I’m against over-use of meaningless jargon. But I have no problem with most of these words:
Staff are forbidden to use “heads-up” and should instead plump for “early” or “preliminary indication”.
Also out in his language jihad are “process”, “outcome”, “community”, “stakeholder” and “cutting edge”.
In particular what is wrong with “community”, if used to actually mean a community of people? Is Finlayson just opposed to processes and communities? “Outome” is actually a word that became overused with post 80s “neoliberal” managerialism – looking for short term, easily identified results of a programme, event or policy. “Preliminary indication” just sounds like stuffy old public school.
Finlayson’s obession with commas and “that” is just overly fussy. Looks very much old, Brit public school to me.
Mr Finlayson, who is also attorney-general, harbours a special dislike of Oxford commas, split infinitives and any extraneous uses of “that”.
“The minister has commented ‘commas hunt in pairs’. This would, for example, look like this’,” the memo instructs bureaucrats.
The guide reveals Mr Finlayson has a very strict style for his letters. The address must be preceded by eight to 11 blank lines, with four lines for his signature. The font should be Arial, 12 point, and centred. “Don’t split paragraphs over pages,” the guide warns.
According to the note: “Minister Finlayson addresses his colleagues, support party colleagues and people he knows by first name.” Opposition MPs “should be addressed by their last name”.
Sad little bloke really. Nothing spells “control freak” better than this.
If he has to exert this level of control over the staff, then he is clearly unable to exert any control over his main functions and responsibilites, so has diverted onto this. And by now the staff won’t be telling him anything.And, if they are smart, they will take a dripping coffee cup into the meeting and abandon it on his desk right in front of him half full complete with stain ring. That should distract him.
“Sad little bloke really. Nothing spells “control freak” better than this”
+100
I’m fairly sure I’ve heard him use the occasional “going forward” too.
We should challenge the meaningless BS-speak at every opportunity, maybe even correct the “bought/brought” errors – but what Finlayson wants is papers that spout complete bullshit in a very concise, precise language.
Karol, I think Andrea was using the word jihad because of Finlayson’s use of the term:
“”It’s like what happened in Rome when classical Roman broke down into vulgar Latin. The more intensive adjective or verb was always used over the classical one. And I have this objection to that happening to the English language. It’s just my little jihad.” (from the Stuff article you linked to)
Agree with you though. It’s not a Jihad, and further, (look at my comma’s hunting in pairs!) Finlayson has commited the very thing he claims to dislike – the use of hyperbole.
My first thoughts when I read this story was, is this guy one of those anal retentive type folks, who can’t see the woods for the trees?
They say that power corrupts, I guess Chris has entered the terminal stage of his career.
It’s referred to as a ‘jihad’ because that’s exactly what Finlayson is quoted as calling it in the article – right after he complains about hyberbolic language
Indeed, i have a suggestion as to what it is Nero fiddles with as well, but, in the interests of my ability to continue to comment will leave that to the imagination…
… and I wouldn’t mind mentioning the term some of his acquaintances use to describe him (behind his back of course) but can’t do so for the same reason.
Falsified: US assertion that chem weapons rockets were fired from Syrian govt territory
Just plain bloody dodgy.
A team of security and arms experts, meeting this week in Washington to discuss the matter, has concluded that the range of the rocket that delivered sarin in the largest attack that night was too short for the device to have been fired from the Syrian government positions where the Obama administration insists they originated.
News this a.m. in the dompost. John Hayes to stand down in the Wairarapa Electorate. It was a sinecure for him anyway as he was bloody useless. You know. Tunnel under the r
Rimutakas and an international airport and a nuclear reactor.
The good news is the New Zealand Labour Party have a young local candidate with juice ready to go so make sure the turnout goes his way.
Things got a bit hot yesterday on Open Mike. I don’t see that as a bad thing though. I didn’t have time to make a thoughtful contribution and the talk was so intense that reply buttons ran out anyway.
If you’ll allow me, I would like to comment on the discussion, because I think it’s important to consider The Unity of The Left, here in our little corner of the world right at the moment. Q.O.T did a great post on New Years’ day about this, so no need to repeat the message.
I enjoy your political discussions. Personally I don’t get offended by your judgements against non vegans. I reckon, we don’t have to share a kitchen so I couldn’t really care about any thoughts you may have about my personal lifestyle choices, which incidentally, are now pescetarian, after 30 thirty years of being vegetarian.
What I do notice though is by your condemnation of non vegans you may alienate your comrades on the Left, and discourage conversation. I wonder how many people comment here who are carnivores, and perhaps do great work in the community may feel a bit attacked or made to feel guilty about their personal decisions. I think there are commenters and authors who are doing beneficial work to the Left, that’s the feeling I get from some of the talk. Is it really fair that they are made to feel stink for being carnivores?
I’d also add that “lifestyle choices” (I can’t think of a less daft term right now) aren’t everybody’s priority if they are struggling to get by and just coping with trying to find money to get to a Dr or get 3 meals per day. Some folks eat what they can with what little they have. To be told to eat a certain way when you have so little choice to begin with may sound patronising and very middle class to some.As if there is the luxury of choice!
I am purposefully putting aside all arguments for and against the vegan lifestyle. I just wanted to get across that you may be alienating some folks in the way you promote the vegan lifestyle, at the expense of creating unity. A little tolerance goes a long way. I’m not telling you to cease, in fact I think the more diverse the interests of commenters the better. I’m just saying if you do want to educate folks maybe a less confrontational approach might be more readily absorbed by your audience.
Hi phil. I don’t disagree that folks should be aware of the ethics of animal consumption – and I have spent the last 30 years explaining these things to people who asked me why I didn’t eat meat, so in some ways we may share similar views.
I am really really really trying not to go down the road of pro’s and cons of a vegan lifestyle. I will however give support to you for your special porridge. Thats great. (I once saw on a doco, an 80+ Scotsman who had the clan system survived, would have been a chieftain, but was still loosely regarded as one anyway, who was I’m sorry to say, given the topic, still doing cattle droving. He put his longevity, vigour for life and energy for droving down to a sturdy bowl of porridge in the morning and of course a wee dram of an evening). So yes, oats are awesome. And yes to the cheap’ n easy vegan cookbook. Cheap n easy anything is always a winner.
My only concern is the delivery of your message. Remember you are dealing with an audience who largely seem to be aware of the nature of industrial farming, going by the articles and comments and who are thoughtful about many issues. I would be surprised if there were many on this site (perhaps excluding the RWNJ’s) who mindlessly shove food in their gob without at some point in their lives considering the origin and processing of it. After that, the way I see it, is that it’s really up to them what they choose to eat. Eh?
I am an omnivore, except for tofu, which I refuse to eat. I am neither offended nor put off by Phillip’s opinions on veganism. He can eat what he likes, and think what he likes about my diet. He is welcome to do the same with the colour of my clothing and the length of my hair.
I rank arguing about diet along with arguing about religion. I am also an atheist, but this has almost no importance to me. I am unable to quote one single thing that Chris Hitchens ever said. Each to their own.
I enjoy Phil’s contributions also, especially as a vegan I really enjoy the passion with which he defends the rights of animals to have a cruelty free existence. If his posts convince a few to stop eating meat and dairy and they convince a few more and so on, in my opinion he is doing all he can to promote a kinder world than we have now. What could be wrong with that?
Nothing at all Belladonna. As mentioned the issue really is the delivery and the risk of alienation. Folks won’t take on board a message if they are being shouted at or judged – that approach is a barrier and may elicit the exact opposite desired behaviour.
Well for a start, there’s nothing “kind” about phillip’s approach. It’s hectoring, nasty, and often personally insulting. That’s nothing new around here, but it does pretty much explode any fairytale about him as some ~beneficent teacher~ trying to ~heal the world~.
Children burned with cigarettes by Israeli soldiers in illegal settlement
Submitted by Nora Barrows-Fr… on Wed, 01/15/2014 – 19:11
Three Palestinian children were allegedly burned with lit cigarettes and denied access to food, water or toilet facilities after being arrested and detained by Israeli soldiers and police in September, a new report indicates. In separate incidents, the three children were allegedly assaulted and abused during arrest and transfer to the Ariel police station, which is located inside the illegal Ariel settlement colony in the occupied West Bank.
Defence for Children International-Palestine section (DCI-Palestine) says that Israeli soldiers “severely and repeatedly beat Ali S, 14, from Azzun, Hendi S, 17, from Salfit, and Mohammad A, 15, from Tulkarem after arresting them. One soldier extinguished a cigarette butt on Ali’s lip while another burned Hendi’s arm with a cigarette, according to the sworn testimonies of the two teenagers. Hendi and Mohammad were denied access to food, water and toilet facilities for a long period. All three of them were accused of stone throwing.”
DCI-Palestine adds that it submitted ten separate complaints in 2013 over alleged abuse and “torture of Palestinian children by Israeli soldiers and police,” but that in eight of the cases, “Israeli authorities failed to notify DCI-Palestine whether they had opened an investigation. The remaining two cases resulted in the military advocate-general’s decision to close the investigation due to insufficient evidence. Israeli authorities deem the refusal of victims to testify without the presence of a lawyer as insufficient evidence.”
The group cites statistics by Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights organization, which reports…..
And now, as a contrast to that bunch of lefty, liberal, do-gooder, self-loathing, Arabushim-loving Israeli human rights troublemakers, have a look at how a far less fastidious visitor insisted that things were “generally very relaxed” in the Occupied Territories after his regime-sponsored visit there…. http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-15092013/#comment-696521
I find it difficult to single out one country or religion for atrocities out there. Have you read what happened to children at the hands of their Muslim abductors in the Nigerian shopping mall way worse than what you just posted. How ever you never hear about it as the media don’t appear to want to upset the Muslims
I find it difficult to single out one country or religion for atrocities out there.
You find it difficult because you don’t know anything about the situation. As shown by your almost incredible choice of a racist citation—“Muslim savages”—you don’t even have the sense to present yourself as anything other than a crass ignoramus. When I first saw it, I thought your choice of moniker was a slyly humorous touch, but now I doubt you have the wit to realise how people (other than ACT party and S.S. Trust members) react to that name.
How about you start reading a few books about the history and reality of Israel’s internationally condemned occupation of the West Bank and its imprisonment of the people of Gaza?
Oh but I have how come most Muslim countries in the Middle East have corrupt governments and enjoy killing each other Shia versus Sunni. It would appear that Israel is one of the few democracies in the Middle East
Liar. Clearly you have read almost nothing on this subject, and certainly nothing scholarly or rigorous or intelligent. You are even so ignorant as to cite a fascist website to bolster your non-argument.
Again, you are so out of your depth I almost feel pity for you.
Lyn, how long will this ignorant, incendiary troll be allowed to post up his rubbish here? Intelligent and thoughtful people like Penny Bright incur bans for breaching protocol, but this fool breaches not only protocol but good taste, decency and common sense. Surely he can’t have long left here?
Morrissey just because people have a different view to you doesn’t make them an imbecile. Do you claim to be the almighty oracle on this subject. Please read some more am particularly interested in what Professor Hitti said about Palestine an Arab history professor. I guess he wouldn’t know as much as you though.
Draco, you’re attempting to engage with someone who is simply not up to it. I think we should leave him alone now and let him slope off back to that home for the terminally bewildered, Kiwiblog.
And wow! “there is no such thing as a Palestinian”. That Oxfam Xmas money that was sent to a Palestinian Donkey Welfare organisation on my behalf must have been sent to an imaginary country.
Nice to see you back in the game enoch. Bit hard to lead the up-rising, to take the chosen few to the promised land, when the dear leader, is part-Jewish, and your beliefs all the way through have always been anti-Semitic.
But enoch, just like in England, when you tried to rouse the rabble, you might have left your run a tad too late. You see, the Maori’s have not one but two parties, Pacific Islanders are well and truly established in our communities, some are even “icons”, and as for Asians, matey, well, they run so many of our businesses and contribute so much to our society. On a personal note, a night out isn’t the same if it isn’t flavoured with a curry or a goreng.
It might be time enoch to pack ya bags and follow dear ole Jaunty Key, and keel-ho back to Blighty, and hanker down, and wait till the day Mr. Key arrives, resplendent with his titular title, a knighthood, for services rendered, in selling-off as much as he can, of NZ Inc. A despicable man, much like you, enoch powell.
Pretty harrowing…….like you, I would have thought it to be further up Morrissey’s outrage scale than a bullshit unsubstantiated “report” about some spurious Israeli soldier being careless with a cigarette…..
@enoch
that was a brilliant speech you gave way back when as Maggie came to power. We showed ’em eh!
Good to see Tarn Yabbit, his johnny cum lately sucker upper Mr Key (fresh from an Obama foto-op) really are beginning to show those pathetic suckers whose boss!. None of ya bloody ‘illegals, queue jumpers, bloody Kiwis bludging of the Australian people/ Nanny State shit eh?.
Hey btw … that fuckn roo meat … whoooooooar!
And you know what – apparently roos don’t fart aye – global warming solved!
Tim
Most people in the UK would say Enoch was absolutely right .The UK the failed experiment of multiculturalism. A failure that has now also been recognised in Holland, Sweden, Germany, France. Because many of the people that immigrate want to transplant their oppressive religion or life style in their adoptive country. Yes Enoch was right and a true visionary. If the Labour Government of the time could turn back the clock I’m sure they would after what has happened
Yes. You’re correct, in this case. Now, if you’ll just stop joking about soldiers torturing children, we’ll be able to say that the rehabilitation of “Grumpy” has begun….
“enoch”, my poor bewildered fellow, you’re obviously floundering in the hostile environment here at the Standard, where crude racist inanity (rhymes with Sean Hannity) is not appreciated. You’re out of your element. You appear to have been left behind by your friends. You can catch up with them HERE….. http://aryanity.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/neo-nazis-saluting.jpg
Merchant urged the public and media to focus on real problems of child abuse, rather than making Maori the “face of abuse”.
“The real danger I have seen from a social worker point of view is that there are a lot of children being abused but as far as the public are concerned they only seem to know about the ones that are Maori.
“Child abuse is a problem for all people, not just for Maori.”
As a Pākeha who grew up in an abusive household, I concur.
Yes, it appears that the MSM are the cause of the massive misunderstandings across our society rather than the understanding that they should be bringing about. Another obvious misunderstanding is the one about just what the repeal of s59 actually meant.
There is a case to consider that this may be as much a class issue as a race one. My story is not a child abuse one but my partner was abusive to me. I left him and tried to work out what to do. He was Maori, but he was also a lawyer. The pressure to stay away from authorities and the law (which, incidentally, I caved in to) was because he was a middle-class professional. Ethnicity wasn’t an issue. Considering the continuing over-representation of Maori in the under classes, do you think this causes skewing of the statistics? The middle-classes, for a variety of status and economic reasons, probably, tend not to report
How very true Jan. There is planety of this in the higher income groups. And had you gone near them they would not have hesitated to ratify his behaviour and find every excuse imaginable to blame you
The thing is, while growing affluence for the rich isn’t causing low and moderate incomes to stagnate, they are to a large extent results of the same forces. There is a zero-sum tradeoff between the two, so a zero-sum mentality (primitive or otherwise) is called for.
Productive economic activity produces returns to both labour and capital. Over the last few decades, returns to labour have fallen relative to returns to capital. This has promoted sharp rises in wealth at the top and stagnating wage income for most of the public.
He’s trying very hard to say that the economy isn’t a zero-sum game while pointing out that that is exactly what it is. Still, further down he does make some good points about the policy settings that have caused an increase in inequality across the globe.
If it’s ever found I suspect the truth will be stranger than anything Franz Kafka wrote.
Data collection has a crucial role in Kafka’s novels: in The Castle, there is almost incessant talk of record-keeping and the collection of personal data is shown in all its grotesque detail. This, too, has little to do with any clairvoyant abilities on Kafka’s part and instead a great deal to do with his professional experiences: he was an official at a state-run insurance company for workers and he quicklyrealised that the emphasis on statistical assessment was something new and daunting. In his office, individual lives and catastrophes became fodder for files and actuaries. Kafka, who was sensitive to the social implications of these modern means of bureaucracy, recognised that they also altered the thinking of people affected. Anyone who deals with this kind of agency has no choice but to adapt to its routines. Kafka was surprised that the system’s worst victims did not force their way into his office but instead filled out the forms submissively, then awaited their notification.
Morrissey
I am really interested in these comments
Let us hear what other Arabs have said:
“There is no such country as Palestine. ‘Palestine’ is a term the Zionists invented. There is no Palestine in the Bible. Our country was for centuries part of Syria. ‘Palestine’ is alien to us. It is the Zionists who introduced it”.
– Auni Bey Abdul-Hadi, Syrian Arab leader to British Peel Commission, 1937 –
There is no such thing as Palestine in history, absolutely not”.
– Professor Philip Hitti, Arab historian, 1946 –
“It is common knowledge that Palestine is nothing but Southern Syria”.
– Representant of Saudi Arabia at the United Nations, 1956 –
As I lived in Palestine, everyone I knew could trace their heritage back to the original country their great grandparents came from. Everyone knew their origin was not from the Canaanites, but ironically, this is the kind of stuff our education in the Middle East included. The fact is that today’s Palestinians are immigrants from the surrounding nations! I grew up well knowing the history and origins of today’s Palestinians as being from Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Christians from Greece, muslim Sherkas from Russia, muslims from Bosnia, and the Jordanians next door. My grandfather, who was a dignitary in Bethlehem, almost lost his life by Abdul Qader Al-Husseni (the leader of the Palestinian revolution) after being accused of selling land to Jews. He used to tell us that his village Beit Sahur (The Shepherds Fields) in Bethlehem County was empty before his father settled in the area with six other families. The town has now grown to 30,000 inhabitants”.
Citing a liar and a fraud confirms just how fucking stupid you are.
“Being an ex-terrorist myself is to understand the mindset of a terrorist,” Shoebat told CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360.”
But CNN reporters in the United States, Israel and the Palestinianterritories found no evidence that would support that biography. Neither Shoebat nor his business partner provided any proof of Shoebat’s involvement in terrorism, despite repeated requests.
Back in his hometown of Beit Sahour, outside Bethlehem, relatives say they can’t understand how Shoebat could turn so roundly on his family and his faith.
“I have never heard anything about Walid being a mujahedeen or a terrorist,” said Daood Shoebat, who says he is Walid Shoebat’s fourth cousin. “He claims this for his own personal reasons.”
CNN’s Jerusalem bureau went to great lengths trying to verify Shoebat’s story. The Tel Aviv headquarters of Bank Leumi had no record of a firebombing at its now-demolished Bethlehem branch. Israeli police had no record of the bombing, and the prison where Shoebat says he was held “for a few weeks” for inciting anti-Israel demonstrations says it has no record of him being incarcerated there either.
With the execution of global reciprocal tariffs, US President Donald Trump has issued his ‘declaration of economic independence for America’. The immediate direct effect on the Australian economy will likely be small, with more risk ...
The StrategistBy Jacqueline Gibson, Nerida King and Ned Talbot
AUKUS governments began 25 years ago trying to draw in a greater range of possible defence suppliers beyond the traditional big contractors. It is an important objective, and some progress has been made, but governments ...
I approach fresh Trump news reluctantly. It never holds the remotest promise of pleasure. I had the very, very least of expectations for his Rumble in the Jungle, his Thriller in Manila, his Liberation Day.God May 1945 is becoming the bitterest of jokes isn’t it?Whatever. Liberation Day he declared it ...
Beyond trade and tariff turmoil, Donald Trump pushes at the three core elements of Australia’s international policy: the US alliance, the region and multilateralism. What Kevin Rudd called the ‘three fundamental pillars’ are the heart ...
So, having broken its promise to the nation, and dumped 85% of submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill in the trash, National's stooges on the Justice Committee have decided to end their "consideration" of the bill, and report back a full month early: Labour says the Justice Select Committee ...
The 2024 Independent Intelligence Review offers a mature and sophisticated understanding of workforce challenges facing Australia’s National Intelligence Community (NIC). It provides a thoughtful roadmap for modernising that workforce and enhancing cross-agency and cross-sector collaboration. ...
OPINION AND ANALYSIS:Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier’s comments singling out Health NZ for “acting contrary to the law” couldn’t be clearer. If you find my work of value, do consider subscribing and/or supporting me. Thank you.Health NZ has been acting a law unto itself. That includes putting its management under extraordinary ...
Southeast Asia’s three most populous countries are tightening their security relationships, evidently in response to China’s aggression in the South China Sea. This is most obvious in increased cooperation between the coast guards of the ...
In the late 1970s Australian sport underwent institutional innovation propelling it to new heights. Today, Australia must urgently adapt to a contested and confronting strategic environment. Contributing to this, a new ASPI research project will ...
In short this morning in our political economy:The Nelson Hospital waiting list crisis just gets worse, including compelling interviews with an over-worked surgeon who is leaving, and a patient who discovered after 19 months of waiting for a referral that her bowel and ovaries were fused together with scar tissue ...
Plainly, the claims being tossed around in the media last year that the new terminal envisaged by Auckland International Airport was a gold-plated “Taj Mahal” extravagance were false. With one notable exception, the Commerce Commission’s comprehensive investigation has ended up endorsing every other aspect of the airport’s building programme (and ...
Movements clustered around the Right, and Far Right as well, are rising globally. Despite the recent defeats we’ve seen in the last day or so with the win of a Democrat-backed challenger, Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, over her Republican counterpart, Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel, in the battle for ...
In February 2025, John Cook gave two webinars for republicEN explaining the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change. 20 February 2025: republicEN webinar part 1 - BUST or TRUST? The scientific consensus on climate change In the first webinar, Cook explained the history of the 20-year scientific consensus on climate change. How do ...
After three decades of record-breaking growth, at about the same time as Xi Jinping rose to power in 2012, China’s economy started the long decline to its current state of stagnation. The Chinese Communist Party ...
The Pike River Coal mine was a ticking time bomb.Ventilation systems designed to prevent methane buildup were incomplete or neglected.Gas detectors that might warn of danger were absent or broken.Rock bolting was skipped, old tunnels left unsealed, communication systems failed during emergencies.Employees and engineers kept warning management about the … ...
Regional hegemons come in different shapes and sizes. Australia needs to think about what kind of hegemon China would be, and become, should it succeed in displacing the United States in Asia. It’s time to ...
RNZ has a story this morning about the expansion of solar farms in Aotearoa, driven by today's ground-breaking ceremony at the Tauhei solar farm in Te Aroha: From starting out as a tiny player in the electricity system, solar power generated more electricity than coal and gas combined for ...
After the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, and almost a year before the Soviet Union collapsed in late 1991, US President George H W Bush proclaimed a ‘new world order’. Now, just two months ...
Warning: Some images may be distressing. Thank you for those who support my work. It means a lot.A shopfront in Australia shows Liberal leader Peter Dutton and mining magnate Gina Rinehart depicted with Nazi imageryUS Government Seeks Death Penalty for Luigi MangioneMangione was publicly walked in front of media in ...
Aged care workers rallying against potential roster changes say Bupa, which runs retirement homes across the country, needs to focus on care instead of money. More than half of New Zealand workers wish they had chosen a different career according to a new survey. Consumers are likely to see a ...
The scurrilous attacks on Benjamin Doyle, a list Green MP, over his supposed inappropriate behaviour towards children has dominated headlines and social media this past week, led by frothing Rightwing agitators clutching their pearls and fanning the flames of moral panic over pedophiles and and perverts. Winston Peter decided that ...
Twilight Time Lighthouse Cuba, Wigan Street, Wellington, Sunday 6 April, 5:30pm for 6pm start. Twilight Time looks at the life and work of Desmond Ball, (1947-2016), a barefooted academic from ‘down under’ who was hailed by Jimmy Carter as “the man who saved the world”, as he proved the fallacy ...
The landedAnd the wealthyAnd the piousAnd the healthyAnd the straight onesAnd the pale onesAnd we only mean the male ones!If you're all of the above, then you're ok!As we build a new tomorrow here today!Lyrics Glenn Slater and Allan Menken.Ah, Democracy - can you smell it?It's presently a sulphurous odour, ...
US President Donald Trump’s unconventional methods of conducting international relations will compel the next federal government to reassess whether the United States’ presence in the region and its security assurances provide a reliable basis for ...
Things seem to be at a pretty low ebb in and around the Reserve Bank. There was, in particular, the mysterious, sudden, and as-yet unexplained resignation of the Governor (we’ve had four Governors since the Bank was given its operational autonomy 35 years ago, and only two have completed their ...
Long story short:PMChristopher Luxon said in January his Government was ‘going for growth’ and he wanted New Zealanders to develop a ‘culture of yes.’ Yet his own Government is constantly saying no, or not yet, to anchor investments that would unleash real private business investment and GDP growth. ...
Long story short:PMChristopher Luxon said in January his Government was ‘going for growth’ and he wanted New Zealanders to develop a ‘culture of yes.’ Yet his own Government is constantly saying no, or not yet, to anchor investments that would unleash real private business investment and GDP growth. ...
For decades, Britain and Australia had much the same process for regulating media handling of defence secrets. It was the D-notice system, under which media would be asked not to publish. The two countries diverged ...
For decades, Britain and Australia had much the same process for regulating media handling of defence secrets. It was the D-notice system, under which media would be asked not to publish. The two countries diverged ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission.In this article, I make a not-entirely-serious case for ripping out Spaghetti Junction in Auckland, replacing it with a motorway tunnel, and redeveloping new city streets and neighbourhoods above it instead. What’s ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission.In this article, I make a not-entirely-serious case for ripping out Spaghetti Junction in Auckland, replacing it with a motorway tunnel, and redeveloping new city streets and neighbourhoods above it instead. What’s ...
In short this morning in our political economy:The Nelson Hospital crisis revealed by 1News’Jessica Roden dominates the political agenda today. Yet again, population growth wasn’t planned for, or funded.Kāinga Ora is planning up to 900 house sales, including new ones, Jonathan Milne reports for Newsroom.One of New Zealand’s biggest ...
In short this morning in our political economy:The Nelson Hospital crisis revealed by 1News’Jessica Roden dominates the political agenda today. Yet again, population growth wasn’t planned for, or funded.Kāinga Ora is planning up to 900 house sales, including new ones, Jonathan Milne reports for Newsroom.One of New Zealand’s biggest ...
The war between Russia and Ukraine continues unabated. Neither side is in a position to achieve its stated objectives through military force. But now there is significant diplomatic activity as well. Ukraine has agreed to ...
One of the first aims of the United States’ new Department of Government Efficiency was shutting down USAID. By 6 February, the agency was functionally dissolved, its seal missing from its Washington headquarters. Amid the ...
If our strategic position was already challenging, it just got worse. Reliability of the US as an ally is in question, amid such actions by the Trump administration as calling for annexation of Canada, threating ...
Small businesses will be exempt from complying with some of the requirements of health and safety legislation under new reforms proposed by the Government. The living wage will be increased to $28.95 per hour from September, a $1.15 increase from the current $27.80. A poll has shown large opposition to ...
Summary A group of senior doctors in Nelson have spoken up, specifically stating that hospitals have never been as bad as in the last year.Patients are waiting up to 50 hours and 1 death is directly attributable to the situation: "I've never seen that number of patients waiting to be ...
Although semiconductor chips are ubiquitous nowadays, their production is concentrated in just a few countries, and this has left the US economy and military highly vulnerable at a time of rising geopolitical tensions. While the ...
Health and Safety changes driven by ACT party ideology, not evidence said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff. Changes to health and safety legislation proposed by the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden today comply with ACT party ideology, ignores the evidence, and will compound New ...
In short in our political economy this morning:Fletcher Building is closing its pre-fabricated house-building factory in Auckland due to a lack of demand, particularly from the Government.Health NZ is sending a crisis management team to Nelson Hospital after a 1News investigation exposed doctors’ fears that nearly 500 patients are overdue ...
Exactly 10 years ago, the then minister for defence, Kevin Andrews, released the First Principles Review: Creating One Defence (FPR). With increasing talk about the rising possibility of major power-conflict, calls for Defence funding to ...
In events eerily similar to what happened in the USA last week, Greater Auckland was recently accidentally added to a group chat between government ministers on the topic of transport.We have no idea how it happened, but luckily we managed to transcribe most of what transpired. We share it ...
Hi,When I look back at my history with Dylan Reeve, it’s pretty unusual. We first met in the pool at Kim Dotcom’s mansion, as helicopters buzzed overhead and secret service agents flung themselves off the side of his house, abseiling to the ground with guns drawn.Kim Dotcom was a German ...
Come around for teaDance me round and round the kitchenBy the light of my T.VOn the night of the electionAncient stars will fall into the seaAnd the ocean floor sings her sympathySongwriter: Bic Runga.The Prime Minister stared into the camera, hot and flustered despite the predawn chill. He looked sadly ...
Has Winston Peters got a ferries deal for you! (Buyer caution advised.) Unfortunately, the vision that Peters has been busily peddling for the past 24 hours – of several shipyards bidding down the price of us getting smaller, narrower, rail-enabled ferries – looks more like a science fiction fantasy. One ...
Completed reads for March: The Heart of the Antarctic [1907-1909], by Ernest Shackleton South [1914-1917], by Ernest Shackleton Aurora Australis (collection), edited by Ernest Shackleton The Book of Urizen (poem), by William Blake The Book of Ahania (poem), by William Blake The Book of Los (poem), by William Blake ...
First - A ReminderBenjamin Doyle Doesn’t Deserve ThisI’ve been following posts regarding Green MP Benjamin Doyle over the last few days, but didn’t want to amplify the abject nonsense.This morning, Winston Peters, New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister, answered the alt-right’s prayers - guaranteeing amplification of the topic, by going on ...
US President Donald Trump has shown a callous disregard for the checks and balances that have long protected American democracy. As the self-described ‘king’ makes a momentous power grab, much of the world watches anxiously, ...
They can be the very same words. And yet their meaning can vary very much.You can say I'll kill him about your colleague who accidentally deleted your presentation the day before a big meeting.You can say I'll kill him to — or, for that matter, about — Tony Soprano.They’re the ...
Back in 2020, the then-Labour government signed contracted for the construction and purchase of two new rail-enabled Cook Strait ferries, to be operational from 2026. But when National took power in 2023, they cancelled them in a desperate effort to make the books look good for a year. And now ...
The fragmentation of cyber regulation in the Indo-Pacific is not just inconvenient; it is a strategic vulnerability. In recent years, governments across the Indo-Pacific, including Australia, have moved to reform their regulatory frameworks for cyber ...
Welcome to the March 2025 Economic Bulletin. The feature article examines what public private partnerships (PPPs) are. PPPs have been a hot topic recently, with the coalition government signalling it wants to use them to deliver infrastructure. However, experience with PPPs, both here and overseas, indicates we should be wary. ...
Willis announces more plans of plans for supermarketsYesterday’s much touted supermarket competition announcement by Nicola Willis amounted to her telling us she was issuing a 6 week RFI1 that will solicit advice from supermarket players.In short, it was an announcement of a plan - but better than her Kiwirail Interislander ...
This was the post I was planning to write this morning to mark Orr’s final day. That said, if the underlying events – deliberate attempts to mislead Parliament – were Orr’s doing, the post is more about the apparent uselessness of Parliament (specifically the Finance and Expenditure Committee) in holding ...
Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC’s plan to build a plant in the United States looks like a move made at the behest of local officials to solidify US support for Taiwan. However, it may eventually lessen ...
This is a Guest Post by Transport Planner Bevan Woodward from the charitable trust Movement, which has lodged an application for a judicial review of the Governments Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2024 Auckland is at grave risk of having its safer speed limits on approx. 1,500 local streets ...
We're just talkin' 'bout the futureForget about the pastIt'll always be with usIt's never gonna die, never gonna dieSongwriters: Brian Johnson / Angus Young / Malcolm YoungMorena, all you lovely people, it’s good to be back, and I have news from the heartland. Now brace yourself for this: depending on ...
Today is the last day in office for the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Adrian Orr. Of course, he hasn’t been in the office since 5 March when, on the eve of his major international conference, his resignation was announced and he stormed off with no (effective) notice and no ...
Treasury and Cabinet have finally agreed to a Crown guarantee for a non-Government lending agency for Community Housing Providers (CHPs), which could unlock billions worth of loans and investments by pension funds and banks to build thousands of more affordable social homes. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories shortest:Chris Bishop ...
Australia has plenty of room to spend more on defence. History shows that 2.9 percent of GDP is no great burden in ordinary times, so pushing spending to 3.0 percent in dangerous times is very ...
In short this morning in our political economy:Winston Peters will announce later today whether two new ferries are rail ‘compatible’, requiring time-consuming container shuffling, or the more efficient and expensive rail ‘enabled,’ where wagons can roll straight on and off.Nicola Willisthreatened yesterday to break up the supermarket duopoly with ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 23, 2025 thru Sat, March 29, 2025. This week's roundup is again published by category and sorted by number of articles included in each. The formatting is a ...
For prospective writers out there, Inspired Quill, the publisher of my novel(s) is putting together a short story anthology (pieces up to 10,000 words). The open submission window is 29th March to 29th April. https://www.inspired-quill.com/anthology-submissions/ The theme?This anthology will bring together diverse voices exploring themes of hope, resistance, and human ...
Prime minister Kevin Rudd released the 2009 defence white paper in May of that year. It is today remembered mostly for what it said about the strategic implications of China’s rise; its plan to double ...
In short this morning in our political economy:Voters want the Government to retain the living wage for cleaners, a poll shows.The Government’s move to provide a Crown guarantee to banks and the private sector for social housing is described a watershed moment and welcomed by Community Housing Providers.Nicola Willis is ...
The recent attacks in the Congo by Rwandan backed militias has led to worldwide condemnation of the Rwandan regime of Paul Kagame. Following up on the recent Fabian Zoom with Mikela Wrong and Maria Amoudian, Dr Rudaswinga will give a complete picture of Kagame’s regime and discuss the potential ...
New Zealand’s economic development has always been a partnership between the public and private sectors.Public-Private-Partnerships (PPPs) have become fashionable again, partly because of the government’s ambitions to accelerate infrastructural development. There is, of course, an ideological element too, while some of the opposition to them is also ideological.PPPs come in ...
How Australia funds development and defence was front of mind before Tuesday’s federal budget. US President Donald Trump’s demands for a dramatic lift in allied military spending and brutal cuts to US foreign assistance meant ...
Questions 1. Where and what is this protest?a. Hamilton, angry crowd yelling What kind of food do you call this Seymour?b.Dunedin, angry crowd yelling Still waiting, Simeon, still waitingc. Wellington, angry crowd yelling You’re trashing everything you idiotsd. Istanbul, angry crowd yelling Give us our democracy back, give it ...
Two blueprints that could redefine the Northern Territory’s economic future were launched last week. The first was a government-led economic strategy and the other an industry-driven economic roadmap. Both highlight that supporting the Northern Territory ...
Abortion care at Whakatāne Hospital has been quietly shelved, with patients told they will likely have to travel more than an hour to Tauranga to get the treatment they need. ...
Thousands of New Zealanders’ submissions are missing from the official parliamentary record because the National-dominated Justice Select Committee has rushed work on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...
Today’s announcement of 10 percent tariffs for New Zealand goods entering the United States is disappointing for exporters and consumers alike, with the long-lasting impact on prices and inflation still unknown. ...
The National Government’s choices have contributed to a slow-down in the building sector, as thousands of people have lost their jobs in construction. ...
Willie Apiata’s decision to hand over his Victoria Cross to the Minister for Veterans is a powerful and selfless act, made on behalf of all those who have served our country. ...
The Privileges Committee has denied fundamental rights to Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, breaching their own standing orders, breaching principles of natural justice, and highlighting systemic prejudice and discrimination within our parliamentary processes. The three MPs were summoned to the privileges committee following their performance of a haka ...
April 1 used to be a day when workers could count on a pay rise with stronger support for those doing it tough, but that’s not the case under this Government. ...
Winston Peters is shopping for smaller ferries after Nicola Willis torpedoed the original deal, which would have delivered new rail enabled ferries next year. ...
The Government should work with other countries to press the Myanmar military regime to stop its bombing campaign especially while the country recovers from the devastating earthquake. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to scrap proposed changes to Early Childhood Care, after attending a petition calling for the Government to ‘Put tamariki at the heart of decisions about ECE’. ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill today that will remove the power of MPs conscience votes and ensure mandatory national referendums are held before any conscience issues are passed into law. “We are giving democracy and power back to the people”, says New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters. ...
Welcome to members of the diplomatic corp, fellow members of parliament, the fourth estate, foreign affairs experts, trade tragics, ladies and gentlemen. ...
In recent weeks, disturbing instances of state-sanctioned violence against Māori have shed light on the systemic racism permeating our institutions. An 11-year-old autistic Māori child was forcibly medicated at the Henry Bennett Centre, a 15-year-old had his jaw broken by police in Napier, kaumātua Dean Wickliffe went on a hunger ...
Confidence in the job market has continued to drop to its lowest level in five years as more New Zealanders feel uncertain about finding work, keeping their jobs, and getting decent pay, according to the latest Westpac-McDermott Miller Employment Confidence Index. ...
The Greens are calling on the Government to follow through on their vague promises of environmental protection in their Resource Management Act (RMA) reform. ...
“Make New Zealand First Again” Ladies and gentlemen, First of all, thank you for being here today. We know your lives are busy and you are working harder and longer than you ever have, and there are many calls on your time, so thank you for the chance to speak ...
Hundreds more Palestinians have died in recent days as Israel’s assault on Gaza continues and humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, is blocked. ...
National is looking to cut hundreds of jobs at New Zealand’s Defence Force, while at the same time it talks up plans to increase focus and spending in Defence. ...
It’s been revealed that the Government is secretly trying to bring back a ‘one-size fits all’ standardised test – a decision that has shocked school principals. ...
The Green Party is calling for the compassionate release of Dean Wickliffe, a 77-year-old kaumātua on hunger strike at the Spring Hill Corrections Facility, after visiting him at the prison. ...
The Green Party is calling on Government MPs to support Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence and illegal actions in Palestine, following another day of appalling violence against civilians in Gaza. ...
The Green Party stands in support of volunteer firefighters petitioning the Government to step up and change legislation to provide volunteers the same ACC coverage and benefits as their paid counterparts. ...
At 2.30am local time, Israel launched a treacherous attack on Gaza killing more than 300 defenceless civilians while they slept. Many of them were children. This followed a more than 2 week-long blockade by Israel on the entry of all goods and aid into Gaza. Israel deliberately targeted densely populated ...
Living Strong, Aging Well There is much discussion around the health of our older New Zealanders and how we can age well. In reality, the delivery of health services accounts for only a relatively small percentage of health outcomes as we age. Significantly, dry warm housing, nutrition, exercise, social connection, ...
Shane Jones’ display on Q&A showed how out of touch he and this Government are with our communities and how in sync they are with companies with little concern for people and planet. ...
The Government’s new planning legislation to replace the Resource Management Act will make it easier to get things done while protecting the environment, say Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop and Under-Secretary Simon Court. “The RMA is broken and everyone knows it. It makes it too hard to build ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay has today launched a public consultation on New Zealand and India’s negotiations of a formal comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. “Negotiations are getting underway, and the Public’s views will better inform us in the early parts of this important negotiation,” Mr McClay says. We are ...
More than 900 thousand superannuitants and almost five thousand veterans are among the New Zealanders set to receive a significant financial boost from next week, an uplift Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says will help support them through cost-of-living challenges. “I am pleased to confirm that from 1 ...
Progressing a holistic strategy to unlock the potential of New Zealand’s geothermal resources, possibly in applications beyond energy generation, is at the centre of discussions with mana whenua at a hui in Rotorua today, Resources and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is in the early stages ...
New annual data has exposed the staggering cost of delays previously hidden in the building consent system, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “I directed Building Consent Authorities to begin providing quarterly data last year to improve transparency, following repeated complaints from tradespeople waiting far longer than the statutory ...
Increases in water charges for Auckland consumers this year will be halved under the Watercare Charter which has now been passed into law, Local Government Minister Simon Watts and Auckland Minister Simeon Brown say. The charter is part of the financial arrangement for Watercare developed last year by Auckland Council ...
There is wide public support for the Government’s work to strengthen New Zealand’s biosecurity protections, says Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard. “The Ministry for Primary Industries recently completed public consultation on proposed amendments to the Biosecurity Act and the submissions show that people understand the importance of having a strong biosecurity ...
A new independent review function will enable individuals and organisations to seek an expert independent review of specified civil aviation regulatory decisions made by, or on behalf of, the Director of Civil Aviation, Acting Transport Minister James Meager has announced today. “Today we are making it easier and more affordable ...
The Government will invest in an enhanced overnight urgent care service for the Napier community as part of our focus on ensuring access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown has today confirmed. “I am delighted that a solution has been found to ensure Napier residents will continue to ...
Health Minister Simeon Brown and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey attended a sod turning today to officially mark the start of construction on a new mental health facility at Hillmorton Campus. “This represents a significant step in modernising mental health services in Canterbury,” Mr Brown says. “Improving health infrastructure is ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has welcomed confirmation the economy has turned the corner. Stats NZ reported today that gross domestic product grew 0.7 per cent in the three months to December following falls in the June and September quarters. “We know many families and businesses are still suffering the after-effects ...
The sealing of a 12-kilometre stretch of State Highway 43 (SH43) through the Tangarakau Gorge – one of the last remaining sections of unsealed state highway in the country – has been completed this week as part of a wider programme of work aimed at improving the safety and resilience ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters says relations between New Zealand and the United States are on a strong footing, as he concludes a week-long visit to New York and Washington DC today. “We came to the United States to ask the new Administration what it wants from ...
Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has welcomed changes to international anti-money laundering standards which closely align with the Government’s reforms. “The Financial Action Taskforce (FATF) last month adopted revised standards for tackling money laundering and the financing of terrorism to allow for simplified regulatory measures for businesses, organisations and sectors ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour says he welcomes Medsafe’s decision to approve an electronic controlled drug register for use in New Zealand pharmacies, allowing pharmacies to replace their physical paper-based register. “The register, developed by Kiwi brand Toniq Limited, is the first of its kind to be approved in New ...
The Coalition Government’s drive for regional economic growth through the $1.2 billion Regional Infrastructure Fund is on track with more than $550 million in funding so far committed to key infrastructure projects, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. “To date, the Regional Infrastructure Fund (RIF) has received more than 250 ...
[Comments following the bilateral meeting with United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio; United States State Department, Washington D.C.] * We’re very pleased with our meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio this afternoon. * We came here to listen to the new Administration and to be clear about what ...
The intersection of State Highway 2 (SH2) and Wainui Road in the Eastern Bay of Plenty will be made safer and more efficient for vehicles and freight with the construction of a new and long-awaited roundabout, says Transport Minister Chris Bishop. “The current intersection of SH2 and Wainui Road is ...
The Ocean Race will return to the City of Sails in 2027 following the Government’s decision to invest up to $4 million from the Major Events Fund into the international event, Auckland Minister Simeon Brown says. “New Zealand is a proud sailing nation, and Auckland is well-known internationally as the ...
Improving access to mental health and addiction support took a significant step forward today with Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey announcing that the University of Canterbury have been the first to be selected to develop the Government’s new associate psychologist training programme. “I am thrilled that the University of Canterbury ...
Health Minister Simeon Brown has today officially opened the new East Building expansion at Manukau Health Park. “This is a significant milestone and the first stage of the Grow Manukau programme, which will double the footprint of the Manukau Health Park to around 30,000m2 once complete,” Mr Brown says. “Home ...
The Government will boost anti-crime measures across central Auckland with $1.3 million of funding as a result of the Proceeds of Crime Fund, Auckland Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee say. “In recent years there has been increased antisocial and criminal behaviour in our CBD. The Government ...
The Government is moving to strengthen rules for feeding food waste to pigs to protect New Zealand from exotic animal diseases like foot and mouth disease (FMD), says Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard. ‘Feeding untreated meat waste, often known as "swill", to pigs could introduce serious animal diseases like FMD and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held productive talks in New Delhi today. Fresh off announcing that New Zealand and India would commence negotiations towards a Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, the two Prime Ministers released a joint statement detailing plans for further cooperation between the two countries across ...
Agriculture and Trade Minister Todd McClay signed a new Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) today during the Prime Minister’s Indian Trade Mission, reinforcing New Zealand’s commitment to enhancing collaboration with India in the forestry sector. “Our relationship with India is a key priority for New Zealand, and this agreement reflects our ...
Agriculture and Trade Minister Todd McClay signed a new Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) today during the Prime Minister’s Indian Trade Mission, reinforcing New Zealand’s commitment to enhancing collaboration with India in the horticulture sector. “Our relationship with India is a key priority for New Zealand, and this agreement reflects our ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new Family Court Judges. The new Judges will take up their roles in April and May and fill Family Court vacancies at the Auckland and Manukau courts. Annette Gray Ms Gray completed her law degree at Victoria University before joining Phillips ...
Health Minister Simeon Brown has today officially opened Wellington Regional Hospital’s first High Dependency Unit (HDU). “This unit will boost critical care services in the lower North Island, providing extra capacity and relieving pressure on the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and emergency department. “Wellington Regional Hospital has previously relied ...
Namaskar, Sat Sri Akal, kia ora and good afternoon everyone. What an honour it is to stand on this stage - to inaugurate this august Dialogue - with none other than the Honourable Narendra Modi. My good friend, thank you for so generously welcoming me to India and for our ...
Nearly 25 years after the "corngate" saga, the debate on genetic modification is back thanks to the Gene Technology Bill currently in select committee. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephanie Brodie, Research Scientist in Marine Ecology, CSIRO jittawit21, Shutterstock Picture this: you’re lounging on a beautiful beach, soaking up the sun and listening to the soothing sound of the waves. You run your hands through the warm sand, only to ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist Although New Zealand and Australia seem to have escaped the worst of Donald Trump’s latest tariffs, some Pacific Islands stand to be hit hard — including a few that aren’t even “countries”. The US will impose a base tariff of 10 percent on all ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton both agree Australia should react to US President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff regime by continuing to seek a special deal. They just disagree about which of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanne Orlando, Researcher, Digital Literacy and Digital Wellbeing, Western Sydney University UK Prime Minster Keir Starmer met with Adolescence writer Jack Thorne to discuss adolescent safety at Downing Street on Monday. Jack Taylor/ GettyImages Netflix’s Adolescence has ignited global debate. ...
By Anneke Smith,RNZ News political reporter A stoush between the Chief Human Rights Commissioner and a Jewish community leader has flared up following a showdown at Parliament. Appearing before a parliamentary select committee today, Dr Stephen Rainbow was asked about his recent apology for incorrect comments he made about ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rakesh Gupta, Associate Professor of Accounting & Finance, Charles Darwin University US President Donald Trump’s new trade war will not only send shockwaves through the global economy – it also upsets efforts to tackle the urgent issue of climate change. Trump has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Toohey, Professor of Law, UNSW Sydney It had the hallmarks of a reality TV cliffhanger. Until recently, many people had never even heard of tariffs. Now, there’s been rolling live international coverage of so-called “Liberation Day”, as US President Donald Trump ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Fuller, Clinical Trials Director, Department of Endocrinology, RPA Hospital, University of Sydney mavo/Shutterstock In the ever-changing wellness industry, one diet obsession has captured and held TikTok’s attention: protein. Whether it’s sharing snaps of protein-packed meals or giving tutorials to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sebastian Maslow, Associate Professor, International Relations, University of Tokyo Two months into US President Donald Trump’s second term, the liberal international order is on life support. Alliances and multilateral institutions are now seen by the United States as burdens. Europe and ...
Starving public services of resources, gutting the workforce and then proposing private market solutions has been a key strategy of this government, says Vanessa Cole, spokesperson for Public Housing Futures. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hayley Geyle, Ecologist, Charles Darwin University Sarah Maclagan/Author provided The greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) is one of Australia’s most iconic yet at-risk animals — and the last surviving bilby species. Once found across 70% of Australia, its range has contracted by ...
The government’s own Regulatory Impact Statement acknowledges that organic producers will bear the financial burden of adapting to the risks posed by GMO expansion. ...
The committee has "rammed it through with outrageous haste", with a report now expected tomorrow, but excluding thousands of submissions, Duncan Webb says. ...
The US president’s sweeping programme of global tariffs will hit every country abroad, including New Zealand, and dramatically raise prices at home. This is an excerpt from The World Bulletin, our weekly global current affairs newsletter exclusively for Spinoff Members. Sign up here.In a dramatic, flag-draped address from the White ...
Alex Casey talks to Bariz Shah and Saba Afrasyabi, the couple who launched a project to change 51 lives in honour of those lost in the Christchurch mosque attacks. When Bariz Shah and Saba Afrasyabi walked into Naeem’s house in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, they knew immediately that he needed their help. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Deane, Professor of Trade Law, Taxation and Climate Change, Queensland University of Technology US President Donald Trump has imposed a range of tariffs on all products entering the US market, with Australian exports set to face a 10% tariff, effective April ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra US President Donald Trump singled out Australia’s beef trade for special mention in his announcement that the United States would impose a 10% global tariff as well as “reciprocal tariffs” on many countries. In ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hayley Geyle, Ecologist, Charles Darwin University Sarah Maclagan/Author provided The greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) is one of Australia’s most iconic yet at-risk animals — and the last surviving bilby species. Once found across 70% of Australia, its range has contracted by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra US President Donald Trump singled out Australia’s beef trade for special mention in his announcement that the United States would impose a 10% global tariff as well as “reciprocal tariffs” on many countries. In ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Shutterstock Recent media coverage in the Nine newspapers highlights a surge in non-medical ultrasound providers offering “reassurance ultrasounds” to expectant parents. The service has resulted in serious harms, such as misdiagnosed ectopic pregnancies and ...
The three MPs whose rule-breaking haka caught the world’s attention didn’t attend their scheduled hearing yesterday. Constitutional law expert Andrew Geddis has the rundown of what happened, why, and what’s likely to come next. I see Te Pāti Māori and the privileges committee are in some sort of stand-off – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Turner, Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University The Eurasian and North American tectonic plates in Thingvellir National Park, Iceland.Nido Huebl/Shutterstock Earth is the only known planet which has plate tectonics today. The constant movement of these giant slabs of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra US President Donald Trump singled out Australia’s beef trade for special mention in his announcement that the United States would impose a 10% global tariff as well as “reciprocal tariffs” on many countries. In ...
Meta has stolen millions of books to train its AI, including books by kaituhi Māori. What does that mean for mātauranga and its status as taonga? New Zealand authors are among the millions whose books have been pirated and scraped by Meta to train its AI. The New Zealand Society of ...
Some hoped the open of the New Zealand markets would open with a bounce as certain tariffs fell short of the worst-case scenario, but investors were met with a deflated thud.The New Zealand market fell immediately as stock market darling Fisher & Paykel Healthcare’s shares were punished, with no update ...
Healthcare dominated the debate in an unusually sober and serious question time. “Hey David!” a group of high school students in the public gallery called out as Act leader David Seymour entered the debating chamber. Standing in the middle of the floor, before any other MPs had arrived, he happily ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Heaslip, Senior Lecturer in Naval History, University of Portsmouth How the Shuqiao barges may be used to ferry troops ashore. X (formerly Twitter) China’s intentions when it comes to Taiwan have been at the centre of intense discussion for years. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kiera Vaclavik, Professor of Children’s Literature & Childhood Culture, Queen Mary University of London This spring, Babe is returning to cinemas to mark the 30th anniversary of its release in 1995. The much-loved family film tells the deceptively simple but emotionally powerful ...
I have mixed feelings about Chris Finlayson’s language memo (it’s not a “jihad”, Andrea). However, it’s a worry that these little details are of such extreme concern to Mr F when I country has some extremely pressing legal issues to worry about – was Finlayson worried about language and over use of commas when he was in on a 2011 meeting in Sydney with attorney generals from the other 5 Eyes countries?
I’m against over-use of meaningless jargon. But I have no problem with most of these words:
In particular what is wrong with “community”, if used to actually mean a community of people? Is Finlayson just opposed to processes and communities? “Outome” is actually a word that became overused with post 80s “neoliberal” managerialism – looking for short term, easily identified results of a programme, event or policy. “Preliminary indication” just sounds like stuffy old public school.
Finlayson’s obession with commas and “that” is just overly fussy. Looks very much old, Brit public school to me.
Sad little bloke really. Nothing spells “control freak” better than this.
If he has to exert this level of control over the staff, then he is clearly unable to exert any control over his main functions and responsibilites, so has diverted onto this. And by now the staff won’t be telling him anything.And, if they are smart, they will take a dripping coffee cup into the meeting and abandon it on his desk right in front of him half full complete with stain ring. That should distract him.
“Sad little bloke really. Nothing spells “control freak” better than this”
+100
I’m fairly sure I’ve heard him use the occasional “going forward” too.
We should challenge the meaningless BS-speak at every opportunity, maybe even correct the “bought/brought” errors – but what Finlayson wants is papers that spout complete bullshit in a very concise, precise language.
The memo was clearly not written directly by Finlayson. This is all pretty standard “style guide” stuff for professional organisations. I frankly think some of them could use this as an example so we don’t end up with this kind of crap:
http://dimpost.wordpress.com/2010/04/10/whanau-ora-taskforce-report-or-avatar-screenplay/
http://dimpost.wordpress.com/2012/11/01/education-minister-translated/
http://dimpost.wordpress.com/2012/11/14/education-minister-translated-redux/
“…(it’s not a “jihad”, Andrea)…”
Karol, I think Andrea was using the word jihad because of Finlayson’s use of the term:
“”It’s like what happened in Rome when classical Roman broke down into vulgar Latin. The more intensive adjective or verb was always used over the classical one. And I have this objection to that happening to the English language. It’s just my little jihad.” (from the Stuff article you linked to)
Agree with you though. It’s not a Jihad, and further, (look at my comma’s hunting in pairs!) Finlayson has commited the very thing he claims to dislike – the use of hyperbole.
It is classic QC behaviour
Dear Chris, language is not a static condition
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/q71/1044219_849667811729340_459560073_n.jpg
Stephen Fry’s short speech about proper language on Youtube is worth a few minutes if you haven’t seen it before.
My first thoughts when I read this story was, is this guy one of those anal retentive type folks, who can’t see the woods for the trees?
They say that power corrupts, I guess Chris has entered the terminal stage of his career.
It’s referred to as a ‘jihad’ because that’s exactly what Finlayson is quoted as calling it in the article – right after he complains about hyberbolic language
Nero fiddles while Rome burns!
Indeed, i have a suggestion as to what it is Nero fiddles with as well, but, in the interests of my ability to continue to comment will leave that to the imagination…
… and I wouldn’t mind mentioning the term some of his acquaintances use to describe him (behind his back of course) but can’t do so for the same reason.
Falsified: US assertion that chem weapons rockets were fired from Syrian govt territory
Just plain bloody dodgy.
http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2014-01-16/weapons-inspectors-syrian-chemical-weapons-fired-rebel-held-territory
News this a.m. in the dompost. John Hayes to stand down in the Wairarapa Electorate. It was a sinecure for him anyway as he was bloody useless. You know. Tunnel under the r
Rimutakas and an international airport and a nuclear reactor.
The good news is the New Zealand Labour Party have a young local candidate with juice ready to go so make sure the turnout goes his way.
That cannot be correct surely. They must have an old ‘has been’ for the seat
Hi Phillip,
Things got a bit hot yesterday on Open Mike. I don’t see that as a bad thing though. I didn’t have time to make a thoughtful contribution and the talk was so intense that reply buttons ran out anyway.
If you’ll allow me, I would like to comment on the discussion, because I think it’s important to consider The Unity of The Left, here in our little corner of the world right at the moment. Q.O.T did a great post on New Years’ day about this, so no need to repeat the message.
I enjoy your political discussions. Personally I don’t get offended by your judgements against non vegans. I reckon, we don’t have to share a kitchen so I couldn’t really care about any thoughts you may have about my personal lifestyle choices, which incidentally, are now pescetarian, after 30 thirty years of being vegetarian.
What I do notice though is by your condemnation of non vegans you may alienate your comrades on the Left, and discourage conversation. I wonder how many people comment here who are carnivores, and perhaps do great work in the community may feel a bit attacked or made to feel guilty about their personal decisions. I think there are commenters and authors who are doing beneficial work to the Left, that’s the feeling I get from some of the talk. Is it really fair that they are made to feel stink for being carnivores?
I’d also add that “lifestyle choices” (I can’t think of a less daft term right now) aren’t everybody’s priority if they are struggling to get by and just coping with trying to find money to get to a Dr or get 3 meals per day. Some folks eat what they can with what little they have. To be told to eat a certain way when you have so little choice to begin with may sound patronising and very middle class to some.As if there is the luxury of choice!
I am purposefully putting aside all arguments for and against the vegan lifestyle. I just wanted to get across that you may be alienating some folks in the way you promote the vegan lifestyle, at the expense of creating unity. A little tolerance goes a long way. I’m not telling you to cease, in fact I think the more diverse the interests of commenters the better. I’m just saying if you do want to educate folks maybe a less confrontational approach might be more readily absorbed by your audience.
Kia Ora.
thanks fr yr considered comments..rosie..
..i try not to ‘condemn’ non-vegans..
..i am just trying to let people know that they can feel much better/not hurt animals..etc..etc..
..and..you mention ‘offending’ people by pointing these facts out..
..i’m sorry..but i have weighed up the ‘offending’ of other people who are pretty much on the same path as me in other ways..
..against the suffering of/cruelties done to animals..
..and the latter wins out..
..you also mentioned the ‘costs’ of my lifestyle/diet-choices..
..and i hafta say..that occaisonally i catch the price of meat etc..and it blows my mind..it is so expensive..
..and a healthy vegan lifestyle costs far less financially that being a carnivore..
..that ‘expensive’-tag is a misnomer..
..i do/have this uber-healthy porridge recipie..(that i have just further refined..and which my university-aged son is (again) very enthused about..)
..that fills the belly until mid-afternoon..
(as just one example of cheap vegan..i should do a ‘cheap ‘n easy-vegan’ cookbook..eh..?..)
..i hope that helps clarify..
..and again..thank you for yr considered words/thoughts..
..phillip ure..
Hi phil. I don’t disagree that folks should be aware of the ethics of animal consumption – and I have spent the last 30 years explaining these things to people who asked me why I didn’t eat meat, so in some ways we may share similar views.
I am really really really trying not to go down the road of pro’s and cons of a vegan lifestyle. I will however give support to you for your special porridge. Thats great. (I once saw on a doco, an 80+ Scotsman who had the clan system survived, would have been a chieftain, but was still loosely regarded as one anyway, who was I’m sorry to say, given the topic, still doing cattle droving. He put his longevity, vigour for life and energy for droving down to a sturdy bowl of porridge in the morning and of course a wee dram of an evening). So yes, oats are awesome. And yes to the cheap’ n easy vegan cookbook. Cheap n easy anything is always a winner.
My only concern is the delivery of your message. Remember you are dealing with an audience who largely seem to be aware of the nature of industrial farming, going by the articles and comments and who are thoughtful about many issues. I would be surprised if there were many on this site (perhaps excluding the RWNJ’s) who mindlessly shove food in their gob without at some point in their lives considering the origin and processing of it. After that, the way I see it, is that it’s really up to them what they choose to eat. Eh?
Well come on share it!
ok ron..busy 2 nite..
..will put in up on general debate 2morrow morn..
(i am seriously chuffed with this new method..
..i developed it because ‘the boy’ said he was going off the earlier iteration..
..and i was facing (to me) this uncomfortable situation of him going thru his life saying:..’
..”..nah..!..my old man burnt me out on porridge’..
..so i sat down and did a serious critique of how i was doing it..
..the end result..
..and how i could make that experience so much better..
..and it worked..
..and ‘the boy’ is back there..with bells on/enthusiastic-nods..
..and it is so good..(and simple/easy..much easier than the earlier model..)..
..you can have it without any milk of any sort..should you choose..
..so..2morrow..
phillip ure..
I am an omnivore, except for tofu, which I refuse to eat. I am neither offended nor put off by Phillip’s opinions on veganism. He can eat what he likes, and think what he likes about my diet. He is welcome to do the same with the colour of my clothing and the length of my hair.
I rank arguing about diet along with arguing about religion. I am also an atheist, but this has almost no importance to me. I am unable to quote one single thing that Chris Hitchens ever said. Each to their own.
“I enjoy your [PU’s] political discussions.”
Ditto here, and the sense of humour, and intellect
I enjoy Phil’s humour too, and interest in music.
I enjoy Phil’s contributions also, especially as a vegan I really enjoy the passion with which he defends the rights of animals to have a cruelty free existence. If his posts convince a few to stop eating meat and dairy and they convince a few more and so on, in my opinion he is doing all he can to promote a kinder world than we have now. What could be wrong with that?
“What could be wrong with that?”
Nothing at all Belladonna. As mentioned the issue really is the delivery and the risk of alienation. Folks won’t take on board a message if they are being shouted at or judged – that approach is a barrier and may elicit the exact opposite desired behaviour.
Well for a start, there’s nothing “kind” about phillip’s approach. It’s hectoring, nasty, and often personally insulting. That’s nothing new around here, but it does pretty much explode any fairytale about him as some ~beneficent teacher~ trying to ~heal the world~.
I love eating meat because it helps kill cows. Which drops methane gas levels, and has an impact on Global warming. All for the cause of mother nature
Children burned with cigarettes by Israeli soldiers in illegal settlement
Submitted by Nora Barrows-Fr… on Wed, 01/15/2014 – 19:11
Three Palestinian children were allegedly burned with lit cigarettes and denied access to food, water or toilet facilities after being arrested and detained by Israeli soldiers and police in September, a new report indicates. In separate incidents, the three children were allegedly assaulted and abused during arrest and transfer to the Ariel police station, which is located inside the illegal Ariel settlement colony in the occupied West Bank.
Defence for Children International-Palestine section (DCI-Palestine) says that Israeli soldiers “severely and repeatedly beat Ali S, 14, from Azzun, Hendi S, 17, from Salfit, and Mohammad A, 15, from Tulkarem after arresting them. One soldier extinguished a cigarette butt on Ali’s lip while another burned Hendi’s arm with a cigarette, according to the sworn testimonies of the two teenagers. Hendi and Mohammad were denied access to food, water and toilet facilities for a long period. All three of them were accused of stone throwing.”
DCI-Palestine adds that it submitted ten separate complaints in 2013 over alleged abuse and “torture of Palestinian children by Israeli soldiers and police,” but that in eight of the cases, “Israeli authorities failed to notify DCI-Palestine whether they had opened an investigation. The remaining two cases resulted in the military advocate-general’s decision to close the investigation due to insufficient evidence. Israeli authorities deem the refusal of victims to testify without the presence of a lawyer as insufficient evidence.”
The group cites statistics by Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights organization, which reports…..
Read more…..
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/children-burned-cigarettes-israeli-soldiers-illegal-settlement
And now, as a contrast to that bunch of lefty, liberal, do-gooder, self-loathing, Arabushim-loving Israeli human rights troublemakers, have a look at how a far less fastidious visitor insisted that things were “generally very relaxed” in the Occupied Territories after his regime-sponsored visit there….
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-15092013/#comment-696521
I find it difficult to single out one country or religion for atrocities out there. Have you read what happened to children at the hands of their Muslim abductors in the Nigerian shopping mall way worse than what you just posted. How ever you never hear about it as the media don’t appear to want to upset the Muslims
http://www.barenakedislam.com/2013/09/27/did-you-hear-about-the-horrific-torture-inflicted-by-the-muslim-savages-in-the-nairobi-mall/
I find it difficult to single out one country or religion for atrocities out there.
You find it difficult because you don’t know anything about the situation. As shown by your almost incredible choice of a racist citation—“Muslim savages”—you don’t even have the sense to present yourself as anything other than a crass ignoramus. When I first saw it, I thought your choice of moniker was a slyly humorous touch, but now I doubt you have the wit to realise how people (other than ACT party and S.S. Trust members) react to that name.
How about you start reading a few books about the history and reality of Israel’s internationally condemned occupation of the West Bank and its imprisonment of the people of Gaza?
Then get back to us.
Oh but I have how come most Muslim countries in the Middle East have corrupt governments and enjoy killing each other Shia versus Sunni. It would appear that Israel is one of the few democracies in the Middle East
As I said before, it is quite obvious you know nothing. Why are you here? You have reading to do.
Off you go now.
I have read enough to know that there is no such thing as a Palestinian ,and the people that actually claim that name come from Syria so your point is
http://www.targetofopportunity.com/palestinian_truth.htm
Off you go now do some reading theres a good boy
I have read enough….
Liar. Clearly you have read almost nothing on this subject, and certainly nothing scholarly or rigorous or intelligent. You are even so ignorant as to cite a fascist website to bolster your non-argument.
Again, you are so out of your depth I almost feel pity for you.
Lyn, how long will this ignorant, incendiary troll be allowed to post up his rubbish here? Intelligent and thoughtful people like Penny Bright incur bans for breaching protocol, but this fool breaches not only protocol but good taste, decency and common sense. Surely he can’t have long left here?
Morrissey just because people have a different view to you doesn’t make them an imbecile. Do you claim to be the almighty oracle on this subject. Please read some more am particularly interested in what Professor Hitti said about Palestine an Arab history professor. I guess he wouldn’t know as much as you though.
http://www.imninalu.net/myths-pals.htm
Hey! EP here’s a song for you!
Muslamic Ray Guns
Thanks Rosie I love the religion of peace ,and the way they express it all over the world
drinking the Kool Aid is bad enough but injecting it directly into your prefrontal cortex cannot be healthy
So, according to your logic, there’s no such thing as a NZer as we all came from somewhere else.
Draco, you’re attempting to engage with someone who is simply not up to it. I think we should leave him alone now and let him slope off back to that home for the terminally bewildered, Kiwiblog.
That Israel is a democracy does not excuse them. It makes it worse.
ps your link is bullshit.
pps Wot moz said.
“Muslim” is a race? Who would of thought……..?
And wow! “there is no such thing as a Palestinian”. That Oxfam Xmas money that was sent to a Palestinian Donkey Welfare organisation on my behalf must have been sent to an imaginary country.
Correct! “Palestinian” is not a “race”, it’s a “nationality”.
Nice to see you back in the game enoch. Bit hard to lead the up-rising, to take the chosen few to the promised land, when the dear leader, is part-Jewish, and your beliefs all the way through have always been anti-Semitic.
But enoch, just like in England, when you tried to rouse the rabble, you might have left your run a tad too late. You see, the Maori’s have not one but two parties, Pacific Islanders are well and truly established in our communities, some are even “icons”, and as for Asians, matey, well, they run so many of our businesses and contribute so much to our society. On a personal note, a night out isn’t the same if it isn’t flavoured with a curry or a goreng.
It might be time enoch to pack ya bags and follow dear ole Jaunty Key, and keel-ho back to Blighty, and hanker down, and wait till the day Mr. Key arrives, resplendent with his titular title, a knighthood, for services rendered, in selling-off as much as he can, of NZ Inc. A despicable man, much like you, enoch powell.
Pretty harrowing…….like you, I would have thought it to be further up Morrissey’s outrage scale than a bullshit unsubstantiated “report” about some spurious Israeli soldier being careless with a cigarette…..
@enoch
that was a brilliant speech you gave way back when as Maggie came to power. We showed ’em eh!
Good to see Tarn Yabbit, his johnny cum lately sucker upper Mr Key (fresh from an Obama foto-op) really are beginning to show those pathetic suckers whose boss!. None of ya bloody ‘illegals, queue jumpers, bloody Kiwis bludging of the Australian people/ Nanny State shit eh?.
Hey btw … that fuckn roo meat … whoooooooar!
And you know what – apparently roos don’t fart aye – global warming solved!
Tim
Most people in the UK would say Enoch was absolutely right .The UK the failed experiment of multiculturalism. A failure that has now also been recognised in Holland, Sweden, Germany, France. Because many of the people that immigrate want to transplant their oppressive religion or life style in their adoptive country. Yes Enoch was right and a true visionary. If the Labour Government of the time could turn back the clock I’m sure they would after what has happened
Jack Straw good enough for you?
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/politics/straw-dubs-mass-immigration-labour-s-spectacular-mistake-1-6242471
Totally agree
Jack Straw good enough for you?
No, but quite obviously that war criminal is good enough for YOU.
Lookalike
Jack Straw…..
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02147/Heinrich-Himmler_2147070a.jpg
Heinrich Himmler….
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UF0sw_aqMcc/TNwkrnU9CoI/AAAAAAAAAFo/3OfOVHNctG4/s1600/jack-straw-%25247008251%2524300.jpg
The use of Straw’s statement was in response to a commenter querying Enoch’s comment that UK Labour admit they were wrong.
Seems pretty clear really….
You quoted a war criminal, approvingly. Yet another faux pas by you.
Ah! Another Labour war criminal then……??
Yes. You’re correct, in this case. Now, if you’ll just stop joking about soldiers torturing children, we’ll be able to say that the rehabilitation of “Grumpy” has begun….
“enoch”, my poor bewildered fellow, you’re obviously floundering in the hostile environment here at the Standard, where crude racist inanity (rhymes with Sean Hannity) is not appreciated. You’re out of your element. You appear to have been left behind by your friends. You can catch up with them HERE…..
http://aryanity.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/neo-nazis-saluting.jpg
and HERE….
http://liberation.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451d75d69e20105371c611e970b-pi
and HERE….
http://icplibrary.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/wes_003.jpg
Alert the authorities !!!
apparently Roger has escaped from American Dad and is using the pseudonym of enoch powell
Pakeha child abuse ignored – researcher
As a Pākeha who grew up in an abusive household, I concur.
“As a Pākeha who grew up in an abusive household, I concur”
Ditto…..
This point from the article may illustrate why there is so much misconception:
“Almost 9000 children were victims of physical abuse between 2000 and 2008, yet only 21 became “household names”‘ in the media, she said.
Just one-third of child deaths were reported in the press, and they were predominantly Maori cases”.
Yes, it appears that the MSM are the cause of the massive misunderstandings across our society rather than the understanding that they should be bringing about. Another obvious misunderstanding is the one about just what the repeal of s59 actually meant.
“As a Pākeha who grew up in an abusive household, I concur”
Ditto…..
This point from the article may illustrate why there is so much misconception:
“Almost 9000 children were victims of physical abuse between 2000 and 2008, yet only 21 became “household names”‘ in the media, she said.
Just one-third of child deaths were reported in the press, and they were predominantly Maori cases”.
Oopsie. Double up. Can’t delete.
There is a case to consider that this may be as much a class issue as a race one. My story is not a child abuse one but my partner was abusive to me. I left him and tried to work out what to do. He was Maori, but he was also a lawyer. The pressure to stay away from authorities and the law (which, incidentally, I caved in to) was because he was a middle-class professional. Ethnicity wasn’t an issue. Considering the continuing over-representation of Maori in the under classes, do you think this causes skewing of the statistics? The middle-classes, for a variety of status and economic reasons, probably, tend not to report
How very true Jan. There is planety of this in the higher income groups. And had you gone near them they would not have hesitated to ratify his behaviour and find every excuse imaginable to blame you
It wasn’t that so much as “What will it do to his career? What will it do to his reputation? Think of the children.”
David Brooks Is Wrong About Inequality
He’s trying very hard to say that the economy isn’t a zero-sum game while pointing out that that is exactly what it is. Still, further down he does make some good points about the policy settings that have caused an increase in inequality across the globe.
If it’s ever found I suspect the truth will be stranger than anything Franz Kafka wrote.
Data collection has a crucial role in Kafka’s novels: in The Castle, there is almost incessant talk of record-keeping and the collection of personal data is shown in all its grotesque detail. This, too, has little to do with any clairvoyant abilities on Kafka’s part and instead a great deal to do with his professional experiences: he was an official at a state-run insurance company for workers and he quicklyrealised that the emphasis on statistical assessment was something new and daunting. In his office, individual lives and catastrophes became fodder for files and actuaries. Kafka, who was sensitive to the social implications of these modern means of bureaucracy, recognised that they also altered the thinking of people affected. Anyone who deals with this kind of agency has no choice but to adapt to its routines. Kafka was surprised that the system’s worst victims did not force their way into his office but instead filled out the forms submissively, then awaited their notification.
http://www.newstatesman.com/2014/01/death-data-how-kafkas-trial-prefigured-nightmare-modern-surveillance-state
Morrissey
I am really interested in these comments
Let us hear what other Arabs have said:
“There is no such country as Palestine. ‘Palestine’ is a term the Zionists invented. There is no Palestine in the Bible. Our country was for centuries part of Syria. ‘Palestine’ is alien to us. It is the Zionists who introduced it”.
– Auni Bey Abdul-Hadi, Syrian Arab leader to British Peel Commission, 1937 –
There is no such thing as Palestine in history, absolutely not”.
– Professor Philip Hitti, Arab historian, 1946 –
“It is common knowledge that Palestine is nothing but Southern Syria”.
– Representant of Saudi Arabia at the United Nations, 1956 –
As I lived in Palestine, everyone I knew could trace their heritage back to the original country their great grandparents came from. Everyone knew their origin was not from the Canaanites, but ironically, this is the kind of stuff our education in the Middle East included. The fact is that today’s Palestinians are immigrants from the surrounding nations! I grew up well knowing the history and origins of today’s Palestinians as being from Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Christians from Greece, muslim Sherkas from Russia, muslims from Bosnia, and the Jordanians next door. My grandfather, who was a dignitary in Bethlehem, almost lost his life by Abdul Qader Al-Husseni (the leader of the Palestinian revolution) after being accused of selling land to Jews. He used to tell us that his village Beit Sahur (The Shepherds Fields) in Bethlehem County was empty before his father settled in the area with six other families. The town has now grown to 30,000 inhabitants”.
– Walid Shoebat, an “ex-Palestinian” Arab –
Erasing the legitimacy of an independent Palestinian state? It’s pretty fucking obvious where you hail from.
Here’s an idea – why don’t you fuck off and let the living, breathing people of Palestine speak for themselves and their own future.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Palestine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine
It has a checkered history but the area has been known as Palestine for, quite literally, millennia.
You’re a fool. Do some reading. Googling is not reading.
Citing a liar and a fraud confirms just how fucking stupid you are.
“Being an ex-terrorist myself is to understand the mindset of a terrorist,” Shoebat told CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360.”
But CNN reporters in the United States, Israel and the Palestinianterritories found no evidence that would support that biography. Neither Shoebat nor his business partner provided any proof of Shoebat’s involvement in terrorism, despite repeated requests.
Back in his hometown of Beit Sahour, outside Bethlehem, relatives say they can’t understand how Shoebat could turn so roundly on his family and his faith.
“I have never heard anything about Walid being a mujahedeen or a terrorist,” said Daood Shoebat, who says he is Walid Shoebat’s fourth cousin. “He claims this for his own personal reasons.”
CNN’s Jerusalem bureau went to great lengths trying to verify Shoebat’s story. The Tel Aviv headquarters of Bank Leumi had no record of a firebombing at its now-demolished Bethlehem branch. Israeli police had no record of the bombing, and the prison where Shoebat says he was held “for a few weeks” for inciting anti-Israel demonstrations says it has no record of him being incarcerated there either.
http://walid-shoebat.blogspot.co.nz/2011/07/ex-terrorist-rakes-in-homeland-security.html
http://www.loonwatch.com/tag/walid-shoebat/