Open mike 21/07/2024
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6:00 am, July 21st, 2024 - 25 comments
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- Dance Magic
Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...5 hours ago - Government Forces Universities to Enforce “Free Speech” While Limiting Universities̵...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...6 hours ago - Fact brief – Are we heading into an ‘ice age’?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Are we heading ...18 hours ago - As Our Power Lessens: Published
So the Solstice has arrived – Summer in this part of the world, Winter for the Northern Hemisphere. And with it, the publication my new Norse dark-fantasy piece, As Our Power Lessens at Eternal Haunted Summer: https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/winter-solstice-2024/as-our-power-lessens/ As previously noted, this one is very ‘wyrd’, and Northern Theory of Courage. ...23 hours ago - By Any Other Name.
The Natural Choice: As a starter for ten percent of the Party Vote, “saving the planet” is a very respectable objective. Young voters, in particular, raised on the dire (if unheeded) warnings of climate scientists, and the irrefutable evidence of devastating weather events linked to global warming, vote Green. After ...1 day ago - Bernard’s last Saturday Soliloquy for 2024
The Government cancelled 60% of Kāinga Ora’s new builds next year, even though the land for them was already bought, the consents were consented and there are builders unemployed all over the place. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political ...1 day ago - Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Saturday, December 21
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on UnsplashEvery morning I get up at 3am to go around the traps of news sites in Aotearoa and globally. I pick out the top ones from my point of view and have been putting them into my Dawn Chorus email, which goes out with a podcast. ...1 day ago - 2024 OIA stats
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- ZB’s Power Couple
I don't knowHow to say what's got to be saidI don't know if it's black or whiteThere's others see it redI don't get the answers rightI'll leave that to youIs this love out of fashionOr is it the time of yearAre these words distraction?To the words you want to hearSongwriters: ...2 days ago - Austerity thumps GDP most since 1991
Our economy has experienced its worst recession since 1991. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, December 20 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above and the daily Pick ‘n’ Mix below ...2 days ago
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Open access notables An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment: Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance ...3 days ago
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- Cheeseburgers and Stunt Monkeys
One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...3 days ago - MSD rejecting 220 pleas for food grants each day
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- The Wing Parties’ Economic Policies.
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In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...5 days ago
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New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...5 days ago
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At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...5 days ago
- Shameless, clueless
AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...5 days ago - Minimum wage ‘increase’ is an effective cut
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...5 days ago
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Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...5 days ago - How much should you worry about a collapse of the Atlantic conveyor belt?
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob Henson In this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...5 days ago
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In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...5 days ago - When austerity worsens public debt & cuts GDP
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Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...6 days ago
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- Thank You
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...7 days ago - 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #50
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All those tears on your cheeksJust like deja vu flow nowWhen grandmother speaksSo tell me a story (I'll tell you a story)Spell it out, I can't hear (What do you want to hear?)Why you wear black in the morning?Why there's smoke in the air? Songwriter: Greg Johnson.Mōrena all ☀️Something a ...1 week ago - As Our Power Lessens: Accepted
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National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...2 days ago - Release: Minister’s plan for tertiary sector a backwards step
Returning to the model that was failing for most polytechnics and Institutes of Technology is not the answer. ...2 days ago
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The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...3 days ago - Release: Nicola Willis spirals country deeper into recession
The economy shrank 1% this quarter and New Zealand has tumbled into the depths of a recession of Nicola Willis’ making. ...3 days ago
- Release: Hikes for company directors but not ordinary Kiwis
Working people are going backwards while company directors are being given huge pay hikes. ...4 days ago
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The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...4 days ago
- Release: Strengthening Justice Services for New Zealanders
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...4 days ago
- Release: Labour will continue fight against destructive projects
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...5 days ago
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The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...5 days ago
- Government for the wealthy keeps pushing austerity
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...5 days ago
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The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...5 days ago
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With more debt and a larger deficit, Nicola Willis’ reputation is in tatters after her failure to return the Government’s books to surplus. ...5 days ago
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Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...5 days ago
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For the second year running, the government has effectively cut wages for the lowest paid workers in New Zealand. ...5 days ago
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The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...5 days ago
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All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...5 days ago
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The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...6 days ago
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The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...6 days ago
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The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...6 days ago
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The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...1 week ago
- Release: Four weeks annual leave under threat
The Government’s attack on workers continues with news it is scrapping work on the Holidays Act. ...1 week ago
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New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...1 week ago
- Greens stand in solidarity with Whakaata Māori on sad day
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...1 week ago
- Sanctions regime to create more hardship for families
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...1 week ago
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Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...1 week ago
- Release: National Party urged to support modern slavery legislation
Labour is urging the Prime Minister to walk the talk and support legislation combating modern slavery. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour has lost confidence in the Speaker
The Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament made an unprecedented decision on the government amendment to the Fast Track Approvals Bill last night. ...1 week ago
- One year on, still no progress on new ferries
Today’s announcement from the Government on its plan for new ferries throws more uncertainty on the future of the country’s rail network. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Nicola Willis’ smaller ferries will cost more
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...2 weeks ago
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Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...2 weeks ago
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The Government has done the right thing in moving to ban greyhound racing. ...2 weeks ago
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USA : a Nation of/with ..gun nuts ?
And Trump with his red badge of fake "courage" aint going to change a thing. IMO if the dangerous moron gets elected..there will be blood.
Gun ownership by ….. ( there are maybe other statistics)
I would also think more Republicans….esp with likes of.
Just seems…odd. And not in a mildly eccentric way : (
And of course, some Trump fan gun nuts…..
Many more….sadly
lol
.
@stealthygeek
15k RNC attendees who spent the last 4 days holed up in their private compound like the Baghdad Green Zone are stuck downtown because of flight cancelations. The cops all left, the barricades came down, and they look like Stasi when the Berlin Wall fell.
It's fuckin' hilarious.
[…]
@stealthygeek
Hid their lanyards, nobody's wearing a MAGA hat. They're trying to melt into the background now that the truce is over.
https://x.com/stealthygeek/status/1814422520793313642
This site displays an article on the demographics of gun ownership in the US. Factors include gender, age, education, family history of ownership, race, location, rurality.
https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2017/06/22/the-demographics-of-gun-ownership/
Self protection is given as the biggest reason for gun ownership by two thirds; most cite more than one reason for ownership.
44% of Republicans versus 20% of Democrats own guns.
Overall three in ten American adults own guns, and another 11% live in a gun-owning household.
That's a lot of fear, and a lot of guns, especially when two thirds of owners possess more than one gun.
Some stats on NZ gun ownership are here. https://www.guncontrol.nz
The demographics and reasons for ownership in NZ I have not yet found. I hope there will be differences.
I'd guess admitting you own a gun in nz for self defense would almost gaurentee a loss of license, !
I’m pretty sure there are some, not entirely unconnected with the present government, who'd rather you didn't know that stuff.
Good to see that Tauranga people finally have woken up to how badly run their city has been run over the last few decades by a succession of National Party and NZ First political hacks and elected a new mayor and largely new council.
Even if the turnout was, as usual, pathetically bad.
If there are any Tauranga commenters or readers on this site I'd be keen to hear from them.
Our 5th largest city is now one of the most soulless, least friendly, most car dependent, most hostile to civic improvement, one of the worst public transport or cycling networks in the country, and with one of the strongest racist underbellies in NZ.
If a new mayor can change any of that I'd be most impressed.
I think Nanaia Mahuta actually made a good decision to sack the previous council. They were useless and did little except fight each other for personal glory.
I don't know anything about Mahe Drysdale apart from his sporting achievements but he can't be worse than the idiots before.
Wellington city council was a left-right battle.
Tauranga was just a battle between the various elements of the right, the left barely exists there.
I don't see how a dysfunctional council is a left/right issue. They're either competent or they're not. And it's pretty common knowledge that they're incompetent, except in the minds of said councillors.
Impressed and shocked. Because the whole purpose of provincial Mayors in NZ is to protect the business interests whose profits are secured by perpetuating the defects you describe.
Any chance the environment could be thought about from the thugs from the IDF?
Just kidding, they are always right, and screw anyone who says otherwise. /sarc
Ani and co are losing their shit over part of a health statistics data collection tool that they've convinced themselves is some sore of treatment priority list…or something…
Idiots.
https://x.com/VJMPub/status/1814214991320694884
https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/for-health-professionals/data-and-statistics/nz-health-statistics/data-references/code-tables/common-code-tables/
First you convince yourself, then you convince others – people see what they believe.
how would lay people know what that chart was for? I can't tell from the tweet, nor your or Joe's comments.
From the chart alone it’s a quite a jump (leap of faith) to go from ‘Ethnic Group priority’ to ‘Racial importance rankings’, which is the tweet is so misleading to lay people, assuming they’re akin an average 12-yr old.
There’s no link in the tweet, as far as I can see, and even joe90’s link to the NZ Health webpage is not all that helpful – many VJM Publishing followers would probably take the comment above the chart at face value.
A slightly more sceptical and critical lay person might wonder about the alleged ‘importance ranks’ and then shrug it off and move on.
Very few lay people would come to realise that the numbers in the chart are simply and purely for data collection only. The priority numbers help to put the data in the right place, like sorting buttons: a blue square button goes into the box ‘blue’ or in the box ‘square’ depending on the respective priorities.
HTH
Those first seven words sum up their lives very succinctly.
Damian Grant in today’s Stuff. The man has a sense of humanity after all.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350348395/shock-grief-and-incomprehension-when-your-child-becomes-infamous
”OPINION: Recent events in the United States caused me to remember the statement given by President Bush after the execution of the Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh. Standing on the podium Bush spoke about the tragedy, and those who suffered loss, “remembering those who grieve, including Timothy McVeigh’s mother and father and sister”.
It was a rare acknowledgement of an unspoken and unacknowledged grief; that of a parent whose child has acted in a profoundly abhorrent manner. Beyond a point you cannot differentiate between types of suffering, but it is difficult to imagine any form of human misery more profound.”
Given the absolute vile that crosses his keyboard at times, I'm not prepared to say he is capable of humanity based on one article.
Vance and his people and the liberal redneck.
This "new" mayor and council will be just the same as the last lot. Pale, male, stale men in suits – and that includes Drysdale. In it for their business mates and opportunities. The more things change the more they stay the same.
Fuck. Read it and have a cry.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/07/19/gaza-hospitals-surgeons-00167697
Yes. It's almost beyond words.
Now here’s a thought!
https://www.theguardian.com/education/article/2024/jul/20/labour-makes-working-class-children-key-to-schools-reform?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
”She said it was working-class children “who most need a brilliant education” from the state, because their parents cannot afford to send them to private schools or buy them expensive tuition outside their state schools.
Phillipson reiterated Labour’s pledge to remove tax breaks for private schools, so that it could pay for new teachers in the state sector.”
Totally the opposite to our neo liberal trained Minister of Ed.