Open mike 20/04/2013

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 20th, 2013 - 151 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner).

Step right up to the mike…

151 comments on “Open mike 20/04/2013 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Morrissey 1
    20 April 2013 at 6:26 am

    America’s banal and insincere Consoler-in-Chief
    President Obama comes to Boston
    by BILL VAN AUKEN, 19 April 2013

    Three days after the bombing that killed three people and wounded more than 170 at the Boston Marathon, President Barack Obama flew to Boston to deliver a speech at an interfaith service for the victims and survivors.

    This marks the fifth time that Obama has delivered such an address following a mass killing, beginning with Fort Hood, Texas in November of 2009 and including Tucson, Arizona in January 2011, Aurora, Colorado in July 2012 and Newtown, Connecticut last December.

    The corporate media, which have cynically dubbed Obama the “consoler-in-chief,” hailed his latest speech as “inspiring”, “powerful” and “moving.” It was all they wanted to hear and in no way conflicted with their efforts to frame the events in Boston within the reactionary narrative of the “war on terrorism,” turning them into another justification for war abroad and attacks on democratic rights at home.

    In reality, it was painfully evident that Obama was working off of a template, engaged in a national ritual that is utterly routine, banal and insincere.

    Almost invariably, he begins these speeches by invoking “scripture.”

    “Scripture tells us,” were the first words out of Obama’s mouth after he rose to address the crowd from the pulpit of Boston’s Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

    “Scripture tells us, ‘Do not lose heart,’” he began his remarks to a prayer vigil for the 26 victims of the Newtown school massacre.

    “Scripture says that ‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and….

    Read more…
    http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/04/19/pers-a19.html

    • The Al1en 1.1
      20 April 2013 at 7:16 am

      So what should Obama have said?
      Post up your own speech for comparison.
      Otherwise it’s just looks like rage.

      • Morrissey 1.1.1
        20 April 2013 at 7:31 am

        Read the article. Carefully.

        • The Al1en 1.1.1.1
          20 April 2013 at 7:35 am

          If you can’t post what OB should have said, we’ll just call it morning rage and move on.

          • Morrissey 1.1.1.1.1
            20 April 2013 at 7:43 am

            No, we’ll just call your little tantrum typical laziness on your part, and move on.

            The article was not criticizing Obama’s anodyne words; he is defintely the go-to guy when it comes to sonorous and content-free oratory. He’s unimprovable, in fact.

            The article criticizes the role the media plays in his sentimentalizing and politicizing of these tragedies.

            You would realize that if you actually read it.

            • The Al1en 1.1.1.1.1.1
              20 April 2013 at 8:01 am

              “No, we’ll just call your little tantrum”

              There is no hint of tantrum in any of my posts, unlike your last one. I’m way too accomplished for that.

              “You would realize that if you actually read it.”

              Best way one can make a point, and it’s really easily, is if you actually post it in the first instance.

              “typical laziness on your part”

              We’ll find out if that cap fits, when some one fetches it for me.

            • weka 1.1.1.1.1.2
              20 April 2013 at 8:06 am

              “The article criticizes the role the media plays in his sentimentalizing and politicizing of these tragedies.

              You would realize that if you actually read it.”

              Or you could simply have introduced your comment with that one sentence explanation of what you thought was important about the article.

              I find many of the links without commentary interesting, but it’s not laziness that stops me from reading all of them. I mostly come here for the interaction with other people and to hear their views on current events, politics etc.

              • Morrissey …
                20 April 2013 at 8:39 am

                Fair point, weka and Al1en. I try not to post too often without some kind of preliminary comment; 1.) I don’t want to bomb people with excess articles, and 2.) I don’t want another one-month ban.

                • The Al1en …
                  20 April 2013 at 8:49 am

                  “I don’t want to bomb people with articles.”

                  I renamed my music pc’s recycle bin ‘The hurt locker’ and it retaliated by changing my login to ‘V for vendetta’ 😆

                  • red rattler …
                    20 April 2013 at 10:34 pm

                    What the article shows is the Obama is a cynical bastard using biblical quotes explain away the cause of ‘terror’ as ‘evil’. What he doesn’t do is what Lincoln did i.e. draw the conclusion that that ‘evil’ is an answer to ‘evil’. In Lincoln’s case slavery was the evil and the civil war the answer.

                    What should Obama have said? Nothing different since today the US President has to justify the ‘war on terror’ for the very survival of US imperialism. But assuming that freed from this requirement, and that Obama had Lincoln’s grasp on reality, he would recognise that the ‘terror’ that the US visits on the world in the name of ‘freedom’ is imperialism – the modern equivalent evil of slavery – and that the ‘counter-terror’ that causes all these acts of mass murder, is part of the answer.

                    Of course coming from the Socialist Equality Party, the author stops short of spelling out what would be necessary to answer imperialism fully i.e. not the mayhem of individual mass shootings which are disorganised and counter-productive (eg citizens of Boston wildly cheering the police for dealing to the biblical ‘evil’) but the organised working class forming a popular militia and overthrowing the imperialist state.

    • AsleepWhileWalking 1.2
      20 April 2013 at 9:59 am

      In one of the more cynical moments of Obama’s speech, he invoked a widely circulated image of the youngest of those killed in the Boston bombings, eight-year-old Martin Richard, holding a poster upon which he had written, “No more hurting people. Peace.” Obama repeated the phrase twice.

      The day before he came to Boston, US drones fired missiles into a Pakistani village leveling a house and killing five people inside. Seven others were wounded. On the same day, a drone strike in Yemen demolished a car, killing its five occupants. As is well known, Obama personally selects assassination victims and has arrogated to himself the power to order the deaths of American citizens without charges or trials. The young boy’s plea reads like an indictment of the US president himself.

      Thanks M! I read an analysis of O’s speeches when he first was elected tying the format of the speeches to psychological tactics to disengage critical thinking. Fascinating stuff.

      From memory the scripture part of it wasn’t incorporated in his earlier speeches (at least not as a key feature right at the start of the speech).

  2. Morrissey 2
    20 April 2013 at 6:36 am

    A Contender for Dumbest Statement Ever by Amnesty USA?
    by JOE EMERSBERGER at Apr 19, 2013

    Amnesty USA has called on the Venezuelan government to eliminate post-election violence. The small matter that the violence has been directed at government supporters was comically evaded.

    Showing off its command of the obvious, Amnesty USA stated: “Violent incidents around Venezuela following last Sunday’s presidential elections are only likely to increase unless the authorities carry out prompt, effective investigations and bring those responsible to justice”

    That recent deaths strongly implicate opposition supporters should have been impossible to miss, even for Amnesty USA, given statements put out by Henrique Capriles, the candidate who lost the presidential election to Maduro. Reuters reported that Capriles said: “To all my followers … this is a peaceful quarrel. Whoever is involved in violence is not part of this project, is not with me,…. It is doing me harm.”

    Capriles cancelled a march on the National Electoral Council (CNE) alleging that the government would “infiltrate” it with violent saboteurs.

    HRW put out a similarly fatuous statement condemning Maduro for saying he would forbid the opposition march that Capriles ended up cancelling.

    When it suits them, the human rights industry pretends that governments the USA dislikes are omnipotent – that they exert complete control of opponents and supporters alike and can “guarantee” security for all without the slightest infringement of civil liberties. Weeks prior to the US perpetrated coup in Haiti in 2004, Amnesty and Human Rights Watch, put out statements demanding that Jean Bertrand Aristide, who was just about to be kidnaped by US troops, guarantee the security of his opponents – including people financing terrorists to overthrow him.

    Amnesty USA refuses to make obvious demands of its own government – demands like “disclose who you are funding and working with”, and “stop trying to overthrow democratically elected governments”. That would actually be useful to promoting human rights rather than US-backed coups. That is expecting too much of Amnesty when it cannot even recognize Bradley Manning as a Prisoner of Conscience, or acknowledge that Saudi armed rebels in Syria will inevitably commit atrocities.

    Stupidity is not actually the problem as Chris Hedges made clear when he resigned from PEN after Suzanne Nossel, recently head of Amnesty USA, was appointed to run that group: “Nossel’s relentless championing of preemptive war—which under international law is illegal—as a State Department official along with her callous disregard for Israeli mistreatment of the Palestinians and her refusal as a government official to denounce the use of torture and use of extra-judicial killings, makes her utterly unfit to lead any human rights organization, especially one that has global concerns.”

    It should not be up to Chris Hedges alone to denounce the “hijacking of human rights organizations to promote imperial projects”.

    http://www.zcommunications.org/a-contender-for-dumbest-statement-ever-by-amnesty-usa-by-joe-emersberger

    • Jenny 2.1
      20 April 2013 at 7:46 am

      It is a shame to see Amnesty International damaging their brand like this.

      • Morrissey 2.1.1
        20 April 2013 at 7:51 am

        When she has a moment to spare from her humane work, that great humanitarian Suzanne Nossel might reflect, in the small hours of the morning, that the word AMNESTY anagramizes into NASTY ME.

      • Murray Olsen 2.1.2
        20 April 2013 at 1:02 pm

        Amnesty has had a pretty damaged brand for a long time now. Their insistence that the oppressed remain pacifists and refusal to take on many cases have ended up with them supporting the oppressor, as in Venezuela today. I haven’t had much time for them since they refused to support Marx Jones in 1981.

  3. Te Reo Putake 3
    20 April 2013 at 8:29 am

    Interesting article in the Guardian regarding the many internet wannabee CSIers who got it so badly wrong trying to parse the various photos of the Boston bombing:

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/19/boston-bombing-suspects-reddit-social-media

    • Morrissey 3.1
      20 April 2013 at 8:42 am

      Wonder if these basement CSIers were as studiously grim and unsmiling as those fantasy CSI “experts” on those hopelessly dull network shows….

      http://www.dnatestingblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/gtl_csi_effect.jpg

    • muzza 3.2
      20 April 2013 at 8:45 am

      Yet you know the *authorities* loved the fact they were able to see this happen, by that I mean, getting the masses all bagging on eachother while searching for, *the enemy*

      Obamas citizen security force he called for, seems to be rolling out, no dounbt helped by *friendly establishment* agencies all playing their role!

      That and the resultant , marshall law in place in Boston!

      Oh, and don’t forget to look into the regions history/present where the two (soon to be both dead, conveniently, yet again), *accused* are from, and what else is happening is that part of the world.

      Great result for the establishments propgation of fear, violence, troops on the street, unwarranted searched of houses et al!

      Freedom costs a buck O five!

      • Te Reo Putake 3.2.1
        20 April 2013 at 8:52 am

        Yeah, we all hate it when social experiments go wrong.

        • muzza 3.2.1.1
          20 April 2013 at 9:24 am

          Who are you representing, exactly , other than yourself, by using *we all* ?

          • Te Reo Putake 3.2.1.1.1
            20 April 2013 at 9:35 am

            Strange question! I’m part of the NWO conspiracy, muzza. But, hey, you know that already, so it’s weird that you ask, given we’re both in the same black ops unit. If you’ve blown our cover, Obama is going to be well pissed.

            • Murray Olsen 3.2.1.1.1.1
              20 April 2013 at 1:06 pm

              Alex Jones will set you free!!
              Oh, and who is this Marshall Law that we hear about so much?

            • Populuxe1 3.2.1.1.1.2
              20 April 2013 at 4:35 pm

              DON’T BREAK COVER!!! DON’T BREAK COVER!!! YOU’LL GET US ALL LIQUIDATED!!!

      • AsleepWhileWalking 3.2.2
        20 April 2013 at 10:18 am

        Fusion centers will be working overtime taking it all in….the baseless allegations will be used as “proof” at a later date no doubt.

    • weka 3.3
      20 April 2013 at 8:49 am

      Another reason to be thankful to live in a small backwater country.

    • Ugly Truth 3.4
      20 April 2013 at 9:28 am

      What does Sandy Hook and the Boston marathon have in common?
      http://i.imgur.com/WedLF8K.jpg

  4. Morrissey 4
    20 April 2013 at 8:55 am

    BELIEVE IT OR NOT!
    Kim Hill pronounces Michael Burleigh “balanced”
    National Radio, Saturday 20 April 2013

    Kim Hill is a very smart and well read person. I was concerned, therefore, to hear her speak positively, a few minutes ago during an interview with Professor John Carson Lennox, of a book by the notoriously unhinged Michael Burleigh. She gave the impression that Burleigh was “balanced”. Any sane person who has managed to struggle through some of his insane books or articles would dispute that.

    While it is clear that she reads a great many books, comments like that about someone as notorious as Michael Burleigh lead one to wonder if she really does read all of them thoroughly.

    • ghostrider888 4.1
      20 April 2013 at 12:23 pm

      yes, Mozza, I listened to that interview (was gonna link it) 🙂 and I was disappointed with Kim.

  5. ianmac 5
    20 April 2013 at 9:35 am

    Anyway the discussion with Prof Lennox was a fascinating in-depth one. Interesting that the Prof believes that the Resurrection is proof of God. Without the Resurrection presumably the God would become god. But of course there is only the Bible to offer “proof.”
    “John Carson Lennox is a British mathematician and philosopher of science who is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, and Fellow in Mathematics and Philosophy of Science at Green Templeton College, Oxford University. He is the author of a number of books, including and God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? (Lion Books, ISBN: 978-0-82547-912-0) and Gunning for God: Why the New Atheists are Missing the Target (Lion Books, ISBN: 978-0745953229).”
    Not up yet for replay.

  6. SukieDamson 6
    20 April 2013 at 9:57 am

    Michelle Hewitson on Susan “Yeah I am” / “No I [ain’t]!” Devoy this morning

    She is patently aggrieved that people have made up their minds about her and that they think all she is is “someone who wriggles around a little racket” and “the assumption is that I’m white and that I’m right wing.” Well, she is, isn’t she? “Yeah, I am. But I’m not so right wing and I’m not so conservative.” She says she’s worked with disadvantaged people and done a lot of work for Maori organisations. “And they say you’re as Maori as you feel.” But it just sounds daft when she says it. Does she think she’s Maori? “No I don’t!”

    • AsleepWhileWalking 6.1
      20 April 2013 at 10:22 am

      Yeah, her appointment remains the most ridiculous out of all of the cronies so far this year.

      What would Jon Stewart say about this if he were commenting on NZ politics instead of the US?

      • Alanz 6.1.1
        20 April 2013 at 10:40 am

        It dawned on us during our Friday evening dinner that when Natz talk about jobs, they are really talking about their own jobs and their cronies’ . . . . .

        jackie blue

        susan devoy

        ian fletcher

        and coming up next,
        absentee cabinet minister tim groser
        (thanks, working taxpayers, for funding his swanning around internationally to secure that job he wants in august): http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10878297

        *feel free to add to this list

        p.s. I’d like to see the opposition parties campaigning to clean up the shit on the government benches.

        • Draco T Bastard 6.1.1.1
          20 April 2013 at 11:56 am

          It dawned on us during our Friday evening dinner that when Natz talk about jobs, they are really talking about their own jobs and their cronies’ . . .

          Yep, National are only about themselves. It’s a pity that such a large part of the population haven’t woken up to that yet.

          • muzza 6.1.1.1.1
            20 April 2013 at 5:51 pm

            A large part of the population, believe they have an idea about issues, the drivers, and hence in their wisdom, decide to vote, in a system which will strangling them, and removing any future for their children etc.

            Most people are clueless, which is what happens when lies are the SOP over extended period of time, the lies in turn dumb them down, and what you have is what we are seeing played out in front of us!

      • Draco T Bastard 6.1.2
        20 April 2013 at 11:54 am

        Would he able to stop laughing long enough to say anything?

        😈

      • Descendant Of Sssmith 6.1.3
        20 April 2013 at 6:40 pm

        I did laugh though when she said she got rung and told she should apply for the job but couldn’t remember who called her.

        She sounded so Prime Mnisterial she did.

    • Morrissey 6.2
      20 April 2013 at 1:20 pm

      She is patently aggrieved that people have made up their minds about her and that they think all she is is “someone who wriggles around a little racket” and “the assumption is that I’m white and that I’m right wing.” Well, she is, isn’t she?

      Susan Devoy is a patently stupid woman. Helen Kelly’s assessment is spot on: Devoy’s appointment is part of a deliberate strategy by the government, i.e. Steven Joyce, to denigrate and lessen the authority of the Race Relations Commission.

  7. AsleepWhileWalking 7
    20 April 2013 at 10:33 am

    Someone asked me if I wanted a dog on Thursday. Lovely mid sized cutie, fully trained and good with kids and came with all it’s doggie stuff.

    The thing is I really do want a dog that needs a forever home <3

    The home or the dog
    But….I have learned there are people in the world who can have dogs, and those who can’t and I most definitely can not own a dog unless I own a house to go with it. There is no way that I can afford to further disadvantage myself in the cray-cray Wellington rental market by having a dog (the cat I took in from a friend who moved is bad enough).

    Landlords don’t like dogs or their owners and will pick an animal free tenant whenever they can so it would be cruel to take in the dog and eventually end up having to make the choice between re-homing my new furry baby or becoming homeless myself.

    I wish someone had explained all this to me when I was younger.

    • vto 7.1
      20 April 2013 at 11:13 am

      Don’t have much time for dogs in cities. Or rather, not much time for their owners handling of their dogs. So much dog shit on the street, barking dogs in our hood BOWOO BOWOWOWOWO waking everyone up, New Zealanders are bloody boofheads when it comes to dog responsibility around others. Neanderthals (actually, I bet neanderthals never put up with such shit from dog owners).

  8. Te Reo Putake 8
    20 April 2013 at 11:15 am

    Looks like the second bombing suspect has been found, shots, tear gas and an ambo heading into the locked down area.

  9. ghostrider888 9
    20 April 2013 at 12:41 pm

    well, according to the nice policeman on Campbell Live, the arrogance of motorists cutting into queues is growing…

    Blessed are the merciful
    for they will be shown mercy
    not likely to be the wisest, or the richest, yet
    a man who has not the wherewithal to be bountiful or liberal
    may be truly merciful.
    partake of the afflictions of our brethren
    have compassion on the souls of others
    pity the ignorant and instruct them,
    the careless, and warn them
    snatch the lost as brands out of a burning forge
    for doing good is one of the most purest and refined delights
    it is more blessed to give than receive
    for with the merciful God will show himself merciful
    the most charitable and merciful cannot pretend to merit

    next follows the pure in heart

    …let me tell you a story about the Joker
    …and the thief in the night

  10. Brett Dale 10
    20 April 2013 at 12:52 pm

    Well done to the Boston Police for capturing the second suspect. Hats off to them.

  12. Morrissey 12
    20 April 2013 at 1:44 pm

    The following clarification needs to be read by listeners to NewstalkZB, the hosts of NewstalkZB, Stephen Franks, Jordan Williams, Neville “Breivik” Gibson, Garth “Gaga” George, Christine “Spankin'” Rankin, Brett Dale and any other bewildered souls out there….

    Statement of the Ambassador of the Czech Republic on the Boston terrorist attack

    19.04.2013 / 21:27

    As many I was deeply shocked by the tragedy that occurred in Boston earlier this month. It was a stark reminder of the fact that any of us could be a victim of senseless violence anywhere at any moment.

    As more information on the origin of the alleged perpetrators is coming to light, I am concerned to note in the social media a most unfortunate misunderstanding in this respect. The Czech Republic and Chechnya are two very different entities – the Czech Republic is a Central European country; Chechnya is a part of the Russian Federation.

    As the President of the Czech Republic Miloš Zeman noted in his message to President Obama, the Czech Republic is an active and reliable partner of the United States in the fight against terrorism. We are determined to stand side by side with our allies in this respect, there is no doubt about that.

    Petr Gandalovič
    Ambassador of the Czech Republic

    http://www.mzv.cz/washington/en/czech_u_s_relations/news/statement_of_the_ambassador_of_the_czech.html

    See also….
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4OakqPbUj0

    • Colonial Viper 12.1
      20 April 2013 at 1:49 pm

      The main people who need to read this clarification is the Pentagon…you know, so they don’t accidentally invade Iran.

      • Morrissey 12.1.1
        20 April 2013 at 1:50 pm

        Nice one, Viper. You are now on the Christmas card list.

        By the way, what do you think the Czech ambassador means when he insists that his country is an “active and reliable” partner of the United States? Does that just mean they support the U.S. in its anti-democracy shenanigans at the U.N.? I was also amused by the tag at the end of the following assurance: “We are determined to stand side by side with our allies in this respect, there is no doubt about that.” That sounds extremely like the “don’t you worry about that” phrase used by Sir Les Patterson.

  13. ghostrider888 13
    20 April 2013 at 2:28 pm

    more on Key’s legacy (the former V.C Waikato, must read te Standard)
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10878341

    McDonalds are lovin’it though, John
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10878531

    • Draco T Bastard 13.1
      20 April 2013 at 4:22 pm

      Re Maccas

      …paid a dividend of $32 million to its parent in 2012 following a 2011 payment of $154 million that it funded by taking on a loan.

      Think about that for a bit.

      WTF is a company taking out a loan to pay dividends?

  14. ghostrider888 14
    20 April 2013 at 2:37 pm

    now, being the critic of the medico-technical complex that I am, I didn’t want to link to this
    Horrific Burns
    yet, I am personally aquainted with a wee young lassie, about 2 months of age, who has had
    -an MRI
    -an EEG
    -CSF tapped
    -anti-viral course
    and been seen by two eye specialists and yet they are still unable to determine why she is unable to see more than contrast. a big sigh indeed; where are all these “tele-medicine” benefits we learn of in the MSM propaganda? likely she will have to go to Starship next, while Tony’s royally shafting the health consumer.

  15. Brett Dale 15
    20 April 2013 at 2:53 pm

    Great to see the people of boston cheering on their police force, instead of wearing FTP teeshirts, like the boyracers do here.

    • felix 15.1
      20 April 2013 at 3:15 pm

      Feed The People? Free The Protesters?

    • Pascal's bookie 15.2
      20 April 2013 at 3:40 pm

      yay for unionised civil servants.

    • The Al1en 15.3
      20 April 2013 at 5:30 pm

      “instead of wearing FTP teeshirts”

      Fuck any arsehole bully who pushes little girls faces into the ground, I say.

      • ghostrider888 15.3.1
        20 April 2013 at 5:55 pm

        hey, you’re from outer space where they have all those teccy shape-shifter doo dads; can you, or Draco, or RedLogix, or Lynn, or the Viper, or anybody with some experience in these matters advise some-one back from the other side of minimum specs
        -processor speed
        -Hard drive storage
        -RAM
        -Vid cards
        to run a couple of programs simultaneously, switch effortlessly between say 5 open tabs, maximise fibre potential, optimise viewing of streamed audio / visual and to interface with freeview / satellite tv.
        (just looking for an un-vested opinion)

        Response will be greatly appreciated and chocolate fish (slightly melted) will be apportioned 😀

        • ghostrider888 15.3.1.1
          20 April 2013 at 7:53 pm

          guess that’s a no then…

          • felix 15.3.1.1.1
            20 April 2013 at 8:13 pm

            So many variables.

            eg “run a couple of programs simultaneously” could be anything from Minesweeper and Solitaire all the way to Final Cut Pro and Abbleton Live.

            Do the “5 open tabs” have online games and videos loading or are they text pages?

            You’d have to be pretty specific to get any really useful advice beyond “get as much ram, processing and hard drive space as you can afford”.

            • ghostrider888 15.3.1.1.1.1
              20 April 2013 at 8:22 pm

              thanx felix; i realise it was a fairly lame query; was just a little overwhelmed and did not want to waste what little income I have; seems 2.8Ghz, 2GB RAM, 500GB HD a few drops in the ocean to start with?

              • felix …
                20 April 2013 at 8:38 pm

                Get more RAM, it’s probably the best “bang for buck” upgrade you can do in most cases.

                Just remember to check whether your running a 32bit or 64bit operating system; a 32bit system will only make use of 3GB of RAM no matter how much you put in.

                edit: listen to the voices 🙂

            • ghostrider888 15.3.1.1.1.2
              20 April 2013 at 8:31 pm

              ran out of edit time: yet “more RAM, more RAM”, the voices in my head keep calling…they keep calling 😀

              • Colonial Viper …
                20 April 2013 at 10:40 pm

                Dude. Yeah the problem is the “Windows” tax where you have to pay good money to get the basic operating system.

                The one to get, if you have to buy a copy, is Windows 7 Home 64bit, someone with a student ID may be able to get you an academic price on it, and sometimes the “OEM” price is cheap too. Avoid that frakking loser Windows 8 “let’s pretend your desktop PC is an Android Tablet” shite whatever you do.

                You have a mate who can screw the thing together for you?

                If so this is my suggestion (check for latest prices with pricespy.co.nz):

                AMD “Trinity” processor A8 5600K: budget level quad core with good built in graphics ability. ~$150 This quad core is definitely slower than the Intel quad cores but its pretty fast, cheaper than the Intels and its graphics are also much faster…for casual 3D gaming haha

                ASRock FM2A75M-DGS micro-ATX form factor motherboard ~$98

                G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1866MHz ~$120 total (in this case, for better performance you want 2 x 4GB RAM chips as they give you twin lane communication speed, not 1 x 8GB chip which gives you the same amount of RAM but just at single lane communication speed)

                IN WIN EM020 Black uATX USB3.0 Mini Tower Case with 400W Power Supply built in (insufficient for heavy duty gaming if you want to include a big discrete gaming video card but certainly fine otherwise) ~$115 I think the case will fit in a 2nd and 3rd HDD if you need more storage room (you’ll have to check if the PSU has the cables to power them up but it should do)

                Western Digital Caviar Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA3 ~$100 If you’re going to store a lot (a lot) of video, photos etc then a second 2TB WD Caviar Green internal HDD would be a go. If you’re going to store relatively little, but want very fast performance, forget the traditional HDD and go an Intel 335 SSD (180 GB capacity) for ~$230 is the go.

                A front case fan for about $15 would be useful if the room you run the PC in gets warm, otherwise I wouldn’t bother unless you are planning to run the machine full tilt fairly often.

                Uh no idea about the Freeview stuff (I presume you get an add in tuner card for it???), but this 3.6 GHz quad core box with 8GB RAM will run nice and fast for all home uses. $600 in parts will give you a box faster than most $900 boxes you get from the main street retailers. Oh yeah you still have to add the windows tax on top of that.

                Also do double check that all the parts make sense, I sorta did this in a rush, but should be good.

        • The Al1en 15.3.1.2
          20 April 2013 at 8:20 pm

          “hey, you’re from outer space where they have all those teccy shape-shifter doo dads”

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMWDPJymksI

          “-processor speed
          -Hard drive storage
          -RAM
          -Vid cards”

          I’m not a technical, though I did spec, source and build my own desktop unit a year and a half ago.
          I’ve had no issues with my quad core i7 2600 using onboard graphics (no vid card) and stock fan, 8gb ram and 500gb hard drive.
          Using my processor hungry music software, it handles all I throw at it and never at more than 20% cpu usage.

          An i5 would be the minimum I’d suggest, but I’m like Mel.

          • ghostrider888 15.3.1.2.1
            20 April 2013 at 8:29 pm

            thnx. u hav restored my faith in extra-terrestrials; an i5 was recommended as a start, guess i’ll go for more ram and dual-core if drachmas permit (what is the speed of your processor?)

            • The Al1en 15.3.1.2.1.1
              20 April 2013 at 8:47 pm

              If you don’t need/want a 64bit operating system, don’t waste money on lots of ram. 32 bit systems can’t access over 3. something of it, so more than 4gb (2×2) is a waste.

              I believe i7s are quad core with hyperthreading (8 cores), i5s are quad core with no HT and i3s are dual core.
              My chip runs at 3.4, which most of the range seems to run at, or around.

              Good luck.

              • ghostrider888 …
                20 April 2013 at 9:05 pm

                thanx. see i learned somethings elses important.all ya gotta do is ask the right OP 😉
                (reasons i put it out there were, a) gotta fire old gertie up and go into town see a man abouta doo-dad, and then b) he’s a gonna try’n upgrade me to some fancy veehickle I don’t rightly need). Now, ise canna find me one on that new-fangled Trades-whatsa-me-callit, where they done try and sell yoo all sorts of purty trimmins.

                • The Al1en …
                  20 April 2013 at 9:18 pm

                  Window shop online and take the sales sharks out of the equation and then when you’ve found what you want at your price, take the magical mystery tour.

                  • Descendant Of Sssmith …
                    20 April 2013 at 10:41 pm

                    Couple of handy little program’s that don’t use up much space to stop your computer filling up with crap and things being high jacked.

                    I like these two for their simplicity and always add them to a new computer when I get one:

                    Crap Cleaner for cleaning up temp fies, caching, stored web pages, cookies and so on.

                    http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner

                    Win patrol which is a nice tidy program that warns you if start page is being high jacked or things are being added to start menu. Also allows you to easily view and control what is in your start menu, what’s running now etc.

                    http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html

                    Both are free to use.

                    I’ve likely got a copy of Office 97 sitting in the garage somewhere if you are interested in it for free. It just might take a bit of finding and I’m away for the next few weeks but happy to dig it out.

                • Draco T Bastard …
                  20 April 2013 at 11:46 pm

                  http://pricespy.co.nz/

                  All you’ll ever need to build a system.

                  BTW, I’d always recommend going for a 64 bit OS. You’re going to have a 64 bit PC you might as well get the full performance out of it.

                  • lprent …
                    21 April 2013 at 12:06 am

                    Yep. Most of the actual benefit is in the memory addressing. I also notice a difference between 32 bit and 64 bit when you get more cores.

                    And to actually get that benefit – use linux. Windows just keeps putting more junk on board until it is effectively the same speed as a old pentium. I just compiled a Qt4/boost program on 32bit windows MSVC2008 on windows7, and it took about 4x as long as g++ did on a 32bit ubuntu 12.04. And I’m not going to even mention the time it took to startup and shut the system down. I’m tempted to pop VC2005 on that system because I’d swear that was faster?

                    But seriously look at putting in even a 32-64GB SSD as a boot. Now those things seriously kickarse for boot and accessing system programs. Too expensive for terabyte storage, but ok for planting the OS.

                    About the only thing that windows is useful for these days is games. I’m too serious for games… 0ad starts…

            • Draco T Bastard 15.3.1.2.1.2
              20 April 2013 at 11:45 pm

              If you’re on a budget skip the Intel chips and go for AMD. Much cheaper both for the motherboard and the CPU.

        • Lanthanide 15.3.1.3
          20 April 2013 at 9:44 pm

          This isn’t going to answer your question outright, but you can use it as a useful guide: http://www.logicalincrements.com/

          Prices are in $US I believe.

          In terms of RAM, you’re going to want a minimum of 4gb. If you’re not planning on playing games, then 4gb is probably fine for your purposes. RAM is pretty cheap though so getting more isn’t a huge imposition.

    • vto 15.4
      20 April 2013 at 5:34 pm

      What would cause people to wear FTP t-shirts?

    • millsy 15.5
      20 April 2013 at 7:46 pm

      Yeah, thats what people do when the cops actually catch genuine bad guys.

    • Descendant Of Sssmith 15.6
      20 April 2013 at 8:23 pm

      Yeah it never rains in Southern California either.

      http://ftp.dailypaul.com/259426/aclu-records-reveal-boston-police-spy-on-political-and-peace-groups

      http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2013/03/boston_police_catfishing_indie_rockers_cops_pose_as_punks_on_the_internet.html?utm_source=tw&utm_medium=sm&utm_campaign=button_chunky

      http://www.metalinjection.net/latest-news/animals-as-leaders-vs-boston-police

      http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=Z_A6_CzvpEE&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DZ_A6_CzvpEE

      There’s a black cop I remember from a few years back who won’t be cheering either. His two white colleagues beat the shit out of him while he was undercover.

      Then there’s the Boston cops who were dealing in drugs……

      And you somehow think that Boston cops are respected more than ours.

      Yeah we have some crap with our cops as well but it ain’t nothing like the Boston people have to put up with.

      You keep trying to tell us how great the US is and how shit we are. I don’t know who you are trying to convince or why you bother but you are not convincing me.

      • weka 15.6.1
        20 April 2013 at 9:10 pm

        “Yeah we have some crap with our cops as well but it ain’t nothing like the Boston people have to put up with.”

        You might be right Ssssmith, but Rickards and co, as well as some of the stories that have come out of places like Dunedin are pretty damning indictments of the NZ police.

        And it’s not like the cops here aren’t being used to spy on Maori, activists etc.

        It’s not just that we have some crap cops (and some good ones). It’s that the police force culture is very corrupt in some ways (Rickards etc) and highly unethical in others (Tuhoe raids)

        • Descendant Of Sssmith 15.6.1.1
          20 April 2013 at 9:27 pm

          I certainly wasn’t suggesting our cops are all sweet and sugar coated – clearly there are issues from time to time and no question there has been a degree of racism amongst some police for ever.

          I’m always cautious in including Rickards in that group due to the testimony that he had a broken leg in plaster at the time of the particular incident most refer to. It was something that was quite provable and he has always maintained he wasn’t there.

          The others no question about their abysmal behaviour and abuse of power.

          The abuse of power is of course sometimes political as was seen with the use of Maori police at Bastion Point. There’s times when you (generic) need to look beyond the individual police or the police culture.

  16. ianmac 16
    20 April 2013 at 3:46 pm

    “Inland Revenue is not ruling out the possibility of a cyber-attack after it wrongly sent emails to 47 people yesterday.

    The error has prompted the department to shut down all inbound emails while it investigates whether it is the latest Government agency to be hit with a privacy breach.”

    Breeches getting to be the norm?
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10878684

    • vto 17.1
      20 April 2013 at 5:35 pm

      the fishing don’t look too good.

    • ianmac 17.2
      20 April 2013 at 8:07 pm

      I have a very wide screen and truly magnificent lunar travel thanks Marty. But just who were those folk down by the 3rd crater from the right who were waving white flags?

  18. joe90 18
    20 April 2013 at 6:38 pm

    Laal – Dehshatgardi Murdabad

    Junior Brown – Hung it Up

  19. emergency mike 19
    20 April 2013 at 6:43 pm

    I’m not sure if this John Armstrong opinion piece in the Herald got linked to here or not, but I found the first 10 comments interesting.

    Armstrong discusses the sloppiness of John Key’s having given four different answers to the question “How did you get Ian Fletcher’s number?” and the ammunition it gave to the opposition.

    “Politicians – certainly not Prime Ministers – are not supposed to behave in this fashion. They are supposed to have one story and stick to it come hell or high water.”

    It’s not the failure to be truthful that disappoints Armstrong, but the failure to simply stick to one story. He concludes with a “but who really cares how he got the number anyway,” line.

    Of the first ten comments, two agreed with the ‘who gives a toss’ line, one bemoaned who embarrasing our political stories were in general, one lamented Armstrongs propensity to claim that he knows how ‘most people’ feel about a given issue, and the other six pointed out that the issue is not how he got the number, it’s the lying about it – the chronic and consistent failure of credibility.

    What interested me was the relative ‘for and against’ likes in the comments. The two comments agreeing that they couldn’t give a toss got a total of 174 likes, the six comments disagreeing and calling out Key as a liar got a total of 1,947 likes.

    This has given me hope that John Key has indeed jumped the shark.

    • vto 19.1
      20 April 2013 at 7:23 pm

      it is quite clearly all down hill for Key and it has been for some time

      there is now no way back.

      see ya Key, thanks for nothing

      • weka 19.1.1
        20 April 2013 at 9:14 pm

        It’s important to remember that he most likely doesn’t care beyond some in the moment ego bruising. He’s done the job he was sent in to do, and he can still do alot of damage on the way out.

        • emergency mike 19.1.1.1
          20 April 2013 at 10:03 pm

          Absolutely, I’ve been saying here for a while that as soon as his asset sales job is done, Key is off to his next corporate money making scheme with an “Ackshully New Zilund, I’ve been great.”

          I’m just glad the tide is finally turning on his public perception. Once you see the tranzrail eyes, you realise that that’s all there is. He’s not a leader with our best interests at heart, he’s a corporate manager, tasked with making sure the sleepy hobbits don’t blink while he smiles and waves and sells our country to the highest bidder.

  20. Descendant Of Sssmith 20
    20 April 2013 at 10:56 pm

    Mate just told me about this

    http://oceana.org/en/blog/2013/04/victory-offshore-oil-drilling-stopped-in-belize

    Yay to both people power and court process.

    Reinforces the separation of government and the courts as being absolutely essential.

    Now if we could just ensure that the separation of government and parliament was more defined so that select committees weren’t a sham and urgency wasn’t abused.

  21. Tim 21
    21 April 2013 at 1:15 am

    FYI:
    Interesting Keiser this week – i.e both KR on RT, and Paxman and Keiser on Newsnight (bbc)

Recent Posts

  • Can taxpayers be confident PIJF cash was spent wisely?
    Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    5 hours ago

  • EGU2024 – An intense week of joining sessions virtually
    Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 hours ago

  • Submission on “Fast Track Approvals Bill”
    The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    8 hours ago

  • The Case for a Universal Family Benefit
    One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    9 hours ago

  • A who’s who of New Zealand’s dodgiest companies
    Submissions on National's corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law are due today (have you submitted?), and just hours before they close, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop has been forced to release the list of companies he invited to apply. I've spent the last hour going through it in an epic thread of bleats, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    11 hours ago

  • On Lee’s watch, Economic Development seems to be stuck on scoring points from promoting sporting e...
    Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    12 hours ago

  • New Zealand has never been closed for business
    1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    13 hours ago

  • Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    16 hours ago

  • Melissa Lee and the media: ending the quest
    Chris Trotter writes –  MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    17 hours ago

  • The Hoon around the week to April 19
    TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    17 hours ago

  • The ‘Humpty Dumpty’ end result of dismantling our environmental protections
    Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    18 hours ago

  • Nicola's Salad Days.
    I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    18 hours ago

  • Study sees climate change baking in 19% lower global income by 2050
    TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    19 hours ago

  • Weekly Roundup 19-April-2024
    It’s Friday again. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week on Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered at the government looking into a long tunnel for Wellington. On Wednesday we ran a post from Oscar Simms on some lessons from Texas. AT’s ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    20 hours ago

  • Jack Vowles: Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  The data is from February this ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    21 hours ago

  • Clearing up confusion (or trying to)
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    23 hours ago

  • How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log iPhone Without Computer
    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A Step–by–Step Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and third–party applications. So, let‘s dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. That‘s why they introduced the “Recently Deleted“ folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Here‘s how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the “Recents“ tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on “Edit“. Select “Show Recently Deleted“. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose “Recover“ to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Here‘s how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose “Erase All Content and Settings“. Follow the on–screen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose “Restore from iCloud Backup“ during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore Third–Party Apps (with Caution): ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
    Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
    Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications: Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago

  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and US to undertake further practical Pacific cooperation
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research.   “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-04-19T15:50:26+00:00