Open mike 16/11/2022

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 16th, 2022 - 122 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:


Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

122 comments on “Open mike 16/11/2022 ”

  1. tsmithfield 1

    In the latest barrage of Russian missile strikes on Ukraine, two have hit Poland, killing two people.

    https://twitter.com/ywnreporter/status/1592582175798743041

    Interesting times.

  2. Sanctuary 2

    Googles "size of Polish army"

    • Visubversa 2.1

      Googles "NATO membership".

    • Brigitte 2.2

      As Poland is in NATO, you might also google "size of NATO countries armies"

    • tsmithfield 2.3

      Accident or not on the part of Russia, NATO, or Poland directly, has little choice but to make a strong response to this situation because otherwise Russia will see it as a green light to keep targeting Nato countries.

      • joe90 2.3.1

        NATO has an escalation ladder so no WW3, yet.

        https://twitter.com/PhillipsPOBrien/status/1592598256512798720

        • tsmithfield 2.3.1.1

          I agree that the NATO response probably won't be a direct military response at this stage.

          But there will have to be a credible strong response that is sufficient to deter Russia from doing that again.

          Ukraine probably will get better weapons now as a result of this. I think they should get the long range ATACM missiles they have been asking for for ages. This will allow them to target the Russian air bases and launch sites the Russians are using for these attacks. Thus, further protect Ukraine, and NATO countries as well.

          • joe90 2.3.1.1.1

            Biden and co won't want to be in the books about how the war started. I reckon top end air defence systems rather than long range missiles.

            • Jenny are we there yet 2.3.1.1.1.1

              Close the sky

              Ukraine has previously called for a free fly zone over at least a part of Ukraine. With this attack on a NATO member country, a free fly zone over the Western half of Ukraine bordering Poland and Moldova, makes a lot of sense.

              ……Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy virtually addressed the United States Congress on March 16, 2022, and, as widely expected, requested additional U.S. military assistance for Ukraine.

              Zelenskyy also asked for the U.S. to create a no-fly zone over some portion, or potentially all, of Ukraine.

              “Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for thousands of people. Russian troops have already fired nearly 1,000 missiles at Ukraine, countless bombs. They use drones to kill us with precision. This is a terror Europe has not seen for 80 years,” said Zelenskyy, delivering the first virtual address by a foreign leader to Congress….

              …..“Is this a lot to ask, to create a no fly zone over Ukraine to save people? Is this too much to ask? A humanitarian non-fly zone, so that Russia would not be able to terrorize our free cities,” Zelenskyy continued.

              Zelenskyy paused during his address to play a video documenting the war in Ukraine. That video ended with the words, “close the skies over Ukraine.”

              https://theconversation.com/ukraine-wants-a-no-fly-zone-what-does-this-mean-and-would-one-make-any-sense-in-this-war-179282

              • tsmithfield

                Not much point to a no-fly zone as the Ukrainians effectively have that now. In fact, in some areas, the Ukrainian airforce has been dominant. So, a nofly zone would simply penalise the Ukrainians.

                Russian planes hardly dare go into Ukrainian air-space due to the bristilling air defence. The missiles tend to be fired by Russian planes outside of Ukrainian air space.

                I think what they need to be supplied is longer-range precision missiles such as ATACMs so they can take out the missiles before they are even launched. This would mean targeting Russian air bases and the like.

                If the missiles can be taken out before launch, that reduces the risk of Russian missiles to Nato countries as well.

      • DB Brown 2.3.2

        One missile – plausible accident.

        Two?

        Guess we need to know the exact pedigree of the missiles, as to their accuracy, track record, etc.

      • mikesh 2.3.3

        "Keep?" targeting NATO countries?

  3. Ed1 3

    A while ago there was talk of how hard it is to get positive messages through in a world of highly partisan politics, disinformation, and the usual problems of gotcha media going for cheap shots and false balance . . .

    I suspect we get a lot of news and comment through the internet; leaving aside the faults of official media, we now have many websites that peddle personal opinions that are at times extreme. The following is a list of sites that I collected over a few days of websites that appear to cover political issues to at least some extent. They include what appear to be a return of dirty tricks, to deliberately deceptive sites, to those expressing extreme or even deranged opinions from authors that appear to have fallen down a rabbit hole. I tried to decide where each lay on a scale or -10 for negative views of the current government, to +10 for those consistently positive about the current government. I have not included Facebook of other "social media," and I may have missed some that are worth looking at – I certainly hope there are other sites with high positive or good balance like The Standard!

    1 https://theplatform.kiwi/
    2 https://thebfd.co.nz/
    3 https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/
    4 https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/
    5 https://homepaddock.wordpress.com/
    6 https://www.bassettbrashandhide.com/home
    7 https://nzagainstthecurrent.blogspot.com/
    8 https://www.nzcpr.com/
    9 https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/
    10 https://hatchardreport.com/
    11 https://www.fsu.nz/
    12 https://waikanaewatch.org/
    13 https://spectator.com.au/category/new-zealand/
    14 https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/
    15 http://karldufresne.blogspot.com/
    16 http://werewolf.co.nz/
    17 https://theredbaiter.com/
    18 http://norightturn.blogspot.com/
    19 https://www.pundit.co.nz/
    20 https://thespinoff.co.nz/
    21 https://homepaddock.wordpress.com/
    22 https://croakingcassandra.com/
    23 https://thedailyblog.co.nz/
    24 https://utopiayouarestandinginit.com/
    25 https://nominister.wordpress.com/
    26 https://stovouno.org/
    27 https://croakingcassandra.com/
    28 http://offsettingbehaviour.blogspot.com/
    29 https://publicaddress.net/hardnews/
    30 https://thedailyblog.co.nz/
    31 http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/
    1 https://theplatform.kiwi/
    2 https://thebfd.co.nz/
    3 https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/
    4 https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/
    5 https://homepaddock.wordpress.com/
    6 https://www.bassettbrashandhide.com/home
    7 https://nzagainstthecurrent.blogspot.com/
    8 https://www.nzcpr.com/
    9 https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/
    10 https://hatchardreport.com/
    11 https://www.fsu.nz/
    12 https://waikanaewatch.org/
    13 https://spectator.com.au/category/new-zealand/
    14 https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/
    15 http://karldufresne.blogspot.com/
    16 http://werewolf.co.nz/
    17 https://theredbaiter.com/
    18 http://norightturn.blogspot.com/
    19 https://www.pundit.co.nz/
    20 https://thespinoff.co.nz/
    21 https://homepaddock.wordpress.com/
    22 https://croakingcassandra.com/
    23 https://thedailyblog.co.nz/
    24 https://utopiayouarestandinginit.com/
    25 https://nominister.wordpress.com/
    26 https://stovouno.org/
    27 https://croakingcassandra.com/
    28 http://offsettingbehaviour.blogspot.com/
    29 https://publicaddress.net/hardnews/
    30 https://thedailyblog.co.nz/
    31 http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/
    • Sacha 3.1

      @mods – linkspam?

      • Incognito 3.1.1

        Although it is an 'interesting' list it is duplicated (!?) and I can't see the alleged ranking from −10 to +10 for views on the current Government in it!?

        I would not encourage this sort of comments, also because they need to be released manually from the Spam trap.

  4. joe90 4

    Early last week my SO arrived home home from work rather distressed after a row with the boss over refusing to attend a regional meeting. Turns out one of the traveling attendees was covid positive and today three of the local staff attending have tested positive. One, for the third time, and there will probably be more.

    #filthy

  5. Sanctuary 5

    For those interested, an excellent Youtube interview with the author of this RUSI piece on the Ukraine airwar.

    TLDR – the early phase of this war crippled the Ukrainian airforce as it was forced to engage the Russians at a considerable disadvantage.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYDnspMWdaM

  6. Molly 6

    Unlikely to be reported in our usual media, so you may be unaware of the incident at the Let Women Speak rally, in New York on Monday 14 November.

    Now the format for a Let Women Speak rally, is that the organiser – Kellie Jay Keen – turns up with a microphone and sound system and basically emcees an open mike, for women that want to talk. There's little curating of who speaks, if any. It is purely an event to encourage women to speak up on the impact on women's rights of legislative and policy changes. You can view previous rallies on the livestream of KJK's Youtube channel:

    https://www.youtube.com/c/KellieJayKeen/streams

    KJK was invited to the US, and took the format over there, and arranged rallies in public spaces – such as in front of New York town hall. A couple of events had to be cancelled due to the threats made to the women. Security was hired, and then unevidenced criticism was made that security was right-wing and aligned with fascists.

    Each event was advertised by Gender Ideology Activists as a hate event, and and open invitations were issued for people to turn up and do anything they considered necessary to address that hate.

    The perpetually oppressed never stop to consider that they are not stopped from marching by women (Brisbane this last weeekend) – but they are appalled at the idea of women publicly expressing their opinions, or gathering.

    So, what happened in New York?

    Due to the aggressive nature of the gender ideology proponents, many women, including KJK were unable to get to the event to speak.

    Belissa Cohen – a LGB activist posted this video that gives some insight into what is happening with these activists:

    From the left, the topless three are notable for:

    1. A good example of autogynephilia – a man so preoccupied with his hormone induced breast growth, he is indulging in his sexual arousal in public with no awareness of the protest around him, apart from the opportunity it gives him for exhibitionism;

    2. A trans-identified female – complete with double mastectomy scars, demonstrating a hatred for women by calling out to them either "bleeders" or "breeders". There are several videos of this group and one is of this woman declaring that she didn't want to be a woman, and how she is a boy who loves testosterone. (NB. Testosterone is a powerful drug – with euphoric effects for some). This woman was also a child model from the age of ten, which may have affected her experience of what female is, and how it is represented;

    3. The last contender has been identified as a prominent and feted trans-identified male. Employed also as a model and mentor of LGBTQ+ people, he spent much of the protest spitting on people he found objectionable (women) and declaring he was going to beat their asses, bitch.

    I'm always interested to hear (from those who refrain from scrolling past) the updated excuses for why 1 and 3 are vulnerable, and why women should unquestioningly make space for them in women's single-sex spaces and provisions.

    And also why men can't just hold safe spaces in their own single-sex spaces for their trans-identified brothers.

    https://twitter.com/BelissaCohen/status/1592544726955487233?s=20&t=xr4_-7QXnpe2EC0Fo6DlTw

    • millsy 6.1

      Indecent exposure is a crime, and the laws are in place to deal with this, no matter the gender identity of the criminal.

      Yes, there are bad trans people. There are bad gay people and bad cishet people.

      I don't think we should be tarring all transgender people with the same brush.

      You need to remember that the teachers who offended that Dilworth were all cisgender men.

      • Molly 6.1.1

        "Indecent exposure is a crime, and the laws are in place to deal with this, no matter the gender identity of the criminal."

        Apparently baring your breasts in NYC is not indecent exposure. Spitting at people might be however. Breasts don't bother me much, TBH, the thought of someone's saliva has more to be concerned about in this day and age, don't you think?

        "Yes, there are bad trans people. There are bad gay people and bad cishet people."

        I don't disagree – apart from the cishet – I don't follow this belief so the term is nonsensical. You might have just stated the obvious, some people are bad.

        Did you miss the part when I said that No. 3 was a well-known and profiled activist and mentor?

        So not a random idiot, a promoted spokeperson for the community.

        "You need to remember that the teachers who offended that Dilworth were all cisgender men."

        Why do you assume I have forgotten?

        Is it because you "forget" that all transwomen are men? wink

        No comment on the antagonism shown by the non-rally attendees only?

        Or the public display of the often denied aspect of autogynephilia?

        Or the fear and hate directed at women who are gathering to speak their opinions in a public space?

        Thanks for providing yet another example of redirection and totally ignoring the content of the issue at hand.

        I knew you wouldn't let me down, millsy.

      • weka 6.1.2

        I don't think we should be tarring all transgender people with the same brush.

        Who do you think is doing that? I'm not seeing anyone here doing that. I wouldn't even tar all AGP with the same brush.

        You need to remember that the teachers who offended that Dilworth were all cisgender men.

        So close and yet still not quite getting it. Yes, most people who sexually offend are male. This is exactly why we have female only spaces. It doesn't mean all men, or even most, are sexual offenders, it means that if we stop thinking about men for a minute and look at this from the perspective of women, we see that the most straight forward way of protecting women from the high rates of sexual assault and harrassment by men is to arrange society so that women have female only spaces.

        I've not seen any evidence that trans women or other trans-identified males sexually offend at a lower rate than the general male population. Again, this doesn't mean all or even most TW are sexual offenders. It means that when we consider the safety of women, we should consider males of whatever gender identity as the class that women need protecting from.

        The safety of TW can be addressed likewise, without removing the safety of women.

      • Visubversa 6.1.3

        "Cishet" displays your fealty to Gender Ideology. Humans are not divided into 2 categories based on a supposed relationship with their sexed bodies. Forced division without approval or permission is insulting and oppressive.

        • swordfish 6.1.3.1

          .

          "cis" or "cisgender" is another term for virtually everyone.

          Invented largely for political reasons within Queer Theory & Gender Studies … it seeks to massively exaggerate the size of the trans community while inherently downplaying the relevance of biological sex.

          For Gender ideologues, cisgender means that one's "gender identity" and "sex assigned at birth" (as opposed to biological sex) match up.

          "Sex assigned at birth" is seen as an act of power, indeed of deliberate violence … so, specifying "sex assigned at birth" instead of biological sex allows these activists to maintain the Queer Theory dogmas that (1) sex itself is socially constructed and that (2) sex categorisation is illegitimately imposed on new-born babies by Doctors, Parents & others who supposedly possess sociopolitical power … (rather than biological sex being a simple fact of human reality).

          In other words, they're total fantasists (in the same way that Critical Theory / Woke ideologues are in general) … and very controlling, demanding, authoritarian fantasists at that.

      • The Fairy Godmother 6.1.4

        Obviously we aren't but the trans movement has been infiltrated by violent and misogynistic men who are using it to get away with stuff. Self ID laws and the like have not taken this into account.

        • weka 6.1.4.1

          at this stage I wouldn't say infiltrated so much as welcomed with open arms. Left wing men defacto arguing that rape of women in prison is an acceptable price to pay for keeping TW safe. Left wing women saying that rape survivors need to manage their triggers better when males come into their single sex spaces. It's not like the evidence hasn't been there, presented by the pariah feminists. Even before self ID. The choices were made to put aside the concerns of women, and make the changes anyway.

    • weka 6.2

      very good comment Molly.

      I would add a couple of points.

      #1 and #3 in other vids, it took me a while to figure out exactly the problem here (because we know that women use nudity as part of protest). What they look like to me are men who want the right to masturbate in public. Any conversation about trans women's rights that doesn't included discussion of AGP is a fail.

      #2, the trans man is someone presumably who hates their female body to the extent that they had their breasts removed to make their life tolerable. Society needs to stop and consider if people with such degrees of mental distress should be driving policy and social change.

      • weka 6.2.1

        on reflection, it's not simply the right to masturbate in public, it's the right to do so at women they hate. I'm struggling to think of worse public expression of misogyny than that video.

        That the police didn't intervene is both astounding and scary in its implications. Haven't looked at NY indecency laws.

        • Nic the NZer 6.2.1.1

          Last time I checked men going shirtless was not considered public nudity. I don't think failing to invent a crime is really a good basis for police criticism here.

          • Molly 6.2.1.1.1

            The NYPD seemed to respond appropriately throughout the day, calling in special operations unit to disperse the crowd and providing human barriers between the small group of women and the crowd.

            It's always a judgment call on the day. I don't think they did much that can be genuinely criticised.

          • weka 6.2.1.1.2

            did you miss the bit in my comments where I differentiated between nudity and obscenity? In this case, public self pleasuring sexually is an act that involves others without their consent. I don't know if indecency laws cover what that man is doing, as I said in my comment.

            And of course, we know that women don't generally behave like this, and that there are hefty societal and physical risk pressures that prevent women from having the freedom to be in public topless.

            There’s also the issue of what would happen to the police of they reacted to the men as if they were men. But I’m guessing there is no topless law in NY for either men or women.

      • Molly 6.2.2

        "What they look like to me are men who want the right to masturbate in public."

        Another regular activist who attended yesterday (with previous record of doxxing women), might confirm your suspicions.

        (I know many here might not believe it, but I don't post the most contentious pictures or videos I come across, I posted the one above because of the role the third one has in the community, while publicly threatening women with violence).

        The following video from the same event, posted by a women's right activist (not one I particularly agree with) with a AGP enjoying the simulation of masturbation maybe a bit too much at the end:

        https://twitter.com/StandingforXX/status/1592318236628221953?s=20&t=x5CuKlkN0eksd20w87CU-A

        Was interesting to note how the different cultures responded to the same format. Really noticeable distinctions between the women speaking at the UK events and the US ones.

      • Molly 6.2.3

        Along this train of thought, while I was looking into the issues of consent and the mixed messages regarding intimate relationships from many of the LGBTQ+ support organisations, I watched part of a programme about transgender people finding love.

        I didn't watch it all, there was a featured piece about a well-known transgender teenage dream couple that had finally split up after promoting their transgender identities and relationship status during their teenage years. It turned out that there was little or no physical intimacy, and that their relationship was more performative than personal.

        However, there was a particularly memorable young trans-identified male, who had been supported during their transition by a close male friend over the years. They had finally got the courage to directly ask their supportive male friend, now that they had finished their transition, whether they could take their friendship to a personal relationship.

        The response was immediate and definite: it was better if they kept their connection to friendship only.

        A couple of thoughts struck me when I watched this segment, and saw the change in demeanour of the young trans-identified man:

        What if – this young man was one of the many gay teenagers who had developed a crush on their heterosexual close friend? What if both the personal homosexuality and unrequited nature of that crush, were avoided by the promise of becoming a woman, and therefore a possible romantic partner of the afore mentioned crush?

        The friend – unwittingly supporting that notion by his support of a female gender identity – and all the transitional changes made, but whose heterosexual orientation meant that despite it all – he was not ever going to be an intimate relationship option.

        It was quite devastating to watch. A good friend of mine, related his long-time crush on his best friend as the catalyst for realising his sexual orientation. I wonder how the young gay men in similar situations are doing now.

        Some of the vitriol displayed at events might come from the realisation of the failure to deliver on the unspoken promises of full recognition alluded to in public policy and legislation, and what is experienced at individual personal level.

  7. Anker 7
    • Thanks Molly. Your question “why women should make space for these people” is bang on. I am afraid I could only watch so much of the (exhibitionist, likely autogynophile) person waving their breast around.
    • Molly 7.1

      I'm probably a bit jaded, but the antics of the AGP struck me as someone particularly unskilled in the handling of breasts in a sexually stimulating way. I figure, at least he inflicts that lack of expertise only on himself and not anybody else. wink

      He is in multiple videos of the day and the reality is – his behaviour never gets any better.

      • Visubversa 7.1.1

        Often used as an excuse for bad behaviour. And just the sort of person you want in a woman's prison.

        https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/130471744/restaurant-triple-stabber-jailed-for-nine-years-and-three-months

        • Molly 7.1.1.1

          Yes. Saw that and despaired:

          "Nelson’s counsel, Glenn Dixon, said his client, a transgender woman, had been in Spring Hill Prison but was now incarcerated in Auckland Women’s Prison. There, she felt safer and was motivated to engage in drug and alcohol rehabilitative programmes, as well as a business and creativity course.

          Prior to the restaurant incident, Nelson had been arrested on other charges as well as a subsequent breach of bail. She had been evicted from her bail address, and had soon afterwards made the decision to go to the restaurant, where the assaults happened."

          • weka 7.1.1.1.1

            I'm sure they do feel safer. Sorry women.

            Prior to the restaurant incident, Nelson had been arrested on other charges as well as a subsequent breach of bail. She had been evicted from her bail address, and had soon afterwards made the decision to go to the restaurant, where the assaults happened.

            Nelson was “an extraordinarily complex person, one of the most complex that this counsel has experienced”, Dixon said.

            We really need a specialised unit for trans people.

            Relieved to see Stuff reporting on the gender transition so it's clear they are male.

            As the court was told, she now prefers to go by the name Pandora Electra

            Of course.

            • Anker 7.1.1.1.1.1

              Wake up people on the left. The gender ideology movement is not progressive at all. It's harming women and its prioritizing men like Nelson over vulnerable women prisoners.

            • Visubversa 7.1.1.1.1.2

              "Very complex" may be an understatement. There is a high incident of co-morbidity with other psychological conditions among today's self identified male trans people. The trans identified men in British prisons are far more likely (over 40%) to be there for sex related offences than the rest of the male prison population.

              It is not just men in women's prisons and other spaces – it is the worst kind of men in women's spaces.

              • weka

                it's also possible that societal factors like transphobia, homophobia, and sanctions against effeminate behaviour in men may mean it's more likely that trans women and TIMs end up doing sex work. In the same way that we see sexual abuse and poverty makes it more likely for women to end up doing sex work.

                I'd also like to know how that plays out with AGP men and violence. Pity No Debate means we won't be getting much good research for a while.

                My thesis here is that patriarchal conditioning and conditions create violence in TIMs like it does with other men. Different dynamics.

                As Molly said, why aren't men making male spaces safer?

                • Sabine

                  Because these people do not want to be safe in male spaces or third spaces. They want to be in womens spaces, as women.

                  Male spaces and bathrooms are no more and no less dangerous for transpeople then female spaces. I mean self ID opens the door to all men, at all times, to all female spaces and thus the same men that were feared by transpeople in the male spaces will now have access to them in the female spaces. Its bs. They want access to female spaces because they want to be women, and they can only be fully women if they get to play the full game, women sports, women awards, women jobs, women rape counseling, women breastfeeding, woman everything, nothing less will do. Ditto for Transmen, they want to be men. And the rest of the population has to go along with it by hook or by crook.

                  But a few people will profit of this regressive misery covered in kindness, it will set women – adult human female – set back into the 1700 and further back even – removed from public record and medical texts, denial of the labour of their body, and it for sure will teach women – human born female of all ages – their place in society.

                  Don't you think that our future as the large gamete producers is bright and rosy?

        • millsy 7.1.1.2

          So you think that Nelson should go to a men's prison and possibly be raped or attacked?

          Not defending them, but our prisons are fucked enough without transgender prisoners getting attacked and raped.

          • Molly 7.1.1.2.1

            Any prisoner going into a men's prison could possibly be raped or attacked.

            How do you justify ignoring the other vulnerable males in your expression of care?

            The women's prison estate is for women, and should remain sex-segregated.

          • weka 7.1.1.2.2

            So you think that Nelson should go to a women's prison and possibly stab or otherwise assault women?

            The solution is to set up a special prison unit for trans prisoners. .

          • Sabine 7.1.1.2.3

            If you think that the prisons in NZ are so dangeorus you should voice your concern with the MP who looks after Corrections. It is up to government to regulate and then assure the safety of all prisoners who are held in the care of government.

            Incarcerated women are not body shields.

            How many women would need to get harmed in prison by men – who may or may not be transwomen – for you to consider the safety of women?

            • millsy 7.1.1.2.3.1

              "If you think that the prisons in NZ are so dangeorus you should voice your concern with the MP who looks after Corrections."

              I dont think the government gives a shit about the safety of our prisoners, regardless of biological sex, gender identity or sexual orientation. For the past 20-30 years, both parties have imported US penal policies into this country, which is bascially stick prisoners in a cage and watch while they tear each other apart. This is largely due to the lobbying of the likes of Garth McVicar and Norm Withers, both of whom actively condone the rape and shanking of weaker prisoners by the strong ones as that is part of the 'punishment' factor of prisons.

              • Sabine

                And yet you like the government seem to have no fuck to give about safety of women in prisons.

                Men – irrespective of their self identification should never be locked up in prison with women. And to do so, is to show that absolutly no regards for the wellbeing and the safety – from rape and pregnancy – of the women is given. But then maybe the rape of a woman – human born female – is acceptable to some on the left in order to protect a male from male violence that seems to be state sanctioned and / or permitted.

              • Molly

                And when the foreseeable happens – it warrants only brief article:

                https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/112432880/transgender-prisoner-investigated-for-sexual-assault-behind-bars

                A transgender inmate at Christchurch Women's Prison is being held in isolation while facing several allegations from fellow inmates, including one of sexual assault.

                Below is the prisoner you are insisting on placing with females with nowhere to run:

                https://reduxx.info/nz-trans-identified-male-sent-to-womens-prison-after-stabbing-spree/

                Nelson quickly targeted another worker, a female who was later revealed to be Nelson’s ex-girlfriend. He slashed her in the face and stabbed her in the upper back, causing her to suffer a punctured lung. Despite her horrific injuries, the woman managed to run out of the building and flee for help at a nearby gas station.

    • RedLogix 7.2

      Might make you think that Putin has a point.devil

      • millsy 7.2.1

        I note that Putin and his supporters now view the war in Ukraine as a war for 'traditional values' against 'western decadance' (LGBTQ) with some pro Russian supporters wanting an open alliance between Orthodox Christian, Confucian Chinese and Wahabist Islam in some kind of 'Holy War'.

  8. tsmithfield 8

    It is starting to look like the missile strikes on Poland may have been due to stray Ukrainian air defence missiles, or a Russian missile deflected by air defence.

    So, that part may be an accident.

    What wasn't an accident was oil supplies to both Hungary and Slovakia (NATO members) were cut due to Russia hitting infrastructure in Ukraine that is used for the piping of oil through to those countries. So, perhaps at least an indirect attack on Nato.

    https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/hungary-mol-says-oil-shipments-druzhba-pipeline-temporarily-suspended-2022-11-15/

    So, that may end up being a more serious than the missile strikes.

  9. Anne 9

    Grateful for your regular updates tsmithfield. Saves me a lot of reading. 😉

  10. arkie 10

    Time to make a submission on the proposal on restricting agricultural emissions is running out. This is an opportunity to make sure we as a country do what is necessary to meet our international obligations as well as incentivising more environmentally friendly agricultural practices which will benefit us all:

    Submissions close this Friday 18 November and the Green Party has put together a submission guide with background information and key points to make it easy for you to have your say.

    We have the opportunity to become the first country in the world to tackle agricultural emissions at the source, but we need to push the Government to act, and not cave to agribusiness.

    Right now, every submission counts.

    Your submission can be as detailed or simple as you have time for.

    https://action.greens.org.nz/submission_guide_he_waka_eke_noa

    The BAU TINA agribusinesses will be making submissions, we can outnumber theirs and send a message that will strengthen the Governments resolve. Nature, and the future, need us to advocate for them.

  11. observer 11

    Latest on Luxon contortions, from Thomas Coughlan at NZME.

    The old political adage applies: it is better to be criticised than mocked. Once you've become a figure of fun, you've lost.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/christopher-luxon-u-turns-on-u-turn-acknowledging-he-misspoke/G4LEMNH2MNHV7M2VAR453Z4NRE/

    National later U-turned on that remark, clarifying that Luxon misspoke and had not intended to U-turn on that particular policy. He was in fact talking about the clean car standard, an emissions standard for vehicle importers.

    National opposed that policy too, meaning Luxon has still U-turned on a policy today – just not the policy he said he was U-turning on.

  12. Ad 12

    Donald Trump announces he is running for President of the United States again.

    Former Republican President Donald Trump says he's launching another White House bid | CNN Politics

    What could go wrong?

    • millsy 12.1

      The most racist, homophobic, transphobic, mysoginost, religious fundamentalist, anti abortion, anti union, anti welfare president in US history. The guy must be stopped. At all costs.

      • Andy 12.1.1

        LOL I think most of those labels are way off. Religious fundamentalist he certainly isn't.

        Didn't he let Caitlyn Jenner use the girl's restrooms in Trump Towers?

        • millsy 12.1.1.1

          Caitlyn Jenner is trying to be 'one of the good ones', so she doesn't count.

        • AB 12.1.1.2

          Religious fundamentalist he certainly isn't

          Agree with that – an authoritarian narcissist who periodically and unconvincingly pretends to be a religious fundamentalist, because it's politically expedient to do so.

          Luxon is an interesting counterpoint to that – someone who is a religious fundamentalist but pretends not to be, because it's politically expedient to do so.

          Says something about the two different political cultures I guess.

    • Incognito 12.2

      What could go wrong?

      He could be suspended from Twitter for impersonating a sane person.

    • Macro 12.3

      What a loser!

      Mostly an attempt to delay the inevitable indictments coming his way. The Jan 6 committee will have to speed up their final report and recommendations with the House going GoP next year, but even some Repugnants possess principles. DoJ indictment still in the offing (even if a candidate) wrt mishandling of secret files.

      Dems could run a puppy dog against him and win – he still doesn't understand that he is not as popular with the majority as he thinks he is – only the deluded.

    • Peter 12.4

      This is one of the most insane, grotesque political scenes imaginable.

      There are many versions of the occasion. This unedited, raw, all-over-the-shop long version puts the simple photo-op still moments into context.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQCHvK_pB7U

  13. Jenny are we there yet 13

    This is not how change happens. Never has been. Never will be.

    With disagreement even over the conference cover statement, 'Carried to Hell in a Handcart', might be a more efficient mode of transport to take us to the apocalypse than this *shemozzle.

    Climate negotiations are in disarray as COP27 enters its second week

    Talks in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, are running well behind schedule, with discussions on key areas such as loss and damage at a political impasse

    This article has been viewed 247 times in the last 3 hours.

    15 November 2022

    …..behind-the-scenes negotiations are in disarray, with talks running well behind schedule….

    ……talks on the cover text – a political agreement traditionally struck at the end of a UN climate conference – are still in the very early stages.

    https://www.newscientist.com/article/2346927-climate-negotiations-are-in-disarray-as-cop27-enters-its-second-week/?

    *(even the dictionary gets it)

  14. Barfly 14

    Starting to look like the missile(s) that hit Poland may have been Ukrainian S300(s) (they have a lot that are past their use by date)

  15. X Socialist 15

    Tory Whanau may be in trouble with the Greens. According to HDA, all the best jobs in council have gone to her mates. I don't know whether that's true, but nepotism is a Maori speciality.

    Quote: from paywalled article:

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/a-capital-letter-wellington-mayor-will-not-renew-green-party-membership/6QL5E56C4BG5ZM3N3R77GL4V

    OPINION

    ''Wellington mayor Tory Whanau, whose independent campaign was endorsed by the Greens, has decided she will not renew her party membership, the Herald understands.

    The key reason behind the move is so she can work more productively with councillors without a formal tie to a political party – but it could also ruffle feathers among those in the Green Party who helped her win the election.

    Whanau has now spent almost six weeks in the city’s top job after she romped home with a convincing majority of 17,751 votes over the incumbent.

    It was clear Whanau had a sense of which way the tide was turning a couple of weeks before election day, but such a strong majority certainly came as a surprise.

    On the campaign trail, Whanau pitched herself as someone who could cross the political spectrum and bring people together. She pointed to her experience negotiating with New Zealand First when she was the Green Party’s chief of staff as an example of this.

    Green Party councillor Laurie Foon is the deputy mayor, while two Labour councillors and one Green councillor will chair the council’s three big committees.

    First-term Motukairangi Eastern Ward councillor Tim Brown told Newstalk ZB Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills he felt “slightly disconcerted” about the appointments.

    It’s because they share her [Whanau’s] views, which I think is a good reason on her part, but of course means that the independent candidates sitting around the table are looking at the equation and thinking well if we don’t share her views, we’re going to be excluded.

    [Take a month off. You don’t seem to know what nepotism is and you simply indulged in baseless Māori bashing – Incognito]

    • Muttonbird 15.1

      Nepotism is a Maori speciality.

      Nice knowing you.

      • X Socialist 15.1.1

        It's common. Many problems of Maori v Maori rotates around people being appointed to some position, but other Maori saying they shouldn't be appointed because they belong to the wrong tribe, or have the wrong whakapapa. I said at the time, Auckland and Wellington councils would encounter problems.

        You need to add more than your trite uncalled for comment.

    • newsense 15.2

      How is Mark Mitchell? What else has he been up to? Is he backing Nicola Willis for leader or is he going himself? He didn’t say on the radio but I figured you’d know.

      • millsy 15.2.1

        Mark Mitchell would be most worrying as National Partty leader. The guy would, in the words of Trotter, liberate the police, and police the liberals.

        His desire to bring about US-style policing is well documented. I would imagine that Maori would be gunned down left right and centre by cops if he is allowed anywhere near cabiney.

        • Incognito 15.2.1.1

          You don’t give Kiwi cops much credit, do you? I’m pretty sure that for that to happen you’d need US cops with a US mind-set in a US context here in Aotearoa – New Zealand.

        • Sacha 15.2.1.2

          in the words of Trotter

          That's your problem, right there

    • Incognito 15.3

      Mod note

  16. newsense 16

    Waiting for a post: Luxon: Chicken Little or an Egg? on the clean car fleet. Polluters must meet their costs or we are paying them to do so. We’re picking up fossil awards while our neighbors in and outside NZ are seeing their property below water. The clean car work is not nearly enough, but it’s a basic step. Polluters must pay.

  17. mosa 17

    Which is it Micky?

    You mean Greg alwyn.

    What's happened to LINO's commitment to health outcomes like dental.

    " Yesterday the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists released a report on dental care in Aotearoa, highlighting its unaffordability and recommending free, universal dental care. This is something the left has been campaigning for for a long time – Jim Anderton pushed for it before the 2011 election, and Helen Clark has advocated for it. It would massively improve people's lives, reduce pain and suffering, and save money in the long-term. But it would involve spending money, so naturally Grant Robertson has vetoed it "

    " Instead of free and universal provision, he wants people to go crawling to WINZ, with all the added pain and suffering that entails. Weirdly, he thinks that this isn't a deterrent – which I guess tells us either that he has never dealt with them, or that nine years on an MP's salary and six on a deputy prime minister's has destroyed all memory of it (and WINZ has got massively worse since Grant was a student) "

    http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2022/11/grant-says-no-again.html

    A windfall tax could pay for this and more.

    He said he did not think the fact the grants had to be applied for through Work and Income would deter people from applying for them.

    "For low-income people, I'm sure the opportunity to be able to get the support for [dental care] is something that they will take up."

    That sounds like someone who is totally out of touch.

    I detest the National party but before you have a crack at them Greg what about your Labour party and their failures to their own people they solicit votes from then look the other way.

    Now back to the RMA and Nationals policy failure's.

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

  18. mosa 18

    " Yesterday the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists released a report on dental care in Aotearoa, highlighting its unaffordability and recommending free, universal dental care. This is something the left has been campaigning for for a long time – Jim Anderton pushed for it before the 2011 election, and Helen Clark has advocated for it. It would massively improve people's lives, reduce pain and suffering, and save money in the long-term. But it would involve spending money, so naturally Grant Robertson has vetoed it:

    "

    year in extra funding and any additional investment needed to be weighed against other priorities in the health sector.

    Instead of free and universal provision, he wants people to go crawling to WINZ, with all the added pain and suffering that entails. Weirdly, he thinks that this isn't a deterrent – which I guess tells us either that he has never dealt with them, or that nine years on an MP's salary and six on a deputy prime minister's has destroyed all memory of it (and WINZ has got massively worse since Grant was a student).

    http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2022/11/grant-says-no-again.html

    " "Going straight to universal dental care right away would be well over a billion dollars a year of extra funding, we have to weigh that up against the other things that are needed in the health system."

    And Grant has ruled out a windfall tax that could pay for universal care and much more.

    National is not in government but Grant and Jacinda are !

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

    [looks like you’re also insisting on being modded for diversion trolling. This is your warning – Incognito]

    • Incognito 18.1

      Mod note

      • mosa 18.1.1

        I have never trolled in my life and you can check on my history with posting on here.

        I know its uncomfortable when you are presented with the facts behind the spin of the current government but it is the facts.

        National are terrible but we expect that. Labour are supposed to care for the poor.

        They don't.

        I will continue to call them out even if the people here can’t see it.

        Open and transparent government was promised wasn’t it ?

        • Incognito 18.1.1.1

          There’s a first for everything. If you continue the efforts of a notorious diversion troll who had been warned and modded then, for all intents and purposes, I consider you also a diversion troll and will treat you as such.

          You are free to say what you feel you have to say but you don’t have carte blanche to say it wherever (and however) you feel like here. You may also want to tone down on the personal snides when you ‘call out Labour’.

          • mosa 18.1.1.1.1

            " You are free to say what you feel you have to say but you don’t have carte blanche to say it wherever (and however) you feel like here "

            No you have that power Incognito by the way you and others decide what is acceptable on this site.

            Its called freedom of expression which the government has not banned yet and I am not talking about anything illegal or malicious but the Standard has just has to look at the growing list of people driven out by being banned because they said something the moderators disagreed with.

            The TDB has a number of contributors who are on topic and and aren't afraid to call the National party out while also revealing the increasing poverty and hardship still being experienced under Labour and their fiddling with statistics.

            Personal snides ? you mean the attack on Chris Trotter on this site ?

            I take it then that's acceptable if its one of your main contributors , or Lyn's

            put down's against some of the correspondents who contribute here.

            I rest my case.

            • Incognito 18.1.1.1.1.1

              Seriously?? Are you oblivious or obtuse?

              Addressing and correcting the very many points in your comment feels like cleaning the Augean stables. Suffice to say, as long as one adheres to this site’s Policy and takes heed of Moderator notes one can enjoy the generous freedom of commenting on TS to their heart’s content.

              I hope this will help and I also hope you don’t draw unnecessary attention to yourself.

              Have a nice day.

    • Molly 18.2

      Good dental health, has such a positive effect on other health issues.

      And the dental care offered by the school system is much less consistent or frequent than it was back in the 70s when every primary school had it's own dental clinic and nurse.

      It would have been a good preventative health measure, and the cost of dental care is high or unaffordable for those with few discretionary funds.

      • Belladonna 18.2.1

        Yes. I think it's the cost factor which has just driven it up out of reach of many middle-class (let alone working-class) kiwis.

        I don't know what the answer is to this. Some of it is the bells-and-whistles (x-rays, etc.), which may improve the dental care – but all the equipment costs an arm-and-a-leg and has to be amortized across all of the patients. Some of it is the high cost of training, and then of staffing and operating dental surgeries.

        https://www.nsoms.co.nz/dental-costs-in-new-zealand-why-is-it-so-expensive/

        I'd like to see a very low-cost, basic dental care option. Fillings (quick and cheap), extraction (if necessary), cleaning & scaling [which always sounds painful]. And conversations with the dentist which include what you can afford – rather than starting out with 'you need 5 crowns, at 1.5 K each'

        I know that school dental care was massively backed up before Covid (my son missed the last 3 annual checkups at his school – because they simply prioritized kids who they felt were more likely to have issues). And, of course, virtually no preventive dental work was done over the last 2 years with Covid. Now the dental checks have started up again, but they are so far behind, I don't think they have any hope of catching up – and are suffering from the same staffing shortages that every other aspect of medicine is coping with.

        And, if your kid needs braces (not just cosmetic, if there are misaligned or overlapping teeth, without straightening you're in for a life of heightened risk of dental decay) – you're talking 7K plus (which is completely out of reach of many families).

  19. Anker 19

    Good on you Mosa

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    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago
  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    1 day ago
  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    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 ...
    3 days ago
  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    3 days ago
  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    3 days ago
  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    3 days ago
  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    4 days ago
  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
    5 days ago
  • Feline Friends and Fragile Fauna The Complexities of Cats in New Zealand’s Conservation Efforts

    Cats, with their independent spirit and beguiling purrs, have captured the hearts of humans for millennia. In New Zealand, felines are no exception, boasting the highest national cat ownership rate globally [definition cat nz cat foundation]. An estimated 1.134 million pet cats grace Kiwi households, compared to 683,000 dogs ...

    5 days ago
  • Or is that just they want us to think?
    Nice guy, that Peter Williams. Amiable, a calm air of no-nonsense capability, a winning smile. Everything you look for in a TV presenter and newsreader.I used to see him sometimes when I went to TVNZ to be a talking head or a panellist and we would yarn. Nice guy, that ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Fact Brief – Did global warming stop in 1998?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did global warming stop in ...
    6 days ago
  • Arguing over a moot point.
    I have been following recent debates in the corporate and social media about whether it is a good idea for NZ to join what is known as “AUKUS Pillar Two.” AUKUS is the Australian-UK-US nuclear submarine building agreement in which … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • No Longer Trusted: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    Turning Point: What has turned me away from the mainstream news media is the very strong message that its been sending out for the last few years.” “And what message might that be?” “That the people who own it, the people who run it, and the people who provide its content, really don’t ...
    6 days ago
  • Mortgage rates at 10% anyone?
    No – nothing about that in PM Luxon’s nine-point plan to improve the lives of New Zealanders. But beyond our shores Jamie Dimon, the long-serving head of global bank J.P. Morgan Chase, reckons that the chances of a goldilocks soft landing for the economy are “a lot lower” than the ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago
  • Sad tales from the left
    Michael Bassett writes –  Have you noticed the odd way in which the media are handling the government’s crackdown on surplus employees in the Public Service? Very few reporters mention the crazy way in which State Service numbers rocketed ahead by more than 16,000 during Labour’s six years, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • In Whose Best Interests?
    On The Spot: The question Q+A host, Jack Tame, put to the Workplace & Safety Minister, Act’s Brooke van Velden, was disarmingly simple: “Are income tax cuts right now in the best interests of lowering inflation?”JACK TAME has tested another MP on his Sunday morning current affairs show, Q+A. Minister for Workplace ...
    6 days ago
  • Don’t Question, Don’t Complain.
    It has to start somewhereIt has to start sometimeWhat better place than here?What better time than now?So it turns out that I owe you all an apology.It seems that all of the terrible things this government is doing, impacting the lives of many, aren’t necessarily ‘bad’ per se. Those things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    59 mins ago
  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • NZ and US to undertake further practical Pacific cooperation
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research.   “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government redress for Te Korowai o Wainuiārua
    The Government is continuing the bipartisan effort to restore its relationship with iwi as the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill passed its first reading in Parliament today, says Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith. “Historical grievances of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua relate to 19th century warfare, land purchased or taken ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Focus on outstanding minerals permit applications
    New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals is working to resolve almost 150 outstanding minerals permit applications by the end of the financial year, enabling valuable mining activity and signalling to the sector that New Zealand is open for business, Resources Minister Shane Jones says.  “While there are no set timeframes for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Applications open for NZ-Ireland Research Call
    The New Zealand and Irish governments have today announced that applications for the 2024 New Zealand-Ireland Joint Research Call on Agriculture and Climate Change are now open. This is the third research call in the three-year Joint Research Initiative pilot launched in 2022 by the Ministry for Primary Industries and Ireland’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Tenancy rules changes to improve rental market
    The coalition Government has today announced changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to encourage landlords back to the rental property market, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “The previous Government waged a war on landlords. Many landlords told us this caused them to exit the rental market altogether. It caused worse ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Boosting NZ’s trade and agricultural relationship with China
    Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay will visit China next week, to strengthen relationships, support Kiwi exporters and promote New Zealand businesses on the world stage. “China is one of New Zealand’s most significant trade and economic relationships and remains an important destination for New Zealand’s products, accounting for nearly 22 per cent of our good and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Freshwater farm plan systems to be improved
    The coalition Government intends to improve freshwater farm plans so that they are more cost-effective and practical for farmers, Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay have announced. “A fit-for-purpose freshwater farm plan system will enable farmers and growers to find the right solutions for their farm ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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