Open mike 20/12/2014

Written By: - Date published: 7:50 am, December 20th, 2014 - 98 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

John key being a dickhead-1The Authors of the Standard are now in holiday mode.  Posting will be less regular and dependant on individual author enthusiasm.  Open mike will continue every day and prepare yourself for some year in review posts and some recycling of old stuff.  And as R0b has said be nice to each other.

Open mike is your post.

The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this.

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

Step up to the mike …

98 comments on “Open mike 20/12/2014 ”

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  1. Paul 1
    20 December 2014 at 8:39 am

    This is what happens when you take away the rules protecting workers and create a hostile environment for them.

    NZ 2014.
    A paradise for bad bosses…and Mike Hosking.

    ‘Agriculture, forestry and fishing are among the biggest offenders against two pieces of legislation designed to protect workers from being ripped off by their bosses.
    The sector topped a table of 19 industries for the number of complaints to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment relating to the Minimum Wage Act, and came second in complaints about the Wages Protection Act.
    There were 843 complaints relating to the Minimum Wage Act and 248 about issues covered under the Wages Protection Act for the year ending November 14.’

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/64343382/aggrieved-workers-lay-wage-complaints

    ‘

    • Murray Rawshark 1.1
      20 December 2014 at 2:13 pm

      If businesses can’t treat their workers according to the minimal standards laid down in legislation, they should be nationalised without compensation. If some cop thinks that I sold drugs and bought a house and a car and a yacht with the proceeds, the government (thanks Goff) has given itself the power to take them off me without proving any crime. Why should businesses be treated so leniently?

  2. Paul 2
    20 December 2014 at 8:42 am

    Sky City turning the screw on the government.

    ‘Announcing the application, SkyCity chief Nigel Morrison revealed the cost of the convention centre had jumped to between $470 million and $530 million.
    The casino operator had previously estimated it would cost $402 million, which it agreed to cover in return for extending its Auckland gaming licence until 2048.
    SkyCity — which reported a net profit of $123.2 million last year — is now in talks with the Government on how to fund the increased cost.’

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11377103

    • Skinny 2.1
      20 December 2014 at 9:13 am

      Yeah I heard snake oil Joyce was taking the piss when he blamed the ballooning costs down to inflation, that’s was laughable as it running at 1%. Now Joyce is really spinning it, saying the original costings ” were close to” .Yeah Steve she’ll be right.

      • mac1 2.1.1
        20 December 2014 at 10:26 am

        Blenheim is building a new theatre. It was costed at $17 million in 2005 and is being built for $17.5 million currently.

        These figures would call into question the original and/or ‘revised’ estimates for the SKY casino. Certainly, it calls into question the so-called good management of business and National government alike.

        • Draco T Bastard 2.1.1.1
          20 December 2014 at 12:08 pm

          Sounds like a typical low bid to get the ‘job’ and then inflate it massively to boost profits. What the government should be doing in this case is simply dropping the deal as SkyCity were obviously lying about their end. And that would mean taking back the land as well – with no compensation.

          This government won’t though – they hand over the extra $100m with no questions asked and no promises on SkyCity’s behalf that it won’t happen again.

          • Paul 2.1.1.1.1
            20 December 2014 at 6:32 pm

            $100 million…
            By the time the building is finished the blow out will be much larger than that.
            The government is being screwed.
            And therefore we are.

            A brave government would now declare the contract null and void and reclaim the land without compensation.

            This subservient lot though will bow to their corporate masters.

    • DH 2.2
      20 December 2014 at 12:12 pm

      I think the most depressing thing about the SkyCity deal is this new news isn’t in the least bit surprising or unexpected. What the Herald should really be asking is what hooks have SkyCity got in the National Party.

      It’s interesting how they include the new hotel in the cost for the Convention Centre when it’s a totally separate business deal for SkyCity and not adding the Centre cost at all.

      Also interesting is the Herald note about the old TVNZ premises being used for the new hotel. We were told the TVNZ land was vital for the Convention Centre and now we’re told it isn’t needed at all. What the hell is going on?

  3. karol 3
    20 December 2014 at 9:07 am

    Scoop has announced the launch of “Operation Chrysalis” – an initiative to invite individuals and organisations from the community to contribute to the development and evolution of Scoop.

    It’s a long piece, some extracts:

    Scoop.co.nz, the pioneering online news resource with a deep publicly accessible archive, rich journalistic heritage and influential audience, is seeking new supporters to make it stable and sustainable into the future.

    From today Scoop is beginning a process of public consultation with the political, business and civil society groups it has served for the past 15 and a half years.

    The internal transformation process – dubbed “Operation Chrysalis” – is necessary to secure the support Scoop needs to sustainably support an informed society and a healthy democracy in a digital age [for further detail see editors notes below]. It is expected that the process will lead to a new ownership structure for the enterprise.
    [..]
    Scoop’s “Operation Chrysalis” will focus initially on building a safe structure to secure Scoop’s publishing operation which sees Scoop publish close to 1000 pieces of content – mostly press releases – each week. This operation has till now operated continuously for 5658 days.

    From today Scoop is seeking expressions of interest in from individuals and organisations in assisting Scoop in the following ways:

    Providing internet hosting services;

    Bringing new “entrepreneurial” vision and energy to the Scoop project;

    Ethical Investment & Sponsorship; and,

    Making a purchase of from Scoop’s communications product range (Newsagent, Infopages and Advertising).
    At the same time, Scoop will be moving to new leadership, with Thompson announcing his intention to depart as the site’s founding editor during 2015.

    More at the link.

    • Paul 3.1
      20 December 2014 at 9:18 am

      Yes having to live with more pokies till 2048 AND having to pay for the Convention Centre.
      Not a good look.
      Still Sky City were probably big donors and will be calling in their debts.

      • greywarshark 3.1.1
        20 December 2014 at 6:14 pm

        Don’t know why pokies are more important than Scoop’s new moves. But if Scoop can keep flourishing I am sure we will hear more about the chess moves about gambling and any other means of inserting vacuums into vulnerable people’s pockets, if they can afford or use them. I hope that many will be lining up. What would The Standard’s position be in relation to this new Scoop, the Chrysalis? A place where all will be crystal clear at the Chrysalis!

        By the way pockets are places to put something in. Some won’t have anything even the ubiquitous tissue found in every garment handed in to an op shop.

  4. Chooky 4
    20 December 2014 at 9:21 am

    Which way Peace?…Some food for thought. Mikhail Gorbachev, a man of Peace who brought down the Berlin Wall, gives his views ( He was awarded the Otto Hahn Peace Medal in 1989, the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 and the Harvey Prize in 1992)

    ‘Mikhail Gorbachev to RT: America wanted to rule the world but lost its way’

    http://rt.com/shows/sophieco/215851-gorbachev-us-ukraine-war/

    “The Ukrainian issue has intensified the tension that existed between the West and Russia: now, another Cold War is possibly lurking on the horizon. Are we to witness another stand-off – or will it be averted? The relations between Russia and the West seem to be stuck at dead-end, so is there hope common ground will emerge between the two? We ask these questions to the man who prides himself on ending the Cold War, the last leader of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, on Sophie&Co today.”

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Gorbachev

    http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/fall-of-the-berlin-wall-the-iron-curtain-fell-because-of-mikhail-gorbachev–a-man-now-despised-as-a-traitor-by-russians-9849117.html

    • greywarshark 4.1
      20 December 2014 at 2:06 pm

      @ Chooky
      Thanks for that link. I’m saving it for later as time preses have to get off this thing, but catching his thoughts will be interesting.
      Have a good Christmas Chooky.

      • Chooky 4.1.1
        20 December 2014 at 4:12 pm

        Thanks Greywarshark….you have a good Christmas too!…personally I think if you survive Christmas that is good enough…

    • Colonial Rawshark 4.2
      20 December 2014 at 5:08 pm

      Gorbachev, a naive man who capitulated to the west, and set modern day Russia up to face ever further reaching NATO encroachment.

      • greywarshark 4.2.1
        20 December 2014 at 6:03 pm

        CR
        What was that then? Was it that Gorbachev gave Ukraine autonomy which then left them in a vulnerable position to become a western pawn?

        • Colonial Rawshark 4.2.1.1
          20 December 2014 at 6:08 pm

          NATO gave Gorbachev assurances that they would not expand a single inch eastward toward the Soviet Union, if Moscow ceeded control of all its eastern bloc holdings. He believed them, and of course, NATO broke its promise within just a couple of years.

          • greywarshark 4.2.1.1.1
            20 December 2014 at 6:28 pm

            CR
            That’s so sad. Why doesn’t Europe have a better sense of it’s own destiny and advanced diplomatic and intelligence analysts advising wisdom? Is it Europe itself or Britain allying with the USA and have they got their hooks into NATO. Can’t NATO limit the USA. They seem to spread anarchy wherever they go.

            Someone recently was saying something about Germany not being as independent and strong as I thought. Surely Germany wouldn’t be stirring again and neither Austria.

            Incidentally one meaning of anarchy is “absence of government and absolute freedom of the individual, regarded as a political ideal.” The USA can’t govern itself in a stable manner, the Republicans are barring it from that, and touts its freedoms – only for some, but having a gun might help to enforce them.

            The other meaning of anarchy is “a state of disorder due to absence or non-recognition of authority or other controlling systems.” In so many of the countries that USA supports, it either promotes a heavily controlled state of disorder, or steps in eventually to remove their despot leaving an absence of authority which is fought for by competing groups leaving no accepted controlling systems country-wide. Sounds like anarchy to me. Anarchy Rules Not OKay!

          • nadis 4.2.1.1.2
            20 December 2014 at 8:46 pm

            I don’t thiknk it is as black and white as that, and there is a certain amount of history rewriting going on so that people are remembered more fondly. Gorbacheve odesnt want to be known as the guy who “gave the East to Nato.”

            Edvard Shevardnadze has always claimed there never was a deal. At the time it was crazy to think any of theeastern satellites would join Nato – they were still members of the EWarsaw pact. Gorbachev himself us on record as saying that he believed the communist parties throughout Eastern Europe would democtrtise thmeselves a la glasnost and remain in power.

            It seems bizarre that in 1990 when Russia and Germany (plus the other 4 participants) agreed that a unified Germany could join Nato (in a written agreement) that they didn’t address in writing) the other countries. I think the most likely explanation is that some vague discussions were had but nothing serious as the likelihood seemed so remote. No-one antiipated the sudden demise of the communist parties across Europe and the headlong rush of the new governments to the west. Bear in mind at that time NATO didn’t want any new members – why would English or Dutch soldiers go to fight for Hungary or Slovakia?

            Gorbachev miscalculated – he thought he could manage a change that left the communist elites in power.

            • Colonial Rawshark 4.2.1.1.2.1
              20 December 2014 at 8:54 pm

              Gorbachev miscalculated alright. But the institutional elites – i.e. the ones in the military and the KGB, not the remnant political branches which had to be swept aside – did indeed retain power (and garner the wealth). Hence the phenomenon of Putin and also the oligarchs.

              • nadis …
                20 December 2014 at 9:24 pm

                That, I agree with. Struggling to think of a country in the last 100 years which has been looted as much as Russia. Maybe some African countries?

                Maybe the US in the 1860s-1880’s thought the difference is that wealth didn’t leave the country and has been pretty heavily recycled now.

      • Chooky 4.2.2
        20 December 2014 at 7:22 pm

        +100 CR…yes well i agree he was naive in retrospect…and probably why Gorbachev is very unpopular in Russia today…and why Putin is very popular with Russians

        ….but that just makes Gorbachev’s and Russia’s trust and past good intentions for Peace even more poignant

        …and throws into particularly sharp relief what Gorbachev says today, as an old and wiser man, about the USA war machine economy

  5. Sanctuary 5
    20 December 2014 at 9:25 am

    I am not saying the Sony hack was anything other than an astoundingly lawless act, but imagine how Fox news and the US government might react if the Chinese and Russians made a high profile comedy blockbuster co-production entitled “Assassinating Barack Obama”…

    • ianmac 5.1
      20 December 2014 at 9:45 am

      On a different scenario Sanctuary, I was thinking of the grief and shock at the Sydney loss of life and the tragedy of the Pakistan raid. In both cases famies and society at large were so upset.
      Then I thought of the tragedies happening all the time during the Afghanistan conflict and the Iraq disaster and drone attacks and the Israeli “retaliations.” Imagine the grief of hundreds of thousands of families in those regions. Whole families wiped out. Do we think that only the West have grieving families?
      The Powers claim legitimate and accidental collateral damage.
      As you say, imagine how we would react if the tragedies were the other way round.

    • nadis 5.2
      20 December 2014 at 11:41 am

      The US makes those movies themselves. As does the UK:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_a_President_%282006_film%29

      Pretty sure the US government didn’t notice.

      • greywarshark 5.2.1
        20 December 2014 at 2:15 pm

        nadis
        You seem to deliberately miss the point or bring up some assymetrical example.
        A film made in 2006 was within a different climate and not the culture we have now.
        Ever since 2001 and the attack on the towers in USA there is a constant tightening of reaction to real or imagined dangers and pro-action by closing down likely points of trouble.

        • nadis 5.2.1.1
          20 December 2014 at 3:55 pm

          ?

          2006>2001

          Not sure what I am being accused of. Your comment is remarkably incoherent.

          Sanctuary asked the question “what if someone else made a movie about killing the US president. Imagine the outrage”

          Just google “movies about killing the president”. There are plenty. Not seeing much outrage. Also not sure why “the interview” itself is so offensive.

          • RedLogix 5.2.1.1.1
            20 December 2014 at 4:52 pm

            I think the difference is that the movies you are thinking of are all of American (or US sympathetic origin). I’m guessing that in them the assassins are fairly reliably depicted as the bad guys and the hero gets to variously liquidate them all in order to make the world safe once more for the American way.

            Now I know nothing about the Interview but I have to think that its plot didn’t quite follow this well-worn propaganda path.

            In particular if say the Chinese were to make a movie about interviewing President Obama with extreme prejudice – and the trigger men were portrayed as the good guys – you have to think that most Americans would be pretty unhappy. (Well apart from a substantial cohort of GOP nutters).

            • nadis 5.2.1.1.1.1
              20 December 2014 at 5:39 pm

              I dunno – for all it’s faults the US still has a greater respect and allowance for free speech than any other country in the world. I suspect most Americans wouldn’t care. Plenty of nations and people overseas (as well as a few domestically) are calling “death to Obama” – the Americans are used to it. Not sure why putting it in a movie makes it more offensive.

              • greywarshark …
                20 December 2014 at 5:55 pm

                I don’t respect sweeping statements like this the US still has a greater respect and allowance for free speech than any other country in the world.>/i>
                Because even if it is true then there is huge opportunity for abuse and harrassment that leaves the recipient anything but free to respond in kind or any other way.

    • Murray Rawshark 5.3
      20 December 2014 at 5:55 pm

      Fox News and both houses of the US Congress would love a high profile comedy blockbuster co-production entitled “Assassinating Barack Obama”. I don’t follow.

    • Lindsey 5.4
      21 December 2014 at 7:52 am

      Fox News would be really happy. Half their fan base would queue up to attend.

  6. millsy 6
    20 December 2014 at 10:10 am

    That pic of Key above pretty much sums him up, along with his followers (who are beginning to have the attitude of Mao’s red guards).

    • Clemgeopin 6.1
      20 December 2014 at 10:22 am

      After all the bad stuff, the dirty politics, the bad laws for workers, the sell of of NZ assets, the tanking economy, the massive debts, the constant lies that Key and his government have indulged in, it is incredulous that Key still seems popular. Why?

      • The Murphey 6.1.1
        20 December 2014 at 11:41 am

        A. ‘Herd Mentality’

        Apply to all aspects of what masquerades as ‘life’ and realize that the lies and deceit operate at 360 degrees

        Not one single theme is ‘immune’ from duplicitous nature of the man made environments we are trapped into from birth and the psychological warfare which exists at the core

      • millsy 6.1.2
        20 December 2014 at 5:31 pm

        Because there are 2 sides to the average Kiwi. One side is “sweet as bro” and will give you the shirt off their back . The other, more sinister, side is willing to smash beer bottles over women and childrens head to watch a rugby match. Key subtly brings out the latter side while making himself out as the former.

  7. travellerev 7
    20 December 2014 at 10:23 am

    It’s A Man, It’s A Golfer, It’s A Fan, It’s A Fisher! John Key’s Getting A Happy Makeover While People Starve On Christmas.

    • RedLogix 7.1
      20 December 2014 at 10:27 am

      No you don’t understand – poor people are just sick losers, while their betters are out there working hard to halve their golf handicap.

    • Olwyn 7.2
      20 December 2014 at 11:58 am

      This year they seem to be laying it on thicker than usual – fun-Key snaps are everywhere. Here grinning away with Kate Perry, there in a fishing hat, here hanging out with radio jocks in a gonky tee shirt. Isn’t he due in Hawaii sometime soon?

      • Ffloyd 7.2.1
        21 December 2014 at 4:40 pm

        Personally I think smirkey is an absolute embarrassment to NZ. Does he not realise what a dork he looks. Do his people send out these ridiculous puff pieces to newspapers and they print them, or do they follow him around to get these absolutely sad photos of our esteemed pm. Genuine question. Could tolerate them if he had been a halfway decent pm, but he hasn’t so I can’t. I don’t know how many business peopleI have spoken to recently who are finding things very slow at the moment. Key and English have got a lot to answer for.

  8. travellerev 8
    20 December 2014 at 10:42 am

    Yep, You’re either a winner or a loser on John Key’s planet and everybody wants to be with the winner!

  9. Clemgeopin 9
    20 December 2014 at 10:42 am

    Getting to know a little bit more about our Andrew:

    “For three days Labour leader Andrew Little shut himself in a room and set about writing a personal message in 450 different Christmas cards.

    While countless business and politicians have sent out screeds of computer printed festive cards, the New Plymouth-born political heavyweight took it upon himself to give each of his cards a unique message.

    “I had a couple of days off and I was supposed to spend them with my son. But he got a bit sick so I sat down and got stuck into my Christmas cards. It took a significant part of each day for three days,” Little said.

    The effort burned through two pens, came close to causing him a repetitive strain injury in his hand and taxed his memory for messages particular to each person. Despite that, he said he was likely to do it again next year.

    “You try and do something personal for each. I think the personal touch is important.”

    Recipients of his personalised cards, which feature a picture of Little and his wife Leigh Fitzgerald at Wellington’s Island Bay, included many members of the New Plymouth and Whanganui Labour Party chapters and business and community leaders he dealt with in the last year.’

    Read more here:
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/christmas/64345909/merry-christmas-merry-christmas-merry–

    • The Al1en 9.1
      20 December 2014 at 10:58 am

      Should have spent the time thinking up an apology to New Zealanders for supporting john key’s lapdog spy bill.

      Far to meh about little to praise him for his dedication to writing individual christmas card messages.

    • b waghorn 9.2
      20 December 2014 at 3:17 pm

      The main thing I take from a story like that one on stuff is the press are being positive about a labour leader ,if the herd on stuff change direction keys gone in 3 or even sooner

  10. The Al1en 10
    20 December 2014 at 11:47 am

    Having to fill in a “Current ye@r” box under the submit button every time I make a post.
    And when I don’t I’m getting…

    “Go back and try again.
    Error: answer is wrong. [3.3]
    Comment was blocked because it is spam.”

    Also the feeds are gone, just showing – [tabs] [tab title="Feeds"]

    And search is in advanced mode by default which it usually wasn’t for me.

    Edit:
    And when I do an edit, I get a full screen page instead of a pop up, and when saved it doesn’t return me to the previous page.

    • b waghorn 10.1
      20 December 2014 at 11:56 am

      Having there same . thanks for the tip I’d been putting the whole date in not just 2014

      • The Al1en 10.1.1
        20 December 2014 at 12:05 pm

        Good to know it isn’t just me. Ta for confirming.

        Started for me yesterday. When I click to reply it refreshes the page and opens the reply box after the last post at the bottom of the screen, not necessarily the one I’m replying to.
        If I scroll up and click reply again, the box opens under the correct post, though still with confirm the year spam check.

        On Chrome Version 39.0.2171.95 m

    • greywarshark 10.2
      20 December 2014 at 12:43 pm

      Same. No trouble about putting the year and if forget, get a reminder and a return to comment.

      And when I reply it does the same as The Allen says. The comment box at the bottom notes the comment name being replied to which is handy. But if you want to refer to something in that comment, you have to go searching for it – hard if the thread is long and tangled!

      When I edit I get a small box in left-hand (of course) corner of the screen which works as usual. When saved just sits and I have to use return to get back. I am returned to the original comment and I have to refresh with F5 on Firefox (as yet not updated), to get the new revised better comment.

      Also the edit button doesn’t show time limit ticking away beside it.
      edited multi

    • lprent 10.3
      20 December 2014 at 12:52 pm

      Sorry, been relaxing after work finished. It looks like a bug from the upgrade to WordPress 4.1 yesterday and the ougin upgrades that went with it.

      I will have a look at it. But I am on the android pad that the mall. So it have to wait until after the movie.

      • The Al1en 10.3.1
        20 December 2014 at 1:33 pm

        No worries, just making sure you were aware of the problem.

        Enjoy the movie. If the problem is fixed soon, I guess you’re watching The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

        • lprent 10.3.1.1
          21 December 2014 at 6:09 pm

          Indeed. It was rather boring because they somehow didn’t manage to make the storyline clear about why there was a such a battle.

      • just saying 10.3.2
        20 December 2014 at 2:58 pm

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPNWQ6EOoKQ

        At last I know why I keep bouncing back as spam. Tried to post this five times this morning. In honour of seeing my Irish mum in a couple of days, some amazing Irish blues. Rory gallagher “A Milllion Miles Away”

        Miss you Rogue Trooper

        • lprent 10.3.2.1
          20 December 2014 at 4:44 pm

          Ok. I just have to clear the cache. I think that will fix the main problem.

          • b waghorn 10.3.2.1.1
            20 December 2014 at 5:08 pm

            Back to normal now cheers only thing not going is if I tap my name in replies it says none found in search.

            • Jenny Kirk 10.3.2.1.1.1
              20 December 2014 at 5:26 pm

              Yes – mine is now back to normal again too. Thanks lprent. I thought it was me muckin’ up the innards of my pc ! relieved to find it wasn’t me.

              • Anne …
                20 December 2014 at 5:30 pm

                Yep. Hit’s the self esteem barometer a bit to be told one’s contributions are nothing but spam. 😈

            • lprent 10.3.2.1.1.2
              21 December 2014 at 6:08 pm

              Thanks. Looks like a problem in the search engine.

              Just finished fixing the Feed. So I guess that the search is next. I guess it is about time to replace the hacked version I did about 5 years ago.

  11. b waghorn 11
    20 December 2014 at 11:55 am

    Testing this thing on

  12. Morrissey 12
    20 December 2014 at 11:56 am

    North Korea not the only pariah regime intimidating the film industry

    Tough-guy Hollywood star George Clooney is fuming, in a laid-back, cool, method kind of way: “We cannot be told we can’t see something by Kim Jong-un, of all fucking people,” he spluttered in an interview the other day. “We have allowed North Korea to dictate content, and that is just insane.” [1] And President Hopey Changey said this morning that he wished the Sony bosses had talked to him before they canned that unfunny Seth Rogen film. [2]

    So American liberals are really upset about the censorship of free expression, right? They speak out against corrupt and evil regimes that try to shut down debate, right? Well, not exactly….

    Israeli government attempts to shut down Nakba film festival in Tel Aviv
    by SARAH LEVY, Mondoweiss, December 11, 2014
    http://mondoweiss.net/2014/12/government-attempts-festival

    Imagine if in the U.S. it were illegal to teach about the genocide of the Native Americans or the violent and gruesome system of slavery in North America. Imagine if you could be punished for simply mentioning the suffering of the indigenous people on Thanksgiving, or for questioning the nobility of Columbus of Columbus Day.

    In Israel, this reality is not far fetched. Any Israeli institution with public funding that mentions, teaches, or mourns the Nakba (Arabic for “catastrophe”) can be fined, and individuals can be sentenced to prison for their involvement.

    Recently this law threatened to cause trouble for the Israeli non-profit organization Zochrot as they prepared for their second annual “48 mm—International Film Festival on Nakba and Return” in Tel Aviv.

    This year’s festival, which was attended by hundreds of people, mostly Israeli, featured three film shorts made by Israeli directors specifically for the weekend, as well as longer films made in Palestine, Israel, and abroad on the subject of the Nakba and the right of return for Palestinian refugees. Highlights of the festival this year included Mahdi Fleifel’s A World Not Ours, which documented life inside a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon including the residents’ hopes, dreams, and depressions; Fida Qishta’s Where Should the Birds Fly, a “visual documentation of the Goldstone Report,” that showed Israel’s horrific Operation Cast Lead of 2008-9 against the Gaza Strip and spent time with several young survivors of the attack; and the Israeli premier of the film A People Without a Land, Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon’s compelling…..

    See more at…
    http://mondoweiss.net/2014/12/government-attempts-festival#sthash.mJRfTM99.dpuf

    [1] http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/dec/19/george-clooney-sony-pictures-hack-the-interview
    [2] http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30555997

    • The Murphey 12.1
      20 December 2014 at 12:06 pm

      Q. Which is more likely the offending entity based on technical capability and motive?

      1. NK
      2. NSA
      3. [pick an acronym]

      Q. What legislation has been heavily debated but as yet blocked through the houses of US Governance ?

      Q. Given the nature of what is ‘sold’ what grounds would Hollywood ‘stars’ have in acting as moral compass in ethical discussions?

      • miravox 12.1.1
        20 December 2014 at 12:13 pm

        How about you start giving an opinion on your own questions sometime instead of expecting* other people to answer for you?

        * maybe you like just putting things out there – I’m open to be corrected

      • Morrissey 12.1.2
        20 December 2014 at 12:13 pm

        Q. Which is more likely the offending entity based on technical capability and motive?
        1. NK
        2. NSA
        3. [pick an acronym]

        My guess is: Anonymous. Or one of Cameron “Blubberguts” Slater’s cronies. They probably support North Korea.

        Q. What legislation has been heavily debated but as yet blocked through the houses of US Governance?

        I’m not quite sure. Please explain!

        Q. Given the nature of what is ‘sold’ what grounds would Hollywood ‘stars’ have in acting as moral compass in ethical discussions?

        Not a lot. Most of them—not all, but most of them—do no reading, and are unbelievably ignorant.

  13. Morrissey 13
    20 December 2014 at 12:31 pm

    The Standard was on to Blubberguts’s antics four years ago

    This one is from the archives, but it’s well worth reflecting that Blubberguts has been telling lies and orchestrating mayhem under our very noses for a long time. Nicky Hager’s book was not a revelation, but a confirmation, to anyone who had eyes, and the sense, to see….

    The real story on Slater’s videos
    by MARTY G 10:30 am, September 21st, 2010 – 163 comments

    Twice in a fortnight, we have had the unedifying spectacle of media running a false story based on a video on Cameron Slater’s Whaleoil blog. First it was the fake video that purported to show Jim Anderton saying only an earthquake could make him lose the mayoral race. Last night, it was a story that Labour’s Mana candidate, Kris Fa’afoi applied for a job with National shortly before going to work for Labour.

    In both cases, media simply ran a story based on Slater’s word and the video he gave them.

    Anyone who has met Slater knows he’s more than a few sandwiches short of a picnic. He doesn’t have the access or the ability to conjure up fake videos of Anderton from local TV or Fa’afoi using two year old footage. Slater is merely the crazy tool of the National Research Unit. They’re obviously behind most of the interesting material that Farrar and Slater release* and these put-up videos are no exception (Slater gets the stuff Farrar turns down).

    Now, my comrades in the media, here’s a real story for you: how National uses proxies to run up false, muckraking media stories while appearing to keep its hands clean. It might take some actual research…..

    Read more….
    http://thestandard.org.nz/the-real-story-on-slaters-videos/

    • miravox 13.1
      20 December 2014 at 12:42 pm

      Nice, Morrissey.

      Not much more to say really, except come back Marty G. I liked those graphs and things that you did too.

      Seriously, I have missed the Marty G posts. I appreciate the authors here very much, but Marty G occupied a rather unique space that has yet to be filled.

    • Anne 13.2
      20 December 2014 at 5:39 pm

      The sheer disgrace is that four years and one revealing book later the obnoxious worm is still at it, and many in the media are still accessing his discredited stories for public consumption and indeed associating with him.

  14. Morrissey 14
    20 December 2014 at 12:41 pm

    The right wing in Britain hates democracy, Russell Brand—and Russia

    Over the last few days the Murdoch empire has been expressing jubilation over the fall in the value of the rouble. But, as this article points out, British state media like the Sun and the BBC should take a closer look….
    http://wingsoverscotland.com/it-could-be-worse/

  15. phillip ure 15
    20 December 2014 at 1:27 pm

    “..Could cannabis oil reverse the effects of cancer?..

    ..a film following six patients receiving the controversial treatment is released..”

    (cont..)

    http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/could-cannabis-oil-reverse-the-effects-of-cancer-9934577.html

    • phillip ure 15.1
      20 December 2014 at 1:54 pm

      (further to above..)

      “..growing scientific research now suggests that cannabis oil may also possess anti-cancer properties that help stem the growth of malignant tumours.

      The crème-de-la-creme is seen as 1:1 oils – which contain equal amounts of THC and CBD –

      – which,when combined – are more effective.

      CBD also has the added benefit of moderating the psychoactive effects of THC..”

      • The Al1en 15.1.1
        20 December 2014 at 1:58 pm

        Twice in a week 🙄

      • phillip ure 15.1.2
        20 December 2014 at 2:06 pm

        (and further to above..)

        “..These trials can’t come soon enough – believes Peter McCormick – a lecturer in Cell Biology at the School of Pharmacy at the University of East Anglia –

        – who earlier this year found that THC could help combat the growth of cancerous cells.

        “There are hundreds of reports out there and I do get concerned about them being written off as some anomaly –

        – or people trying to push recreational drugs into a legalised setting.

        The reality is that there are plenty of cases where cannabinoids do seem to be doing something –

        – and our study is further evidence that more research needs to be done..”

        • The Al1en 15.1.2.1
          20 December 2014 at 2:17 pm

          🙄 For balance. Wall of text alert.

          http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2012/07/25/cannabis-cannabinoids-and-cancer-the-evidence-so-far/

          We often see websites with long lists of scientific papers claiming that cannabis is a “cure” for various cancers. However, when we look at the detail of the data and the experimental detail of the research, it becomes clear that although they may be interesting and build evidence to show that cannabinoids may one day bring benefits for cancer patients, they are far from being a cure.

          The main point to realise is that virtually all these studies have been done in cancer cells grown in the lab or in animals. These are quite artificial systems and are much less complex than a real cancer growing in a patient.

          For example, most experiments with cells grown in the lab use cancer cells that were originally taken from a tumour many years ago, but have been grown for a long time in the lab – known as cell lines. One problem with such cells is that they are all very similar on a genetic and molecular level, but we know that in real cancers, the cells can be very different from each other and respond in different ways to treatments. Also the usual way of testing cannabinoids in animals has been done by transplanting cancer cells (either mouse or human) into mice. Usually only a small number (5-20) will be used for each experiment.

          There’s growing evidence that these particular kinds of models (known as xenografts) aren’t as good at suggesting a treatment could work, compared to more sophisticated genetically engineered animals, as they don’t accurately represent the situation in real tumours. So although these kinds of experiments can point towards useful approaches, as well as revealing the underlying molecular ‘nuts and bolts’ of what’s going on, they can’t tell us if something will definitely treat cancer effectively and safely in human patients. They do not “prove that cannabis cures cancer”, as the headlines would have us believe.

          Put simply, Petri dishes are not people.

          • phillip ure 15.1.2.1.1
            20 December 2014 at 2:39 pm

            from yr link..

            “..But that’s the lab – what about clinical research involving people with cancer? Results have been published from only one clinical trial testing whether cannabinoids can treat cancer in patients, led by Dr Manuel Guzman and his team in Spain. Nine people with advanced, terminal glioblastoma multiforme – an aggressive brain tumour – were given highly purified THC through a tube directly into their brain.

            Eight people’s cancers showed some kind of response to the treatment, and one didn’t respond at all. All the patients died within a year, as might be expected for people with cancer this advanced.

            The results from this study show that THC given in this way is safe and doesn’t seem to cause significant side effects. But because this was an early stage trial, without a control group, it’s impossible to say whether THC helped to extend their lives. And while it’s certainly not a cure, the trial results suggest that cannabinoids are worth pursuing in clinical trials..”

            did you even read it..?

            ..and yr link is from 3 yrs ago..

            ..mine is from today..

            ..and that can be a lifetime in medical research..

            (doh..!..what’s the emoji for looking like a fucken idiot..?

            ..shouldn’t you be using that one..?..)

            • The Al1en 15.1.2.1.1.1
              20 December 2014 at 2:50 pm

              From my link – Did you even read it? 🙄 😆

              [Please note – we are updating this blog post regularly as new research is published.]
              And
              Kat Arney – July 4, 2014 – Additional information:

              As I wrote, my response is for balance, so not going to get in to a debate with you, which you’ll withdraw from in an unseemly manner anyway. But soon as there’s proof there’s a cure for cancer, what ever cures it, I’m sure we’ll all know about it without having to resort to the deliberately disingenuous.

              At the moment cancer research uk trumps the The daily mail or Independant or Guardian or whoever, even you, believe it or not 😆

              • phillip ure …
                20 December 2014 at 3:00 pm

                (i repeat..did you even fucken read it..?..yr own link..?..)

                “..the trial results suggest that cannabinoids are worth pursuing in clinical trials..”

                what does yr small ever-fizzing brain take those words to mean..?..

                ..(take yr time..!..)

                • The Al1en …
                  20 December 2014 at 3:03 pm

                  Well you clearly didn’t if you missed the amendment notice with this years date and claim it’s three years old 😉 😆

                  If you have a problem with the added conclusions of the blog writer, (hint – it’s at the bottom of the page, which unlike me, you haven’t read all the way down to) contact her and seek clarification as to why she would write conflicting information, though reality is she does preface your ‘proof’ with “Results have been published from only one clinical trial”.

                  Other than that, I have nothing else for you 🙂

                  • phillip ure …
                    20 December 2014 at 3:12 pm

                    and you really need to check yr sources a bit closer..

                    ..it has the correct sounding (‘impartial’) name..

                    ..’cancer research uk’..

                    ..but it is actually a give-us-money!-site..

                    ..what some might call a scam..

                    ..and it’s certainly not what you are trying to claim it is..

                    ..you are such a buffoon/fool..!

                    ..aren’t you..?

                    “..Other than that, I have nothing else for you..”

                    • The Al1en …
                      20 December 2014 at 3:13 pm

                      “..but it is actually a give-us-money!-site….what some might call a scam..”

                      🙄 Cancer research UK a scam. Er, okay, but only a idiot would write it down.

                    • The Al1en …
                      20 December 2014 at 3:29 pm

                      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_Research_UK

                      “Cancer Research UK is a cancer research and awareness charity in the United Kingdom,[3] formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund.[4] Its aim is to reduce the number of deaths from cancer. As the world’s largest independent cancer research charity[5][6] it conducts research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Research activities are carried out in institutes, universities and hospitals across the UK, both by the charity’s own employees and by its grant-funded researchers. It also provides information about cancer and runs campaigns aimed at raising awareness of the disease and influencing public policy.”

                      “On 18 July 2012 it was announced that Cancer Research UK was to receive its largest ever single donation of £10 million from an anonymous donor. The money will go towards the £100 million funding needed for the Francis Crick Institute in London, the largest biomedical research building in Europe.”

                      “In the financial year 2010/11 the charity spent £332 million on cancer research projects (around 69% of its total income for that year). The bulk of the remaining costs were spent on trading and fundraising costs, with a small amount also spent on information services, campaigning and advocacy, administration, on other activities, or held in reserve.”

                      Those bastard scammers 🙄

                      “In June 2011 Cancer Research UK was one of several health charities (along with the British Heart Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Society and Parkinson’s UK) targeted by the animal rights organisation Animal Aid in a publicity campaign involving a series of advertisements in British newspapers urging members of the public to stop giving donations to organizations that fund medical research involving animal experiments.”

                      Aaaah, get it now 🙄

                      See those bits

                      “and you really need to check yr sources a bit closer..”
                      “..but it is actually a give-us-money!-site….what some might call a scam….and it’s certainly not what you are trying to claim it is..”
                      and
                      “..you are such a buffoon/fool..!…aren’t you..?”

                      😆

                    • phillip ure …
                      20 December 2014 at 3:29 pm

                      yr modus operandi is the same as p.g..

                      ..never answer when called..

                      .and just dive off to some other/fussy/carping/nagging point/angle..

                      ..fuck off..!..tr*ll..!..

                      ..u.r. back on ignore..

                    • The Al1en …
                      20 December 2014 at 3:35 pm

                      “yr modus operandi is the same as p.g….never answer when called…and just dive off to some other/fussy/carping/nagging point/angle….fuck off..!..tr*ll..!….u.r. back on ignore..”

                      ” so not going to get in to a debate with you, which you’ll withdraw from in an unseemly manner anyway. ”

                      Off to buy a lotto powerball ticket. If they do a knucklehead version, I’ll get one for you. 🙂

                    • greywarshark …
                      20 December 2014 at 7:34 pm

                      What a pain you two are The Allen and phillip ure.
                      From now on I think everyone should address you as they start off as buffoon or fool.

                      On another comment there is a report about Gaza being bombed by the Israelis. Two peoples having a real war over land life and everything. And yet you practice those techniques of attack and mock, get under the skin, mock, then back to attack and mock.

                      You should not practice this on a site where people are trying to cut through this bullshit. There is enough already going on in our society and all over the world. Yet you bring on your petty name-calling that is right at the start of conflicts. Calll each other out if you get annoyed, and then leave it alone, still unresolved. Agree to differ semi-politely. Because going on and on just makes this boring comment seem deja vu.
                      edited

  16. b waghorn 16
    20 December 2014 at 4:23 pm

    http://info.scoop.co.nz/Livestock_Improvement_Corporation
    Trying to work out how to link ,this is about how through a breeding blip lic think they have descovered a way that will keep cows milking in tropical areas and cope with global warming. Its under the title hot and hairy

  18. joe90 18
    20 December 2014 at 5:12 pm

    More misery.

    Mohammed Omer  @Mogaza · 5h 5 hours ago

    Unconfirmed report from medics: one killed in last #Israeli airstrike on #Gaza
    0 replies 107 retweets 26 favorites

    Mohammed Omer  @Mogaza · 5h 5 hours ago

    Drones and F16s I did not miss you in #Gaza
    0 replies 72 retweets 28 favorites

    Mohammed Omer  @Mogaza · 5h 5 hours ago

    Bombing #Gaza now
    0 replies 148 retweets 28 favorites

    Mohammed Omer  @Mogaza · 5h 5 hours ago

    F16s are flying overheads now! What is the next target? #GazaUnderAttack
    0 replies 122 retweets 25 favorites

    Mohammed Omer  @Mogaza · 5h 5 hours ago

    electricity wires have been cut after #Israeli airstrikes on south #Gaza Strip
    0 replies 124 retweets 30 favorites

    https://twitter.com/Mogaza

  19. batweka 19
    20 December 2014 at 6:30 pm

    An atheist, a vegan, a libertarian, and a BMW owner walk into a bar…

    I only know because they told everyone in the bar within 2 minutes.

    😉

    (h/t twitter)

  20. joe90 20
    20 December 2014 at 7:37 pm

    Where Harper goes…..

    Alternatives and 52 other charities have been caught in a net created by the 2012 federal budget, when the Harper government gave the revenue agency millions of dollars to audit the political activities of key charities. The initiative coincided with provocative comments by cabinet ministers painting environmental groups as “radicals” and “money launderers.”

    The first wave of 10 audits targeted environment charities, most of whom oppose the government’s promotion of energy pipelines and the oilsands, but later audit waves expanded to include anti-poverty, human-rights and international aid groups.

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/alternatives-foreign-aid-charity-faces-closure-after-revenue-canada-audit-1.2878105

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-revenue-agency-says-preventing-poverty-not-allowed-as-goal-for-charity/article19763321/

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canadian-aid-groups-told-to-keep-quiet-on-policy-issues/article1215648/

  21. greywarshark 21
    20 December 2014 at 8:08 pm

    @ joe90
    I tried the cbc link but it seemed to have difficulty in loading. The globeandmail report referred to poverty a lot and how preventing it wasn’t on, though alleviating it was, and I wondered have they defined poverty. It is a generic term. There seemed a poverty of facts about the actual measurement by Canada of what income and life circumstances constitute poverty! So how can they talk about it so glibly?

    Certainly whenever you mention wealth there are people pouring out of the woodwork talking themselves out of being wealthy or rich. Years ago when I and partner built a house it was about 10 times the lowest wage, about !0,000 pounds all up or say, $25-30,000. Now $40,000 is a lowish wage so 10 times, would give $400,000 for a nice 3/br city house. Not many around, lucky to find a 2 bedroom unit on handkerchief section for that.

    People who have had to pay double $400,000, can well feel poor with not much to spend. Hard isn’t it, to understand real poverty when individuals are concentrated on themselves and house prices are inflated by lax government input to contain demand and inflationary subsidies to landlords. The subsidies should have gone to cheap loans to encourage savings and good financial health of individuals. Though economic activity might have fallen without the push for the consumer society. When we looked in our financial mirrors we wouldn’t see the image of the fairest country of all, as Blinglish is always portraying.

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    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
    1 day 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
    2 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
    2 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
    11 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
    13 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
    15 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
    1 day 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
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