found four different reasons today to walk down into the village, enjoy the blue sky and belated Autumn sun and put off writing, again, about the leader of the opposition. But here it comes anyway, because this guy —this policy dimwit on issues ranging from universality to ...
Yesterday EECA launched its usual winter energy-saving campaign. Normally this is aimed at reducing energy usage, to reduce the risk of a blackout. If successful, it also reduces spot-market prices, so also reducing whining at the government from big corporate users. But this year, someone had the brilliant idea of ...
In the second episode of our podcast this year, Selwyn Manning and I discuss the stability and near-term future prospects for Vladimir Putin’s regime in Russia. All is not well. ...
Yesterday marked the third anniversary of Sinead Boucher’s acquisition of Stuff but questions still remain unanswered about the media group’s governance structure and the identity of its backers.Thomas Cranmer writes – As the general election looms, the media will play an increasingly critical role in presenting ...
Buzz from the Beehive Budget 2023 continues to provide grist for the mills of ministerial spin doctors charged with drawing favourable attention to the government’s largesse. Goodies generated by Defence appropriations in budgets past are winning headlines today, too. Defence Minister Andrew Little has been enthusing about the arrival of ...
Yikes. If either Donald Trump or Florida governor Ron De Santis win next year’s presidential contest with Joe Biden, the commander-in-chief of the world’s greatest nuclear arsenal will be beholden to millions of voters who expect Armageddon to occur during their lifetimes. Unfortunately, the Republican Party is being led by ...
It’s been a hard season for New Zealand’s dairy farmers, on which the country’s export economy so heavily depends, but the big co-op Fonterra has delivered a cheering message to the cowsheds this week. The news on the payout for the season just ending may not be so cheerful, ...
This story by Katie Myers was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here. This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Spring fire season is a regular occurrence in the eastern U.S. It’s not nearly as dramatic as what’s seen ...
Back in March we learnt about the change in cost and timeline for the City Rail Link. An article in the Herald the other day brought the issue of the timeline back up again Auckland’s $5.5 billion City Rail Link (CRL) will not open until sometime in 2026 or later, ...
If I asked you what was likely to be on the news tonight what would you say?Something about the cost of living, could be. Or the war in the Ukraine, probably. A report of terrible weather on the way - yeah, that’s a good bet too. How about one on ...
Reserve Bank Governor and the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee yesterday ended up at odds with National’s Finance spokesperson, Nicola Willis, over whether the Budget was inflationary. Willis said it was. The exchange is looking like a significant test of Willis’s economic credibility. The MPS statement and the Governor’s media ...
A bit of googling was necessary to find out about Galatea School – Te Kura o Kuhawaea. Its website says it is a small rural school, opened in 1935 and nestled under the Te Urewera Ranges, opened in 1935, among lush green dairy farms and beside various forest plantations. It ...
On behalf of everyone at Zoo Miami, please accept our most sincere apology to the New Zealand National Party of New Zealand and the proud people of the LinkedIn tribe. It stunned us all to learn that Kiwi Chris the Robot Politician was in fact an actual person.This was not at ...
On behalf of everyone at Zoo Miami, please accept our most sincere apology to the New Zealand National Party of New Zealand and the proud people of the LinkedIn tribe. It stunned us all to learn that Kiwi Chris the Robot Politician was in fact an actual person.This was not at ...
Buzz from the Beehive Money was profusely flowing or generously being committed in a raft of ministerial announcements and speeches over the past 24 hours. If we tallied all the dollar signs in all the new press statements on the government’s official website, billions would be involved. But in some ...
A much better alternative than cash in consumers’ pockets would be emissions-reducing vouchers or spending that effectively ‘buys’ even more emissions reductions through, for example, bigger discounts on public transport and electric bikes, solar panel installation vouchers and discounted energy-efficient appliances and lights. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / T… ...
Hi all,I’ve been getting lots of nice feedback about my newsletter from yesterday, Laughing with Donkeys. Which is nice, but feels a bit sad considering most people can only read the first part of it. I was particularly keen to share the end of Jacinda’s WHO speech as it summed ...
Hi,I’ve been on the phone to Miami all morning. After a bunch of emails overnight, I called Miami Zoo’s media department first thing, who told me I needed to talk to the mayor of Miami. Apparently “big” zoo business was dealt with by the mayor. So I called the City ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
We attended a funeral last night in the comfort of our own lounge. It was for Logan Roy who is, when the eulogies are all said and done, only an imaginary character. But then again, aren’t we all to some extent imaginary characters?Such eulogies they were. Only the Succession subtitles ...
Paul Krugman's column today talks about the economics of increased working from home. The primary benefit? People don't have to waste a huge portion of their lives commuting. And while this is difficult to quantify, the impact is huge: it’s not hard to make the case that the overall ...
The Parliament Protests and the Posie Parker Rally have exposed the extent to which the Police frontline is under-resourced and under-funded.Thomas Cranmer writes – Soaring levels of crime and high profile protests at Parliament and the Posie Parker rally have made policing a political hot topic ...
Buzz from the Beehive It was tempting – for a moment – to suggest Rachel Brooking become an Associate Minister of Finance to keep Grant Robertson on the straight and narrow. The temptation was triggered by Brooking’s speech (as Associate Minister for the Environment) to the WasteMINZ conference in Hamilton, ...
If net migration keeps pounding along at a rate of over 100,000 per year the implications for the economy, residential land prices, interest rates and Government borrowing will be profound. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Stronger-than-forecast net migration and population growth looks set to make Labour’s last Budget before ...
Chris Hipkins is blazing his way through New Zealand’s foreign policy. The New Zealand Prime Minister’s fast-but-furious visit to Papua New Guinea this week – which saw Hipkins spend just 23 hours in Port Moresby, the PNG capital – was the PM’s fourth such rapid international trip since he took ...
It sometimes occurs to me. When I’m thinking what to write about. That I spend an awful lot of time reading about idiotic things that idiots have said.The radio, the news, social media. You look at the content coming out and it makes you remember not to swim at a ...
Thirty-six years ago, almost to the day, after he launched Fiji’s first military coup in 1987, the now-elected Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, yesterday awarded the Prime Minister of India Fiji’s highest honour. That 1987 coup was targeted against a Labour government which contained Indian Ministers and led to fears ...
It has been a while since I last did a write up of my D&D shenanigans. Part of it has been motivation, part of it has been that the more interesting stuff has been in the form of one-shots, rather than long campaigns. I actually DMed a three session ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). The Last of Us tells the story of a fungal zombie apocalypse... triggered by climate change. So could this kind of ...
‘No one cares’: 25-year-old with extensive family cancer history can’t access genetic testing That’s the headline on a Stuff report which alerted the public to the experiences of a woman who was pregnant with her first baby when she found out she was likely to be at higher risk of ...
The National Party has released another confused and rushed policy that will only further worsen the inequality that is driven by unaffordable housing. ...
Welcome to sunny and calm Wellington, which I know those of you who are visiting would of course expect to be the case. It’s been a busy week since we put forward the 2023 Budget. Labour MPs have been out across the motu giving the good oil on the Budget. ...
Kia orana, Talofa lava, Mālo e lelei, Taloha ni, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Noa’ia e mauri, Ni sa bula vinaka, Kia ora, Tena Koutou Katoa. Labour Party President Jill Day, Prime Minister Hipkins, Party faithful, delegates and comrades, whānau and friends, it’s a privilege to be here today. I begin my ...
One of my kaumātua up North stood before the Waitangi Tribunal and said: ‘He aha kē ahau, te tangata kore hara i mua i te Atua, e tu nei kia whakawaatia e koe, te tangata tāhae, te tangata hara, te tangata kore tikanga?Ko koe kē te tika, kia tū ...
New Zealanders will be highly concerned that the World Health Organisation proposes to effectively take control of independent decision making away from sovereign countries and place control with the Director General. W.H.O International Health Regulations on future outbreaks of disease aim to give the Director General extraordinary and wide-sweeping powers. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take responsibility for reducing inflation by taxing wealth instead of leaving RBNZ to continue hiking the Official Cash Rate. ...
The Green Party has released its list of candidates for the 2023 election. With a mix of familiar faces, fresh new talent, and strong tangata whenua voices, this exceptional group of candidates are ready to set the direction of the next Government. ...
Thank you for your invitation to be here, after yesterday's budget, and for the opportunity to talk with you. In the economic and social turmoil following the arrival of COVID 19 in New Zealand many concerns emerged. How would we keep our economy going and maintain our exports which are ...
At the heart of Budget 2023 is a cost of living package, designed to ease the pressure on New Zealanders in the face of global inflation and the challenges of rebuilding from extreme weather events. It provides practical cost of living relief across some of the core expenses facing Kiwis ...
A long standing Green Party policy has been extended yet again in this year’s Budget. This will deliver warmer homes for thousands of people, lower power bills, and cut climate pollution. ...
The Green Party is fully on board with free bus and train travel for under 12s and half price travel for under 25s - next stop, free travel for all under 18s, students, and apprentices. ...
The Green Party welcomes today’s release of the report of the Ministerial Inquiry into slash and sediment, and are clear that the forestry industry must foot more of the bill. ...
When Chris Hipkins appeared on the BBC’sSunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he described himself as a “technical republican”. At least it was clearer than when he stumbled over what a woman is. In theblue corner, the other “Chris” said, “New Zealand will become a republic, eventually.” Of course, they both supported ...
May is significant in the New Zealand parliamentary calendar, given the Minister of Finance delivers the Budget - a whopping $128 billion last year, over a third of our GDP. This year Grant Robertson is riding a unicycle on a tightrope. The sugar rush is over but will he still ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs (Pacific Region) Carmel Sepuloni will represent New Zealand at Samoa’s 61st Anniversary of Independence commemorations in Apia. “Aotearoa New Zealand is pleased to share in this significant occasion, alongside other invited Pacific leaders, and congratulates Samoa on the milestone of 61 ...
The Government is continuing to support retailers with additional funding for the highly popular Fog Cannon Subsidy Scheme, Police and Small Business Minister Ginny Andersen announced today. “The Government is committed to improving retailers’ safety,” Ginny Andersen said. “I’ve seen first-hand the difference fog cannons are making. Not only do ...
The Government has received the first independent review of the Intelligence and Security Act 2017, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says. The review, considered by the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee, was presented to the House of Representatives today. “Ensuring the safety and security of New Zealanders is of the utmost ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has expressed condolences on behalf of New Zealand to the Kingdom of Tonga following the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili. “New Zealand sends it’s heartfelt condolences to the people of Tonga, and to His Majesty King Tupou VI at this time ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has expressed condolences on behalf of New Zealand to the Kingdom of Tonga following the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili. “New Zealand sends it’s heartfelt condolences to the people of Tonga, and to His Majesty King Tupou VI at this time ...
Defence Minister Andrew Little and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta have today announced the extension of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) deployment to Solomon Islands, as part of the regionally-led Solomon Islands International Assistance Force (SIAF). “Aotearoa New Zealand has a long history of working alongside the Royal Solomon ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will travel to the Republic of Korea today to attend the Korea–Pacific Leaders’ Summit in Seoul and Busan. “Korea is an important partner for Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific region. I am eager for the opportunity to meet and discuss issues that matter to our ...
Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor joined ministerial representatives at a meeting in Detroit, USA today to announce substantial conclusion of negotiations of a new regional supply chains agreement among 14 Indo-Pacific countries. The Supply Chains agreement is one of four pillars being negotiated within the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework ...
Our most spoken Pacific language is taking centre stage this week with Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa – Samoa Language Week kicking off around the country. “Understanding and using the Samoan language across our nation is vital to its survival,” Barbara Edmonds said. “The Samoan population in New Zealand are ...
Over 90 per cent of New Zealanders are expected to receive this year’s nationwide test of the Emergency Mobile Alert system tonight between 6-7pm. “Emergency Mobile Alert is a tool that can alert people when their life, health, or property, is in danger,” Kieran McAnulty said. “The annual nationwide test ...
ENGLISH: Whakatōhea and the Crown sign Deed of Settlement A Deed of Settlement has been signed between Whakatōhea and the Crown, 183 years to the day since Whakatōhea rangatira signed the Treaty of Waitangi, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little has announced. Whakatōhea is an iwi based in ...
Elizabeth Longworth has been appointed as the Chair of the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, Associate Minister of Education Jo Luxton announced today. UNESCO is the United Nations agency responsible for promoting cooperative action among member states in the areas of education, science, culture, social science (including peace and ...
Tourism and hospitality employer accreditation scheme to recognise quality employers Better education and career opportunities in tourism Cultural competency to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces Innovation and technology acceleration to drive satisfying, skilled jobs Strengthening our tourism workers and supporting them into good career pathways, pay and working conditions ...
Tourism and hospitality employer accreditation scheme to recognise quality employers Better education and career opportunities in tourism Cultural competency to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces Innovation and technology acceleration to drive satisfying, skilled jobs Strengthening our tourism workers and supporting them into good career pathways, pay and working conditions ...
Greater access to primary care, including 193 more front line clinical staff More hauora services and increased mental health support Boost for maternity and early years programmes Funding for cancers, HIV and longer term conditions Greater access to primary care, improved maternity care and mental health support are ...
Greater access to primary care, including 193 more front line clinical staff More hauora services and increased mental health support Boost for maternity and early years programmes Funding for cancers, HIV and longer term conditions Greater access to primary care, improved maternity care and mental health support are ...
The Government continues progress on the survivor-led independent redress system for historic abuse in care, with the announcement of the design and advisory group members today. “The main recommendation of the Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Abuse in Care interim redress report was for a survivor-led independent redress system, and the ...
Aotearoa New Zealand is providing NZ$7.75 million to respond to urgent humanitarian needs in the Horn of Africa, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The Horn of Africa is experiencing its most severe drought in decades, with five consecutive failed rainy seasons. At least 43.3 million people require lifesaving and ...
Health Minister Ayesha Verrall has opened two new state-of-the-art mental health facilities at the Christchurch Hillmorton Hospital campus, as the Government ramps up its efforts to build a modern fit for purpose mental health system. The buildings, costing $81.8 million, are one of 16 capital projects the Government has funded ...
The Government is continuing to invest in our regional economies by announcing another $24 million worth of investment into ten diverse projects, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan says. “Our regions are the backbone of our economy and today’s announcement continues to build on the Government’s investment to boost regional economic ...
An $8 million boost to New Zealand Māori Tourism will help operators insulate themselves for the future. Spread over the next four years, the investment acknowledges the on-going challenges faced by the industry and the significant contribution Māori make to tourism in Aotearoa. It builds on the $15 million invested ...
Defence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the first 18 Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles for the New Zealand Army, alongside personnel at Trentham Military Camp today. “The arrival of the Bushmaster fleet represents a significant uplift in capability and protection for defence force personnel, and a milestone in ...
Aotearoa New Zealand is providing NZ$3.5 million to help meet urgent humanitarian needs in Sudan, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The severe fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has had devastating impacts for civilians. At least 705 people have been killed and 5,287 injured. ...
Repairing a Hawke’s Bay organic composting facility devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle is among the latest waste reduction projects getting Government backing, Associate Environment Minister Rachel Brooking announced today. “Helping communities get back on their feet after the devastating weather that hit the northern parts of the country this year is ...
About 6,100 more GP, community nurses and kaiāwhina will be eligible for pay rises of 8% on average to reduce pay disparities with nurses in hospitals, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. The top up comes from a $200 million fund established to remove pay disparities between nurses ...
New Jobs and Skills Hub to begin construction in Hawke’s Bay The Hub will support the building of $1.1billion worth of homes in the region and support Cyclone Gabrielle rebuild and recovery. Over 2,200 people have been supported into industry specific employment, apprenticeships and training, by these Hubs across NZ ...
Tēnā koutou e nga maata waka. Kia koutou te mana whenua tēnā koutou Ngā mate huhua o te waa, haere, haere, haere atu ra. Hoki mai kia tātou te kanohi ora e tau nei, Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. Tēnā koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te ...
The Government has launched a new tool to help small business owner-operators manage and improve their mental wellbeing, Small Business Minister Ginny Andersen announced today. The Brave in Business e-Learning series is another tool the Government has delivered to support small businesses with their mental health and wellbeing. “A pandemic, ...
Minister for Racing Kieran McAnulty has announced the approval of a 25-year partnership between TAB NZ and UK betting company Entain that delivers at least $900 million in guaranteed funding for the racing industry over the next five years. Entain, a UK based group that operates multiple sports betting providers ...
The Government has delivered the first of three significant water security projects in Northland, boosting regional business and climate resilience, with the opening of Matawii reservoir today, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced. A $68 million Government investment supported the construction of the reservoir, along with two other water storage ...
Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor will travel to Detroit tomorrow to represent New Zealand at the annual APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting from 24 – 29 May. Whilst in Detroit, Damien O’Connor will also host a meeting of Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Ministers ...
I want to start by thanking Ngāi Tahu and the Murihiku Regeneration Collective for hosting us here today. Back at the Science and Innovation Wananga in 2021, I said that a just transition in New Zealand must ensure Iwi are at the table. This is just as true now as ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta today announced the appointment of diplomat Dr James Waite as Aotearoa New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Mongolia. He is currently the Deputy Head of Mission at the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing, a role he will continue to hold. “New Zealand and Mongolia share a warm and ...
Biggest-ever investment in property with more money for new sites and modernisation Roll-out of learning support coordination in kaupapa Māori and Māori Medium Schooling Boost in funding for iwi and schools to work together on Local Histories content Substantial support for Māori Education has continued in Budget 2023, including ...
Applications for the next round of Creatives in Schools will open on Friday 16 June 2023, Minister of Education Jan Tinetti and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni announced today during a visit at Te Wharekura o Mauao in Tauranga. “The Creatives in Schools programme funds schools and ...
Tena koutou katoa and thank you all for being here and welcoming me to your annual conference. I want to acknowledge being here in Tainui’s rohe, and the mana of Kingi Tuheitia. I hate waste. So much so that when we built our home in Dunedin, I banned the use ...
Southland’s Just Transition is getting a further boost to help future-proof the region and build its economic resilience, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods announced today. “This Government is committed to supporting Southland’s just transition and reducing the region’s reliance on the New Zealand Aluminium Smelter at Tiwai Point,” Megan ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has concluded a series of successful international meetings with Pacific region leaders in Papua New Guinea. Prime Minister Hipkins secured constructive bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, PNG Prime Minister James Marape, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and United States Secretary of ...
On Friday 19th May, Minister Tinetti facilitated a meeting between NZEI and PPTA with the Ministry of Education to discuss options for finding a way forward in the current stalled collective bargaining. The meeting was constructive, and the parties shared a willingness to work towards a solution. The following was ...
Eighty-nine households will soon benefit from secure, renewable, and more affordable energy as five community-level energy projects are about to get underway, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods announced today. Five solar projects – in Whangārei, Tauranga, Palmerston North and Christchurch – are the first to receive funding from the ...
By Todagia Kelola in Port Moresby Papua New Guinea lawyer and businessman Paul Paraka has been found guilty of misappropriating K162 million (NZ$75 million) belonging to the state. Criminal track judge Justice Teresa Berrigan, in a comprehensive and detailed judgment in 114 pages, found him guilty on all five charges ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Tokelau’s largest atoll, Nukunonu, is now out of lockdown after experiencing its first community cases of covid-19. In a statement, the government said Fakaofo Atoll has had two cases at the border and Nukunonu now has six positive community cases — all within the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martin Drum, Lecturer Politics and International Relations, University of Notre Dame Australia One of the most dominant premiers in recent Australian political history, Mark McGowan, has resigned as Western Australian premier and the member for Rockingham. Put simply, McGowan has dominated WA ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jared Mondschein, Director of Research, US Studies Centre, University of Sydney Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP/AAP Congress appears to be on the cusp of passing legislation that would not only avoid an unprecedented US government default – and economic catastrophe – but ...
While some say the move will help preserve culture and heritage, others are concerned about what it could mean for the future of New Zealand's cities. ...
While some say the move will help preserve culture and heritage, others are concerned about what it could mean for the future of New Zealand's cities. ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says he has deliberately kept out of the investigation into the former minister, but the reviewer has asked for a couple more weeks. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Aaron Bunch/AAP Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has announced he is quitting as premier and leaving parliament. In a shock announcement, McGowan told a news conference in Perth on Monday he had ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. The topic of financial debt is one of the hardest for humans to get their heads around. The normal understanding of a debt is a sacrifice made by one party (the owner of the debt) in favour of another party (the ower) which will be remedied ...
The final ever episode of Succession will be hitting Neon at 7pm tonight, just a few hours after it’s finished airing in the US. Right now, Twitter is a Succession spoiler minefield. My feed is currently made up of news, clips of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour… and Succession spoilers. ...
The government’s announced an additional $11 million to extend the fog cannon subsidy scheme, which the police minister said has given shop workers peace of mind during a spate of retail crime. So far there have been 582 installations completed, said Ginny Andersen, with 1,664 applications approved. “The scheme has ...
Reports a Work and Income staffer brought “fake meth” to a “cultural diversity” morning tea add to the argument for an inquiry into the agency, said a Green Party MP. The Spinoff first reported today that a worker at the Hornby branch of Work and Income had taken bags labelled ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dee Ninis, Earthquake Geologist, Monash University Report locations from people who felt the Sunbury earthquake on May 28.Geoscience Australia Last night at 11:41pm local time, the greater Melbourne region was shaken by a magnitude 4.0 earthquake – as calculated by the ...
The prospect of your first marae stay can be daunting, but go in armed with Airena Ngarewa’s top tips and you’ll come out feeling like a pro. Noho marae are a fundamental part of many Māori haerenga, whether you are preparing for the stage, learning the reo or simply trying ...
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I see that TOP has clambered onto the "antifreeze" bandwagon (https://www.top.org.nz/thaw_the_freeze). However they fail to acknowledge:
1. That the freeze is temporary – 3 years in the case of $100k+ salaries, and 1 year in the case of salaries between $60k and $100k,
2. The freeze does not apply to salaries below $60k, and
3. It comes in the wake of a large amount of QE, together with an expectation of rising interest rates; not to mention rising house prices.
I think TOP should get their facts right before coming out with this sort of nonsense.
this is old news from 5 days again.
yawn.
Why would a qualified nurse or teacher choose to come to NZ instead of Australia?
Because Australia is full of Australians?
Slightly less flippantly, talking to recent immigrant teachers at my kids' school, we in NZ have a reputation for being a bit less shitty to immigrants than Australia is. At least to white immigrants that speak English well, that is.
Also, outdoor recreation activities in available in New Zealand were much more appealing to my examples than what is available in Oz. Though since these conversations were with teachers at school camps, that's a heavily biased sample.
Possibly single young teachers and nurses prefer Australia to NZ because they can earn more.
I do not want NZ to lose the teachers and nurses we have here due to the lower pay levels.
Police and social workers are having to work a lot harder as well. Nurses and teachers also work hard.
The government was naive to think they could retain the above occupations with a warped wage freeze or entice those professions to NZ.
Climate lifestyle friendliness of the locals.
I'm sure that almost everyone would consider a 3 year freeze to be anything but "temporary" as you describe it.
Why, and when, do you expect interest rates to rise? You say that 'with an expectation of rising interest rates; not to mention rising house prices. ' whereas TOP do not expect that to happen. If the freeze was to work they say that "with reduced spending, the Reserve Bank will keep interest rates low, and house prices will continue to rise". Why should the interest rates rise if the wage freeze works?
There would seem to be rather more logic in the TOP argument that low interest rates will lead to higher house prices rather than your own statement that rising interest rates will lead to rising prices.
It used to be a well known fable that government borrowing consumed the countries savings and leads to higher interest rates. This narrative was even offered a number of times by the previous National prime minister (as a justification for under funding public services). But it appears TOP have figured out that actually its the RBNZ which decides what interest rates are suitable.
does this sound like the final solution ?
There is a number of reports from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, i.e.
https://www.unrwa.org/userfiles/201006109359.pdf
that would give some insight of the historical issues between Israel and the Palistinians but also of the middle eastern region.
As for the comments by Netanyahu at a news conference were that he will not rest until all is quiet in Gaza (or in that vain), will of cause help him politically right now given the internal problems in Israel and the price is paid in, yes yet again… innocent blood. 1/3 of the death are children. Go figure.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/13/violence-and-mayhem-offer-benjamin-netanyahu-refuge-israel-palestinians
No; Francesca & Anker, there are significant differences between the current IDF war crimes, and the systematic murder of approximately 20 million unarmed civilians and PoWs in the holocaust (6 million jewish in the Shoah sub-holocaust, which they are still a bit sensitive about). Such comparisons are just inviting today's OM to devolve into accusations of antisemitism. If you have to Godwin yourself, then Kristallnacht might be a better comparison. Though you are not short of other historical (non-nazi) atrocities to choose from. Parihaka comes to mind for an Aotearoan example.
Also, I can't see that Gantz quote in the text of the CBS article the Guardian references. It may be in one of the video clips, but so undoubtedly are lots of footage of the dead and wounded. That is one time I am not inclined to seek out the primary source! This is the closest I could find:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-palestinian-gaza-strikes-increase-likely/
Biden is going to have to do more than mouth empty concern soon, if he doesn't want people (maybe even some Democrat senators who he needs on his side) to start questioning all the US military aid to Israel. It looks like nothing will happen on that until tomorrow (NY Sunday) though:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/15/isolated-biden-in-bid-to-forge-un-consensus-on-conflict
I'm referring mainly to the intention of the bombing, which is to snuff out resistance
And from your CBS link
You are right on that, Fransesca! End of the second sentence of the second paragraph. I didn't see it on first skim-through, and a ctrl-f search for "Gantz" only turned up the later quote, – I should have copy/ pasted "total, long term quiet" instead. Also, it was the Guardian's CBS link rather than something I hunted out myself (actually hypertexted in your own quote – so I could've got there via that if I realized earlier and left my own link out).
Comparing Gaza situation to Parihaka; Gaza has been a sore spot for 50 years. Parihaka was one important centre of Maori settlement and culture, Gaza is the main city for the vast majority of the Palestinians. But true to say that Gaza and Parihaka are both atrocities on vulnerable people by a dominant armed and aggressive force.
Are we going to ask for sanctions against Israel for this? What will appease them for the dreadful happenings in WW2, would it be enough if the Middle East could come to terms with them as a precursor to giving Palestinians their own country?
I am not sure how many atrocities have been committed against Jews over the centuries, but after the shock of being ejected from Spain and then Poland, it's no wonder that they wanted a country they could call their own, see brief History early to 2010:
Some Jews, a Judaean tribe from the Levant, migrated to Europe just before the rise of the Roman Empire. A notable early event in the history of the Jews in the Roman Empire was Pompey's conquest of Judea beginning in 63 BCE, although Alexandrian Jews had migrated to Rome before this event.
The pre-World War II Jewish population of Europe is estimated to have been close to 9 million, or 57% of Jews worldwide. Around 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, which was followed by the emigration of much of the surviving population.
The Jewish population of Europe in 2010 was estimated to be approximately 1.4 million (0.2% of European population) or 10% of the world's Jewish population. In the 21st century, France has the largest Jewish population in Europe, followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia and Ukraine.
Being banished from your home after centuries of residence in Spain on the whim of royalty after being excellent citizens must have been a huge shock causing despair in Jewish hearts.
The Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain refers to a period of history during the Muslim rule of Iberia in which Jews were generally accepted in society and Jewish religious, cultural and economic life blossomed. This "Golden Age" is variously dated from the 8th to 12th centuries.
Spanish Inquisition – Sultan Bayezid II sent Kemal Reis to save the Arabs and Sephardic Jews of Spain from the Spanish Inquisition in 1492, and granted them permission to settle in the Ottoman Empire, (…since Jews in 1492,,,had been banished from Spain).
The Spanish Inquisition was established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms and was under the direct control of the Spanish monarchy. It was not definitively abolished until 1834, during the reign of Isabel II….
The expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, as well as expulsion from Austria, Hungary and Germany, stimulated a widespread Jewish migration to the much more tolerant Poland. Indeed, with the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, Poland became the recognized haven for exiles from the rest of Europe; and the resulting accession to the ranks of Polish Jewry made it the cultural and spiritual center of the Jewish people in Europe.
And I have not referred to Hungary, another important centre. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Europe
Gaza building destruction. News reports say these buildings are being destroyed by rockets, yet the way the fall look like controlled demolitions?. Certainly they fall cleanly, lucky that a rocket can be so accurate to take out a building in that fashion
Wow; aj, that's a blast from the past! I haven't read about "controlled demolitions" conjectures since the conspiracy theorists moved on from the 2001 September 11th attacks on the USA. Who do you reckon it was behind this fiendish plot ; the Illuminati, Elvis, or shape-shifting aliens?
Not at all, it just seems weird that a rocket or two can do that to a building. Have a look at some of the footage. We know they can be very accurate so it's probably just that – highly accurate.
I have mentioned before in today's OM that video images of warzones are the one kind of primary source that I take care to avoid. So I will leave it up to the UN inspection teams to make their assessments in due course (having civil engineering expertise which I lack). Hopefully sooner rather than later.
https://mobile.twitter.com/AJEnglish/status/1393548304852606977
Trying to pin the correct video down…
https://twitter.com/i/status/1393548304852606977
There is plenty of room for scepticism with respect to 9/11, the report after all was assembled by the same less-than-remarkably-truthful political clique that determined there were WMDs in Fallujah, and was notably lacking physical evidence.
The use of controlled demolitions against occupied populations is not unprecedented.
The Masons ?
I realise that this is what passes for an attempt at humour on your part, but it is, I feel, misguided.
Some atrocities, like the Moscow Bombings, or 9/11, or the Gunpowder Plot for that matter, are almost unimaginable betrayals, were they perpetrated by the authorities.
Rather than discounting the possibility, the evidence must be examined carefully. Anyone who lived through Rogergnomics in NZ has learned that a significant proportion of those in power at any time may well be raging sociopaths.
Not sure your comment really follows.
Lidice was destroyed as retaliation, they didn't pretend someone else did it.
911 and the current events have a clear and pretty well documented cause (planes filmed flying into buildings / hamas claiming they fired rockets) and plausible effect (buildings damaged to the point of collapse).
I'm not trying to draw a parallel with 9/11 at all, more with Lidice.
If it transpired that IDF had undertaken controlled demolitions, by the use of dust charges perhaps, rather than exclusively missile or smart bomb strikes, I would not be at all surprised – though it would evaporate the notional figleaf of targeting cells of combatants or whatever the pretext is for current action.
We had a long discussion a couple of years back about 9/11 – and I consider the report of the commission at best rudimentary. Absent physical evidence I'm unlikely to revise that view.
Dust charges ? … of course why is it no one else can see it.
In these terrible circumstances its about time you were called out as fruit loop.
In these terrible circumstances its about time you were called out as fruit loop.
Let me remind you of the Standard policy on gaslighting.
Respect, Stuart, that was superb self-moderation!
It would help if you leave out the personal insults; some react badly to it and it can quickly descend into a flame war, which I don’t find ironic in the slightest given the topic of conversation.
It would also help if you add some info about the image such as what, where, when and who took the photo.
Yes , I worded that badly.
The picture was from Times Of Israel with the caption
Palestinians inspect destroyed buildings following overnight Israeli airstrikes in Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip, May 14, 2021
I used this one because it shows the central crater common to these large israeli bombs and the obliteration in immediate area from blast including wrecked structural concrete.
The 'dust explosions' have lighter damage around, mostly light facades, windows and roof sheeting. I had a holiday job when I was a student in a factory processing wheat for flour and starch. They said if you hear the fire alarm, run…dont walk out. This below is dust explosion with no crater and heavier structures nearby still standing
We understand of course, that you are as ignorant of dust charges as a prior discussion showed you were of superconductivity.
The principle is explained here.
Although contemporary use is more commonly delivered by air as FAE strikes, dust charges have long been popular for military demolitions, being effective against buildings, and not requiring detailed examination of building structure or very precise siting of the charge, lending them to reasonably rapid deployment, especially when retreating.
Your picture could have been the result of any number of different forms of explosive attacks, including charges placed by ground forces.
Thermobaric weapons arent 'dust explosions' which rely on say fine flour dust or similar to rapidly burn from ignition point
Your previous comments were 'dust charges' which is absurd as these large high explosive bombs have been commonly shown in screen grabs from video of them falling onto the buildings that then explode
That superciliousness never gets old does it?
In the context of military demolitions, dust charges are not absurd – rather they are perfectly ordinary.
from the link I gave you, which you evidently chose not to read:
They are, however, considerably more destructive when used against field fortifications such as foxholes, tunnels, bunkers, and caves
It's good that you know about flour mill explosions
The 'dust explosions' have lighter damage around, mostly light facades, windows and roof sheeting
but these are accidental or inadvertent uses of the principle. A deliberate military use will tend to be more destructive.
Thermobaric is fuel-air , not a dust explosion
Pictures of one 3 Israeli large HEbombsheading to the media tower in Gaza a few days ago
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/05/16/19/43022524-9584835-Gaza_The_bomb_seen_hurtling_towards_the_building_Jawad_Mehdi_the-a-14_1621189551319.jpg
@ ghostwhowalksnz
I worked in a flour factory
Oh well – that must make you an authority on military demolitions.
Those pastries will never know what hit them.
I love the way you take the mantle of expertise on subjects on which you are, and choose to remain, shamefully ignorant.
But moving past your fatuous trolling to the demolition of civilian dwellings and infrastructure such as a functioning media centre.
The use of house demolition under international law is today governed by the Fourth Geneva Convention, enacted in 1949, which protects non-combatants in occupied territories. Article 53 provides that "Any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons … is prohibited."[42] In its accompanying commentaries, the International Committee of the Red Cross refers to demolition only being justified by "imperative military requirements", which the Convention itself distinguishes from security considerations. The ICRC has clarified that the term "military operations" refers only to "movements, maneuvers, and other action taken by the armed forces with a view to fighting" and does not cover action undertaken as a punishment. In a further reservation, the ICRC regards the tactic as legitimate only "where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations".
This, and not your suddenly acquired ersatz understanding of explosives, is the heart of the matter. It is why I instanced the destruction of Lidice, which was demolished, as the Israelis are demolishing buildings at present, as an illegal form of collective punishment.
Like I said I worked in a flour factory, so I knew very well what a dust explosion could do , clearly its a danger your head could face any minute.
So you're suggesting "controlled demolitions" of the buildings in Gaza?
Why sneak a team into enemy-controlled territory, place charges, and sneak out again? In order to pretend to drop a bomb on the buildings?
Or are you suggesting "controlled demolitions" of Israeli buildings in order to make the Hamas rockets look more powerful than they actually are? I can at least see a bit of a point to that version.
Whether they are achieved by bombardment or groundbased explosives, demolition is a fair description of what's happening in Gaza.
Ordinarily a force with the kind of power imbalance enjoyed by the Israelis would use ground teams because it's appreciably cheaper and usually much more controllable. Bombs can fall on wedding parties and the like, generating undesirable media responses. But Israel gets a lot of ordnance at low or no cost, some of it may finally be as accurate as claimed, and they may be expected to produce trial results for some items too.
"controlled demolitions" of Israeli buildings in order to make the Hamas rockets look more powerful than they actually are
I have no evidence for that. The Israeli government are not so scrupulous I would rule it out, but they are also pretty thick-skinned with regard to world opinion. Short of graphic slaughter of their own civilians they'd struggle to generate a sympathetic response that eclipsed the disproportionate casualties among Palestinians.
[citation needed]
The reference to Lidice is misleading, imo. Lidice was the killing of an entire population and destruction of their dwellings in a single act.
I believe the goal of Netenyahu (beyond immediate domestic political survival) is to continue the Palestinian diaspora to a point the ever-shrinking territory can be annexed. But part of this strategy is to make it difficult to report on the hardship on the ground so the Palestinians have difficulty getting international attention – hence the destruction of media offices.
War crimes? Yes. But not Lidice. More like what was done to the Armenians.
Part of the Lidice item is a demolition which the Nazis recorded for propaganda purposes. We don't have the full reel here, but about 2.30 you can see something of what they were about.
At a political level, the process resembles the Armenian genocide – but the demolition somewhat resembles Lidice – and the parallel ought to trouble the conscience of the perpetrators.
The main part of it was the murder of everyone in the village.
The Israelis are giving warnings to get out. That's their PR (and conscience) deniability.
citation required
The mk84 (2000lb) bomb comes in at around $3100 US when supplied to the US (other countries pay more – though Israel may not) the JDAM kit is quoted at anything from $17k to $40k – some of those being bulk deals or date back to 2011. So all-up around $50k US – pretty cheap really.
Presumably 500 kgs, give or take, of high explosives for tactical use, without the guidance or casing is somewhat cheaper – though not amazingly so.
The cost of the operation isn't just the explosives. It's the probability of loss of the delivery mechanism for those explosives.
Aircraft: no anti-air threat, precision placement, not much more complex than a training flight.
Ground team: at least half a dozen highly trained individuals who can slip into the heart of Gaza undetected with multiple car bombs (two people each bomb), then slip out again.
Cost: extensive training for the specific mission (would be a bugger for someone to park outside the wrong building), plus the cost of training each soldier and the probability of them being captured or killed in the mission.
Sure, losing a jet and pilot would be expensive, but the probability of that would be incredibly low.
Whereas, while the odds of a ground attack being sprung might be well less than 50% (for the sake of argument), the risk is non-trivial. To do what they can do anyway.
There was a bit of an anomaly about IDF presence in Gaza.
First they said they were present, then they said they were not.
Having largely taken out the alternative sources that could have confirmed the presence or absence, the official line invites a degree of scepticism.
But then announcing an incursion is not covert. Which your secret ground team would have needed to be, to avoid being mobbed.
I am not, and never have, posited a 'secret ground team'.
ok. But you did suggest that the building housing apartments and media offices may have been attacked by ground-delivered explosives, rather than simply by bombs dropped from aircraft, no?
Did the ground forces delivering the "dust charges" do so in IDF-branded vehicles that none of the watching media noticed or mentioned? Or were the "dust charges" delivered by FedEx?
Or were the "dust charges" delivered by FedEx?
Who knows – either the ground forces weren't there – official version – or they've gone off the radar so to speak. I'm sure the most moral army in the world can be trusted unsupervised – about as much as a US cop who switches off his camera.
Who knows? Well, if they existed either their camouflage is awesome or they were operating covertly and in secret.
Either way, the risk-adjusted penalty for failure is much higher for a ground team than just dropping bombs, which they said they did.
Israel restricts dual use materials, cement and reinforcing steel among them, from entering Gaza. Poorly constructed buildings tend to collapse with little prompting.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-08-15/gaza-needs-to-rebuild-yet-israel-controls-the-cement
"Rocket" is a general term used by the media to describe anything from a firework (a very small rocket) to an ICBM (a very, very big rocket).
Technically, a "rocket" is a device that is powered by the chemical reaction of liquid or solid fuel propellants (most likely including an oxidiser) to lift a payload that could be anything from a warhead to a spaceship. Additionally rockets that are not capable of leaving the earth atmosphere are unguided – sounding rockets, rocket pods on helicopter gunships or used by rocket artillery all being examples. Hence, Hamas launch "rockets" at Israel.
A "missile" is powered by any number of engine types – rocket, ramjet, turbojet, pulsejet or even hybrids of the above, has some sort of guidance system and has an explosive warhead, hence Israel uses "missiles" to shoot down "rockets."
The most likely weapons being used on buildings in Gaza will be neither of the above but rather guided bombs like the JDAM or Paveway series of laser and GPS guided weapons. These are kits bolted onto old fashioned "dumb" bombs that give them much improved accuracy and these guys are the ones that really pack a punch – up to 1000kg, more than enough for a few (when accurately and leisurely dropped from medium altitude against no opposition) to demolish a building.
Anyway, I wouldn't get too excited and build an entire world view/conspiracy theory based off a journalists inexact description of the cause of an explosion.
I don't have a conspiracy based world view. Apart from jfk of course.
Modern warfare precision bombing gps accuracy
Tunnels beneath the building could have stored explosives. The sooner the bombing stops, lives will be spared.
Sharing an hotel breakfast buffet with aircrew, apparently.
180 local cases. That’s what Taiwan’s Dr. Fauci, Chen Shih-chung just confirmed on TV today (May 15th). After holding out for wave after wave, containing each breach with citizen vigilance, contact tracing and cool-headed and coordinated government action, there is now uncontained community spread of COVID-19 in Taiwan. How did we get to here?
https://taipology.substack.com/p/how-taiwan-finally-fell
There but for fortune go we! history shows that the first wave or even the second is not the worst killer.
Singapore too, it seems several clustered centred around Changi Airport.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/more-testing-and-measures-at-changi-airport-as-covid-19-cluster-grows
So much for the magic bullet.
https://twitter.com/megtirrell/status/1392945389846863874
(CNN)One of the most vaccinated countries in the world is experiencing a Covid-19 outbreak.
While other nations struggle to secure enough vaccines, the Seychelles is in the enviable position of having already fully immunized more than 61.4% of the population.
But that hasn't been enough to stop the spread of Covid.
Over the past month, case numbers have been rising in the Indian Ocean archipelago, prompting authorities to impose restrictions in the country of 98,000 people. Data released Thursday shows there are more than 2,700 active cases.
Of the current active cases, 33% have been fully vaccinated, according to the Ministry of Health.
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/14/africa/seychelles-covid-vaccination-infection-intl-hnk-dst/index.html
i expect cases to go up in the US again with the removal of masks. The vaccine helps to make it less deadly, but one can still get it and still transmit it. But maybe that is the new growth sector of the future – covid outbreaks. s/
A roll up your sleeve future.
https://twitter.com/citlanx/status/1392113567390789633
That's a roll up your sleeves read there; Joe90! Though the google scholar link downloads a pdf rather than online pages. I won't pretend to follow all the calculations, but some of the assumptions are a little suspect.
In particular, based largely off patterns with previous coronaviruses epidemics, they put both the: Loss rate of sterilizing, and partial, immunity at 1/2 per year. While more recent research shows that these values may be unduly pessimistic, at least with known variants and the Pfizer (Comirnaty) vaccine. Further viral mutation leading to new Variants of Concern will probably require at least a third, though not necessarily yearly shots:
https://www.clinicaltrialsarena.com/comment/pfizer-biontechs-covid-19-vaccine-not-expected-to-require-a-booster-in-6-12-months-variant-of-concern-specific-shot-preferred/
Ive had 5 in last year and havent even had the Covid one yet.
2 flu- separate years, 2 others which were some sort of catchup of vaccines past and 1 pneumonia ( which I jumped in early last year once it was clear a lot people were dying from secondary pneumonia)
Its like having dental xrays, just a thing you do as necessary
"But that hasn't been enough to stop the spread of Covid." [Seychelles]
Thats because you are doing cut and pastes without any understanding, Seychelles is a tourist country and those arriving for holiday and testing positive are counted as in community.
Its getting ludicrous for the cut and pasters, people who couldnt read beyond the first paragraph in scientific medical paper are like magpies with some shiny object when they swoop on a pre publication paper that hasnt even been peer reviewed.
Do you know which vaccines are being used and how effective are they?
From the link at 5.2.1:
As for efficacy, that rather depends on what studies you look at. Possibly relating to variant specificity (with different geographical areas), as well as dose interval period:
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/why-interval-between-covishield-doses-has-been-raised-to-8-weeks-7240465/
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1223468.shtml
The problem is that these are all interim results against a mutating virus, so may not be entirely predictive for new variants. Also, to be blunt; whether you can trust the results from drug companies who have a profit motive to inflate their stated efficacy. As for Sputnik 5 (or S5light), the Russian's unwillingness to release their data (and some suspiciously fabricated looking numbers) makes it impossible to say for sure.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00899-0/fulltext
Ok, thanks. The thing is that it seems that we cannot know what the true level of immunity is at any given point in time in the Seychelles and against the different variants that may be brought into the country by travellers. Thus, it would be prudent not to rely on vaccination alone, despite the high vaccination numbers, wouldn’t you say?
Well, that's a truism.
But 60% isn't a high vaccination rate, either. 60% in six months from new is pretty good distribution and puts them on the path to an effective vaccination level, assuming they don't keep bringing in new variants to [checks notes] a global tourist destination [sigh].
That’s what I thought, but I wasn’t sure whether I was missing something when I tried following this thread; I probably did 🙁
Well, I'm sorry to offend your egg-head sensibilities by noting a couple of instances where vaccines could well not be as effective as we'd like.
/
The medical experts have allways said they arent a total asnswer
Are you even aware 95% is 1 in 20, who dont get the complete cover obviously not.
Then there is those who claim they are being tested when they arent or say they are vaccinated when they arent – we have seen this in the MIQ system here where there it wasnt voluntary. A sports team that had compulsory vaccinations to travel and play sounds very much like that, but we shall see on that one whether they are the 1 in 20 !
Effectiveness is overall.
But it doesn't mean every tenth person will not have an effective response. Clusters happen. Statistics are like that.
Surprised they haven't brought out the calipers.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Thousands of retired Black professional football players, their families and supporters are demanding an end to the controversial use of “race-norming” to determine which players are eligible for payouts in the NFL’s $1 billion settlement of brain injury claims, a system experts say is discriminatory.
Former Washington running back Ken Jenkins, 60, and his wife Amy Lewis on Friday delivered 50,000 petitions demanding equal treatment for Black players to Senior U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody in Philadelphia, who is overseeing the massive settlement. Former players who suffer dementia or other diagnoses can be eligible for a payout.
Under the settlement, however, the NFL has insisted on using a scoring algorithm on the dementia testing that assumes Black men start with lower cognitive skills. They must therefore score much lower than whites to show enough mental decline to win an award. The practice, which went unnoticed until 2018, has made it harder for Black former players to get awards.
https://apnews.com/article/health-nfl-race-and-ethnicity-sports-066d9fd6bd85f5b5023207467701fde4
So on the eve of lifting mask and distancing restrictions, reports are that the majority of anti-vaccers in the US are hardcore Republican Trumpers. And this is a problem?
Well, I can take a Darwinian view of who we're talking about in this exact instance.
But the general principle remains that having a large pool of people where the disease can propagate easily and mutate frequently (because of the large numbers of people currently carrying the disease) is not a good thing.
Once more Trumpist's get Covid and die or get long covid they will change their stupidity.
But unfortunately you can't vaccinate against stupidity.
Viva Leicester! And Viva Palestine!
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1393634093800247296.html
Good piece by a good thinker and writer, Rod Oram, about an extraordinary person, Helen Kelly.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/rod-oram-helen-kellys-battles-yet-to-be-won
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/i-cant-breathe-a-marker-of-our-times
A decent snapshot of the burning question where & how did Covid-19 originate. It is basically a critical appraisal of a (the) recent piece written by Nicholas Wade on this topic.
https://sciblogs.co.nz/ariadne/2021/05/16/sars-cov-2-a-natural-event-or-a-lab-escape/
I kinda take the view that it's somewhat of a distraction whether it was a lab escape or zoonosis directly transferred from the wild.
Both possibilities are completely live at this point, and investigating both possibilities have shown a number of risky practices in labs and in handling wildlife that are risks of being the source of a new pandemic. As are the risks of a new pandemic originating from industrial farming that was a more widespread concern prior to this pandemic breaking out.
All of these issues need attention and improvement. I kinda fear that if the source is definitely proven to be one or the other, then all the focus will go on eliminating that specific risk, and efforts to mitigate the other identified risks drop by the wayside.
It's something I've seen happen all to often in the wake of other cockups, where the identified root cause ends up being the only thing that gets corrected and all the other problem areas (that didn't turn out to be the cause this time around) get forgotten.
I hear you and it could be used as an distraction but I don’t think it is. In fact, I think it quite critical that we’ll be able to answer it and draw conclusions from that. Eliminating other possibilities as the cause doesn’t mean eliminating forever as possible future causes. For example, if the virus originated naturally, it won’t mean we can relax the rules in labs, as these should still be audited and reviewed on a regular basis, as they are here in NZ. I think we need to find out, if we can, and accept all possible consequences, implications, and outcomes of that knowledge.
Critical appraisal? The dude is basically writing off one plausible scientific theory as a "conspiracy theory".
English was not your strongest subject, I take it?
Judith isn’t working.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/05/judith-collins-allegations-of-maori-separatism-not-working-for-national-in-newshub-reid-research-poll.html
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/05/tova-o-brien-judith-collins-being-replaced-as-leader-is-now-a-matter-of-when-not-if.html
Well she doubled down, or more like quintupled, claiming Ngai Tahu are going to own half the South Islands water. All based on some random report.
Ngai Tahu's representative said she was "deceptive and wrong"
It's almost as if someone's feeding them stuff so they can make twits of themselves…
The problem is that the National Party is not modelled on and thus not representative of Aotearoa-New Zealand as a whole and constantly behind the eight ball. You would expect that to some degree from conservatives. The Party needs to modernise its caucus, its leadership, and its thinking and these things go hand in hand. As it is, National is politically stuffed.
Deliberately confusing governance for ownership is part of that party's M.O. Nasty, desperate creatures.
They're sore that they won't be able to sell the water assets off, and line their own pockets in the process.
Tau's comment shows them for what they are,
People without principles detest those who have them.
Colin's last stand no bounce for all her Race baiting.can we run a sweepstake who and when.
The who is a problem. Who will bell the cat/dog lol.
old white man, but not for a few months. interesting to see that nats want either , a has been, or somone so new and shiny, that he hasnt been assigned a study buddy. nats have obviously gone down the rascist route, wonder what dr shane and simon truly think of that. nats demographic has changed a lot in the last two yrs, very male pale stale. a zero sum game.
I think the issue is that both Reti and Bridges support their current Leader in this and that they don’t see it as racism as such at all. Labelling them as racists, correctly or incorrectly, is distracting from their arguments and rhetoric and thus not countering them as effectively as one should or could. Countering doesn’t necessarily mean winning the argument either AKA point-scoring. No wonder Te Pāti Māori has had enough of being a political football in Parliament.
Reti had an uncomfortable time on Q&A this morning.
https://twitter.com/FoxyLustyGrover/status/1393751269135699971
Interesting. My take on Reti is that he’s squirming not because he’s trying to show his loyalty to and defend his Leader but because he’s actually agreeing with her and defending the indefensible and being disloyal to his roots. I could be wrong, of course. In any case, he’s put himself in this position and only he can resolve it. Then again, a man’s ambition can be his downfall.
More https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/shane-reti-stands-judith-collins-labelling-proposed-m-ori-health-authority-racist-separatist
Ta
Well, the current system isn’t by Māori nor with Māori, and has led to inequities for Māori. The time of timid tinkering has passed.
One pundit reckons there may be another job for him before this year is up..
https://twitter.com/PouTepou/status/1393851682589581318
That pundit is right, Reti has gone as far as he could in National and it is only downhill from here for him, I reckon. He seems to have put all his eggs in Judith’s little basket and if she’s toast, he’s the fried egg on top.