Open Mike 21/12/2018

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, December 21st, 2018 - 165 comments
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165 comments on “Open Mike 21/12/2018 ”

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  1. WeTheBleeple 1
    21 December 2018 at 7:33 am

    Congratulations Rosemary McDonald. I can’t imagine how hard it has been to fight for so long. I’m happy you’ve had some resolution at last.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12180346

    • Cinny 1.1
      21 December 2018 at 9:36 am

      + infinity.

      Much love to you Rosemary and to your man.

      • greywarshark 1.1.1
        21 December 2018 at 12:58 pm

        At last Rosemary, success and i hope life will be easier and more settled for you.
        Then you can carry on getting the other improvements you see are needed with a chance of succeeding with those too.

  2. patricia bremner 2
    21 December 2018 at 7:48 am

    Rosemary, this may not be all you and we hoped, but at least you and your partner can enjoy this holiday free of anxiety about a court appearance, or did you prefer one to get ‘information out there?’ We will never know with a confidentiality agreement.
    Anyway, all the very best to you both. Enjoy some well earned peace and rest.
    By the way, my situation has improved, as I’ve had all the pre-op hospital visits for my hip and am on the urgent list. LOL (Bay of Plenty still short of surgeons .)

    • Rosemary McDonald 2.1
      21 December 2018 at 9:39 am

      “…am on the urgent list. LOL ” Yes, definitely a relative term, “urgent”. OTOH…you don’t want that overworked surgeon to rush the job. 😉 😉 Being in pain is a bastard, and floating around are a few research papers which address the issue of sometimes permanent disability caused by significant delays in treatment of what are often fixable problems. The cost of managing long term debility is usually greater than the cost of early intervention. The shortage of surgeons? Perhaps if we had not put the cost of tertiary education onto our children a few more might have trained to be surgeons happy to work in the public sector rather than follow their privileged ancestors into the private sector. All the best with your op…and for goodness’ sake mobilize after but TAKE IT EASY. (Over doing it post- hip op is an actual ‘thing’.)

      As for our news. You’re right. Confidentiality. BUT…if you and anyone else is interested, this issue and other disability discussions are conveniently archived here…

      https://publicaddress.net/access/archive/

      I hopped into the time machine and re- read the post I did in 2014. https://publicaddress.net/access/paying-family-carers-what-was-all-the-fuss/

      Some here on TS have written the Herald off as a Right Wing Trumpet. I see it as a venue for some very good journos to strut their stuff and tell the stories that need telling, for those who most need their stories told.

      Belinda Feek who did the piece in the Herald today is following up on the good work done by Kirsty Johnston on this family carers issue and the abuse and neglect of people with disabilities in MOH funded residential facilities.

      before Kirsty, there was Catherine Masters…https://www.nzherald.co.nz/catherine-masters/news/article.cfm?a_id=49&objectid=10536859 who took the time to get to know some of the Atkinson pioneers.

      “So while it takes a long time to write, Stuart eventually comes up with a sentence for me which is wry and funny and sums up five long weeks in his wheelchair watching the goings-on in a courtroom.

      He’s typing his sentence on his talking computer in the Glenfield house where he lives with Jean, who takes care of all his needs.

      So far he’s written “everything in the garden … ”

      I’d asked what he had made of Ministry of Health officials at a hearing in Auckland of the Human Rights Review Tribunal, officials who had used words such as “frameworks” and “initiatives” and who had talked about the strategies and supports in place which benefit the lives of disabled people.

      Jean and I moved on to talk about other things in the time it took him to finish. I guess he’s used to people’s attention wandering, though this 42-year-old with severe cerebral palsy is a computer programmer and sharp as a tack.

      Stuart understood every word at the Tribunal hearing. To him and Jean, the health officials on the stand seemed to live in a world tangled with jargon and policy.

      Part of his reason for turning up every single day was to remind them that this landmark case is actually about real people, like Stuart, and the dedicated mother who has cared for him for so long.

      Stuart gave evidence at the hearing one day, using his portable communication device, but mostly he sat at the back, head sometimes drooping and at times jerking because, unlike his intellect, he has little control over his body.

      Stuart’s full sentence to me in his bedroom went like this: “Everything in the garden is p [perfect]. Yeah, right.” “

      • marty mars 2.1.1
        21 December 2018 at 10:35 am

        Kia kaha Rosemary and all the very best to you and your loved ones over the festive season. Thank you for your voice.

        • Rosemary McDonald 2.1.1.1
          21 December 2018 at 10:51 am

          Ata marie marty mars, and the same to you. I know I bang on a bit ( 🙂 ) and some may wonder why her and not many others? Simple reason is that unlike so many others Peter (and by default myself) has nothing to lose by speaking out.
          When one has managed to extract funding from MOH DSS (by fair means or foul) it is well known in the ‘community’ that such funding can be just as easily withdrawn. Peter cannot be pigeonholed into any appropriate funding stream so we have been blissfully unfettered by fear of punitive action. 🙂 😉

      • patricia bremner 2.1.2
        21 December 2018 at 12:08 pm

        Thanks Rosemary. Sadly there still is a lot to do. Thanks for the Links.

      • greywarshark 2.1.3
        21 December 2018 at 1:05 pm

        Stuart understood every word at the Tribunal hearing. To him and Jean, the health

        officials on the stand seemed to live in a world tangled with jargon and policy.

        That’s well put. The framework of the policy instead of supporting the building of a policy that meets needs in the required manner, becomes twisted into a maze with considerations of semi-corporate PPP matters, budgeting constraints resulting in unsatisfactory outcomes, inadequate staffing, impractical locations and transport etc.

  3. Robert Guyton 3
    21 December 2018 at 7:49 am

    National seem to be losing every skirmish lately; it would pay to keep in mind the image of a cornered rat and remember the importance of leaving somewhere for it to run. Could we let them have, at least the appearance of, a win with some little thing?

    • DJ Ward 3.1
      21 December 2018 at 8:07 am

      Good bit of philosophy with your comment.

      “When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.” – Sun Tzu

      That’s to stop them all going suicidle on you. Like lifting the bedsheets, or telling common secrets.

      • Dennis Frank 3.1.1
        21 December 2018 at 9:51 am

        Pertinent quote there, well done. Although I must disagree with Robert inasmuch as National seems more like a cornered mouse than rat currently! Call me old-fashioned, but wins ought to be earned rather than awarded, and I see no sign that they are even trying. Just going thro the motions.

        Brownlee, for instance, mouthing off about that turkey who felt obliged to resign – instead of acknowledging performance failure. What parts of leadership doesn’t he understand? Setting an example, obviously. Providing an appropriate role model. Doing what the situation requires. Ethical conduct. Moral guidance.

        Instead, Brownlee postured. Who did he think that would impress? 🙄 As for the other non-leaders in National, not a whimper emanated. Too scared to take responsibility for their poor performance in government. Do they think voters won’t notice this?? People are meant to learn from their mistakes. Refusal and denial are likely to make things worse for National.

        • Pat 3.1.1.1
          21 December 2018 at 12:16 pm

          “Refusal and denial are likely to make things worse for National.”

          Only at the margins…..most of this was common knowledge for many years (think John Campbell reports) and it didnt have much effect….those voting for the status quo were either happy with or happy to ignore what was occuring

      • greywarshark 3.1.2
        21 December 2018 at 1:10 pm

        Very good point. That Sun Tzu comes up with wisdom.

    • Kevin 3.2
      21 December 2018 at 11:44 am

      Thats where a pet mink comes in handy Robert.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjebAlfrexA&t=473s

    • patricia bremner 3.3
      21 December 2018 at 12:11 pm

      Oh I thought Jacinda did that with her Bill they rightly supported, while Act showed a distinct lack of heart.

    • Muttonbird 3.4
      21 December 2018 at 5:34 pm

      No. Crush them.

  4. Gabby 4
    21 December 2018 at 8:15 am

    Bring on the common secret telling I say jocks.

  5. The Chairman 5
    21 December 2018 at 8:15 am

    The Auckland City Missioner says unless there is a miracle, more families lining up for Christmas food parcels will leave empty-handed

    https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018676517/huge-demand-for-christmas-food-parcels-across-nz

    Is it time for the Government to step up and do more to help?

    • vto 5.1
      21 December 2018 at 8:23 am

      Maybe John Key could help out

      • The Chairman 5.1.1
        21 December 2018 at 8:30 am

        It would be great if he did. Although, it would look better for the Government (PR wise) if they stepped up. Key doing it would further show up Labour’s inaction.

      • miravox 5.1.2
        21 December 2018 at 9:04 am

        It’s actually an easy win for Key to do that, if he cared about that sort of thing anymore.

    • Cinny 5.2
      21 December 2018 at 11:53 am

      It’s pretty hard going for some at Christmas, a friend was in tears yesterday as she has to choose between food and a present for her 3 year old; who is just switching on to Christmas due to all the decorations etc around the place.

      So much pressure on parents due to consumerism and in your face advertising.

      The girls made up a box of toys, linen, books etc they don’t use anymore. Takes a village and all that.

      Is it time for the Government to step up and do more to help?

      Would be great if some of the population were taught how to be more resourceful.

      For example, state housing comes with a food growing zone and food growing education etc etc

      Free how to repair stuff community education etc etc.

      Does my head in how much is thrown away, Miss 14 received a freedom furniture office chair for her bday, worth around $300. I picked it up for $5 at the recycling centre, had a few stitches that needed replacing. After a few weeks of her feeling flash with a fancy chair I came clean 🙂

      Part of the new school education policy maybe? How to be resourceful and How to grow/prepare food.

      • greywarshark 5.2.1
        21 December 2018 at 1:25 pm

        You are doing well Cinny. A good Mum. What about a group setting up working together with things they want to save, repair, and have a chinwag. Sort of like a Menzshed atmosphere.

        Someone could bring glue and gloves to mend china, someone else sewing thread, lots of sewing needles with big eyes plus some of those guiders to help get the thread through, knitting needles, someone paper and pencil to write down haikus thought up on the spot, favourite recipes for the in-season produce, and together you would have good tools and good times and spread the skills.

        You make a quiet point – “Would be great if some of the population were taught how to be more resourceful.”
        A 3 year old doesn’t need much to make him or her happy.
        Once i was helping out with a community Christmas dinner. As we cleared the tables a little boy said to me hopefulluy
        “Do you think that anyone wants that?” as he looked at a little model car left on the table. He really wanted it, but didn’t just snatch it and take it, and I told him i was sure that it would be okay for him to have it. Poor little boy, it is so hard when money is t.ght, but he was trying to be good and fair.

        Group name – Load Menders, Magic Menders, Skill-saws ?

        Symbol – The vegetable Orchestra?
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM1EjIDLMLY

        • Cinny 5.2.1.1
          22 December 2018 at 11:03 am

          Skill Saws 🙂 Love it, you could be on to something Grey.

          The fellas down at the local Menz Shed are a crack up, they told me part of the reason for the Menz Shed is an escape from their wives. Geez I laughed hard, they said you don’t have to be a man to join their group, but not to tell anyone least the wives join up and foil their plan.

          Menz Shed do amazing work for NZ Communities.

          Thanks for the link of the Vege Orchestra, that is super awesome.

          • greywarshark 5.2.1.1.1
            22 December 2018 at 11:06 am

            You’re onto it Cinny. Happy Christmas and make us all happy by continuing to add your input in 2019. Great.

    • Sabine 5.3
      21 December 2018 at 12:07 pm

      how bout you are you gonna help?

      just asking you know, not opinionating, just asking.

      • greywarshark 5.3.1
        21 December 2018 at 1:31 pm

        What are you going to do Sabine? I am really upset at the plight of those in Auckland, it seems that they are getting squeezed beyond hope up there, even though times are hard everywhere. And so many people chirp on the media about how good things are – they are so hard, both men and women.

        Anyway I am now going to give $50, which I’ll have to borrow, that’s all i can do at present. Though I am doing little things all the time, but just now it’s got to be more focussed.

  6. Gabby 6
    21 December 2018 at 8:29 am

    Time expired Air NZ peanuts for the poor?

  7. marty mars 7
    21 December 2018 at 8:42 am

    I’m sure we think we are okay.

    Destructive trawling is more intense inside official marine sanctuaries, while endangered fish are more common outside them, a startling analysis of Europe’s seas has revealed.

    It shows that far from conserving sealife, legal marine protection areas (MPAs) are in fact the places most damaged by industrial fishing. The work has exposed “the big lie” behind European marine conservation, experts say, with most MPAs completely open to trawling.

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/20/marine-life-worse-off-inside-protected-areas-analysis-reveals

    Not sure how you fence the ocean.

    • Draco T Bastard 7.1
      21 December 2018 at 4:08 pm

      Satellite tracking.

      It was that which allowed the scientists to figure out that the fishing industry was doing so much damage.

      I’ve been saying for years that NZ needs its own satellite network with a high definition satellite capable of tracking all sea born traffic for years. Now we have another reason to have such.

      • marty mars 7.1.1
        21 December 2018 at 5:30 pm

        I’d maybe support it if you guaranteed no one would use it to fire satellite lasers at boatloads of refugees trying to get here.

        • Draco T Bastard 7.1.1.1
          21 December 2018 at 5:56 pm

          We cannot support the boatloads of refugees coming here.

          Far better to make the place that they’re trying to leave better but even that comes down to those who are trying to leave really.

          And then climate change is going to hit which is going to make many of those places uninhabitable.

  8. marty mars 8
    21 December 2018 at 8:51 am

    The liars lie and the lies tangle…

    A newly obtained letter has revealed US President Donald Trump signed a letter of intent to build a Trump Tower in Russia…

    … This is important because during the 2016 presidential campaign trail — and since then — Trump has repeatedly insisted he had no business interests in Russia, and had “nothing to do” with the country.

    The letter was dated October 28, 2015 — five months after Trump launched his Republican candidate campaign, and around a time he was heaping praise on Russian president Vladimir Putin.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12180582

  9. reason 9
    21 December 2018 at 8:59 am

    Thanks for all the good posts yesterday relating to Pike river and Uber.
    ..,. there was good rebutting of the ugly blood stained finger pointing from dishonest National supporters …

    Pike River is a national party Dirty Politics story , literally, containing all their trademark governance…. Attacks on workers rights and conditions,,,,,,, lowering of regulations and standards, then allowing blatant non-compliance of their lowered standards … All followed by a putrid dishonesty which Alwyn and Co carry on with.

    John Keys contempt for the dead workers …. and his true face… was on show when he said ” they can sue us “, a comment, he made after his government received a multi million insurance payout….. Going from a caring prime minister .. into a sneering assassin

    The National Government actually had the power to shut the mine down for being illegally unsafe.,,, but they gave it their uber consent…. regulations were just red tape to be cut or ignored.

    ” Pike River – How could this happen in this day and age ” – YouTube “, provides far more information than all of our ‘ News media before it.

    We hear, see and learn the ‘steps to disaster’ …. it’s a disturbing tragic picture of corner cutting and criminal disregard for NZ workers lives….. and much much worse than most of us would have believed or realized.

    A small sample of the things the video taught me ….

    Deregulation of mining legislation was done by the 1992 National party .. with complementary starving of resources and an understaffed capacity to enforce the watered down regulations…

    Methane gas properties, management and regulations …. with regulations specifying 1.5% methane levels require work to stop, at 2% the workers must leave the mine …. Pike river had workers in the mine at over 2.96% for the last two weeks before the workers were killed.

    Only 5 of the 29 workers killed for going to work at the Pike death trap were classified as experienced .. A scant two years qulifies one as experienced

    The Pike river mine is internationally used as a ‘worst case / worst practice ‘ example for mining engineer students around the world

    There is a huge amount more information in the Video and it puts a real human face on the victims and their families …. at the end it discusses responsibility and accountability.

    As its presented by a decent honest New Zealander …. not once does it even mention Andrew Little.

    Here’s a Video tribute to other NZ workers killed for the crime of turning up at work …

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_si9804OQBg

    • bwaghorn 9.1
      21 December 2018 at 6:06 pm

      That video brought the memories back almost wanted to strap my chaps on again .

      • Andre 9.1.1
        21 December 2018 at 6:15 pm

        Didn’t you describe your former employer in that industry as a pustule on the devil’s sphincter?

        • bwaghorn 9.1.1.1
          21 December 2018 at 6:19 pm

          Fletcher were my bosses employer . At one point . And yes they were .
          But the rough jobs is where I belong and i wouldn’t have it any other way .

  10. Gabby 10
    21 December 2018 at 9:11 am

    How many were union members as a matter of interest?

  11. Cinny 11
    21 December 2018 at 9:39 am

    All eyes on China…..

    “US officials say two Chinese citizens acting on behalf of their country’s main intelligence agency carried out an extensive hacking campaign to steal data from government agencies and companies in the United States and nearly a dozen other countries.”

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/12/indicts-hackers-working-chinese-spy-agency-181220160858487.html

    RNZ report and Stuff article on the matter…
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/109527357/chinese-government-responsible-for-global-cyber-campaign–gcsb

  12. Brutus Iscariot 12
    21 December 2018 at 9:54 am

    Both the left and the neocon right are united in their opposition to troop withdrawal from Syria…a sad indictment on current day political discourse.

    • DJ Ward 12.1
      21 December 2018 at 10:40 am

      Are you saying Trump is the only sane one. ISIS is screwed, job done.

      “There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.” – Sun Tzu

      I always saw Afganistan as a strategic asset vs Russia. Any sane Leader would otherwise have bailed long ago. Actually probably never been so stupid to invade in the first place. Syria has nothing the US wants.

      • Tricledrown 12.1.1
        21 December 2018 at 11:10 am

        Arms sales DJ Ward Russia is making in road’s on arms sales.
        The only Reason Trump announced the withdrawal of Troops claiming falsely that ISIS had been defeated was because Flynn has been found guilty of lying to the FBI about his collusion with Pootin. Dead Cat syndrome your tiring attempt to bounce the dead cat is laughable. Trumps own supporters are attacking him over the Stupid idea ISIS is defeated.

        • Cinny 12.1.1.1
          21 December 2018 at 11:22 am

          Absolutely agree with you Tricledrown.

        • SPC 12.1.1.2
          21 December 2018 at 12:22 pm

          It was after Erdogan’s phone call to Trump asking him to get US troops out of the way, so he can kill the Kurds who have been and still are fighting IS.

          Trump could have said interfere with the war on IS and risk being cited as an ally of IS, a terrorist group Turkey have never fought.

          Trump could also have offered to mediate a deal between the Kurds and Arabs with them and Damascus forafter the end of IS, but na he abandons the only reliable allies the US had in the war against IS in Syria.

          Now everyone, but the echelon occupied nations, will seek to walk all over him.

        • francesca 12.1.1.3
          21 December 2018 at 1:25 pm

          Nonsense Tricledown
          He risks losing Turkey, a major NATO power, if he continues to arm and aid the Kurds.Turkey would move even closer to Iran and Russia if the war got down to the US backing the Kurds vs Turkey.
          Who is surprised that the US abandoned the Kurds , its the story of their life

      • Sabine 12.1.2
        21 December 2018 at 12:13 pm

        Someone needs to tell the Kurds that their ISIS prisoners are not Isis anymore 🙂

        Oh hang on……….

        https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/20/world/middleeast/isis-syria-prisoner-release-trump.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

  13. Dennis Frank 13
    21 December 2018 at 10:16 am

    Fed up with the lack of Trumpian macho bluster in Aotearoa, an aussie has warned our PM & deputy that “we are coming to get you.” Presumably to reinforce the notion that nobody can do macho bluster better than an aussie.

    Apparently `we’ means the NewConservative party! https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12180474

    A typo from the anonymous Herald writer? Googling NewConservative gets nothing but links to the New Conservative Party – hardly an outfit likely to terrify govt leaders. But if they emerge as contenders for Nat support party it will have to be by attracting conservative voters away from National.

    Which raises the interesting question of how many conservatives are rednecks partial to macho bluster. I’d like to see a political reporter interview Simon Lusk with this question. Then ask him “Well, wouldn’t they get more Nat voters by pointing out that all the National leadership contenders are useless wimps?” I bet he’d agree that attacking the govt leaders was poor strategy. Wrong target.

    • mac1 13.1
      21 December 2018 at 10:31 am

      I suspect that Moffett, the NC member mentioned, has his eyes on attracting more of 2017 NZF voters some of whom are hugely opposed to the recent issues of immigration and the UN, as the NZF website shows in its recent commenting, and are threatening going to National in protest.

      • Dennis Frank 13.1.1
        21 December 2018 at 10:57 am

        Good point. Winston will need to watch that space. Currently just a perception thing, but could become more of a reality if framed properly. There’s an evident problem with employers in some regions according to recent news stories. Nobody going for the jobs available.

        So the people who constitute the 4% unemployment are too lazy to travel to where the jobs are. Dole is a better option for them. You can see why the right get pissed off with the bludgers, eh? So employers have to import foreigners to get the job done. For a govt elected on the basis of a regional development policy, not a good look. Winston is vulnerable. His mate Shane even more so!

        • Tricledrown 13.1.1.1
          21 December 2018 at 11:23 am

          Denise Frankenstien. Many areas have only 2% unemployment. But that has its downside no accommodation.
          ie Queenstown no workers available why no accommodation. Ashburton no accommodation bringing in more workers where are you going to put them, do people want to move from Auckland to be paid nothing after accommodation and transport costs
          Housing was identified as the single biggest issue by Don Brashes productivity commission. National talked a lot but did f/all about it. So now we have reached capacity no chance of any quick fix.

          • Dennis Frank 13.1.1.1.1
            21 December 2018 at 12:04 pm

            Yes but immigrants need accommodation too, don’t they? So ain’t really a valid excuse. For seasonal work tent cities could suffice but you need sufficient toilets, showers, etc. I agree that National went missing in action.

            • SPC 13.1.1.1.1.1
              21 December 2018 at 1:19 pm

              Moving to where there is seasonal work only really applies to those living at home with their parents (they can come and go the most easily and are generally with the fitness required).

              And given the ambition of not having anyone under 20 on the dole – all being in work training, education or employment, it’s where any action starts. Though there will be some over 20 as well.

              In the provinces its about the availability of travel to the out of town work (not all youth will have transport and older ones who do, would find it costly for MW work unles their is transport or organised pooling).

            • alwyn 13.1.1.1.1.2
              22 December 2018 at 2:05 pm

              ” For seasonal work tent cities could suffice”.
              Please tell me you are joking?
              Next I suppose you will be telling us that people living in their cars should be grateful that they have a dry place to sleep.

      • CHCOff 13.1.2
        21 December 2018 at 6:34 pm

        The All Blacks havn’t been in the national interest for some time, quite the opposite, NZ use to be admired winners in the game of rugby despite all the stuff ups by the high honchos on the board.

        A bunch of clowns loose on the world stage, in uncertain times, generating ill feeling toward the NZ society – the neo liberal winners, making an art form of losing even when you win.

        If that is any indication, there will be nothing ‘new’ about these neoConservatives.

        Dis-connected fruit loops outraged that privilege alone has little default value in the national interest does not conservative make.

        These rorters are scared they are going to be replaced by genuine local lobbyists, and the quicker the better i’d say.

        NZ1st!

    • veutoviper 13.2
      21 December 2018 at 11:15 am

      Dennis your Herald link comes up with “Sorry, it seems that this page doesn’t exist.” Checked all links on Google and same result including the cache.

      However, Newshub has a similar (same?) article here

      https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/12/former-rugby-boss-david-moffett-threatens-traitor-jacinda-ardern.html

      • Dennis Frank 13.2.1
        21 December 2018 at 12:00 pm

        You’re right. I just tried it again to check. Interesting that they have taken it down – maybe the reporter got something wrong and a corrected version will show up later. The Newshub report has a little more from “Mr Moffett, who called Mr Peters and Ms Ardern “leftards”. I had to google that. Interesting that the definitions call it derogatory without explaining why. Presumably the kind of people who use it don’t like explanations!

        • veutoviper 13.2.1.1
          21 December 2018 at 12:46 pm

          Moffett’s Twitter account is an ‘interesting’ read. An insight into the New Conservative party mind, perhaps.

          https://twitter.com/DavidMoffett47

          And I see that he has now mentioned the disappearance of the Herald article and suggested that this is because it was in the Sports section and not in the Politics section. He is also claiming it has been taken down as it has had the opposite effect by giving him a 100 new followers on Twitter …

          The thread is worth a read, LOL
          .
          https://twitter.com/DavidMoffett47/status/1075882720771723264

          I cannot seem to find any mention of him on the New Conservative Party website etc. but only gave it a quick look as definitely not my scene.

          https://www.newconservative.org.nz/

        • alwyn 13.2.1.2
          21 December 2018 at 3:11 pm

          Why not just try the Urban Dictionary?
          https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Leftard
          I’m sure that you will recognize quite a lot of the commenters on this blog.
          Yourself in fact seems quite a good representative.

          • SPC 13.2.1.2.1
            21 December 2018 at 3:19 pm

            So Rightard means someone on Kiwiblog or whaleoil?

            • alwyn 13.2.1.2.1.1
              21 December 2018 at 3:25 pm

              Well looking at the same source it would certainly seem so.
              Quite fun reading the Urban Dictionary, isn’t it?

          • Dennis Frank 13.2.1.2.2
            21 December 2018 at 3:36 pm

            Trying to insult me? Didn’t work. That’s actually a considerably more satisfying definition than the others that google presented me with. They were quite anaemic by comparison. The writer captured the key syndromes very effectively. Reminded me of some of my own past critiques of leftism. When I first participated here I was quite trenchant due to the harmful effects of group-think but there’s been a culture change for the better since.

            Rightards would likewise benefit from the more balanced view of things that centrists can provide. Collective brain death need not be terminal!

    • SPC 13.3
      21 December 2018 at 12:01 pm

      Finlayson did suggest we ban foreigners from being members of and funding our political parties.

  14. Morrissey 14
    21 December 2018 at 10:24 am

    Challenging the North Korean style “Thank You for your service” bullshit

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoyErxe20iU

  15. greywarshark 15
    21 December 2018 at 11:34 am

    I’ve just been slammed spammed or something by some crowd called Weber Barbecues that have taken over the site I thought I chosen on google with some bloody advertisement and continual downloading of some offer to win something.
    When I tried to backtrack away, I couldn’t. When I went to go back to original site the whole dropdown was full of their offers, and informed it was loading more.

    We are having trouble with Chinese hacking of the 5 Eyes, with the 5 Eyes hacking of traffic through backdoors that Microsoft had (and I read that other companies have been requested to do by the USA authorities and suppose they complied). Then there are the megalomaniacs who have the techno companies and are developing new stuff who are in the public eye. Then there are the reclusives who are dreaming up some other possibilities that are likely to give us nightmares.

    Let us have no more talk of getting rid of our monetary system and just doing everything digitally, electronically or whatever. Hold onto the basics that have enabled human life so we have got to now; don’t give up all autonomy to the machine and those that think like machines. There be dragons!

    • Cinny 15.1
      21 December 2018 at 11:58 am

      Barbecues you say GreyWS……. it’s a sign my friend… it’s a sign 🙂

    • NZJester 15.2
      21 December 2018 at 2:42 pm

      It looks like some malvertising has sneaked into some of the advertising streams on some websites.
      The msn.com website, for instance, the last couple of weeks has been randomly serving up a lot of full-screen adverts I never clicked on with an annoying double beep and I cannot backtrack to the original article I was reading. A popover claiming I have won a prize that from time to time changes also pops up over the screen. Even though the adverts all look very similar and some are 100% identical the website URL keeps changing. I just had one less than half an hour ago when I went to read an MSN story and barely got through the first paragraph when it was replaced by the fishing scam. I had to close the tab and go back to the main site.

    • NZJester 15.3
      21 December 2018 at 3:07 pm

      I was just wondering how many people on here have had articles they are reading on websites such as MSN.com hijacked and replaced by full-screen web pages from random websites that claim you are a winner and to enter your details?
      It seems in the last few weeks for me the MSN website has been hijacked by Malvertising hijacking me away from the story I am trying to read to their scams.

      All these scams use big name brands such as Apple iPhones, Samsung Galaxy, and I guess Weber Barbecues from what you are saying GWS.

      Where can we report these kinds of things to get these big companies to fix these backdoor scams happening on their websites due to adverts with hijacking code inserted into them?

      • KJT 15.3.1
        21 December 2018 at 9:13 pm

        No point. Those advertisers pay companies such as Google and Microsoft to insert ads.

        It is paid advertising, not backdoors. And it has got much more in your face lately.

        Get Firefox with adblockers, and most of them go away.

  16. Andre 16
    21 December 2018 at 11:41 am

    Oh fuck. Mad Dog is out at the end of February. Is it too late to get started on that fallout shelter? Coz you know whatever the dayglo swampzilla gets to replace him won’t just be nicknamed Mad Dog, it’ll actually be rabid.

    https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/20/politics/donald-trump-james-mattis-out/index.html?adkey=bn

    • Dennis Frank 16.1
      21 December 2018 at 12:13 pm

      Yeah, losing Mattis so soon after Kelly looks like incompetence. Will be interesting to see the calibre of both replacements, whether military or not. If the military hierarchs have agreed amongst themselves that Trump is too flaky, he can’t fish in that pool again. More flakes on Wall St, so try there next…

  17. Siobhan 17
    21 December 2018 at 12:07 pm

    IKEA tax dodgers on their way..and my, doesn’t Stephen tindall love their model..

    “The thing I really love about them is that they are putting sustainability at the front and centre,” said Sir Stephen, whose Tindall Foundation has invested heavily in environmental projects – including the planting of more than 22 million trees.

    “So they’re a great example of what can be done in retail.”

    Plant a tree, dodge your tax..nice Green wash, and stuff the workers.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12180880

    https://europeangreens.eu/news/ikea-report-ikea-avoided-1-billion-taxes-using-european-taxation-system-its-own-benefit

    • Sabine 17.1
      21 December 2018 at 12:17 pm

      don’t shop there.

      done.

      • alwyn 17.1.1
        21 December 2018 at 3:19 pm

        No. If you shop there it will give you something to do on the long winter nights.
        You can probably get at least 3 months of amusement trying to assemble a small bookcase, before they take you away in a straitjacket.
        At least that is what my friends have told me. I never did buy anything there. Getting started on that lark leads to madness.

        • bwaghorn 17.1.1.1
          21 December 2018 at 6:10 pm

          That sort of thing is easy to put together. Hire a working man to do it . Then you’ll understand that we all have value . Something you right wingers struggle with.

    • Ed 17.2
      21 December 2018 at 1:59 pm

      He’s wrong.
      Capitalism is not sustainable.

      • soddenleaf 17.2.1
        21 December 2018 at 4:03 pm

        Capitalism alone is not sustainable, banning stuff is inefficient, the efficient system acknowledges it’s weakness. Neolibs never do, never do detail, never get their hands dirty, it was always nonsense.

        • Draco T Bastard 17.2.1.1
          21 December 2018 at 5:51 pm

          Capitalism alone is not sustainable

          No. Capitalism is not sustainable. I see no way that a system based upon greed and everyone having ever more but especially the few rich ever could be.

  18. greywarshark 18
    21 December 2018 at 12:48 pm

    Don’t please brush off Shane Jones because he has said words in favour of W Haumaha. I think it is a situation of a flawed person who should be kicked out of a good job but not be discarded.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12180900

    National has called for New Zealand First to say whether it still backs under-fire Deputy Police Commissioner Wally Haumaha.
    And New Zealand First MP Shane Jones has, saying Haumaha’s previous good work among Māori was being ignored.

    “Yesterday’s damning IPCA report into Mr Haumaha found that he belittled and humiliated staff, aggressively asserted his authority, and inappropriately approached staff to support him after allegations were made. It also shows that he circulated information which would discredit a complainant which was improper,” National’s police spokesman Chris Bishop
    said today.

  19. Ed 19
    21 December 2018 at 2:04 pm

    We live in Stasi land.

    Murray Horton writes…

    “These latest revelations about a whole raft of Government agencies contracting Thompson & Clark to spy on New Zealanders on their behalf are just the latest in a long, sordid history of the State spying on the people. Go back a decade and you’ll find:

    Thompson & Clark exposed as spying on environmental activists on behalf of the since gone bust Solid Energy
    Thompson & Clark exposed as spying on animal rights activists on behalf of the State
    Police spy/infiltrator/agent provocateur Rob Gilchrist exposed as having spied, for money, on a whole raft of activist groups for a decade
    The release of Security Intelligence Service files on many people (including me) that revealed a long history of obsessive spying on activists. In the case of the only organisation to receive its file – the Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa – the file revealed that the SIS had spied on CAFCA for a quarter of a century.”

    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/12/21/guest-blog-murray-horton-thompson-clark-just-tip-of-spyberg-lets-have-an-inquiry-into-whole-covert-world-of-state-spying/

  20. Pat 20
    21 December 2018 at 2:18 pm

    “He denies it’s open season for fraudsters, saying the Labour Inspectorate and Immigration NZ are “incredibly vigilant”. But when they do catch scammers, only rarely are custodial sentences handed out. Former immigration minister Tuariki Delamere says only harsher penalties – including deportation – can have any impact.

    If two journalists, without the investigatory powers or resource of a government department, can unearth and expose a string of such schemes – and we heard of many, many more we didn’t have the time to pursue – it’s clear that they are everywhere, and not hard to find.

    The remote prospect of prosecution has made men like Gurpreet Singh brazen.”

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/108921008/the-big-scam-our-immigration-system-is-broken

    More window dressing?

    • KJT 20.1
      21 December 2018 at 2:46 pm

      Employers, and suppliers of education of dodgy value, are making a fortune out of this scam.
      Don’t see it being stopped anytime soon.

      • Pat 20.1.1
        21 December 2018 at 3:06 pm

        However alongside those pressures to turn a blind eye must also be pressure from competing businesses to remove this illegal advantage….never mind the immorality of exploitation

        • KJT 20.1.1.1
          21 December 2018 at 5:33 pm

          You would think so.

          But, I suspect they are all doing it.

          Judging by all the backpackers waitering, in our local coffee shops.

  22. Robert Glennie 22
    21 December 2018 at 2:34 pm

    James Mattis, “Mad Dog Mattis”, has quit as Donald Trump’s military officers criticize his unilateral decision to pull out of Syria.

    Meanwhile Trump’s decision has received a Putin-esque seal of approval from the Kremlin.

    It is messy and everything, but one of the few rational groups in the Middle East, the Kurds are now going to be exposed to whatever Turkey turns on them. I know Turkey has been the subject of PKK attacks but at the same time in a region full of despots and well known for dodgy deals, if there is any combatant group deserving of some kind of reward for their efforts, it would be the Kurds.

    • Exkiwiforces 22.1
      23 December 2018 at 12:15 am

      Heard rumours just before I out about the possibility of Blackwater replacing US Combat troops in the Gan. One detailed report I seen was cost analysis from Combats Troop, along everything in between to AirPower/ Close Air Support and training the Afghan troops. Training the Afghan troops by Blackwater is real scary and wrong on so many levels and I don’t really know where to start.

      It’s no wonder that old Mad Dog has called it quits when old Trump wants to pull this type of shit on the world and it shows that Trump, Bolton and Co have no morals or any principles, but make a quick buck.

      Neo Con/ Lib economic theory at its bloody worst.

      https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/ominous-blackwater-is-coming-advert-raises-prospect-trump-has-privatised-war/news-story/784ce81fc6ebdd9113edba2e2da17044

      • joe90 22.1.1
        23 December 2018 at 12:53 am

        The amoral pricks finally drove Mattis out.

        Interestingly, Mattis once revealed what would lead him to resign in protest during an April 2014 talk in San Francisco, and he made it clear that he would only do so under the most dire of circumstances, since his subordinates would not be able to do the same.

        Top articles
        1/5
        Mattis’ 2017 Message To
        Troops Is Worth Remembering: ‘Just Hold The Line’
        “The lance corporals can’t retire. They’re going. That’s all there is to it,” he said.

        […]

        Later, during his April 2014 talk in San Francisco, he was asked specifically about whether there was a scenario in which he may have retired in protest. Mattis allowed some unethical orders and other scenarios that would lead him to do so, but he said, “you have to be very careful about doing that. The lance corporals can’t retire. They’re going. That’s all there is to it.”

        He added: “You abandon him only under the most dire circumstances, where the message you have to send can be sent no other way. I never confronted that situation.”

        In Dec. 2018, it looks like he finally did.

        https://taskandpurpose.com/mattis-resign-protest/

        https://washingtonmonthly.com/2018/08/17/will-mattis-allow-trump-to-start-privatizing-the-military/

  23. greywarshark 23
    21 December 2018 at 2:40 pm

    Why is the university being painted as in the wrong? They have said they may not have the necessary support for someone with a mental illness. She has to help them by ensuring that she can get the help needed if required.
    https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/378784/canadian-student-loses-out-due-to-lack-of-mental-health-help-at-victoria-university

  24. KJT 24
    21 December 2018 at 2:43 pm

    https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24032052-900-time-to-break-academic-publishings-stranglehold-on-research/

    Are we going to, finally, get publicly funded research out from behind the stranglehold of pay walled, journals?

    One of the most blatant examples of excessive private profit, from tax payer funded services.

  25. Ed 25
    21 December 2018 at 2:57 pm

    We live in Stasi land.

    Christ Trotter writes…

    “AN “AFFRONT TO DEMOCRACY”, was the State Services Commissioner’s characterisation of the state bureaucracy’s decision to spy on political activists. Few would disagree. That multiple state agencies felt entitled to contract-out the gathering of political intelligence to the privately owned and operated Thompson & Clark Investigations Ltd reveals a widespread antidemocratic disdain for citizens’ rights within the New Zealand public service. The alarming revelations of the State Services’ inquiry raise two very important questions: How did this disdain for democratic norms become so entrenched? And what, if anything, can Jacinda Ardern’s government do to eradicate it?

    The dangerous truth, in relation to the first question, is also painfully relevant to the second. The effective abrogation of democratic norms in New Zealand dates back to 1984 and the events which the former CTU economist and ministerial adviser, Peter Harris, characterised as a “bureaucratic coup d’état”. In was in July 1984 that elements within the NZ Treasury and the Reserve Bank, taking full advantage of the relationships they had been cultivating for at least a year with the parliamentary leadership of the NZ Labour Party, initiated the detailed and extremely radical economic policy programme which came to be known as “Rogernomics”.

    This programme, set forth in “Economic Management” – the book-length briefing paper for the incoming Minister of Finance, Roger Douglas – had received no mandate from the electorate. Indeed, the ordinary voter had no inkling whatsoever that the Labour Party of Mickey Savage and Norman Kirk was about to unleash a programme considerably to the right of Margaret Thatcher’s and Ronald Reagan’s. The authors of “Economic Management” were not, however, interested in obtaining a democratic mandate for their proposed reforms. In fact, they strongly suspected that submitting their ideas to the voters was just about the surest way of securing their emphatic rejection.

    Since the mid-1970s the conviction had been growing among big-business leaders and high-ranking civil servants living in the wealthiest capitalist nations, that democracy had gotten out of hand; and that unless the scope for democratic intervention in the economy was radically reduced, then the future of capitalism could not be guaranteed. Free Market Economics, as it was called then, or Neoliberalism, as we know it today, was, from the outset, incompatible with the social-democratic principles that had underpinned western policy-making in the post-war world. It could only be imposed, and kept in place, by a political class sealed-off from all manner of pressures from below. If that meant gutting the major parties of the centre-left and right; purging the civil service, academia and the news media of dissenters; and crushing the trade unions – then so be it.

    Once it became clear that the free-market “revolution” was not about to be halted in its tracks, all those with an ambition to rise within the new order made haste to learn its rules and spared no effort in enforcing them. This phenomenon: of absorbing and implementing an antidemocratic regime’s imperatives was described by British historian of the Third Reich, Ian Kershaw, as “Working Towards The Fuhrer”.

    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/12/21/must-read-working-towards-the-fuhrer/

  26. DJ Ward 26
    21 December 2018 at 3:53 pm

    Had a car crash at home today. A young male around 20 failed a high speed sweeping left hand bend. Took out about 40m of our fence including the stainer post. Ended up facing the other way nearly tipped over on a bank. Lucky the power poles are on the opposite road side. Had to pull him out into the paddock with the tractor. Then across a soaked paddock to a race then to dry ground before we could replace his tire. Yes he needed help changing his tire. Yes he asked where he could wash the mud off his shoes. Anyway he had insurance, so off he went unharmed from his experience, car trashed, to inform mummy and daddy up in Auckland how he has crashed his second car out in the wilderness.

    • greywarshark 26.1
      21 December 2018 at 7:38 pm

      What address so you can get the money for your fence? Oh I suppose they will expect that to come out of the insurance you have paid for. And that would wipe your no-claims bonus.

      • DJ Ward 26.1.1
        22 December 2018 at 6:35 pm

        I have learnt since posting the comment that we can’t get insurance payments for fences. So all on us. It’s probably just a days work and just $200 in materials as most will be recycled. More of a pain at this time of year as we try and fit in some holiday time.

        The important part is he walked away unharmed. We had a fatality a few years ago a few hundred meters from the same spot. Helping motorists is a regular event for us.

    • I feel love 26.2
      22 December 2018 at 1:57 pm

      Don’t the left get accused of “wealth envy”? Et tu Brute?

  27. Chris T 27
    21 December 2018 at 4:56 pm

    Unlucky re the fence, but

    Never fear. Labour promised to give school leavers free driving lessons in their lolly scramble at the election!…..

    …. Oh. They flip flopped

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/108362391/vision-zero-brakes-applied-to-government-pledge-to-provide-students-free-driving-lessons-and-defensive-driving-courses

    • KJT 27.1
      21 December 2018 at 7:41 pm

      Probably because they had to find money to fix more serious problems left behind by National, like collapsing hospitals and a growing Teacher shortage.

    • greywarshark 27.2
      22 December 2018 at 9:24 am

      Chris t
      Don’t have a poke at Labour because they are more far-seeing than you. Stay schtum and think and learn. Having a licence is a big advantage for being able to legally get to work, obtain work, showing that the person is responsible.
      It takes time, study, practice; it’s enormously expensive for a poor person scraping along. It’s a measure of success and would give a feeling of self-satisfaction.

      Many of the young haven’t got good reading skills, and so it gives an opportunity for helpers and supporters of the young to bring their reading skills to a better level. It brings them into a circle of people who are desiring to help them get a better life, and they might not have had contact with such people in a one-to-one working relationship before.

      Probably at school there would have been over-worked teachers, and if the young person isn’t motivated to learn all this general stuff (where is it going to be useful?), and they might be action-oriented not desk or inert, passive-oriented, so school might have just washed over them. And in the end washed their hands of such impossible-to-teach students.

      This is stuff that I know, plus stuff that i have learned. You could write long-form comments like this, if you tried to learn and understand, and wanted to spend the time on explaining background to whatever problem you know about!

  28. Morrissey 28
    21 December 2018 at 5:16 pm

    “Auckland victims’ advocate RUTH MONEY is on the program…”
    The final episode of The Panel is as obscene and irony-free as ever
    RNZ National, Friday 21 December 2018
    Jim Mora, Jock Anderson, Ruth Money, Caitlin Cherry

    As a special kick in the teeth to listeners, Jim Mora’s producer Caitlin Cherry (herself a nasty piece of work) [1] has procured two nasty right wing guests for the very last show under Mora’s hosting. Ruth Money we’ve looked at already: she’s a protégée of Garth the Knife McSticker and, bizarrely, calls herself a “victims’ advocate.” [2] The other guest is the stridently anti-union, anti-teacher, anti-liberal Jock Anderson. [3] At least Anderson has one saving grace: he’s a genuinely witty fellow, who can make people laugh. And right at this moment (4:41 p.m.) he is delivering a very well thought out Soapbox item about local democracy.

    Today featured some of the recurring themes of Mora’s thirteen year tenure:

    There was his glib and complacent conservatism: “Jesus is the reason for the season!” he burbled just before the 4 o’clock news, and returned to the topic at 4:45. On innumerable past occasions he has quoted, in high seriousness, the likes of David Brooks and David Farrar.

    There was the consultation of a marginally competent “expert”—today, yet again, one Ken Grace, apparently from a “Department of Writing” somewhere, who chuntered on for several minutes about the meaning of “impeccable.”

    There was the choice of consciously lightweight and trivial topics, made even more irritating by Mora’s inane parroting of words and phrases that have just been said. This clearly irritated his past producers—especially Noelle McCarthy, Susan Baldacci and Julie Moffett. Today it was Caitlin Cherry who tried, and failed, to hide her exasperation as they brought their intellects to bear on the vital topic of Baby Names.

    MORA: Caitlin Cherry, Story of the Day.
    CAITLIN CHERRY: So there’s a website called Nameberry, it’s quite a popular one, and it’s predicted the top baby name TRENDS for next year. This is for America, I must note, but, ahhhhmmm, they’re actually starting to adopt names from around the world, nicking names from other cultures, ahhhhmmm, they’ve picked that the Maori name Aroha—
    MORA: Ahhhhhh!
    CAITLIN CHERRY: —will become popular next year, along with names from Korea, and South America, Indian names, things like Acayshus—
    MORA: Acayshus?
    CAITLIN CHERRY: [clipped tone] Yes. [significant pause] And um, there’s also going to be, ummm, apparently more three-letter names. They’re very, very popular. Hal, Ida, Jem, I always like the name Jem because it’s the brother in um–
    MORA: Gem?
    CAITLIN CHERRY: [significant pause] Why am I having a mind blank?
    MORA: Would you call your daughter Gem?
    CAITLIN CHERRY: Harper Lee’s book, um—
    MORA: Oh.
    CAITLIN CHERRY: It’s the brother in Harper Lee’s book, Scout after her big brother—
    MORA: Oh, J – E – M?
    CAITLIN CHERRY: Jem.
    MORA: Gotcha!
    CAITLIN CHERRY: Yeah. …[clearly rattled, she pauses]…. Um, celebrity surname names are also growing in popularity, so what would YOU suggest that the famous, like if you were going to name your children after people after the surname of a celebrity?
    MORA: Paltrow.
    RUTH MONEY: Trump.
    CAITLIN CHERRY: [mirthlessly] Ah ha! No-o-o-o-o-oo.
    MORA: Trump, yeah.
    CAITLIN CHERRY: Ah, Beckham—
    MORA: Oh, Beckham.
    CAITLIN CHERRY: Bowie, Hendrix, Lennon, Monroe
    MORA: Oh yeah.
    CAITLIN CHERRY: Yeah.
    MORA: So they’re all going to come into vo-o-o-o-ogue?
    CAITLIN CHERRY: Yep. …

    ad nauseam….

    Just before the 4:30 news Ruth Money took the opportunity to embark on a rant about the fact that “prison is the last resort… especially for these hideous offences…. It’s MADNESS.” Later she averred: “I think we need to get back to HUMANITY…”

    [1] https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/10/jim-moras-light-chat-gets-ugly-and.html

    [2] https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/12/ngrid-hipkiss-grinned-vacuously-and.html

    [3] https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/12/irony-free-newstalkzb-do-you-see-this.html

    • Gabby 28.1
      21 December 2018 at 6:45 pm

      Not the j word morry! You’ll start melting around the edges if he keeps up that carry on.

      • Morrissey 28.1.1
        21 December 2018 at 7:39 pm

        I start melting round the edges every time I see your byline, Baggers.

        (Cripes, will that get me banned again?)

  29. Pat 29
    21 December 2018 at 5:30 pm

    “Until recently, the study of tipping points was controversial, but it is increasingly accepted as an explanation for climate changes that are happening with more speed and ferocity than earlier computer models predicted. The loss of coral reefs and Arctic sea ice may already be past the point of no return. There are signs the Antarctic is heading the same way faster than thought.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/20/risks-of-domino-effect-of-tipping-points-greater-than-thought-study-says

    ….and a happy new year.

    • Dennis Frank 29.1
      21 December 2018 at 6:05 pm

      “Only 19% were entirely isolated. Another 36% shared a common cause, but were not likely to interact. The remaining 45% had the potential to create either a one-way domino effect or mutually reinforcing feedbacks.”

      So the science of complexity has been applied. That’s good. The application informs us of the extent to which environmental systems interlock: considerable! That’s bad. So it’s an academic study that isn’t a waste of time. That’s rare.

      “The fourth most downloaded academic research of 2018 was the Hothouse Earth paper, which considered how tipping points could combine to push the global climate into an uninhabitable state.”

      So the prospect of everyone dying from climate change has become so concerning that it’s the fourth most urgent topic of academic consideration. Hard to say if that’s good or bad, eh?

      “Rocha has spent 10 years building a database of tipping points, or “regime shifts” as he calls them. He urges policymakers to adopt a similar interdisciplinary approach so they can better grasp what is happening.” Policymakers would have to grow extremely different brains to achieve that grasp.

      “Policies need to match the scale of the problem.” I’d prefer policies that actually solved the problem. “Every action counts.” Helpful actions count in favour of the solution, irrevelant actions count against. Democracy selects the latter.

      • Pat 29.1.1
        21 December 2018 at 6:12 pm

        Id suggest democracies are failing to select at all….but then democracies only account for around 10% of countries….the problem is deeper.

  30. Morrissey 30
    22 December 2018 at 10:39 am

    Older but not at all wiser: Rosemary McLeod returns.
    The Panel, RNZ National, Tuesday 18 December 2018
    Megan Whelan, Gary McCormick, Rosemary McLeod, Emil Donovan

    A few years ago, as the blood-soaked Sisi military regime was killing and arresting Egyptians, Jim Mora’s light chat show gave it the once-over-lightly. One of the panelists, Rosemary McLeod had obviously not done much or indeed any reading about the situation, but that did not stop her from sniffing contemptuously and proclaiming: “Those people don’t WANT democracy!”

    McLeod has largely been absent from The Panel since then. She now sounds like she is on death’s door, but it hasn’t made her a whit more thoughtful.

    At 4:20 p.m. today (Dec. 18, 2018) it wasn’t the mass killing of Egyptian civilians but Brexit that received the once-over-lightly treatment. To be fair, one person in the discussion, Gary McCormick ,seemed to have actually read something about this topic and had obviously thought about it; he said something worth listening to.

    On the other hand, this was Rosemary McLeod’s contribution:

    “…but I do admire Theresa May. She’s an extraordinary woman, with nice legs.”

    Fifteen minutes later, her “Soapbox” contribution was a long chat about Melania Trump changing her hair colour.

    https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-18122015/#comment-1110502

  32. greywarshark 32
    22 December 2018 at 6:59 pm

    The chirpy-cheep-cheep are always on about how wonderful cycleways are and talking down the naysayers, not willing to admit there are problems; winners and losers.

    This link is from a comment on Scoop so thanks for that Jonny Utzone.
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/20/scooters-and-hoverboards-add-to-dutch-cycle-lane-hell

    Scooters and hoverboards add to Dutch cycle lane hell
    Police union chief says it is impossible to keep lanes safe due to variety of vehicles and rules
    Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and Rotterdam are rushing through different rules about the sort of vehicles allowed on their increasingly crowded lanes, leaving everyone confused, it is claimed.

    On Tuesday Amsterdam announced that slower mopeds, known as a snorfiets, would be banned from the bike paths from April. Utrecht is introducing a similar ban at the end of the next year.

    But Birò cars, four-wheeled electric vehicles with two seats side by side and a top speed of 34 mph, can still be driven on cycle lanes anywhere in the country.

    • Sabine 32.1
      22 December 2018 at 7:59 pm

      so the issue is not with the cycle ways but rather with the humans who use them.

      Or am i mis-understanding this?

      I have lived for a bit in the Netherlands, in Hilversum 15 kms of Utrecht and i loved the cycle ways. All of them. Easy to navigate, going everywhere, with a nice road surface good for cycling. And yes the mopeds – 28 km per hour if not trafficed used these too, however i have not seen the Biro Cars at the time i lived there.

      • greywarshark 32.1.1
        22 December 2018 at 8:49 pm

        I think that the problem is that the cycleways are becoming so crowded that they no longer provide the good answer to non-auto travel they once did. And to complicate that, the variety of vehicles, and unregulated speed. There is a saying about a good idea being killed by its popularity

        I remember that at early times of car use, it was required that someone walked in front carrying a red flag. In NZ I think that cyclists will need to be registered, like drivers, and pay ACC. Many travel fast on the footpaths. Because they are not large and cumbersome like a car they can ride on the footpath and then go as fast as a car on the road. Then at night they forget they have a small profile and don’t realise how invisible they can be even with all their lights.

        The age of simplicity cycling is over, and there need to be more restraints ie licences, training, registration, ACC. Some simple souls want to eliminate helmets. I don’t agree with that. NZs in general, don’t behave as sensibly as Europeans. The trace of the wild west is still in us.

        And still I have not mentioned pedestrians, the ability to walk in a stress free atmosphere, and the growing numbers of old people, and computer users who are putting on weight and need to exercise, not build up into a blood pressure, cholestorol problem. Both need to walk, and relax and breathe the air, and look at the green world around. Instead the in-thing is to use them as markers for cyclists to weave in and out amongst. I may yet attack someone some day if I am run into. I can only take so much aggravation and usurpation of the space I need to walk in and keep healthy.

  33. joe90 33
    22 December 2018 at 7:31 pm

    When you things things couldn’t get any weirder, up pops nonagenarian crack-pot Lyndon LaRouche.

    https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/12/lyndon-larouche-roger-stone-russia-robert-mueller/

  35. joe90 35
    22 December 2018 at 10:50 pm

    2019 is gonna be fun.

    Why don’t you have the guts to directly accuse me so I can sue you for defamation and prove that you’re lying. Coward!— Alan Dershowitz (@AlanDersh) December 4, 2017

    I accuse you directly. You had sex repeatedly with minor victims provided to you by Jeffrey Epstein. https://t.co/xPatwTaXZB— Claude Taylor (@TrueFactsStated) December 21, 2018

  36. Eco Maori 36
    23 December 2018 at 9:21 am

    Kai ora R&R yes we do have a lot of good men who do there duty of looking after there whano. The problem for Maori is the media focous on all the bad this about our socioty
    and the stats tell us there are a lot good things maori men do.
    Toxic maculinity is how this socioty shapes men with the movies and media all portraying this as the norm is all part of some suppresion of wahine .
    Yes Ngatai Porou respect wahine and most of our Marae are named after Wahine.
    Ka kite ano .

  37. Eco Maori 37
    23 December 2018 at 10:16 am

    Ka pai to Miley Cyrus for showing that she supports Equal pay for Wahine and points out the flaws of the Santa baby song
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPdXgCq_Rlg#action=share

  39. Eco Maori 39
    23 December 2018 at 12:15 pm

    Some people are to blinded the can not see the writing in on the wall or is something else blinding them
    Corbyn faces furious Labour backlash over backing Brexit
    Labour leader accused of betrayal on second poll and ‘in danger of losing young backers’
    Jeremy Corbyn is facing a storm of criticism from Labour activists and MPs after suggesting he would press ahead with Brexit if the party won a snap general election.
    In a sign that he is losing backing among overwhelmingly pro-Remain Labour supporters, Corbyn was also accused of betraying the party membership by appearing reluctant to back the idea of supporting Remain in a second referendum.
    The first signs of a serious internal revolt from party members on the left, who helped propel him to the leadership, came after Corbyn gave an interview to the Guardian in which he suggested he thought Brexit should go ahead and said EU state-aid rules would prevent a Labour government intervening to support UK industries.
    Advertisement

    His anti-EU tone drew immediate criticism from party supporters and members who had successfully persuaded the leadership to back the possibility of a second referendum at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool in September. Ka kite ano links below

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/dec/22/corbyn-faces-furious-backlash-over-backing-brexit

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywvRgGAd2XI

  40. Eco Maori 40
    23 December 2018 at 2:01 pm

    You see people we are mere bacteria on the back side of the great blue whale .
    If we stuff up OUR worlds enviroment and cause mass extinction life will continue with out humans .
    We are a intelligent race in the year 2018 we need to take the lead on climate change and change the way we live to drop carbon out of our lives to combate climate change
    Ka kite ano links below Indonesia tsunami: at least 20 dead as beaches around Sunda Strait hit
    National disaster management agency says at least 165 injured after tsunami, which could be linked to volcanic eruption

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/22/multiple-fatalities-as-tsunami-hits-beaches-in-indonesia

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-2khcTHIgs

  41. Eco Maori 41
    23 December 2018 at 3:48 pm

    Here you go solar energy is now cheaper than dirty coal carbon and nuclear energy I first watched this story 2 years ago its hard to find now. ???????????? don’t let the carbon trolls trick you into thinking that its cheaper to burn your grandchildren’s future for cheaper energy
    In countries like Brazil, Australia, Chile and parts of the United States people consider renewable energy because of financial reasons. The price of solar and wind energy will continue to drop and in more countries renewable energy will occur.

    A surprising newcomer on the market is Morocco, where the government expects that in 2020 more than 40 percent of the energy could come from solar energy. Ka kite ano

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmyrbKBZ6SU

  42. eco maori 42
    23 December 2018 at 6:38 pm

    Kai ora Newshub Condolences to all the people who lost love ones in Indonesia I did use the story to hightlight how small we are to Papatuanuku .
    Well that’s a good problem to have all the film studios to booked out to film any new films. These are the people who have a hold of the 1080 debate The Far Out Right link here from a great man’s view on these fools https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/22/europe/george-soros-profile-lister-intl/index.html

    Josphe should be counting his lucky stars I have seen footage in work safe videos with much smaller electric explosions kill people instantly
    People have to respect tangaroa creatures as they are just doing what it takes to survive in the wild most people would perish in the wild bush .
    Its cool that more home less people are getting houseing ka pai its good having a humane goverment in power who put’s people wellbeing berfore profts.The NZ soccer is looking bright Niki
    Mike that was a cool view of the Pohutukawa tree in full bloom .
    Ka kite ano

  43. eco maori 43
    23 December 2018 at 6:55 pm

    Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgGr_n4fgyI

  44. eco maori 44
    23 December 2018 at 7:22 pm

    Eco Maori I have been busy chasing two of my mokopunas around.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csn5hSqsNcc

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