Open mike 19/04/2021

77 comments on “Open mike 19/04/2021 ”

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1. Jenny how to get there 1

   19 April 2021 at 6:54 am

   The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

   The Trans-Tasman bubble opens today.

   Once all the seperated families have been reunited, will Trans- Tasman travel return to pre-pandemic business as usual levels?

   Or will the public be left with a $1.5 billion stranded asset?

   <

   blockquote>
   Alethea Warrington, campaigner at climate action charity Possible, when speaking to Reuters. “This polling shows that after a year of quick and easy virtual meetings, travellers aren’t planning to go back to business as usual.”

   The UK’s aviation sector has been decimated by the pandemic, with Heathrow – the UK’s largest airport – seeing its passenger numbers slide by 72.2 per cent in 2020 from the year before.

   International Air Transport Association analysts have forecasted that despite the Covid-19 vaccines and testing procedures rolling out worldwide, the recovery of demand for air travel may not reach pre-crisis levels until 2024.

   While this estimate would imply that the aviation sector just needs to hold on for a few years until it can return to growth, the attitudes presented in the latest survey suggests a full recovery could take longer.

   https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2021/04/business-flyers-could-stick-to-video-calls-even-after-covid-19-pandemic-survey-suggests/
   • Treetop 1.1

     19 April 2021 at 9:04 am

     The weakest link is that the flight crew can still work on low risk routes and then work on the trans – Tasman bubble. I would have just had a trans – Tasman flight crew.

     To have green flights but not green flight crews is asking for it.
2. Morrissey 2

   19 April 2021 at 8:52 am

   The wonderful Ralph Nader

   Treasure him while he is still with us.

   https://ralphnaderradiohour.com/the-war-crimes-of-george-w-bush/
   • Incognito 2.1

     19 April 2021 at 9:04 am

     Why do you keep doing this? Give us a reason, based on your personal analysis of the content, why we should click on this and read and listen to this podcast if not for any other reason because you believe for some reason that some guy is somehow wonderful and the sun shines out of his arse?
   • Andre 2.2

     19 April 2021 at 4:35 pm

     Oh yes, wonderful indeed. The man who delivered us George Bush the Lesser, better known as Shrub. Without Mr Nader, convergence moonbats would have had to work so much harder to find things to feed their eternal grievance complexes. Or not.
     • Morrissey 2.2.1

       19 April 2021 at 5:24 pm

       The man who delivered us George Bush the Lesser, better known as Shrub.

       Nader was on the Supreme Court, was he? Or was he dressed up as Democratic Party strategic mastermind Warren Christopher, who decided not to be unsporting and insist on a full recount of the Florida votes?

       Without Mr Nader, convergence moonbats….

       ???? Wasn't it the Russians?
3. Ad 3

   19 April 2021 at 9:29 am

   I'd like to give a little shoutout to Sabine this morning. Sabine has been so dogged in her highlighting of the social housing and poverty issues in Rotorua.

   I swear I complain so little about the media, but even RNZ this morning had two reporters from their Wellington office declaring at length how excited they were to be at the airport waiting to get on their Australian flights this morning …

   … and yet it was just one guy who owned a bar in Rotorua on RNZ this morning who was able to talk about the Mongrel Mob colours proudly displayed in Rotorua shop windows, drug deals done in daylight, children running around at night, and a general fear for the future of Rotorua due to the huge levels of poor people stuck in low-end motels due to shortages of public housing.

   It was like RNZ was sticking up gleefuly for the middle class who could afford to fly, while it relegated time spent on the degradation of the poor and working class in Rotorua.

   There are plenty like Sonja Davies who took Labour to task in years gone by for similar issues, so keep it up Sabine.
   • weka 3.1

     19 April 2021 at 9:36 am

     Agree on both counts
   • Treetop 3.2

     19 April 2021 at 9:41 am

     There is a strong connection between emergency housing and the health care of those in emergency housing. Both are a crisis. This can also be said for others who can hardly afford the rent or find it hard to access or afford health care.

     The issue is everywhere not just in Rotorua and an everywhere solution needs to be a priority.
   • Bearded Git 3.3

     19 April 2021 at 2:19 pm

     Agree Sabine does good work on poverty and housing….but when I suggested that the Greens had the solution with their Wealth Tax that would raise 7.9 billion dollars annually specifically to tackle poverty she told me it wasn't about political parties….sorry Sabine that is exactly what it is about….who we vote for counts
     • Ad 3.3.1

       19 April 2021 at 3:16 pm

       We've got a Labour-dominated government for three terms at least, and there's no way around the Greens being a small and shrinking field of influence within that. Unlikely to change even in 2026. Both major parties will actively stop a Wealth Tax. The best chance of influence is from within Labour.
       • Bearded Git 3.3.1.1

         19 April 2021 at 3:31 pm

         Ad-I disagree. With (entirely feasible) numbers like this at the next election:

         Lab 44 Greens 9 MP 2 Nats 35 ACT 8 Others 2

         the Greens would have a great deal of influence. I notice the Greens are polling 8% in the UK at the moment in the latest poll which is historically very high.
         • Ad 3.3.1.1.1

           19 April 2021 at 4:09 pm

           They got about the same last year and have fuck-all influence in this government.

           And even if they improved slightly, they would not get their Wealth Tax up there with tall boots, spandex, a brisk following wind, a long pole and a cape.
           • Bearded Git 3.3.1.1.1.1

             19 April 2021 at 5:24 pm

             Ad….you seem not understand how MMP works, or you are pretending this.
             • Ad …

               19 April 2021 at 8:57 pm

               Seems to be working fine for Labour.
               • Sabine …

                 19 April 2021 at 11:19 pm

                 yeah, and the poor are poor and the homeless are homeless.

                 it is not working fine for anyone but labour and a very few in the middle and upper middle class.

                 Everyone else is scared of babys in gang colors.
     • Sabine 3.3.2

       19 April 2021 at 11:26 pm

       We had three years of a coalition that got us very little in terms a solution to our homeless and poverty issue, heck it is an issue that is growing out of proportions every day.

       We have a pandemic that still does not scare polititians into doing the right thing by those that need public assistance

       When the Greens pay attention to who runs as a potential candidate and when they maybe start putting in a bit of work into the rural areas then maybe they become part of the solution, atm they are not. Not here in Rotorua anyways.

       Last, this is not an issue of Rotorua, or Auckland, i advocate for those that live where i live, as charity always begins at home. But in reality, Rotorua is any other town, the only difference are the homeless that get send here by Winz. They sadly get stuck, we no option of housing or jobs, and yes Virginia the Government is really not here to help.
   • Sabine 3.4

     19 April 2021 at 11:27 pm

     thanks Ad.
4. weka 4

   19 April 2021 at 9:45 am

   The woman who tweeted this has locked her account for a bit so cut and pasting.
   I don’t think it’s possible to overestimate how angry women are about this, but certainly some people seem to be missing the fact. NZ govt is moving on gender self ID this year, so it’s useful to follow what is happening in the UK.

   'Police Scotland said that if a rape or attempted rape was perpetrated by a “male who self-identifies as a woman . . . the male who self-identifies as a woman would be expected to be recorded as a female on relevant police systems.'

   

   Rape suspects can choose to self-identify as femaleRape suspects are able to self-identify as female, it was revealed after a freedom of information request by a feminist policy think-tank.Police Scotland said that if a rape or attempted rape washttps://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rape-suspects-can-choose-to-self-identify-as-female-vfl678tg6

   'Campaigners claim that the position could lead to a “distortion” in society’s understanding of crime and the measures needed to tackle it. They also say the policy is at odds with what Humza Yousaf, the justice secretary, has said should be legal proof that a suspect is female.'

   'The issue..follows concern over moves by public bodies to “erase” biological sex data from official records…Dr Kath Murray, of the policy analysts Murray Blackburn Mackenzie, said that a person’s sex at birth was hugely relevant information in the case of rape.'

   This is the bit which is said to be a contradiction: 'In answer to a written query from Johann Lamont MSP, [Humza Yousaf] said a person born male would need a full gender recognition certificate for that person to be statistically recorded as having committed rape.', in a ->

   ..letter apparently seen by the Times.

   Finally 'the Scottish government declined to comment, saying that “this is a matter for Police Scotland”.'

   https://twitter.com/threadreaderapp/status/1383368177627791371?s=21
   • Janice 4.1

     19 April 2021 at 10:37 am

     Gender self identification is an issue that Judith Collins should start speaking against. A friend and I were discussing this last week and we decided after all of our years of voting on the left we were now unable so, due to both Labour and the Greens supporting gender self identification. I wonder how Jacinda will feel when Neve finds out she has to compete with boys who say they are girls on the sports field at school and it is because her mother was trying to be "nice" to transgenders. Sex and gender are not interchangeable. Now I await the backlash.
     • WeTheBleeple 4.1.1

       19 April 2021 at 11:50 am

       I don't believe a single word of what you just said.

       Backlash? You're just a stupid troll. Yawn.
       • Rosemary McDonald 4.1.1.1

         19 April 2021 at 11:57 am

         I don't believe a single word of what you just said.

         Backlash? You're just a stupid troll. Yawn.

         I would have thought you better than that WTB.

         How about expanding on the ad homs…?
         • WeTheBleeple 4.1.1.1.1

           19 April 2021 at 12:00 pm

           Why, this is clearly a Troll. Not worth the effort at all.
           • Foreign Waka 4.1.1.1.1.1

             19 April 2021 at 12:31 pm

             Because the issue is quite concerning legally and in that case criminally.

             Gender identification seem to be a "trendy" issue these days and it is not ever mentioned that a child/young person has already enough to work through with their hormone level change and the psychological component. This is not just on that rare occasion where a person identifies to the opposite gender and seeks a solution to this undoubtedly very difficult situation. It is something that will not necessarily discussed in schools and parents are sometimes unable to deal with those issues that are being portrait as an all compassing societal theme but are not. But it impact right into their home life.

             Criminally speaking, this needs redefinition. Rape has been identified with a specific gender, but without going into details, injuries can be caused in all sorts of manner as we have seen in those cases in India.

             Culturally it means that many people see this as an affront, insensitive to their believe system and a gross intrusion on their identification within a group affiliation.

             Many seem to think this can be legislated but all it does is creating clusters and separation in communities.

             So, no I don't agree with just denying a voice and walk away in the believe that anyone being in disagreement is a troll. I think it needs a bit more thought.
             • WeTheBleeple …

               19 April 2021 at 12:51 pm

               I agree with some of what you're saying but none of giving any credence to the post I slammed. Look at it:

               Judith should speak out

               How will Jacinda feel

               when Neve has to compete with boys…

               While you might fall for this, I do not. It's clearly dishonest in intent. Recall:

               "And we decided after all our years of voting on the left we were now unable to do so."

               Gimme a f'n break. Who even talks like that.

               Meanwhile, troll has you engaged with me. Job done.

               Discussing the issues – no, a sad pathetic fucking troll.
               • Foreign Waka …

                 19 April 2021 at 2:00 pm

                 WTB

                 At no time did or do I agree with having our PMs daughter involved in any discussion. But this is a separate issue and no it will not involve you with a troll as you mentioned.

                 The gender ID however is quite a serious one and should be discussed in the open instead of giving the impression that it is a given that we now identify with 16 of them. It is completely unacceptable to have this kind of social engineering imposed as if this is the norm.

                 [removed spurious letters “WTB” from user name]
     • greywarshark 4.1.2

       19 April 2021 at 12:09 pm

       edit
       Janice you raise clear questions in trying to cut through this melee' of sex identification which puzzles me. I think it is being raised as a result of our society's norms being upended by various political and financial ploys as those actors advance their own psychopathological obsessions with achieving a false self, based on consumption and constant self-adulation.

       This relentless pursuit feeds off but also back into society and its culture, and has the effect of diminishing the self-image of the rest of us. Then the choice seems either follow the same self-interested pattern, or cast around for a different, seemingly better self-image to shelter behind.
   • Peter chch 4.2

     19 April 2021 at 10:54 am

     Under English law (and I presume Scottish law also), a female cannot be charged with rape, only with sexual assault ('penetration' being a requisite in England for the charge of rape).

     By self identifying as a female, presumably the alleged perpetrator will limit the maximum sentence they will be liable to.
5. weka 5

   19 April 2021 at 9:50 am

   Also note that in the UK if a male rapist self IDs as a woman (ie tells the justice system they are, doesn’t have to have transitioned), then the woman who was raped can be compelled in court to refer to the rapist as she. This is rape culture, institutionally abusive and retraumatising. That this is sanctioned by some on the left is unconscionable and needs addressing as to why.
   • Ad 5.1

     19 April 2021 at 9:56 am

     The self-identification bill coming up was pushed by Genter from last term and is seriously dividing multiple activist groups in both women and LGBT groups in Auckland.

     The bill and its impact needs a post by itself. Bags not.
     • weka 5.1.1

       19 April 2021 at 10:26 am

       Yep, it’s a shit show. I’ll have to do a post eventually but not looking forward the backlash I’ll get for it.

       Feel free to drop any relevant links in front of me (re the Bill, timeframes, analysis).
     • AB 5.1.2

       19 April 2021 at 3:32 pm

       Self-identification as anything seems inadequate for legal purposes – though I think we can fairly safely tolerate, accept or indulge it (depending on our disposition) in normal social interactions.

       If I self-identify as a hippopotamus, a creature unable to form 'intent' of any sort, do I then get away with killing someone? Some form of expert corroboration (insofar as anybody is actually an expert on his) seems to be desirable in legal settings.
       • RedLogix 5.1.2.1

         19 April 2021 at 4:26 pm

         Ah – we need an Expert:

         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg
         • AB 5.1.2.1.1

           19 April 2021 at 4:32 pm

           No – just someone more knowledgeable than ourselves (quite a large pool). And the legal system frequently resorts to expert testimony because it has no alternative that creates a similarly convincing feeling of objectivity.
           • RedLogix 5.1.2.1.1.1

             19 April 2021 at 6:31 pm

             The skit is an expression of how I feel when reading threads on this topic. Also just close enough to workaday reality to induce melancholia.
         • Drowsy M. Kram 5.1.2.1.2

           19 April 2021 at 7:11 pm

           "They laughed when I said I was going to be a comedian.
           Well, they're not laughing now." – Bob Monkhouse

           https://dilbert.com/search_results?terms=experts
           • greywarshark 5.1.2.1.2.1

             19 April 2021 at 9:25 pm

             DMK I laughed like a drain right to the end.
         • Sanctuary 5.1.2.1.3

           20 April 2021 at 7:33 am

           This is literally my job.
       • McFlock 5.1.2.2

         19 April 2021 at 4:39 pm

         If I self-identify as a hippopotamus, a creature unable to form 'intent' of any sort, do I then get away with killing someone? Some form of expert corroboration (insofar as anybody is actually an expert on his) seems to be desirable in legal settings.

         Dangerous animals that kill people tend to be put down. Not sure a lethal injection or a bullet is "getting away" with anything.
         • Andre 5.1.2.2.1

           19 April 2021 at 4:54 pm

           Heh. Travelling through Africa, we heard a lot about how dangerous hippopotamus were. We also heard a lot about how lions, crocodiles, hyenas etc would get hunted down and killed if they attacked a human. But I never heard of hippos getting dealt to after attacking humans, even though hippo attacks are apparently much more common than other animal attacks.
           • McFlock 5.1.2.2.1.1

             19 April 2021 at 5:15 pm

             to be fair, shooting a hippo will probably just piss it off, unless you have a handheld artillery piece.
         • gsays 5.1.2.2.2

           19 April 2021 at 5:30 pm

           Here is the answer in prose form:

           THE HIPPOPOTAMUS

           I shoot the Hippopotamus
           with bullets made of platinum,
           Because if I use leaden ones
           his hide is sure to flatten 'em.

           Hilaire Belloc
       • joe90 5.1.2.3

         19 April 2021 at 9:08 pm

         If I self-identify as a hippopotamus

         .

         Behold the hippopotamus!
         We laugh at how he looks to us,
         And yet in moments dank and grim,
         I wonder how we look to him.
         Peace, peace, thou hippopotamus!
         We really look all right to us,
         As you no doubt delight the eye
         Of other hippopotami.

         – Ogden Nash
         • greywarshark 5.1.2.3.1

           19 April 2021 at 9:32 pm

           Flanders and Swann waxed lyrical about hippos. And it indicates that as a self-identification it may earn a big round of applause and make quite a splash.

           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjnOj9O16_I
   • Treetop 5.2

     19 April 2021 at 10:16 am

     Under the 1961 Crimes Act NZ. Rape involves a penis and a vagina. Our Crimes Act needs to be updated when it comes to gender identity.
     • weka 5.2.1

       19 April 2021 at 10:27 am

       Why? Rape is a crime commited by males, and the legal definition should remain that.
       • Jimmy 5.2.1.1

         19 April 2021 at 10:56 am

         Hasn't there been some rapes committed by women?
         • weka 5.2.1.1.1

           19 April 2021 at 11:22 am

           sexual assault by women is covered by other legislation afaik.
       • Peter chch 5.2.1.2

         19 April 2021 at 10:59 am

         Weka, Yes but the self identification as a female undermines that very clear law. I can already see the QC's rubbing their hands in anticipation.

         Jimmy, in South Africa numerous women have been charged with rape. They drugged men, kidnapped them and forced them to have sex whilst in a drugged state ('involuntary erection'). It was part of some crazy superstition nonsense a few years ago.
       • Adrian 5.2.1.3

         19 April 2021 at 11:00 am

         Really ?. Havent there been cases of women being charged with sexual offences against men to the point of sexual union? I vaguely remember something from a few years ago, and what is anal penetration with an instrument charged as, if not rape?
         • weka 5.2.1.3.1

           19 April 2021 at 11:23 am

           it's covered by a different law I think.
         • weka 5.2.1.3.2

           19 April 2021 at 11:24 am

           The technical meaning of “rape” in New Zealand law

           Crimes Act 1961, ss 128, 128B

           In New Zealand law, the word “rape” is restricted to cases of a male penetrating a female’s vagina with his penis. However, under the law this is just one of two types of the crime of “sexual violation”. The other type – “unlawful sexual connection” – covers all the other types of sexual assault described above, and it has the same maximum penalty (20 years’ jail) as cases of “rape” of a female by a male.

           Crimes Act 1961, s 135 (definitions of “genitalia” and “sexual connection”) and ss 128, 128B

           https://communitylaw.org.nz/community-law-manual/chapter-8-gender-and-sexuality/sexual-orientation-and-your-rights/rape-sexual-assault-and-family-domestic-violence/
           • WeTheBleeple 5.2.1.3.2.1

             19 April 2021 at 11:56 am

             Being a rather pretty boy in my day I got hit on by creeps a lot, including many women. It was horrible for me, too.

             This is a mess aye. While I support the trans community – thinking something does not make it so. Me thinking I'm a woman does not remove my penis, nor the potential for penetration.

             I think in the case of rape they need to keep it biological.
             • Treetop …

               19 April 2021 at 12:59 pm

               This is a mess aye.

               There is a lot to consider when it comes to rape and self identification.

               What is the situation when a person becomes pregnant due to being raped and the pregnancy is not terminated?

               I think in the case of rape they need to keep it biological.

               By biological do you also mean a sperm and an ova?
               • WeTheBleeple …

                 19 April 2021 at 1:21 pm

                 Thinking some more on it, I think biological is the wrong approach in that people also use inanimate objects in abusive situations. The use of the word 'penetration' in the law is a reasonable start – if it means by any object, and where consent is lacking. Determining that rape must involve a penis is plainly wrong in many circumstances.

                 The sex of an offender should not be a consideration in law except where that law attempts to redress specific gender imbalance.

                 Yeah it's a mess. Need better minds than mine to make sense of it.
                 • Treetop …

                   19 April 2021 at 2:03 pm

                   Yeah it's a mess. Need better minds than mine to make sense of it.

                   Same here. Part of the problem is the antiquated 1961 Crimes Act. 60 f – ing years old and MPs are trying to fit new legislation into legislation which is already detrimental to those who make a complaint or have an historical complaint.
                 • weka …

                   19 April 2021 at 6:16 pm

                   It's not actually a mess. It's already covered in legislation: rape is by males on females, other kinds of sexual assault are dealt with as unlawful sexual connection.

                   As McFlock points out, the Crimes Act has been amended to remove some gendered language, but it's still clear what the meaning of rape is (males raping females),

                   128 Sexual violation defined

                   (1)

                   Sexual violation is the act of a person who—

                   (a)

                   rapes another person; or

                   (b)

                   has unlawful sexual connection with another person.

                   (2)

                   Person A rapes person B if person A has sexual connection with person B, effected by the penetration of person B’s genitalia by person A’s penis,—

                   (a)

                   without person B’s consent to the connection; and

                   (b)

                   without believing on reasonable grounds that person B consents to the connection.

                   (3)

                   Person A has unlawful sexual connection with person B if person A has sexual connection with person B—

                   (a)

                   without person B’s consent to the connection; and

                   (b)

                   without believing on reasonable grounds that person B consents to the connection.

                   https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1961/0043/latest/whole.html?search=ts_act%40bill%40regulation%40deemedreg_Crimes+Act+1961_resel_25_a&p=1%2f#DLM327382

                   That's in law. In public debate, rape has a wider meaning.

                   With regard to my original comment, the issue is whether gender identification takes precedent over sex based rights, and this is exactly why feminists are saying there is conflict of rights. This is going to be an issue this year as the government pushes to legislate gender self ID and parts of the left push to suppress debate.
                   • McFlock …

                     19 April 2021 at 6:29 pm

                     The amendment towards gender-neutral language was in 2005.

                     Part of the amendment included the definition of penis:

                     penis includes a surgically constructed or reconstructed organ analogous to a naturally occurring penis (whether the person concerned is male, female, or of indeterminate sex)
                   • Treetop …

                     19 April 2021 at 7:43 pm

                     The current law is clear about what rape is, I was not referring this to be a mess.

                     With regard to your original comment there is a conflict of rights which requires classification.
               • weka …

                 19 April 2021 at 6:18 pm

                 "By biological do you also mean a sperm and an ova?"

                 In this case, in NZ law, rape is defined biologically by genitalia.
           • McFlock 5.2.1.3.2.2

             19 April 2021 at 12:31 pm

             That page might need updating.

             Rape is a crime committed with a penis. The Crimes Act doesn't make any statement about the sex or gender of the person with the penis.

             Whether the the use of "male" and "female" in the community law link is based on a definition in an unreferenced piece of legislation, or simply reflects community law's own understanding of the entire trans debate, I do not know.
             • weka …

               19 April 2021 at 6:20 pm

               they haven't changed the definition of rape though. It's still by males (people with a penis) against females (genitalia capable of being penetrated).

               No date on the CL piece, would be interested to know if/when the legislation was amended.
               • McFlock …

                 19 April 2021 at 6:38 pm

                 The relevant law does not seem to define people with penises as "male", nor does it restrict "genitalia capable of being penetrated" to only people for whom those organs were naturally-occurring.
                 • weka …

                   21 April 2021 at 5:53 pm

                   sorry, haven't been keeping up. Appreciate those two comments, it makes sense they've done this and good to get up to speed myself. From a feminist perspective this leaves it as a cultural and political issue, are women going to still be able to name sexed/gendered violence, and what are the forces trying to change that and why.
       • Treetop 5.2.1.4

         19 April 2021 at 12:10 pm

         So I am clear a woman does not have a penis when it comes to rape.

         Were the rapist to identify as a woman and have a penis what then?
       • Drowsy M. Kram 5.2.1.5

         19 April 2021 at 1:35 pm

         Rape is a crime commited by males, and the legal definition should remain that.

         Agreed – no need to change the legal definition of rape in NZ. The legal hierarchy of sexual violations varies between countries, but in NZ the maximum penalty for rape and other types of sexual violation is the same; 20 yrs (see Weka @5.2.1.3.2)

         Note, however, that:

         …many jurisdictions, such as Canada and several US and Australian states, have abandoned the term "rape" in favor of other terms such as "sexual assault", "sexual intercourse without consent", or "criminal sexual conduct".
         https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_regarding_rape

         'Sexual assault culture' doesn't have quite the same ring to it as 'rape culture'.

         I recognise it as a personal failing, and yet feel uneasy about the ramifications of blurring the lines between biological sex identity and gender identity. If these two identities are incongruent to the extent of causing distress (gender dysphoria), then the idea that suppressing (the reality of one's) biological sex is the optimal solution is problematic. If only societies could celebrate diversity to the extent that medical interventions were not the preferred route to contentment – think faʻafafine on steroids (we all have 'em), and in all 'directions'.

         I see a lot of sense in the research and views of Cordelia Fine:

         https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delusions_of_Gender

         https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/feb/26/why-testosterone-rex-is-extinct

         And also in the research and views of Simon Baron-Cohen e.g.

         Men, Women, and Ghosts in Science
         Classifying individuals in general terms, he [Simon Baron-Cohen] concludes that among men, about 60% have a male brain, 20% have a balanced brain, and 20% have a female brain. Women show the inverse figures, with some 60% having a female brain. Many facts argue that these differences have their roots in biology and genetics.

         And most important of all, could we try to select for the one characteristic we need most, scientific originality? Originality and creativity are all too rare, and I know of no evidence that these traits are more frequent in one sex.

         There is some discordance between these valuable views. When it comes to gender reassignment, perhaps my unease stems from the idea that society is running before it can walk, or that pre-pubescent children are making decisions about their own gender reassignment. But, for now, if society can't change, then affording individuals agency for personal change is a step in the right direction, imho.
         • WeTheBleeple 5.2.1.5.1

           19 April 2021 at 4:23 pm

           Really good food for thought Drowsy – thanks.
6. greywarshark 6

   19 April 2021 at 1:12 pm

   Good news for diversification of farming dollars, and industry in NZ we hope. Help NZ – use wool carpeting – warm, hard wearing and fire-resistant.

   https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/country/440778/sustainable-wool-research-programme-backed-by-government

   Research: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/004051757504500503 – wool and particularly flame-resistant wool perform significantly better than the other man-made fibers investigated

   Godfrey Hirst manufacturer report – https://www.godfreyhirst.com/au/hycraft/sites/default/files/wool_for_interior_textiles.pdf
   * had the lowest propensity for flame spread (as measured by the critical radiant fluxCRF), and,
   * produced much lower levels of smoke.

   BRANZ report from 2007 – I haven't read it but good that they have got a report done and there may be something else since then.
   https://d39d3mj7qio96p.cloudfront.net/media/documents/SR181_Fire_properties_of_floor_coverings_-_new_fire_test_methods_and_acceptabl.pdf
   • WeTheBleeple 6.1

     19 April 2021 at 1:33 pm

     The revitalisation of the wool industry is a great idea. I just want some decent woolies to wear for winter, y'know. Instead the stores are loaded with synthetic or synthetic/natural gloves hats and scarves, and they're not nearly so warm, or durable. And they create plastic rubbish.

     Everything is plastic we need to reverse it as fast as we can.

     Yeah wool doesn't burn well at all. I think that's because it smells so bad it puts itself out.
     • greywarshark 6.1.1

       19 April 2021 at 1:54 pm

       WTB Great to see your comments FTTT. Yes keep your woolly hat on so warm and keep your brain bright and fast-moving and write lots.
7. greywarshark 7

   19 April 2021 at 1:58 pm

   Deathshead Dutton in Australia. In backward-land he might be top of the pops.

   https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/440789/australian-defence-minister-overturns-decision-to-strip-veterans-of-military-decorations

   …Last year the Chief of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) General Angus Campbell recommended the meritorious unit citation be revoked for the Special Operations Task Group, in the wake of the Inspector-General of the ADF's Inquiry report into war crimes.

   The group served in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013, and included around 3000 personnel.
   General Campbell announced the move while handing down the explosive report which found Australian special forces murdered at least 39 prisoners and civilians during the Afghanistan war.

   The decision was met with significant criticism within defence and veterans circles, as well as the government.
8. Bearded Git 8

   19 April 2021 at 3:34 pm

   This is a laugh.

   https://www.facebook.com/InsidersABC/videos/2988196971467141
   • greywarshark 8.1

     19 April 2021 at 5:03 pm

     BG
9. greywarshark 9

   19 April 2021 at 4:59 pm

   You don't take your rellies words for gospel. At the start of Covid19 my b-in-law who is a practical bloke and not one to get fussed, said why worry it is just another flu. I said yes but – it seems a lot more infectious, and if too many get sick at the same time the hospitals will be overwhelmed and the medical system might break down. I felt the need for caution on that point and it seems now it was a realistic understanding of something that has gone on to pose more and more problems for the recovered. Why can't people think for themselves? Sit down together and go through what they know, and what the stats are, and look at what other countries are trying, and how that is going.

   Just ringing up and doing an emotional doesn't show an adult approach to a problem. And most of the anti-vaxxers I've seen are adults.

   https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/440761/why-should-maori-trust-the-covid-19-vaccine

   A worried Maori man is concerned at the fast-moving flim-flam filling people's minds.

   A recent post from a cousin falsely claims China is refusing to inoculate any of its citizens for safety reasons. It encourages people to cure themselves of the virus through 'heat therapy', by inhaling steam from a boiled kettle, gargling hot water and drinking cups of hot tea four times each a day. On the fifth day, it says, 'you are Corona negative'.

   Rarere laughs – he can't help himself sometimes. But the truth is he's afraid. He knows of two kaumātua who are also sharing misinformation online, and he's deeply worried they won't take the vaccine. He says the thought of them contracting the virus, and suffering, is inconceivable.
10. Ad 10

    19 April 2021 at 5:14 pm

    Ahhh the joys of patriotic England in a Brexit world: the best of them join the EU and stuff the English altogether:

    https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/56795811

    Good job to the fool proletariat who voted for separation.
    • Bearded Git 10.1

      19 April 2021 at 5:22 pm

      I can't believe they left Burnley out of the mix.
    • Nic the NZer 10.2

      19 April 2021 at 8:18 pm

      Bit hard to see the brexit link here as 9 European clubs are doing the same and the UK clubs european participation was hardly effected by brexit anyway.

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