A year ago, many Ethiopians would not have dared to imagine the spectacle they are being treated to right now, as the government intensifies its crackdown on alleged corruption and gross human rights violations within the military and intelligence services.
The nation has watched in disbelief – and then cheered – as former high-ranking officers have been arrested on live television, handcuffed while surrounded by heavily armed security personnel and bundled into police vehicles. Times have indeed changed.
This is the biggest crackdown on corruption in Ethiopia’s recent history and it is being spearheaded by the bold and reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who came to power in April……
…..The prime minister seems to be responding to concerns raised by the public, especially during the last four years when massive anti-government protests broke out in many parts of the country.
At the heart of the demonstrations were serious concerns about the alleged corruption which touched at the very core of the government and the military.
Torture and sodomy charges
The corruption scandals which have hit the military-run conglomerate, Metals and Engineering Company (Metec), have not been a secret in the country – they have long been whispered in homes, pubs and coffee places.
But no-one, it seemed, had the courage to take the problem head on until Mr Abiy came to office.
In this fight, the prime minister seems to have huge public support, having won over even some of his doubters who thought he did not have it in him to take on the military elite.
Other arrested officials have already appeared in court, facing charges that include torture, rape and sodomy.
Again, this did not come as a surprise to Ethiopians. Thousands of them were arbitrarily arrested over the years, and human rights groups have written numerous reports about the allegations against security officials.
His critics say he is carrying out a purge of the old guard in the military and intelligence services who for years have been almost untouchable and only answerable to those within their ranks…..
This is a remarkable turnaround when most of the world seems to be heading in the other direction.
When just 70 years after the death of Hitler and Stalin where we seemed to be heading to a world where all the major countries will be ruled by fascists, goons, strongmen and other types of “authoritarians” (Britain and France excepted for the moment).
A great example of why the old model is broken, a lack of leadership and a lack of imagination.
Trucking rubbish 200km from Taranaki to Martin. Three trucks a day.
And then there is talk of achieving zero waste targets…
People might excuse the authorities of not having a lot of drive in dealing with rubbish. Many are so thick that they would reply that was wrong, they drive
the rubbish away. They would think a riposte like that funny.
Well, no. They do seem to be working on the principle of actually reducing their waste. Personally, I don’t see how that can be done at the regional level. It really does need central government bringing in legislation to reduce packaging and banning the spam in our mailboxes.
I’m wondering how it will be able to save ~$1m per year. That doesn’t seem physically possible without either dropping the number of personnel or lowering wages or both.
And, with it being wholly foreign owned means that any profit is going to be shipped offshore making us poorer.
I’m also wondering what other hooks have been placed in the agreement because it seems far too good to be true.
A Universal Creativity Initiative will flow naturally from UBI.
We are at our best when putting personal talent to work. It is no coincidence that world-wide rehabilitation programs for offenders and addicts are invariably grounded in creativity, – activities such as cooking, music, art, surfing, and environmental restoration.
Earning a living for most fails to honour individual creativity. We find ourselves ‘imprisoned’ within profit-based corporations and governmental institutions demanding compliance within narrow bounds. The demise of conventional employment following widespread automation will usher in a universal basic income or similar currency leaving millions free to give expression to what they sense as innovation lying at their deepest core.
While there are impressive structures created by animals (bird nests, termite colonies, corals, beaver dams) they are purpose-built – never as creative expression. Setting us aside from other life forms our creativity stems from individual temperament and ability. The trait is common to us all whilst its expression in terms of range, diversity and depth is without limit.
With capitalism comfortably out of the way and UBI in place a universal creativity initiative will eventuate allowing the widest spectrum of human abilities to come to the fore in the rebuild of society and restoration of our stricken planet. The politically inclined to explore new styles of inclusive government; educators to developing fresh methods of nourishing emerging talent; financiers to look into equitable ways applying UBI; artists and musicians to give novel expression to humanity’s changing orientation on earth; scientists to probe decisive methods of restoring the integrity of our ecosystems; medics to develop non-intrusive initiatives of addressing health; idealists to imagining our future course – to name a few.
Within these broad divisions lie countless sub-opportunities catering for the full spectrum of human talent and ability all the way from abstract visionaries to those with high quality physical dexterity.
Our creativity is only limited by our imagination and curiosity – unstoppable forces in human evolution. There’s one thing that stops imagination and creativity dead in their tracks: fear.
Indeed, when the basics are not covered our psychology results in different attitudes and behaviours. The post here on TS on house prices bears testament to that. People bow to economic fundamentals or indicators rather and put their lives on hold (i.e. play it safe).
We all have so much potential locked away inside but have thrown away the key – we now live in strictly materialistic dimension of our own making. Some praise our secular society and its supposed rationalism and reliance on science and the scientific method. Others compare it with the Matrix: an artificial world in which human evolution is at a standstill and exploited by machines – I think we’re half-way there.
“I don’t think we can afford to just completely IGNORE this.”
Two louts and a comedian discuss “China’s aggression” in the South China Sea The Panel, RNZ National, Friday 16 November 2018
Jim Mora, James Nokise, Heather Roy, Caitlin Cherry
First topic for the once-over-lightly this afternoon was the buttonholing of Jacinda Ardern by Mahathir Mohamad, and his urging her to beware of Chinese influence in the Pacific. Host Jim Mora noted that “the Australians” have spoken out against China’s aggression. Mora made that statement without any discernible irony in his voice.
Near the end of this risible segment, the one participant with a conscience, comedian James Nokise, says what anyone with an I.Q. above room temperature would have been thinking. He obviously decided to ignore the rules: such plain speaking is utterly verboten on this dog of a program. His radical statement of the truth elicits a ringing silence from Mora, who is happy to laugh at the plight of political dissidents, and Heather Roy, a former ACT member of parliament…..
JIM MORA: And then there were those, aah, AWKWARD moments at the East Asia Summit in Singapore
HEATHER ROY: Mmmmmm.
JIM MORA: —when the Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad began BENDING the ear of our prime minister about Chinese attempts to dominate the South China Sea, and the reporters were ushered out of the roo-hoo-hoo-om! [guffawing, followed by extended intake of breath]… It’s interesting, I mean, if push DOES come to shove in the South China Sea—we’ve asked this before—what sould, what should New Zealand do, because the P.M. says we’re not taking SIDES here?
HEATHER ROY:[deep sigh to indicate moral seriousness] Hmmmmm.
JAMES NOKISE: What exactly CAN we do? Probably an uncomfortable question for New Zealanders. I mean are we gonna send our three ships and no planes that we have, to intimidate China?
MORA: Well, Australia trades a lot with China, and [deep intake of breath] has still told China in fairly plain language that it’s being AGGRESSIVE. I guess you could say Australia is using harder wo-o-o-ords.
JAMES NOKISE: Well if anyone knows about aggressive use of internment camps it’s probably the Australians, isn’t it.
…Awkward silence….
HEATHER ROY:[nervously] Heh, heh.
MORA:[breathes deeply to indicate annoyance and perplexedness] It’s INTERESTING though—-
HEATHER ROY: Yeeaahhhh….
MORA: Sorry, no you were gonna say what?
HEATHER ROY: It IS very interesting, and New Zealand is heavily dependent on the South China Sea, you know….[…]…. I don’t think we can afford to just completely IGNORE this. Ahhhhhhmmm, tut, if you look at what happens with the MILITARY, ahh, there’s a freedom of navigation operations where the, the basis of that is maintaining your position… [bores on for a seeming eternity, actually another minute]…
Later in the program, Heather Roy the former ACT M.P. claimed, contra all evidence, that “the Americans treat veterans very well.”
You seem to forget that RNZ has always only catered for mainstreamers. Ardern could probably get her head around it, but she has to play to her crowd, right? When in doubt, be a typical politician & duck the issue.
If she were a true leader, she’d be fronting on behalf of our foreign policy credentials & independent stance – representing the entire country on the issue, not just Labour deadheads. She could remain cautious in noting that the South China Sea is not in our region, but explain that she understands why Malaysia is trying to share their regional concern with us. She could reasonably mention that other countries in that region share Malaysia’s concern, and cite those such as Japan and the Phillipines that have issued foreign policy statements in recent years expressing their concerns.
A true leader of Aotearoa would go further. Issuing a declaration of principle is required: China is creating a security threat in that region, perception that it is attempting a strategy of covert imperialism by means of establishing control over sea routes in contravention of international law is valid and we support those countries that are affected and threatened. Not taking sides is wimping out. She is presumably using public service advice as an excuse to do so. Poor leadership is the result.
She could remain cautious in noting that the South China Sea is not in our region,
It’s a global issue and not a regional one. The South China Sea is ~3.5 million square kilometres of international ocean. China’s actions are against all international law as it stands.
If China manages to annex it or even just a large portion of it then other nations will be doing the same and the law will be one which cannot be enforced. China seems to be doing it because they don’t think that the international community will do anything about it. Unfortunately, history proves them right. After all, the international community has never held the US to account for it’s crimes against international law.
This is a wealth grab and it’s actually grabbing potential wealth from the other nations surrounding The South China Sea.
You seem to forget that RNZ has always only catered for mainstreamers.
I’m well aware of that, Dennis. Occasionally there is real, outstanding, and courageous journalism on RNZ National, and even on the usually dreadful Panel hour: Eva Radich discomfiting Tony Blair by insisting he respond to her point that the attack on Iraq was illegal, Kim Hill driving the neocon William Shawcross into a fit of volcanic anger [1], Gordon Campbell challenging the glib and uninformed Richard Griffin over his prejudiced and thoughtless comments about Hugo Chavez and eliciting a groveling backdown and on-air retraction, and (more recently) Paula Penfold calling out the head of the New Zealand Defence Forces as a “coward”. [2]
All too often, however, as you rightly point out, RNZ National is anything but a forum of debate, affording an uncontested space for some of the ugliest and cleverest ideologues on the planet. [3]
Your point is well-made. I was just having a bitch at them. Having lived in alternative Aotearoa most of my life I resent their systemic discrimination against non-mainstreamers. They’ve learnt how to include other minorities in their coverage, they just can’t seem to apply the general principle!
When I’m back in town, I’ll post the Maritime Trade numbers that transit the SCS and greater Pacific Region and the possible effects it would have on the NZ economy. Any NZ exports for the SEA region goes through the Singapore hub, the same is for some our MER exports/imports have to go through the Singapore hub. If China does manage close access to SCS or degrade access to the SCS then the economies of Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and some degree the Canada and the US will be effected. In turn this will effect our traditional trading/ allies and including Australia, so what happens in the SCS is our concern as it would effectively stuff up the NZ economy especially what the Neo Lib/ Con economic theory has done to NZ over the last 30 odd years.
Unless we start to diverse our economy like our Kirk, Rowling, old Piggy and some degree Lamb burger Moore said in the 70’ and early/ mid 80’s, then we are fucked as we have ran down all aspects of the economy and the NZDF. Our Sea Lanes Of Communications (SLOC’s) are our life blood and heart and soul of the greater NZ economy.
“”What’s wrong with that? Some small-minded, bigoted person has called us racist, threatened to bash us up; it’s not worth replying to,” Joy Babington said.”
Just go have a drink in a local bar and get them talking. Likewise Kaponga, Stratford and Inglewood.
We did a gig in Kaponga, 3 – THREE fights in one show. Young white rugby players.
Inglewood, where friends of the groom sodomised him for an engagement present…
Hawera, where a middling white act gets rapturous applause, and an incredible Maori talent barely gets a smattering of light applause.
Where the Maori waitress came to my hotel to avoid the white bosses advances, but he followed her there, and it took hours for him to leave even after a wee talking to.
Where addressing racism ironically was interpreted as actual racist material and encouraged with free drinks, lunch invites, and back slaps.
Good old boys.
I could get back on stage as a front to do a documentary of small town NZ. People open up to comics after a show. It’d be a helluva expose but make a country full of enemies.
“Former New Plymouth Mayor Andrew Judd called it “absolutely disgusting”, and ex-MP and Maori activist Hone Harawira said he wanted to “smash the racist motherf**kers”.
“Is it acceptable for a reporter to go on and on because he hasn’t got an answer out of the President?” Obviously Jim Mora thinks it’s NOT acceptable. The Panel, RNZ National, Thursday 8 November 2018
Jim Mora, Penny Ashton, Bernard Hickey, Caitlin Cherry
Penny Ashton gets very heated as she criticizes Donald Trump, in the face of Mora’s infuriatingly complacent, barely disguised support for the Groper in Chief. Mora’s disdainful and patrician attitude, and his infuriatingly complacent observations seem designed to goad, taunt, and vex her.
BERNARD HICKEY: Last time we had unemployment this low, mortgage rates were eleven per cent.
MORA:ELEVEN per cent?!?!?
PENNY ASHTON: And I heard that they were like NINETEEN or TWENTY per cent in the eighties a lot of the time.
……
MORA: Minor news, um, from the, um, MID-TERMS in the United States, before we get to the big issues. Fox News, under a headline “Democrat Agenda” featured Lenin with a red flag and a hammer and sickle—
PENNY ASHTON: Oh, good LO-O-O-ORD.
MORA: Unless that is FAKE news, but it seemed to be genuine. The celebrity endorsements by the way—I don’t know why I mention, perhaps it’s because you’re here—
MORA: —FLOPPED. Um, from Taylor Swift and Beyoncé in Tenness—, Tennessee and Texas.
PENNY ASHTON: But DID they flop? I wouldn’t think you would say that Beto would—is that how you say his name?—Beeto, Beto?
MORA: Beto.
PENNY ASHTON: Beto—was a FLOP. Like he got SO CLOSE in a theoretically very red state. He also, it feels like he was starting his run for President, is what a lot of people are saying. I mean, and I just sort of think, that yes, okay they didn’t win, but it was close, and they rattled the cage, and I think that that’s SOMETHING.
MORA: It’s puzzling..[baffled sigh]… how come Beyoncé didn’t, uh, tell her millions of followers to vote for Beto until about four o’clock in the afterNOON?
PENNY ASHTON: I know, but also it’s so puzzling isn’t it, that that would be what it would take to GET you to do that, is something, but you know, there’s no point lamenting that sort of shenanigans, IS there?
MORA: And in a SIGN of the digital times, South Carolina’s state newspaper the Post had to go to press before the final result, and it announced: “Katie Arrington is going to Washington”. The first woman in Congress for twenty-five years in South Carolina, but in fact her lead was pulled ba-a-a-ack, and she ISN’T going to Washington. And, Bernard, you can imagine the agony of the subs as they tried to make that decision! [laughing]
BERNARD HICKEY: “Who-o-o-o-oops!”
MORA: Hur, hur!
BERNARD HICKEY: “Hold the presses!”
MORA: I know, they couldn’t hold them any longer!
BERNARD HICKEY: It’s like that famous headline, was it “Dewey Wins”? um, from nineteen—
MORA: Oh yeah.
PENNY ASHTON: And they QUOTED that I think.
BERNARD HICKEY: Yeah, yeah…
PENNY ASHTON: Yea-aah.
….Pause…..
MORA: Jeff Sessions has been sacked by Donald Trump, we’ll talk about that. And Donald Trump got REALLY upset with a persistent CNN reporter Jeff Acosta.
Jim Acosta: Mister President— Donald Trump: That’s ENOUGH. Jim Acosta: Mister President, I, one of the questions, if I may ask, on the Russian investigation, are you concerned that, that you may have— Donald Trump: I’m not concerned about anything— Jim Acosta: —where you may have indictments— Donald Trump: —with this investigation because it’s a HOAX! That’s enough. Put down the mike! Jim Acosta: Mister President, are you worried about INDICTMENTS coming down in this invest—
….Several seconds of hubbub as Trump’s aides attempt to grab microphone. Someone yells “Take his mike!”… Jim Acosta: Mister President— Donald Trump:[croaking in anger] I tell ya what: CNN should be ASHAMED of itself, having YOU working’ for them. You are a RUDE, TERRIBLE PERSON. You shouldn’t be working’ for CNN. Go ahead. ….[more hubbub]….
MORA: So Mister Acosta’s press credentials, ahhhh, have now been revoked by the White House, it’s claimed he placed his HANDS on the intern in the video from which this audio’s takennnn….
PENNY ASHTON: I watched it, she GRABBED the microphone out of his hand quite VIOLENTLY, and he put his hand out while she did that. And then people are saying online that it was ASSAULT. I mean, it’s, it’s like, oh honestly, it’s bad behavior all ROUND, it feels like to me.
BERNARD HICKEY: Yeaaahh, the, the, the photographs, I’ve seen the Reuters photographs of the incident, make it clear that he was simply trying to hold on to the mike.
PENNY ASHTON: Yeah. Yeah. And then she was being very rou—, you know,
BERNARD HICKEY: Mmmm.
PENNY ASHTON: Oh hey, he just, he’s just sort of such a repellent, I know that you’ve had, you’ve had listeners writing in, saying that your Panelists are so biased against Trump—
MORA: Yes, I’ll GET to that.
PENNY ASHTON: This is the man that said that, um, you know, he was gonna try and soften his rhetoric. And that’s what he comes out with, because he can’t help himself. And to me, it’s just, he keeps going on about CNN’s ratings dropping, but they’re NOT, so, you know, fake news, fake news.
MORA: Ha ha ha ha. Ha!
PENNY ASHTON: You are the fake news, sir, and this is what happens.
MORA: In—
PENNY ASHTON: How does it work? How do they dismiss people? Like, you know, I don’t know how it works in New Zealand. You’re in the press; if, if, if, you know, Jacinda goes, “Enough from you now”—
MORA: Yes I wanna ASK you that—
PENNY ASHTON: —are you supposed to STOP?
MORA: I wanna ask you that, because, in Trump’s, errr, errr, Trump’s CREDIT, he takes questions, lots more questions than Barack Obama or George Bush used to DO.
PENNY ASHTON:[skeptically] Well that’s interesti-i-ing.
MORA: Is it acceptable for a reporter to go on and on because he hasn’t got an answer out of the President? What do you think?
BERNARD HICKEY: Uh, I, I think it i-i-i-is, and it’s the job of the, um, responder to answer the question.
PENNY ASHTON: Mmm.
BERNARD HICKEY: Or at least make clear that they’re not going to answer the question because they don’t want to.
PENNY ASHTON: And not to descend into insults. Obviously.
BERNARD HICKEY: Yeah. And I must say, I’ve been in the press gallery now for six years, and have, you know, interviewed CEOs and Ministers for TWENTY years. I very rarely see a situation where someone walks out of an interview or refuses to answer a question. And John Key in particular, but also, um, Bill English, AND Jacinda Ardern all pride themselves on basically exhausting questions, i.e. stand there until the questions stop, and then leaving.
PENNY ASHTON: Right, okay. That’s certainly not his—
BERNARD HICKEY: And when they cut them off it’s actually really rare and noteworthy.
MORA:[audible intake of breath to indicate displeasure]
PENNY ASHTON: I mean, especially because people are ATTACKING journalists and things like this, you know, there’s actually been physical violence, and things, and he is INCITING this, and I just find it, I mean it’s what he DOES, isn’t it.
BERNARD HICKEY: It’s the next level, um, awfulness, and it’s really dangerous, actually.
PENNY ASHTON: Yeah, totally.
BERNARD HICKEY: I mean, there’s been bombs sent to CNN—
PENNY ASHTON: Yep.
BERNARD HICKEY: Ah, um, journalists have been harassed, and he’s created this environment where Saudi Arabia thought it was okay to, to kill and dismember a journalist who walked into their—-
MORA: Hang on! Are you trying to say that Saudi Arabia did that, ahhh, to Mister Khashoggi because of what Mis—
BERNARD HICKEY: Not beCAUSE of Trump, but they felt enabled to do it because of what Trump had said.
MORA: Okay, –t’s an interesting claim.
PENNY ASHTON: I liked the guy from—
BERNARD HICKEY: And they haven’t been punished by the way.
PENNY ASHTON: No.
BERNARD HICKEY: A major ally of America.
PENNY ASHTON: I liked the guy from NBC who immediately stood up for, um, so what’s that guy’s name again?
BERNARD HICKEY: Jim Acosta.
PENNY ASHTON: That, thank you. Acosta. That’s an interesting one for that situation isn’t it! Ah, anyway, he stood up for him and said he’s nothing but professional and a good guy, which I thought was great, immediately after that.
MORA: Here’s a little bit more audio of, uh, likely House Leader and leading Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
[cheering]… Nancy Pelosi: In stark contrast to the G.O.P. Congress the Democratic Congress will be led with transparency and openness. …[cheering]…
MORA: Is that the great FIB of politics? Along with the vow to be bipartisan and to end division?
PENNY ASHTON:
BERNARD HICKEY: Yes, yes. Like the current government’s um, pledge to, um, “reform the Official Information Act to make it much more transparent.” Nothing has happened. ….
MORA:
PENNY ASHTON: I think the way that they operate, as a nation, for their political system is crazy.It’s something like Democrats got seven per cent more of the popular vote in this election, you know, and then that doesn’t translate, does it, because of the way that their system is. It’s just—-
MORA: But it doesn’t translate in other countries, sometimes either.
PENNY ASHTON: Oh absolutely, I mean, sometimes, WELL! I mean, some, I feel like this one is one of the more, well, I suppose it’s the one that gets the most publicity. But the extremity to which people can be stymied. Like Barack, well everyone, you had somebody writing and saying “Oh what did OBAMA do?” He couldn’t do anything EITHER, because of the same system blocking things, being able to, you know,…[continues defending the indefensible for extended time]…
Good, but is there another way to access this information? Can it be linked to, can it be edited, can it be left as a link to a radio site with succinct commentary from the poster as to its content?
It is, after all, a transcript of other peoples’ argument that if written as an argument would be well reduced by the editor’s pen.
Next, we’ll be having transcripts of an MP’s Hansard on the Standard, the full ten minutes, with interjections, Speaker’s interventions and personal asides.
If more feel like you, Ed, then I’ll just continue to scroll past. Part of that problem for me is that continuity of the flow of responses is broken by having to scroll so far, and the logical thread is interrupted.
Fair point, actually. You’re not the first person to complain about my long transcripts. That’s one reason I have created my blog: to put up the whole transcript, and to put up just a highlighted segment on fora like The Standard.
I’ve broken my own guidelines, and your telling me off is a timely corrective. I’ll be briefer in future.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The last surviving leaders of the communist Khmer Rouge regime that brutally ruled Cambodia in the 1970s were convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes Friday by an international tribunal.
Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan were sentenced to life in prison, the same punishment they are already serving after earlier convictions at a previous trial for crimes against humanity connected with forced transfers and mass disappearances. Cambodia has no death penalty.
Both men have suggested they were targets of political persecution. Nuon Chea was considered the main ideologist of the Khmer Rouge and the right-hand man of the group’s late leader, Pol Pot, while Khieu Samphan served as the head of state, presenting a moderate veneer as the public face for the highly secretive group.
I won’t – I have an ex-wife who once had to attend a few gruesome post-mortems, then come home and pretend normal humanity and dump her load. Not surprising some things don’t last.
But you know …… yea/nah
China boots invited media from Pacific Island leaders meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping … Chinese State Broardcaster CCTV only media allowed to record.
“To be told that we’re not allowed is undermining our press freedom, we have press freedom in this country.”
ooooooh you xenophobic racist you! Fake news even!
(/sarc)
Try that line on the student that was so bullied by local social media by parents in China and Collins-aligned acolytes that demanded she vote gNatz
(otherwise she’d no longer be able to buy a NuZull house or launder a wee bit of suspiciously obtained filthy lucre).
[Mike] Joy is the editor of a new book, From Mountains to Sea: Solving New Zealand’s Freshwater Crisis looking at the problem of freshwater, which he says is grave.
“The freshwater crisis is our industrialisation of the landscape and it’s ended up with these two worlds,” he says.
“We have this amazing conservation estate with the most beautiful pristine rivers and lakes in the world and a lowlands where we have some of the most degraded and polluted lakes and rivers in the world.”
He says this tendency to “silo” means we lose track of the bigger picture.
“It strikes me with great clarity that if you look at the problems in isolation they each seem intractable; but when you grasp that there could be one single solution, then suddenly there is a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel.”
As Ed seems MIA today… a cheerful Weekend read FYA!…
“With wildfires, heat waves, and rising sea levels, large tracts of the earth are at risk of becoming uninhabitable. But the fossil-fuel industry continues its assault on the facts.”
Our next Speaker needs to be strong, smart, and strategic. The best person for the job is @NancyPelosi. I look forward to working with her in the next Congress to advance our commitment to progressive policies that fueled our historic victories. https://t.co/ETWMKzhFAK— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) November 16, 2018
It wasn’t a coincidence that moments after Nancy Pelosi promised progressive House leaders more power in the next Congress, a host of liberal groups announced they were supporting her for speaker.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who is expected to co-chair the House Progressive Caucus next year, left a Thursday night meeting with Pelosi in the Capitol and proclaimed that her members would have more seats on powerful committees and more influence over legislation.
I think this is a cheap shot on my part but I liked this juxtaposition of news headings at RNZ.
Mainfreight’s overall profit up 22 percent
New Zealanders losing millions to scammers, new data shows
Freight Transport & Logistics | Mainfreight NZ https://www.mainfreight.com/nz/en/nz-home.aspx
Around town, or around the world, with over 250 branches and an extensive global agent network Mainfreight delivers wherever your product needs to go.
(Not to be confused with Mainzeal, which has the Fairy Shipley National touch.) Mainzeal failed while parent made billions – Newsroom
Oct 24, 2018 – Richina, the Chinese parent company of failed NZ construction company Mainzeal, owns assets potentially worth billions of dollars, according … https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/10/23/288481/mainzeal-failed-while-parent-made-billions
Trump blames forest poor management on the California fires, says if forest areas had been raked out, "you wouldn't have the fires." (via Fox) pic.twitter.com/cbdfiRlbJ7— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 16, 2018
In a historical context, a rake (short for rakehell, analogous to “hellraiser”) was a man who was habituated to immoral conduct, particularly womanising.
Often, a rake was also prodigal, wasting his (usually inherited) fortune on gambling, wine, women and song, and incurring lavish debts in the process.
Rake (stock character) – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rake_(stock_character)
So whether you got 8" of snow with a little sleet and freezing rain, or 4" of snow with a boadload of sleet/freezing rain, NJDOT planning would have produced the same result for NJ drivers. You were screwed. And now they are trying to trick you. I'm done. 7/fin
I found the whole show fascinating.
George’s views on Brexit and poverty in the UK were enlightening.
Roger Highfield, a director from the Science Museum, spike in the subject of the kilo.He was was fascinating and informative. I learnt a lot.
Yet, I doubt you listened as you prejudged the whole thing.
For a 28 year old, you come over as very closed minded.
[Enough of the ageism Ed. And I’ll while I’m here, can you please give a brief intro to videos? eg ‘George Galloway discusses Brexit, the Tory meltdown, and the need for a snap election on his UK radio show’. Gives the reader some relevant context, which is good manners in my book. Cheers, TRP.]
Last year, Niue caught the attention of the world by announcing its intention to protect 40 per cent of this blue estate from fishing and other activities that might compromise it.
In this, Niue leads the world. The United Nations Development Programme is promoting 10 per cent marine protection by 2020. The United Kingdom is more ambitious, advocating 30 per cent by 2030. New Zealand, by contrast, currently protects less than one per cent of its exclusive economic zone.
Very good question Gabby, they probably would call on the AusG and NZG to help out. The RNZN have too few hulls and the RNZAF airframes atm to do its current mandated task, let alone short notice taskings.
From the Washington Post via The Herald,
Mohammed’s private condemnation of the slain journalist stood in contracts to his government’s public comments, which mourned Khashoggi’s killing as a “terrible mistake” and a “tragedy.”
Am I being trivial.
“The positive outcome of this study is that we have a metric to assess the ratcheting up of ambition. Civil society, experts and decision-makers can use this to hold their governments accountable, and possibly undertake climate litigation cases as happened recently in the Netherlands,” he said. “This metric translates the lack of ambition on a global scale to a national scale. If we look at the goal of trying to avoid damage to the Earth, then I am pessimistic as this is already happening. But this should be a motivation to ratchet up ambition and avoid global warming as much and as rapidly as possible. Every fraction of a degree will have a big impact.”
New action and encouragement for Taranaki region and a number of other moves shown on the link.
15 November 2018
PGF to support commercialisation at Taranaki sawmill
The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) will provide a loan of up to $1.8 million to TaranakiPine to allow the company to diversify and create new jobs, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. https://www.beehive.govt.nz/minister/hon-shane-jones
Kia kaha to all the people who are letting the world’s governments know we have to take human caused climate change very seriously and act now to prevent a catastrophic disaster on a PLANET scale that is preventable with a bit of cooperation on a Planet SCALE.
How I decide if a story is fact or fiction is I look for the motive everyone has a motive for there actions. Then I look to see if the writer or the person being written about has a conflict of interest. “The Humane Caused Climate Change Debate “.
The %99 of OUR Worlds Scientist what is there motive for there point of view about Climate change most of these people are 50 years old + they have been reporting about the bad effects of climate change for 30 years + . What’s in it for them the TRUTH is what’s Scientist look for that is a Scientist motive for there words on Climate change.
You see the Truth is the core role of a Scientist they are asked or ask them selves Qustion’s about OUR World and then they set out to find the FACT about that question and publish the Truth and then the rest of the scientific community around the world scrutinize there answers to the question hence it is proven to be the truth or not. You see the scientist know what is going on in our world they are the people who care about our future they are instinctively the truth tellers of the world whom have been kept inside a square box by the greedy power hungry neo liberal capitalist of the world who only goal is more power or to do anything anything to keep that power weather billion’s of human lives are put at extreme risk or not .
Now lets look at The neo climate change deniers what’s there motive greed money power control we see billions of dollars of oil barons money pour into the climate change deniers hip pocket this money reaches to the far ends of the Earth putting everyone whos views are not the same as there’s into a BOX of deceit and lies .
Who cares if they are making billions of people’s lives a misery with there deceit.
There are heaps of story’s of the bad side effects of carbon on the peoples health and Papatunuku Mother Earth and her Beautiful health and all our future and still these IDIOTS peddle there LIES Hence ECO MAORI is making a stand for all our future as I CAN SEE THE BIG PICTURE. P.S the % 001 of climate change deniers motive is money.
Seventy people have been arrested as thousands of demonstrators occupied five bridges in central London to voice their concern over the looming climate crisis.
Protesters, including families and pensioners, began massing on five of London’s main bridges from 10am on Saturday. An hour later, all the crossings had been blocked in one of the biggest acts of peaceful civil disobedience in the UK in decades. Some people locked themselves together, while others linked arms and sang songs.
By 2pm the blockade of Southwark Bridge had been abandoned and protesters moved from there to Blackfriars Bridge, where organisers said they were soon to move west towards Westminster Bridge.
Climate protesters glue hands to UK government building
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Demonstrators occupied Southwark, Blackfriars, Waterloo, Westminster and Lambeth bridges.
The Metropolitan police said all the bridges had since reopened.
A spokesman said: “There have been over 70 arrests for obstruction of the Highway Act and Bail Act offences.”
Demonstrators have now gathered in Parliament Square to hear speeches. Roger Hallam, one of the strategists behind the actions, told the Guardian he felt the protest had been fantastic. Ka kite ano link below
Kia ora R&R that was a good view on tangata whenua O Aotearoa whakapapa Patara
I see that the person who was shouting free speech while some on was talking and mentioned the rugby player was a paid neo troll Guy.
People coming here and preaching race hate speech and being stopped by our action’s in there tracks is not anti free speech its protecting the people from there hate full word’s that can influence some to behave badly Golirz
Its good that maori culture and other cultures are being finally respected by most people but I still get heads turning when I use maori in a shop not all heads turn but still one or two Ka kite ano P.S my megaphone is quite loud I just have to be carefull what I use it for
Kia ora Marae Yes Maori TV need’s to keep up to the future I say we need to find maori stars and promote them music stars what ever Shane.
My views are we need to draw in the viewers and use the internet and Maori TV together to get more people learning our cultures maybe team up with our Pacific cousins to get this one should be researching around Papatunuku to see what work’s in other country’s and duplicate it .
I say a Screen TV and multimedia is a easy to to learn te reo or anything from may be team up with the education sector to come up with tools that help teach te reo .
Kevin I want to see positive story’s on maori about on our TV Screen’s hence the Maori Star’s need to be created Kevin I know some have been deliberately suppressing our rising maori stars . Ka kite ano P.S Tini I have discovered NZONSCREEN its a good site to find old maori movies but there are some Ngati Porou story’s that I can not access
Here you go the carbon men trying to cheat us once again by they to get laws made so they can hide there emissions data typical neo liberal capitalist so much for transparency they will let us burn in there carbon emissions .
The Australian oil and gas lobby is pushing to limit public information about greenhouse gas emissions from liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants, a move that contradicts the global industry’s pledge to increase transparency about their impact on the climate.
The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (Appea) has called for LNG plants to be able to apply for emissions data to be withheld from the public on the grounds that releasing it could help its competitors overseas. It has been backed by Chevron, which operates the Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG developments in Western Australia.
The push follows the federal government reporting that the booming LNG sector is the main driver of Australia’s growing emissions. Ka kite ano link below
Kia ora Newshub looks like only one black team won this weekend well losing is part of sports Rugby is a fast growing Sport’s.
That is correct we don’t need to chose sides we want to see World harmony the Yin Yang a nice balanced happy healthy world.
That’s working outside the square box the Whangara homeless helping to building there own homeless shelter ka pai Carol Peter’s .
I bet fuel prices are higher here in Aotearoa than they are in France.
Its really good that the World is drinking less wine and Alcohol its a substance that when consumed need to be respected we seen what Alcohol does to the unborn child.
The Bosnian refugee crises is a crying shame all the refugee crises around Papatunuku should not be happening in 2018.
The Peter Blake trust is doing a great job showing our beautiful creatures of Tangaroa using new tec virtual reality ka pai .
Tawhirimate is showing its awesome power with that tornado in Aotearoa today .
Thanks to Fiao o Fa amausili and Linda for there long career’s playing for the Black Ferns Kia ka Ladies
Good wins to Ireland and France plenty of happy fans ka pai.
Ka kite ano
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I have suggested previously that sometimes Tolkien’s writer-instincts get the better of him. Sometimes he departs from his own cherished metaphysics, in favour of the demands of story – and I dare say, that is a good thing. Laws and Customs of the Eldar might be an interesting insight ...
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The Government promised a major reform of New Zealand’s immigration system, but when it was announced this week, many asked “is that it?” Over the last two years Covid has turned the immigration tap off, and the Government argued this produced the perfect opportunity to reassess decades of “unbalanced immigration”. ...
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Justice Denied: At the heart of the “Pro-Life” cause was something much darker than conservative religious dogma, or even the oppressive designs of “The Patriarchy”. The enduring motivation – which dares not declare itself openly – is the paranoid conviction of male white supremacists that if “their” women are given ...
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Fiji signed onto China’s Belt and Road initiative in 2018, along with a separate agreement on economic co-operation and aid. Yet it took the recent security deal between China and the Solomon Islands to get the belated attention of the US and its helpmates in Canberra and Wellington, and the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Lexi Smith and Bud Ward “CRA” It’s one of those acronyms even many-a-veteran environmental policy geek may not recognize. Amidst the scores and scores of acronyms in the field – CERCLA, IPCC, SARA, LUST, NPDES, NDCs, FIFRA, NEPA and scores more – ...
In a nice bit of news in a World Gone Mad, I can report that Of Tin and Tintagel, my 5,800-word story about tin (and political scheming), is now out as part of the Spring 2022 edition of New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). As noted previously, this one owes a ...
Dr Jennifer Summers, Professor Michael Baker, Professor Nick Wilson* Summers J, Baker M, Wilson N. Covid-19 Case-Fatality Risk & Infection-Fatality Risk: important measures to help guide the pandemic response. Public Health Expert Blog. 11 May 2022. In this blog we explore two useful mortality indicators: Case-Fatality Risk (CFR) and Infection-Fatality ...
In the depths of winter, most people from southern New Zealand head to warmer climes for a much-needed dose of Vitamin D. Yet during the height of the last Ice Age, one species of moa did just the opposite. I’m reminded of Bill Bailey’s En Route to Normal tour that visited ...
In the lead-up to the Budget, the Government has been on an offensive to promote the efficiency and quality of its $74 billion Covid Response and Recovery Fund -especially the Wage Subsidy Scheme component. This comes after criticisms and concerns from across the political spectrum over poor-quality spending, and suggestions ...
Elizabeth Elliot Noe, Lincoln University, New Zealand; Andrew D. Barnes, University of Waikato; Bruce Clarkson, University of Waikato, and John Innes, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare ResearchUrbanisation, and the destruction of habitat it entails, is a major threat to native bird populations. But as our new research shows, restored ...
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The good people at the Reading Tolkien podcast have put out a new piece, which spends some time comparing the underlying moral positions of George R.R. Martin and J.R.R. Tolkien: (The relevant discussion starts about twenty-seven minutes in. It’s a long podcast). In the interests of fairness, ...
Crime is becoming a key debate between Labour and National. This week they are both keen to show that they are tough on law and order. It’s an issue that National has a traditional advantage on, and is one that they’re currently getting good traction from. In response, Labour is ...
So far, the excited media response to the spike in “ram-raid” incidents is being countered by evidence that in reality, youth crime is steeply in decline, and has been so for much of the past decade. Who knew? Perhaps that’s the real issue here. Why on earth wasn’t the latest ...
In the past 10 years or so – and that’s how quickly it has happened – all our comfortable convictions about the unassailability of free speech have been turned on their heads. Suddenly we find ourselves fighting again for rights we assumed were settled. Click here to watch the video ...
Enforced Fertility: The imminent overturning of Roe versus Wade by the US Supreme Court is certain to raise echoes here that are no less evocative of the dystopia envisioned by Margaret Atwood in The Handmaid’s Tale. Gilead can happen here.WITH THE UNITED STATES seemingly on the brink of becoming “Gilead”, ...
Not Wanted On Grounds Of Political Rejuvenation: Winston Peters did nothing more than visit the protest encampment erected by anti-vaxxers on the parliamentary lawn. A great many New Zealanders applauded him for meeting with the protesters and wondered why the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition could not do ...
May The Force Be With Us: With New Zealanders under 40, nostalgia for a time when politics worked gains little purchase. Politics hasn’t swerved to any noticeable degree since the 1980s, becoming in the Twenty-First Century a battle between marketing strategies, not ideologies. Young New Zealanders critique political advertisements in ...
Dane Giraud reflects on his working class upbringing and how campaigning for free speech radicalised him Evidence to support censorship as a tool for social cohesion is paltry. I Read the NZ Human Rights Commission website, and 99% of their ‘evidence’ is anecdotal. When asked why we need hate speech ...
As you may have noticed, I have been slowly working my way through the works of Agatha Christie. At the time of writing, I have read some thirty-eight of her books – less than half her total output, but arguably enough to get a reasonable handle on it. It ...
Population growth has some effect on economic growth, but it is complicated especially where infrastructure is involved. We need to think more about it. In an opinion piece in the New Zealand Herald, John Gascoigne claimed that New Zealand was a ‘tragic tale of economic decline’. He gave no evidence ...
The Greens have been almost invisible since the 2020 election. Despite massive crises impacting on people’s lives, such as climate change, housing, inequality, and the cost of living, they’ve had very little to say. On this week’s highly contentious issue of politicians being banned from Parliament by Trevor Mallard, the ...
The government has announced it will be replacing all coal boilers in schools by 2025: All remaining coal boilers in New Zealand schools will be replaced with cleaner wood burners or electric heating by 2025, at a cost of $10 million, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced. The coal ...
Israeli news media and politicians often complain about the activity of neo-Nazis in Ukraine. “Activists and supporters of Ukrainian nationalist parties hold torches as they take part in a rally to mark the 112th birth anniversary of Stepan Bandera, in Kyiv, Ukraine, January 1, 2021. Credit: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters The recent ...
Another gnawing warming worry Accidental outcomes of our engineering prowess are warming Arctic regions at a rapid pace. Another species of accomplished engineers is rapidly occupying and exploiting new territory we've thereby made more easily available, namely beavers (Castor canadensis). Beaver populations in affected Arctic regions have increased from "none" to "quite a ...
Dr Simon Lambert’s dream is to see Indigenous nations across the world exercising their sovereign rights by adding their say to disaster risk reduction planning. Simon, of Ngāi Tūhoe and Ngāti Ruapani ki Waikaremoana, specialises in indigenous disaster risk reduction, indigenous health and indigenous development, social science, environmental management, planning ...
Rukingi Haupapa (Ngāti Whakaue, Te Arawa) credits his stroke in 2005 for changing his life: leading him to change his name, get his mataora (facial moko) and set up a trust to help fellow stroke survivors. Oranga (health and wellbeing) is Rukingi’s passion. He holds a Master’s degree in Indigenous ...
Mike Hosking’s all-too familiar diatribe in today’s Herald is so dripping with venom and anti-Jacinda animus that one can’t help but wonder if the content matters less than the spirit and purpose in and with which it was offered. Hosking clearly needs help. He seems to live in a world ...
So a Supreme Court stacked with ideologues selected by Donald Trump is about to make an ideological decision to ban the legal right of American women to an abortion. In their infinite wisdom, the US courts have decided that the government cannot force people to wear a mask during a ...
National party leader Chris Luxon has been reported as giving some badly uninformed responses to questions about Te Tiriti o Waitangi. As a potential Prime Minister, he needs to get up to speed. Te Tiriti is the Māori language version of the Treaty of Waitangi – the version that is ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) from the atmosphere continues to be a hot topic. In its newest report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that the Paris Climate Agreement targets cannot be met without substantial efforts to remove some of the more than three-trillion ...
Is Parliament just the fiefdom of Trevor Mallard and his colleagues? That’s the impression the public might take from yesterday’s news that the Speaker of Parliament is issuing trespass notices to political opponents who visited the protest in March on the lawns of Parliament. Speaker Mallard has the absolute right ...
The quarterly labour market statistics were released this morning, showing unemployment holding at a record low of 3.2%. There are now 94,000 unemployed - 29,000 fewer than when Labour took office. Average wages are also up, and looking back, they've increased from $30.45 / hour in 2017 to $36.18 today. ...
International analyst Geoffrey Miller reads between the lines of Jacinda Ardern’s speech to this week’s US business summit in Auckland Jacinda Ardern is slowly but surely shifting New Zealand’s foreign policy towards the West. That was the underlying theme of a keynote address by New Zealand’s Prime Minister this ...
We all hate Australia for its policy of jailing refugees as a "disincentive" for people to try and escape torture and persecution. But New Zealand does this too, on a much lesser scale. last year, the government finally ordered a review of this disgusting practice. Today, that review reported back, ...
For the last three decades the global geopolitical system has been in a state of transition. It first transited from the tight bi-polar arrangement of the Cold War, where two nuclear superpowers with closely integrated alliance systems (NATO and the Warsaw Pact, plus other related networks) strategicaly balanced each other ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been perceived as “softening her line on wealth taxes” – and therefore being open to the introduction of a new type of progressive taxation on the rich. This was the description published yesterday by leftwing wealth researcher Max Rashbrooke, who was reporting on the fact ...
On 24 April the Minister for Māori Development, the Hon. Willie Jackson, stated on TVNZ’s Q+A programme that government plans for Māori co-governance were part of MMP. It meant ‘shared decision-making’, ‘partnership’, ‘diversity, about minorities working together’. ‘Co-governance is based on the principles of MMP, this is a consensus type ...
Below is an excerpt of a talk by journalist Karl du Fresne given at Victoria University on 28 April 2022 for the Free Speech Union. Here he examines the trends that are undermining a free press. [F]ree speech goes hand in hand with a free press – but it’s now ...
Braking And Entering: The CCTV recording of the ram-raid against Auckland’s Ormiston Mall is so disturbing, so inspiring of dread and rage, that no amount of rational commentary will make the slightest difference. It confirms in the most powerful fashion the stories so many New Zealanders have been telling themselves: ...
The Author of this Dorset Eye article, Ukraine – a beginner’s guide, says: “In 2014, the journalist and writer John Pilger wrote an article for The Guardian newspaper entitled ‘In Ukraine the US is dragging us towards war with Russia’.[i] Eight years later, in 2022, this prediction came true when ...
What's better than some Cranky Uncle cartoons scattered around here or there? A collection of them, cross-referenced with the fallacies they depict, of course! And this is what we highlight in this blog post. John Cook had made these cartoons available for download on his Cranky Uncle website in March 2021 ...
Tomorrow, the Government will release this year’s Budget, setting out the next steps in our plan to build a high wage, low carbon economy that gives economic security in good times and in bad. While the full details will be kept under wraps until Thursday afternoon, we’ve announced a few ...
As a Government, we made it clear to New Zealanders that we’d take meaningful action on climate change, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. Earlier today, we released our next steps with our Emissions Reduction Plan – which will meet the Climate Commission’s independent science-based emissions reduction targets, and new ...
Emissions Reduction Plan prepares New Zealand for the future, ensuring country is on track to meet first emissions budget, securing jobs, and unlocking new investment ...
The Greens are calling for the Government to reconsider the immigration reset so that it better reflects our relationship with our Pacific neighbours. ...
Hamilton City Council and Whanganui District Council have both joined a growing list of Local Authorities to pass a motion in support of Green Party Drug Reform Spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick’s Members’ bill to minimise alcohol harm. ...
Today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a major package of reforms to address the immediate skill shortages in New Zealand and speed up our economic growth. These include an early reopening to the world, a major milestone for international education, and a simplification of immigration settings to ensure New Zealand ...
Proposed immigration changes by the Government fail to guarantee pathways to residency to workers in the types of jobs deemed essential throughout the pandemic, by prioritising high income earners - instead of focusing on the wellbeing of workers and enabling migrants to put down roots. ...
Ehara taku toa i te toa takatahi, engari taku toa he toa takimano – my strength is not mine alone but the strength of many (working together to ensure safe, caring respectful responses). We are striving for change. We want all people in Aotearoa New Zealand thriving; their wellbeing enhanced ...
The Green Party is throwing its support behind the 10,000 allied health workers taking work-to-rule industrial action today because of unfair pay and working conditions. ...
Since the day we came into Government, we’ve worked hard to lift wages and reduce cost pressures facing New Zealanders. But we know the rising cost of living, driven by worldwide inflation and the war in Ukraine, is making things particularly tough right now. That’s why we’ve stepped up our ...
An independent review of New Zealand’s detention regime for asylum seekers has found arbitrary and abusive practices in Aotearoa’s immigration law, policy, and practice. ...
New Zealand is committing to trade only in legally harvested timber with the Forests (Legal Harvest Assurance) Amendment Bill introduced to Parliament today. Under the Bill, timber harvested in New Zealand and overseas, and used in products made here or imported, will have to be verified as being legally harvested. ...
The Government has welcomed the release today of StatsNZ data showing the rate at which New Zealanders died from all causes during the COVID-19 pandemic has been lower than expected. The new StatsNZ figures provide a measure of the overall rate of deaths in New Zealand during the pandemic compared ...
Legislation that will help prevent serious criminal offending at sea, including trafficking of humans, drugs, wildlife and arms, has passed its third reading in Parliament today, Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta announced. “Today is a milestone in allowing us to respond to the increasingly dynamic and complex maritime security environment facing ...
Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor is set to travel to Thailand this week to represent New Zealand at the annual APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) meeting in Bangkok. “I’m very much looking forward to meeting my trade counterparts at APEC 2022 and building on the achievements we ...
Settlement of the first pay-equity agreement in the health sector is hugely significant, delivering pay rises of thousands of dollars for many hospital administration and clerical workers, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “There is no place in 21st century Aotearoa New Zealand for 1950s attitudes to work predominantly carried out ...
Health Minister Andrew Little opened a new intensive care space for up to 12 ICU-capable beds at Christchurch Hospital today, funded from the Government’s Rapid Hospital Improvement Programme. “I’m pleased to help mark this milestone. This new space will provide additional critical care support for the people of Canterbury and ...
Budget 2022 will continue to deliver on Labour’s commitment to better services and support for mental wellbeing. The upcoming Budget will include a $100-million investment over four years for a specialist mental health and addiction package, including: $27m for community-based crisis services that will deliver a variety of intensive supports ...
Budget 2022 will continue to deliver on Labour’s commitment to better mental wellbeing services and support, with 195,000 primary and intermediate aged children set to benefit from the continuation and expansion of Mana Ake services. “In Budget 2022 Labour will deliver on its manifesto commitment to expand Mana Ake, with ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has today announced sanctions on Belarusian leaders and defence entities supporting Russia’s actions in Ukraine, as part of the Government’s ongoing response to the war. “The Belarusian government military is enabling the illegal and unacceptable assault on Ukraine’s sovereignty,” Nanaia Mahuta said. “Under the leadership of ...
Just after World War 2, there were incentives to clear forest and bring land into agricultural production. In places, the land had been stripped bare as forests were felled for sheep grazing. Today, you only have to look at the hills around Taihape and see the stumps of a once ...
The drive to decarbonise industry and further accelerate preparations for a sustainable, more resilient future will get a boost from the Climate Emergency Response Fund in Budget 2022 by supercharging efforts to encourage the switch to cleaner energy options and transform the energy system. “Today is a momentous day ...
The Government is investing in New Zealand’s economic security by ensuring climate change funding moves away from short-term piecemeal responses and towards smart, long-term investment. Climate Emergency Response Fund (CERF) established with $4.5 billion from Emissions Trading Scheme revenue Initial allocation of $2.9 billion over four years invested in emissions ...
Rolling out the Clean Car Upgrade programme, supporting lower- and middle- income families transition to low-emission alternatives through a new scrap-and-replace trial Helping low-income households lease low emission vehicles Supporting the rapid development of urban cycleway networks, walkable neighbourhoods, healthier school travel, and increased accessibility and reliability of public ...
New Centre for Climate Action on Agricultural Emissions that develops and commercialises smart new products to reduce agricultural emissions Funding for forestry to develop alternatives to fossil fuels, boost carbon storage and increase sequestration Support for producers and whenua Māori entities to transition to a low emissions future The ...
The Government is investing to support the growth of New Zealand’s digital technologies sector in Budget 2022, guiding the country towards a high-wage, low emissions economy, Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications, David Clark announced today. “In 2020, the digital technologies sector contributed $7.4 billion to the economy. Since ...
Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth, Hon Phil Twyford, has tested positive for COVID-19. He tested positive from a RAT this morning after beginning to feel symptomatic on Friday evening, and is displaying moderate symptoms. As a result he is no longer able to travel to Timor-Leste on ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has tested positive for COVID-19. She has been in isolation since Sunday 8 May when her partner Clarke Gayford tested positive. The Prime Minister has been symptomatic since Friday evening, returning a weak positive last night and a clear positive this morning on a RAT test. ...
$15 million boost over four years for youth development services including: $2.5 million annually to support increased access to youth development services for up to an additional 6,800 young people $1 million annually in a pilot initiative supporting full-time equivalent youth workers to deliver increased contact time with at least ...
Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth, Hon Phil Twyford, will represent the New Zealand Government at the commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of Timor-Leste’s independence, and the inauguration of Dr Jose Ramos-Horta as Timor-Leste’s next President. “Aotearoa New Zealand’s relationship with the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste dates back ...
Kua pānuihia ngā kaupapa mō Matariki Ahunga Nui Kua pānuihia ngā kaitono i angitu ā rātou tono pūtea hei tautoko i te iwi Māori ki te whakaora mai anō, ki te whakatinana anō i ngā mātauranga mō Matariki o te hau kāinga. I whakaterea te kaupapa o Matariki Ahunga Nui ...
Minister of Transport Michael Wood has welcomed the opening of the tender processes for Auckland Light Rail and the Additional Waitematā Harbour Connections project, marking an important step forward in developing a future-proofed rapid transit network that will serve generations of Aucklanders. “These two crucial projects represent a huge investment ...
Aotearoa New Zealand is providing more funding to the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator for global efforts to respond to the pandemic. “The health, economic and social impacts of COVID continue to be felt around the world,” Nanaia Mahuta said. “This further $10 million will support developing countries to ...
Updated pass can be downloaded from 24 May for people 12 and over People encouraged to stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations Boosters included in up-to-date My Vaccine Pass for those 18 and over New Zealanders who are up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccinations will be able to download ...
New legislation to modernise the management of 1.2 million hectares of Crown pastoral land primarily in the South Island high country was passed in Parliament today. Land Information Minister Damien O’Connor said the Crown Pastoral Land Reform (CPLR) Bill has passed its third reading. “These spectacular South Island properties are ...
Aotearoa New Zealand strongly condemns the campaign of destructive cyber activity by Russia against Ukraine, alongside the EU and international partners, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “These relentless attacks are part of a pattern of disruptive cyber activity that demonstrates a repeated disregard for the rules-based international order and established ...
The Government has released a review of the operation and effectiveness of the law controlling commercial space activities, and signalled a separate study on wider issues of space policy will begin later this year. Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash says a review of the Outer Space and High-Altitude Activities Act ...
New Zealand has initiated dispute settlement proceedings against Canada regarding its implementation of dairy tariff rate quotas (TRQs) under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor said. “Our priority is to ensure that New Zealand exporters have meaningful access to the benefits negotiated ...
Support for ongoing and transitional Care in the Community support, including: A pivot in work for Community Connectors Confidence and certainty for community food organisations and MSD’s Food Secure Communities programme Funding to support the wellbeing of disabled people The Government is updating its Care in the Community (CiC) ...
295 events covering at least 607 performances that have had to cancel or suffered losses due to COVID-19 have had their costs reimbursed, with total support paid out to events now exceeding $20 million 186 future events in 2022 and 2023 have also received cover 64 organisations have been ...
International students can enrol to study in New Zealand from July 31 Minister to travel to USA, Chile and Brazil to promote studying here International fee-paying students under Year 9 can continue to enrol in schools New Zealand International Education Strategy being refreshed New Zealand is fully reopening to ...
Good morning, I want to start by thanking our hosts the Wellington Chamber of Commerce who graciously do this every year as we lead into the Budget. I want to make a particular acknowledgement of the recent partnership that the Chamber has entered into with Te Awe the Maori Business ...
A Bill to help lower the fees charged when credit and debit transactions are made, will save New Zealand businesses around $74 million a year. The Retail Payment System Bill passed its third reading today, regulating merchant service fees, and reducing a major overhead for small business, Commerce and Consumer ...
I te whare pāremata ngā uri o Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-ā-Rua i tēnei rā kia kite, kia rongo hoki rātou i te hipanga o te pānuitanga tuatahi o te Pire Whakataunga Kokoraho mō Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-ā-Rua. Ko Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-ā-Rua tētahi kohinga ...
Kua hinga ngā kapua pōuri i runga i Taranaki maunga. Kua wehe atu rā te Tumuaki o te Hāhi Ratana, arā ko matua Harerangi Meihana. E koro, moe mai rā. Me piki ake koe mā runga te aroha o to iwi ki te taha o to koroua, arā a Tahupōtiki ...
Kia ora koutou katoa Thank you to Business New Zealand and Fujitsu for hosting us here today, and I am grateful to be joined by Minister Faafoi, and Minister Hipkins. Can I thank you also for being so agile in the arrangements for our lunch event. I had of course ...
Border fully open two months early from 11:59pm 31 July Significantly simplified immigration processes that provide faster processing for businesses New Green List that includes over 85 hard to fill roles created to attract and retain high-skilled workers to fill skill shortages Green List will provide streamlined and prioritised ...
Up to 150 new homes will be built for whānau who need them most thanks to a new partnership between the Government and Toitū Tairāwhiti, Minister of Housing Hon Dr Megan Woods and Associate Minister of Housing (Māori Housing) Peeni Henare have announced. Minister Henare and Toitū Tairāwhiti gathered in ...
As part of the Government’s ongoing response to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced new sanctions targeting disinformation and those responsible for cyber attacks on Ukraine. “Aotearoa New Zealand continues to unequivocally condemn Russia’s unjustified and illegal attack on Ukraine,” Nanaia Mahuta said. “President Putin’s propaganda machine is in ...
Significant improvements are being made in New Zealand workplaces to better protect whistleblowers, Minister for the Public Service Chris Hipkins said today. “The Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act 2022 replaces the Protected Disclosures Act 2000. It is more people-focused and will make the rules easier to access, understand, and ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta today announced the appointment of Jonathan Schwass as New Zealand’s next High Commissioner to Solomon Islands. “Aotearoa New Zealand and Solomon Islands have a long history of close engagement as Pacific whānau,” Nanaia Mahuta said. “Our partnership is founded on cooperation in areas such as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock Medicare, Australia’s universal health insurance scheme, provides financial protection against the cost of medical bills, and makes public hospital ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Eltham, Lecturer, School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University Shutterstock Mentions of arts and cultural policy have been thin on the ground this election. The Coalition has not released any specific arts policies during the campaign, and Labor’s arts ...
The unelected head of Tauranga wants the city’s next MP to push for progress with some infrastructural projects. We speak of Anne Tolley, the former National Government Minister who chairs the commission which was appointed to govern Tauranga after Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta sacked the democratically elected – but ...
Under the new Retail Payment Systems Act 2022, the Mastercard and Visa credit and debit card networks will be the initial focus of the Commerce Commission’s work to promote competition and efficiency in the retail payment system. The Act allows ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark John Costello, Professor, Nord University Shutterstock Denying the severity of a crisis neither removes nor lessens the problem. Sticking to the status quo because it doesn’t suit our work practices, or social and economic norms, not only delays the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne AAP/Lukas Coch/Mick Tsikas The final Resolve poll for Nine newspapers, conducted May 12-17 from a sample of 2,049, gave Labor just a 52-48 lead by 2019 election ...
We are concerned about the wellbeing of Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor today, after he announced his plans to travel to Thailand this week. He will represent New Zealand at the annual APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting in Bangkok. The last time we recorded ministerial travel plans ...
Tauranga City Council’s commission wants three key infrastructure priorities to be top of mind for candidates at the forthcoming parliamentary byelection. Commission Chair Anne Tolley says the projects involved – Hewletts Road/Hull Road/Totara Street ...
The Government has already spent $34 million designing a reform so badly received they plan to bill water users more than a billion dollars to bring stakeholders on board. Figures released by the Department of Internal Affairs shows that the Government ...
Māori health workers and community leaders are hoping tomorrow's Budget will address urgent social and health needs, with hints at a significant spend for Māori health. ...
SAFE’s petition calling for a Commissioner for Animals in Aotearoa has attained thousands of signatures since its launch on 3 May 2022. The petition highlights the need for an independent voice for animals at the highest level and is supported by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kira Westaway, Associate professor, Macquarie University Fabrice Demeter (University of Copenhagen / CNRS Paris), Author provided What do a finger bone and some teeth found in the frigid Denisova Cave in Siberia’s Altai mountains have in common with fossils from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Arrow, Professor of History, Macquarie University AAP/Diego Fidele Because “women’s issues” have been in the headlines over the last year, it may seem strange they have not been more prominent in the election campaign. Yet it is clear gender ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marion Terrill, Transport and Cities Program Director, Grattan Institute In the seat-by-seat slugfest that is the federal election, transport infrastructure is once again at the forefront. Small, hyper-local projects are a favourite of both major parties this time around. That’s even though ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susanne Becken, Professor of Sustainable Tourism and Director, Griffith Institute for Tourism, Griffith University Shutterstock This year, Qantas announced two plans in direct conflict. In March, Australia’s largest airline group went public with the admirable goal of achieving net zero ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Roy, Lecturer in Education, University of Newcastle Bianca De Marchi/AAP The 2022 election campaign has not exactly been a policy fest. And one critical area we have heard very little about is schools. This is surprising and concerning. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sue Richardson, Adjunct professor, Flinders University Shutterstock You would be forgiven for being unsure about whether the buying power of wages was rising or falling. On one hand, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese says wages are going backwards. On the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Carroll, Senior Research Fellow, Victorian College of the Arts, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock Almost all governments today support some funding towards promoting their international political and economic agendas through cultural activities overseas: commonly referred to as part of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hall, Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences and Public Policy, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Until now, the government’s approach to climate action has largely been about getting the policy architecture right. This work is vital, but it’s more ...
The global response to the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Video: Al JazeeraCOMMENTARY:By Gavin Ellis of Knightly Views Nothing justifies the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and the wounding of her colleague Ali al-Samoudi during an Israeli raid on Jenin in the ...
A producer of a documentary about Green Party MP Chloe Swarbrick says there are serious discussions to be had about the impact of trolling on the mental health of MPs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this podcast Michelle and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Malcolm Mackerras, Distinguished Fellow, PM Glynn Institute, Australian Catholic University Shutterstock As you head to your local polling place this Saturday, or cast your ballot in an early vote, it’s worth pondering: how does Australia’s voting system really work, anyway? ...
By Walter Zweifel, RNZ French Pacific reporter The Kanak people will not accept France’s attempt to “recolonise” New Caledonia, a pro-independence delegate has told the United Nations. Addressing a UN Decolonisation Committee seminar on the Pacific in Saint Lucia, Dimitri Qenegei said since 2020 the French President, Emmanuel Macron, and ...
RNZ News Critics of New Zealand’s new $4.5 billion global warming plan to help New Zealanders into electric vehicles and hybrids say a significant cheque for the Clean Car programme is sending the wrong message about the role cars play in the country’s future. Victoria University of Wellington’s environmental studies ...
Stuff A West Papuan international student in Aotearoa New Zealand has devoted hundreds of hours to a non-profit organisation and opened a door to a new career. Arnold Yoman, 19, came to New Zealand in 2019 from the Papuan provincial capital Jayapura on an Indonesian government scholarship and has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Clark, Deputy Engagement Editor, The Conversation What do One Nation’s Pauline Hanson and Labor’s Tanya Plibersek have in common? They are both winning the battle for eyeballs on social media, says a top Facebook official. In the final episode ...
Party People - Former National MP Simon Bridges joins the party to discuss life after politics, the latest polls, co-governance, ram raids and the Australian elections. ...
The House - Why is the Budget usually on a Thursday, why just before a sitting break, and why is the debate on it usually interrupted by urgent business? ...
There has been mixed reaction from Māori to the government's Emissions Reduction Plan, with some arguing there are still gaps that the report does not address. ...
If Dr Shane Reti happened to insist the world is not flat, would RNZ see much merit in reporting he had come under fire from flat earthers? We ask because a recent RNZ report was headed Shane Reti stands firm in face of criticism of Māori health comments Oh dear. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The last week of campaigns used to be frantic, behind the scenes. In public, right up until the final week, the leaders would make all sorts of promises, many of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Scott, Professor of Health Economics, The University of Melbourne “Strengthening Medicare” is one of Labor’s key election platforms. On Saturday, one week from the election, the opposition finally outlined its commitment to prop up the ailing primary care system, with a ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union hereby corrects its statements on a documentary about sitting Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick and its claim that the project is set to receive $220,000 of taxpayer money from NZ on Air. An anonymous ‘spokesperson’ ...
Uh, oh – it’s probably too late to influence the government on the case for its spending to be curbed ahead of the Budget Speech to be delivered on Thursday. The speech and the raft of documents that will accompany it will be ready for the printer – if not ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol Johnson, Emerita Professor, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Adelaide Scott Morrison’s election strategy was clear at the end of last year. As borders were opened up and restrictions eased, Morrison argued the Coalition would be winding back the ...
The National Party Leader does not think taxpayers should subsidise the cost of big companies reducing their emissions - and they should get on with the job themselves. ...
Despite pouring $2.9 billion of taxpayer funds into the battle against climate change, the Ardern government won few plaudits from climate change lobbies – and copped a severe caning from Greenpeace for refusing to cut dairy herds. As Radio NZ reported, “Climate activists say the government’s landmark plan to curb ...
Caritas welcomes the government's first emissions reduction plan and the general cross-party support for long-term carbon budgets that start to bring down our carbon emissions. "A strong, committed carbon reduction plan is long overdue," ...
The Forest Owners Association says the just released Emissions Reduction Plan is a welcome and unprecedented blueprint for reducing New Zealand’s gross emissions. But the Association is warning that a huge emphasis in the ERP on planting native ...
The big news from the Beehive in the past day has been the announcement of the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan to put the country on track to meet its first emissions budget, securing our environment and economy. More of that in our next post. For now, suffice to say Prime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Welch, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, University of Auckland Shutterstock It would be hard to find someone who’s visited Copenhagen or Amsterdam and complained about too many bikes. And you don’t tend to hear a lot of moaning about ...
The government has released its first plan on how to get to zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Emissions Reduction Plan proposes economy-wide changes to drive down New Zealand’s emissions. The SMC asked experts to comment on: An overview of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olga Dodd, Senior Lecturer in Finance, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Uncertainty in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has wreaked havoc with the international commodity markets. In the normal pattern of the global economy, commodity exporting countries ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katherine Ravenswood, Associate Professor in Employment Relations, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Ahead of the 2022 budget, apprenticeships have been given a $230 million funding boost while negotiations between care workers and the government have fallen apart. It’s hard ...
New Zealand Green Investment Finance (NZGIF) welcomes the release of New Zealand’s first Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) and acknowledges cross-party support in passing the initial emissions budgets in Parliament last week. Chief Executive Craig Weise ...
The Government’s emissions reduction plan has highlighted the extraordinary impact of its proposal to remove exotic trees from the permanent category of the ETS, increasing the country’s emissions by 45Mt – the equivalent of more than two years of road ...
A union-led coalition is calling for the New Zealand Government to ratify an international labour convention to create a formal framework for addressing violence and harassment at work. The ‘ Coalition for a Safe World of Work ’ is officially launching its ...
The government is defending not making the agriculture sector pay for a new agri-tech centre, saying the technology still needs to be rolled out to farms. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scott Hollier, Adjunct Senior Lecturer – Science and Mathematics, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When people hear the term “accessibility” in the context of disability, most will see images of ramps, automatic doors, elevators, or tactile paving (textured ground which helps ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Dempsey, Senior lecturer, University of Canterbury Shutterstock Energy is the double-edged sword at the root of the climate crisis. Cheap energy has improved lives and underpinned massive economic growth. But because most of it comes from burning hydrocarbon fuels, ...
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By Rowan Quinn, RNZ News health correspondent Striking New Zealand health workers have picketed around the country, saying they are fed up with being underpaid and undervalued. About 10,000 allied health staff who work at district health boards have walked off the job for 24 hours, with rolling demonstrations. They ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Kalinga Seneviratne When Australians go to the polls on Saturday to elect a new government, the vast continent which was stolen from the indigenous people in 1788 and annexed to the British crown may have its “independent day” — not one that would declare itself a republic, ...
RNZ Pacific French Polynesia’s Amuitahiraa Party has registered its three candidates for the French National Assembly elections next month — just hours before the nomination deadline. The three are Pascale Haiti, Jonathan Tariha’a and Sylviane Terooatea. Haiti, a former member of the French Polynesian Assembly, is the partner of party ...
By Mara Cepeda in Manila Philippine Vice-President Leni Robredo will not allow the massive, volunteer-led movement she inspired in the 2022 presidential elections to just fade away following her loss to the late dictator’s son Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Facing tens of thousands of her supporters during her thanksgiving event ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Peterie, Research Fellow, University of Sydney Some people in immigration detention could be asked to pay for their own incarceration, as part of a new border protection policy announced by the Coalition on Friday. The government has indicated “foreign criminals” awaiting ...
Civil society in Ethiopia takes on the local repressive military industrial complex, and beats them.
Disclaimer; I have no personal experience of Ethiopia, but this seems like a genuine good news story that should hearten the world.
Ethiopia’s PM Abiy Ahmed takes on the military
Emmanuel Igunza -BBC Africa, November 15, 2018
This is a remarkable turnaround when most of the world seems to be heading in the other direction.
When just 70 years after the death of Hitler and Stalin where we seemed to be heading to a world where all the major countries will be ruled by fascists, goons, strongmen and other types of “authoritarians” (Britain and France excepted for the moment).
A great example of why the old model is broken, a lack of leadership and a lack of imagination.
Trucking rubbish 200km from Taranaki to Martin. Three trucks a day.
And then there is talk of achieving zero waste targets…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/108649134/deal-will-see-taranaki-waste-trucked-to-marton-landfill-from-mid-2019
Zero waste = dumping your shit in some else’s back yard.
People might excuse the authorities of not having a lot of drive in dealing with rubbish. Many are so thick that they would reply that was wrong, they drive
the rubbish away. They would think a riposte like that funny.
Well, no. They do seem to be working on the principle of actually reducing their waste. Personally, I don’t see how that can be done at the regional level. It really does need central government bringing in legislation to reduce packaging and banning the spam in our mailboxes.
I’m wondering how it will be able to save ~$1m per year. That doesn’t seem physically possible without either dropping the number of personnel or lowering wages or both.
And, with it being wholly foreign owned means that any profit is going to be shipped offshore making us poorer.
I’m also wondering what other hooks have been placed in the agreement because it seems far too good to be true.
A Universal Creativity Initiative will flow naturally from UBI.
We are at our best when putting personal talent to work. It is no coincidence that world-wide rehabilitation programs for offenders and addicts are invariably grounded in creativity, – activities such as cooking, music, art, surfing, and environmental restoration.
Earning a living for most fails to honour individual creativity. We find ourselves ‘imprisoned’ within profit-based corporations and governmental institutions demanding compliance within narrow bounds. The demise of conventional employment following widespread automation will usher in a universal basic income or similar currency leaving millions free to give expression to what they sense as innovation lying at their deepest core.
While there are impressive structures created by animals (bird nests, termite colonies, corals, beaver dams) they are purpose-built – never as creative expression. Setting us aside from other life forms our creativity stems from individual temperament and ability. The trait is common to us all whilst its expression in terms of range, diversity and depth is without limit.
With capitalism comfortably out of the way and UBI in place a universal creativity initiative will eventuate allowing the widest spectrum of human abilities to come to the fore in the rebuild of society and restoration of our stricken planet. The politically inclined to explore new styles of inclusive government; educators to developing fresh methods of nourishing emerging talent; financiers to look into equitable ways applying UBI; artists and musicians to give novel expression to humanity’s changing orientation on earth; scientists to probe decisive methods of restoring the integrity of our ecosystems; medics to develop non-intrusive initiatives of addressing health; idealists to imagining our future course – to name a few.
Within these broad divisions lie countless sub-opportunities catering for the full spectrum of human talent and ability all the way from abstract visionaries to those with high quality physical dexterity.
Our creativity is only limited by our imagination and curiosity – unstoppable forces in human evolution. There’s one thing that stops imagination and creativity dead in their tracks: fear.
Indeed, when the basics are not covered our psychology results in different attitudes and behaviours. The post here on TS on house prices bears testament to that. People bow to economic fundamentals or indicators rather and put their lives on hold (i.e. play it safe).
We all have so much potential locked away inside but have thrown away the key – we now live in strictly materialistic dimension of our own making. Some praise our secular society and its supposed rationalism and reliance on science and the scientific method. Others compare it with the Matrix: an artificial world in which human evolution is at a standstill and exploited by machines – I think we’re half-way there.
Will a UBI change our direction? Maybe …
“I don’t think we can afford to just completely IGNORE this.”
Two louts and a comedian discuss “China’s aggression” in the South China Sea
The Panel, RNZ National, Friday 16 November 2018
Jim Mora, James Nokise, Heather Roy, Caitlin Cherry
First topic for the once-over-lightly this afternoon was the buttonholing of Jacinda Ardern by Mahathir Mohamad, and his urging her to beware of Chinese influence in the Pacific. Host Jim Mora noted that “the Australians” have spoken out against China’s aggression. Mora made that statement without any discernible irony in his voice.
Near the end of this risible segment, the one participant with a conscience, comedian James Nokise, says what anyone with an I.Q. above room temperature would have been thinking. He obviously decided to ignore the rules: such plain speaking is utterly verboten on this dog of a program. His radical statement of the truth elicits a ringing silence from Mora, who is happy to laugh at the plight of political dissidents, and Heather Roy, a former ACT member of parliament…..
JIM MORA: And then there were those, aah, AWKWARD moments at the East Asia Summit in Singapore
HEATHER ROY: Mmmmmm.
JIM MORA: —when the Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad began BENDING the ear of our prime minister about Chinese attempts to dominate the South China Sea, and the reporters were ushered out of the roo-hoo-hoo-om! [guffawing, followed by extended intake of breath]… It’s interesting, I mean, if push DOES come to shove in the South China Sea—we’ve asked this before—what sould, what should New Zealand do, because the P.M. says we’re not taking SIDES here?
HEATHER ROY: [deep sigh to indicate moral seriousness] Hmmmmm.
JAMES NOKISE: What exactly CAN we do? Probably an uncomfortable question for New Zealanders. I mean are we gonna send our three ships and no planes that we have, to intimidate China?
MORA: Well, Australia trades a lot with China, and [deep intake of breath] has still told China in fairly plain language that it’s being AGGRESSIVE. I guess you could say Australia is using harder wo-o-o-ords.
JAMES NOKISE: Well if anyone knows about aggressive use of internment camps it’s probably the Australians, isn’t it.
…Awkward silence….
HEATHER ROY: [nervously] Heh, heh.
MORA: [breathes deeply to indicate annoyance and perplexedness] It’s INTERESTING though—-
HEATHER ROY: Yeeaahhhh….
MORA: Sorry, no you were gonna say what?
HEATHER ROY: It IS very interesting, and New Zealand is heavily dependent on the South China Sea, you know….[…]…. I don’t think we can afford to just completely IGNORE this. Ahhhhhhmmm, tut, if you look at what happens with the MILITARY, ahh, there’s a freedom of navigation operations where the, the basis of that is maintaining your position… [bores on for a seeming eternity, actually another minute]…
Later in the program, Heather Roy the former ACT M.P. claimed, contra all evidence, that “the Americans treat veterans very well.”
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thepanel/audio/2018671565/taking-sides-over-the-south-china-sea
Comedians often bring the unpalatable to the table. It’s their job in a way. Well done James.
Frankie Boyle is a perfect example of that. And in this country, Guy Williams….
You seem to forget that RNZ has always only catered for mainstreamers. Ardern could probably get her head around it, but she has to play to her crowd, right? When in doubt, be a typical politician & duck the issue.
If she were a true leader, she’d be fronting on behalf of our foreign policy credentials & independent stance – representing the entire country on the issue, not just Labour deadheads. She could remain cautious in noting that the South China Sea is not in our region, but explain that she understands why Malaysia is trying to share their regional concern with us. She could reasonably mention that other countries in that region share Malaysia’s concern, and cite those such as Japan and the Phillipines that have issued foreign policy statements in recent years expressing their concerns.
A true leader of Aotearoa would go further. Issuing a declaration of principle is required: China is creating a security threat in that region, perception that it is attempting a strategy of covert imperialism by means of establishing control over sea routes in contravention of international law is valid and we support those countries that are affected and threatened. Not taking sides is wimping out. She is presumably using public service advice as an excuse to do so. Poor leadership is the result.
It’s a global issue and not a regional one. The South China Sea is ~3.5 million square kilometres of international ocean. China’s actions are against all international law as it stands.
If China manages to annex it or even just a large portion of it then other nations will be doing the same and the law will be one which cannot be enforced. China seems to be doing it because they don’t think that the international community will do anything about it. Unfortunately, history proves them right. After all, the international community has never held the US to account for it’s crimes against international law.
This is a wealth grab and it’s actually grabbing potential wealth from the other nations surrounding The South China Sea.
You seem to forget that RNZ has always only catered for mainstreamers.
I’m well aware of that, Dennis. Occasionally there is real, outstanding, and courageous journalism on RNZ National, and even on the usually dreadful Panel hour: Eva Radich discomfiting Tony Blair by insisting he respond to her point that the attack on Iraq was illegal, Kim Hill driving the neocon William Shawcross into a fit of volcanic anger [1], Gordon Campbell challenging the glib and uninformed Richard Griffin over his prejudiced and thoughtless comments about Hugo Chavez and eliciting a groveling backdown and on-air retraction, and (more recently) Paula Penfold calling out the head of the New Zealand Defence Forces as a “coward”. [2]
All too often, however, as you rightly point out, RNZ National is anything but a forum of debate, affording an uncontested space for some of the ugliest and cleverest ideologues on the planet. [3]
[1] https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/01/william-shawcross-explodes-in-rage-at.html
[2] https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-disturbing-story-behind-willie.html
[3] https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-01082011/#comment-358776
Your point is well-made. I was just having a bitch at them. Having lived in alternative Aotearoa most of my life I resent their systemic discrimination against non-mainstreamers. They’ve learnt how to include other minorities in their coverage, they just can’t seem to apply the general principle!
When I’m back in town, I’ll post the Maritime Trade numbers that transit the SCS and greater Pacific Region and the possible effects it would have on the NZ economy. Any NZ exports for the SEA region goes through the Singapore hub, the same is for some our MER exports/imports have to go through the Singapore hub. If China does manage close access to SCS or degrade access to the SCS then the economies of Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and some degree the Canada and the US will be effected. In turn this will effect our traditional trading/ allies and including Australia, so what happens in the SCS is our concern as it would effectively stuff up the NZ economy especially what the Neo Lib/ Con economic theory has done to NZ over the last 30 odd years.
Unless we start to diverse our economy like our Kirk, Rowling, old Piggy and some degree Lamb burger Moore said in the 70’ and early/ mid 80’s, then we are fucked as we have ran down all aspects of the economy and the NZDF. Our Sea Lanes Of Communications (SLOC’s) are our life blood and heart and soul of the greater NZ economy.
Alex Swney writes about Karel Sroubek. Interesting…
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12161233
Scum. It is just about 2019. No excuses for the racist, disgusting scum who are members of Hawera Mt View Lions Club.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/108671695/outrage-at-lions-club-decision-to-wear-blackface-at-hawera-community-parade
I wish you lot didn’t live in our country.
I doubt they are racist disgusting scum but there’s no doubt it was a daft thing to do which has no doubt offended many.
They may have forgotten what century they’re living in – what was deemed OK decades ago is no longer OK.
No it wasn’t daft ha ha. They knew it was wrong and they still did it. Disgusting racist scum.
Proof
“”What’s wrong with that? Some small-minded, bigoted person has called us racist, threatened to bash us up; it’s not worth replying to,” Joy Babington said.”
https://i.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/108671695/lions-club-decision-to-wear-blackface-at-hawera-community-parade-not-racist
Standard playbook for racists so far. Never takes long till the racists are the victims ffs piss off you lot you’re views are off.
You seem to be struggling. Here are some links to help you out.
https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2014/10/29/7089591/why-is-blackface-offensive-halloween-costume
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface
https://theconversation.com/amp/explainer-why-blackface-and-brownface-offend-65881
https://www.dosomething.org/us/campaigns/just-dont-wear-blackface
Reducing generations of deprivation and suffering to a fucking caricature has never been OK, fucko.
“Reducing generations of deprivation and suffering to a fucking caricature has never been OK, fucko.”
Yet was and still is not uncommon.
I agree, a few misguided hayseeds from the hick town of Hawera.
There is no malice here. Just incredibly poor judgement.
You been to the naki ? Red neck casual racists are thick on the ground over there. They spat on the mayor for supporting Maori wards.
No, Hawera are definitely racist.
Just go have a drink in a local bar and get them talking. Likewise Kaponga, Stratford and Inglewood.
We did a gig in Kaponga, 3 – THREE fights in one show. Young white rugby players.
Inglewood, where friends of the groom sodomised him for an engagement present…
Hawera, where a middling white act gets rapturous applause, and an incredible Maori talent barely gets a smattering of light applause.
Where the Maori waitress came to my hotel to avoid the white bosses advances, but he followed her there, and it took hours for him to leave even after a wee talking to.
Where addressing racism ironically was interpreted as actual racist material and encouraged with free drinks, lunch invites, and back slaps.
Good old boys.
I could get back on stage as a front to do a documentary of small town NZ. People open up to comics after a show. It’d be a helluva expose but make a country full of enemies.
Of white, middle class, polite society, racists.
“Former New Plymouth Mayor Andrew Judd called it “absolutely disgusting”, and ex-MP and Maori activist Hone Harawira said he wanted to “smash the racist motherf**kers”.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/11/lions-club-deletes-facebook-page-after-using-blackface-in-parade.html
A tricky exam question for National MPs, particularly their (current) Leader and Deputy-Leader:
Paula Bennett: “What does trivial mean?”
“Is it acceptable for a reporter to go on and on because he hasn’t got an answer out of the President?” Obviously Jim Mora thinks it’s NOT acceptable.
The Panel, RNZ National, Thursday 8 November 2018
Jim Mora, Penny Ashton, Bernard Hickey, Caitlin Cherry
Penny Ashton gets very heated as she criticizes Donald Trump, in the face of Mora’s infuriatingly complacent, barely disguised support for the Groper in Chief. Mora’s disdainful and patrician attitude, and his infuriatingly complacent observations seem designed to goad, taunt, and vex her.
BERNARD HICKEY: Last time we had unemployment this low, mortgage rates were eleven per cent.
MORA: ELEVEN per cent?!?!?
PENNY ASHTON: And I heard that they were like NINETEEN or TWENTY per cent in the eighties a lot of the time.
……
MORA: Minor news, um, from the, um, MID-TERMS in the United States, before we get to the big issues. Fox News, under a headline “Democrat Agenda” featured Lenin with a red flag and a hammer and sickle—
PENNY ASHTON: Oh, good LO-O-O-ORD.
MORA: Unless that is FAKE news, but it seemed to be genuine. The celebrity endorsements by the way—I don’t know why I mention, perhaps it’s because you’re here—
PENNY ASHTON: [sarcastic snicker] Yeah! That’s right.
MORA: —FLOPPED. Um, from Taylor Swift and Beyoncé in Tenness—, Tennessee and Texas.
PENNY ASHTON: But DID they flop? I wouldn’t think you would say that Beto would—is that how you say his name?—Beeto, Beto?
MORA: Beto.
PENNY ASHTON: Beto—was a FLOP. Like he got SO CLOSE in a theoretically very red state. He also, it feels like he was starting his run for President, is what a lot of people are saying. I mean, and I just sort of think, that yes, okay they didn’t win, but it was close, and they rattled the cage, and I think that that’s SOMETHING.
MORA: It’s puzzling..[baffled sigh]… how come Beyoncé didn’t, uh, tell her millions of followers to vote for Beto until about four o’clock in the afterNOON?
PENNY ASHTON: I know, but also it’s so puzzling isn’t it, that that would be what it would take to GET you to do that, is something, but you know, there’s no point lamenting that sort of shenanigans, IS there?
MORA: And in a SIGN of the digital times, South Carolina’s state newspaper the Post had to go to press before the final result, and it announced: “Katie Arrington is going to Washington”. The first woman in Congress for twenty-five years in South Carolina, but in fact her lead was pulled ba-a-a-ack, and she ISN’T going to Washington. And, Bernard, you can imagine the agony of the subs as they tried to make that decision! [laughing]
BERNARD HICKEY: “Who-o-o-o-oops!”
MORA: Hur, hur!
BERNARD HICKEY: “Hold the presses!”
MORA: I know, they couldn’t hold them any longer!
BERNARD HICKEY: It’s like that famous headline, was it “Dewey Wins”? um, from nineteen—
MORA: Oh yeah.
PENNY ASHTON: And they QUOTED that I think.
BERNARD HICKEY: Yeah, yeah…
PENNY ASHTON: Yea-aah.
….Pause…..
MORA: Jeff Sessions has been sacked by Donald Trump, we’ll talk about that. And Donald Trump got REALLY upset with a persistent CNN reporter Jeff Acosta.
MORA: So Mister Acosta’s press credentials, ahhhh, have now been revoked by the White House, it’s claimed he placed his HANDS on the intern in the video from which this audio’s takennnn….
PENNY ASHTON: I watched it, she GRABBED the microphone out of his hand quite VIOLENTLY, and he put his hand out while she did that. And then people are saying online that it was ASSAULT. I mean, it’s, it’s like, oh honestly, it’s bad behavior all ROUND, it feels like to me.
BERNARD HICKEY: Yeaaahh, the, the, the photographs, I’ve seen the Reuters photographs of the incident, make it clear that he was simply trying to hold on to the mike.
PENNY ASHTON: Yeah. Yeah. And then she was being very rou—, you know,
BERNARD HICKEY: Mmmm.
PENNY ASHTON: Oh hey, he just, he’s just sort of such a repellent, I know that you’ve had, you’ve had listeners writing in, saying that your Panelists are so biased against Trump—
MORA: Yes, I’ll GET to that.
PENNY ASHTON: This is the man that said that, um, you know, he was gonna try and soften his rhetoric. And that’s what he comes out with, because he can’t help himself. And to me, it’s just, he keeps going on about CNN’s ratings dropping, but they’re NOT, so, you know, fake news, fake news.
MORA: Ha ha ha ha. Ha!
PENNY ASHTON: You are the fake news, sir, and this is what happens.
MORA: In—
PENNY ASHTON: How does it work? How do they dismiss people? Like, you know, I don’t know how it works in New Zealand. You’re in the press; if, if, if, you know, Jacinda goes, “Enough from you now”—
MORA: Yes I wanna ASK you that—
PENNY ASHTON: —are you supposed to STOP?
MORA: I wanna ask you that, because, in Trump’s, errr, errr, Trump’s CREDIT, he takes questions, lots more questions than Barack Obama or George Bush used to DO.
PENNY ASHTON: [skeptically] Well that’s interesti-i-ing.
MORA: Is it acceptable for a reporter to go on and on because he hasn’t got an answer out of the President? What do you think?
BERNARD HICKEY: Uh, I, I think it i-i-i-is, and it’s the job of the, um, responder to answer the question.
PENNY ASHTON: Mmm.
BERNARD HICKEY: Or at least make clear that they’re not going to answer the question because they don’t want to.
PENNY ASHTON: And not to descend into insults. Obviously.
BERNARD HICKEY: Yeah. And I must say, I’ve been in the press gallery now for six years, and have, you know, interviewed CEOs and Ministers for TWENTY years. I very rarely see a situation where someone walks out of an interview or refuses to answer a question. And John Key in particular, but also, um, Bill English, AND Jacinda Ardern all pride themselves on basically exhausting questions, i.e. stand there until the questions stop, and then leaving.
PENNY ASHTON: Right, okay. That’s certainly not his—
BERNARD HICKEY: And when they cut them off it’s actually really rare and noteworthy.
MORA: [audible intake of breath to indicate displeasure]
PENNY ASHTON: I mean, especially because people are ATTACKING journalists and things like this, you know, there’s actually been physical violence, and things, and he is INCITING this, and I just find it, I mean it’s what he DOES, isn’t it.
BERNARD HICKEY: It’s the next level, um, awfulness, and it’s really dangerous, actually.
PENNY ASHTON: Yeah, totally.
BERNARD HICKEY: I mean, there’s been bombs sent to CNN—
PENNY ASHTON: Yep.
BERNARD HICKEY: Ah, um, journalists have been harassed, and he’s created this environment where Saudi Arabia thought it was okay to, to kill and dismember a journalist who walked into their—-
MORA: Hang on! Are you trying to say that Saudi Arabia did that, ahhh, to Mister Khashoggi because of what Mis—
BERNARD HICKEY: Not beCAUSE of Trump, but they felt enabled to do it because of what Trump had said.
MORA: Okay, –t’s an interesting claim.
PENNY ASHTON: I liked the guy from—
BERNARD HICKEY: And they haven’t been punished by the way.
PENNY ASHTON: No.
BERNARD HICKEY: A major ally of America.
PENNY ASHTON: I liked the guy from NBC who immediately stood up for, um, so what’s that guy’s name again?
BERNARD HICKEY: Jim Acosta.
PENNY ASHTON: That, thank you. Acosta. That’s an interesting one for that situation isn’t it! Ah, anyway, he stood up for him and said he’s nothing but professional and a good guy, which I thought was great, immediately after that.
MORA: Here’s a little bit more audio of, uh, likely House Leader and leading Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
MORA: Is that the great FIB of politics? Along with the vow to be bipartisan and to end division?
PENNY ASHTON:
BERNARD HICKEY: Yes, yes. Like the current government’s um, pledge to, um, “reform the Official Information Act to make it much more transparent.” Nothing has happened. ….
MORA:
PENNY ASHTON: I think the way that they operate, as a nation, for their political system is crazy.It’s something like Democrats got seven per cent more of the popular vote in this election, you know, and then that doesn’t translate, does it, because of the way that their system is. It’s just—-
MORA: But it doesn’t translate in other countries, sometimes either.
PENNY ASHTON: Oh absolutely, I mean, sometimes, WELL! I mean, some, I feel like this one is one of the more, well, I suppose it’s the one that gets the most publicity. But the extremity to which people can be stymied. Like Barack, well everyone, you had somebody writing and saying “Oh what did OBAMA do?” He couldn’t do anything EITHER, because of the same system blocking things, being able to, you know,…[continues defending the indefensible for extended time]…
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thepanel/20181108
Is it acceptable to publish 1676 words in an article which took nearly six screens to scroll past?
I always enjoy Morrissey’s perceptive, clever and witty transcripts.
Good, but is there another way to access this information? Can it be linked to, can it be edited, can it be left as a link to a radio site with succinct commentary from the poster as to its content?
It is, after all, a transcript of other peoples’ argument that if written as an argument would be well reduced by the editor’s pen.
Next, we’ll be having transcripts of an MP’s Hansard on the Standard, the full ten minutes, with interjections, Speaker’s interventions and personal asides.
If more feel like you, Ed, then I’ll just continue to scroll past. Part of that problem for me is that continuity of the flow of responses is broken by having to scroll so far, and the logical thread is interrupted.
120 words, btw.
Fair point, actually. You’re not the first person to complain about my long transcripts. That’s one reason I have created my blog: to put up the whole transcript, and to put up just a highlighted segment on fora like The Standard.
I’ve broken my own guidelines, and your telling me off is a timely corrective. I’ll be briefer in future.
All the best, mac.
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/11/is-it-acceptable-for-reporter-to-go-on.html
Cheers, Morrissey. If I know where to go to get your transcriptions and a little taster or pointer, then that is good for Ed and me.
Thanks Ed. Love you too.
Thanks for counting, mac!
Love you.
Paste to a word processor and let the machine do the counting…………
I write a regular 300 word article for a newsletter. I know that it is read, and therefore worthwhile for me to produce.
The word counter limits me in being more succinct than is my first draft over-written and wordy as it is, and is a valuable editing tool.
This rubbish why oh why ???????
Could they move on to Kissinger, please?
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The last surviving leaders of the communist Khmer Rouge regime that brutally ruled Cambodia in the 1970s were convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes Friday by an international tribunal.
Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan were sentenced to life in prison, the same punishment they are already serving after earlier convictions at a previous trial for crimes against humanity connected with forced transfers and mass disappearances. Cambodia has no death penalty.
Both men have suggested they were targets of political persecution. Nuon Chea was considered the main ideologist of the Khmer Rouge and the right-hand man of the group’s late leader, Pol Pot, while Khieu Samphan served as the head of state, presenting a moderate veneer as the public face for the highly secretive group.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/last-khmer-rouge-leaders-found-guilty-genocide-get-life-terms-n937071?
Console yourself @ Joe90. While there are a good number influenced by his ideology, there’ll be an even greater number lining up to piss on his grave.
(Energy – including the emotional – is a finite resource as things stand – use it wisely)
And in breaking, snapping sensational news, the CIA has concluded the Saudi Crown Prince ORDERED the death.
Is anyone surprised?
Now, don’t forget your bone saw.
I won’t – I have an ex-wife who once had to attend a few gruesome post-mortems, then come home and pretend normal humanity and dump her load. Not surprising some things don’t last.
But you know …… yea/nah
Shit! I almost forgot the > preface and the OWT.
Sorry, should’ve been clearer – paraphrasing MSB’s instructions to his butcher boys.
China boots invited media from Pacific Island leaders meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping … Chinese State Broardcaster CCTV only media allowed to record.
“To be told that we’re not allowed is undermining our press freedom, we have press freedom in this country.”
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-16/media-kicked-out-of-xi-jinping-pacific-leaders-meeting/10506666
ooooooh you xenophobic racist you! Fake news even!
(/sarc)
Try that line on the student that was so bullied by local social media by parents in China and Collins-aligned acolytes that demanded she vote gNatz
(otherwise she’d no longer be able to buy a NuZull house or launder a wee bit of suspiciously obtained filthy lucre).
The long arm of, (Orivida and), the CCP
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-04/the-chinese-communist-partys-power-and-influence-in-australia/8584270
Seems some of the Australian press aren’t afraid to “mention the war” …
But then, there were attempts to muzzle that too!
How odd!
[Mike] Joy is the editor of a new book, From Mountains to Sea: Solving New Zealand’s Freshwater Crisis looking at the problem of freshwater, which he says is grave.
“The freshwater crisis is our industrialisation of the landscape and it’s ended up with these two worlds,” he says.
“We have this amazing conservation estate with the most beautiful pristine rivers and lakes in the world and a lowlands where we have some of the most degraded and polluted lakes and rivers in the world.”
He says this tendency to “silo” means we lose track of the bigger picture.
“We’ve got real lack of leadership. I find we could reduce the number of cows we have in the country – say, a 20 percent reduction – and we would get in most places a 40 percent reduction in the amount of nitrate pollution that comes from that.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018670839/mike-joy-solving-nz-s-freshwater-crisis
“It strikes me with great clarity that if you look at the problems in isolation they each seem intractable; but when you grasp that there could be one single solution, then suddenly there is a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel.”
– Mike Joy.
You can purchase a copy here; (Only $16).
https://www.bwb.co.nz/books/mountains-sea
I will – note that it is another Bridget Williams bright spark.
As Ed seems MIA today… a cheerful Weekend read FYA!…
“With wildfires, heat waves, and rising sea levels, large tracts of the earth are at risk of becoming uninhabitable. But the fossil-fuel industry continues its assault on the facts.”
– Bill McKibben
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/11/26/how-extreme-weather-is-shrinking-the-planet
Puritarian’s aren’t happy.
It wasn’t a coincidence that moments after Nancy Pelosi promised progressive House leaders more power in the next Congress, a host of liberal groups announced they were supporting her for speaker.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who is expected to co-chair the House Progressive Caucus next year, left a Thursday night meeting with Pelosi in the Capitol and proclaimed that her members would have more seats on powerful committees and more influence over legislation.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/16/pelosi-speaker-progressives-congress-998595
I think this is a cheap shot on my part but I liked this juxtaposition of news headings at RNZ.
Mainfreight’s overall profit up 22 percent
New Zealanders losing millions to scammers, new data shows
Freight Transport & Logistics | Mainfreight NZ
https://www.mainfreight.com/nz/en/nz-home.aspx
Around town, or around the world, with over 250 branches and an extensive global agent network Mainfreight delivers wherever your product needs to go.
Views from Mainfreight chief:
https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/mainfreights-plested-gives-recipe-nz-including-capital-gains-tax-performance-pay-teachers-b
(Not to be confused with Mainzeal, which has the Fairy Shipley National touch.)
Mainzeal failed while parent made billions – Newsroom
Oct 24, 2018 – Richina, the Chinese parent company of failed NZ construction company Mainzeal, owns assets potentially worth billions of dollars, according …
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/10/23/288481/mainzeal-failed-while-parent-made-billions
Need more rakes…
This is the sort of rake that he knows about.
In a historical context, a rake (short for rakehell, analogous to “hellraiser”) was a man who was habituated to immoral conduct, particularly womanising.
Often, a rake was also prodigal, wasting his (usually inherited) fortune on gambling, wine, women and song, and incurring lavish debts in the process.
Rake (stock character) – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rake_(stock_character)
All the rakes were required on the east coast,
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/16/nyregion/nyc-snowstorm-traffic-commute.html
The NJ governor is tacking flack.
Some of the best political analysis you can hear.
..the…death…of…the…kilo… yup, fucking riveting…
/
I found the whole show fascinating.
George’s views on Brexit and poverty in the UK were enlightening.
Roger Highfield, a director from the Science Museum, spike in the subject of the kilo.He was was fascinating and informative. I learnt a lot.
Yet, I doubt you listened as you prejudged the whole thing.
For a 28 year old, you come over as very closed minded.
[Enough of the ageism Ed. And I’ll while I’m here, can you please give a brief intro to videos? eg ‘George Galloway discusses Brexit, the Tory meltdown, and the need for a snap election on his UK radio show’. Gives the reader some relevant context, which is good manners in my book. Cheers, TRP.]
Thank you Ed.
+ 1.
Galloway is a brave and brilliant man.
A true socialist hero.
And a true democratic hero.
Looks like the British are finding out that Europe is like Hotel California.
“You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.”
That is so apt Ed.
The UN goes to war on UK’s austerity.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/nov/16/uk-austerity-has-inflicted-great-misery-on-citizens-un-says
39 years of neoliberalism.
8 years of austerity.
Last year, Niue caught the attention of the world by announcing its intention to protect 40 per cent of this blue estate from fishing and other activities that might compromise it.
In this, Niue leads the world. The United Nations Development Programme is promoting 10 per cent marine protection by 2020. The United Kingdom is more ambitious, advocating 30 per cent by 2030. New Zealand, by contrast, currently protects less than one per cent of its exclusive economic zone.
https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/from-taro-to-tourism/?t=_8f1367a7fb80fcefbdd4ab19634c48c6&campaign_id=
How’s Niue going to do that?
Very good question Gabby, they probably would call on the AusG and NZG to help out. The RNZN have too few hulls and the RNZAF airframes atm to do its current mandated task, let alone short notice taskings.
From the Washington Post via The Herald,
Mohammed’s private condemnation of the slain journalist stood in contracts to his government’s public comments, which mourned Khashoggi’s killing as a “terrible mistake” and a “tragedy.”
Am I being trivial.
“The positive outcome of this study is that we have a metric to assess the ratcheting up of ambition. Civil society, experts and decision-makers can use this to hold their governments accountable, and possibly undertake climate litigation cases as happened recently in the Netherlands,” he said. “This metric translates the lack of ambition on a global scale to a national scale. If we look at the goal of trying to avoid damage to the Earth, then I am pessimistic as this is already happening. But this should be a motivation to ratchet up ambition and avoid global warming as much and as rapidly as possible. Every fraction of a degree will have a big impact.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/16/climate-change-champions-still-pursuing-devastating-policies-new-study-reveals
on target…not
California, you are next to Mexicans in Trump’s eyes!!!!
New action and encouragement for Taranaki region and a number of other moves shown on the link.
15 November 2018
PGF to support commercialisation at Taranaki sawmill
The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) will provide a loan of up to $1.8 million to TaranakiPine to allow the company to diversify and create new jobs, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/minister/hon-shane-jones
Kia kaha to all the people who are letting the world’s governments know we have to take human caused climate change very seriously and act now to prevent a catastrophic disaster on a PLANET scale that is preventable with a bit of cooperation on a Planet SCALE.
How I decide if a story is fact or fiction is I look for the motive everyone has a motive for there actions. Then I look to see if the writer or the person being written about has a conflict of interest. “The Humane Caused Climate Change Debate “.
The %99 of OUR Worlds Scientist what is there motive for there point of view about Climate change most of these people are 50 years old + they have been reporting about the bad effects of climate change for 30 years + . What’s in it for them the TRUTH is what’s Scientist look for that is a Scientist motive for there words on Climate change.
You see the Truth is the core role of a Scientist they are asked or ask them selves Qustion’s about OUR World and then they set out to find the FACT about that question and publish the Truth and then the rest of the scientific community around the world scrutinize there answers to the question hence it is proven to be the truth or not. You see the scientist know what is going on in our world they are the people who care about our future they are instinctively the truth tellers of the world whom have been kept inside a square box by the greedy power hungry neo liberal capitalist of the world who only goal is more power or to do anything anything to keep that power weather billion’s of human lives are put at extreme risk or not .
Now lets look at The neo climate change deniers what’s there motive greed money power control we see billions of dollars of oil barons money pour into the climate change deniers hip pocket this money reaches to the far ends of the Earth putting everyone whos views are not the same as there’s into a BOX of deceit and lies .
Who cares if they are making billions of people’s lives a misery with there deceit.
There are heaps of story’s of the bad side effects of carbon on the peoples health and Papatunuku Mother Earth and her Beautiful health and all our future and still these IDIOTS peddle there LIES Hence ECO MAORI is making a stand for all our future as I CAN SEE THE BIG PICTURE. P.S the % 001 of climate change deniers motive is money.
Seventy people have been arrested as thousands of demonstrators occupied five bridges in central London to voice their concern over the looming climate crisis.
Protesters, including families and pensioners, began massing on five of London’s main bridges from 10am on Saturday. An hour later, all the crossings had been blocked in one of the biggest acts of peaceful civil disobedience in the UK in decades. Some people locked themselves together, while others linked arms and sang songs.
By 2pm the blockade of Southwark Bridge had been abandoned and protesters moved from there to Blackfriars Bridge, where organisers said they were soon to move west towards Westminster Bridge.
Climate protesters glue hands to UK government building
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Demonstrators occupied Southwark, Blackfriars, Waterloo, Westminster and Lambeth bridges.
The Metropolitan police said all the bridges had since reopened.
A spokesman said: “There have been over 70 arrests for obstruction of the Highway Act and Bail Act offences.”
Demonstrators have now gathered in Parliament Square to hear speeches. Roger Hallam, one of the strategists behind the actions, told the Guardian he felt the protest had been fantastic. Ka kite ano link below
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/17/thousands-gather-to-block-london-bridges-in-climate-rebellion
Kia ora R&R that was a good view on tangata whenua O Aotearoa whakapapa Patara
I see that the person who was shouting free speech while some on was talking and mentioned the rugby player was a paid neo troll Guy.
People coming here and preaching race hate speech and being stopped by our action’s in there tracks is not anti free speech its protecting the people from there hate full word’s that can influence some to behave badly Golirz
Its good that maori culture and other cultures are being finally respected by most people but I still get heads turning when I use maori in a shop not all heads turn but still one or two Ka kite ano P.S my megaphone is quite loud I just have to be carefull what I use it for
Kia ora Marae Yes Maori TV need’s to keep up to the future I say we need to find maori stars and promote them music stars what ever Shane.
My views are we need to draw in the viewers and use the internet and Maori TV together to get more people learning our cultures maybe team up with our Pacific cousins to get this one should be researching around Papatunuku to see what work’s in other country’s and duplicate it .
I say a Screen TV and multimedia is a easy to to learn te reo or anything from may be team up with the education sector to come up with tools that help teach te reo .
Kevin I want to see positive story’s on maori about on our TV Screen’s hence the Maori Star’s need to be created Kevin I know some have been deliberately suppressing our rising maori stars . Ka kite ano P.S Tini I have discovered NZONSCREEN its a good site to find old maori movies but there are some Ngati Porou story’s that I can not access
Some Eco Maori music for the minute .
Here you go the carbon men trying to cheat us once again by they to get laws made so they can hide there emissions data typical neo liberal capitalist so much for transparency they will let us burn in there carbon emissions .
The Australian oil and gas lobby is pushing to limit public information about greenhouse gas emissions from liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants, a move that contradicts the global industry’s pledge to increase transparency about their impact on the climate.
The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (Appea) has called for LNG plants to be able to apply for emissions data to be withheld from the public on the grounds that releasing it could help its competitors overseas. It has been backed by Chevron, which operates the Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG developments in Western Australia.
The push follows the federal government reporting that the booming LNG sector is the main driver of Australia’s growing emissions. Ka kite ano link below
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/16/nothing-to-hide-oil-and-gas-lobby-pushes-to-limit-data-on-its-emissions
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/13/problem-in-waiting-why-natural-gas-will-wipe-out-australias-emissions-gains
Kia ora Newshub looks like only one black team won this weekend well losing is part of sports Rugby is a fast growing Sport’s.
That is correct we don’t need to chose sides we want to see World harmony the Yin Yang a nice balanced happy healthy world.
That’s working outside the square box the Whangara homeless helping to building there own homeless shelter ka pai Carol Peter’s .
I bet fuel prices are higher here in Aotearoa than they are in France.
Its really good that the World is drinking less wine and Alcohol its a substance that when consumed need to be respected we seen what Alcohol does to the unborn child.
The Bosnian refugee crises is a crying shame all the refugee crises around Papatunuku should not be happening in 2018.
The Peter Blake trust is doing a great job showing our beautiful creatures of Tangaroa using new tec virtual reality ka pai .
Tawhirimate is showing its awesome power with that tornado in Aotearoa today .
Thanks to Fiao o Fa amausili and Linda for there long career’s playing for the Black Ferns Kia ka Ladies
Good wins to Ireland and France plenty of happy fans ka pai.
Ka kite ano