Open mike 18/01/2024

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, January 18th, 2024 - 57 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:


Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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

Step up to the mike …

57 comments on “Open mike 18/01/2024 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. tsmithfield 1
    18 January 2024 at 7:18 am

    Retailers everywhere will now be rejoicing that police are treating shop lifting as a crime worth investigating. I assume that now every time a retailer makes a complaint about shop lifting, instead of ignoring the offence, the police will be sending detectives, and the works around to investigate and charge the offenders.

  2. SPC 2
    18 January 2024 at 7:48 am

    Actual journalism

    Shaw said that Parliament was a stressful place for anybody.

    "However, Golriz herself has been subject to pretty much continuous threats of sexual violence, physical violence, death threats since the day she was elected to Parliament and so that has added a higher level of stress than is experienced by most Members of Parliament.

    Asked whether the co-leaders were aware that Ghahraman was experiencing mental distress before the allegations came to light, Shaw said it would not be appropriate to comment on the mental health condition of one of their colleagues.

    "Professional support is available to all of our MPs and we do know that people do access them and we encourage people to access that professional support," Shaw said.

    Shaw said pressures on MPs were discussed as a caucus including at monthly staff meetings of senior MPs and staff, at a quarterly weekend meeting, as well as working closely with parliamentary security, police and IT.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/506852/former-green-mp-golriz-ghahraman-subject-to-continuous-threats-whilst-in-parliament-shaw

    And this talking to two PR experts

    Including one inferring with all the subtlety of a heavy breather that people do not like Greens and they invite the hate they get.

    Pead said Ghahraman’s resignation meant the Greens could close the door and move on on this particular issue – however, she hoped it would give them pause for thought on their wider communications strategy.

    “As a party they need to be mindful of the tone of their future comments. They tend to put themselves on a smug and sanctimonious pedestal. Their moral superiority has been deflated and they need to examine their self-righteousness and be less high-handed with their accusations.

    “The proverb glass houses and stones comes to mind and they would do well to check the shape of the stones they throw.”

    “The Greens are not averse to giving as good as they receive which is probably why they are on the receiving end of a lot of public anger. If this climate has caused issues for a colleague, they need to health check others as well.”

    Just wow, from the era of women have to dress modestly and be circumspect lest they invite unwanted attention and suffer the consequences.

    The be wary of challenging privilege, lest …

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/media-insider-how-the-greens-pr-machine-completely-blew-up-over-golriz-ghahraman/T3L5IKQUNBH4ZAPDHKVXEAUVL4/

    • Robert Guyton 2.1
      18 January 2024 at 8:32 am

      "They tend to put themselves on a smug and sanctimonious pedestal."

      This is the line taken, and believed, by the same people who adored John Key.

      🙂

      • Visubversa 2.1.1
        18 January 2024 at 9:02 am

        We know how the Green Party here treated Jill Abigail when she engaged in "wrongthink". Now we see that the British Party has similar contempt for Senior members who refuse to bow down to Gender Ideology.

        "The reference to ‘fanatical zealots’ is used advisedly. Witnesses to and victims of the wholesale capture of the Party’s Complaints and Disciplinary system, Regional Council, Standing Orders Committee and the national ERO position (#hatgate* anyone?) can tell you this is no overstatement. Of course, there are numerous honourable members on our governance bodies but they are constantly outnumbered by the said faction"

        https://grahamlinehan.substack.com/p/a-green-party-insider-speaks?utm_campaign=email-post&r=87dih&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

        • weka 2.1.1.1
          18 January 2024 at 5:56 pm

          tbf, while the NZ Greens have some definite issues on gender/sex, I think they are solvable in the medium/long term and the party does seem to understand the basics of realpolitik (thinking how they dealt with Kerekere and the rainbow comms in election year). Whereas UK Greens are batshit crazy and doubling down on being batshit crazy.

    • Chris 2.2
      18 January 2024 at 9:04 am

      Then there's this contradictory and meaningless nonsense from O'Brien trying to come across as ‘insightful’.

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350149859/we-need-be-careful-about-how-we-talk-about-mental-health-and-politics

      • Bearded Git 2.2.1
        18 January 2024 at 11:49 am

        I don't read Tova; life is too short for that.

        • Morrissey 2.2.1.1
          18 January 2024 at 2:34 pm

          Tova O'Brien is neither serious nor a credible journalist.

          https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19-05-2019/#comment-1618504

          • Incognito 2.2.1.1.1
            18 January 2024 at 2:49 pm

            Superiority complex (with victimhood tendencies) is more common than people realise.

            • Morrissey 2.2.1.1.1.1
              18 January 2024 at 6:03 pm

              The victimhood in this case was the very real victimhood of the journalist Julian Assange, who had been hauled off by British state goons a couple of weeks before that obscene charade, organized with maximum cynicism, by the British High Commission.

              The only superiority evident on that foul occasion was evinced, effortlessly, by the High Commissioner Laura Clarke herself, in her contempt for the women who protested against the farce she had put together, and for the very concepts of dissent and journalism.

              Tova O'Brien's sole contribution was an embarrassed giggle.

      • Dennis Frank 2.2.2
        18 January 2024 at 4:57 pm

        Seemed a fair appraisal. She carefully located GG within the sequence of such historical instances and didn't find fault with her. Her point was the gradual awareness the sequence is spreading in the public mind. yes

        Such journalism serves the public interest inasmuch as it creates a conceptual bridge of comprehension facilitating empathy…

  3. Sanctuary 3
    18 January 2024 at 8:01 am

    Politics is a very tough job – it is going to chew people up and spit them out. Nothing is going to change that, because democracy is tribal, money is brutal in defence of it's privilege, and our MSM is in a death spiral race to the bottom where the bovine stupidity of credulous newsrooms with ever decreasing IQs makes them perfect targets for manipulation by bad faith actors with lots of dark money.

    Watching media vultures pick over a corpse after they've gleefully observed and nudged along the victims slow death just adds to their collapsing credibility.

    • Stephen D 3.1
      18 January 2024 at 9:12 am

      Very well put S.

      How do other parties counter? My instinct is to go on the attack. Fight fire with fire. However I’m not sure if Labour and the Greens have the stomach for that sort of fight. TPM seem up for it, but are discounted as being uppity Māoris.

      • Robert Guyton 3.1.1
        18 January 2024 at 10:19 am

        "TPM seem up for it, but are discounted as being uppity Māoris."

        And The Greens are discounted as being smug and sanctimonious.

        This is nothing new and just one of the weapons in the Tory arsenal.
        “Uppity” should read, “courageous enough to stand up against the oppressors”, and “smug and sanctimonious”, “correct”. 🙂

        • mac1 3.1.1.1
          18 January 2024 at 12:48 pm

          Isn't 'virtue signalling' in the same style as 'smug and sanctimonious'?

          What it means for the right wingers hearing and saying this is- "Don't tell me when I'm doing it wrong by telling me what is right and proper, as I'm having some difficulty with the efficacy of my self-justification at the moment."

  4. SPC 4
    18 January 2024 at 8:32 am

    After 3 months of video analysis and testing in an advanced laboratory (also used by racing car syndicates and Americans Cup design specialists) a decision has been made in the case of Dupont vs O'Keefe.

    Frenchman Joël Jutge, the head of referees at World Rugby, said "We analyzed his performance, and after this match, the selectors and I were convinced that the defeat of the France team was not linked to his refereeing”.

    It was determined that O'Keefe remained in good standing as an ophthalmologist and expert in Newtonian physics.

    Dupont's reaction was not well understood by O'Keefe who speaks French, but neither of the not quite dead Gascon and Occitan (known as of the land of the Provencal, or just of the ground or dirt when used by players of Toulouse).

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/ben-okeeffe-backed-by-referees-boss-three-months-after-antoine-duponts-rugby-world-cup-criticism/B2LYLL52GFG4PGJFE6QEXZYPVE/

  5. Ad 5
    18 January 2024 at 9:11 am

    Has anyone seen the Labour Party recently?

    Still not a single media release on any issue since the first week of December.

    National are doing their caucus retreat, and Luxon will get a free lead story for his speech afterwards.

    ACT have been powering out the commentary, NZFirst are making great profile, and OMG the Greens have turned catastrophe into a leadership story about mental health.

    Could the Labour leadership please wake the fuck up and get to work like the rest of us.

    • Corey 5.1
      18 January 2024 at 12:04 pm

      With the caucus and leadership they currently have the less the public see of them them the better.

      When 23% of the country didn't vote and you win 13 seats less than cunliffe, getting the worst result for the party in a century. You're a large minor party.

      Despite this they are busy doing a white wash election autopsy so they can do zero soul searching and run the same hopeless team they did in 23.

      Kieren Mcnullty is being touted as a leader, love the guy he'd be a great pm.but he should retire and run for the hills.

      The reason people like Kieren is because he's a funny, young charismatic bogan bloke from the regions who talks like your bogan mate.

      This would be unacceptable to Labour who like their male leaders to be personality free robots who feel guilty for being white straight and male.

      Run Kieren! Run! Abandon ship! You're a straight white working class socialist bogan male or in other words, the enemy of the identitarian left.

      Don't waste your time in a dead party full of middle class identitarian no hopers with less personality than Ai who will 100% stab you in the back and go full civil war and leak 24/7 if someone like you became leader!

      • Ad 5.1.1
        18 January 2024 at 12:06 pm

        If you really think this government can be defeated with that attitude, you are simply a defeatist waste of time and should permanently put your keyboard away.

      • SPC 5.1.2
        18 January 2024 at 12:45 pm

        The zeitgeist of nihilism preached by the puppet masters, the belief that white working class men are oppressed because they are white, male and have a job and yet do not command the majority of votes to win elections.

        Thus defeated, they should not bother organising any different by working with others, but just hand over their pay to their landlord week by week to the grave – knowing their place and blaming the superior Brad's and the educated woke feminist.

        The wandering rootless lions looking for a home.

        Build a bridge and walk to the libertarian Ayn Rand then.

    • Dennis Frank 5.2
      18 January 2024 at 12:07 pm

      Aw, no need to be so mean. After all, they did spend the final couple of years strenuously under-achieving. Such hard work, maintained for so long, deserves the state-funded holidays the privilege system provides. They need time to recover from all that effort. Could even be that Twyford is leading them through a vigorous weight-training program so they'll be dead keen on more heavy lifting when parliament resumes….

    • Craig H 5.3
      18 January 2024 at 4:32 pm

      They have media releases, they just don't seem to be published.

    • aj 5.4
      18 January 2024 at 5:50 pm

      Yes it's giving the govt a free ride, and follows the poor performance leading up to the election. Craig Rennie left to take Willis apart, for example, with her misleading tax scam.

      I almost despair, and if they don't get thier shit together I'll cast my vote elsewhere in 2026.

  6. SPC 6
    18 January 2024 at 9:20 am

    Given the hands on management style of the new National led government, we can expect developments consequent to a second person having difficulty with the declining state of our footpaths.

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2024/01/national-expected-to-install-need-for-discipline-at-caucus-retreat.html

    https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/01/17/simon-bridges-in-hospital-after-falling-off-e-scooter/

    Adventure activity providers are expecting a perfect safety record over the next two days.

    • Phillip ure 7.1
      18 January 2024 at 9:43 am

      Yes…and I've grown (my first) mullet…

      A small signifier of protest/tribe..but what can you do..?

  8. Phillip ure 8
    18 January 2024 at 9:38 am

    So the trump/iowa headlines/story should have read:

    Trump loses big-time in iowa..

    Only 14% of registered Republicans voted..

    Result bad news for trump….

    • Visubversa 8.1
      18 January 2024 at 10:10 am

      I don't think so. All the pre-caucus Polls showed Trump with over 50% support. There was a major arctic storm in Iowa, and even though Trump told his people to get out and vote even if it killed them, not that many "Corncobs" are prepared to literally put their families lives on the line for him.

    • Ad 8.2
      18 January 2024 at 12:18 pm

      The Republican primaries are heading to be a landslide for Trump and his dedicated Senate and Congress team and passionate base are as motivated as you can possibly get.

      All small countries that are reliant on exporting should quake and join together.

      Trump = No US arms for Ukraine, no US arms for Israel and Saudi Arabia, closure of military bases guarding Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea, exit from South Korean demilitarised zone, exit from NATO, exit from funding the United Nations. And don't ask for any help because it ain't coming.

      • Morrissey 8.2.1
        19 January 2024 at 9:18 am

        Assuming that what you say is all true, and that Trump does indeed believe in doing those things, then he's a shoo-in to win. Anyone who cares about peace and stability and human rights has to support what he's saying. Let's look at what you wrote, point by point, and give it the thumbs up or thumbs down.

        1) Trump = No US arms for Ukraine, no US arms for Israel and Saudi Arabia,

        yes yes yes Assuming Trump followed through with this, that would be a major advance for world peace, though an existential crisis for Nazi groups in Ukraine, and a blow against the booming trade in illegal arms from Ukraine, and the American/British/Israeli arms industry.

        2) closure of military bases guarding Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea,

        yes "Guarding"? You mean spying on, intimidating, provoking and (far too often) launching bombing missions against the locals.

        3) exit from South Korean demilitarised zone,

        yes One of Trump's few undeniable diplomatic achievements was to facilitate that meeting with the North Korean leader. People all over the world saw that the North Koreans were human, and not the cartoon villains they are always portrayed as. This of course infuriated the Washington establishment, which wants war between the two Koreas to go on forever.

        4) exit from NATO,

        yes NATO should have been disbanded on November 9th, 1989.

        5) exit from funding the United Nations.

        no That's bad, and probably the only one of this list that Trump would carry out.

        6) And don't ask for any help because it ain't coming. surprise

        Message to the U.S. from the Rest of the World: We don't want your kind of "help" thanks. We've been looking at people you've "helped" in the last sixty years—Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Haiti, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Chile, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, the Occupied Territories of Palestine—and we'd rather be left to sort out our own problems. Your "help" is worthless.

        Trump wiped the floor with one hapless warmonger in this memorable debate in 2016….

  9. Ad 9
    18 January 2024 at 10:30 am

    I'm not going to do a whole post on it since it's too depressing, but we're likely to start heading more of the phrase "axis of resistance".

    After the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri and other Hamas leaders in Beirut on January 2, Hezbollah’s commander, Hassan Nasrallah vowed retribution and declared that the fight against Israel required nothing less than an “axis of resistance.”

    Then Hezbollah pounded Israel’s Meron air surveillance base with 62 rockets; the Iraq-based Islamic Resistance group sent drones to attack U.S. bases in Syria and Iraq and targeted the Israeli city of Haifa with a long-range cruise missile; the Houthis struck in the Red Sea; and Iran captured an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman. And now we have a full weekly attack-and-response in the Red Sea which is a vital trade route for the world including ourselves.

    So far the US and UK are the only ones fronting to keep this Red Sea route open, though there are many other countries making supportive noises including ourselves.

    It is a dark turn seeing the Axis of Resistance steps up on the same scale as Israel. Next step is a full war on the Lebanese border with Hezbollah. Whoever this "Axis of Resistance" really is, they are expanding.

  10. Jenny 10
    18 January 2024 at 10:49 am

    South Africa vs. Israel

    Germany has filed an intervention with the World Court opposed to the merits of South Africa's case
    The government of Gaza through their International spokesperson and Hamas cabinet member, Izzat al-Rashq, has condemned Germany's intervention as an attempt to assuage German guilt for the Holocaust against the Jewish people. And has asked Germany to withdraw their intervention in support of Israel.

    ……Germany's attempt to absolve itself of its historical Nazi crimes does not come through supporting the crimes of the “new Nazis” (Israel) against the Palestinian people.

    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/hamas-urges-germany-to-reverse-decision-to-support-israel-in-icj-genocide-case/3108850#

    Meanwhile calls grow in this country for NZ to file an intervention on the merits of South Africa's case at the ICJ.

    Karen Scott, University of Canterbury professor in law:

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/506862/new-zealand-can-learn-from-south-africa-the-gambia-and-others-when-it-comes-to-international-accountability

    David Parker, Labour's Foreign Affairs spokesperson:
    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/506371/labour-urges-government-to-back-gaza-genocide-case-at-international-court

    John Minto, Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa:
    https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2401/S00002/new-zealand-urged-to-support-the-south-african-claim-of-israeli-genocide-in-gaza-at-the-international-court-of-justice.htm

    Despite New Zealand's recent past history of stepping up at the World Court in support of the rule of law in international matters, especially in cases alleging genocide, the current government refuses to budge. Somehow the current government sees this case is different to all the other cases at the World Court where we have intervened, and New Zealand will not be sending this country's top lawyers expert in International law, to the Hague as they have in the past. Our government will not be offering this country's legal opinion on the merits of South Africa's case alleging Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Or supporting the World Court making an order for an immediate ceasefire.

  11. Dennis Frank 11
    18 January 2024 at 12:14 pm

    Business cheerleader hits speed bump: https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/01/17/simon-bridges-in-hospital-after-falling-off-e-scooter/

    Former National Party leader Simon Bridges was admitted to hospital with a broken wrist

    Said he's grateful it wasn't worse but didn't actually thank god.

  12. Drowsy M. Kram 12
    18 January 2024 at 12:17 pm

    Trial date set for Liz Gunn airport assault allegation [17 Jan 2024]
    Gunn is a former TVNZ host turned high-profile anti-vaccination activist and conspiracy theorist who unsuccessfully sought to get her New Zealand Loyal political party into Parliament at the last election.

    Beware of conspiracy theorists, and snake oil salesmen – if it seems too good to be true…

    What is ‘new denial?’ An alarming wave of climate misinformation is spreading on YouTube, watchdog says [17 Jan 2024]
    Where once climate deniers would outright reject climate change as a hoax or scam, or claim that humans were not responsible for it, many are now shifting to a different approach, one which attempts to undermine climate science, cast doubt on climate solutions and even claim global warming will be beneficial at best, harmless at worst.
    …
    But, he added, it’s also a huge warning. “Now that the majority of people recognize old climate denial as counterfactual and discredited, climate deniers have cynically concluded that the only way to derail climate action is to tell people the solutions don’t work.”
    …
    “It is extremely unlikely that this is the result of organic social media activity,” Mann, who was not involved in the study, told CNN. “It suggests that bad actors have made a concerted effort to weaponize social media in a way that is especially targeted toward young people, recognizing that they are the greatest threat to the fossil fuel industry status quo, as evidenced by the tremendous impact of the youth climate movement.”

    "And I Would Have Gotten Away With It Too, If It Weren't For You Meddling Kids!"

    Montana Supreme Court upholds climate ruling that said emissions can't be ignored [18 Jan 2024]
    The state high court ruling means Montana officials must “immediately comply” with Seeley's order pending the appeal, said Mark Bellinger, an attorney for Our Children's Trust, which represented the 16 young plaintiffs who brought the case.

  13. Dennis Frank 13
    18 January 2024 at 12:20 pm

    Atmospheric river heading for Westland, red alert, max hit tomorrow morning…

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350145168/nz-weather-live-over-months-worth-rainfall-due-parts-south-island

    Poor buggers. The new norm??

    • Ad 13.1
      18 January 2024 at 3:19 pm

      When I first moved to Titirangi in 1999 we'd maybe get 2 weeks of muggy tropical early Jan.

      Now it starts in late Nov and goes to February.

      • Dennis Frank 13.1.1
        18 January 2024 at 4:59 pm

        You have my genuine sympathy. Here in NP no breeze today & man it's still intense outside at 5pm – went out & hosed down the garden.

  14. Rolling-on-Gravel 14
    18 January 2024 at 12:52 pm

    Chris Bishop the bastard is concerned about occupancy of social housing just now?

    I'm glad he is showing some concern however seeing that this is still National, I wonder what they're trying to pull this time. I just know there'll be undesirable shenanigans they'll do under the auspices of this show of concern.

    Just what is going on?

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/507007/minister-demands-kainga-ora-fill-empty-social-houses

    • SPC 14.1
      18 January 2024 at 2:26 pm

      It's an attempt to demonstrate competence/improved managerial oversight.

      But there may well be good reasons to manage placement carefully – KO's known reticence to make changes afterwards (and there can be unresolved building issues).

      And there is a difference between emergency housing and longer term housing etc.

      • Visubversa 14.1.1
        18 January 2024 at 3:58 pm

        Yes. KO as the accommodation provider of last resort has some very difficult decisions to manage. Many of my refugee friends are in KO housing and are very happy there, but I have had to assist with some very unpleasant and difficult situations where there has been racial and other harassment from neighbours who have also been KO tenants.

        As the social safety net is practically non-existent in places, people are left to fend for themselves. Once case involved a bloke who had come out of an institution and was supposed to be supervised but manifestly was not which resulted in him terrorising firstly my friend and then other neighbours, and another involved a bloke who was actually supervised but whose "social worker" brought him drink and spent the afternoon in his bed with him, doing nothing about his anti social behaviour.

        Then of course there is the disconnect these days between KO and MSD. KO does the supply and MSD does the tenancy management.

  15. SPC 15
    18 January 2024 at 4:09 pm

    The UN expects rising rents and wage increases lower than inflation.

    The report said New Zealand's inflation will remain "relatively high" in 2024 due to an acceleration in rental prices driven by housing supply shortages.

    "While nominal wage growth has been driving current inflation, the consequent negative real wage growth has eroded household purchasing power

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2024/01/cost-of-living-new-zealand-s-inflation-set-to-gradually-fall-in-2024-as-united-nations-issues-grim-warning.html

    Back in 2020 the UN suggested a rent freeze here, not this time – not with the hydra confabulation installed.

    A NZ Initiative economist said locals knew best and what we needed was more building. Why not do both?

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/119722996/un-right-about-human-rights-housing-crisis-but-wrong-about-the-solution

  16. Joe90 16
    18 January 2024 at 5:10 pm

    Who had an Iran Pakistan set to on their 2024 card?

    • Summary
    • Pakistan says it reserves 'right to respond to the illegal act'
    • Militants were attacked who have links to Israel, Iran says
    • The strikes follow similar Iranian attacks in Syria and Iraq
    • Pakistan won't allow return of Iran ambassador to the country

    ISLAMABAD, Jan 17 (Reuters) – Pakistan recalled its ambassador from neighbouring Iran on Wednesday to protest at a "blatant breach" of its sovereignty after Tehran said it launched missile attacks on militant bases in southwestern Pakistan.

    https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistan-recalls-ambassador-iran-after-airspace-violation-2024-01-17/

  17. Mike the Lefty 17
    18 January 2024 at 6:22 pm

    News item on Tv1 news tonight, the Labour government's gun registration system is working well but of course the gun nuts in ACT want to scrap it.

  18. joe90 18
    18 January 2024 at 6:58 pm

    Hoo boy…

    @HaurakiGulfWx

    The latest model run by the Oz weather model Access-G, has upgraded projected max rainfall totals to nearly 1000mm over the next 48 hrs for parts of the Westland region. This model picks up extreme rainfall events like no other for NZ. MetService has a warning in place.

    https://twitter.com/HaurakiGulfWx/status/1747819286759190856

    • aj 18.1
      18 January 2024 at 8:07 pm

      Up to a metre of warm summer rain – one of several extreme rain events on the West Coast in recent summers that will further destroy the glaciers. Hard to believe what's happened in the last 5yrs

      Franz Josef Glacier has shrunk 500m in the past five years due to the "shocking rise" in ocean temperatures, a glacier expert says.

      And in the past 30 years, 200 glaciers in the Southern Alps have disappeared altogether, Victoria University glaciologist Brian Anderson, of Ross, said.

      https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/west-coast/ocean-temperatures-driving-rapid-glacial-retreat-expert

  19. joe90 19
    18 January 2024 at 8:14 pm

    There's something other-worldly about anyone who can run 330km.

    Research suggests that, the greater the distance in a race – running, cycling or especially swimming – the smaller the gap between men and women. Until there comes a point where women take the lead.

    In professional marathons, women are, on average, 11.1% slower than men. Greater muscle mass and a higher V02 range mean that, barring a long shot, women will always finish behind men over this distance when ability levels are considered. Yet at 50 miles, there is only a 3.7% difference; at 100 miles, just 0.3% separates men and women.

    "It seems 195 miles is the magic number where women become faster than men," says Jovana Subic, head of running research at Run Repeat, a website that analysis running shoes and the sport in general and which released a State of Ultra Running Report in 2020.

    https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/67945344

  20. Robert Guyton 20
    18 January 2024 at 8:40 pm

    “Cooneys”

    That should make everyone happy.