Open mike 18/08/2024
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6:00 am, August 18th, 2024 - 29 comments
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- Dance Magic
Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...7 hours ago - Government Forces Universities to Enforce “Free Speech” While Limiting Universities̵...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...7 hours ago - Fact brief – Are we heading into an ‘ice age’?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Are we heading ...19 hours ago - As Our Power Lessens: Published
So the Solstice has arrived – Summer in this part of the world, Winter for the Northern Hemisphere. And with it, the publication my new Norse dark-fantasy piece, As Our Power Lessens at Eternal Haunted Summer: https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/winter-solstice-2024/as-our-power-lessens/ As previously noted, this one is very ‘wyrd’, and Northern Theory of Courage. ...24 hours ago - By Any Other Name.
The Natural Choice: As a starter for ten percent of the Party Vote, “saving the planet” is a very respectable objective. Young voters, in particular, raised on the dire (if unheeded) warnings of climate scientists, and the irrefutable evidence of devastating weather events linked to global warming, vote Green. After ...1 day ago - Bernard’s last Saturday Soliloquy for 2024
The Government cancelled 60% of Kāinga Ora’s new builds next year, even though the land for them was already bought, the consents were consented and there are builders unemployed all over the place. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political ...1 day ago - Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Saturday, December 21
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on UnsplashEvery morning I get up at 3am to go around the traps of news sites in Aotearoa and globally. I pick out the top ones from my point of view and have been putting them into my Dawn Chorus email, which goes out with a podcast. ...1 day ago - 2024 OIA stats
Over on Kikorangi Newsroom's Marc Daalder has published his annual OIA stats. So I thought I'd do mine: 82 OIA requests sent in 2024 7 posts based on those requests 20 average working days to receive a response Ministry of Justice was my most-requested entity, ...2 days ago - Climate Change: A perverse incentive
The government published its first Biennial Transparency Report under the Paris Agreement yesterday, and the media has correctly noted that it is missing any plan to actually meet our target. While it hypes domestic emissions reductions so far - which have been good, but will likely get worse thanks to ...2 days ago
- Economic Bulletin December 2024
Welcome to the December 2024 Economic Bulletin. We have two monthly features in this edition. In the first, we discuss what the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update from Treasury and the Budget Policy Statement from the Minister of Finance tell us about the fiscal position and what to ...2 days ago - NZCTU make submission in opposition to Treaty Principles Bill
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have submitted against the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, slamming the Bill as a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an attack on tino rangatiratanga and the collective rights of Tangata Whenua. “This Bill seeks to legislate for Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles that are ...2 days ago
- ZB’s Power Couple
I don't knowHow to say what's got to be saidI don't know if it's black or whiteThere's others see it redI don't get the answers rightI'll leave that to youIs this love out of fashionOr is it the time of yearAre these words distraction?To the words you want to hearSongwriters: ...2 days ago - Austerity thumps GDP most since 1991
Our economy has experienced its worst recession since 1991. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, December 20 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above and the daily Pick ‘n’ Mix below ...2 days ago
- Weekly Roundup 20-December-2024
Twas the Friday before Christmas and all through the week we’ve been collecting stories for our final roundup of the year. As we start to wind down for the year we hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas and new year. If you’re travelling please be safe on ...2 days ago - The Hoon around the year to December 20, 2024
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the year’s news with: on climate. Her book of the year was Tim Winton’s cli-fi novel Juice and she also mentioned Mike Joy’s memoir The Fight for Fresh Water. ...2 days ago
- The baby-boomers’ last gasp
The Government can head off to the holidays, entitled to assure itself that it has done more or less what it said it would do. The campaign last year promised to “get New Zealand back on track.” When you look at the basic promises—to trim back Government expenditure, toughen up ...3 days ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #51 2024
Open access notables An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment: Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance ...3 days ago
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Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and , ...3 days ago - Christmas Gifts: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
“Like you said, I’m an unreconstructed socialist. Everybody deserves to get something for Christmas.”“ONE OF THOSE had better be for me!” Hannah grinned, fascinated, as Laurie made his way, gingerly, to the bar, his arms full of gift-wrapped packages.“Of course!”, beamed Laurie. Depositing his armful on the bar-top and selecting ...3 days ago
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Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney. “The data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller ...3 days ago
- Cheeseburgers and Stunt Monkeys
One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...3 days ago - MSD rejecting 220 pleas for food grants each day
Sparse offerings outside a Te Kauwhata church. Meanwhile, the Government is cutting spending in ways that make thousands of hungry children even hungrier, while also cutting funding for the charities that help them. It’s also doing that while winding back new building of affordable housing that would allow parents to ...3 days ago
- The Wing Parties’ Economic Policies.
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This morning I awoke to the lovely news that we are firmly back on track, that is if the scale was reversed.NZ ranks low in global economic comparisonsNew Zealand's economy has been ranked 33rd out of 37 in an international comparison of which have done best in 2024.Economies were ranked ...3 days ago - Book Review: How Big Things Get Done
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- Wednesday 18 December
The Government has announced a 1.5% increase in the minimum wage from 1 April 2025, well below forecast inflation of 2.5%. Unions have reacted strongly and denounced it as a real terms cut. PSA and the CTU are opposing a new round of staff cuts at WorkSafe, which they say ...4 days ago
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Today is a special member's morning, scheduled to make up for the government's theft of member's days throughout the year. First up was the first reading of Greg Fleming's Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill, which was passed unanimously. Currently the House is debating the third reading of ...4 days ago
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- December-24 AT Board Meeting
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5 days ago - ‘Ideas Worth Saving’: A Call for Papers
Some years ago, I found myself pondering the power of literature to endure. Or at least the power of some of it to endure, while the rest vanishes in mere decades: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2019/08/07/look-on-my-works-ye-mighty-and-despair-the-literary-future/. I have similarly had fun with the subject in some of my short stories, such as Another Alexandria ...5 days ago - Corrections is torturing prisoners again
In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...5 days ago
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New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...5 days ago
- “Better economic management”
At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...5 days ago
- Shameless, clueless
AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...5 days ago - Minimum wage ‘increase’ is an effective cut
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...5 days ago
- Crazy ’bout a Sharp-dressed Man
Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...5 days ago - How much should you worry about a collapse of the Atlantic conveyor belt?
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob Henson In this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...5 days ago
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In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...5 days ago - When austerity worsens public debt & cuts GDP
Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...5 days ago
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The Prime Minister yesterday engaged in what looked like a pre-emptive strike designed to counter what is likely to be a series of depressing economic statistics expected before the end of the week. He opened his weekly post-Cabinet press conference with a recitation of the Government’s achievements. “It certainly has ...6 days ago
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And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...6 days ago - A Lipstick Government
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Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...6 days ago
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A grassroots backlash has forced a backdown from Brown, but he is still eyeing up plenty of tolls for other new roads. And the pressure is on Willis to ramp up the Government’s austerity strategy. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy ...6 days ago
- Thank You
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...7 days ago - 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #50
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 8, 2024 thru Sat, December 14, 2024. Listing by Category Like last week's summary this one contains the list of articles twice: based on categories and based on ...7 days ago
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I started writing this morning about Hobson’s Pledge, examining the claims they and their supporters make, basically ripping into them. But I kept getting notifications coming through, and not good ones.Each time I looked up, there was another un-subscription message, and I felt a bit sicker at the thought of ...1 week ago - Nothing here but the shadows
Once, long before there was Harry and Meghan and Dodi and all those episodes of The Crown, they came to spend some time with us, Charles and Diana. Was there anyone in the world more glamorous than the Princess of Wales?Dazzled as everyone was by their company, the leader of ...1 week ago - The United Right: the FSU’s Continued Efforts to Undermine Academia
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Just ten days ago, South Korea's president attempted a self-coup, declaring martial law and attempting to have opposition MPs murdered or arrested in an effort to seize unconstrained power. The attempt was rapidly defeated by the national assembly voting it down and the people flooding the streets to defend democracy. ...1 week ago
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Hi,“What I love about New Zealanders is that sometimes you use these expressions that as Americans we have no idea what those things mean!"I am watching a 30-something year old American ramble on about how different New Zealanders are to Americans. It’s his podcast, and this man is doing a ...1 week ago - Chris Penk’s Hate Parade
What Chris Penk has granted holocaust-denier and equal-opportunity-bigot Candace Owens is not “freedom of speech”. It’s not even really freedom of movement, though that technically is the right she has been granted. What he has given her is permission to perform. Freedom of SpeechIn New Zealand, the right to freedom ...1 week ago - Tell me a story
All those tears on your cheeksJust like deja vu flow nowWhen grandmother speaksSo tell me a story (I'll tell you a story)Spell it out, I can't hear (What do you want to hear?)Why you wear black in the morning?Why there's smoke in the air? Songwriter: Greg Johnson.Mōrena all ☀️Something a ...1 week ago - As Our Power Lessens: Accepted
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National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...2 days ago - Release: Minister’s plan for tertiary sector a backwards step
Returning to the model that was failing for most polytechnics and Institutes of Technology is not the answer. ...2 days ago
- Release: National buries 1019 planned homes
It’s been revealed that National has cancelled 60 percent of its housing projects planned before mid-2025 amidst housing woes. ...2 days ago
- Release: Rule-Czar bill a right-wing power grab
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...2 days ago
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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is running away from problems of his own creation, with his decision not to go to Waitangi. ...3 days ago
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The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...3 days ago - Release: Nicola Willis spirals country deeper into recession
The economy shrank 1% this quarter and New Zealand has tumbled into the depths of a recession of Nicola Willis’ making. ...3 days ago
- Release: Hikes for company directors but not ordinary Kiwis
Working people are going backwards while company directors are being given huge pay hikes. ...4 days ago
- ECE no place to cut corners
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...4 days ago
- Release: Strengthening Justice Services for New Zealanders
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...4 days ago
- Release: Labour will continue fight against destructive projects
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...5 days ago
- Green Government will revoke dodgy fast-track projects
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...5 days ago
- Government for the wealthy keeps pushing austerity
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...5 days ago
- Release: Visa changes let migrant workers be paid less
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...5 days ago
- Release: Nightmare before Christmas for Nicola Willis
With more debt and a larger deficit, Nicola Willis’ reputation is in tatters after her failure to return the Government’s books to surplus. ...5 days ago
- Warning to Fast-Track Applicants – ‘Exploit the Whenua, Face the Consequences’
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...5 days ago
- Release: Govt cuts wages for lowest paid NZers… again
For the second year running, the government has effectively cut wages for the lowest paid workers in New Zealand. ...5 days ago
- Govt’s miserly 1.5% minimum wage will take workers backwards
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...5 days ago
- Release: Govt shirking responsibility for rate hikes
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...5 days ago
- Luxon’s ‘localism’ strikes again
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt breaks promise on EV chargers
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...6 days ago
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The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...6 days ago
- Govt child poverty targets allow for increase in poverty
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...1 week ago
- Release: Four weeks annual leave under threat
The Government’s attack on workers continues with news it is scrapping work on the Holidays Act. ...1 week ago
- Govt’s emissions plan for measly 1% reduction
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...1 week ago
- Greens stand in solidarity with Whakaata Māori on sad day
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...1 week ago
- Sanctions regime to create more hardship for families
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...1 week ago
- Govt gifts renters housing anxiety for Christmas
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...1 week ago
- Release: National Party urged to support modern slavery legislation
Labour is urging the Prime Minister to walk the talk and support legislation combating modern slavery. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour has lost confidence in the Speaker
The Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament made an unprecedented decision on the government amendment to the Fast Track Approvals Bill last night. ...1 week ago
- One year on, still no progress on new ferries
Today’s announcement from the Government on its plan for new ferries throws more uncertainty on the future of the country’s rail network. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Nicola Willis’ smaller ferries will cost more
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...2 weeks ago
- Bill to sanction unlawful occupation of Palestine
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...2 weeks ago
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The Government has done the right thing in moving to ban greyhound racing. ...2 weeks ago
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https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/525450/nz-s-food-system-in-disarray-scientist-says
Your homework for the day design a resilient food system for nz,
Good morn Bwaghorn, well that is a mish? Anyway here are some thoughts :
First up…need a hard look at Food Waste in NZ
Of course the Grocery Duopoly could give a fck about that ! Apart from their constant greenwashing, they also engage in massive (I coined a new) Carewashing. Fake as fck.
For actual caring..see your local Community Garden. here just a couple…
And the actual Scientists. ( I note the fckwits at NACT1 are downsizing same incl NIWA : (
Also…I miss Robert Guyton and DB Browns input re Food Forest etc.
Anyway..some Food for Thought : )
Localized probably works in small town nz but a food shock that cuts off Auckland would turn ugly quickly, I think that's more what they a talking about.
As for waste frozen mixed vege ,is the way to go . Imho
Ah, thats why I was talking..Grocery Duopoly. And Resilience is all about finding ways to become Resilient…to shocks of all kinds, Food incl.
NZ should be Future Looking…to when the Dairy cashcow : ) .is no more.
Why I linked to NIWA…we should be looking at Home Grown alternatives…Scientists, et al.
And frozen mix veg is allgood..until the power goes off ? Why also NZ Solar self and others needs much more input. Of course never going to happen..until its too late ?
Maybe drying veg and fruit preserving options? (Like the olds used to do : )
Also Huntin' and Fishin' ..Out there doin' it : )
Nothing nicer than fresh caught fish !
Resilient aye.
Soften the duopoly impact with a really large community garden that's sufficiently secure not to be stolen from.
A few towns have them.
Otherwise the service tens of thousands use is food banks. Outstanding NZ volunteers by the thousand, requiring no reinvention.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350382136/minister-rejects-call-exemption-over-maori-ward-poll
What could/would central government do if councils refused to obey?
If the commmunity didnt reply / was happy about Mr Kirtons call for a poll. And the government (small g) didnt reply to Mr Kirton either. Checkmate Brownie
While searching for Community Garden..I found this.
All the NACT1 punitive nastiness …burns away in those Kids smiles. IMO most Kids like Dogs…and love.
The punitive $ Millions should instead be given to making more smiling Kids.
The ceasefire talks in Qatari capital Dohar, originally set for two days, will be continued into next week.
There are two remaining sticking points between the parties,
1/ Israeli occupation of the border between Egypt and Gaza including the Rafah crossing which Israel illegally seized and closed down in breach of the Camp David Accords, the long standing peace treaty signed between Egypt and Israel in 1978.
2/ The right of return to northern Gaza for the displaced civilian population driven to the South by the fighting.
Representatives of Hamas are not attending the negotiations in person, not surprising as any identified negotiator is likely to risk assassination.
However Hamas have released a statement that they have already agreed to the terms for a ceasefire presented by the US in July, but rejected by Israel. President Biden has announced that these are still the same terms being negotiated this time.
Hopes for a settlement are high. Biden has said a deal must be done.
Qatar, one of the parties in the negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, is in consultation with Iran. Both Qatar and Iran have linked a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, with a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
Israeli families of the hostages and their supporters are demanding a ceasefire in exchange for the release of their family members.
Netanyahu doesn't want a ceasefire, so that won't happen.
Any ceasefire needs to be linked to a two-state solution that includes:
1. All Israelis being moved out of the illegal settlements in the West Bank and being replaced by displaced Gazans.
2. A substantial linkage between Gaza and the West Bank that will form part of the state of Palestine.
I would add that Biden doesn't either, or that if he really does, then he is being ignored. It is not possible to supply the weapons, the finance and the never ending statements of unconditional support and at the same time be serious about a cease fire.
As stated above, Palestinians have already suffered their lead negotiator being assassinated. This occurred almost immediately after Netanyahu returned from his "triumph" in Congress. At a minimum, he considered this a green light to proceed with what must have already been a well developed plan
"Any ceasefire needs to be linked to a two-state solution….." Bearded Git
A ceasefire is a ceasefire, that's it.
Hamas want to stop the slaughter of their people indefinitely.|
Netanyahu wants a temporary ceasefire to achieve the return of the hostages and then a return to the slaughter of Hamas and their people.
The Biden administration want a ceasefire, to avoid a regional war, which would be terribly unpopular on the home front.
At some level all three participants in the negotiations want a ceasefire of some sort
In May the US and its Arab allies Qatar and Egypt put a three stage ceasefire offer on the table.t
Hamas accepted it, Israel did not.
The US and Egypt and Qatar have renewed their offer. Hamas who are not at the negotiations have issued a statement that they agree with the offer.
Negotiations continue next week. The sticking points are Israel's occupation of Gaza's border with Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, in defiance of the Camp David Treaty they signed with Egypt.
The other sticking point is Hamas demand that the displaced civilians be allowed to return to Northern Gaza.
My feeling is that Israel will not budge from their occupation of the Philadelphi Corridor or on the return of the displaced civilian population. And the talks will fail.
Iran and its Hesbollah proxy will follow through with their threat to carry out a full scale attack on Israel leading to a regional war, the US has promised to become involved if a regional war breaks out. The possible blowback for the US will be that the Democrats will lose the presidential election to Trump.
Further possible blowback is full scale rebellion in Jordan. Israeli media report several million of Jordan's 11 million population have been protesting on the streets against the war in Gaza and their government's support for Israel.
I could be wrong, it is still possibly that the Netanyahu cabinet will back down to external pressure from the US and internal pressure from the families of the hostages.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/three-phase-ceasefire-deal-hamas-backs-israel-does-not-2024-05-06/
TF when you tell your advertisers to go fuck themselves and your revenue tanks by >80%.
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Elon Musk’s financial headaches at X may be catching up to him—and Tesla bulls are worrying that could spell bad news for the carmaker’s investors.
Musk’s repeated outbursts against advertisers have dried up the main source of revenue for the loss-making company formerly known as Twitter. A recent decision to sue them for heeding his own advice to not buy ads on the platform hasn’t helped. At some point, he will have to provide a fresh infusion of cash to salvage his $44 billion takeover. And that might mean Musk sells Tesla stock to raise the money—hurting anyone who holds the carmaker’s shares.
https://fortune.com/2024/08/15/elon-musk-tesla-stock-sale-twitter-x-advertiser-boycott-finances-bradford-ferguson/
https://archive.li/gMK1s
The fight against woke capitalism pays well.
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Nigel Farage appears to have become the highest-earning MP, having made almost £1.2m a year from GB News.
In the first register of interests of the new parliament, the Reform UK MP declared that he was earning £97,900 a month as a presenter for GB News, the channel co-owned by the hedge fund billionaire Paul Marshall.
Farage also revealed that his visit to the US on 17 July – in the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump – cost £32,000 and was funded by Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based crypto investor who previously gave millions to the Brexit party. The purpose was recorded as “to support a friend who was almost killed and to represent Clacton on the world stage”.
A further £9,250 trip to the National Conservatism Conference in Brussels in April was funded by George Cottrell, an unofficial aide to Farage.
[…]
The MP’s social media earnings were also revealed, showing that he made £1,550 through X and £853 through Meta, as well as £4,000 from Cameo videos. The Clacton MP is also paid £4,000 a month by the Daily Telegraph.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/aug/16/nigel-farage-revealed-to-be-uks-highest-earning-mp
Councils could band together to take the government to court. Palmy is looking at legal advice after it voted to keep its Maori seats.
The only fair alternative is to reintroduce local wards, which mean that poorer suburbs have to have a live-in representative. If that ward is heavy in Maori or PI or Chinese, then there's your likely rep, also likely to espouse your interests.
Reintroducing wards is, unfortunately, not popular with upwardly-mobile councillors, and forces those living in Remmers or Karori to compete against each other for limited spots.
This is the very first of cleaning the Augean stables/ House of Commons: being an MP is a fulltime job, and MPs cannot take on other paid work. They get paid enough. Why the UK allows this is beyond belief in a democracy.
And while they’re at it, limit appointments to the Lords to 12 years, and a one in, one out policy. And cut their fat daily payment for sitting to an actual full day in the House.
I wonder if the meek response by Russia to the Ukranian invasion of Kursk might incentivise China to invade Siberia.
If China were able to annex Siberia, it would solve a lot of their vulnerabilities to Western blockades at the Malacca strait should China want to get more aggressive in its expansion ambitions.
While they're at it Georgia can have South Ossetia, Poland, Konigsberg, and split Belarus with Lithuania, and Japan could help themselves to the Kuril Islands and Vladivostok.
Weird how this keeps happening.
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Researchers said that high schoolers over the past two years — 386 students from The Rooted School in New Orleans, The Rooted School Indianapolis and G. W. Carver High School — who received payments missed fewer days of school, showed more literacy growth and enjoyed more financial stability than their peers who did not receive money.
"It shows there is some sort of antidote to addressing some of the more entrenched issues that we continue to navigate in New Orleans," said Jonathan Johnson, founder and CEO of Rooted School Foundation.
[…]
According to preliminary data, which has not yet been peer reviewed, students who were given the funds attended an average of two more school days per semester and their reading test scores grew by nearly double that of the control group. Researchers also found students who received the money demonstrated better "financial capability,” a term used to refer to financial literacy and real-world application, and scored higher on tests measuring their financial well-being.
[…]
Students in phase one of the study, which took place from 2022 to 2023, only used about half of cash assistance. About 47% of the money remains in the students’ bank accounts, suggesting many are saving.
Of the money they did spend, about 50% went towards food and groceries, 30% to goods and services, 12% to transportation, 3% to healthcare and the rest to other expenses.
https://www.nola.com/news/education/guaranteed-income-study-expands-to-more-high-schoolers/article_b1636f56-5692-11ef-97bd-57631bf1517c.html
Yeah – totally weird how the empirical evidence contradicts the 'commonsense' understanding of human nature. Guaranteed income should've sapped the drive and initiative out of those kids, so let's dismiss this one as an outlier and carry on as normal. Personally, I'd make all economists do an anthropology degree (with a healthy proportion of ethnology) before they're allowed near an economics textbook.
Many years ago now I recall that the newspapers and TV used to run advertising campaigns promising 'financial freedom' if you did A, B, or C usually investment is some finance or property scheme. Of course you would have to have some money to start with to be able to invest toward this goal. But the main takeaway from these advertisements was that many of us were not financially free and possibly never would be.
Maybe that is why we don't see advertisements offering financial freedom anymore.
Yes, they can consider taking on training with some money in the bank, which incentivises higher grades.
..eww..
@UsaCamy
This is some weiiiiiird stuff! Trump Supporters are carrying around cups of JD Vance's sperm. “Weird Republicans" mock democrats who can't start families with cups of JD Vance's semen.
https://x.com/UsaCamy/status/1824908259863691572
https://www.reddit.com/r/democrats/comments/1eurfdt/pulled_from_twitter_yall_this_stuff_just_keeps/
I wouldn’t call this an interview, more like an advertorial for the govt as I don't recall a single hard question.
In my bold, an extraordinary allegation.
'Pray for me' – Health NZ Commissioner says as he faces resistance
https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/08/17/pray-for-me-health-nz-commissioner-says-as-he-faces-resistance/
The new Human Rights Commissioner seems to be all about rights for the powerful but not for the vulnerable. Not a good start.
Dr Stephen Rainbow has publicly posted trans sceptic and Israeli supremacist material in his professional capacity in the past.
Also, the new race relations commissioner, Melissa Derby, is a Maori sceptic, which seems to be a non sequitur, but that is the current governance.
Minister Goldsmith has made some calculated decisions here. Let'e see how this plays out.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/new-chief-human-rights-commissioner-stephen-rainbows-pro-israel-facebook-posts-transphobia-accusations/LOFB5ENRDVFHNEWBWWK4MKNJUE/
The new Race Relations Commissioner is Melissa Derby, Ngāti Ranginui.
https://tikatangata.org.nz/news/te-kahui-tika-tangata-human-rights-commission-welcomes-new-commissioners
How is she a Māori sceptic?
Derby, in her contributions to the the right wing astroturf website, The Common Room, runs the Maori sceptic line that:
"If systemic racism is the cause for a disproportionate number of Māori experiencing poor outcomes, why don't all Māori experience poor outcomes?
"In fact, on many measures, the vast majority of Maori perform perfectly well. How is this possible, if systemic racism is everywhere, causing poor outcomes?"
https://commonroomnz.com/dr-melissa-derby-is-the-system-stacked-against-some-kiwis/
Also, Maori sceptic and hard right wing outfit, The Free Speech Union welcomes Melissa Derby:
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK2408/S00425/fsu-welcomes-appointment-of-dr-melissa-derby-as-race-relations-commissioner.htm
She also advocated for New Zealander of the year, Shaneel Lal, to be locked up, although that is not so much Maori sceptic as nominal transphobic:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/525363/new-leadership-announced-for-human-rights-commission
Well Stephen's mother got monstered by the Green Party for daring to suggest that women have the right to be concerned about their sex based rights and protections. And as a Gay man he probably knows what a man is.
Well he's a believer in the ‘trans agenda’, according to his own words. That’s on a par with ‘woke’ in terms of conspiracy thinking.