“Awake! for Morning in the Bowl of Night
Has flung the Stone that puts the Stars to Flight:
And Lo! the Hunter of the East has caught
The Sultan’s Turret in a Noose of Light”
Dreaming, when Dawn’s left hand was in the sky.
I heard a voice within the tavern cry,
Awake my little ones and fill the cup!
Before life’s liquor in its cup be dry.
Heh. My morning serenade for many years to rouse sluggish offspring. Unsurprisingly, none are into either the dawn chorus or poetry.
“And that inverted Bowl we call The Sky,
Whereunder crawling coop’t we live and die,
Lift not thy hands to It for help — for It
Rolls impotently on as Thou or I.
“For in and out, above, about, below,
‘Tis nothing but a Magic Shadow-show,
Play’d in a Box whose Candle is the Sun,
Round which we Phantom Figures come and go.
Is the bible an entertainer with a contract requiring it not to say anything that might damage the company’s brand? Because, otherwise it’s not clear what you’re on about.
While somehow saying anything about the Sultan of Brunei, who passes laws stoning these same people to death gets defined as Islamophobia. /sarc right back at you
“Maybe we can rationally assess the chances of Leviticus being enacted in any modern western nation”
We can answer that with one word: Pence.
So quite high.
“So today, I want to close with faith. Faith in the good people of this nation of faith, the United States of America. And from our founding, have cherished that foundation of belief and cherish it still.
Faith in our President, whose deep commitment to religious liberty at home and abroad has been evident every day of this administration.
Faith in all of you and the nations represented here, and your renewed commitment to the cause of religious liberty in your nations and around the world.
And I also close with faith that, from this renewed beginning today, we will make progress on behalf of religious liberty in the years ahead. And my faith ultimately comes from what’s in my heart.
And in the ancient words inscribed on our Liberty Bell, displayed in Philadelphia, the words of the ancient text of Leviticus that read, “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land, and unto [all] the inhabitants thereof.” We’ve done it throughout our history. And I know that as each one of us renew our commitment to proclaim liberty throughout all of our lands, that freedom will prevail, for as the Bible tells us, “where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” So freedom always wins when Faith in Him is held high.
After nearly 24 hours of declining to clarify its position, the State Department finally sent The Daily Beast a statement saying the U.S. was “concerned” about the new law, minutes after we published a story noting Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the department’s silence.
However, when asked by The Daily Beast, Pompeo and the Department of State declined to directly condemn, or state an objection to, the stoning to death of LGBT people.
[…]
The Daily Beast again asked if Pompeo or the Department of State objected to the stoning to death of LGBT people under the new law. A spokesperson would not address this question directly, and instead referred us to the statement above.
A request for comment by The Daily Beast to Vice President Mike Pence, given his influence when it comes to U.S. foreign policy, went unresponded to.
Pence is on the extreme right. The Westboro Baptist Church also occupies that space and has views on homosexuality that are based on teachings found in Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, which they interpret to mean that homosexual behaviour is detestable and that homosexuals should be put to death.
Maybe I missed the point where Pence proposed ” that homosexuals should be put to death” and this will be introduced as US law if he became President.
Also I missed any realistic analysis of the likelihood of such a law actually being implemented in the USA. As contrasted to at least four Islamic countries where is law right now.
Yep I’m sure he would – I wonder how many Christian so called moderates would turn their heads and pretend not to see or hear the truth of that bigotry. Not many I hope but history might not hold that up.
So Folau is a bigot while the rulers of Saudi, Yemen, Mauritania, Brunei and all our allegedly moderate Muslim ‘brothers and sisters’ throughout the world who hold to the much the same views …. are what exactly?
bigots too if they act or say bigoted things – same with Ardern and t.rump, Corbyn or Sanders – doesn’t distinguish between skin colour, religion, gender, country or what your hair colour is.
They self allocate and implicate their group when they say the group believes in the same bigotry – in other words they say the group is bigoted not the individual.
“Wakey, wakey rise and shine
Bushell’s coffee’s on the line”
From a time when husband and his mate did shift work on top of a day job, as you did then before “wimmin” went out to work, as of right and to share the load, plus you could and had the incentive that you could become established as a family more quickly. One or other “wife” would drop them down some dinner and it seemed normal, pretty stress-free for a year or more – their was a lot of comradeship and it almost in hindsight seemed like fun.
Not so easy now with those sorts of jobs automated and getting from one place to another in the centres traffic-wise pretty much would make it impossible from what I can see.
What a shame that the local fruit season demands – with decent incentives – aren’t seen as such. Here it is kiwifruit but the many who once did it of all ages to top up funds for travel or even necessities find the 12 hour shifts that are the standard I understand a bit hard around home, other jobs etc given they are short term option and not even semi-permanent.
Damn – right RSS column has been picking up posts from this site somehow. Looks like I will have to find time to fix it – it is now preventing the column from displaying.
Easter + ANZAC next week and with a couple of days break I’m off work for 10 days from friday.
* Request made in full awareness that a totally legitimate response is if I don’t like what’s happening I can fuck right off and run my own blog just the way I want it.
I think lprent works out when to do things for himself adam. And I think he gets both pride and satisfaction, and irritation and irony about TS probably in equal measures.
In the meantime Jack Ma, the billionaire of Alibaba fame is demanding 72 hour weeks to be the norm:
China’s wealthiest man, with an estimated net worth of more than $50 billion, has created a stir on social media after declaring that staff should adhere to a “996” work schedule: from 9:00am to 9:00pm, six days a week.
And as a side note, not many people would know that the origins of the 40 hour week was in Victoria in the 1850’s gold rush. The main street of Ballarat has dividing strip with about 20 or so interesting historic monuments of all kinds; but the one that surprised me the most was this:
The Utopian Socialist Robert Owen coined the slogan “Eight hours’ labour, Eight hours’ recreation, Eight hours’ rest” in 1817. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Owen
Marx wrote in Capital “By extending the working day, therefore, capitalist production…not only produces a deterioration of human labour power by robbing it of its normal moral and physical conditions of development and activity, but also produces the premature exhaustion and death of this labour power itself.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight-hour_day
Victorian Masons used their labour power to strike successfully for an eight-hour day but they still worked 6 days a week. The 40hr week only was made law in 1948 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_labour_movement
John Maynard Keynes thought that increased labour productivity would lead to a 15-hour work week. “But beyond this, we shall endeavour to spread the bread thin on the butter-to make what work there is still to be done to be as widely shared as possible. Three-hour shifts or a fifteen-hour week may put off the problem for a great while.”
We work more, more productivley for less
*Green Party MP Golriz, – she has no environmental credibility at all.
So when did she complain about the excessive over use of trucks and underuse of rail”
She is dumb on the ruining of our planet by the massive emissions of tyre dust and diesel exhaust from all those 34 tyres on every truck in the fleet of 35 000 trucks emissions from each truck isn’t she just.
Had second thoughts after praising the PM & govt yesterday. The continued stalling on the climate change legislation is a big problem. It informs the public that the issue is not a priority. They ought not to keep sending out that signal!
At the very least, they owe us an explanation. “We’re working on it” is an excuse that has worn thin from over-use. If NZF is indeed doing the stalling, make the buggers accountable to the public!
What use is a PM that allows the tail to wag the dog? Ardern ought to realise that her boast about climate change being her generational issue is being diminished in its political effect by the ongoing lack of follow-through. Precisely what is the hold-up? She’d better sort it fast – or publicise exactly who is doing the stalling.
what is the current level of co2 in the atmosphere? clearly it’s not part of the weather report, it’s of no interest. Simply put, we don’t have to care about co2 since the media have decided not to inform us about co2 actual levels. Politicians are not there if the media isn’t. It’s inevitable that continued co2 rises will hit, even has, tipping points in the planet’s climate. And worse, given we won’t react until we have measured the irreversible trend, that any media needs immediate evidence for emotional sensationalism we will never get to any real action on climate change. Sure, transitional fads, but if climate does radically shift our race has no ability to preempt said disaster. cross fingers.
“Not just an attack on press freedom, not just intimidation, but it says: Even if you’re exposing WAR CRIMES, we’re coming after you.”
At the 6:00 minute mark, the clip from MSNBC shows where Te Reo Putake gets his major talking point re WikiLeaks. It’s false of course, and Paul Jay deals with it at the 11:30 mark….
Assange’s health has been seriously undermined according to
“Dr. Sondra Crosby, an associate professor of medicine and public health at Boston University and an expert on the physical and psychological impact of torture, has evaluated detainees held by the United States, including at its prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. She quietly began meeting with and evaluating Assange in 2017 inside the embassy where he had sought refuge.”
Just to be clear: the women—not “the complainants”—were harried and bamboozled into complying with this obscene and ridiculous scheme to destroy Assange. However, despite the strenuous efforts of Marianne Ny and her incompetent henchmen, they both quickly made it clear that the charges were a fantasy.
Spy vs. Spy is funny in the pages of Mad magazine; in real life it’s sinister and extremely dangerous.
Of course that won’t stop you carrying on pushing these black lies, any more than we can expect the DNC and its media mouthpieces like Rachel Maddow to pull back from their equally absurd and evidence-free assertions that Trump is a “Russian agent.”
And your little dig about “the matrix” is certainly a step higher on the evolutionary ladder than sneering about tinfoil helmets.
Appreciate your perseverance in the face of reality. Don’t know why you’re doing it for free though; at least the likes of Hosking are paid to spew their bile.
You keep saying “the complainant”. The women roped into this obscene engine of destruction both clearly stated the charges were bogus. The “complainant” is the U.S. government and its vassals.
And, yes, it is a conspiracy.
Interestingly, you seem to place great faith in the integrity of the Swedish prosecution service, as if complete and utter refutation would lead it to simply abandon a case in which it was so heavily invested. How are Swedish prosecutors any more trustworthy than, say, the New Zealand prosecutors who forced Peter Ellis into prison on equally bizarre and outlandish charges?
The lawyer in that link, Elisabeth Massi Fritz, isn’t part of the prosecution service. She is working for the complainant. When the complainant’s lawyer wants the case reopened, the term “complainant” seems appropriate.
So is Elisabeth Massi Fritz committing professional misconduct and lying about who her client is or her client’s wishes? Or is your “bogus” claim itself questionable?
In all your life McFlock have you ever campaigned for any other alleged rape victims?
Demanded that their testimony be accepted and that the accused be punished?
Thought not.
So why are you so especially interested in this case?
What the Swedes are calling rape in this instance , is what I call bad sexual etiquette. Save your tears for forceful entry and assault, where a man uses his superior strength against a woman , and his penis as a weapon.
So one commenter is saying it’s all made up, another commenter is saying people only care because of a vendetta against the accused, and you’ve come up with minimisation of what occurred and that other rapes are much worse so this doesn’t really count.
Standard rape-culture bingo card, right there.
I really don’t know which position is more contemptible to hold.
What level of “sex without consent” do you consider to be more than mere bad manners? Where on your hierarchy of sexual molestation do you think Assange would have to be in order for you to want him to appear before a court?
I find your disgust and outrage disproportionate to the event.
You are probably never likely to experience a violent rape.
If thats the law in Sweden, thats the law in Sweden.
Saudi Arabia also has some unforgiving laws, which have to be obeyed by all .So does Indonesia over drug laws.
Where do you get the idea I dont believe Assange should have his day in court?More assumptions on your part.
I think he has every right to the opportunity to clear his name.
He was granted asylum lawfully as a political refugee, and Sweden could have upheld that with assurances that status would be honoured by them
No rendition or extradition while Assange was in their custody.
Instead the Swedes put political considerations above the rights of the complainants and the accused.
And the Bingo card is a fizzer No prize for you. You have to have them all on the same card McF
Legally, it’s rape here, it’s rape in Sweden, it’s rape in the UK. Poor etiquette isn’t a crime in any of those countries.
People don’t minimise the alleged crimes of other people they think should go to court. Make up your mind.
By the way, you do realise that the bulk of my disgust isn’t levelled at Assange (who at least provides entertainment by having been hoist by his own paranoid petard), but with folks here who repeat the same lies and minimisations for almost a decade, copying every rape denialist trope ever used to get a rich frat-boy or a Harvey Weinstein off a sexual assault charge? You lot are contemptible.
The NZ legal conditions for defining rape are numerous, partly because a wife can claim rape against her husband; agreement without pressure comes into the consideration. This:
Conspiracy type comments I’ve heard on the web re: Assange that I think are interesting enough to post here
1. He is being carried out because if he doesn’t set foot on the ground he cannot be properly charged
2. The purpose of his arrest is not to actually punish him, but to put critical evidence before the public so they can see behind the scenes
3. Because this isn’t a “real” arrest (?!) he will be released later on.
Maori Council executive member and Chair of Suicide Prevention Australia Matthew Tukaki talked with Guyon Espiner this morning about the lack of action from the government on addressing our appalling suicide stats.
Come, come.
Guyon shuts anyone who might embarrass the Government down as you must surely have observed.
The only people he allows to proceed uninterrupted are members of the current Government. They get total fawning attention.
If you think he allows members of the current Government to proceed uninterrupted and they get total fawning attention, either you need a new radio or I do.
Briscoes seem to have quite a lot of models for sale.
The cheapest is apparently $14.99.
Since you obviously need a new radio I suggest you get down there at once. http://homeware.www.briscoes.co.nz/shopping/Radio
“A woman turned to Lifeline in desperation. First of all she texted them and got replies that the service was experiencing long wait times. She then called, and was on hold for 30 minutes. Eventually she gave up and hung up. Lifeline has been around for 50 years and Robin Gault of the University of Otago says Lifeline should get funding in this year’s Budget and people should get immediate attention when they call.”
There was regular links during the previous govts terms illustrating the volume of service cuts and defunding of them…
It was staggering the high numbers of service cut…as it was unthinkable given the dollar values being removed from those services…
A few hundred thousand here..aggregate totals being a handul of million of I recall…yet the social value of the safety nets was immeasureable in reality…
I get that it is not a straight forward exercise to start up such services even if funding was available…and that some services may have been..or may be started up in different form…
If it were my decision it would have been a key campaign issue…to fundm..and start up every single support service shut down by NACT…
And it would have had it done by now…if I was the PM…
Notre Dame and Lateral Thinking
by CRAIG MURRAY, 15 April 2019
France is a country which has spent hundreds of billions of euros on nuclear Weapons of Mass Destruction, and hundreds of billions of euros on other military capabilities. France possesses the technological capability to utterly flatten a city the size of Paris in minutes. Yet it does not possess the technological capability to prevent one of its greatest buildings from being destroyed by fire.
If the many trillions spent all around the world on the research, development and production of instruments of destruction had been devoted to peaceful purposes instead, what new technologies might we have now? It is not a huge step in lateral thinking to imagine that in such a world, more might have been available to save Notre Dame – and Grenfell – than too short ladders and hoses squirting water.
I posted this simple idea on twitter a couple of hours ago. As with all my twitter posts, right wing trolls came in to dispute my point very quickly. Their posts are worth reading because they so stunningly miss the point. They talk about standard lengths of firefighting ladders and about water pressure. They appear completely unable to even register, let alone extrapolate from, the notion that had the resources mankind has squandered on agents of destruction been better used, we might have different technologies.
John Stuart Mill once stated in parliament: “I did not mean that Conservatives are generally stupid; I meant, that stupid persons are generally conservative. I believe that to be so obvious and undeniable a fact that I hardly think any hon. Gentleman will question it.” I have always believed that right wing “thought” is a misnomer, and right wing views are rather characterised by absence of meaningful intellectual activity. Furthermore, those touted as right wing “thinkers”, such as Roger Scruton, Patrick Minford or David Starkey, if studied with any rigour, are the greatest proof of this. But it is seldom that you see such clear evidence as the responses to that little tweet. If I had devised that tweet as an experiment to demonstrate the hypothesis of the intellectual incapacity of the conservative mind, it could not have worked better.
My condolences to all for the loss of a great building. One day, perhaps mankind will learn that we do not in reality defend what we have by spending vast amounts of our available resources and capacity for communal activity in preparing to destroy as much as we are physically capable of destroying.
French governments have wasted, and continue to waste, billions—actually, trillions—of francs/euros on weapons of mass destruction and on wars of aggression/repression all over the world. None of this criminal aggression has popular assent.
If French politicians cared about French culture and French treasures like Notre Dame it might be a mitigating factor. But clearly they do not.
This program is getting a lot of buy-in and the organisers are very keen for people to see how well it is succeeding in cutting down on violent events that have put our domestic violence figures high. It may be similar to Celia Lashlie’s ideas that she were proving helpful to people losing it and messing up everyone’s lives. RIP Celia. I think others are going ahead with the plans she and they instigated. It
might be a good thing for those of us who see the need for improvements for people in NZ and don’t know where to start to get involved in.
Domestic violence awareness roadtrip – born out of tragedy
From Nine To Noon, 9:20 am today
Listen duration 15′ :02″
David White’s daughter was murdered a decade ago, now he’s traveling the country to raise awareness of domestic violence.
The 74 year old is now more than half-way through a nationwide road trip, speaking to community groups from Invercargill to the Far North.
His campaign slogan is Harm Ends Futures Begin. David White’s daughter, Helen Meads was killed by her husband in 2009.
A very good programme, and well done to Kathryn Ryan giving for David White space to deliver his message.
Ten years on and he still audibly grieves.
Two major things popped out…one was that domestic violence affects ALL sections of the community and merely blaming poverty is a cop-out, and the other was that he recognised the real value of cross party (political) discussions on this issue.
…and fortunately there is plenty of spare cash floating around to pay for it.
France’s benevolent wealthy have stepped up to the plate and dug deep for Notre Dame…
” French business leaders have already pledged more than a billion NZ dollars for the reconstruction of the cathedral. Billionaire François-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of the Kering group that owns the Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent fashion brands, has pledged €100m. Another €200m was pledged by Bernard Arnault’s family and their company LVMH – a business empire which includes Louis Vuitton and Sephora. French cosmetics giant L’Oreal and its founding Bettencourt family have promised to give a further €200m. Total, the French oil giant, has pledged €100m. Air France said in a statement that the company would offer free flights to anyone involved in the reconstruction. ”
So it is just as well that the-gloss-wearing-off-rapidly Macron reversed the contentious Wealth Tax that drove the Worthies from French soil….
“Macron’s move to replace the tax with a levy targeting only real estate in last week’s 2018 budget was used by political opponents to brand him the “president of the rich”, a label the ex-Rothschild banker has been struggling to shake off since taking office in May.
In a visit to a Whirlpool factory in his native town of Amiens, scene of a showdown six months ago with his then far-right challenger Marine Le Pen in the presidential election contest, Macron defended the policy.
“It’s all well and good to want to spread wealth, but you first need to produce, to create wealth before redistributing, that’s how it works,” he told journalists. ”
“These injuries caused by police during the protests mostly result from the uses of the security forces’ “defensive bullets” known as Flashballs or LBDs and stun grenades which contain a dose of TNT.
Police are forbidden from aiming the bullets at people’s faces but as already mentioned at least a dozen people have suffered serious eye injuries including the permanent loss of sight, by these rubber bullets.
After an appeal by France Info some 51 victims of police Flashball came forward. Some had been seriously maimed including one named Vanessa Langard who was hit in the face by the so-called “defence bullet”.
“My eye has lost three quarters of its vision. I can just see shapes and colours now and it’s not going to get any better,” she said.
Four people have reportedly had part of their hands blown off as a consequence of the use of the grenades. ”
I guess this is the outcome when the electorate has a choice between someone like Macron and a child of the ultra far right.
Donald Trump was reluctant to expel suspected Russian spies after the novichok chemical weapons attack in Salisbury, viewing the poisoning of a defector as “part of legitimate spy games”, according to a new report.
According to the New York Times, Trump reacted sceptically to a British request in March 2018 for a strong punitive response to the use of the nerve agent against the former spy, Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. A local resident, Dawn Sturgess, was killed three months later when she came in contact with the chemical.
It marked the first chemical weapon attack on European soil since the first world war…
… The incident is cited as an example of the persuasive skills of the then deputy CIA director (now director), Gina Haspel.
She is said to have presented the expulsion of 60 accredited Russian diplomats – the course eventually taken – as the “strong option”.
She also showed the president pictures of young children who had been hospitalised as a result of the Salisbury attack, as well as photographs of ducks that had been killed because of the carelessness in handling the deadly nerve agent on the part of the two Russian intelligence operatives alleged to have carried out the attack.
“Mr Trump fixated on the pictures of the sickened children and the dead ducks. At the end of the briefing, he embraced the strong option,” the report said…
… Trump has separately been reported as having been furious when he found out that the US had expelled far more Russians than Germany or France, who each ordered four Russian officials to leave.
According to a report last April in the Washington post, Trump had told his officials that the US would match the European response, but his aides interpreted that to total European expulsions, not individual countries.
“I don’t care about the total!” an administration official cited in the Washington Post report recalled Trump screaming.
Goodness me Marty.
So Haspel(the torture Queen) deliberately misrepresenting the facts (no children were hospitalised , no ducks died)is a good thing???
Totally fabricated evidence to manipulate a gullible and emotionally infantile president is a good thing now?
The ends justify the means eh, its a slippery slope
I just though t.rumps actions and reactions were funny – “I don’t care about the total” – those officials misinterpreted his utterances? – ha ha I bet they did.
You can do all the other stuff – I feel okay with what I think happened on those days.
Unfortunately that slippery slope is ancient history these days francesca..these days folk seem happy to support anyone and any action as long as they follow the ‘Trump (Assange) Worst Man on earth Ever’ narrative.
Haspel, Mueller*, George Bush, Alec Baldwin….all now looked upon with benign fondness by so some called liberals/left wingers/centrists/whatever .
Political language especially as regurgitated by the msm and journalists who should know better, like those at The Guardian,…. “is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind” Orwell. (my italics)
*Though maybe not now he’s failed to deliver the promised ‘goods’…apparently helping start a disastrous war by purposefully lying about Saddam Hussein’s WMD’s was entirely forgivable..the Collusion Report…not so much.
Yes,
preferential blinkering I see, beats critical thinking every time.
Of course Trumps responses are totally buffoonish, and totally predictable.
Whats new?
But fabricated information is a dangerous tool to
put in front of such a President, and for that to go unremarked in the article is worrying.
But anyway
Whooosh!
There were news reports about 3 children being given bread to feed the ducks and 48 people were assessed in hospital I believe – not so strange to mention then I think. Still could be wrong and morally there may be issues giving this information to t.rump and expecting some coherent response. But he did expel the people so…
Yes, but no children were hospitalised and no ducks died, you really can’t extrapolate that from the fact that 40 people got worried and Skripal fed ducks and gave bread to the kids from his novichoked hands .
One thing is not the other
Maybe its “truthiness” is ok for you
And for you the ends justifies the means, so…
Yes well i’ve put the reports up with links and you have some issues with those reports. All good although I would caution about ascribing anything to me – ask and I shall tell otherwise don’t speculate please.
On March 16 Steven Davies, “Consultant in Emergency Medicine” at Salisbury hospital, wrote the following letter to the Times in response to an article that had appeared there two days earlier.This is the text of the letter:
“Sir, Further to your report (“Poison Exposure Leaves Almost 40 Needing Treatment”, Mar 14), may I clarify that no patients have experienced symptoms of nerve-agent poisoning in Salisbury and there have only ever been three patients with significant poisoning. Several people have attended the emergency department concerned that they may have been exposed. None had symptoms of poisoning and none has needed treatment. Any blood tests performed have shown no abnormality. No member of the public has been contaminated by the agent involved.
STEPHEN DAVIES, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust”
There are precisely zero reports of ducks killed by bread from either the kids or Skripal.
Some looking up stuff too – truth stranger than fiction
Last December, a trio of astronomers set the record for the most distant object ever discovered in the solar system. Because the small world is located about three times farther from the Sun than Pluto, the researchers dubbed it Farout. Now, not to be outdone (even by themselves), the same group of boundary pushers have announced the discovery of an even more far-flung object. And since the new find sits a couple billion miles farther out than Farout, the team has fittingly nicknamed it Farfarout.
The discovery of Farfarout, which is about 140 astronomical units from the Sun (where 1 AU equals the distance between Earth and the Sun), is quite impressive by its own right. But Farfarout and its nearer sibling are not just record-breakers, they could be trend-setters. Depending on how their orbits shake out, the two may add to a growing pile of evidence that hints at the existence of an elusive super-Earth lurking in the fringes of our solar system: Planet Nine.
Golly that is exciting about Farfarout. I think we should all stop worrying about our little planet and petty little crises and put all our money into exploring the huge universe that we live in. And when we have used up this planet Earth and killed off everyone in various ways including bacteria and viruses, in a parody of Jules Verne The War of the Worlds, the few scientists and their bloated backers that are left can all bugger off and have a great time eating pies in the sky, and singing about their obsessions as in Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
Liberalism is sweeping populism away and now people don’t like liberalism. What next – what next. He is making me think of a song ‘You call everybody darling’ but here the word is ‘Nazi’. He makes the very salient point that if that word is spread around so widely applied to everyone – what do you call a Nazi when you want to point to a real one?
Jonathan Pie so hot, that you need oven gloves to get near him.
There is so much here that you have to listen twice.
I’m slightly surprised by this – given the number of days in April that involve NZ holidays/gatherings or important dates for US nutbars or important dates from WW2 and for Nazi nutbars, I expected the threat level to remain high until early May.
“Apparently, linguists who have loaded a thousand languages into their minds, despair trying to understand gabbleducks. What they say is nonsensical, but frustratingly close to meaning. There’s no reason for them to have such complex voice boxes, especially to communicate with each other, as on the whole they are solitary creatures and speak to themselves. When they meet it is usually only to mate or fight, or both. There’s also no reason for them to carry structures in their skulls capable of handling vastly complex languages. Two thirds of their large brains they seem to use hardly at all. Science, in their case, often supports myth.”
Brilliant Sci Fi story in that link (audio story too!!!) – Neal Asher is one of my favorite writers – space opera though so get ready for a big ride if you start reading his work.
What are your deficiencies? And what have you done about them – this could be good learning for me as we are at vastly different stages on the journey as you have stated.
Yeah I suppose with the way you talk to people online it’s good for you not to share too much.
Over the years I’ve found those most critical of others (like you are) often are the most in need of their own advice. This is the way it works.
It seems like people don’t trust you from what you say. Trust has to be earned One Two. You need to show you can be trusted. You know this stuff so just a reminder to tap you onto the path again.
Good luck on your journey – as they say, the master is just around the next corner.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/387253/watch-live-govt-rules-out-capital-gains-tax
Oh it isn’t the government’s fault, it is that wonky steel that got imported from overseas. The government just buckles under pressure. And poor Mr Robertson so rotund and roly poly doesn’t look as if he would be able to stand up to lean and hungry capitalists in a row coming at him like an All Black charge.
Doesn’t it seem sometimes as if the All Blacks have almost become favourite enforcers for the National Party; when they retire sportspeople like them, if they are in good standing, can get good jobs as part of a government goodie bag.
It seems a fanciful idea, but in our present state of nimble government, Jack has to be quick to keep up with pollies.
Anyone else remember back around three years ago when the convergence moonbats were telling us Hair Farce One was going to be some kind of peacenik once he was prez?
The Senate just voted 54-46 and the House 247-175 to withdraw US involvement from the Yemen massacre. But the Tangerine Palpatine gets some sort of jollies from his Saudi mates murdering Yemenis by the thousands, so he vetoed it.
You do realize, I take it, that the killing in Yemen—and in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and several states in Africa— was greenlighted by Obama well before the arrival of Trump?
I share your distaste and disgust for the Tangerine One, and acknowledge that he’s even worse than what went before. However, he’s not doing anything radically different from any president before him.
What is radically different is this is the first time Congress has ever explicitly told a president to stop the malicious war games. That’s an enormous step by itself.
Any previous president would take that as a big sign to rethink what was being done. But not the deranged dotard.
And the convergence moonbat game of whining “but Obama” really isn’t an argument. I really can’t be arsed looking up the facts to play that game.
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 29 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina – Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 28 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the plan’s treatment of Auckland passed through the council’s transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was “improper” ...
“Awake! for Morning in the Bowl of Night
Has flung the Stone that puts the Stars to Flight:
And Lo! the Hunter of the East has caught
The Sultan’s Turret in a Noose of Light”
Dreaming, when Dawn’s left hand was in the sky.
I heard a voice within the tavern cry,
Awake my little ones and fill the cup!
Before life’s liquor in its cup be dry.
Heh. My morning serenade for many years to rouse sluggish offspring. Unsurprisingly, none are into either the dawn chorus or poetry.
Get up, get up, you lazy heads
Get up you lazy sinners:
We need the sheets for tablecloths
And it’s nearly time for dinner!
That was ours.
Wakey, wakey hands off snakey
I was gonna keep it to myself, but now that you’ve led the dive into the gutter: Drop your cocks and grab your socks
Hands above the covers
What’s the time
Half past nine
Hang your britches on the line.
My father’s refrain. Guess his father refrained it to him.
Oh Goody! Can I play too, please?
“And that inverted Bowl we call The Sky,
Whereunder crawling coop’t we live and die,
Lift not thy hands to It for help — for It
Rolls impotently on as Thou or I.
Fitzgerald took some liberties, but the result is excellent. It takes a poet to translate a poet.
Aye, indeed. I like this verse also:
“For in and out, above, about, below,
‘Tis nothing but a Magic Shadow-show,
Play’d in a Box whose Candle is the Sun,
Round which we Phantom Figures come and go.
If Israel Folau is to be banished and thrown out
Then surely so too must the bible be banished and thrown out
As many have pointed out – only to be politely ignored
such are we humans eh…
little credibility
Some pampered religious crackpot got fired because he shot his mouth off in direct violation of his employment agreement, tough luck.
exactly – boo hoo for him
If Stuff is to be believed then your statement is wrong.
They are saying that there was nothing in his contract about commenting n Social Media. Therefore he can’t be in direct violation of the contract by doing so.
They may have other, more general, grounds for sacking him but his contract doesn’t appear to have been breached.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/112093460/rugby-australia-yet-to-hear-from-israel-folau-but-face-unwanted-dilemma
It wasn’t the fact that he spouted that crap, it was that he used his position to highlight it. People in ‘high places’ have a social responsibility
People in high places shouldn’t quote the bible?
That’s a goody
Is the bible an entertainer with a contract requiring it not to say anything that might damage the company’s brand? Because, otherwise it’s not clear what you’re on about.
Good to see you standing up for Israel Folau’s right to vilify , disparage an harass those people he chooses to. /SARC
While somehow saying anything about the Sultan of Brunei, who passes laws stoning these same people to death gets defined as Islamophobia. /sarc right back at you
I have even less time for the Sultan than I do Folau though I wonder if Folau would make homosexuality criminal again if he could like the Sultan did.
Maybe we can rationally assess the chances of Leviticus being enacted in any modern western nation.
And while doing that let’s wait for the chorus of condemnation from imam’s all around the western world for the Sultan’s actual law making shall we?
“Maybe we can rationally assess the chances of Leviticus being enacted in any modern western nation”
We can answer that with one word: Pence.
So quite high.
“So today, I want to close with faith. Faith in the good people of this nation of faith, the United States of America. And from our founding, have cherished that foundation of belief and cherish it still.
Faith in our President, whose deep commitment to religious liberty at home and abroad has been evident every day of this administration.
Faith in all of you and the nations represented here, and your renewed commitment to the cause of religious liberty in your nations and around the world.
And I also close with faith that, from this renewed beginning today, we will make progress on behalf of religious liberty in the years ahead. And my faith ultimately comes from what’s in my heart.
And in the ancient words inscribed on our Liberty Bell, displayed in Philadelphia, the words of the ancient text of Leviticus that read, “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land, and unto [all] the inhabitants thereof.” We’ve done it throughout our history. And I know that as each one of us renew our commitment to proclaim liberty throughout all of our lands, that freedom will prevail, for as the Bible tells us, “where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” So freedom always wins when Faith in Him is held high.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-vice-president-pence-ministerial-advance-religious-freedom/
Great, but nothing about stoning adulterers and gays. Just saying.
A wink and a nudge…
After nearly 24 hours of declining to clarify its position, the State Department finally sent The Daily Beast a statement saying the U.S. was “concerned” about the new law, minutes after we published a story noting Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the department’s silence.
However, when asked by The Daily Beast, Pompeo and the Department of State declined to directly condemn, or state an objection to, the stoning to death of LGBT people.
[…]
The Daily Beast again asked if Pompeo or the Department of State objected to the stoning to death of LGBT people under the new law. A spokesperson would not address this question directly, and instead referred us to the statement above.
A request for comment by The Daily Beast to Vice President Mike Pence, given his influence when it comes to U.S. foreign policy, went unresponded to.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/pompeo-and-trump-admin-silent-on-bruneis-law-to-stone-lgbt-people-to-death?
Pence is on the extreme right. The Westboro Baptist Church also occupies that space and has views on homosexuality that are based on teachings found in Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, which they interpret to mean that homosexual behaviour is detestable and that homosexuals should be put to death.
Maybe I missed the point where Pence proposed ” that homosexuals should be put to death” and this will be introduced as US law if he became President.
Also I missed any realistic analysis of the likelihood of such a law actually being implemented in the USA. As contrasted to at least four Islamic countries where is law right now.
Yep I’m sure he would – I wonder how many Christian so called moderates would turn their heads and pretend not to see or hear the truth of that bigotry. Not many I hope but history might not hold that up.
So Folau is a bigot while the rulers of Saudi, Yemen, Mauritania, Brunei and all our allegedly moderate Muslim ‘brothers and sisters’ throughout the world who hold to the much the same views …. are what exactly?
bigots too if they act or say bigoted things – same with Ardern and t.rump, Corbyn or Sanders – doesn’t distinguish between skin colour, religion, gender, country or what your hair colour is.
Yes. Maybe it’s what individuals say and act out which is important; not which group they’ve been allocated to.
They self allocate and implicate their group when they say the group believes in the same bigotry – in other words they say the group is bigoted not the individual.
They’ve got fuckall chance of playing in a pro rugby team too I’d say Rodlog.
Trading partners
He is us, isn’t he? The PM certainly thinks so. People in your society hold religious views you don’t like, suck it up.
“He is us” wow and here I am thinking he is Australian.
“Wakey, wakey rise and shine
Bushell’s coffee’s on the line”
From a time when husband and his mate did shift work on top of a day job, as you did then before “wimmin” went out to work, as of right and to share the load, plus you could and had the incentive that you could become established as a family more quickly. One or other “wife” would drop them down some dinner and it seemed normal, pretty stress-free for a year or more – their was a lot of comradeship and it almost in hindsight seemed like fun.
Not so easy now with those sorts of jobs automated and getting from one place to another in the centres traffic-wise pretty much would make it impossible from what I can see.
What a shame that the local fruit season demands – with decent incentives – aren’t seen as such. Here it is kiwifruit but the many who once did it of all ages to top up funds for travel or even necessities find the 12 hour shifts that are the standard I understand a bit hard around home, other jobs etc given they are short term option and not even semi-permanent.
Damn – right RSS column has been picking up posts from this site somehow. Looks like I will have to find time to fix it – it is now preventing the column from displaying.
Easter + ANZAC next week and with a couple of days break I’m off work for 10 days from friday.
May I request some attention to something strange in linking to comments? *
If you link to a comment as part of a sentence like this https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-17-04-2019/#comment-1608587 it seems to work fine. As does embedding the link.
But if you put it by itself as if it’s a separate paragraph like this:
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-17-04-2019/#comment-1608587
it seems to drop the hash comment-number and just go to the post. Same if you link to, say instructions on how to link cleanly in the FAQ https://thestandard.org.nz/faq/comment-formatting/#linking or the same link standing alone
https://thestandard.org.nz/faq/comment-formatting/#linking
* Request made in full awareness that a totally legitimate response is if I don’t like what’s happening I can fuck right off and run my own blog just the way I want it.
Can I suggest you actually have a break lprent! And the standard people actually live with the fact you having a break.
I know, dirt socialist thing to say.
I think lprent works out when to do things for himself adam. And I think he gets both pride and satisfaction, and irritation and irony about TS probably in equal measures.
An interesting result from a Melbourne company:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-17/killing-hump-day-business-that-shuts-wednesdays-workers-happier/10985332
In the meantime Jack Ma, the billionaire of Alibaba fame is demanding 72 hour weeks to be the norm:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-16/alibaba-founder-jack-ma-says-staff-should-work-996/11021610
And as a side note, not many people would know that the origins of the 40 hour week was in Victoria in the 1850’s gold rush. The main street of Ballarat has dividing strip with about 20 or so interesting historic monuments of all kinds; but the one that surprised me the most was this:
https://bih.federation.edu.au/index.php/The_Eight_Hour_Day_Movement
The Utopian Socialist Robert Owen coined the slogan “Eight hours’ labour, Eight hours’ recreation, Eight hours’ rest” in 1817.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Owen
Marx wrote in Capital “By extending the working day, therefore, capitalist production…not only produces a deterioration of human labour power by robbing it of its normal moral and physical conditions of development and activity, but also produces the premature exhaustion and death of this labour power itself.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight-hour_day
Victorian Masons used their labour power to strike successfully for an eight-hour day but they still worked 6 days a week. The 40hr week only was made law in 1948
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_labour_movement
John Maynard Keynes thought that increased labour productivity would lead to a 15-hour work week. “But beyond this, we shall endeavour to spread the bread thin on the butter-to make what work there is still to be done to be as widely shared as possible. Three-hour shifts or a fifteen-hour week may put off the problem for a great while.”
We work more, more productivley for less
On the politic front,
*So Bridges is a goner?
*Green Party MP Golriz, – she has no environmental credibility at all.
So when did she complain about the excessive over use of trucks and underuse of rail”
She is dumb on the ruining of our planet by the massive emissions of tyre dust and diesel exhaust from all those 34 tyres on every truck in the fleet of 35 000 trucks emissions from each truck isn’t she just.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1904/S00106/greenhouse-gas-inventory-shows-need-for-action.htm
https://www.transport.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Research/Documents/Fleet-reports/1b33252a3d/The-NZ-Vehicle-Fleet-2017-Web.pdf
Because…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1efOs0BsE0g&ab_channel=thejuicemedia
Had second thoughts after praising the PM & govt yesterday. The continued stalling on the climate change legislation is a big problem. It informs the public that the issue is not a priority. They ought not to keep sending out that signal!
At the very least, they owe us an explanation. “We’re working on it” is an excuse that has worn thin from over-use. If NZF is indeed doing the stalling, make the buggers accountable to the public!
What use is a PM that allows the tail to wag the dog? Ardern ought to realise that her boast about climate change being her generational issue is being diminished in its political effect by the ongoing lack of follow-through. Precisely what is the hold-up? She’d better sort it fast – or publicise exactly who is doing the stalling.
what is the current level of co2 in the atmosphere? clearly it’s not part of the weather report, it’s of no interest. Simply put, we don’t have to care about co2 since the media have decided not to inform us about co2 actual levels. Politicians are not there if the media isn’t. It’s inevitable that continued co2 rises will hit, even has, tipping points in the planet’s climate. And worse, given we won’t react until we have measured the irreversible trend, that any media needs immediate evidence for emotional sensationalism we will never get to any real action on climate change. Sure, transitional fads, but if climate does radically shift our race has no ability to preempt said disaster. cross fingers.
“Not just an attack on press freedom, not just intimidation, but it says: Even if you’re exposing WAR CRIMES, we’re coming after you.”
At the 6:00 minute mark, the clip from MSNBC shows where Te Reo Putake gets his major talking point re WikiLeaks. It’s false of course, and Paul Jay deals with it at the 11:30 mark….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfuIqkzflc4
Thank you. Another very good discussion on this issue, where disinformation is almost overwhelming dominating the mainstream ‘media’
Assange’s health has been seriously undermined according to
“Dr. Sondra Crosby, an associate professor of medicine and public health at Boston University and an expert on the physical and psychological impact of torture, has evaluated detainees held by the United States, including at its prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. She quietly began meeting with and evaluating Assange in 2017 inside the embassy where he had sought refuge.”
https://theintercept.com/2019/04/15/julian-assange-health-medical-care/
No sympathy for Assange’s suffering from Chris Trotter or Jim Mora….
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/01/an-unusually-inane-and-depraved-edition.html
self harm is often poorly understood.
You’re correct: ultimately he harmed himself by exposing those massacres of civilians. Manning too: let her rot.
If only every journalist were as compliant and amenable to the authorities as, say, our own Mike Hosking, or those drones at the BBC.
If only they’d gone after that narcissistic prick Ellsberg in the same way they went after Assange.
Ellsberg. The very name brings out in hives all who love and trust our politicians, our spies, our military top brass. Narcissist that he was, and is.
Don’t forgetthe alleged sexual assaults. They were pretty damaging, too.
Key word: “alleged”. As in “manufactured by U.S. spooks and totally discredited.”
The foul and equally fictional denunciations of dissidents in Red China and Soviet Russia were pretty damaging, too.
You’re still a rape enabler when someone you like is accused, then.
?????
Fantasies concocted by criminals do not constitute rape.
Just to be clear: you’re saying that the two complainants are, 100% without a shadow of a doubt, lying?
Just to be clear: the women—not “the complainants”—were harried and bamboozled into complying with this obscene and ridiculous scheme to destroy Assange. However, despite the strenuous efforts of Marianne Ny and her incompetent henchmen, they both quickly made it clear that the charges were a fantasy.
Spy vs. Spy is funny in the pages of Mad magazine; in real life it’s sinister and extremely dangerous.
Of course that won’t stop you carrying on pushing these black lies, any more than we can expect the DNC and its media mouthpieces like Rachel Maddow to pull back from their equally absurd and evidence-free assertions that Trump is a “Russian agent.”
Must be awesome to be able to read the matrix like that.
Funnily enough, the representative of one of the complainants doesn’t seem to agree with you.
So the swedish prosecutors and the claimant’s lawyer are part of a sophisticated lie on behalf of the yanks? Sounds totally legit /sarc
Thanks for the helpful “sarc” note.
And your little dig about “the matrix” is certainly a step higher on the evolutionary ladder than sneering about tinfoil helmets.
Appreciate your perseverance in the face of reality. Don’t know why you’re doing it for free though; at least the likes of Hosking are paid to spew their bile.
So the lawyer wanting the case reactivated – do you think she’s working for the complainant, or just another CIA plant?
You keep saying “the complainant”. The women roped into this obscene engine of destruction both clearly stated the charges were bogus. The “complainant” is the U.S. government and its vassals.
And, yes, it is a conspiracy.
Interestingly, you seem to place great faith in the integrity of the Swedish prosecution service, as if complete and utter refutation would lead it to simply abandon a case in which it was so heavily invested. How are Swedish prosecutors any more trustworthy than, say, the New Zealand prosecutors who forced Peter Ellis into prison on equally bizarre and outlandish charges?
Focus, mos.
The lawyer in that link, Elisabeth Massi Fritz, isn’t part of the prosecution service. She is working for the complainant. When the complainant’s lawyer wants the case reopened, the term “complainant” seems appropriate.
So is Elisabeth Massi Fritz committing professional misconduct and lying about who her client is or her client’s wishes? Or is your “bogus” claim itself questionable?
In all your life McFlock have you ever campaigned for any other alleged rape victims?
Demanded that their testimony be accepted and that the accused be punished?
Thought not.
So why are you so especially interested in this case?
Ford/Kavanaugh comes quickest to mind.
One or two others, incl offline. Even had to be there for one friend as she testified in court against her attacker.
In short, your thought was an incorrect assumption.
How many people accused of rape have you defended?
What the Swedes are calling rape in this instance , is what I call bad sexual etiquette. Save your tears for forceful entry and assault, where a man uses his superior strength against a woman , and his penis as a weapon.
So one commenter is saying it’s all made up, another commenter is saying people only care because of a vendetta against the accused, and you’ve come up with minimisation of what occurred and that other rapes are much worse so this doesn’t really count.
Standard rape-culture bingo card, right there.
I really don’t know which position is more contemptible to hold.
What level of “sex without consent” do you consider to be more than mere bad manners? Where on your hierarchy of sexual molestation do you think Assange would have to be in order for you to want him to appear before a court?
I find your disgust and outrage disproportionate to the event.
You are probably never likely to experience a violent rape.
If thats the law in Sweden, thats the law in Sweden.
Saudi Arabia also has some unforgiving laws, which have to be obeyed by all .So does Indonesia over drug laws.
Where do you get the idea I dont believe Assange should have his day in court?More assumptions on your part.
I think he has every right to the opportunity to clear his name.
He was granted asylum lawfully as a political refugee, and Sweden could have upheld that with assurances that status would be honoured by them
No rendition or extradition while Assange was in their custody.
Instead the Swedes put political considerations above the rights of the complainants and the accused.
And the Bingo card is a fizzer No prize for you. You have to have them all on the same card McF
Legally, it’s rape here, it’s rape in Sweden, it’s rape in the UK. Poor etiquette isn’t a crime in any of those countries.
People don’t minimise the alleged crimes of other people they think should go to court. Make up your mind.
By the way, you do realise that the bulk of my disgust isn’t levelled at Assange (who at least provides entertainment by having been hoist by his own paranoid petard), but with folks here who repeat the same lies and minimisations for almost a decade, copying every rape denialist trope ever used to get a rich frat-boy or a Harvey Weinstein off a sexual assault charge? You lot are contemptible.
The NZ legal conditions for defining rape are numerous, partly because a wife can claim rape against her husband; agreement without pressure comes into the consideration. This:
What is consent?
A person consents to sexual activity if they do it actively, freely, voluntarily and consciously without being pressured into it.
https://www.police.govt.nz/advice/sexual-assault/sexual-assault-and-consent
Assange though he already had had intercourse with the woman. I think is blamed for having it again without her consent, because she was asleep.
It seems that the approach of the recent protective law is to define everything precisely, and try to cover every possible situation.
Conspiracy type comments I’ve heard on the web re: Assange that I think are interesting enough to post here
1. He is being carried out because if he doesn’t set foot on the ground he cannot be properly charged
2. The purpose of his arrest is not to actually punish him, but to put critical evidence before the public so they can see behind the scenes
3. Because this isn’t a “real” arrest (?!) he will be released later on.
three lols in a row…
Maori Council executive member and Chair of Suicide Prevention Australia Matthew Tukaki talked with Guyon Espiner this morning about the lack of action from the government on addressing our appalling suicide stats.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018691361/suicide-how-do-you-know-when-someone-is-struggling
Seems our Aussie cousins have a To Do list, yet here…nothing.
Mr. Tukaki was just getting to the actual cause of the delay…..(around 5 mins)
“I think they run the risk of being held captive by the Ministry of Health and the public service who are well versed in the dark arts….”
….when buggering damn, Guyon cut him off.
Come, come.
Guyon shuts anyone who might embarrass the Government down as you must surely have observed.
The only people he allows to proceed uninterrupted are members of the current Government. They get total fawning attention.
If you think he allows members of the current Government to proceed uninterrupted and they get total fawning attention, either you need a new radio or I do.
“either you need a new radio or I do.”
Briscoes seem to have quite a lot of models for sale.
The cheapest is apparently $14.99.
Since you obviously need a new radio I suggest you get down there at once.
http://homeware.www.briscoes.co.nz/shopping/Radio
How many of the (life line like) support services shut down (defunded) by NACT have been started up again by the current govt…
That’s a very good question.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thepanel/audio/2018690785/lifeline-funding
“A woman turned to Lifeline in desperation. First of all she texted them and got replies that the service was experiencing long wait times. She then called, and was on hold for 30 minutes. Eventually she gave up and hung up. Lifeline has been around for 50 years and Robin Gault of the University of Otago says Lifeline should get funding in this year’s Budget and people should get immediate attention when they call.”
There was regular links during the previous govts terms illustrating the volume of service cuts and defunding of them…
It was staggering the high numbers of service cut…as it was unthinkable given the dollar values being removed from those services…
A few hundred thousand here..aggregate totals being a handul of million of I recall…yet the social value of the safety nets was immeasureable in reality…
I get that it is not a straight forward exercise to start up such services even if funding was available…and that some services may have been..or may be started up in different form…
If it were my decision it would have been a key campaign issue…to fundm..and start up every single support service shut down by NACT…
And it would have had it done by now…if I was the PM…
Notre Dame and Lateral Thinking
by CRAIG MURRAY, 15 April 2019
France is a country which has spent hundreds of billions of euros on nuclear Weapons of Mass Destruction, and hundreds of billions of euros on other military capabilities. France possesses the technological capability to utterly flatten a city the size of Paris in minutes. Yet it does not possess the technological capability to prevent one of its greatest buildings from being destroyed by fire.
If the many trillions spent all around the world on the research, development and production of instruments of destruction had been devoted to peaceful purposes instead, what new technologies might we have now? It is not a huge step in lateral thinking to imagine that in such a world, more might have been available to save Notre Dame – and Grenfell – than too short ladders and hoses squirting water.
I posted this simple idea on twitter a couple of hours ago. As with all my twitter posts, right wing trolls came in to dispute my point very quickly. Their posts are worth reading because they so stunningly miss the point. They talk about standard lengths of firefighting ladders and about water pressure. They appear completely unable to even register, let alone extrapolate from, the notion that had the resources mankind has squandered on agents of destruction been better used, we might have different technologies.
John Stuart Mill once stated in parliament: “I did not mean that Conservatives are generally stupid; I meant, that stupid persons are generally conservative. I believe that to be so obvious and undeniable a fact that I hardly think any hon. Gentleman will question it.” I have always believed that right wing “thought” is a misnomer, and right wing views are rather characterised by absence of meaningful intellectual activity. Furthermore, those touted as right wing “thinkers”, such as Roger Scruton, Patrick Minford or David Starkey, if studied with any rigour, are the greatest proof of this. But it is seldom that you see such clear evidence as the responses to that little tweet. If I had devised that tweet as an experiment to demonstrate the hypothesis of the intellectual incapacity of the conservative mind, it could not have worked better.
My condolences to all for the loss of a great building. One day, perhaps mankind will learn that we do not in reality defend what we have by spending vast amounts of our available resources and capacity for communal activity in preparing to destroy as much as we are physically capable of destroying.
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/
https://twitter.com/CraigMurrayOrg/status/1117866272358846464
France has played a role in destroying nation states…obliterating numerous ancient sites around the region…
French governments have wasted, and continue to waste, billions—actually, trillions—of francs/euros on weapons of mass destruction and on wars of aggression/repression all over the world. None of this criminal aggression has popular assent.
If French politicians cared about French culture and French treasures like Notre Dame it might be a mitigating factor. But clearly they do not.
Indeed.
The complaints of the modern young hedonist. Has some lines in the sand, but self-centred, observational about his culture rather than integrated into his society and country.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/112079021/9-things-i-dont-miss-about-australia-when-i-go-overseas
Good news. Swimming dog found oil rig. Keep paddling is the answer in life I guess, we might get to a safe place.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/asia/112093018/dog-rescued-swimming-220-kilometres-off-thailands-coast-by-oil-rig-workers
And good news about people getting together to save Notre Dame treasures. They kept working to make things better than they would have been. Keeping paddling example!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/112093160/notre-dame-fire-how-human-chain-saved-treasures-as-design-of-building-foiled-firefighters
This program is getting a lot of buy-in and the organisers are very keen for people to see how well it is succeeding in cutting down on violent events that have put our domestic violence figures high. It may be similar to Celia Lashlie’s ideas that she were proving helpful to people losing it and messing up everyone’s lives. RIP Celia. I think others are going ahead with the plans she and they instigated. It
might be a good thing for those of us who see the need for improvements for people in NZ and don’t know where to start to get involved in.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018691367/domestic-violence-awareness-roadtrip-born-out-of-tragedy
life and society crime
Domestic violence awareness roadtrip – born out of tragedy
From Nine To Noon, 9:20 am today
Listen duration 15′ :02″
David White’s daughter was murdered a decade ago, now he’s traveling the country to raise awareness of domestic violence.
The 74 year old is now more than half-way through a nationwide road trip, speaking to community groups from Invercargill to the Far North.
His campaign slogan is Harm Ends Futures Begin. David White’s daughter, Helen Meads was killed by her husband in 2009.
A very good programme, and well done to Kathryn Ryan giving for David White space to deliver his message.
Ten years on and he still audibly grieves.
Two major things popped out…one was that domestic violence affects ALL sections of the community and merely blaming poverty is a cop-out, and the other was that he recognised the real value of cross party (political) discussions on this issue.
Harm Ends Futures Begin campaigner David White started off down South and he now is in the Waikato-Coromandel 17-24 April.
He then goes to Tamaki Makaurau on 25 April
starting Papakura.
last in Rodney 23 May
Then Te Tai Tokerau
Whangarei 27 May
Northland Where? 28 May
And finally to visit Spirits Bay.
https://whiteribbon.org.nz/2019/02/18/harm-ends-futures-begin-with-david-white/
And more good news re the Cathedral Rebuild…
‘We can rebuild it, better than before!!!’, or words to that effect…
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018691351/notre-dame-fire-experts-assess-damage-ready-to-rebuild
…and fortunately there is plenty of spare cash floating around to pay for it.
France’s benevolent wealthy have stepped up to the plate and dug deep for Notre Dame…
” French business leaders have already pledged more than a billion NZ dollars for the reconstruction of the cathedral. Billionaire François-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of the Kering group that owns the Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent fashion brands, has pledged €100m. Another €200m was pledged by Bernard Arnault’s family and their company LVMH – a business empire which includes Louis Vuitton and Sephora. French cosmetics giant L’Oreal and its founding Bettencourt family have promised to give a further €200m. Total, the French oil giant, has pledged €100m. Air France said in a statement that the company would offer free flights to anyone involved in the reconstruction. ”
So it is just as well that the-gloss-wearing-off-rapidly Macron reversed the contentious Wealth Tax that drove the Worthies from French soil….
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-tax/macron-fights-president-of-the-rich-tag-after-ending-wealth-tax-idUSKCN1C82CZ
“Macron’s move to replace the tax with a levy targeting only real estate in last week’s 2018 budget was used by political opponents to brand him the “president of the rich”, a label the ex-Rothschild banker has been struggling to shake off since taking office in May.
In a visit to a Whirlpool factory in his native town of Amiens, scene of a showdown six months ago with his then far-right challenger Marine Le Pen in the presidential election contest, Macron defended the policy.
“It’s all well and good to want to spread wealth, but you first need to produce, to create wealth before redistributing, that’s how it works,” he told journalists. ”
In the meantime, the motley assortment of the disaffected, the Yellow Vests lick their wounds…https://www.thelocal.fr/20190129/france-in-numbers-police-violence-during-yellow-vest-protests
“These injuries caused by police during the protests mostly result from the uses of the security forces’ “defensive bullets” known as Flashballs or LBDs and stun grenades which contain a dose of TNT.
Police are forbidden from aiming the bullets at people’s faces but as already mentioned at least a dozen people have suffered serious eye injuries including the permanent loss of sight, by these rubber bullets.
After an appeal by France Info some 51 victims of police Flashball came forward. Some had been seriously maimed including one named Vanessa Langard who was hit in the face by the so-called “defence bullet”.
“My eye has lost three quarters of its vision. I can just see shapes and colours now and it’s not going to get any better,” she said.
Four people have reportedly had part of their hands blown off as a consequence of the use of the grenades. ”
I guess this is the outcome when the electorate has a choice between someone like Macron and a child of the ultra far right.
Classic t.rump
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/apr/16/trump-novichok-attack-skripal-poisoning-spy-game
Goodness me Marty.
So Haspel(the torture Queen) deliberately misrepresenting the facts (no children were hospitalised , no ducks died)is a good thing???
Totally fabricated evidence to manipulate a gullible and emotionally infantile president is a good thing now?
The ends justify the means eh, its a slippery slope
I just though t.rumps actions and reactions were funny – “I don’t care about the total” – those officials misinterpreted his utterances? – ha ha I bet they did.
You can do all the other stuff – I feel okay with what I think happened on those days.
Unfortunately that slippery slope is ancient history these days francesca..these days folk seem happy to support anyone and any action as long as they follow the ‘Trump (Assange) Worst Man on earth Ever’ narrative.
Haspel, Mueller*, George Bush, Alec Baldwin….all now looked upon with benign fondness by so some called liberals/left wingers/centrists/whatever .
Political language especially as regurgitated by the msm and journalists who should know better, like those at The Guardian,…. “is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind” Orwell. (my italics)
*Though maybe not now he’s failed to deliver the promised ‘goods’…apparently helping start a disastrous war by purposefully lying about Saddam Hussein’s WMD’s was entirely forgivable..the Collusion Report…not so much.
Yep Siobhan , as long as its against Trump, all is forgiven and” kinda truthy ” is good enough
Yes,
preferential blinkering I see, beats critical thinking every time.
Of course Trumps responses are totally buffoonish, and totally predictable.
Whats new?
But fabricated information is a dangerous tool to
put in front of such a President, and for that to go unremarked in the article is worrying.
But anyway
Whooosh!
There were news reports about 3 children being given bread to feed the ducks and 48 people were assessed in hospital I believe – not so strange to mention then I think. Still could be wrong and morally there may be issues giving this information to t.rump and expecting some coherent response. But he did expel the people so…
“48 people were assessed in hospital in relation to the incident
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43315636
Yes, but no children were hospitalised and no ducks died, you really can’t extrapolate that from the fact that 40 people got worried and Skripal fed ducks and gave bread to the kids from his novichoked hands .
One thing is not the other
Maybe its “truthiness” is ok for you
And for you the ends justifies the means, so…
Yes well i’ve put the reports up with links and you have some issues with those reports. All good although I would caution about ascribing anything to me – ask and I shall tell otherwise don’t speculate please.
You’d see the funny side though wouldn’t you mardymardy.
grow up gabby
I geddit mardymardy, good one, lol heh.
48 people were assessed …but not hospitalised
Fabricated evidence
but he did expel the people so…
thats all right then?
Yes well i’ve put the reports up with links and you have some issues with those reports.
Have you tried a search for some links to show the fabrication? Might pay to.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russia-salisbury-poison-fears-allayed-by-doctor-vf9v0zg0m
On March 16 Steven Davies, “Consultant in Emergency Medicine” at Salisbury hospital, wrote the following letter to the Times in response to an article that had appeared there two days earlier.This is the text of the letter:
“Sir, Further to your report (“Poison Exposure Leaves Almost 40 Needing Treatment”, Mar 14), may I clarify that no patients have experienced symptoms of nerve-agent poisoning in Salisbury and there have only ever been three patients with significant poisoning. Several people have attended the emergency department concerned that they may have been exposed. None had symptoms of poisoning and none has needed treatment. Any blood tests performed have shown no abnormality. No member of the public has been contaminated by the agent involved.
STEPHEN DAVIES, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust”
There are precisely zero reports of ducks killed by bread from either the kids or Skripal.
Awesome – glad that’s sorted.
“Several people have attended the emergency department concerned that they may have been exposed. ”
Maybe they got mixed up with that.
“mixed up” is not how I would describe the BBC’s habit of blatantly misconstruing the truth.
Some looking up stuff too – truth stranger than fiction
http://astronomy.com/news/2019/03/a-map-to-planet-nine-charting-the-solar-systems-most-distant-worlds
Golly that is exciting about Farfarout. I think we should all stop worrying about our little planet and petty little crises and put all our money into exploring the huge universe that we live in. And when we have used up this planet Earth and killed off everyone in various ways including bacteria and viruses, in a parody of Jules Verne The War of the Worlds, the few scientists and their bloated backers that are left can all bugger off and have a great time eating pies in the sky, and singing about their obsessions as in Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
In the meantime there is a relatively cheap $69 million contract to Musk to bounce off an asteroid though I don’t know whether that is to protect the body of our planet or the spyware satellites floating around it.
https://www.fin24.com/Economy/World/nasa-awards-musk-69m-to-fly-spacex-rocket-into-asteroid-20190416
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Hrn6vnOjRs
Liberalism is sweeping populism away and now people don’t like liberalism. What next – what next. He is making me think of a song ‘You call everybody darling’ but here the word is ‘Nazi’. He makes the very salient point that if that word is spread around so widely applied to everyone – what do you call a Nazi when you want to point to a real one?
Jonathan Pie so hot, that you need oven gloves to get near him.
There is so much here that you have to listen twice.
NZ threat level being downgraded.
I’m slightly surprised by this – given the number of days in April that involve NZ holidays/gatherings or important dates for US nutbars or important dates from WW2 and for Nazi nutbars, I expected the threat level to remain high until early May.
Never mind flockers, there’s bound to be a disaster somewhere for you to laugh at.
Your comments over the last wee while bring a smile, for a start.
Yours don’t.
A horse walks into a bar. Barman says “why the long face?”
Horse says, ‘I trod in a flocker on the way in.’
Is your brain having some time out gabby. Not funny or clever – the only reason for reading you.
Barman replies “A flocker? Nah, that flocker was a MiserySchmitt”
Stuka that up your Junka lol
Horse says, ‘Same thing.’
You’re reminding me of a gabbleduck
“Apparently, linguists who have loaded a thousand languages into their minds, despair trying to understand gabbleducks. What they say is nonsensical, but frustratingly close to meaning. There’s no reason for them to have such complex voice boxes, especially to communicate with each other, as on the whole they are solitary creatures and speak to themselves. When they meet it is usually only to mate or fight, or both. There’s also no reason for them to carry structures in their skulls capable of handling vastly complex languages. Two thirds of their large brains they seem to use hardly at all. Science, in their case, often supports myth.”
http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/asher_08_15_reprint/
Brilliant Sci Fi story in that link (audio story too!!!) – Neal Asher is one of my favorite writers – space opera though so get ready for a big ride if you start reading his work.
You’re not a linguist though…are you marty….
The angry tantrums and abuse… say you aren’t…
Yeah you’re probably right buckle but compared to you we are all lacking aren’t we.
It’s okay I sense you’re lonely and frightened today – I’ll be your wee buddy mate.
Your sense (sensors) require calibrating, marty…they’re way off…
Each of us have deficiencies, marty…putting in the effort to identify and understand them, is a discipline…
Working to improve them…a lifes journey…
We’re all at different stages…that’s all…
What are your deficiencies? And what have you done about them – this could be good learning for me as we are at vastly different stages on the journey as you have stated.
We’re – We (general term) are…(All human beings)…
It is highly improbable, if not impossible for two people to be at the same stage of development…unlimited variables involved…
I was mirroring your use of ‘we are’…not pointing at any difference between our journeys…
I’m not into sharing personal experiences online…some folks do…that’s fine…I choose not to be overt with details I share…
Yeah I suppose with the way you talk to people online it’s good for you not to share too much.
Over the years I’ve found those most critical of others (like you are) often are the most in need of their own advice. This is the way it works.
It seems like people don’t trust you from what you say. Trust has to be earned One Two. You need to show you can be trusted. You know this stuff so just a reminder to tap you onto the path again.
Good luck on your journey – as they say, the master is just around the next corner.
Drunkard at the end of the bar says “holy schmitt, a talking horse!”
A couple of months after being granted unexplained relief from sanctions, and despite tariffs on Canadian aluminium for national security reasons, Manafort bestie Oleg Deripaska and co are going to build a new aluminium production plant in McConnell’s state.
But coal.
https://www.npr.org/2019/02/14/694769097/trump-tweet-fails-to-save-kentucky-coal-fired-power-plant
No CGT. Supposedly NZers don’t want one. Cowards.
pity. Not just this govt, but under her leadership.
Provides point of difference for Greens, though – I suspect they’d be for it.
Capital Gains Tax dead.
Boomers win. All else: ……. ouch
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/387253/watch-live-govt-rules-out-capital-gains-tax
Oh it isn’t the government’s fault, it is that wonky steel that got imported from overseas. The government just buckles under pressure. And poor Mr Robertson so rotund and roly poly doesn’t look as if he would be able to stand up to lean and hungry capitalists in a row coming at him like an All Black charge.
Doesn’t it seem sometimes as if the All Blacks have almost become favourite enforcers for the National Party; when they retire sportspeople like them, if they are in good standing, can get good jobs as part of a government goodie bag.
It seems a fanciful idea, but in our present state of nimble government, Jack has to be quick to keep up with pollies.
Ardern…what a coward.
Stick to photo ops and feelgood interviews.
Lol, retaining power and a position at the trough obviously far more important.
Winning the next election obviously far more important.
If Labour is only interested in staying in power why the fuck did they waste so much taxpayer money doing a TWG.
You’re seriously reducing the worth of the tax working group to expansion of the CGT?
100% Brutus Bang on there.
Green Party is throwing their toys all out of the crib today also.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/04/17/green-party-start-their-campaign-to-curtail-free-speech-the-danger-of-millennial-micro-aggression-policing-culture-defining-hate-speech/
[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.]
Anyone else remember back around three years ago when the convergence moonbats were telling us Hair Farce One was going to be some kind of peacenik once he was prez?
The Senate just voted 54-46 and the House 247-175 to withdraw US involvement from the Yemen massacre. But the Tangerine Palpatine gets some sort of jollies from his Saudi mates murdering Yemenis by the thousands, so he vetoed it.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-veto-yemen-saudi-bill_n_5cb667ace4b082aab08de6a4
You do realize, I take it, that the killing in Yemen—and in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and several states in Africa— was greenlighted by Obama well before the arrival of Trump?
I share your distaste and disgust for the Tangerine One, and acknowledge that he’s even worse than what went before. However, he’s not doing anything radically different from any president before him.
What is radically different is this is the first time Congress has ever explicitly told a president to stop the malicious war games. That’s an enormous step by itself.
Any previous president would take that as a big sign to rethink what was being done. But not the deranged dotard.
And the convergence moonbat game of whining “but Obama” really isn’t an argument. I really can’t be arsed looking up the facts to play that game.
Fair comment, Andre!