The intro says it all. Paraphrasing – ‘We support free speech, but we don’t support free speech.’ And then calls for google to excercise a more stringent censorship regime.
The ‘shouldn’t be allowed’ sites, offered an interesting hodge podge. Alongside the usual images and indignia associated with the unpleasant guys of WW2, there were sites callng for an end to the bombing of Gaza, something on Venezuela, references to Zionism, another on Iran, Palestine…and so it went on.
I couldn’t be bothered to endlessly pause the video to check out the sites, but anyway.
As I asked at the beginning, why was it scary in your opinion?
Cards to monitor or control the spending by beneficiaries.
Judging by the outfits one or two of the cards proponents wear to mask their considerable girths, some of whom have had a history of benefit support, or being on the public purse as members of parliament, perhaps the cards should be given to them as well. The Petulant Bean has obviously been guilty of spending her money unwisely (junk food for one) and a couple of her colleagues could possibly also be guilty. What say MP’s be held to account on how they spend the money they get paid to attend parliament and debate issues – it’s all tax payers money afterall.
You want to be creeped out take a look at three short video’s showing 3 swastika shaped buildings on Google eartth. In the US, Greece and Nairobi. In Greece there is one that looks pretty well identical to the one in the US. In Nairobi there is a set of four buildings with each one being shaped like a swasticka. The proportions of these builings from Google earth all look similar to identical at a glance.
The second one is in Greece. Listen to a news report about it that you cannot understand unless you speak Greek. Not sure when this one was built but the pictures say it all.
The third one is in Nairobi either in or Near their main hospital. In this group of four builings all of them are shaped like swastikas. I checked these out ages ago. This one was built just after WW2 by imigrants. There seems to be very little information available about it.
I contacted New Zealand media people who said they don’t do stories on this sort of thing. Looks like they do news reports on it in the US and Greece so why not here. We know all about Arnie’s and Maria’s divorce so why is this subject off limits to our media.
Remember this building occured in post WWII when the German SS, the Gestapo and various other nefarious agencies were being systematically implanted into the new Security and Investigation Units being developed by the US government. Namely the CIA and the NSA. SO yes real evil, but a building is a building, concern yourself with how the intelligence machines of the Third reich ended up in Washington DC and you will have much more to be concerned about.
I would like to remind you that the swastika is one of the oldest forms in Human history. The sooner its short term association with our very dark and recent history is forgotten the sooner the world can return to the roots of its meaning. The swastika is a symbol borne of unity, love and repsect for each other.
Social conservative Trotter may be… but he’s forgotten more about Labour than most of us will ever know.
And frankly I think he’s pretty close to the mark here. While Key’s govt hasn’t swung hard right so far, and pretty much dangled about not doing much in the middle…. a further swing to the right in this election will see the same sort of destructive policies that we’ve seen in the UK this last several years… with much the same sort of outcome you would have to predict.
Key is after all popular. You might not like that, but it’s stupid to try and ignore why.
Lol
That article must be satire. Shonky saving NZ from terrorist attack. Next he will be changing quickly in phone booths and wearing his undies on the outside.
Having fun Orcusman? Its all rather sad from you and the MSM…bit like the sad reporting yesterday on the “opening” of some more of the JKey Memorial Larceny aka cycleway. Tell me how a road, used by cars and trucks can all of a sudden be designated cycleway? Its a big fekkin joke, like yourself, Whale, and the rest of the opinions coming from your side of the tracks.
Chris73, I think you’ll find that both islands (or all three) are (metaphorically) already sinking as you describe.
I’ve often wondered why there aren’t contracts on ipredict as to whether such indicators as child poverty, domestic violence, child abuse, rates of youth suicide, rates of depression and anxiety disorders, etc. will go up or down as a result of election outcomes.
It would be interesting because, ‘I predict’, Â that at least some New Zealanders would have to face the fact that the policies they support (e.g., tax cuts, fewer public services, privatisation of health, education and welfare provision, etc.) also come along with increases in these indicators (after all, putting your own money on trends in these indicators supposedly makes people more honest with themselves).
It would make the trade off that, according to the polls, many New Zealanders appear willing to make, very clear.
Puddlegum – social indicator stocks of the kind you suggest are a great idea. Which ones are published annually (or quarterly) and where, so that iPredict can begin with an experiment to see ones attract the most interest?
Yeah, omitting Cunliffe did seem so odd I had to think it was deliberate. Still we all make dozy mistakes from time to time.
But overall it was soberly written and a reasoned appraisal. I’ve repeatedly said that I do support Goff; he would make a very good PM if he ever got a fair crack at it. But I don’t think these are fair times, and I don’t think he is going to capture the imagination of the NZ public this election. Is that fair? No. But probably true all the same.
And I think Hubbard nails the reasons why. And he’s likely correct that the best outcome for Labour in the longer run is a narrow and honourable loss. That’ll keep the right in sufficient check, while allowing the left time to build a solid platform for 2014.
Sure that’s a somewhat sour pill to swallow, but not a wholly bitter one.
Labour need 40% or 41%. A hard ask but certainly not impossible.
36% or 37% would mean that Labour would lose, but National would have a precarious hold on power. And many in NAT will want to go for three terms and so be moderate…while the neoliberals will realise that three terms is not likely and will want to go hard right to pocket what they can while they can.
I’m dismayed though that after the CGT Labour has not rolled out more big brave new left wing policy. RWC is around the corner and there will be no chance to announce stuff then.
I tend to agree about the policy rollouts -but it might be a tactic to get coverage after the cup.
40% for labour would be good, but it all depends on the minor parties – if mana and nz1 get 4% each + and electorate, greens on 7, then that could be a workable coalition there with labour <40.
What Labour gets is largely irrelevant (although, before some tory goes for broke, 30% would be too low) – it’s what National get, and whether they have any friends after the election. I seriously doubt they will get 50%+, so they’ll need to pray ACT make up the difference (with Brash), or the maori party can make up the difference and are prepared to do the coalition again, or etc etc etc.
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SST fills in more of the picture of who is doing what in the scandal of exploitation of cheap foreign workers to work on 27 aged hulks in order to harvest Maori fishing quota.
– unsafe ships – one has sunk with loss of life.
– third world wages paid to maximize profits for quota holders.
– unsafe work environments.
– abusive treatment of the workers.
Our fish, from our waters, to benefit our economy and yet not answerable to our laws!
Government creates free-market property speculation bubble in Christchurch.
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This was, and is, an utterly foreseeable problem that Gerry has failed to see through the clouds of mortar dust from his haste to demolish Christchurch.
A distorted market of sudden and overwhelming demand from a limited supply.
Not that they have to do anything to create this bubble. They (National) just have to do what they have always done – just do nothing!
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Extra-ordinary situations require extra-ordinary measures (including price control legislation). This can be done so landowners make a profit, homeless get homes, everyone is happy.
Instead we can expect, as an extension of National Party policy, excessive profit taking by those who have from those who haven’t – all to the soundtrack of Gerry standing on a plinth singing “It’s a beautiful world”.
NZ is cheap. It dumped an upper chamber and then went soft on its wealth creators,
so much so that wealth creators immediately leave our shores either in person, or
sold to foreign owners after taking on too much debt. NZ business sector is soft
in the head for the most part, they believed they could not hack it in a
level playing field so watered down parliament and regulation to secure an easy
living and the detriment of NZ. Nz is cheap. Business if it want to be better would
demand a upper chamber, demand a CGT, demand we respect customers. Duh.
Your fed up being on the top of the rubbish dump when you know you could be
half way up a mountain, well all I have to say is Hubbard.
I think you will find that you are a lonely cheerleader in your routine promoting an upper house as the panacea for NZ.
One of the saving graces of the current status quo is that ill-conceived policy can be overturned by a incoming government. This of course means that good policy can also be overturned however as another commentator here pointed out, it is better to have the opportunity to do some good than to be paralysed by different factions controlling the upper and lower houses and to not be able to achieve anything.
I had the displeasure of reading an article in the Taranaki Daily News today written by Gordon Brown. He’s rubbishing a report (PDF) prepared by Infometrics Ltd for Every Child Counts, a coalition of organisations led by Barnardos, Plunket, Unicef, Save the Children and Te Kahui Mana Ririki. Brown pretty much cover’s all the bases of ill informed opinion that we so often see from far right commentators…
Rugby is a whore to commerce these days. So in NZ for that matter. As far as I’m concerned we deserve all the pathetic advertising campaigns in the world – as a country we elected a vacuous PM leading a party of vile individuals. And we may do so again in November.
You would think that New Zealand would have learned from the America’s Cup defections (Butterworth, Coutes et al) that a commercial entity has no national loyalty nor heart beyond that which it’s employees give it (or it’s legislated by government).
America’s Cup, All Blacks, Super 14, Rugby World Cup will take whatever taxpayer dollars we give them but will piss-off when it is in their financial advantage to do so.
Add to that Super V8’s, FIFA World Cup, Olympics, Ellerslie International Flower Show, World of Wearable Arts. All whores to the highest bidder and parasites hungry for Corporate Welfare!
Cunliffe alluded to this problem on Q+A this morning when it comes to asset sales. Foreign buy-in will lead to calls to maximize profit (at the expense of NZ customers), leading to court cases against the NZ Government under international trade agreements.Â
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No loyalty to New Zealand and screwing us for every dollar “the market can sustain”.
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Here’s a link to the video I was talking about yesterday. Its called “The elites plan for global extermination” by Webster Tarpley ( Histortian, Economist). Its about Obama’s appointee John Holdren the director of the White House office for science and technololgy. The film starts with Obama introducing John Holdren to the public in an address.
“Today I am pleased to announce members of my science and technology team. Dr John Holdren has agreed to serve as assistant to the President for Science and Technology and director for the whitehouse office of science and technology policy…..”
Mr Holdren co-wrote a book about 20 years ago called Ecoscience. In that book all manner of methods for population control both voluntary plus forced i.e methods such as putting chemicals in water are discussed. He had a figure of 1 billion people as and ideal global population.
Tarpley shows us the quotes in Holdren’s books including one chapter heading entitled
“De- development of Over Cevelpoed Countries”
Holdren dislikes the idea that with good systems in place everyone on earth can live reasonably. My take on the austerity being introduced around the world is meant to shorten lifespan and thus reduce our population. Tarpley also talks about plans for de-industrialisation of the west and preventing countries like China and India developing. We have certainly have seen de industrialisation of the west in the last 30 years with an accompanying decrease in our standard of living with both parents having to work to make ends meet and when you don’t count immigration numbers most western countries have seen decreases in population.
Holdren wants to create a science court where people could decide what inventions could be developed. Holdren apparantly hates technolgy and see’s people as polluters.
According to Tarply Holdren is not the only nutter in the Obama administration. Cass Sunstein would like to give legal rights to animals to be represented in court. Holdren is even more extreme and would like to give legal rights to trees rather than having a plan to plant more trees which would be the correct solution as oppoed to his view of preventing development for the poor to save trees rather than getting the poor to go out and plant lots of trees.
Unfortunately I think that video you linked to is a have, it seems to have been manufactured by the pro-growth corporate crowd.
I’ve watched the first ten minutes and Tarply attacks Holdren for being anti-economic growth, attacks Holdren for believing that there is a finite carrying capacity to the world, attacks Holdren for wanting tighter global regulation of pollution and resource exploitation, attacks Holdren for thinking that a more sustainable world population is closer to the one billion mark, attacks Holdren for saying that its not possible for every developing country in the world to strive for US levels of resource consumption and energy use.
The thing is, I reckon Holdren is largely correct about the big picture on all those issues.
Tarply continuously implies that Holdren will engineer the deaths of billions to get the population down to the carrying capacity, ignoring the fact that the earth is going to do that just fine by itself in the next ~100 or so years.
Viper Maybe you should have watched the whole film before reaching a conclusion.
So Viper you put the environment above hope for the poor. I say we can do both. Seems a real Labour party person would support the poor first and foremost. Its a long video where Tarply shows quotes in the book that say India should be Triaged. I.E. not be given any more food aid. I think thats where Tarply gets the idea he wants to commit genocide. And that is what is quietly happening as we speak.
Goldman Sachs have an exculsusive exemption which allows them to manipulate the food commodities markets. Apparantly approx 200 million people starved to death due to the recent high food prices but there was no actual shortage of food, just price manipulation by Goldman Sachs to blame for all that misery and death.
He also talks about women purchasing liscences to have children so we would probably have only the rich being allowed to breed. Holdren talks about forcibly taking babies away from unwed mothers putting contraceptives in the water. Is this what NZ lefties now aspire to.
Holdren also talks about the history of killing newborn infants as a population control method.
If you love these ideas should you really be a labour person.
Your preducdice against the source of the video may have decided not to even hear it out. The sad thing is no one else is prepared or able to confront these issues without getting a source of income. they simply must pay the bills like the rest of us. If your average Jo fill the gap for free they would loose their jobs and their families starve so their must be money changing hands so whistle blowers are not silenced by impoverishment. And people involved with politics know this.
We know that workers expressing extreme views publicly might be financially ruined and sacked.
Holdren’s specific suggestions from all those years back are bizarre and extreme. I’m not backing any of them.
So Viper you put the environment above hope for the poor. I say we can do both. Seems a real Labour party person would support the poor first and foremost. Its a long video where Tarply shows quotes in the book that say India should be Triaged. I.E. not be given any more food aid. I think thats where Tarply gets the idea he wants to commit genocide. And that is what is quietly happening as we speak.
1) If you mean ‘hope for the poor’ = the developed world aspiring to US levels of consumption and resource use, it can’t happen. There’s not enough cheap fossil fuels left in the world to make it happen. Note how even the US is unable to maintain US levels of consumption and resource use in an energy depleting world.
2) Over the next few years its more likely that the US will need Indian aid (not the other way around).
3) As I said, the earth is going to sort out the genocide itself. Modern agricultural production will plummet in the absence of fossil fuels.
First, peak oil is being distorted for propaganda purposes and being used by the elites to justify what they are doing in trying to secure global hegemony.
The problems are not population based they are misuse of resources due to vested interests who wish to perpetuate and enlarge their power structure.
Take a look here at a projected 500 year supply of oil coal and gas in the US once they decide to exploit it.
As I have written before we are not running out of fossil energy resources with enough gas, coal, and oil for over 500 years when shale oil reserves are considered. It might not be a cheap as it once was be we are not running our of fossil energy reserves any time soon. The Congressional Research Service just published a new report that the US has the largest fuel reserve on earth. We just lack the political will to capture and use them.
Bruce McQuain at Hot Air has posted a summary of this reality in a report by Peter C. Glover in the Energy Tribune. Gloverâs analysis of a recent Congressional Research Service study confirms that
we have hundreds of years of oil, gas and coal.
Glover writes:
In case anyone missed it, let me repeat something that is of a magnitude of 10 on the scale of news-quakes for Joe Public USA: Americas combined energy resources are, according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service (CSR), the largest on earth. They eclipse Saudi Arabia (3rd), China (4th) and Canada (6th) combined â and thatâs without including Americaâs shale oil deposits and, in the future, the potentially astronomic impact of methane hydrates.
The energy facts in the CRS report should be making front page news all over America. Mostly it isnât. Given the devastating news from Japan and New Zealand, it may be right to postpone dancing in the streets. But something else is going on. Even though they are going to dominate global energy supply for decades to come the insidious war on vital fossil fuels continues apace.
back to Gina
New Developments in Natural gas Extraction give estimates that we have enough gas to supply all the worlds fossil fuel needs for 400 years. Most of that Gas is in Russia and Iran and that may be the target of all these vicous wars of theft we are being pushed into. Then their is the unlimited solar. Peak oil is just another BS excuse for the agenda of the wealthy to do untold evil.
We want to be very certain we know what is really going on beyond all the propaganda before we support the poverty and misery of so many people many of whom have been our slaves over the last 30 years. They are human beings too and lets not toss out all vestiges of morality and treat them as though they are vermin because if we do that makes us the lowest of the low.
There are massive amounts of US money being spent on War, far higher than the costs of Medicare or any form of welfare. There are far better ways to limit consumption than deliberately impoverishing the most vulnerable people in society. Regulation on manufacture and recycling.
Make all manufactured goods comply with codes for recycling. I.E. Demand that a television set can be made so that it can be disassembled in 5 minutes. Everything made in a modular way where things don’t have to be smashed into one big mixed up mess which makes recycling impossible. Every piece of that TV must be easily recycled. Once we have that type of system firmly in place we can then demand that if someone wants a New TV they must have the old one completely disassembled before they can get another. Same for mobile phones. You can only have one or in some instances 2. we can fix the problem without hoping that the poor people of Africa and China will just die out after we have used all their recourses for our mean greedy selves.
There is no need for people to be thrown out into the streets and mark my word, kids are being thrown on the scrapheap right now as fodder for new wars where the desperate will be driven to enlist just to get a job.
Take a look here at a projected 500 year supply of oil coal and gas in the US once they decide to exploit it.
That can’t be correct IMO. Firstly, oil, coal and gas are not interchangeable sources of energy. How can you then say that you have 500 years worth of each one? It’s a very convenient round number.
Secondly, focussing on oil, the US hit peak oil production in 1970. No decision they make to open up natural parks, drill in Alaska, issue permits for new deep sea wells, etc. can compensate for the continuing productivity drop from existing wells. New production is not replacing production declines, and the Hubbert curve is largely holding.
Thirdly. Both cost and EROEI (energy returned on energy invested) matter. Focussing again on oil, US wealth was built on oil which cost $15-$20/barrel to produce. Many of the sources of oil they are talking about exploiting now cost three, four, five times as much per barrel. And instead of energy returns of 50:1 like the old days, energy returns are dropping to 10:1, 5:1 and sometimes even less.
Why is this important? Because the dynamics between price and EROEI will likely mean that massive amounts of the fossil fuel reserves they speak of will stay in the ground permanently. In other words, there’s a big difference between “technically recoverable reserves” and proven usable reserves.
For more serious discussion on peak energy I can recommend the oil drum
As an aside the shale gas phenomenon in the US has been massive, but the track records of the deposits are short and so no one can tell how they will produce over the long term. Further there are signs that some declared shale gas deposits may have been exaggerated for financial reasons.
Jon Stewart making some funnies about the real USA and world and welfare and taxes (I think I heard that only 50% of liable people paid tax there over one period, the subsidies etc covered any ordinary citizen tax that was estimated).
TV1 just breathlessly wanked on about Colmar-Brunton’s latest poll about the National Party winning 120% of the party vote whilst picking up 100% of electorates not only in New Zealand, but also in the UK, Maui, and several provinces in China. Phil Goff, who apparently has blood on his hands from throttling puppies, registered a negative 12%.
Don’t worry, the real NZland voter is probably watching “New Zealand’s Next Anorexic Coked-UpWhore” or “New Zealand Idle” or “Amazing Race – the Neo-Nazi Edition”
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The country is safe in their hands….
well they are just whistling in the dark to keep their spirits up.
New Zealanders know that we have been ill served by a motley collection of non-entities and a PM who is starting to show cracks in his facade.
The world is going through big changes at the moment and National and its myrmidons are totally unable to grasp the fact that they are becoming increasingly irrelavant and that they were yesterdays men ten years ago.
I wonder if the Petulant Bean will put her investigators onto people who spend a lot of time blogging while claiming to be unfit for work. Understand, after events today, that one or two could possibly be rethinking their positions.
They’ll be going into therapy courtesy of ACC, maybe having a Tariana stomach stapling and then getting a paid role for the Nats.
They are lucky they are over 16 (even though their mental age/level of understanding is about 5)
If you think that Fox News is disgusting…
Sunday 21 August 2011
At 11 p.m. a serious-sounding voice comes out of my radio: “The all-too-familiar cycle of Israeli-Palestinian violence in the Gaza Strip…. militant rocket attacks followed by Israeli reprisals.”
Where does that piece of perfect inversion of the truth come from?
If you guessed it was the Israeli (Dis)information Ministry, your guess would be an intelligent and justified guess, but it would be wrong. In fact, this nonsense comes courtesy of the BBC.
But isn’t that report accurate, Morrisey? I assume it was the recent attack on Israel’s south that you are referring to, which was followed by Israeli attacks on Gaza. Or is it something different?
But isnât that report accurate, Morrisey? I assume it was the recent attack on Israelâs south that you are referring to, which was followed by Israeli attacks on Gaza. Or is it something different?
It’s not at all accurate. It frames the story the Israeli way, as the BBC almost always does. So the firing of a few rockets from Gaza is presented as something that happens out of the blue, for no reason. What the BBC coverage ignores—perhaps deliberately—is the fact that since 2006 Israel has continued to drop bombs and incendiary devices on Gaza, and has continued with its illegal blockade. Israel regularly destroys crops, uproots trees, cuts off water, and electricity—an Israeli spokesman laughed that “we are putting them on a diet”—and kidnaps and imprisons Gaza’s citizens at will.
Any resistance at all by the people of Gaza is invariably presented as an “attack” on Israel.
Even you, and I regard you as a fair and thoughtful person, have framed this as Palestinian aggression followed by an Israeli “response”. I think if you look at the situation in Gaza more carefully, you will soon realize who the aggressor is.
I recommend anyone who wants to learn about what has happened and is happening in Gaza, to have a look at the following…
Cheers, Morrissey. I’d have to say the cycle of attacks is so routine, I’m still not sure which particular incident you heard reported. The one I most recently heard reported on the BBC and elsewhere was on Thursday.
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There was an attack on buses in Israel’s south. The attackers trekked through the Gaza/Egypt and Egypt/Israel borders and killed 8 people. Israel retaliated in the usual way by bombing the shit out of Gaza. They also apparently killed 3 Egyptian soldiers, which has caused a major diplomatic incident. I guess the BBC’s problem is that they report the news in 3 minutes every hour and can’t give the context you and I both agree on in such a short bulletin. So they stick to the facts. I bet if you asked the IDF, they’d probably also claim that the BBC is biased, but in the other direction!
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However, I know that there have been indications of a pro-Israel bias in the past, but I’d like to think they’ve improved. I thought their coverage of the flotilla massacre was pretty on the money, for example.
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Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes-Â The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you arenât wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said âSince we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that âNew Zealandâs economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerfulâ. They also believe that âNew Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerfulâ. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
âYou talking about me?âThe neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hallâs âGlide Timeâ caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Our two-tiered system for veteransâ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veteransâ affairs spokesperson Greg OâConnor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxonâs management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last yearâs severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labourâs environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our countryâs most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Governmentâs Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a âget out of jail freeâ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealandâs good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National governmentâs lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for TÄmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Governmentâs democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Governmentâs proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change thatâs great for the planet and great for consumers after her memberâs bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the countryâs books after Teanau Tuionoâs membersâ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his memberâs bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Todayâs advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Governmentâs newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealandâs urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. âOur Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealandâs hydrogen future, with the opening of the countryâs first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. âI want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealandâs own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealandâs energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. âThe report shows that New Zealandâs emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,â Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where heâll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Governmentâs work to restore law and order. âAttending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealandâs human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the worldâs largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. âThe reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealandâs wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin  NgÄ mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho  Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.  I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. âOur Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealandâs overseas missions.  âOur diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealandâs interests around the world,â Mr Peters says.  âI am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. Â âOver 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. âIt is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. âOur coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
âChina remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,â Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.  Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. âRecently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachersâ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.  âThe Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. âScience, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During todayâs meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. âThe Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in TaupĹ as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the TaupĹ International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. âAnticipation for the ITM TaupĹ Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. âThe coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. âThis project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sectorâs productivity,â Mr Jones says. âThe project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Governmentâs plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. âBenefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Governmentâs commitment to doubling New Zealandâs renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealandâs latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. âOur Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. âNew Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Governmentâs intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. âThe introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Todayâs announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Governmentâs plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. âInflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sectorâs role in the export-led recovery of the economy. âI am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Governmentâs support for the revitalisation the sector.  "New Zealandâs wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. âThe inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. âMy meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Iâm on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Heraâs help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener youâre likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
âNever again - No AUKUSâ was the message of the wreath laid at this morningâs national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now sheâs very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice â both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high schoolâs head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble. Â Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhireâs 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.  My World War I Poem  Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging.  Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
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There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihanâs gorgeous and sad debut KĹhine, Noelle McCarthyâs memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend NgÄhuia te ...
Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australiaâs University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourneâs Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australiaâs inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and itâs now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this weekâs Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
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Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 24 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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Scary stuff:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwj0jwZ2tNY
What’s scary about it?
The intro says it all. Paraphrasing – ‘We support free speech, but we don’t support free speech.’ And then calls for google to excercise a more stringent censorship regime.
The ‘shouldn’t be allowed’ sites, offered an interesting hodge podge. Alongside the usual images and indignia associated with the unpleasant guys of WW2, there were sites callng for an end to the bombing of Gaza, something on Venezuela, references to Zionism, another on Iran, Palestine…and so it went on.
I couldn’t be bothered to endlessly pause the video to check out the sites, but anyway.
As I asked at the beginning, why was it scary in your opinion?
Love Colin Campbell – bachelor and spinsterhood could be high on the agenda in future particularly with no pill or condoms.
http://cassandralegacy.blogspot.com/2011/08/colin-campbell-on-embedded-energy.html
Cards to monitor or control the spending by beneficiaries.
Judging by the outfits one or two of the cards proponents wear to mask their considerable girths, some of whom have had a history of benefit support, or being on the public purse as members of parliament, perhaps the cards should be given to them as well. The Petulant Bean has obviously been guilty of spending her money unwisely (junk food for one) and a couple of her colleagues could possibly also be guilty. What say MP’s be held to account on how they spend the money they get paid to attend parliament and debate issues – it’s all tax payers money afterall.
You want to be creeped out take a look at three short video’s showing 3 swastika shaped buildings on Google eartth. In the US, Greece and Nairobi. In Greece there is one that looks pretty well identical to the one in the US. In Nairobi there is a set of four buildings with each one being shaped like a swasticka. The proportions of these builings from Google earth all look similar to identical at a glance.
The one in the US is in Coronado Naval Base built in 1967 more than 20 gyears after the war. Check out this news report about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWkls1v6vJE&playnext=1&list=PLFF0A40AAFABBA0F1
The second one is in Greece. Listen to a news report about it that you cannot understand unless you speak Greek. Not sure when this one was built but the pictures say it all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DzMlF_jvY4&feature=autoplay&list=PLFF0A40AAFABBA0F1&index=9&playnext=2
The third one is in Nairobi either in or Near their main hospital. In this group of four builings all of them are shaped like swastikas. I checked these out ages ago. This one was built just after WW2 by imigrants. There seems to be very little information available about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M8Dsw29AYU
I contacted New Zealand media people who said they don’t do stories on this sort of thing. Looks like they do news reports on it in the US and Greece so why not here. We know all about Arnie’s and Maria’s divorce so why is this subject off limits to our media.
Remember this building occured in post WWII when the German SS, the Gestapo and various other nefarious agencies were being systematically implanted into the new Security and Investigation Units being developed by the US government. Namely the CIA and the NSA. SO yes real evil, but a building is a building, concern yourself with how the intelligence machines of the Third reich ended up in Washington DC and you will have much more to be concerned about.
I would like to remind you that the swastika is one of the oldest forms in Human history. The sooner its short term association with our very dark and recent history is forgotten the sooner the world can return to the roots of its meaning. The swastika is a symbol borne of unity, love and repsect for each other.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/opinion/5479874/Labour-must-leave-past-behind
Ouch, thats gotta hurt
What’s gotta hurt, Chris? If you didn’t want your photo taken with Phil Goff, you shouldn’t have stood there.
Thats me on the right (naturally) and Jacinda Ardern on the left
oh and this probably isn’t helpful either:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/5470134/Trotter-A-swing-right-could-tear-us-apart
No problem there, Chris. Conservative columnist with no connection to Labour quotes flea while praising Key. Yawn.
Social conservative Trotter may be… but he’s forgotten more about Labour than most of us will ever know.
And frankly I think he’s pretty close to the mark here. While Key’s govt hasn’t swung hard right so far, and pretty much dangled about not doing much in the middle…. a further swing to the right in this election will see the same sort of destructive policies that we’ve seen in the UK this last several years… with much the same sort of outcome you would have to predict.
Key is after all popular. You might not like that, but it’s stupid to try and ignore why.
Lol
That article must be satire. Shonky saving NZ from terrorist attack. Next he will be changing quickly in phone booths and wearing his undies on the outside.
Yes because thats the main point of the article
I, for one, sleep better knowing that John “uberman” Key and the SAS are fighting in Afghanistan to keep Norway free from Muslim extremists. đ
http://blog.labour.org.nz/index.php/2011/07/28/labour-candidate-making-an-impression-in-botany/
Yeah he could join Phil Goff in saving lives
Having fun Orcusman? Its all rather sad from you and the MSM…bit like the sad reporting yesterday on the “opening” of some more of the JKey Memorial Larceny aka cycleway. Tell me how a road, used by cars and trucks can all of a sudden be designated cycleway? Its a big fekkin joke, like yourself, Whale, and the rest of the opinions coming from your side of the tracks.
You remind me of the scene in erik the viking where the island is sinking but the king refuses to believe whats happening
But hey you’re happy đ
Fuckwit troll dullard thickshit..
Chris73, I think you’ll find that both islands (or all three) are (metaphorically) already sinking as you describe.
I’ve often wondered why there aren’t contracts on ipredict as to whether such indicators as child poverty, domestic violence, child abuse, rates of youth suicide, rates of depression and anxiety disorders, etc. will go up or down as a result of election outcomes.
It would be interesting because, ‘I predict’, Â that at least some New Zealanders would have to face the fact that the policies they support (e.g., tax cuts, fewer public services, privatisation of health, education and welfare provision, etc.) also come along with increases in these indicators (after all, putting your own money on trends in these indicators supposedly makes people more honest with themselves).
It would make the trade off that, according to the polls, many New Zealanders appear willing to make, very clear.
Puddlegum – social indicator stocks of the kind you suggest are a great idea. Which ones are published annually (or quarterly) and where, so that iPredict can begin with an experiment to see ones attract the most interest?
Hubbard has as much credibility as Slater.
An article about future leadership prospects and he does not mention David Cunliffe.
Unbelievable.Â
Insider knowledge? (Might help my ipredict)
Yeah, omitting Cunliffe did seem so odd I had to think it was deliberate. Still we all make dozy mistakes from time to time.
But overall it was soberly written and a reasoned appraisal. I’ve repeatedly said that I do support Goff; he would make a very good PM if he ever got a fair crack at it. But I don’t think these are fair times, and I don’t think he is going to capture the imagination of the NZ public this election. Is that fair? No. But probably true all the same.
And I think Hubbard nails the reasons why. And he’s likely correct that the best outcome for Labour in the longer run is a narrow and honourable loss. That’ll keep the right in sufficient check, while allowing the left time to build a solid platform for 2014.
Sure that’s a somewhat sour pill to swallow, but not a wholly bitter one.
Labour need 40% or 41%. A hard ask but certainly not impossible.
36% or 37% would mean that Labour would lose, but National would have a precarious hold on power. And many in NAT will want to go for three terms and so be moderate…while the neoliberals will realise that three terms is not likely and will want to go hard right to pocket what they can while they can.
I’m dismayed though that after the CGT Labour has not rolled out more big brave new left wing policy. RWC is around the corner and there will be no chance to announce stuff then.
I tend to agree about the policy rollouts -but it might be a tactic to get coverage after the cup.
40% for labour would be good, but it all depends on the minor parties – if mana and nz1 get 4% each + and electorate, greens on 7, then that could be a workable coalition there with labour <40.
What Labour gets is largely irrelevant (although, before some tory goes for broke, 30% would be too low) – it’s what National get, and whether they have any friends after the election. I seriously doubt they will get 50%+, so they’ll need to pray ACT make up the difference (with Brash), or the maori party can make up the difference and are prepared to do the coalition again, or etc etc etc.
Â
Â
Yes it seems to me that NZ1 will very likely fail to cross the 5% line – just the way Key has deliberately positioned it.
Winston might have something to say about it, though
SST fills in more of the picture of who is doing what in the scandal of exploitation of cheap foreign workers to work on 27 aged hulks in order to harvest Maori fishing quota.
– unsafe ships – one has sunk with loss of life.
– third world wages paid to maximize profits for quota holders.
– unsafe work environments.
– abusive treatment of the workers.
Our fish, from our waters, to benefit our economy and yet not answerable to our laws!
I see that Mallard vs Cameron bike ride that the right have been obsessing about for months is on today
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10746451Â
Weather is nice, I think I will head along and watch the start
Government creates free-market property speculation bubble in Christchurch.
Â
This was, and is, an utterly foreseeable problem that Gerry has failed to see through the clouds of mortar dust from his haste to demolish Christchurch.
A distorted market of sudden and overwhelming demand from a limited supply.
Not that they have to do anything to create this bubble. They (National) just have to do what they have always done – just do nothing!
Â
Extra-ordinary situations require extra-ordinary measures (including price control legislation). This can be done so landowners make a profit, homeless get homes, everyone is happy.
Instead we can expect, as an extension of National Party policy, excessive profit taking by those who have from those who haven’t – all to the soundtrack of Gerry standing on a plinth singing “It’s a beautiful world”.
NZ is cheap. It dumped an upper chamber and then went soft on its wealth creators,
so much so that wealth creators immediately leave our shores either in person, or
sold to foreign owners after taking on too much debt. NZ business sector is soft
in the head for the most part, they believed they could not hack it in a
level playing field so watered down parliament and regulation to secure an easy
living and the detriment of NZ. Nz is cheap. Business if it want to be better would
demand a upper chamber, demand a CGT, demand we respect customers. Duh.
Your fed up being on the top of the rubbish dump when you know you could be
half way up a mountain, well all I have to say is Hubbard.
I think you will find that you are a lonely cheerleader in your routine promoting an upper house as the panacea for NZ.
One of the saving graces of the current status quo is that ill-conceived policy can be overturned by a incoming government. This of course means that good policy can also be overturned however as another commentator here pointed out, it is better to have the opportunity to do some good than to be paralysed by different factions controlling the upper and lower houses and to not be able to achieve anything.
Asshole of the Week Award – Gordon Brown
I had the displeasure of reading an article in the Taranaki Daily News today written by Gordon Brown. He’s rubbishing a report (PDF) prepared by Infometrics Ltd for Every Child Counts, a coalition of organisations led by Barnardos, Plunket, Unicef, Save the Children and Te Kahui Mana Ririki. Brown pretty much cover’s all the bases of ill informed opinion that we so often see from far right commentators…
Whilst there are ignorant red necks like this pontificating in the regional media the country will remain divided.
For the good of NZ (and the All Blacks) could Kevin Roberts please keep his mouth shut and his ideas to himself.
Rugby is a whore to commerce these days. So in NZ for that matter. As far as I’m concerned we deserve all the pathetic advertising campaigns in the world – as a country we elected a vacuous PM leading a party of vile individuals. And we may do so again in November.
You would think that New Zealand would have learned from the America’s Cup defections (Butterworth, Coutes et al) that a commercial entity has no national loyalty nor heart beyond that which it’s employees give it (or it’s legislated by government).
America’s Cup, All Blacks, Super 14, Rugby World Cup will take whatever taxpayer dollars we give them but will piss-off when it is in their financial advantage to do so.
Add to that Super V8’s, FIFA World Cup, Olympics, Ellerslie International Flower Show, World of Wearable Arts. All whores to the highest bidder and parasites hungry for Corporate Welfare!
Cunliffe alluded to this problem on Q+A this morning when it comes to asset sales. Foreign buy-in will lead to calls to maximize profit (at the expense of NZ customers), leading to court cases against the NZ Government under international trade agreements.Â
Â
No loyalty to New Zealand and screwing us for every dollar “the market can sustain”.
Â
We seem to be slow learners on a bunch of different issues.
Hi Viper
Here’s a link to the video I was talking about yesterday. Its called “The elites plan for global extermination” by Webster Tarpley ( Histortian, Economist). Its about Obama’s appointee John Holdren the director of the White House office for science and technololgy. The film starts with Obama introducing John Holdren to the public in an address.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3Xv8CbMFcc
“Today I am pleased to announce members of my science and technology team. Dr John Holdren has agreed to serve as assistant to the President for Science and Technology and director for the whitehouse office of science and technology policy…..”
Mr Holdren co-wrote a book about 20 years ago called Ecoscience. In that book all manner of methods for population control both voluntary plus forced i.e methods such as putting chemicals in water are discussed. He had a figure of 1 billion people as and ideal global population.
Tarpley shows us the quotes in Holdren’s books including one chapter heading entitled
“De- development of Over Cevelpoed Countries”
Holdren dislikes the idea that with good systems in place everyone on earth can live reasonably. My take on the austerity being introduced around the world is meant to shorten lifespan and thus reduce our population. Tarpley also talks about plans for de-industrialisation of the west and preventing countries like China and India developing. We have certainly have seen de industrialisation of the west in the last 30 years with an accompanying decrease in our standard of living with both parents having to work to make ends meet and when you don’t count immigration numbers most western countries have seen decreases in population.
Holdren wants to create a science court where people could decide what inventions could be developed. Holdren apparantly hates technolgy and see’s people as polluters.
According to Tarply Holdren is not the only nutter in the Obama administration. Cass Sunstein would like to give legal rights to animals to be represented in court. Holdren is even more extreme and would like to give legal rights to trees rather than having a plan to plant more trees which would be the correct solution as oppoed to his view of preventing development for the poor to save trees rather than getting the poor to go out and plant lots of trees.
Unfortunately I think that video you linked to is a have, it seems to have been manufactured by the pro-growth corporate crowd.
I’ve watched the first ten minutes and Tarply attacks Holdren for being anti-economic growth, attacks Holdren for believing that there is a finite carrying capacity to the world, attacks Holdren for wanting tighter global regulation of pollution and resource exploitation, attacks Holdren for thinking that a more sustainable world population is closer to the one billion mark, attacks Holdren for saying that its not possible for every developing country in the world to strive for US levels of resource consumption and energy use.
The thing is, I reckon Holdren is largely correct about the big picture on all those issues.
Tarply continuously implies that Holdren will engineer the deaths of billions to get the population down to the carrying capacity, ignoring the fact that the earth is going to do that just fine by itself in the next ~100 or so years.
So after all that I like Holdren more not less.
Viper Maybe you should have watched the whole film before reaching a conclusion.
So Viper you put the environment above hope for the poor. I say we can do both. Seems a real Labour party person would support the poor first and foremost. Its a long video where Tarply shows quotes in the book that say India should be Triaged. I.E. not be given any more food aid. I think thats where Tarply gets the idea he wants to commit genocide. And that is what is quietly happening as we speak.
Goldman Sachs have an exculsusive exemption which allows them to manipulate the food commodities markets. Apparantly approx 200 million people starved to death due to the recent high food prices but there was no actual shortage of food, just price manipulation by Goldman Sachs to blame for all that misery and death.
He also talks about women purchasing liscences to have children so we would probably have only the rich being allowed to breed. Holdren talks about forcibly taking babies away from unwed mothers putting contraceptives in the water. Is this what NZ lefties now aspire to.
Holdren also talks about the history of killing newborn infants as a population control method.
If you love these ideas should you really be a labour person.
Your preducdice against the source of the video may have decided not to even hear it out. The sad thing is no one else is prepared or able to confront these issues without getting a source of income. they simply must pay the bills like the rest of us. If your average Jo fill the gap for free they would loose their jobs and their families starve so their must be money changing hands so whistle blowers are not silenced by impoverishment. And people involved with politics know this.
We know that workers expressing extreme views publicly might be financially ruined and sacked.
Holdren’s specific suggestions from all those years back are bizarre and extreme. I’m not backing any of them.
1) If you mean ‘hope for the poor’ = the developed world aspiring to US levels of consumption and resource use, it can’t happen. There’s not enough cheap fossil fuels left in the world to make it happen. Note how even the US is unable to maintain US levels of consumption and resource use in an energy depleting world.
2) Over the next few years its more likely that the US will need Indian aid (not the other way around).
3) As I said, the earth is going to sort out the genocide itself. Modern agricultural production will plummet in the absence of fossil fuels.
First, peak oil is being distorted for propaganda purposes and being used by the elites to justify what they are doing in trying to secure global hegemony.
The problems are not population based they are misuse of resources due to vested interests who wish to perpetuate and enlarge their power structure.
Take a look here at a projected 500 year supply of oil coal and gas in the US once they decide to exploit it.
http://ncwatch.typepad.com/media/2011/03/peak-energy-update-post-petroleum-reality-check.html
As I have written before we are not running out of fossil energy resources with enough gas, coal, and oil for over 500 years when shale oil reserves are considered. It might not be a cheap as it once was be we are not running our of fossil energy reserves any time soon. The Congressional Research Service just published a new report that the US has the largest fuel reserve on earth. We just lack the political will to capture and use them.
Bruce McQuain at Hot Air has posted a summary of this reality in a report by Peter C. Glover in the Energy Tribune. Gloverâs analysis of a recent Congressional Research Service study confirms that
we have hundreds of years of oil, gas and coal.
Glover writes:
In case anyone missed it, let me repeat something that is of a magnitude of 10 on the scale of news-quakes for Joe Public USA: Americas combined energy resources are, according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service (CSR), the largest on earth. They eclipse Saudi Arabia (3rd), China (4th) and Canada (6th) combined â and thatâs without including Americaâs shale oil deposits and, in the future, the potentially astronomic impact of methane hydrates.
The energy facts in the CRS report should be making front page news all over America. Mostly it isnât. Given the devastating news from Japan and New Zealand, it may be right to postpone dancing in the streets. But something else is going on. Even though they are going to dominate global energy supply for decades to come the insidious war on vital fossil fuels continues apace.
back to Gina
New Developments in Natural gas Extraction give estimates that we have enough gas to supply all the worlds fossil fuel needs for 400 years. Most of that Gas is in Russia and Iran and that may be the target of all these vicous wars of theft we are being pushed into. Then their is the unlimited solar. Peak oil is just another BS excuse for the agenda of the wealthy to do untold evil.
We want to be very certain we know what is really going on beyond all the propaganda before we support the poverty and misery of so many people many of whom have been our slaves over the last 30 years. They are human beings too and lets not toss out all vestiges of morality and treat them as though they are vermin because if we do that makes us the lowest of the low.
There are massive amounts of US money being spent on War, far higher than the costs of Medicare or any form of welfare. There are far better ways to limit consumption than deliberately impoverishing the most vulnerable people in society. Regulation on manufacture and recycling.
Make all manufactured goods comply with codes for recycling. I.E. Demand that a television set can be made so that it can be disassembled in 5 minutes. Everything made in a modular way where things don’t have to be smashed into one big mixed up mess which makes recycling impossible. Every piece of that TV must be easily recycled. Once we have that type of system firmly in place we can then demand that if someone wants a New TV they must have the old one completely disassembled before they can get another. Same for mobile phones. You can only have one or in some instances 2. we can fix the problem without hoping that the poor people of Africa and China will just die out after we have used all their recourses for our mean greedy selves.
There is no need for people to be thrown out into the streets and mark my word, kids are being thrown on the scrapheap right now as fodder for new wars where the desperate will be driven to enlist just to get a job.
That can’t be correct IMO. Firstly, oil, coal and gas are not interchangeable sources of energy. How can you then say that you have 500 years worth of each one? It’s a very convenient round number.
Secondly, focussing on oil, the US hit peak oil production in 1970. No decision they make to open up natural parks, drill in Alaska, issue permits for new deep sea wells, etc. can compensate for the continuing productivity drop from existing wells. New production is not replacing production declines, and the Hubbert curve is largely holding.
Thirdly. Both cost and EROEI (energy returned on energy invested) matter. Focussing again on oil, US wealth was built on oil which cost $15-$20/barrel to produce. Many of the sources of oil they are talking about exploiting now cost three, four, five times as much per barrel. And instead of energy returns of 50:1 like the old days, energy returns are dropping to 10:1, 5:1 and sometimes even less.
Why is this important? Because the dynamics between price and EROEI will likely mean that massive amounts of the fossil fuel reserves they speak of will stay in the ground permanently. In other words, there’s a big difference between “technically recoverable reserves” and proven usable reserves.
For more serious discussion on peak energy I can recommend the oil drum
http://www.theoildrum.com/
As an aside the shale gas phenomenon in the US has been massive, but the track records of the deposits are short and so no one can tell how they will produce over the long term. Further there are signs that some declared shale gas deposits may have been exaggerated for financial reasons.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/us/26gas.html?pagewanted=all
Jon Stewart making some funnies about the real USA and world and welfare and taxes (I think I heard that only 50% of liable people paid tax there over one period, the subsidies etc covered any ordinary citizen tax that was estimated).
http://hahajk.com/videos/video-jon-stewart-on-world-of-class-warfare/
TV1 just breathlessly wanked on about Colmar-Brunton’s latest poll about the National Party winning 120% of the party vote whilst picking up 100% of electorates not only in New Zealand, but also in the UK, Maui, and several provinces in China. Phil Goff, who apparently has blood on his hands from throttling puppies, registered a negative 12%.
Sheesh…
Don’t worry, the real NZland voter is probably watching “New Zealand’s Next Anorexic Coked-UpWhore” or “New Zealand Idle” or “Amazing Race – the Neo-Nazi Edition”
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The country is safe in their hands….
well they are just whistling in the dark to keep their spirits up.
New Zealanders know that we have been ill served by a motley collection of non-entities and a PM who is starting to show cracks in his facade.
The world is going through big changes at the moment and National and its myrmidons are totally unable to grasp the fact that they are becoming increasingly irrelavant and that they were yesterdays men ten years ago.
Rap news 8 Osamacide
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=NZ#/watch?v=L6O6sM2Shok
For those that haven’t seen a rap news before : )
Key performs his signature ‘dodge and wriggle’ dance move:
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/10079949/key-defends-non-attendance-decision/
This time avoiding quake victims.
I wonder if the Petulant Bean will put her investigators onto people who spend a lot of time blogging while claiming to be unfit for work. Understand, after events today, that one or two could possibly be rethinking their positions.
They’ll be going into therapy courtesy of ACC, maybe having a Tariana stomach stapling and then getting a paid role for the Nats.
They are lucky they are over 16 (even though their mental age/level of understanding is about 5)
If you think that Fox News is disgusting…
Sunday 21 August 2011
At 11 p.m. a serious-sounding voice comes out of my radio: “The all-too-familiar cycle of Israeli-Palestinian violence in the Gaza Strip…. militant rocket attacks followed by Israeli reprisals.”
Where does that piece of perfect inversion of the truth come from?
If you guessed it was the Israeli (Dis)information Ministry, your guess would be an intelligent and justified guess, but it would be wrong. In fact, this nonsense comes courtesy of the BBC.
The BBC: as fair and balanced as Fox News…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq9-dBTIQwE
yeah, regarding british interests and israel. Like the u.s. channels with us interests and israel. Or russian tv on, say, the balkans.
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But isn’t that report accurate, Morrisey? I assume it was the recent attack on Israel’s south that you are referring to, which was followed by Israeli attacks on Gaza. Or is it something different?
But isnât that report accurate, Morrisey? I assume it was the recent attack on Israelâs south that you are referring to, which was followed by Israeli attacks on Gaza. Or is it something different?
It’s not at all accurate. It frames the story the Israeli way, as the BBC almost always does. So the firing of a few rockets from Gaza is presented as something that happens out of the blue, for no reason. What the BBC coverage ignores—perhaps deliberately—is the fact that since 2006 Israel has continued to drop bombs and incendiary devices on Gaza, and has continued with its illegal blockade. Israel regularly destroys crops, uproots trees, cuts off water, and electricity—an Israeli spokesman laughed that “we are putting them on a diet”—and kidnaps and imprisons Gaza’s citizens at will.
Any resistance at all by the people of Gaza is invariably presented as an “attack” on Israel.
Even you, and I regard you as a fair and thoughtful person, have framed this as Palestinian aggression followed by an Israeli “response”. I think if you look at the situation in Gaza more carefully, you will soon realize who the aggressor is.
I recommend anyone who wants to learn about what has happened and is happening in Gaza, to have a look at the following…
http://antonyloewenstein.com/tag/gaza/
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/amira-hass-the-one-thing-worse-than-denying-the-gaza-report-1.7747
http://www.fpif.org/articles/chomsky_undermining_gaza
http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/democracy-now-analysis-of-goldstone-report/
Cheers, Morrissey. I’d have to say the cycle of attacks is so routine, I’m still not sure which particular incident you heard reported. The one I most recently heard reported on the BBC and elsewhere was on Thursday.
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There was an attack on buses in Israel’s south. The attackers trekked through the Gaza/Egypt and Egypt/Israel borders and killed 8 people. Israel retaliated in the usual way by bombing the shit out of Gaza. They also apparently killed 3 Egyptian soldiers, which has caused a major diplomatic incident. I guess the BBC’s problem is that they report the news in 3 minutes every hour and can’t give the context you and I both agree on in such a short bulletin. So they stick to the facts. I bet if you asked the IDF, they’d probably also claim that the BBC is biased, but in the other direction!
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However, I know that there have been indications of a pro-Israel bias in the past, but I’d like to think they’ve improved. I thought their coverage of the flotilla massacre was pretty on the money, for example.
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Sadly, it’s become typical of them…