Open mike 21/05/2021

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 21st, 2021 - 43 comments
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43 comments on “Open mike 21/05/2021 ”

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  1. Adrian Thornton 1
    21 May 2021 at 8:03 am

    One of worlds most long standing, fearless and respected reporters and war correspondents gives his views on the West's treatment of both Palestine and China today, and concludes both are rooted in maintaining world hegemony and jingoism…

    John Pilger: Campaign Against China & Palestine🇵🇸 Are One & The Same! 400 US Bases Surround China!

  3. Incognito 3
    21 May 2021 at 8:51 am

    “The coroner has said the evidence does not clearly link the brand change to the deaths [of six epilepsy patients]. However, she made comments that our patient leaflet did not include all the information that people taking lamotrigine needed to know.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/125164867/coroner-finds-no-direct-link-between-epilepsy-drug-switch-and-deaths-of-six-people

    • Treetop 3.1
      21 May 2021 at 11:25 am

      The coroner relies on the medical person assigned to the case.

      In this case I would expect that an overseas expert in epilepsy and lamotrigine be the medical person the coroner used.

      I have not read the link.

      As well the family have ACC to take on as now there is an issue with information which the GP or specialist may have overlooked when the lamotrigine was prescribed.

      • greywarshark 3.1.1
        21 May 2021 at 11:51 am

        That would be a weight on the patient's family – expecting that the replacement drug was as good as the previous and working in the same way, they could likely have followed the same procedures as before. This is a responsibility laid on family that are caring for their relative but are ordinary people, perhaps already stretched and stressed with other matters but also is a problem for the GP trying to keep up with all the medications that flood the market, and the extra drug change that Pharmac which is doing its job, forces on them.

        • Treetop 3.1.1.1
          21 May 2021 at 12:53 pm

          Was the pharmacist who dispensed the lamotrigine also responsible?

          I would like to know what info was written on the prescriptions from the doctor and what was put on the prescription box?

          Astra Zeneca is ok if you are not the person who developed a blood clot/s from it.

  4. Stuart Munro 4
    21 May 2021 at 9:23 am

    There's an in depth look at the Thornley's reasoning, the Auckland prof behind plan B, in Stuff.

    The scientist and the rabbit hole: How epidemiologist Simon Thornley became an outcast of his profession | Stuff.co.nz

    • Incognito 4.1
      21 May 2021 at 9:27 am

      Not a prof.

      • Stuart Munro 4.1.1
        21 May 2021 at 9:38 am

        Nor likely to be one – I'm afraid I've become used to the Korean system, which, being US descended, gives the title to all teaching staff with PhDs.

        • Incognito 4.1.1.1
          21 May 2021 at 9:41 am

          Des Gorman is a prof.

          • alwyn 4.1.1.1.1
            21 May 2021 at 3:25 pm

            I'm surprised his name is even mentioned on this site. Did you miss his Pod-cast on the Government Covid-19 actions?

            Karl du Fresne summarised it pretty well I thought when he covered the subject on his own Blog recently. To give you a feel for Gorman's opinions, and I would suggest they were well informed, he summarises the Government as stretching the truth a little. As du Fresne quotes Gorman

            "Gorman accused the government of cultivating a culture of fear while simultaneously spinning the message that New Zealand was “best in show – the envy of the world” when in fact, countries such as Taiwan had “left us for dead”.

            Most damningly, he reeled off a series of government claims that were contradicted by the facts. “‘All Russian crewmen have been tested’; no, they hadn’t. ‘They’ve all been in quarantine’; no, they hadn’t. ‘All the border workers have been tested’; no, they hadn’t. ‘No people are leaving quarantine early’; yes, they are. ‘There’s no mixing and mingling’ [in quarantine]; yes, there is. ‘There’s plenty of ’flu vaccine; no, there isn’t. ‘Nurses have plenty of PPE’ [personal protective equipment]’; no, they haven’t.".

            du Fresne himself then gets even more direct

            I suggest that people can get the short version from du Fresne and then, if they have an open mind, listen to the Pod cast that can be accessed from the Newstalk site.

            http://karldufresne.blogspot.com/2021/04/best-in-show-really-des-gorman-on-new.html

            https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/podcasts/the-leighton-smith-podcast/leighton-smith-podcast-episode-105-april-7th-2021/

            I am surprised the Gorman is still mentioned here.

            • Drowsy M. Kram 4.1.1.1.1.1
              21 May 2021 at 4:26 pm

              Alwyn, according to the data at https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ , over the past year (22 May 2020 to 21 May 2021) there have been five deaths in NZ attributed to COVID-19 infection, i.e. one death per million per year.

              That compares to the (likely underestimated) global average of ~400 tragic deaths per million over the last year.

              400 versus 1 – it's a shambles, an utter shambles I tell yah – why won't anyone listen to me?

            • Sacha 4.1.1.1.1.2
              21 May 2021 at 4:49 pm

              'Well-informed'? An 'open mind'?

              We are all too valuable to shovel garbage like that into, I assure you.

              • greywarshark …
                21 May 2021 at 9:17 pm

                Sacha and DMK – I tell ya it gives a lift to the spirits to read your handling of the dig. comments (determinedly ignorant, ie those with such an open mind that facts hardly settle before they blow away,)

            • Incognito 4.1.1.1.1.3
              21 May 2021 at 10:15 pm

              You’re quite right, as always, Alwyn. I shall correct this oversight and put the name of he who shall not be named in the Auto-Moderation list, underneath the name of the Christchurch Mosque shooter. We must keep this site pure! Thank you for drawing my attention to this important issue.

    • Drowsy M. Kram 4.2
      21 May 2021 at 1:10 pm

      Great article – thanks.

      “Of the two to three hundred health professionals in New Zealand, who, I would say, have got the training and expertise to comment on Covid, Simon stands alone.”

      “He's an extreme outlier.” – Prof. Rod Jackson (UoA)

      Academics often paint themselves into consequence-free (outlier) corners (it's a perk, and part of the process) – just wait for the paint to dry and walk away. Extreme outliers insist of applying fresh coats of paint. Perhaps Thornley feels he now has little left to lose by continuing to insist that his discredited 'pandemic response views' are correct.

      The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
      – Bertrand Russell (1933)

    • McFlock 4.3
      21 May 2021 at 3:52 pm

      the charts showing the plan B statements and the timeline of new cases were a pretty firm twist of the knife.

    • mauī 4.4
      21 May 2021 at 7:17 pm

      Looks like a hit job on a professional offering one of the few alternative viewpoints on covid. I thought science is supposed to embrace theories.. sadly in this environment we seem to have cultured some sort of science-y fascism.

      • Stuart Munro 4.4.1
        21 May 2021 at 7:52 pm

        Although there is considerable room for scepticism in the sciences, one must still account for the facts. As the data rolls in, the elimination response looks better and better, however incomplete the available data may have been when the decision had to be made. Swedish style herd immunity is proving a poor hill to die on.

      • McFlock 4.4.2
        21 May 2021 at 8:13 pm

        Baker's a bit of a prima donna, but in march 2020 he said elimination in NZ was possible. And was shown correct.

        As the stuff piece shows, Thornley has been demonstrably incorrect several times, and has not changed his position. That's the weird bit, for a scientist.

      • Anne 4.4.3
        21 May 2021 at 8:38 pm

        So, you don't know the difference between science and pseudo science.

        As for the professional… best not to listen to outliers whose motivation is invariably ideological and bear little to no resemblance to reality. Bit like the CC deniers who think the escalating change in the world's climactic weather and temperatures is a political thing.

        Sad…as the nuttiest outlier of them all, Trump would say.

  5. Sanctuary 5
    21 May 2021 at 12:16 pm

    Martin Bashir may not have only robbed William and Harry of their mother. In addition to the terminal damage he did to the most famous woman in the world, can we not now suspect he had a hand in prematurely ending the life of the king of pop?

    • Stuart Munro 6.1
      21 May 2021 at 1:42 pm

      If she retained the policy throughout her term perhaps – but in relation to a halfway point as a first poc mayor it is by no means outrageous.

      • Jimmy 6.1.1
        21 May 2021 at 1:57 pm

        Turn it around the other way. Imagine if Jacinda and Grant said they would only interview one on one with white journalists?

        • Stuart Munro 6.1.1.1
          21 May 2021 at 2:26 pm

          Two differences

          1. affirmative actions are legitimate for unfavored groups, not favoured groups
          2. It is a limited, finite policy
        • McFlock 6.1.1.2
          21 May 2021 at 4:09 pm

          If:

          • Ardern were only the third pakeha person to be PM in NZ's history; and
          • the substantial majority of the parliamentary press corps were people of colour; and
          • the socioeconomic status of pakeha was consistently lower than that for people of colour despite being the majority; and
          • there was a history within living memory of disenfranchising and politically marginalising pakeha in NZ

          Then "turning it around the other way" would be an equivalent comparison.

      • greywarshark 6.1.2
        21 May 2021 at 10:13 pm

        I can see why she wants to give journalists who are poc their opportunity when some journos want to be negative about something that will only affect them for a short time. Such as this opinion piece by a superior, outraged journo:

        Steve Cortes of Newsmax tweeted: "Never mind the thousands of young black men dead in my city while Lori Lightfoot presides over systemic failure = she's facilitating 'healing' by discriminating against white reporters."

        • Stuart Munro 6.1.2.1
          21 May 2021 at 10:30 pm

          Exactly. One on one interviews are not a requirement of the job anyway – she might well have had to exclude a few in any case, they're time consuming. Lot of toxicity in the comments though – better to leave those folk, like Tova, towards the back of a large gallery.

    • Bazza64 6.2
      21 May 2021 at 8:52 pm

      Yep definitely racist alright, but I'm sure she only wants to talk to the reporters who ask the "patsy" questions. Not about Chicago being one of the most violent cities in USA.

  7. greywarshark 7
    21 May 2021 at 5:22 pm

    McFlock is not expecting all that to be rectified I hope.

    We have enough trouble keeping blokes from being blokes and acting nice. Newtalk ZB in NZME Auckland Newsroom:

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/443077/martin-devlin-keeps-job-after-trying-to-punch-radio-colleague

    • McFlock 7.1
      21 May 2021 at 9:09 pm

      all what?

      • greywarshark 7.1.1
        21 May 2021 at 9:22 pm

        All on the list. To get an equivalent comparison,

        • McFlock 7.1.1.1
          21 May 2021 at 9:53 pm

          nah, it was just a list of why the "turning it around the other way" ~ism test isn't always valid.

          Nice to see Jimmy trying to get the hang of figuring out when something is racist and when it isn't, and calling it out, though. Totes woke, that bloke…

  8. Stuart Munro 8
    21 May 2021 at 5:31 pm

    I wonder if we ought to be sending aid across the ditch?

    There seem to be some endangered creatures in need of support, at least according to FDOTM.