Radio NZ reporting that Sky City told the government 14 months ago it could not afford to build convention centre as promised.
Will the media hold them to account?
Makes skycity appear clean as, top corporate citizen and all that and the MSM puppets will be looking elsewhere and hand wringing over Sabin or excusing them for the lui donation etc.
Skycity and NACT colluded from day 1 over this deal and it’s just been a case of how them and their MSM acolytes feed the sheeple given the election had to be negotiated.
Joyce was just on Radio NZ and I have never heard him sound sicker. He took umbrage at the suggestion that he had deliberately lied to the public and disputed that he had the necessary intent. Good way to confirm that he may have inadvertently lied …
The New Zealand Herald does not regard the fact the government is considering sending our troops to Iraq today as important enough news to make any of its top 10 stories online.
Apparently our taxi fare gap is more important.
National run a non democratic process by choosing not to put it to the whole of the House, instead they have chosen the Banana Republic route of letting cabinet choose. Both the Tory-Maori party and United Future are not in favour of the role our troops are too play.
What a disgraceful breech of democracy by Key and his cronies. These 100 troops would be better employed combating an invasion on our own shores, the Queensland fruit fly.
They were talking about this on Morning Report this morning. Under Labour, apparently the only time a decision like this was put to the house was in late 2003 when they were voting whether to send the SAS back to Afghanistan or not. The other decisions were all made by the Labour cabinet.
That doesn’t make it right – particularly for those of us that don’t support Labour so the “but they did it too” argument doesn’t really sit too well.
I’d dearly love to see a clean up of parliamentary process. Its pretense of “democracy” is losing it’s veneer on a daily basis – irrespective of who is pulling the levers of control.
John Stevens giving a very good interview on 1 news this morning.
Stopped short of calling Key a liar about the SAS going to Afghanistan in 2009 . pointed out the the Iraq war was built on lies and finished with saying reporters weren’t asking the right questions about our going to fight Isis.
No sorry it will be on delay at about 7-50 . The liar in chief was just on at 7-15 answered most questions buy talking about what Clarke did and confirmed that there will be no vote on going to Iraq I wish she had of asked him if it was because he would lose.
Oxymoron Key says “he is confident if put to a vote the other party’s would support sending non combat troop to the Middle East.” Really so don’t bother giving a democratic vote?
And the reason Key won’t put sending troops to Iraq to the vote, is because he would be out voted.
Parties AGAINST NZ military involvement, training role possibly leading to combat –
Labour
Greens
NZ First
United Future
Maori Party
Parties FOR NZ military involvement regardless of role –
National minus one MP (Sabin)
ACT
To lose would be a slap in the face for Key and National. So to keep onside with his US buddies, he goes for over riding the democratic process of a Parliamentary vote! Isn’t this what dictators do?
When Espiner listed the parties in the Parliament who would vote against deployment in their interview Key mumbled on for a bit and then when pressed petulantly said they could always wait until after the Northland byelection.
“The invasion of Iraq in 2003 I think was not just a mistake, but perhaps a biggest mistake the U.S. has ever made in foreign policy. It’s a four trillion dollar mistake, it caused enormous damage in the region, to the people of Iraq and certainly to my army and very-very many of my friends. So, the invasion of Iraq in 2003 was a disaster, a fiasco, unnecessary and poorly conducted. We played the endgame very-very badly and that failure of American foreign policy in 2011 necessitates today America returning to Iraq in force.”
If there is an active war zone around with some of our normal allies special forces in action, you can generally assume that there will be a NZSAS contingent around as well. It doesn’t mean that they are deployed there. It just means that they are off doing a training (often as a kind of sabbatical) with other forces. It is part of their job.
The words “squad deployment” were used. I know they often work with other countries’ special forces, and love telling stories about how bad the Americans are. They are always at other people’s wars, while I believe the regular forces only started doing that via disobeying orders from the Clark government.
@ b waghorn
John Stevens is a musician I think. The person you are referring to from TV1 News is
Jon Stephenson, and that is a name and spelling to remember. A NZ person of worth
who deserves to be identified correctly.
Thinking back to last years election, no wonder Key looked tired and weary.knowing about Liu, Sky City fiasco and Sabin whilst telling us all that National were steering us in such a straight line, well, what can we say?
And this is a nice piece – which basically sums up my take on elections – add the appearance of the last two elections being dirty tricked by national – I think you should take some time to read.
Of course we are not in a debate! You haven’t made any statements, just petulant vague gibberish.
How about expanding on your original mind fart…”“..the appearance of the last two elections being dirty tricked by national…”?
Congratulations exStatic, you have delivered a new benchmark in nonsensical gibberish. I am sure we all look forward to the ever generous delight of your considerably reasoned contributions.
;“We’ve had four finds in our traps over three years. In the previous 14 years when we had the 100 percent screening in place, we didn’t find any.”
“Sure that’s going to cost some money, but we also have to look at every time we’re responding here is between $1 million to $1.5 million for the response that we’re putting in place.”
So how much has been saved by not screening 100%
Note no flys for 14 years with 100% screening
Now 4 infestations since reduced screening 3 years ago TO SAVE MONEY!!!!!
>>Mr Guy also denied that reinstating mandatory x-ray screening of luggage from all passengers coming off international flights would prevent the fruit fly from entering the country, saying it was “too difficult to confirm” how the pest arrived in Grey Lynn.
So how come Mr Guy there was no invasion for th 14 years there was mandatory screening.
Well, it’s now 0.0% so it can hardly plunge any lower. Does that mean they’re going to hail their current leader as a success because he stopped them falling any further? I wouldn’t put it past them.
I like the un-named woman saying something like “I think having a young one as a leader is quite good, because the young ones do like someone about their own age”.
Love her weird phrasing of “young ones”. Sorry Ms Unnamed Woman, but this “young one” actually wants sound and sane policy, not some young toff that’s been elevated beyond his depth and talent.
Is it just the money being spent? But surely they are there for a reason – creating international economic opportunities? I understand that the london posting has a few other issues but if the posting was made first then I also see no problems. Also isn’t this all ATEED which whilst owned by the council isn’t controlled by the council (thanks Rodney!)
Is it just me or is the Herald stirring up an issue that isn’t there at all and is failing to ask the right questions or state the facts in a non-biased way?
In google there is mention of NZ Australia NATO and the west but I have done a search of the article thinking it referred to Iraq and matters relating but can’t find a mention. So where that term was lifted from I do not know.
Still, Nassem Taleb says that “modern medicine” killed more people than it saved until probably the 1930s and that risk/benefit phenomena is still not well understood in a healthcare context, leading to bad (and sometimes tragic) decisions by both patients and practitioners.
..and you appear to be an unrepentant denier of the proven benefits of modern medicine.
You continuing sniping at immunisation and other medical interventions and your assertions that the health profession are dupes of the pharmaceutical industry whilst basing your arguments on your own rather flimsy knowledge base is perverse and brings your own profession into disrepute.
Disclosure – I do recommend patients to osteopaths and acupuncturists for musculoskeletal and other ailments and have a great deal of respect for their abilities in their areas of expertise.
..and you appear to be an unrepentant denier of the proven benefits of modern medicine.
Not at all. But I am an advocate of making sure patients can exercise informed consent before any treatment is provided. There are a very wide variety of situations for which modern western medical care is unparalleled and very necessary. Suggesting that there are other situations where its risks, benefits and unknowns are less clear cut or positive might be considered distateful, however.
and your assertions that the health profession are dupes of the pharmaceutical industry
Those are your words, not mine. And when you get entire classes of medical students boycotting medical school professors whom they feel have too close links with big pharma, or medical researchers themselves admitting that big pharma drug trials with positive results are more likely to be published in peer reviewed journals than ones which show the drugs in a bad light, I think that there are valid concerns to be considered.
They boycott professors who teach evolution too. In fact that seems to be the main reason. I suppose I missed all the classes in all the schools and all the professors you’re referring to.
One of you has made repeated assertions on this very blog concerning medical professionals being dupes and in the pockets of pharmaceutical companies and that prescribing in NZ was not evidence based, clearly such an accusation is hyperbolic cant.
I must admit to being a bit mystified as to what point you are trying to make, that mistakes are made by medical professionals and that the population have adverse reactions at times to medicines…. that is undeniable.
The report you link to however is very flawed.
just as initial example in relation to ADRs a critique was made of the published paper that the report relied upon.
‘”…Simple pooling of fatal event frequencies from only those studies specifically reporting the number of fatal ADRs, as was done in the meta-analysis of Lazarou and colleagues, is likely to dramatically overestimate the death rate.
CONCLUSION:
Meta-analysis was invalid because of heterogeneity of the studies. Most of these studies did not report the data needed for incidence calculations. The methodology used was seriously flawed, and no conclusions regarding ADR incidence rates in the hospitalized population in the United States should be made on the basis of the original meta-analysis. “
I must admit to being a bit mystified as to what point you are trying to make, that mistakes are made by medical professionals and that the population have adverse reactions at times to medicines…. that is undeniable.
It’s probably the scale of the issues which would be surprising to every day people. Yes, I agree with you that every study (including meta-analyses) has limitations and those limitations mean that you can’t make sweeping or blanket conclusions.
However most in the medical profession would not find it in the least surprising, for example, that a patient had died in hospital while receiving a cytotoxic cocktail for their cancer and that their death would be listed as drug related.
15 year old UK girls outsmart British intelligence, quit school and head to Syria to join ISIS
Oh dear. I’m sure the intelligence services will be asking for more powers, new legislation and additional millions in money to prevent future occurrences.
This could end up like the varroa mite where it was put in the too hard basket eventually by the government. Anyone who watches Boarder Security knows that many people do not declare and destroy the food they bring in. In fact many of them try to hide the stuff. Letting people from Oz go through without searching is so dumb it beggars belief that the government would risk millions of dollars in exports in order to avoid an almost negligible inconvenience to passengers. Like the other policies of the national government that allows drilling of oil in the area of the highly endangered Maui dolphin. To many of the rest of us this is just a no brainer to protect NZ export interests, tourism and our environment and quality of life for both people and our forma and flora. Who pays when things go wrong. The tax payer. Like we did when the lack of regulation meant the tax payer spent millions on the Rena cleanup and it’s still not fixed properly.
Andrew Little please scream from the rooftops about what stupidity this is. Motivate NZers to fight back against these dumb policies. We want a government that cares about our country which it is clear this government does not. We need a great leader and clearly John Key may have charm but not the ethics to look after NZ, it’s people and it’s environment for future generations.
Facts About Fruit Flies
– Mother fruit flies lay about 200-300 eggs at a time
– The most likely place for a mother fruit fly to lay her eggs is in a piece of rotting fruit
– As soon as the babies hatch, they start reproducing about 24 hours later
– From the time the mother fruit fly lays her eggs until you see the fruit flies buzzing around is about 7-13 days.
They apparently have about 7,500 traps in Auckland checking for these blighters and it sounds a lot – did I hear right? HortNZ CE Peter Silcock said that the action taken on commercial consignments of fruit in Oz and the border controls here are probably sufficient to mean good coverage. It is more likely that they come in travellers bags and they would like 100% screening. PRIM (Primary Industries Ministry) have increased surveillance – for fruit flies – but not to the extent which is needed. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/rural/266475/fruit-fly-crackdown-continues
Something that I notice is that yachties are never mentioned – there seems quite a floating population swanning around these days. They should be equally targeted for compliance with regs.
This is yet another example of the dangers of Investor-State Dispute Settlement Systems (ISDS) and another reason for rejecting the TPPA. This illustrates the lengths that these multicorporations will go to in order to evade their responsibilities and the moral and ethical vacuum in which they operate.
Imagine a similar scenario in NZ with respect to deep sea drilling!
It is better to read the whole article dated Feb 16, 2015 but here is an excerpt from the Chevron v Ecuador case.
“Unfortunately for Chevron, its expensive retaliation strategy against Mr. DeLeon and others has failed to end the litigation, has only increased the resolve of the affected villagers, and has not diminished the company’s risk from collection actions targeting its assets to ensure compliance with the judgment,” it added.
After an eight-year trial, an Ecuador court in 2011 found Chevron liable for deliberately dumping billions of gallons of toxic waste into the rainforest, decimating indigenous groups and causing an outbreak of cancer and other diseases. The case – litigated in Ecuador at Chevron’s request — was funded in large part by Mr. DeLeon, a successful businessman in the internet gaming space and a law school classmate of Donziger’s.
Two layers of courts in Ecuador unanimously affirmed the trial court judgment, including the country’s Supreme Court in a 5-0 ruling. Chevron still refused to pay the judgment and retaliated by suing numerous supporters of the villagers, including Mr. DeLeon but also lawyers, environmental groups, bloggers, and scientific consultants.
Just another short excerpt:
“Chevron also continues to face the likelihood of a devastating setback in the appeal of its controversial racketeering judgment in New York, now scheduled to be heard the week of March 30. The facts in that case prove the company corrupted its star witness with more than $2 million in payments to testify falsely in the trial, according to multiple reports.”
Still looking out for the right wing scum on this latest Liu moment. Where are these scum ? But for the fact it’d take 11 years to arrive I’d send them a letter of invitation to contribute……..
I am curious to know if this issue has been exposed on the TV1 and TV3 news at 6? I don’t think so, but I did not watch the news in full over the weekend. Those who did watch could you please let us know. TIA.
Yeah ACT are fronting with Robin Grieve, a particularly nasty character who attended an election forum as a candidate and bemoaned ‘it was a lefty love feast.’ He got booed on stage and off, very entertaining value 🙂
NATIONAL’S CALLOUS AND CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE OF NATION’S BIO- SECURITY!
You won’t believe this!
The fruit fly outbreak is a damning indictment on the Government’s systematic destruction of border security with the inefficient and money pinching Minister in charge, Nathan Guy.
Now the $6 billion fruit and vegetable industry is at risk and the Government is squarely to blame.
This is very serious. Guy should be a goner for this.
When I returned from a visit to Japan in 1998 I was pulled up at Customs because the Xray of my bag had shown a round object. I was happy to unpack it and show the round wooden doll I had been given in Tokyo, and Customs was happy that it was not an apple or an orange. I was happy that they had screened my bag along with every other bag on the flight. They have stopped doing that and only Xray “at risk” individuals. It is cheaper – they say. Tell that to the fruit and vege shops in Grey Lynn today and who knows to whom tomorrow?
Another impact of reckless tax cuts in 09, they went through penny pinching across the board to eek every potential ‘saving’ in an effort to smudge the wealth transfer.
Border security in an agricultural economy isn’t a luxury to be tweaked it’s a necessity that needs bolstering and vigilance.
“If U.S. land were divided like U.S. wealth…” a graphic divvied up by 1%, 9%, and the remaining 90%. Would love to see a NZ one (including foreign ownership, renter/owner, and unoccupied households).
Chinese are flocking to holiday in Japan to get away from their horrible air pollution, where you not only can see the air you breathe, you can cut it with a knife and fork, or in their case hold it between their chopsticks. But the Japanese are quietly saying, because they need the Chinese money after many years of recession, that the Japanese are lacking cultural sensitivity. They are too loud, and if there is anything free they take it in sackfuls, their children stand on seats in their shoes, and they eat their own food in cafes. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/chinese-tourists-flock-to-japan-for-the-sushi-the-shopping-and-the-fresh-airdespite-tensions-10061720.html
Queenstown is stuffed to the gills with tourists. Perhaps they are Chinese tourists. If they don’t watch out down there they will spoil the attraction of their Queenstown attractions. Probably they will go mad and treat it like a gold bull to be milked. When you’ve got dosh you can make everything happen to suit yourself.
Oh dear me. What a bad case of cultural myopia. I meant to say that the Japanese were saying quietly that the Chinese were a bit louder than they are used to, but my fingers went and put Japanese not Chinese, which doesn’t make sense when it is read. I don’t know what happened there.
Dunedin’s city hospital is suffering badly. Bad leaks had to be patched and still there is more to be done. The College of Intensive Medicine of Australia and New Zealand has withdrawn the hospital’s intensive care unit’s training accreditation, with the main issue being the state of the unit. A $2 million refurbishment, which could well be the barest minimum, is planned but has not begun yet.
Now, comes a report from Beca consultancy group that up to
$50 million will be needed to keep the clinical services building at Dunedin Hospital going for another 10 years.
In addition, nearly $75 million will have to be spent on the ward block over the next 10 years. http://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/editorial/331153/dunedin-hospitals-catch-22
I diagnose a serious and debilitating affliction ‘political invisibility syndrome’. Those regional patients with this indisposition looking unhealthy may be subjected to triage.
If their condition is exacerbated by a raging state of ‘regional-extensioning-flew’ the prognosis is not good. This is a sad case where the patient glides further and further away from the source of its nourishment, and will stretch till its supply-lines are woefully thin and then inevitably breaks down.
Maybe we can get SkyCity to set up pokie machines at the hospital, and get them to pay for a new ward or two in the process. You know, because this country can’t fund anything decent any more without kowtowing to the corporates.
Vigorous seas are reducing the chance of tar balls washing ashore after a split pipe at an offshore platform caused 250 litres of oil to spill into the sea.
The slick has spread 10km from the Raroa platform site off the Taranaki coast since Friday.
The spill happened when oil company OMV was transferring oil from Raroa to the oil tanker Nectar.
Okay could have been a lot worse – get ready for more of these spills if the gnats have their dirty exploitation way. I agree with Jean quoted below
Jean Kahui of Frack Free Kapiti said her organisation was concerned about the “disgusting” spill and said it raised wider concerns about offshore oil operations.
“We can feel extremely lucky that this was a small spill. Imagine if it was a larger spill. Our coast [would] be devastated for generations,” she said.
I hope this can be used to test our systems of readiness for the inevitable disaster just around the corner.
Did someone discuss the women on Radionz talking about how everything she has trained for soon has no jobs for her? She has had to look for months to find anything else. This was around the Precarieat discusion with Prof Standing.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/20168197
10:06 Rhonda Samoa – The Precariousness of Work
Rhonda Samoa is a truck driver, a graduate of the New Zealand Film School, and the sister of Mark Samoa who was killed in a work accident on the Wellington waterfront in 2013. Rhonda knows a thing or two about the precariousness of work in the 21st Century, having been made redundant twice in the last six years, but she remains optimistic about the ability of workers to negotiate safe and fair work conditions as long as they stick together.
Be afraid New Zealand, be afraid.
The Herald attempts to whip NZ into the necessary frame of mind to accept war in Iraq.
This make it more than a rag.
It’s a danegerous rag.
For Messrs Murphy and Roughan at the Herlad and the others mmebers of the complicit media.
Read the last verse in particular of Wilfred Owen’s poem ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of disappointed shells that dropped behind.
GAS! Gas! Quick, boys!– An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And floundering like a man in fire or lime.–
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,–
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
One Mews just interviewed a NZ commentator on the Iraq Civil War deployment and how we have boxed ourselves in over there, with the caption “Person’s Name.”
Garner on radio live today: (a few hours ago so I’ll have to Morrissey it)
“Gee I dunno, I just can’t get that excited about this whole fruitfly thing, ya know? I mean it’s not like a TSUNAMI or an EARTHQUAKE, ha know? I mean I DRIVE HOME through the affected area and I’m like NOT SCARED AT ALL. Like, it’s just a FLY, ya know? Anyway there’s important news I have to tell you about. I went for a ride on a waterslide yesterday and guess what? It was SHIT!”
He then spends the next hour talking about how shit the waterslide was.
They’re not from here. They breed like flies. They have no respect for our culture. They have no humanity. They are a major threat to NZ’s wealth and wellbeing. Everything they touch becomes a writhing, maggoty mass of corruption.
Fruit flies must be exterminated – Death to the gnats!
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Nathaniel ScharpingIn March, as the Covid-19 pandemic began to shut down major cities in the U.S., researchers were thinking about blood. In particular, they were worried about the U.S. blood supply — the millions of donations every year that help keep hospital patients alive when they need a transfusion. ...
Sarah L Caddy, University of CambridgeVaccines are a marvel of medicine. Few interventions can claim to have saved as many lives. But it may surprise you to know that not all vaccines provide the same level of protection. Some vaccines stop you getting symptomatic disease, but others stop you ...
Back in 2016, the Portuguese government announced plans to stop burning coal by 2030. But progress has come much quicker, and they're now scheduled to close their last coal plant by the end of this year: The Sines coal plant in Portugal went offline at midnight yesterday evening (14 ...
The Sincerest Form Of Flattery: As anybody with the intestinal fortitude to brave the commentary threads of local news-sites, large and small, will attest, the number of Trump-supporting New Zealanders is really quite astounding. IT’S SO DIFFICULT to resist the temptation to be smug. From the distant perspective of New Zealand, ...
RNZ reports on continued arbitrariness on decisions at the border. British comedian Russell Howard is about to tour New Zealand and other acts allowed in through managed isolation this summer include drag queen RuPaul and musicians at Northern Bass in Mangawhai and the Bay Dreams festival. The vice-president of the ...
As families around the world mourn more than two million people dead from Covid-19, the Plan B academics and their PR industry collaborator continue to argue that the New Zealand government should stop focusing on our managed isolation and quarantine system and instead protect the elderly so that they can ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 10, 2021 through Sat, Jan 16, 2021Editor's ChoiceNASA says 2020 tied for hottest year on record — here’s what you can do to helpPhoto by Michael Held on Unsplash ...
Health authorities in Norway are reporting some concerns about deaths in frail elderly after receiving their COVID-19 vaccine. Is this causally related to the vaccine? Probably not but here are the things to consider. According to the news there have been 23 deaths in Norway shortly after vaccine administration and ...
Happy New Year! No, experts are not concerned that “…one of New Zealand’s COIVD-1( vaccines will fail to protect the country” Here is why. But first I wish to issue an expletive about this journalism (First in Australia and then in NZ). It exhibits utter failure to actually truly consult ...
All nations have shadows; some acknowledge them. For others they shape their image in uncomfortable ways.The staunch Labour supporter was in despair at what her Rogernomics Government was doing. But she finished ‘at least, we got rid of Muldoon’, a response which tells us that then, and today, one’s views ...
Grigori GuitchountsIn November, Springer Nature, one of the world’s largest publishers of scientific journals, made an attention-grabbing announcement: More than 30 of its most prestigious journals, including the flagship Nature, will now allow authors to pay a fee of US$11,390 to make their papers freely available for anyone to read ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Gary Yohe, Henry Jacoby, Richard Richels, and Benjamin Santer Imagine a major climate change law passing the U.S. Congress unanimously? Don’t bother. It turns out that you don’t need to imagine it. Get this: The Global Change Research Act of 1990 was passed ...
“They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”WHO CAN FORGET the penultimate scene of the 1956 movie classic, Invasion of the Body Snatchers? The wild-eyed doctor, stumbling down the highway, trying desperately to warn his fellow citizens: “They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”Ostensibly science-fiction, the movie ...
TheOneRing.Net has got its paws on the official synopsis of the upcoming Amazon Tolkien TV series. It’s a development that brings to mind the line about Sauron deliberately releasing Gollum from the dungeons of Barad-dûr. Amazon knew exactly what they were doing here, in terms of drumming up publicity: ...
Since Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration in 1953, US presidents have joined an informal club intended to provide support - and occasionally rivalry - between those few who have been ‘leaders of the free world’. Donald Trump, elected on a promise to ‘drain the swamp’ and a constant mocker of his predecessors, ...
For over a decade commentators have noted the rise of a new brand of explicitly ideological politics throughout the world. By this they usually refer to the re-emergence of national populism and avowedly illiberal approaches to governance throughout the “advanced” democratic community, but they also extend the thought to the ...
The US House of Representatives has just impeached Donald Trump, giving him the dubious honour of being the only US President to be impeached twice. Ten Republicans voted for impeachement, making it the most bipartisan impeachment ever. The question now is whether the Senate will rise to the occasion, and ...
Kieren Mitchell; Alice Mouton, Université de Liège; Angela Perri, Durham University, and Laurent Frantz, Ludwig Maximilian University of MunichThanks to the hit television series Game of Thrones, the dire wolf has gained a near-mythical status. But it was a real animal that roamed the Americas for at least 250,000 ...
Tide of tidal data rises Having cast our own fate to include rising sea level, there's a degree of urgency in learning the history of mean sea level in any given spot, beyond idle curiosity. Sea level rise (SLR) isn't equal from one place to another and even at a particular ...
Well, some of those chickens sure came home bigly, didn’t they… and proceeded to shit all over the nice carpet in the Capitol. What we were seeing here are societal forces that have long had difficulty trying to reconcile people to the “idea” of America and the reality of ...
In the wake of Donald Trump's incitement of an assault on the US capitol, Twitter finally enforced its terms of service and suspended his account. They've since followed that up with action against prominent QAnon accounts and Trumpers, including in New Zealand. I'm not unhappy with this: Trump regularly violated ...
Peter S. Ross, University of British ColumbiaThe Arctic has long proven to be a barometer of the health of our planet. This remote part of the world faces unprecedented environmental assaults, as climate change and industrial chemicals threaten a way of life for Inuit and other Indigenous and northern ...
Susan St John makes the case for taxing a deemed rate of return on excessive real estate holdings (after a family home exemption), to redirect scarce housing resources to where they are needed most. Read the full article here ...
I’m less than convinced by arguments that platforms like Twitter should be subject to common carrier regulation preventing them from being able to decide who to keep on as clients of their free services, and who they would not like to serve. It’s much easier to create competition for the ...
The hypocritical actions of political leaders throughout the global Covid pandemic have damaged public faith in institutions and governance. Liam Hehir chronicles the way in which contemporary politicians have let down the public, and explains how real leadership means walking the talk. During the Blitz, when German bombs were ...
Over the years, we've published many rebuttals, blog posts and graphics which came about due to direct interactions with the scientists actually carrying out the underlying research or being knowledgable about a topic in general. We'll highlight some of these interactions in this blog post. We'll start with two memorable ...
Yesterday we had the unseemly sight of a landleech threatening to keep his houses empty in response to better tenancy laws. Meanwhile in Catalonia they have a solution for that: nationalisation: Barcelona is deploying a new weapon in its quest to increase the city’s available rental housing: the power ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters, PhD The 2020 global wildfire season brought extreme fire activity to the western U.S., Australia, the Arctic, and Brazil, making it the fifth most expensive year for wildfire losses on record. The year began with an unprecedented fire event ...
A growing public housing waiting list and continued increase of house prices must be urgently addressed by Government, Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson said today. ...
The green light for New Zealand’s first COVID-19 vaccine could be granted in just over a week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said today. “We’re making swift progress towards vaccinating New Zealanders against the virus, but we’re also absolutely committed to ensuring the vaccines are safe and effective,” Jacinda Ardern said. ...
The Minister for ACC is pleased to announce the appointment of three new members to join the Board of ACC on 1 February 2021. “All three bring diverse skills and experience to provide strong governance oversight to lead the direction of ACC” said Hon Carmel Sepuloni. Bella Takiari-Brame from Hamilton ...
The Government is investing $9 million to upgrade a significant community facility in Invercargill, creating economic stimulus and jobs, Infrastructure Minister Grant Robertson and Te Tai Tonga MP Rino Tirikatene have announced. The grant for Waihōpai Rūnaka Inc to make improvements to Murihiku Marae comes from the $3 billion set ...
[Opening comments, welcome and thank you to Auckland University etc] It is a great pleasure to be here this afternoon to celebrate such an historic occasion - the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This is a moment many feared would never come, but ...
The Government is providing $3 million in one-off seed funding to help disabled people around New Zealand stay connected and access support in their communities, Minister for Disability Issues, Carmel Sepuloni announced today. The funding will allow disability service providers to develop digital and community-based solutions over the next two ...
Border workers in quarantine facilities will be offered voluntary daily COVID-19 saliva tests in addition to their regular weekly testing, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. This additional option will be rolled out at the Jet Park Quarantine facility in Auckland starting on Monday 25 January, and then to ...
The next steps in the Government’s ambitious firearms reform programme to include a three-month buy-back have been announced by Police Minister Poto Williams today. “The last buy-back and amnesty was unprecedented for New Zealand and was successful in collecting 60,297 firearms, modifying a further 5,630 firearms, and collecting 299,837 prohibited ...
Upscaling work already underway to restore two iconic ecosystems will deliver jobs and a lasting legacy, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “The Jobs for Nature programme provides $1.25 billion over four years to offer employment opportunities for people whose livelihoods have been impacted by the COVID-19 recession. “Two new projects ...
The Government has released its Public Housing Plan 2021-2024 which outlines the intention of where 8,000 additional public and transitional housing places announced in Budget 2020, will go. “The Government is committed to continuing its public house build programme at pace and scale. The extra 8,000 homes – 6000 public ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has congratulated President Joe Biden on his inauguration as the 46th President of the United States of America. “I look forward to building a close relationship with President Biden and working with him on issues that matter to both our countries,” Jacinda Ardern said. “New Zealand ...
A major investment to tackle wilding pines in Mt Richmond will create jobs and help protect the area’s unique ecosystems, Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor says. The Mt Richmond Forest Park has unique ecosystems developed on mineral-rich geology, including taonga plant species found nowhere else in the country. “These special plant ...
To further protect New Zealand from COVID-19, the Government is extending pre-departure testing to all passengers to New Zealand except from Australia, Antarctica and most Pacific Islands, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “The change will come into force for all flights arriving in New Zealand after 11:59pm (NZT) on Monday ...
Bay Conservation Cadets launched with first intake Supported with $3.5 million grant Part of $1.245b Jobs for Nature programme to accelerate recover from Covid Cadets will learn skills to protect and enhance environment Environment Minister David Parker today welcomed the first intake of cadets at the launch of the Bay ...
The Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Mark Brown have announced passengers from the Cook Islands can resume quarantine-free travel into New Zealand from 21 January, enabling access to essential services such as health. “Following confirmation of the Cook Islands’ COVID ...
Jobs for Nature funding is being made available to conservation groups and landowners to employ staff and contractors in a move aimed at boosting local biodiversity-focused projects, Conservation Minister Kiritapu Allan has announced. It is estimated some 400-plus jobs will be created with employment opportunities in ecology, restoration, trapping, ...
The Government has approved an exception class for 1000 international tertiary students, degree level and above, who began their study in New Zealand but were caught offshore when border restrictions began. The exception will allow students to return to New Zealand in stages from April 2021. “Our top priority continues ...
Today’s deal between Meridian and Rio Tinto for the Tiwai smelter to remain open another four years provides time for a managed transition for Southland. “The deal provides welcome certainty to the Southland community by protecting jobs and incomes as the region plans for the future. The Government is committed ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has appointed Anna Curzon to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). The leader of each APEC economy appoints three private sector representatives to ABAC. ABAC provides advice to leaders annually on business priorities. “ABAC helps ensure that APEC’s work programme is informed by business community perspectives ...
The Government’s prudent fiscal management and strong policy programme in the face of the COVID-19 global pandemic have been acknowledged by the credit rating agency Fitch. Fitch has today affirmed New Zealand’s local currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook and foreign currency rating at AA with a positive ...
The Government is putting in place a suite of additional actions to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, including new emerging variants, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “Given the high rates of infection in many countries and evidence of the global spread of more transmissible variants, it’s clear that ...
$36 million of Government funding alongside councils and others for 19 projects Investment will clean up and protect waterways and create local jobs Boots on the ground expected in Q2 of 2021 Funding part of the Jobs for Nature policy package A package of 19 projects will help clean up ...
The commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Ruapekapeka represents an opportunity for all New Zealanders to reflect on the role these conflicts have had in creating our modern nation, says Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan. “The Battle at Te Ruapekapeka Pā, which took ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Véronique Duché, A.R. Chisholm Professor of French, University of Melbourne In this series, writers pay tribute to fictional detectives on the page and on screen. When I first heard that Rowan Atkinson was to put on Maigret’s velvet-collared overcoat, I wondered ...
Auckland writer Olivia Hayfield* explains how she resurrected 16th-century playwright Christopher Marlowe to star in her new novel, Sister to Sister. Olivia Hayfield is a pen name. Real name: Sue Copsey. When I’m planning my modern retellings of historical tales, I read widely on the characters and see who leaps out at ...
The Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine could be approved as early as next week, Marc Daalder reports Medsafe will be asked to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine against Covid-19 on February 2, the Government has announced. The Medicines Assessment Advisory Committee (MAAC) is an independent panel that provides advice on some medicine approvals in ...
COMMENT:By Bryan Kramer, PNG’s Minister of Police who has defended Commissioner Manning’s appointment today in The National My last article, announcing that I intend to make a submission to the National Executive Council (NEC) to amend the Public Service regulation to no longer require the Commissioner of Police to ...
The Point of Order Trough Monitor was triggered today by the announcement of a $9 million handout for Southlanders – sorry, some Southlanders. The news came from the office of Grant Robertson who, as Minister of Finance, prefers to invest public money rather than give it away – especially when ...
Few people outside of her campaign team gave Chlöe Swarbrick any chance of winning in Auckland Central this year – but the Green Party MP was too busy to listen. Here’s how they turned the electorate green.First published November 12, 2020.Three Ticks Chlöe is part of Frame, a series of short ...
Interactions between parents and healthcare providers could have a big impact on the wellbeing of our children, according to new research. The way parents and healthcare providers interact has lasting implications for children’s health, new research has found – and that includes immunisation uptake.Released today, the report is based on research ...
The Opposition starts the political year calling for emergency, temporary legislation to free up house building National leader Judith Collins has set five priorities for her party over the next three years - but excluded climate change, education and Crown-Māori relations. Giving her first 'state of the nation' speech as party ...
One of the biggest challenges facing the Ardern government is in public health. New Zealand may have escaped the pressures heaped on other health systems by the Covid-19 pandemic but its health service has had its problems, not least those exposed in the first report from Heather Simpson and her ...
New Zealand’s Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has revealed that 14 close contacts of the Northland community case have returned negative test results. Yesterday he announced two close contacts – her husband and hair dresser – were negative. In his tweet, Hipkins described the news as “encouraging”. However, New ...
Pacific Media Watch newsdesk Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the arbitrary and opaque experiments that Google is conducting with its search engine in Australia, with the consequence that many national news websites are no longer appearing in the search results seen by some users. The Australian, ABC, Australian Financial ...
Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta says councils can take stronger action against companies dumping contaminated waste water, even though they have identified loopholes in the law on fines. ...
Drag Race Down Under, part of the popular RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise, is filming in New Zealand. In their own words, local drag talent share what drag means to them and how it might be impacted by the show.RuPaul’s Drag Race is, quite simply, a television phenomenon. Love it or ...
For a long time, weighted blankets were considered a specialist device. Now they’re popular with even the most normal sleepers.Growing up, Temple Grandin spent time on her aunt’s cattle ranch in America, watching cow after stressed cow enter a squeeze chute and come out calm as the dead sea. She ...
Increased provisional tax thresholds, immediate low-value asset write offs and allowing the deferral of tax payments and use of money interest (UOMI) write offs were the most popular tax measures introduced by the Government to help businesses survive ...
The latest fleeing driver statistics show the numbers of incidents sky-rocketing out of control through 2020 with Police deciding the only tactic is to give up on chasing altogether, says Sensible Sentencing Trust. “The inconvenient truth is ...
With new revelations of the appalling racism behind Israel’s refusal to provide Covid-19 vaccines to 4.5 million Palestinians under its occupation and control, PSNA has renewed our call for the government to speak out alongside the United Nations ...
The Youth of NZ will be standing up for climate action once again, on January 26th outside of Parliament for School Strike 4 Climate NZ’s 100 Days 4 Action campaign rally. “COVID-19 may have stopped us in our tracks in the past. However, I tend ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Parwinder Kaur, Associate Professor | Director, DNA Zoo Australia, University of Western Australia Koalas are unique in the animal kingdom, living on a eucalyptus diet that would kill other creatures and drinking so little their name comes from the Dharug word gula, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By S. Anna Florin, Research fellow, University of Wollongong Archaeological research provides a long-term perspective on how humans survived various environmental conditions over tens of thousands of years. In a paper published today in Nature Ecology and Evolution, we’ve tracked rainfall in northern ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Binoy Kampmark, Senior Lecturer in Global Studies, Social Science & Planning, RMIT University Since 2005, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel has been one of the most stable and enduring of political forces, both in Europe and on the global stage. During her 16 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Véronique Duché, A.R. Chisholm Professor of French, University of Melbourne In this series, writers pay tribute to fictional detectives on the page and on screen. When I first heard that Rowan Atkinson was to put on Maigret’s velvet-collared overcoat, I wondered ...
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission. Experts are calling for hotels with sub-par ventilation systems to no longer be used as managed isolation facilities as health officials investigate how a Northland woman became infected with Covid-19 while staying at the Pullman hotel, Rowan Quinn reports. ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for January 26, keeping you up to date with the latest local and international news. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nzOur Members make The Spinoff happen! Every dollar contributed directly funds our editorial team – click here to learn more about how you can support us ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Questions to be answered about case in the community, major companies flagrantly breaching wastewater consents, and Tenancy Tribunal decisions harming abuse survivors.As of this morning, we’re still waiting on some crucial information about the situation in Northland, after a person travelled ...
With democracy what now separates the US from its adversaries, Wellington can bet on more continuity than change in Washington’s hardline view of China. ...
We continue our week-long examination of writer Roderick Finlayson. Today: his daughter Kate on his doomed love for Poti Mita, whose family inspired him to write short stories about Māori life in the 1930s We all knew of Poti Mita and how important Pukehina was to Dad. He wanted ...
Sleepyhead is chopping and changing its ambitious plan to build a super-factory and a community of 1100 medium density houses on a block of farmland in the north Waikato. Sydney Turner set his grandsons Craig and Graeme to work on the factory floor, building mattresses. Now Craig and Graeme Turner own ...
Helen Petousis-Harris looks at the potential complications of vaccinating older New Zealanders - and how we should prepare Two weeks ago health authorities in Norway reported some concerns about deaths in frail elderly after receiving their Covid-19 vaccine. Are these deaths related to the vaccine? Probably not but here are ...
A change of plans for round-the-world single-handed sailor Elana Connor means she's helping Kiwi kids in foster care to go sailing - as she also seeks to 'demystify' the sport for women. Elana Connor wears a silver necklace engraved with the word “Fearlessness”. As she sails solo around the globe, it reminds her that ...
New Zealand rose to the occasion in its response to Covid-19. Will it do the same for climate change? Jack Santa Barbara looks ahead to the Climate Change Commission report. New Zealand’s management of the Covid pandemic clearly demonstrated the benefits of paying attention to the science and prioritising human wellbeing ...
Was Covid-19 and lockdown the catalyst for a new future for healthcare or did it just expose systemic inequity? In the latest of a series on the country's future infrastructure needs, Tim Murphy looks at how the long push to shift health's focus from hospitals to the community might have received a nudge ...
Not only is the New Zealand summer in danger of coming to a grinding halt, but we increase the risk that an almighty wreck might follow shortly afterwards. Here's what we can do, writes Dr Sarb Johal. While the rest of the world is wrestling with virulent new strains of the ...
For two decades, under both National and Labour governments, housing costs have risen far faster than wages. Here’s a horrific graph that shows by just how much.Last Thursday saw the first of what will no doubt be dozens of housing-related set pieces from Labour, wherein they announced 8,000 public and ...
The new Northland case has been linked to the South African strain of Covid-19, one of a number of new, more contagious Covid variants. Here’s how they emerge and why.Let’s start with the basics. The genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for Covid-19 is a strand of RNA made ...
New Zealand’s richest citizen, Graeme Hart, has seen his fortune increase by NZ$3,494,333,333 since March 2020 – a sum equivalent to over half a million New Zealanders receiving a cheque for NZ$6,849 each, reveals a new analysis from Oxfam today. The New Zealand ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tauel Harper, Lecturer, Media and Communication, UWA, University of Western Australia With a vaccine rollout impending, key groups have backed calls for the Australian government to force social media platforms to share details about popular coronavirus misinformation. An open letter was put ...
Selling out ACT’s Waitangi Day State of the Nation Address is set to sell out again. If you’d like to start the political year right over brunch with fellow ACT supporters (Saturday 6 February 10am-12pm, Mt Eden), please buy your tickets ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Kirkness, Postdoctoral research fellow, Macquarie University As government COVID updates have become a daily part of our lives over the past 12 months, so too has the sight of sign language interpreters on our screens. This has understandably had a huge ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Dwyer, Associate Professor, Department of Media and Communications, University of Sydney Executives from Google and Facebook have told a Senate committee they are prepared to take drastic action if Australia’s news media bargaining code, which would force the internet giants to ...
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission. Hundreds of companies have dumped contaminants - like blood, fat, and toxic chemicals such as ammonia and sulphides - into sewers in breach of their trade waste consents over the past year, RNZ can reveal. Anusha Bradley reports. Frank ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Morag Kobez, Associate lecturer, Queensland University of Technology In this series, our writers explore how food shaped Australian history – and who we are today. The history of cheese in Australia has, until recent decades, been a rather tasteless affair. Not so ...
On the edge of the Mataura River, a disused paper mill is filled with thousands of bags of toxic waste. Locals want to find out who’s responsible for it – and they want it gone before disaster strikes.First published November 10, 2020.The Paper Mill is part of Frame, a series ...
At the Chorus Fibre Lab, José Barbosa peeked behind the curtain of the internet and found something beautiful and very, very fast. The human mind is a daily swarm of notions, speculations, ruminations, thoughts and otherwise base-level brain puffs. Just to get through the grind of survival, we’ve evolved to mentally ...
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission. The Ministry of Health is confident the Northland community case came directly from the Pullman Hotel and there is no missing link. In a press conference this afternoon, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield confirmed the strain of Covid in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Longden, Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Heat is more dangerous than the cold in most Australian regions. About 2% of deaths in Australia between 2006 and 2017 were associated with the heat, and the estimate increases to ...
Levin GP Glenn Colquhoun talks with books editor Catherine Woulfe about his new collection of poetry, Letters to Young People.Glenn Colquhoun is an acclaimed and accomplished poet. He has published four collections, including Playing God, in December 2002, which sold a massive 10,000 copies. He’s won a clutch of Montanas ...
Contrasting reactions to news of Grainne Moss’s resignation as Oranga Tamariki chief executive inevitably can be found in the blogosphere. Lindsay Dawson has recorded the ACT Party’s response to the resignation and hailed it as “spot on”. The statement was made in the name of Karen Chhour, described as a ...
Zendaya has been around for a decade, but she’s gone from Disney prodigy to pop star to acclaimed actress. Here are the highlights of the 24-year-old’s already impressive career.Shaking it up: Zendaya on DisneyThe world’s first encounter with Zendaya was a little Disney show called Shake It Up, a series ...
What’s it like to have your life governed by your gut? It’s crap, frankly.On my birthday last year I was given a bottle of fancy Aesop post-poo drops which clear the air after rigorous bowel activity – though on reflection, it may have been more of a gift for my ...
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission. Negative tests results for two of the closest contacts of a woman who tested positive for Covid-19 after leaving managed isolation is a good sign, says Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins. Two of the closest contacts of a woman ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Dyer, Associate Professor, RMIT University At a dinner party, or in the schoolyard, the question of favourite colour frequently results in an answer of “blue”. Why is it that humans are so fond of blue? And why does it seem to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Megan Davis, Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous UNSW and Professor of Law, UNSW We are on the eve of the nation’s annual ritual of celebrating the arrivals, while not formally recognising the ancient peoples who were dispossessed. Each year the tensions spill over, rendering ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bright, Senior Lecturer of Addiction, Edith Cowan University While the public focus remains on COVID vaccines, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) continues to evaluate a range of proposals around the provision of medical treatments in Australia. The regulatory body is currently ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Wilkinson, Professor, School of the Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney Many of us who endured lockdowns in Australia are familiar with the surge in energy bills at home. But for older Australians who depend on the Age Pension for income, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael P. Cameron, Associate Professor in Economics, University of Waikato Population growth plays a role in environmental damage and climate change. But addressing climate change through either reducing or reversing growth in population raises difficult moral questions that most people would prefer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julie Sonnemann, Fellow, School Education, Grattan Institute School is back for 2021, and some students will get extra help this year. Students who fell behind in their learning during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 will be eligible for extra tutoring in Victoria ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Duffy, Lecturer, School of Business, Western Sydney University Australia Day used to be an obvious and uncontroversial occasion for brands to endear themselves to Australian consumers. No longer. There has been a decided shift over the past decade in commercial attitudes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanna Mendelssohn, Principal Fellow (Hon), Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne. Editor in Chief, Design and Art of Australia Online, University of Melbourne In January 1971, Art News published Linda Nochlin’s Why have there been no great women artists? Her ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for January 25, keeping you up to date with the latest local and international news. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz7.40am: Two close contacts of new Covid case test negativeThe husband of the new Northland case of Covid-19 has tested negative for the virus, along with ...
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission Hundreds of staff won't come into work on Monday after a 56-year-old woman who later tested positive for Covid-19 visited about 30 locations in Northland and Auckland - a blow to businesses desperately holding on after a hard year. Harry ...
Radio NZ reporting that Sky City told the government 14 months ago it could not afford to build convention centre as promised.
Will the media hold them to account?
Makes skycity appear clean as, top corporate citizen and all that and the MSM puppets will be looking elsewhere and hand wringing over Sabin or excusing them for the lui donation etc.
Skycity and NACT colluded from day 1 over this deal and it’s just been a case of how them and their MSM acolytes feed the sheeple given the election had to be negotiated.
Joyce was just on Radio NZ and I have never heard him sound sicker. He took umbrage at the suggestion that he had deliberately lied to the public and disputed that he had the necessary intent. Good way to confirm that he may have inadvertently lied …
“Oh no Suzie! Saying that I mislead the Public is a big over-reaction.” Now sulk Joyce.
The New Zealand Herald does not regard the fact the government is considering sending our troops to Iraq today as important enough news to make any of its top 10 stories online.
Apparently our taxi fare gap is more important.
National run a non democratic process by choosing not to put it to the whole of the House, instead they have chosen the Banana Republic route of letting cabinet choose. Both the Tory-Maori party and United Future are not in favour of the role our troops are too play.
What a disgraceful breech of democracy by Key and his cronies. These 100 troops would be better employed combating an invasion on our own shores, the Queensland fruit fly.
They were talking about this on Morning Report this morning. Under Labour, apparently the only time a decision like this was put to the house was in late 2003 when they were voting whether to send the SAS back to Afghanistan or not. The other decisions were all made by the Labour cabinet.
That doesn’t make it right – particularly for those of us that don’t support Labour so the “but they did it too” argument doesn’t really sit too well.
I’d dearly love to see a clean up of parliamentary process. Its pretense of “democracy” is losing it’s veneer on a daily basis – irrespective of who is pulling the levers of control.
The best way to stop NZ participating in wars is to discourage all youth from joining the armed forces in the first place.
John Stevens giving a very good interview on 1 news this morning.
Stopped short of calling Key a liar about the SAS going to Afghanistan in 2009 . pointed out the the Iraq war was built on lies and finished with saying reporters weren’t asking the right questions about our going to fight Isis.
Could you provide a link?
No sorry it will be on delay at about 7-50 . The liar in chief was just on at 7-15 answered most questions buy talking about what Clarke did and confirmed that there will be no vote on going to Iraq I wish she had of asked him if it was because he would lose.
Guyon raised that point about the vote on RNZ
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/20168253
The interview does not exactly scream ‘our PM is a man with a plan”
the only ‘plan’ he has..
..is to be a spear-carrier/mercenary for the americans..
..it’s all quite simple really..
..as we again go to war/kill..
..for reasons craven and base..
Oxymoron Key says “he is confident if put to a vote the other party’s would support sending non combat troop to the Middle East.” Really so don’t bother giving a democratic vote?
Meanwhile more fruit flies get discovered.
@ b waghorn –
And the reason Key won’t put sending troops to Iraq to the vote, is because he would be out voted.
Parties AGAINST NZ military involvement, training role possibly leading to combat –
Labour
Greens
NZ First
United Future
Maori Party
Parties FOR NZ military involvement regardless of role –
National minus one MP (Sabin)
ACT
To lose would be a slap in the face for Key and National. So to keep onside with his US buddies, he goes for over riding the democratic process of a Parliamentary vote! Isn’t this what dictators do?
When Espiner listed the parties in the Parliament who would vote against deployment in their interview Key mumbled on for a bit and then when pressed petulantly said they could always wait until after the Northland byelection.
@ Mary
Yes that is what dictators do.
Also they rig elections by stitching up their rivals with false allegations.
@ saveNZ – you got it in one there.
National have always been a party of dictators. We’ve seen this time and time again over the years.
key said that ‘combat troops will not be going to iraq’..
..but hasn’t he also said that the s.a.s.will be going..to guard the trainers..?
..and aren’t the s.a.s…’combat troops’..
..which is true..?
..and yes..these are the same lies clark/goff/key told us about our ‘non-combatant’ role in afghanistan..
..and we all know what a pile of steaming-lies that was..
..as is this..
and does ‘training’ work..?..has it ever worked..?..answer:..no..
“..In the past 50 years –
– has there been any case of the U.S. successfully training local troops –
– to prosecute a war against insurgents?..”
(cont..)
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41042.htm
Americans are desperate for support on the ground in Iraq against ISIS
…New Zealand soldiers will be pawns in a war which is NOT New Zealanders’ ( Helen Clark kept us from the illegitimate invasion of Iraq) .
The Iraq war debacle was initiated by United States and Israel….they should be the ones cleaning up their own mess on the ground against ISIS.
John Key will be responsible for repercussions on New Zealand and New Zealanders .
Americans now admit their invasion of Iraq was an absolute disaster
‘Americans have to die on battlefield to destroy ISIS – US military strategist’
http://rt.com/shows/sophieco/232635-us-isis-middle-east/
John Nagl , Counterinsurgency Expert:
“The invasion of Iraq in 2003 I think was not just a mistake, but perhaps a biggest mistake the U.S. has ever made in foreign policy. It’s a four trillion dollar mistake, it caused enormous damage in the region, to the people of Iraq and certainly to my army and very-very many of my friends. So, the invasion of Iraq in 2003 was a disaster, a fiasco, unnecessary and poorly conducted. We played the endgame very-very badly and that failure of American foreign policy in 2011 necessitates today America returning to Iraq in force.”
New Zealand should only go into Iraq as part of a UN force…not support for US and Israel agenda in the Middle East.
Good comment from Gordon Campbell over at Scoop :
http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2015/02/23/gordon-campbell-on-todays-announcement-on-iraq/
SAS are already in Iraq. The Army person who told me thought it was public knowledge.
If there is an active war zone around with some of our normal allies special forces in action, you can generally assume that there will be a NZSAS contingent around as well. It doesn’t mean that they are deployed there. It just means that they are off doing a training (often as a kind of sabbatical) with other forces. It is part of their job.
The words “squad deployment” were used. I know they often work with other countries’ special forces, and love telling stories about how bad the Americans are. They are always at other people’s wars, while I believe the regular forces only started doing that via disobeying orders from the Clark government.
@ b waghorn
John Stevens is a musician I think. The person you are referring to from TV1 News is
Jon Stephenson, and that is a name and spelling to remember. A NZ person of worth
who deserves to be identified correctly.
Doh cheers yes I’ve seen him many times I bet there s not many politicians that send him a Xmas card.
Thinking back to last years election, no wonder Key looked tired and weary.knowing about Liu, Sky City fiasco and Sabin whilst telling us all that National were steering us in such a straight line, well, what can we say?
Proves he can get a job after he is booted /resigns from office, as a Juggling Clown!
“..Bill Maher Calls For Marijuana Legalization..
(ed:..and he makes a very strong case..
..and not just for legalisation of pot..
..but also for the freeing/pardoning of all non-violent drug-prisoners..)
(cont..)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/21/bill-maher-weed-legalization_n_6726842.html
Boring
u clearly need some good pot in yr life..there..bored git…
..i quite liked how maher said the last time he smoked pot..
..was ‘just before the show’..
..it’s also quite boring how bored-git doesn’t define just what aspect of the clip he found ‘boring’..
..the content..?..the execution..?
..or is he just verbalising a deep/irrational hatred of the ‘umble ‘erb’..?
That is such a funny and insightful video! He is so clever! Enjoyed it.
I don’t indulge myself, but I do support decriminalisation of marijuana and medical marijuana.
Yeah Bill Maher, he’s worth listening to. And this interview was a bit of an eye opener.
It’s an hour long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WoERqJBMPE
It’s official: Fracking causes quakes. Check out the graph – really….graphic.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-02-21/usgs-confirms-oklahoma-quakes-are-due-fracking
Interesting stuff from Ireland – and the on going simmering revolt.
http://www.anarkismo.net/article/27889
And this is a nice piece – which basically sums up my take on elections – add the appearance of the last two elections being dirty tricked by national – I think you should take some time to read.
http://libcom.org/blog/alternative-voting-systems-are-no-alternative-21022015
On the above link there is three more in the series, which are well worth reading.
Unfortunately the government of Ireland backed Germany against Greece in last weeks debt negotiations.
The Irish population didn’t. It’s puppet government did! Big difference!
Agree – the people and the government are two different things. This is becoming the norm all over the globe.
Where the idea the government of the people, for the people – is dead.
“..the appearance of the last two elections being dirty tricked by national…”
You think National was Rawshark?
Put down the crack pipe and walk away exStatic.
Seriously, you what? I have to have a rational discussion with that comment? GFY.
I take it “GFY” means “Good For You”?
If you are going to make stupid statements, don’t expect everyone to take you seriously.
Nope – God’s Foolish Yapper.
And were not in a debate – I’m not sure you know how to.
Of course we are not in a debate! You haven’t made any statements, just petulant vague gibberish.
How about expanding on your original mind fart…”“..the appearance of the last two elections being dirty tricked by national…”?
My goodness exStatic, having a bad day are we?
You obviously didn’t read the link – It shows
I’ll repeat my belief – you are not able to have a discussion.
Is it because you happen to be a – die in the wool ideologue – or is it that, your commented to having to be right?
No Donghua Liu timeline to see here, no sirree. Look, a cycleway!
How did Dong Hua Liu crop up here? Is he related to Eleanor Catton?
Lateral thinking seems to be lost on exStatic….
OAB knows what I am on about……you need to get out more.
You seem to think that “lateral thinking” is reading a book in bed.
ExStatic: OAB sure knows what I’m on about.
Sure do: you’re an asshole.
🙄
Oh look, yet another right wing gobshite arguing in bad faith. Beyond tiresome.
Congratulations exStatic, you have delivered a new benchmark in nonsensical gibberish. I am sure we all look forward to the ever generous delight of your considerably reasoned contributions.
Sorry if I was too obscure, or in adam’s case “lateral”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/books/65493542/radio-host-sean-plunket-stands-by-calling-eleanor-catton-a-hua
I will put myself in moderation with this comment – but what the hell.
exStatic – you are doing some bad trolling today – it is of the Gosman type – but done poorly.
You just seem to be obtuse to the point of idiocy.
Yes, thanks for that but I am aware of who Eleanor Catton is.
Please enlighten us – how do questionable political party donations relate in any way to Eleanor Catton?
http://caa.org.nz/general-news/come-cycling-around-waterview-tomorrow-tuesday-20th/
“God’s Foolish Yapper”…love it!.
Of more relevance to NZ is that Luigi Wewege (Dirty Politics, Ch 10) is suing an Irish publicly funded investigative journalist – Conor Ryan – and the broadcasters themselves, RTE.
http://www.irishtimes.com/business/financial-services/colourful-past-of-vivier-financier-wewege-1.2109965
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11406245
Fourth fruit fly found in Grey Lynn, Minister confirms
This from yesterday deserves a repeat.
So how much has been saved by not screening 100%
Note no flys for 14 years with 100% screening
Now 4 infestations since reduced screening 3 years ago TO SAVE MONEY!!!!!
And how much is it going to cost to (If they can) eradicate this pest that should have NEVER had the opportunity to invade our country.
Sorta reminds me of this. From the Bundy’s and me to our TricKey PM.
>>Mr Guy also denied that reinstating mandatory x-ray screening of luggage from all passengers coming off international flights would prevent the fruit fly from entering the country, saying it was “too difficult to confirm” how the pest arrived in Grey Lynn.
So how come Mr Guy there was no invasion for th 14 years there was mandatory screening.
Just to confirm. The X-rays kill/neutralise any pests in the bag right? Not to detect but to destroy, right?
Interesting point,
I always assumed detection, but killing better if true.
Anyone else know?
i am sure it is just detection..
..a death-ray wd have/mean all sorts of complications/side-issues..
http://www.3news.co.nz/opinion/brook-sabin/opinion-national-to-blame-for-fruit-fly-outbreak-2015022311
Found this on face book Brook Sabin giving to national a bit.
A perfect example of knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/266763/act-hopes-to-halt-plunge-in-support
Well, it’s now 0.0% so it can hardly plunge any lower. Does that mean they’re going to hail their current leader as a success because he stopped them falling any further? I wouldn’t put it past them.
I like the un-named woman saying something like “I think having a young one as a leader is quite good, because the young ones do like someone about their own age”.
Love her weird phrasing of “young ones”. Sorry Ms Unnamed Woman, but this “young one” actually wants sound and sane policy, not some young toff that’s been elevated beyond his depth and talent.
there was a puff-piece in the herald on wk/nd..
..asking ‘what do act want?’..
..my immediate reaction was:..who the fuck knows/cares! – they are on 0%’..
The obvious answer to ‘what do act want?’.. Is what ever key and his mates tell them they want.
I may have missed this, but why is Granny Herald up in arms about ATEED postings overseas?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11406141
Is it just the money being spent? But surely they are there for a reason – creating international economic opportunities? I understand that the london posting has a few other issues but if the posting was made first then I also see no problems. Also isn’t this all ATEED which whilst owned by the council isn’t controlled by the council (thanks Rodney!)
Is it just me or is the Herald stirring up an issue that isn’t there at all and is failing to ask the right questions or state the facts in a non-biased way?
…is the Herald stirring up an issue that isn’t there at all and is failing to ask the right questions or state the facts in a non-biased way?
Imo, yes. Just like they did over the now discredited Liu/ non – donations to Labour scandal last year.
“..why is Granny Herald up in arms about ATEED postings overseas?..”
while those postings do seem suss/a scam..
..their outrage is extremely selective..
…and their rightwing anti-brown/labour agenda drives this hissy-fit..
..they/the owners want a rightwing mayor in auckland….
The Spectator putting Putin in the role of Dragon-in-Chief in Europe, and the strains on the EU.
http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/9447782/how-vladimir-putin-is-waging-war-on-the-west-and-winning/
In google there is mention of NZ Australia NATO and the west but I have done a search of the article thinking it referred to Iraq and matters relating but can’t find a mention. So where that term was lifted from I do not know.
Death By Medicine
You really are a stirrer.
Still, Nassem Taleb says that “modern medicine” killed more people than it saved until probably the 1930s and that risk/benefit phenomena is still not well understood in a healthcare context, leading to bad (and sometimes tragic) decisions by both patients and practitioners.
..and you appear to be an unrepentant denier of the proven benefits of modern medicine.
You continuing sniping at immunisation and other medical interventions and your assertions that the health profession are dupes of the pharmaceutical industry whilst basing your arguments on your own rather flimsy knowledge base is perverse and brings your own profession into disrepute.
Disclosure – I do recommend patients to osteopaths and acupuncturists for musculoskeletal and other ailments and have a great deal of respect for their abilities in their areas of expertise.
Not at all. But I am an advocate of making sure patients can exercise informed consent before any treatment is provided. There are a very wide variety of situations for which modern western medical care is unparalleled and very necessary. Suggesting that there are other situations where its risks, benefits and unknowns are less clear cut or positive might be considered distateful, however.
Those are your words, not mine. And when you get entire classes of medical students boycotting medical school professors whom they feel have too close links with big pharma, or medical researchers themselves admitting that big pharma drug trials with positive results are more likely to be published in peer reviewed journals than ones which show the drugs in a bad light, I think that there are valid concerns to be considered.
They boycott professors who teach evolution too. In fact that seems to be the main reason. I suppose I missed all the classes in all the schools and all the professors you’re referring to.
Perhaps i have mixed you up with @chooky,
One of you has made repeated assertions on this very blog concerning medical professionals being dupes and in the pockets of pharmaceutical companies and that prescribing in NZ was not evidence based, clearly such an accusation is hyperbolic cant.
I must admit to being a bit mystified as to what point you are trying to make, that mistakes are made by medical professionals and that the population have adverse reactions at times to medicines…. that is undeniable.
The report you link to however is very flawed.
just as initial example in relation to ADRs a critique was made of the published paper that the report relied upon.
‘”…Simple pooling of fatal event frequencies from only those studies specifically reporting the number of fatal ADRs, as was done in the meta-analysis of Lazarou and colleagues, is likely to dramatically overestimate the death rate.
CONCLUSION:
Meta-analysis was invalid because of heterogeneity of the studies. Most of these studies did not report the data needed for incidence calculations. The methodology used was seriously flawed, and no conclusions regarding ADR incidence rates in the hospitalized population in the United States should be made on the basis of the original meta-analysis. “
It’s probably the scale of the issues which would be surprising to every day people. Yes, I agree with you that every study (including meta-analyses) has limitations and those limitations mean that you can’t make sweeping or blanket conclusions.
Well possibly everyday people would be surprised.
However most in the medical profession would not find it in the least surprising, for example, that a patient had died in hospital while receiving a cytotoxic cocktail for their cancer and that their death would be listed as drug related.
15 year old UK girls outsmart British intelligence, quit school and head to Syria to join ISIS
Oh dear. I’m sure the intelligence services will be asking for more powers, new legislation and additional millions in money to prevent future occurrences.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/22/uk-counter-terror-officials-criticised-syria-bound-london-schoolgirls
They always said “British Intelligence is an oxymoron”
On Goldman Sachs, Pension Funds And Why John “I’m A Dolphin” Key Calling Russell Norman A Muppet Is Important
Old news I know.
But always a good idea to be reminded of the room needed to be given by car drivers.
http://cca-actions.org/actions/wood-makes-people-big-cars
and a action as well – seems we need this in all our major cities
http://www.designboom.com/design/latvia-cyclists-car-skeletons-vehicle-size-10-10-2014/
This could end up like the varroa mite where it was put in the too hard basket eventually by the government. Anyone who watches Boarder Security knows that many people do not declare and destroy the food they bring in. In fact many of them try to hide the stuff. Letting people from Oz go through without searching is so dumb it beggars belief that the government would risk millions of dollars in exports in order to avoid an almost negligible inconvenience to passengers. Like the other policies of the national government that allows drilling of oil in the area of the highly endangered Maui dolphin. To many of the rest of us this is just a no brainer to protect NZ export interests, tourism and our environment and quality of life for both people and our forma and flora. Who pays when things go wrong. The tax payer. Like we did when the lack of regulation meant the tax payer spent millions on the Rena cleanup and it’s still not fixed properly.
Andrew Little please scream from the rooftops about what stupidity this is. Motivate NZers to fight back against these dumb policies. We want a government that cares about our country which it is clear this government does not. We need a great leader and clearly John Key may have charm but not the ethics to look after NZ, it’s people and it’s environment for future generations.
@ Lorraine
+1
Facts About Fruit Flies
– Mother fruit flies lay about 200-300 eggs at a time
– The most likely place for a mother fruit fly to lay her eggs is in a piece of rotting fruit
– As soon as the babies hatch, they start reproducing about 24 hours later
– From the time the mother fruit fly lays her eggs until you see the fruit flies buzzing around is about 7-13 days.
the expert on RNZ today said they only laid “about twelve eggs” – which seemed a ridicuously small number for a fly
relevant bit 1:08
They apparently have about 7,500 traps in Auckland checking for these blighters and it sounds a lot – did I hear right? HortNZ CE Peter Silcock said that the action taken on commercial consignments of fruit in Oz and the border controls here are probably sufficient to mean good coverage. It is more likely that they come in travellers bags and they would like 100% screening. PRIM (Primary Industries Ministry) have increased surveillance – for fruit flies – but not to the extent which is needed.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/rural/266475/fruit-fly-crackdown-continues
Something that I notice is that yachties are never mentioned – there seems quite a floating population swanning around these days. They should be equally targeted for compliance with regs.
This is yet another example of the dangers of Investor-State Dispute Settlement Systems (ISDS) and another reason for rejecting the TPPA. This illustrates the lengths that these multicorporations will go to in order to evade their responsibilities and the moral and ethical vacuum in which they operate.
Imagine a similar scenario in NZ with respect to deep sea drilling!
It is better to read the whole article dated Feb 16, 2015 but here is an excerpt from the Chevron v Ecuador case.
“Unfortunately for Chevron, its expensive retaliation strategy against Mr. DeLeon and others has failed to end the litigation, has only increased the resolve of the affected villagers, and has not diminished the company’s risk from collection actions targeting its assets to ensure compliance with the judgment,” it added.
After an eight-year trial, an Ecuador court in 2011 found Chevron liable for deliberately dumping billions of gallons of toxic waste into the rainforest, decimating indigenous groups and causing an outbreak of cancer and other diseases. The case – litigated in Ecuador at Chevron’s request — was funded in large part by Mr. DeLeon, a successful businessman in the internet gaming space and a law school classmate of Donziger’s.
Two layers of courts in Ecuador unanimously affirmed the trial court judgment, including the country’s Supreme Court in a 5-0 ruling. Chevron still refused to pay the judgment and retaliated by suing numerous supporters of the villagers, including Mr. DeLeon but also lawyers, environmental groups, bloggers, and scientific consultants.
Mr. DeLeon fought Chevron’s pressure campaign for years, but finally threw in the towel this week after it became clear he would face years of additional expensive litigation in Gibraltar’s courts. Gibraltar is the headquarters of many of his various businesses.”
http://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/37689-Chevron-DeLeon-Settlement-In-Ecuador-Case-Will-Lead-to-More-Funds-for-Environmental-Clean-up-Villagers-Say
Just another short excerpt:
“Chevron also continues to face the likelihood of a devastating setback in the appeal of its controversial racketeering judgment in New York, now scheduled to be heard the week of March 30. The facts in that case prove the company corrupted its star witness with more than $2 million in payments to testify falsely in the trial, according to multiple reports.”
Despicable!!!!
Still looking out for the right wing scum on this latest Liu moment. Where are these scum ? But for the fact it’d take 11 years to arrive I’d send them a letter of invitation to contribute……..
I am curious to know if this issue has been exposed on the TV1 and TV3 news at 6? I don’t think so, but I did not watch the news in full over the weekend. Those who did watch could you please let us know. TIA.
Three did a story on it to night made key look like a liar not that it matters honesty is not important to right wing voters.
Harsh…but fair.
Always preferred the term “Tory scum”, myself.
Glad to hear that Green party is not contesting the by-election.
Dunno about NZ first. I hope not. ACT please contest.
The Australian experience gives a glimmer, just a glimmer of hope that the Key govt could be toppled.
Yeah ACT are fronting with Robin Grieve, a particularly nasty character who attended an election forum as a candidate and bemoaned ‘it was a lefty love feast.’ He got booed on stage and off, very entertaining value 🙂
Good on ACT to be fronting with Robin Grieve. I hope someone prominent from the Conservatives will stand also. May be Colin Craig himself?
Yep, from a Left point of view, it’s far more important that the Conservatives stand a candidate in Northland to split the Tory vote as much as poss.
ACT’s support is just a tiny drop in the ocean – It’ll make little if any diff. As inconsequential as the day is long.
Oh dear! You gave the game away!
2014 General election results – electorate candidate votes
Candidate Valid Votes Share (%)
SABIN, Mike (NAT) 18,269 52.74
PRIME, Willow-Jean (LAB) 8,969 25.89
CLENDON, David (GP) 3,639 10.51
RINTOUL, Ken (FNZ) 1,661 4.8
TAYLOR, Mel (CNSP) 1,555 4.49
NELSON, Craig (ACT) 200 0.58
WILSON, David Angus (NZDSC) 173 0.5
ROBERTSON, Murray (IND) 96 0.28
TIMMS, Glen (MFP) 75 0.22
Total Valid Votes 34,637 100
Total Votes Cast 36,112 104.26
Winning Candidate: SABIN, Mike – margin 9300
NATIONAL’S CALLOUS AND CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE OF NATION’S BIO- SECURITY!
You won’t believe this!
The fruit fly outbreak is a damning indictment on the Government’s systematic destruction of border security with the inefficient and money pinching Minister in charge, Nathan Guy.
Now the $6 billion fruit and vegetable industry is at risk and the Government is squarely to blame.
This is very serious. Guy should be a goner for this.
See why:
http://www.3news.co.nz/opinion/brook-sabin/opinion-national-to-blame-for-fruit-fly-outbreak-2015022311#ixzz3SWHxCjnB
When I returned from a visit to Japan in 1998 I was pulled up at Customs because the Xray of my bag had shown a round object. I was happy to unpack it and show the round wooden doll I had been given in Tokyo, and Customs was happy that it was not an apple or an orange. I was happy that they had screened my bag along with every other bag on the flight. They have stopped doing that and only Xray “at risk” individuals. It is cheaper – they say. Tell that to the fruit and vege shops in Grey Lynn today and who knows to whom tomorrow?
Another impact of reckless tax cuts in 09, they went through penny pinching across the board to eek every potential ‘saving’ in an effort to smudge the wealth transfer.
Border security in an agricultural economy isn’t a luxury to be tweaked it’s a necessity that needs bolstering and vigilance.
Haters and wreckers.
“If U.S. land were divided like U.S. wealth…” a graphic divvied up by 1%, 9%, and the remaining 90%. Would love to see a NZ one (including foreign ownership, renter/owner, and unoccupied households).
Nice discussion to go with that as well Weka. Thanks for the link.
A government that can’t even take on the fruit fly has no business going after Daesh.
Sweet anti-neolliberal slam from Tourettes at Splore (h/t Russell Brown)
“he tells me there is a part time job waiting for everyone at the milk powder factory”
“he tells me global warming’s not so bad, we might never have Australia’s economy but we got bush fires now”
“and the media stands impotent, seagulls parroting his nonsense, and the headlines read, John Key’s Son’s a DJ”
Brilliant.
Chinese are flocking to holiday in Japan to get away from their horrible air pollution, where you not only can see the air you breathe, you can cut it with a knife and fork, or in their case hold it between their chopsticks. But the Japanese are quietly saying, because they need the Chinese money after many years of recession, that the Japanese are lacking cultural sensitivity. They are too loud, and if there is anything free they take it in sackfuls, their children stand on seats in their shoes, and they eat their own food in cafes.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/chinese-tourists-flock-to-japan-for-the-sushi-the-shopping-and-the-fresh-airdespite-tensions-10061720.html
Queenstown is stuffed to the gills with tourists. Perhaps they are Chinese tourists. If they don’t watch out down there they will spoil the attraction of their Queenstown attractions. Probably they will go mad and treat it like a gold bull to be milked. When you’ve got dosh you can make everything happen to suit yourself.
Richard Attenborough has a question for China about their lack of restraint – on using illegal ivory and threatening the world’s elephants. Perhaps they can collect their own teeth and use them as delicate features in art forms.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/david-attenborough-calls-on-chinese-president-to-end-ivory-trade-and-halt-extinction-of-the-african-elephant-10062229.html?icn=puff-7
Oh dear me. What a bad case of cultural myopia. I meant to say that the Japanese were saying quietly that the Chinese were a bit louder than they are used to, but my fingers went and put Japanese not Chinese, which doesn’t make sense when it is read. I don’t know what happened there.
Dunedin’s city hospital is suffering badly. Bad leaks had to be patched and still there is more to be done.
The College of Intensive Medicine of Australia and New Zealand has withdrawn the hospital’s intensive care unit’s training accreditation, with the main issue being the state of the unit. A $2 million refurbishment, which could well be the barest minimum, is planned but has not begun yet.
Now, comes a report from Beca consultancy group that up to
$50 million will be needed to keep the clinical services building at Dunedin Hospital going for another 10 years.
In addition, nearly $75 million will have to be spent on the ward block over the next 10 years.
http://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/editorial/331153/dunedin-hospitals-catch-22
I diagnose a serious and debilitating affliction ‘political invisibility syndrome’. Those regional patients with this indisposition looking unhealthy may be subjected to triage.
If their condition is exacerbated by a raging state of ‘regional-extensioning-flew’ the prognosis is not good. This is a sad case where the patient glides further and further away from the source of its nourishment, and will stretch till its supply-lines are woefully thin and then inevitably breaks down.
Maybe we can get SkyCity to set up pokie machines at the hospital, and get them to pay for a new ward or two in the process. You know, because this country can’t fund anything decent any more without kowtowing to the corporates.
Oil spill
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11406521
Okay could have been a lot worse – get ready for more of these spills if the gnats have their dirty exploitation way. I agree with Jean quoted below
I hope this can be used to test our systems of readiness for the inevitable disaster just around the corner.
Did someone discuss the women on Radionz talking about how everything she has trained for soon has no jobs for her? She has had to look for months to find anything else. This was around the Precarieat discusion with Prof Standing.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/20168197
10:06 Rhonda Samoa – The Precariousness of Work
Rhonda Samoa is a truck driver, a graduate of the New Zealand Film School, and the sister of Mark Samoa who was killed in a work accident on the Wellington waterfront in 2013. Rhonda knows a thing or two about the precariousness of work in the 21st Century, having been made redundant twice in the last six years, but she remains optimistic about the ability of workers to negotiate safe and fair work conditions as long as they stick together.
There were a few stories on Sunday around wage workers.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday
lPrent:
small tech issue that’s been popping up the last few days
The edit function is denying permission to edit at around 4 mins remaining.
test edit 3/3 (seems intermittent whatever it is ) 😮
Then they came for the Australians with dual citizenship…
Be afraid New Zealand, be afraid.
The Herald attempts to whip NZ into the necessary frame of mind to accept war in Iraq.
This make it more than a rag.
It’s a danegerous rag.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11406528
the thought that immediately sprung to mind was that demolishing all shopping malls would be a serious blow for civilization.
It’s amazing which stories Fearfax Media regard as more important than the fact the government is deciding today whether to go to war in Iraq.
These were some of the stories the editor of Stuff thought more important!
Boys stomach pumped
Tourist ignored police lights
It’s a rainy Monday
Students trapped in overloaded lift
Our MSM will be complicit in many deaths.
For Messrs Murphy and Roughan at the Herlad and the others mmebers of the complicit media.
Read the last verse in particular of Wilfred Owen’s poem ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of disappointed shells that dropped behind.
GAS! Gas! Quick, boys!– An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And floundering like a man in fire or lime.–
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,–
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
One Mews just interviewed a NZ commentator on the Iraq Civil War deployment and how we have boxed ourselves in over there, with the caption “Person’s Name.”
Seems like our MSM are really on top of things.
Reminds me of an old not the 9 o’clock news sketch…and now the news brought to you by the conservative party.
Garner on radio live today: (a few hours ago so I’ll have to Morrissey it)
“Gee I dunno, I just can’t get that excited about this whole fruitfly thing, ya know? I mean it’s not like a TSUNAMI or an EARTHQUAKE, ha know? I mean I DRIVE HOME through the affected area and I’m like NOT SCARED AT ALL. Like, it’s just a FLY, ya know? Anyway there’s important news I have to tell you about. I went for a ride on a waterslide yesterday and guess what? It was SHIT!”
He then spends the next hour talking about how shit the waterslide was.
Sometimes war is justified.
They’re not from here. They breed like flies. They have no respect for our culture. They have no humanity. They are a major threat to NZ’s wealth and wellbeing. Everything they touch becomes a writhing, maggoty mass of corruption.
Fruit flies must be exterminated – Death to the gnats!