The local ranking police officer did not appreciate being told by Bridges that the police did not seem to be interested.
A very confusing news report.
Versions of events vary widely. Gang members or two polite women? Gang members or no members on the roster and no patches worn. Road blocks or community staffed information points with official approval?
Staffers informing MPs. Police performing own lengthy interview with alleged complainant.
Don't be too quick to dismiss the idea. If it could be structured to align Key's interests with the country's, it could be a good use of his talents. Key's history suggests he's pretty good at sucking up to those he wants something from, and we know the Lard of the Links enjoys a good tongue-bathing of his nether regions.
DT: It would be a beautiful thing, maybe the best game of golf ever. And great for the economy- everybody is saying it would be great for the economy. It would be a powerful game of golf, very strong. And powerful – that's the way we thinking at the moment. We'll see what happens.
Key probably wants a job with Trump. Key left politics when he knew being the PM was over and Peters would favour a Labour coalition. Now that there are hard times with Air NZ Key will run again.
I reckon it was the chorus of boos at the Big Gay Out and the League at Eden Park
Key had a vision of his future and he didn't like it one bit…better to retire undefeated (keeping his popular veneer) and exit before more became aware of his true nature
"The Herald is clinging to Key like a comfort blanket"
There's a lot of psychic damage occurring on the right at the moment – they need some time out for self care. I could say 'be kind' – but I think we should follow the advice (can't remember from whom) that "when your enemy is drowning, throw him an anvil".
Would Key tolerate Trump's habit of cheating? Not counting strokes. Not handing in card. Lying about his skills but then is Key squeaky clean on the golf course?
Crikey, just tuning in for trumps 9,45am propaganda broadcast and apparently the net is down in California and some other states. Anyone know about it please?
Turns out that one of the network providers is having an outage over there.
Meanwhile, agent orange has wheeled out a spokesperson for the Dept Homeland Security Science and Tech. Which he cut funding to not so long ago. To tell the people that sunlight can help in the fight against the virus.
There you go USA, get naked and work outside, you'll be fine.
Never thought that Betsy DeVos would manage to destroy public education and dumb down the population so quickly. I guess there’s a Crusher Destroyer lurking inside all of us.
In my younger days I did home based childcare for 5 years. Usually with 2-3 kids. This would work well at level 3. The pay was awful, but knowing children had stability was a good thing.
It will be interesting to know the difference between private ECE run daycare and ECE government run daycare.
As well if you have children at school or in daycare.
Xero founder Rod Drury says we should sell off the land in NZ to overseas investors who have $50 million each to give us. Then we can build houses and be rich. I admit I was sceptical of this plan, because rich people are bad, but then he reassured me by saying,
"What's the downside of having these people here? People instinctively say 'no that's bad' but do we have any examples of it actually being bad?"
You cannot imagine what immediate enlightenment was like. Suddenly it all made sense. Universities everywhere were exposed as the fraudulent dosshouses they really are.
My mind swooped past a formative moment in our nation's history – The Great War. It truly was a great war, after all. Not just from a manufacturing perspective, but because it also gave Hitler his formative years. People say war is bad, but do we have any examples of it actually being bad? And Hitler, is he really that bad? Without Hitler we would not have the UN, and Helen Clark would be unemployed.
But spare a thought for what Hitler did for Jews in just ten short years, when Moses wasted 40 years in the desert with the Jews and didn't even think to invent anti-Semitism! These are the kind of opportunities our old way of thinking should avoid. Don't be a Moses!
No. You're right. There are downsides. But are there really? Displaced cows and sheep who'd otherwise just be standing around on farmland can swarm down out of the hills and find employment, perhaps working as passengers on public transport. Our rivers and waterways are saved! Even those pesky Greens couldn't object to that.
Suddenly I knew we had found our visionary for the post covid reality. So selfless was his sacrifice, so efficient his methods, that he didn't even use a Z for his own company's name. Quite rightly he assumed that Z is for zero, and that means no money. I was sad. But then I thought of all the words now free to choose another consonant, perhaps by taking a vote. Democracy in action!
Then it struck me. The single biggest thought I've ever had. We might think firing Rod Drury out of a canon, far out into the Tasman Sea, is a "bad" idea. But do we have any examples of it actually being bad?
Apparently ACT is polling at 5% or over as Nat voters run for cover. So National won’t need to cut them a deal in Epsom right? That poor cuckold Goldsmith can stand up straight and actually campaign to win for once. And we can put this shabby episode in our MMP history behind us.
Let’s face it that 5% is almost all Nat voters getting out before the shit really hits the fan.
The main point though is that if ACT can hit the threshold there’s no point National gifting them a seat, they’ll no longer get the extra vote in parliament for nothing.
In the long game it would still be worthwhile for the Nats to keep ACT alive for when they pick up again. So that segment of wingnuts that think Nats aren't nutty enough for them and can kid themselves that ACT isn't really just a sockpuppet will still end adding adding to the Nats numbers in parliament.
But the researchers instead found evidence for the opposite: “The key factor for infection was the direction of the airflow,” with downstream individuals being most at risk—a result consistent with the thesis that COVID-19 is transmitted primarily through the ballistic transmission of large respiratory droplets.
Pat Baskett at Newsroom tells it like it is on industry resistance to getting to 100% renewable electricity generation.
Also points to the nonsense of requiring peak demand gas fired generators when renewable options are available if generators would get off their asses and put the different generation in.
Sure made me wonder if Tesla battery storage (apropos the South Australian solution) would be more useful as resilience than peak generation.
Otherwise it was pretty clear the main generators aren't going to act fast enough to get to the goal of 100% renewable generation by 2040.
Tiwai Point is a major obstacle to generators getting off their asses and putting in new generation. Who in their right commercial mind wants to invest in new generation when there's the ever-present threat of the market getting flooded with cheap excess electricity at a year's notice?
For storage, New Zealand is blessed with an abundance of water and hilly country – ideal for pumped hydro storage. There's the Onslow-Manorburn depression in the South Island – if fully exploited it could store 1/3 of New Zealand's current annual electricity consumption. It would be surprising if there weren't at least a few suitable sites along the Waikato, even though I've been told most of the soild are unsuitable due to susceptibility to piping. No doubt there's lots of other potential sites in other North Island hill country.
edit: another major obstacle to generators getting off their asses is our market structure. It’s actually in the generators’ commercial interest to ride the line of major shortages as closely as possible, to increase the market price of what they sell. On top of the regular commercial incentive to not over-capitalise.
This government tends to kill new electricity generation dams. It's OK with those that are consented but unbuilt on the West Coast. Otherwise the era of such dams is gone.
At some point water storage for climate mitigation and water storage for electricity generation will find a sweet spot.
To be sure, it is usually more economic to just build a dam across an already existing water-carved valley, but that existing watercourse can be tiny. Especially if you're going for using a lot of head height and low flow for storing energy, rather than a lot of water volume at low head.
Also points to the nonsense of requiring peak demand gas fired generators when renewable options are available if generators would get off their asses and put the different generation in.
It's even more of a nonsense when you consider that methane leakage from natural gas networks can easily cancel out the AGW gains made by the renewables. I don't have the linky to hand, but I've read at least two solid studies that have done the numbers on this.
Renewables are a very welcome transition technology, we need them and should exploit them to the optimum extent possible … but they come with their own set of limitations we should be aware of.
Why should the left wing support liberals who have stuffed their lives for the last 40 years? trump is scum, but I'm not seeing biden being a much better type of scum. What with the sexual assault allegations, voting, and civil rights record.
Presumably yourself and Waters are okay with the multi-generational harm that will undoubtedly ensue should repugs get the opportunity to continue packing courts with conservative/religious extremists.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined a conference call with conservative pastors hosted by the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins last Thursday. Pompeo told the pastors that he has two big projects: the high-level international conferences he has hosted to promote religious liberty around the world, and the Commission on Unalienable Rights.
Pompeo’s remarks on the FRC pastors call strongly suggest that he hopes the commission will do exactly what human rights advocates fear, which is to seek to limit what some conservatives call “human rights inflation,” especially the recognition of the rights of LGBTQ people
McTurtle is working damn hard to ensure all empty slots are filled, and is trying to persuade all the older conservative judges to resign so thay can be replaced by young ones while he still can.
Poor presumption, Joe90. Waters is furious that they have chosen Biden because he sees him as sure to lose to Trump, and thereby empower the repugs to do exactly all that, and worse.
The time for that message ended a month ago. The voters have made their choice clear. Now it's time to move on to defeating the Marmalade Moron.
Continuing to throw whiny tantrums just helps the chances of Darth Hater continuing his covfiefdom in the Oval Office. But maybe that is indeed the intent.
Given this is NZ, I don't suppose it really matters if the 'winning strategy' is to piss off people who might otherwise vote for the dead head over the fuck head…
The people who selected Biden are the same people whose failings are responsible for Trump.
If the primaries had been a neutral arena voters entered into, then Biden would not have been the nominee.
The DNC, corporate media and donors have been successful in preserving a political establishment that's divorced from the lives of workers and pushes policies that have scant regard for voters.
You reckon Roger Waters is somehow at fault to be pointing out some obvious home truths?
The Supreme Court nominations, serious as they are, can be nullified by any Democratic President increasing the number of judges that sit on the Supreme Court btw. So potential damage, yes. Inter-generational…not so much.
And it's not as if working class people aren't already struggling beneath multiple layers of inter-generational trauma. So, not to diminish the effects of some court appointments, but what's another boulder on top of the existent heap?
There was no way that the Democrats in Senate could have stopped those appointments – even if they had filibustered for the 30 hours available.This was just prior to the mid-term elections and every good reason for Democratic senators to be back in the states supporting candidates and canvasing their electorate. The only way to stop this relentless attack on the court system by a ideologically driven conservative right wing establishment is to regain a majority in the Senate, and to do that the Democrats needed to preserve the seats they held. McTurtle is a clever and calculating politician and he runs the timing everything that the Senate considers. Many progressive Bills passed by the House just sit mouldering on the floor of the Senate and will never see the light of day.
In the end the fast tracking of these few judges (193 federal judges have been sworn in, in the 3 years of this "administration") was a calculated move by the Dems to ensure that in the future, such massive attacks on the US justice system will not be possible.
That may be a bit too nuanced for some, because all Dems are bad anyway therefore QED.
Yeah it probably is. Most here have no real idea of how the system works over there. They seem to think that all the power rests in the President. But it way more subtle than that. The 3 Arms of government are the executive,the legislature and the judicial system. The GOP by stacking the judiciary with highly Conservative judges are attempting to subvert any progressive moves by future governments through legal action. You may recall how much of Trumps initial programme wrt immigration were stymied in the courts and never progressed.
If the courts are filled with Conservative judges future attempts at socially progressive legislation will be effectively stymied for decades. The only way to stop this from happening is for the left to take back control of the Senate. That is why just before election day 2018 the Democrats agreed to fast track those 15 judges in order to ensure that they were available in their states for electioneering and ensure the blue wave that did eventuate.
Uhh, McFlock, they Dems won big in the House*, but had a net loss of two in the Senate. They gained Arizona and Nevada, but lost North Dakota, Missouri, Indiana, and Florida.
To be fair, Florida was the only loss the Dems should have even have been competitive in. The others were only Dem because 2012 was an exceptionally good year, and the Repugs put up gargoyles like Todd "legitimate rape" Akin in those other seats. But overall, it was still very good for Senate Dems, winning 22 of the 33 seats.
*Congress strictly speaking refers to both the House of Representatives and the Senate put together as the legislative branch. Yes, House Reps are commonly referred to as Congressman or Congresswoman, while Senators aren't. But using Congress to refer to just the House rarks up my inner pedant every time. Sorry.
The latest round of opinion polling data suggests you don't really have a clue what constitutes politically toxic, or any idea of what folks are thinking, Ainsley.
People don't like being told their lives are worthless. Consequently Biden is ahead with the elderly. I doubt younger people are all that keen on dying either.
A string of recent polls shows troubling signs for President Trump with older voters, a group central to his reelection effort that appears to be drifting away from him amid a pandemic that has been especially deadly for senior citizens.
[…]
While it’s unclear if Biden’s polling strength with older voters will carry over into November, the shifts are enough to reshape the dynamics of a close race that has already been upended by a viral pandemic that has killed more than 47,000 Americans.
“We know that Americans over the age of 50 make up the majority of voters — and as a result, they’re a deciding factor in our elections,” Nancy LeaMond, AARP executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer, said in an interview. “They aren’t a monolith as a voting bloc, but one thing is clear: They do plan to vote.”
LeaMond said that while older voters were responsible for Trump’s narrow electoral college victory in 2016, their support shifted to Democrats in 2018, helping propel Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to become speaker of the House of Representatives.
We need to bring back the League of Militant Atheists.
A few armed athiests trashing churches will make the god-bothers think about stripping people of their human rights, which is soooo what they want to do.
"Joe Biden is a 'fucking slimeball' who can't beat Trump"
Joe Biden has to beat Trump. Biden's a horrible candidate – dull, uninspiring, with a terrible record and a rich target for attack ads. But he has to beat Trump, and it looks like the only way that happens is if Trump's mismanagement of the C-19 crisis is so terrible that people turn on him. Polls indicate it may be happening. This has opened up a whole new landscape of moral hazard for the left. Put crudely – how many deaths are you wishing for in order to beat Trump? This is a disgusting calculus – and you can blame the DNC for it, because they deemed just about the worst possible candidate to be the most electable, and enough of the voters fell in line.
"I'm so flabbergasted and gobsmacked by the way the Democratic National Committee has railroaded Bernie"
Oh come on – Waters sounds like an idiot if his understanding of power is so naive. They were never, never going to let Sanders anywhere near the nomination – he is a material threat to their existing wealth and income streams. Add to that the mistakes of the Sanders campaign itself and it was always very unlikely.
It's all the DNC, huh? The 49% of South Carolina Dem primary voters that chose Biden have no agency of their own? Nor do any of the other subsequent primary voters that coalesced around Biden to give him substantial majorities and pluralities?
edit: To me it really looks like the DNC bent over backwards to avoid doing anything that could be perceived as handicapping Bernie. Especially considering that Bernie pointedly rejects being a Democrat. Except when he runs.
Having 'agency' is not the same as being immune to external influence. Communicating a clear message from Obama on downwards that it must be Biden, constitutes influence. With influence comes culpability (at least partially).
Bugger, ran out of edit time for what I wanted to add. Which that Bernie pointedly rejects being a part of the Democratic party. Except when he wants to do an Alien facehugger/chestburster on it in service of presidential ambitions.
Around 50% of African American Dem voters in S. Carolina said they made a last minute decision to vote Biden in light of James Clyburn's endorsement.
There was also a very interesting interview with a black professor on The Hill a while back exploring the purportedly fairly unique and prevalent mind set of African American voters in states such as South Carolina. Essentially, the argument goes that white politics and white politicians have let down African Americans so often over so many generations, that many in those states approach any political promise of improvement from a 'white quarter' with such deep cynicism that they're inclined to vote instead for 'honest' white candidates who promise nothing.
America's Pest and Blightest is not a doctor, y'know, but he has a very good you-know-what. So he knows ways, lots of ways, that can cure virus. That nobody else has ever thought of. It's amazing. We could put a yuge beautiful burst of heat and light inside of people to kill the virus. Because heat and light kills viruses, you just have to get it where the virus is.
The difference between Trump and Cuomo is, Trump is one step behind the virus and Cuomo is trying to be one step ahead of the virus.
On a serious note, have you caught up with reading about people presenting with reduced oxygen as much as 50%?
I tend to read a bit on medical matters compared to other topics. What I am reading about Covid-19, so much is unknown when it comes to what to do and not what to do in an ICU setting. When I read clinicians comments about how scarey the management of blood clots are and the usual treatment which is given I can see how up against the fight they are. Selfless and doing the best they can with the knowledge they have got.
Yeah, it's scary the things this virus is doing that we're slowly learning about.
I've reported this before here, but here's a repeat of what my nephew in France has observed with his case of COVID. He is currently still in recovery from COVID-19. His case would be called mild – ie like the worst case of flu most people ever experience, but he didn't get to the point of needing external breathing assistance (his mother's case is similar). He has noticed his normal reflex to draw breath has been significantly suppressed. This is shown most dramatically by exhaling as far as possible, then trying to not inhale again. Normally this gets very distressing very quickly. In his current COVID-recovering state, he is able to sit there completely calmly feeling no need to inhale, even while his measured CO2 levels are spiking and oxygen dropping. This is particularly concerning for stopping breathing while asleep, and he notes that simply dying while asleep appears to happening at an unusually high rate among COVID-recovering patients.
Then I recall seeing a report where pregnant women were turning up to hospital, not reporting COVID symptoms, but for other pregnancy related reasons. Then low oxygen reading would show up. Then they'd take an x-ray, and find significant signs of COVID in their lungs. Which would then by confirmed by a coronavirus test.
thanks, that's a really good description. I feel like the emerging reports this week of hypoxia, as well as the blood clot issues, are another Italy moment for us, this one is not so in our face but a big wake up call nonetheless. Can't shake the feeling that we're still at the early stages of this whole thing and that we've not go to grips with the bigger picture yet.
Maybe he'll ask for a beautiful big burst of light and heat inside him. To kill any germs there. And they give it to him. Along with a big injection of antiseptic like he asked for.
Someone sent me this. See Trumps suggestions about disinfectant. He maybe onto something with his UV claims as he spends a lot of time in sun beds and hasn't gotten sick.
"The disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, and is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning. It gets in the lungs"
The MSD investigation of the wage subsidy. While the numbers are a little muddled it looks like some where over 50% of the investigations produced a repayment. That's huge. Note the really crooked claimants can just pay it back not face criminal proceedings. Other MSD nvestigations have never been that forgiving.
Just wait for Bridges to get cracking on the government's "slack monitoring, giving money away hand-over-fist" incompetence.
The reality is, Simon, that the government needed to get that money out straight away. If they took a slow and overly careful approach to assessment there'd be an outcry of how long the process was taking, as well as how eligible businesses were missing out. This is precisely what happens with any tightly controlled targeted regime – eligible people miss out. Just look at our benefit system. The cases where there's been payments made in error are likely to have come from confusion over the criteria rather than employers setting out deliberately to defraud. Everything happened so quickly, and it needed to. Of course mistakes were going to be made.
Will Bridges touch this one – It's likely to be RW supporters who are taking far too much advantage? Yes there will some errors and mistakes and voluntary repayments before audit because of that but lets not let it all go as "a just errors" narrative. It was a high trust enviroment, meant to be a last resort and likely has been abused. We've had discussions already on the "how did they get a subsidy" and how the high end managers didn't do more than slap a wet bus ticket on their incomes.
Yes, perhaps. There'll be a mix of reasons and no doubt some fraud, just like with any system. But it's very easy to slip into thinking the majority of cases are where employers understood exactly what they were doing. I just don't think there are that many people across the board who think like that. But maybe there is – dunno. It was a massive undertaking that happened very quickly.
Whether Bridges goes on the offensive, who knows. He's probably got bigger things to think about right now, putting his foot in his mouth is probably one of them so maybe he won't. If he does he could still take a hard line against the fraudulent and/or a slack government but I think he'd be wrong on both accounts.
There will be people with forensic accountancy experience looking for work soon. The government were quick to act with this matter and hats off to them. Business owners exploiting the opportunity is nothing short of white collar looting in a crisis. I think the looters should be made to pay it back twofold and if they can't, sell up their assets. The recovery and relevant fines should more than pay for the investigations and prosecutions.
I wonder how many of those white collar looters might also be the types that have unexplained income tucked in the shadows? Might prompt a ring from an IRS team.
Both Countdown and Foodstuffs supermarkets will be cutting the 10% bonus they’ve been paying workers throughout lockdown starting from the week after next.
I know plenty of people already attempt to buy from small retail outlets. But I take it there will be a more widespread effort to buy stuff from places other than supermarkets now?
If they get rid of Shaw, Genter, and Swarbrick they won't have to worry about the ones ahead of those players not doing the right thing in government next time round, or in Parliament. No-one from the party will be in Parliament.
The group is tiny, possibly representing fewer than 100 current members and their efforts to shape the final list exactly as they want it will almost certainly be unsuccessful.
The issues in 2017 were largely caucus issues from what I can tell, about how the different MPs were communicating with each other under the pressures of a tough election campaign, and then their unpreparedness for the fall out and MSM response. I totally expect them to have done a lot of work on that.
That is quite different from a member network publishing ideas internally on how to make the party more left wing. On the face of it their proposal seems daft, both as strategy for the party in election year assuming theoretically they could actually influence the list, but also in terms of ignoring how it might affect the party as a whole. But I suspect it's more in the context of how to get some kind of leftward movement by using this controversial approach rather than working within the more cooperative processes within the party (the latter may not have been effective).
If so, it's very trad left and not something I see as particularly useful for the party. Hard to tell how influential the group is. Journo is saying less than 100 people, Jack McDonald is saying it's a much bigger group and one of the most influential in the party.
The media may not owe politicians anything but they do owe their position in society to their supposed commitment to the journalistic concepts of truthful and contextual reporting. If their role is only produce profit then we are being badly served. As citizens we are owed an factual and informative media.
A communist purge from within the the Greens ! That would be a really interesting development & cat fight before the election. I look forward to it happening as post Covid-19 lockdown entertainment. Off to the gulag for the "Green" Greens while the Reds take control !!
Donald Trump, the Pope, the World's most renowned virologist and a little girl are the only ones still on a damaged plane that is rapidly losing height. There are 4 people and only 3 parachutes.
The virologist grabs a parachute, says "I have to do important work to save the world from COVID-19", and jumps out of the plane.
Donald Trump grabs one and says "I am the smartest man in America and must lead the nation through this crisis", and jumps out of the plane.
The Pope turns to the little girl and says "You take the last parachute, I am an old man who has lived his life, and you have yours ahead of you."
The little girl says "We can both take one your Holiness – the smartest man in America just jumped out of the plane wearing my Hello Kitty backpack."
Irony is dead if it turns out nicotine does have a beneficial use.
Nicotine could protect people from contracting the coronavirus, according to new research in France, where further trials are planned to test whether the substance could be used to prevent or treat the deadly illness.
The findings come after researchers at a top Paris hospital examined 343 coronavirus patients along with 139 people infected with the illness with milder symptoms.
They found that a low number of them smoked, compared to smoking rates of around 35 percent in France's general population.
"Among these patients, only five percent were smokers," said Zahir Amoura, the study's co-author and a professor of internal medicine.
The research echoed similar findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine last month that suggested that 12.6 percent of 1,000 people infected in China were smokers. That was a much lower figure than the number of regular smokers in China's general population, about 26 precent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)
[…]
The theory is that nicotine could adhere to cell receptors, therefore blocking the virus from entering cells and spreading in the body, according to renown neurobiologist Jean-Pierre Changeux from France's Pasteur Institut who also co-authored the study.
The researchers are awaiting approval from health authorities in France to carry out further clinical trials.
They plan to use nicotine patches on health workers at the Pitie-Salpetriere hospital in Paris — where the initial research was conducted — to see if it protects them against contracting the virus.
They have also applied to use the patches on hospitalised patients to see whether it helps reduce symptoms and also on more serious intensive care patients, Amoura said.
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Hello! This is the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the week.Here’s what you may have missed.Last Sunday’s column was about the budget A big chunk of this year’s budget coverage was brought to us by the words crass, gauche and venal. The big questions ...
Hi,Usually Webworms are quite focussed — this one is the opposite. No rhyme or reason. A bit like my brain: sometimes ultra-focussed, other times utterly unable to settle on a goddamn thing. And as we head into the weekend, there are a bunch of things buzzing around in my head ...
The Mainstream Media, and especially the New Zealand Herald, regularly carry misinformed columns on the causes of the country’s low-grade economic performance over recent years. One old codger, John Gascoigne, who describes himself as “a Cambridge-based economic commentator” (not the university, alas!) correctly told us early this week that New ...
The Treasury released its budget economic forecasts. What do they say about the economy over the next four months?Let me begin me with an irritation. One post-budget headline was ‘Treasury optimistic over recession risk in Budget 2023'. Treasury being optimistic is almost an oxymoron. They fire down the centre.It is ...
1. Who most likely gave LOTO Luxon the idea to pull the rug on the urban density policy?a. A leading thinker on affordable housing b. A leading thinker on 15 minute cities c. A leading thinker on sustainable urban planning d. National-Party-supporting property developers2 . With what was this illustration made?a. Artificial inseminationb. ...
Buzz from the BeehivePoint of Order tallied $314.4 million of spending in the latest ministerial statements posted on the government’s official website. This includes a lump of money to – yes, really – help identify businesses in tourism and hospitality which treat their staffs well and to fund the ...
It’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for an hour from midday (my apologies for the late start today), including:the Government’s payment of $130 million of Climate Emergency Fund money to NZ Steel to help it cut ...
National/ACT would have 62 seats in a 120 seat Parliament if the latest poll results were replicated in the October election, but micro-movements around the median and the size of Te Pāti Māori’s caucus will decide who governs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National/ACT could govern alone after October ...
Welcome to Friday – again! Hard to believe we’re almost in June. Here’s our latest roundup of stories that caught our eye this week. The Week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Matt covered the transport highlights from this year’s Budget. On Tuesday, Matt asked if the end is ...
What should one make of the Reserve Bank Governor’s extraordinary donation of a hostage to fortune in forecasting an end to interest rate hikes? Conspiracy theorists will be scratching their tinfoil hats and mumbling about positioning for a whacking great payoff on being forced out by a new government. ...
Shocking The Pakeha: An entirely forgivable impulse, some might say, given how easily so many Pakeha are shocked. Merely to suggest that Te Tiriti o Waitangi should be taken seriously is sufficient to set some Pakeha off. Others are shocked by the inclusion of more than a word or two ...
National will be buoyed, and Labour possibly slightly depressed after last night’s One News Kantar poll. National and ACT on 48 per cent with 62 seats between them, enough to form a Government. Meanwhile, Labour was down one per cent to 35, and the Greens dropped four per cent ...
It’s been an eventful week for the New Zealand economy. On one side, the Reserve Bank was seen as putting the brakes on the Official Cash Rate, with a 25 basis points increase heralded as good news for mortgage-holders. On another, NZ’s record current account deficit is seen as posing ...
Luxon told voters in Birkenhead yesterday that the Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS) that his deputy Nicola Willis shaped with Labour Housing Minister Megan Woods in 2021 were a mistake. File photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR:National Leader Christopher Luxon looks set to abandon within weeks the ...
I have already found four different reasons today to walk down into the village, enjoy the blue sky and belated Autumn sun and put off writing, again, about the leader of the opposition. But here it comes anyway, because this guy —this policy dimwit on issues ranging from universality to ...
Yesterday EECA launched its usual winter energy-saving campaign. Normally this is aimed at reducing energy usage, to reduce the risk of a blackout. If successful, it also reduces spot-market prices, so also reducing whining at the government from big corporate users. But this year, someone had the brilliant idea of ...
In the second episode of our podcast this year, Selwyn Manning and I discuss the stability and near-term future prospects for Vladimir Putin’s regime in Russia. All is not well. ...
Yesterday marked the third anniversary of Sinead Boucher’s acquisition of Stuff but questions still remain unanswered about the media group’s governance structure and the identity of its backers.Thomas Cranmer writes – As the general election looms, the media will play an increasingly critical role in presenting ...
Buzz from the Beehive Budget 2023 continues to provide grist for the mills of ministerial spin doctors charged with drawing favourable attention to the government’s largesse. Goodies generated by Defence appropriations in budgets past are winning headlines today, too. Defence Minister Andrew Little has been enthusing about the arrival of ...
Yikes. If either Donald Trump or Florida governor Ron De Santis win next year’s presidential contest with Joe Biden, the commander-in-chief of the world’s greatest nuclear arsenal will be beholden to millions of voters who expect Armageddon to occur during their lifetimes. Unfortunately, the Republican Party is being led by ...
It’s been a hard season for New Zealand’s dairy farmers, on which the country’s export economy so heavily depends, but the big co-op Fonterra has delivered a cheering message to the cowsheds this week. The news on the payout for the season just ending may not be so cheerful, ...
This story by Katie Myers was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here. This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Spring fire season is a regular occurrence in the eastern U.S. It’s not nearly as dramatic as what’s seen ...
Back in March we learnt about the change in cost and timeline for the City Rail Link. An article in the Herald the other day brought the issue of the timeline back up again Auckland’s $5.5 billion City Rail Link (CRL) will not open until sometime in 2026 or later, ...
If I asked you what was likely to be on the news tonight what would you say?Something about the cost of living, could be. Or the war in the Ukraine, probably. A report of terrible weather on the way - yeah, that’s a good bet too. How about one on ...
Reserve Bank Governor and the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee yesterday ended up at odds with National’s Finance spokesperson, Nicola Willis, over whether the Budget was inflationary. Willis said it was. The exchange is looking like a significant test of Willis’s economic credibility. The MPS statement and the Governor’s media ...
A bit of googling was necessary to find out about Galatea School – Te Kura o Kuhawaea. Its website says it is a small rural school, opened in 1935 and nestled under the Te Urewera Ranges, opened in 1935, among lush green dairy farms and beside various forest plantations. It ...
On behalf of everyone at Zoo Miami, please accept our most sincere apology to the New Zealand National Party of New Zealand and the proud people of the LinkedIn tribe. It stunned us all to learn that Kiwi Chris the Robot Politician was in fact an actual person.This was not at ...
On behalf of everyone at Zoo Miami, please accept our most sincere apology to the New Zealand National Party of New Zealand and the proud people of the LinkedIn tribe. It stunned us all to learn that Kiwi Chris the Robot Politician was in fact an actual person.This was not at ...
Buzz from the Beehive Money was profusely flowing or generously being committed in a raft of ministerial announcements and speeches over the past 24 hours. If we tallied all the dollar signs in all the new press statements on the government’s official website, billions would be involved. But in some ...
A much better alternative than cash in consumers’ pockets would be emissions-reducing vouchers or spending that effectively ‘buys’ even more emissions reductions through, for example, bigger discounts on public transport and electric bikes, solar panel installation vouchers and discounted energy-efficient appliances and lights. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / T… ...
Hi all,I’ve been getting lots of nice feedback about my newsletter from yesterday, Laughing with Donkeys. Which is nice, but feels a bit sad considering most people can only read the first part of it. I was particularly keen to share the end of Jacinda’s WHO speech as it summed ...
Hi,I’ve been on the phone to Miami all morning. After a bunch of emails overnight, I called Miami Zoo’s media department first thing, who told me I needed to talk to the mayor of Miami. Apparently “big” zoo business was dealt with by the mayor. So I called the City ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
We attended a funeral last night in the comfort of our own lounge. It was for Logan Roy who is, when the eulogies are all said and done, only an imaginary character. But then again, aren’t we all to some extent imaginary characters?Such eulogies they were. Only the Succession subtitles ...
Paul Krugman's column today talks about the economics of increased working from home. The primary benefit? People don't have to waste a huge portion of their lives commuting. And while this is difficult to quantify, the impact is huge: it’s not hard to make the case that the overall ...
The Parliament Protests and the Posie Parker Rally have exposed the extent to which the Police frontline is under-resourced and under-funded.Thomas Cranmer writes – Soaring levels of crime and high profile protests at Parliament and the Posie Parker rally have made policing a political hot topic ...
Buzz from the Beehive It was tempting – for a moment – to suggest Rachel Brooking become an Associate Minister of Finance to keep Grant Robertson on the straight and narrow. The temptation was triggered by Brooking’s speech (as Associate Minister for the Environment) to the WasteMINZ conference in Hamilton, ...
If net migration keeps pounding along at a rate of over 100,000 per year the implications for the economy, residential land prices, interest rates and Government borrowing will be profound. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Stronger-than-forecast net migration and population growth looks set to make Labour’s last Budget before ...
Chris Hipkins is blazing his way through New Zealand’s foreign policy. The New Zealand Prime Minister’s fast-but-furious visit to Papua New Guinea this week – which saw Hipkins spend just 23 hours in Port Moresby, the PNG capital – was the PM’s fourth such rapid international trip since he took ...
It sometimes occurs to me. When I’m thinking what to write about. That I spend an awful lot of time reading about idiotic things that idiots have said.The radio, the news, social media. You look at the content coming out and it makes you remember not to swim at a ...
Thirty-six years ago, almost to the day, after he launched Fiji’s first military coup in 1987, the now-elected Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, yesterday awarded the Prime Minister of India Fiji’s highest honour. That 1987 coup was targeted against a Labour government which contained Indian Ministers and led to fears ...
It has been a while since I last did a write up of my D&D shenanigans. Part of it has been motivation, part of it has been that the more interesting stuff has been in the form of one-shots, rather than long campaigns. I actually DMed a three session ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). The Last of Us tells the story of a fungal zombie apocalypse... triggered by climate change. So could this kind of ...
‘No one cares’: 25-year-old with extensive family cancer history can’t access genetic testing That’s the headline on a Stuff report which alerted the public to the experiences of a woman who was pregnant with her first baby when she found out she was likely to be at higher risk of ...
The National Party has released another confused and rushed policy that will only further worsen the inequality that is driven by unaffordable housing. ...
Welcome to sunny and calm Wellington, which I know those of you who are visiting would of course expect to be the case. It’s been a busy week since we put forward the 2023 Budget. Labour MPs have been out across the motu giving the good oil on the Budget. ...
Kia orana, Talofa lava, Mālo e lelei, Taloha ni, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Noa’ia e mauri, Ni sa bula vinaka, Kia ora, Tena Koutou Katoa. Labour Party President Jill Day, Prime Minister Hipkins, Party faithful, delegates and comrades, whānau and friends, it’s a privilege to be here today. I begin my ...
One of my kaumātua up North stood before the Waitangi Tribunal and said: ‘He aha kē ahau, te tangata kore hara i mua i te Atua, e tu nei kia whakawaatia e koe, te tangata tāhae, te tangata hara, te tangata kore tikanga?Ko koe kē te tika, kia tū ...
New Zealanders will be highly concerned that the World Health Organisation proposes to effectively take control of independent decision making away from sovereign countries and place control with the Director General. W.H.O International Health Regulations on future outbreaks of disease aim to give the Director General extraordinary and wide-sweeping powers. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take responsibility for reducing inflation by taxing wealth instead of leaving RBNZ to continue hiking the Official Cash Rate. ...
The Green Party has released its list of candidates for the 2023 election. With a mix of familiar faces, fresh new talent, and strong tangata whenua voices, this exceptional group of candidates are ready to set the direction of the next Government. ...
Thank you for your invitation to be here, after yesterday's budget, and for the opportunity to talk with you. In the economic and social turmoil following the arrival of COVID 19 in New Zealand many concerns emerged. How would we keep our economy going and maintain our exports which are ...
At the heart of Budget 2023 is a cost of living package, designed to ease the pressure on New Zealanders in the face of global inflation and the challenges of rebuilding from extreme weather events. It provides practical cost of living relief across some of the core expenses facing Kiwis ...
A long standing Green Party policy has been extended yet again in this year’s Budget. This will deliver warmer homes for thousands of people, lower power bills, and cut climate pollution. ...
The Green Party is fully on board with free bus and train travel for under 12s and half price travel for under 25s - next stop, free travel for all under 18s, students, and apprentices. ...
The Green Party welcomes today’s release of the report of the Ministerial Inquiry into slash and sediment, and are clear that the forestry industry must foot more of the bill. ...
When Chris Hipkins appeared on the BBC’sSunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he described himself as a “technical republican”. At least it was clearer than when he stumbled over what a woman is. In theblue corner, the other “Chris” said, “New Zealand will become a republic, eventually.” Of course, they both supported ...
May is significant in the New Zealand parliamentary calendar, given the Minister of Finance delivers the Budget - a whopping $128 billion last year, over a third of our GDP. This year Grant Robertson is riding a unicycle on a tightrope. The sugar rush is over but will he still ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs (Pacific Region) Carmel Sepuloni will represent New Zealand at Samoa’s 61st Anniversary of Independence commemorations in Apia. “Aotearoa New Zealand is pleased to share in this significant occasion, alongside other invited Pacific leaders, and congratulates Samoa on the milestone of 61 ...
The Government is continuing to support retailers with additional funding for the highly popular Fog Cannon Subsidy Scheme, Police and Small Business Minister Ginny Andersen announced today. “The Government is committed to improving retailers’ safety,” Ginny Andersen said. “I’ve seen first-hand the difference fog cannons are making. Not only do ...
The Government has received the first independent review of the Intelligence and Security Act 2017, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says. The review, considered by the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee, was presented to the House of Representatives today. “Ensuring the safety and security of New Zealanders is of the utmost ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has expressed condolences on behalf of New Zealand to the Kingdom of Tonga following the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili. “New Zealand sends it’s heartfelt condolences to the people of Tonga, and to His Majesty King Tupou VI at this time ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has expressed condolences on behalf of New Zealand to the Kingdom of Tonga following the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili. “New Zealand sends it’s heartfelt condolences to the people of Tonga, and to His Majesty King Tupou VI at this time ...
Defence Minister Andrew Little and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta have today announced the extension of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) deployment to Solomon Islands, as part of the regionally-led Solomon Islands International Assistance Force (SIAF). “Aotearoa New Zealand has a long history of working alongside the Royal Solomon ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will travel to the Republic of Korea today to attend the Korea–Pacific Leaders’ Summit in Seoul and Busan. “Korea is an important partner for Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific region. I am eager for the opportunity to meet and discuss issues that matter to our ...
Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor joined ministerial representatives at a meeting in Detroit, USA today to announce substantial conclusion of negotiations of a new regional supply chains agreement among 14 Indo-Pacific countries. The Supply Chains agreement is one of four pillars being negotiated within the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework ...
Our most spoken Pacific language is taking centre stage this week with Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa – Samoa Language Week kicking off around the country. “Understanding and using the Samoan language across our nation is vital to its survival,” Barbara Edmonds said. “The Samoan population in New Zealand are ...
Over 90 per cent of New Zealanders are expected to receive this year’s nationwide test of the Emergency Mobile Alert system tonight between 6-7pm. “Emergency Mobile Alert is a tool that can alert people when their life, health, or property, is in danger,” Kieran McAnulty said. “The annual nationwide test ...
ENGLISH: Whakatōhea and the Crown sign Deed of Settlement A Deed of Settlement has been signed between Whakatōhea and the Crown, 183 years to the day since Whakatōhea rangatira signed the Treaty of Waitangi, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little has announced. Whakatōhea is an iwi based in ...
Elizabeth Longworth has been appointed as the Chair of the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, Associate Minister of Education Jo Luxton announced today. UNESCO is the United Nations agency responsible for promoting cooperative action among member states in the areas of education, science, culture, social science (including peace and ...
Tourism and hospitality employer accreditation scheme to recognise quality employers Better education and career opportunities in tourism Cultural competency to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces Innovation and technology acceleration to drive satisfying, skilled jobs Strengthening our tourism workers and supporting them into good career pathways, pay and working conditions ...
Tourism and hospitality employer accreditation scheme to recognise quality employers Better education and career opportunities in tourism Cultural competency to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces Innovation and technology acceleration to drive satisfying, skilled jobs Strengthening our tourism workers and supporting them into good career pathways, pay and working conditions ...
Greater access to primary care, including 193 more front line clinical staff More hauora services and increased mental health support Boost for maternity and early years programmes Funding for cancers, HIV and longer term conditions Greater access to primary care, improved maternity care and mental health support are ...
Greater access to primary care, including 193 more front line clinical staff More hauora services and increased mental health support Boost for maternity and early years programmes Funding for cancers, HIV and longer term conditions Greater access to primary care, improved maternity care and mental health support are ...
The Government continues progress on the survivor-led independent redress system for historic abuse in care, with the announcement of the design and advisory group members today. “The main recommendation of the Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Abuse in Care interim redress report was for a survivor-led independent redress system, and the ...
Aotearoa New Zealand is providing NZ$7.75 million to respond to urgent humanitarian needs in the Horn of Africa, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The Horn of Africa is experiencing its most severe drought in decades, with five consecutive failed rainy seasons. At least 43.3 million people require lifesaving and ...
Health Minister Ayesha Verrall has opened two new state-of-the-art mental health facilities at the Christchurch Hillmorton Hospital campus, as the Government ramps up its efforts to build a modern fit for purpose mental health system. The buildings, costing $81.8 million, are one of 16 capital projects the Government has funded ...
The Government is continuing to invest in our regional economies by announcing another $24 million worth of investment into ten diverse projects, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan says. “Our regions are the backbone of our economy and today’s announcement continues to build on the Government’s investment to boost regional economic ...
An $8 million boost to New Zealand Māori Tourism will help operators insulate themselves for the future. Spread over the next four years, the investment acknowledges the on-going challenges faced by the industry and the significant contribution Māori make to tourism in Aotearoa. It builds on the $15 million invested ...
Defence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the first 18 Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles for the New Zealand Army, alongside personnel at Trentham Military Camp today. “The arrival of the Bushmaster fleet represents a significant uplift in capability and protection for defence force personnel, and a milestone in ...
Aotearoa New Zealand is providing NZ$3.5 million to help meet urgent humanitarian needs in Sudan, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The severe fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has had devastating impacts for civilians. At least 705 people have been killed and 5,287 injured. ...
Repairing a Hawke’s Bay organic composting facility devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle is among the latest waste reduction projects getting Government backing, Associate Environment Minister Rachel Brooking announced today. “Helping communities get back on their feet after the devastating weather that hit the northern parts of the country this year is ...
About 6,100 more GP, community nurses and kaiāwhina will be eligible for pay rises of 8% on average to reduce pay disparities with nurses in hospitals, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. The top up comes from a $200 million fund established to remove pay disparities between nurses ...
New Jobs and Skills Hub to begin construction in Hawke’s Bay The Hub will support the building of $1.1billion worth of homes in the region and support Cyclone Gabrielle rebuild and recovery. Over 2,200 people have been supported into industry specific employment, apprenticeships and training, by these Hubs across NZ ...
Tēnā koutou e nga maata waka. Kia koutou te mana whenua tēnā koutou Ngā mate huhua o te waa, haere, haere, haere atu ra. Hoki mai kia tātou te kanohi ora e tau nei, Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. Tēnā koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te ...
The Government has launched a new tool to help small business owner-operators manage and improve their mental wellbeing, Small Business Minister Ginny Andersen announced today. The Brave in Business e-Learning series is another tool the Government has delivered to support small businesses with their mental health and wellbeing. “A pandemic, ...
Minister for Racing Kieran McAnulty has announced the approval of a 25-year partnership between TAB NZ and UK betting company Entain that delivers at least $900 million in guaranteed funding for the racing industry over the next five years. Entain, a UK based group that operates multiple sports betting providers ...
The Government has delivered the first of three significant water security projects in Northland, boosting regional business and climate resilience, with the opening of Matawii reservoir today, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced. A $68 million Government investment supported the construction of the reservoir, along with two other water storage ...
Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor will travel to Detroit tomorrow to represent New Zealand at the annual APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting from 24 – 29 May. Whilst in Detroit, Damien O’Connor will also host a meeting of Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Ministers ...
I want to start by thanking Ngāi Tahu and the Murihiku Regeneration Collective for hosting us here today. Back at the Science and Innovation Wananga in 2021, I said that a just transition in New Zealand must ensure Iwi are at the table. This is just as true now as ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta today announced the appointment of diplomat Dr James Waite as Aotearoa New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Mongolia. He is currently the Deputy Head of Mission at the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing, a role he will continue to hold. “New Zealand and Mongolia share a warm and ...
Biggest-ever investment in property with more money for new sites and modernisation Roll-out of learning support coordination in kaupapa Māori and Māori Medium Schooling Boost in funding for iwi and schools to work together on Local Histories content Substantial support for Māori Education has continued in Budget 2023, including ...
Applications for the next round of Creatives in Schools will open on Friday 16 June 2023, Minister of Education Jan Tinetti and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni announced today during a visit at Te Wharekura o Mauao in Tauranga. “The Creatives in Schools programme funds schools and ...
Tena koutou katoa and thank you all for being here and welcoming me to your annual conference. I want to acknowledge being here in Tainui’s rohe, and the mana of Kingi Tuheitia. I hate waste. So much so that when we built our home in Dunedin, I banned the use ...
Southland’s Just Transition is getting a further boost to help future-proof the region and build its economic resilience, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods announced today. “This Government is committed to supporting Southland’s just transition and reducing the region’s reliance on the New Zealand Aluminium Smelter at Tiwai Point,” Megan ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has concluded a series of successful international meetings with Pacific region leaders in Papua New Guinea. Prime Minister Hipkins secured constructive bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, PNG Prime Minister James Marape, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and United States Secretary of ...
On Friday 19th May, Minister Tinetti facilitated a meeting between NZEI and PPTA with the Ministry of Education to discuss options for finding a way forward in the current stalled collective bargaining. The meeting was constructive, and the parties shared a willingness to work towards a solution. The following was ...
Eighty-nine households will soon benefit from secure, renewable, and more affordable energy as five community-level energy projects are about to get underway, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods announced today. Five solar projects – in Whangārei, Tauranga, Palmerston North and Christchurch – are the first to receive funding from the ...
By concerned citizens of the Pacific The signing of the memorandum of understanding between the University of the South Pacific’s vice-chancellor and president, Professor Pal Ahluwalia, and the Indian government’s National Centre for Coastal Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences, in March for the setting up of a Sustainable Coastal and ...
By Walter Zweifel, RNZ Pacific reporter The president of New Caledonia’s largest pro-independence party Daniel Goa will not be prosecuted for alleged calls for violence and sedition. Last month, a coalition of anti-independence parties had lodged a formal complaint with the Public Prosecutor over a speech given by Goa at ...
PNG Post-Courier Dismissed Member of Madang Bryan Kramer says the dismissal notice by Papua New Guinea’s Governor-General Sir Bob Dadae does not affect his appeal. “What I can confirm is that on the morning the notice was issued, I had filed my appeal before the National Court,” he said. “My ...
By Todagia Kelola in Port Moresby Papua New Guinea lawyer and businessman Paul Paraka has been found guilty of misappropriating K162 million (NZ$75 million) belonging to the state. Criminal track judge Justice Teresa Berrigan, in a comprehensive and detailed judgment in 114 pages, found him guilty on all five charges ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Tokelau’s largest atoll, Nukunonu, is now out of lockdown after experiencing its first community cases of covid-19. In a statement, the government said Fakaofo Atoll has had two cases at the border and Nukunonu now has six positive community cases — all within the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martin Drum, Lecturer Politics and International Relations, University of Notre Dame Australia One of the most dominant premiers in recent Australian political history, Mark McGowan, has resigned as Western Australian premier and the member for Rockingham. Put simply, McGowan has dominated WA ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jared Mondschein, Director of Research, US Studies Centre, University of Sydney Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP/AAP Congress appears to be on the cusp of passing legislation that would not only avoid an unprecedented US government default – and economic catastrophe – but ...
While some say the move will help preserve culture and heritage, others are concerned about what it could mean for the future of New Zealand's cities. ...
While some say the move will help preserve culture and heritage, others are concerned about what it could mean for the future of New Zealand's cities. ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says he has deliberately kept out of the investigation into the former minister, but the reviewer has asked for a couple more weeks. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Aaron Bunch/AAP Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has announced he is quitting as premier and leaving parliament. In a shock announcement, McGowan told a news conference in Perth on Monday he had ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. The topic of financial debt is one of the hardest for humans to get their heads around. The normal understanding of a debt is a sacrifice made by one party (the owner of the debt) in favour of another party (the ower) which will be remedied ...
The final ever episode of Succession will be hitting Neon at 7pm tonight, just a few hours after it’s finished airing in the US. Right now, Twitter is a Succession spoiler minefield. My feed is currently made up of news, clips of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour… and Succession spoilers. ...
The government’s announced an additional $11 million to extend the fog cannon subsidy scheme, which the police minister said has given shop workers peace of mind during a spate of retail crime. So far there have been 582 installations completed, said Ginny Andersen, with 1,664 applications approved. “The scheme has ...
Reports a Work and Income staffer brought “fake meth” to a “cultural diversity” morning tea add to the argument for an inquiry into the agency, said a Green Party MP. The Spinoff first reported today that a worker at the Hornby branch of Work and Income had taken bags labelled ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dee Ninis, Earthquake Geologist, Monash University Report locations from people who felt the Sunbury earthquake on May 28.Geoscience Australia Last night at 11:41pm local time, the greater Melbourne region was shaken by a magnitude 4.0 earthquake – as calculated by the ...
The prospect of your first marae stay can be daunting, but go in armed with Airena Ngarewa’s top tips and you’ll come out feeling like a pro. Noho marae are a fundamental part of many Māori haerenga, whether you are preparing for the stage, learning the reo or simply trying ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Fuller, Charles Perkins Centre Research Program Leader, University of Sydney Pexels/Andres Ayrton, CC BY When people decide it’s time to lose weight, they’re usually keen to see quick results. Maybe they have an event coming up or want relief ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Speck, Emerita Professor, Art History and Curatorship, University of Adelaide Milton Moon in his studio in Tarragindi, Queensland, 1966, photo: John McKay, Milton Moon archive Milton Moon (1926-2019) was not your regular potter. He was deeply imbued with Zen Buddhism ...
Joint media release from the Brewers Association of NZ and Brewers Guild of NZ The Government has just announced it will implement the second largest beer tax increase in 30 years. The annually adjusted alcohol excise rate has been confirmed to increase ...
What are you going to be watching this week? We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ+.The biggiesI Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (season three streaming on Netflix from May 30)When the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Shaw, Professor of Politics, Massey University Getty Images When the National Party’s transport spokesperson, Simeon Brown, questioned the logic of bilingual traffic signs, he seemed to echo his leader Christopher Luxon’s earlier misgivings about the now prevalent use of ...
If you’ve been paying even a loose attention to politics over the past few weeks, you’ll almost certainly have come across two competing attack lines. One, the “coalition of chaos”. That’s the line National’s been rolling out to reference a prospective Labour, Green and Te Pāti Māori coalition. Then there’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mehmet Ozalp, Associate Professor in Islamic Studies, Director of The Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation and Executive Member of Public and Contextual Theology, Charles Sturt University Ali Unal/AP Recep Tayyib Erdogan will remain president of Turkey for another five ...
An increase in the number of police pursuits will inevitably mean an increase in the number of serious injuries and deaths, says the car review website dogandlemon.com . Dogandlemon.com editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety campaigner, ...
There are myriad reasons why an increasing number of us are opting for dairy alternatives in our coffee orders – and that comes with a hefty fee. It’s such standard practice that most of us, in our daily caffeine-hungry haze, probably take it for granted. If you’re lactose intolerant, trying ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacquie Rand, Emeritus Professor of Companion Animal Health, The University of Queensland Shutterstock Stray cats are a longstanding problem in Australian towns and cities. Common complaints about roaming cats include nuisance (fighting and urinating), disease risks to humans and other ...
Big news for Taskheads dropped over the weekend as TVNZ unveiled the cast for the upcoming fourth season of Taskmaster NZ. Dai Henwood, Karen O’Leary, Melanie Bracewell, Ray O’Leary and Bubbah are the lucky five who will be tackling whatever is thrown at them by Jeremy Wells and Paul Williams. ...
Community Governance Aotearoa is set to launch our first ‘I Love Community Governance’ Nationwide Online Event on Friday 16 June, 2023. This free online event is designed to be interactive, engaging, and connect attendees to the many organisations and ...
The New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association is warning that the Government’s winter preparedness plan is a continuation of its ambulance at the bottom of the cliff approach to healthcare Chiropractor and NZCA spokesperson Dr Jenna Duehr says: ...
In an exciting new regular series, we’re going to look deeper at the local research innovations bringing us closer to the big, weird and buzzy future of business.Are widely accessible large language models going to cause a collective atrophy in the broader population’s writing ability, or serve as an ...
In an exciting new regular series, we’re going to look deeper at the local research innovations bringing us closer to the big, weird and buzzy future of business.Are widely accessible large language models going to cause a collective atrophy in the broader population’s writing ability, or serve as an ...
Watching whatever was on TV used to be fun. Why is it so bad now?According to the great Aotearoa oracles, Flight of the Conchords, Wednesday night is the night to make love. By their own teachings: Wednesday night is the night that we make love. Cos everything is just ...
Watching whatever was on TV used to be fun. Why is it so bad now?According to the great Aotearoa oracles, Flight of the Conchords, Wednesday night is the night to make love. By their own teachings: Wednesday night is the night that we make love. Cos everything is just ...
National says its new policy would require councils to zone enough new land for 30 years of demand, but an AUT professor says a stronger commitment to improve infrastructure is needed first. ...
NZME’s wild live shopping show is the perfect vehicle for New Zealand’s chattiest man, writes Alex Casey. Mike Puru is proudly presenting a royal blue jug emblazoned with lemons and peaches. “Keri Blue: it is pre-loved but I think it is straight out of the box, in all honesty,” he ...
Andrea Vance had an in-depth profile of Wellington mayor Tory Whanau on the paywalled Post (and a write-off on the free-to-read Stuff) that looks at her rise to the top job, and how she’s doing six months in. “She has delivered on a promise to unite council – public spats are largely a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Falconer, Lecturer, T.C. Beirne School of Law, The University of Queensland Australia’s housing crisis is no secret. What many people don’t realise is that there’s another, less visible housing crisis. Australia’s urban cemeteries are running out of space to house the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University Shutterstock As Australia heads towards the fourth winter of the pandemic, we have once again started seeing an increase in the level of COVID circulating. With this comes an increased risk of infection ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pascal Scherrer, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Business, Law and Art, Southern Cross University Chanchai Phetdikhai, Shutterstock This week in Paris, negotiators from around the world are convening for a United Nations meeting. They will tackle a thorny problem: finding a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard F. Heller, Emeritus Professor, University of Newcastle Sam Lion/PexelsThis article is part of our series on big ideas for the Universities Accord. The federal government is calling for ideas to “reshape and reimagine higher education, and set it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kerrie Sadiq, Professor of Taxation, QUT Business School, and ARC Future Fellow, Queensland University of Technology Shutterstock Australia’s federal government has a plan to discourage companies from shifting profits to tax havens. The idea is to impose a “global minimum ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Pryke, Honorary Research Associate, University of Sydney 13th century painting of mermaids from a house in Barcelona. Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona Mermaids are multicultural mythical figures, reflecting the continuing human fascination with the sea in stories echoing thousands ...
The opposition’s housing spokesperson Chris Bishop has defended the decision to pull out of a cross-party policy agreement announced in 2021. National and Labour worked together on legislation that would make it easier for higher density housing to be constructed in main centres. Now, National has decided it wants out, ...
It was supposed to be Hipkins’ moment in the spotlight, but all anyone was talking about was a backtrack by Luxon, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A policy-light Labour conference ...
Power Play - Labour is ramping up its pitch to regain power, telling voters they "deserve to know the choices they have" in election year, Jane Patterson writes. ...
A tax bill introduced alongside the budget commits the government to global rules aimed at stopping the likes of Meta and Google NZ sending their profits offshore. Terry Baucher explains the story so far. Tax is full of acronyms; PAYE, GST, FBT… and BEPS. If you’re not familiar with BEPS, ...
A photo leaked to The Spinoff shows ziplock bags labelled ‘methamphetamine’ were brought to the morning tea, allegedly as a comment on the culture of Work and Income clients. Stewart Sowman-Lund reports.A staff member at a Canterbury Work and Income branch brought a bag of fake methamphetamine to a ...
A major social housing conference this week heard that all parts of the system need a long term vision and goals, but that the crisis has been decades in the making and won’t be turned around quickly. After the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church was destroyed in the February 2011 Christchurch ...
In this edited extract from The China Tightrope, a new book on the New Zealand-China relationship out this week, Newsroom's own Sam Sachdeva writes about the prospects of a war involving the Asian superpower - and what that would mean for Aotearoa As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stretched into its sixth ...
In a letter to the Government late last year, New Zealand's only aluminium smelter said it believed it could operate for another 15 years beyond its current 2024 closure date. ...
One of NZ's top water polo players, Bernadette Doyle's childhood enthusiasm hasn't waned, helping her team to the World Cup super final. If any Auckland water polo teams were short on players, they only had to look to the side of the pool. Bernadette Doyle would be there, ready ...
A climate researcher on the future of coastal housing (there is no future) I was once interviewed for television while standing on the beach not far from my home. At one point, the interviewer said to me, "So, by the end of this century, all these houses we see along ...
Shining a light on the degree to which southern councils exclude the public from their deliberations shows some are much shyer than others Southland’s straight-shooting ratepayers probably don’t love all the decisions their district council makes but at least they know about them. Newsroom asked nine councils in the lower ...
There are few “grown-up” moments between National and Labour in recent political history other than the 2021 bipartisan housing accord. But as political editor Jo Moir writes, it only took a whiff of a tightly contested election to unravel it.Comment: Political parties love nothing more than to rain on ...
Wallabies might look cute and cuddly, but they're a serious pest in New Zealand – and they're advancing towards Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. Ripping up farms and edging closer to one of our pristine national parks – wallabies have been here for well over 100 years, but there's concern they've become ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Voice to Parliament is supported by nearly 90% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and provides an opportunity for an intergenerational solution to Indigenous problems, Anthony Albanese will say in a Monday address. ...
By Joeli Bili in Suva A partnership forged between the Indian government and the University of the South Pacific (USP) will see the establishment of a new Fiji-based centre for climate change, coastal and ocean management in the region. The Sustainable Coastal and Ocean Research Institute (SCORI) at USP’s Suva ...
“New Zealanders watching for Labour’s vision for a wealthier, safer, more united country this weekend saw a political party enter a contest of ideas completely unarmed,” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “Labour’s first two policy announcements of this ...
28 May 2023 E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā iwi, e rau rangatira ma. Tena koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa. Mālō e lelei Kia Orana Talofa Lava Fakaalofa lahi atu, Mālō Ni Ni sa bula. Namaste As-salamu alaykum Ni hao … or as we say ...
Labour will back employers and guarantee a pipeline of skilled tradespeople by making the successful Apprenticeship Boost scheme a permanent feature of New Zealand’s tertiary education system, Labour leader Chris Hipkins has committed today. The programme ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters Public Meeting Marlborough Events Centre Blenheim 1.00pm 28 May 2023 Good afternoon and thank you for taking the time to be here. Blenheim is at the heart of the Marlborough region and an important contributor to New Zealand’s ...
simon's just making shit up now!
https://i.stuff.co.nz/stuff-nation/121209651/coronavirus-police-refute-simon-bridges—no-gang-members-at-maket-checkpoint
That's the trouble with a silly dog that will chase anything looking like a car….
Some are so silly they even chase parked cars…with a predictable results..
Woof Woof Simon – Bravo, sic em boy!
The local ranking police officer did not appreciate being told by Bridges that the police did not seem to be interested.
A very confusing news report.
Versions of events vary widely. Gang members or two polite women? Gang members or no members on the roster and no patches worn. Road blocks or community staffed information points with official approval?
Staffers informing MPs. Police performing own lengthy interview with alleged complainant.
Reporter reporting upon incident/s.
Who's right?
Burning irony, just saw a photo of a MAGA anti-lockdown placard "My body! My decision!".
Yup, the lady really did go there.
Ha! I actually saw a man with the sign, I also read a good article on Vox and basically saying these people really are a minority.
What about the medical workers who might need to treat the person for high level care.
To be complacent of a virus which can cause nasty blood clots which can lead to an amputation or respiratory failure or a stroke.
So much is not yet known.
Brilliant!
The Herald is clinging to Key like a comfort blanket. This time a drooling piece about how he wants to play golf with Trump!
Don't be too quick to dismiss the idea. If it could be structured to align Key's interests with the country's, it could be a good use of his talents. Key's history suggests he's pretty good at sucking up to those he wants something from, and we know the Lard of the Links enjoys a good tongue-bathing of his nether regions.
Andre, I have to say it: you are always refreshingly scathing and inventive with your language when on the topic of Trump. Thanks.
Right about Shonky too.
DT: It would be a beautiful thing, maybe the best game of golf ever. And great for the economy- everybody is saying it would be great for the economy. It would be a powerful game of golf, very strong. And powerful – that's the way we thinking at the moment. We'll see what happens.
JK: Ekshully thet's true.
And get into good shape to.
Key probably wants a job with Trump. Key left politics when he knew being the PM was over and Peters would favour a Labour coalition. Now that there are hard times with Air NZ Key will run again.
Trump is unlikely to be re elected.
Key left politics when his wife demanded it, so it was rumoured.
He never recovered after his ponytail antics in the Parnell cafe. That was his downfall.
He had plenty of reasons to go rumoured or not.
I reckon it was the chorus of boos at the Big Gay Out and the League at Eden Park
Key had a vision of his future and he didn't like it one bit…better to retire undefeated (keeping his popular veneer) and exit before more became aware of his true nature
The rumours seem more persuasive.
And the rest of the rumour?
Relevant how?
"The Herald is clinging to Key like a comfort blanket"
There's a lot of psychic damage occurring on the right at the moment – they need some time out for self care. I could say 'be kind' – but I think we should follow the advice (can't remember from whom) that "when your enemy is drowning, throw him an anvil".
Yup, I’ve run out of Voodoo dolls.
Would Key tolerate Trump's habit of cheating? Not counting strokes. Not handing in card. Lying about his skills but then is Key squeaky clean on the golf course?
You misunderstand. At their level, it's not a game of skills. It's a dominance/supplicance game.
I wonder if they play for money and how much?
Saves him the effort of throwing the game to suck up.
Crikey, just tuning in for trumps 9,45am propaganda broadcast and apparently the net is down in California and some other states. Anyone know about it please?
Turns out that one of the network providers is having an outage over there.
Meanwhile, agent orange has wheeled out a spokesperson for the Dept Homeland Security Science and Tech. Which he cut funding to not so long ago. To tell the people that sunlight can help in the fight against the virus.
There you go USA, get naked and work outside, you'll be fine.
God help those poor people.
Never thought that Betsy DeVos would manage to destroy public education and dumb down the population so quickly. I guess there’s a
CrusherDestroyer lurking inside all of us.Too true, too true.
She sure is another terrible billionaire, dodgy betsy, her brother started Blackwater.
As a side issue see the low turnout expected back at school in NZ at level 3.
I am not sure about ECE but would expect a similar result.
I just called my friend who is an ECE teacher, she is currently in a work meeting, will let you know the outcome, am interested too.
I to know someone well who works in ECE.
In my younger days I did home based childcare for 5 years. Usually with 2-3 kids. This would work well at level 3. The pay was awful, but knowing children had stability was a good thing.
It will be interesting to know the difference between private ECE run daycare and ECE government run daycare.
As well if you have children at school or in daycare.
Xero founder Rod Drury says we should sell off the land in NZ to overseas investors who have $50 million each to give us. Then we can build houses and be rich. I admit I was sceptical of this plan, because rich people are bad, but then he reassured me by saying,
"What's the downside of having these people here? People instinctively say 'no that's bad' but do we have any examples of it actually being bad?"
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/prosper/121209460/international-property-investment-could-kickstart-construction-sector-drury
You cannot imagine what immediate enlightenment was like. Suddenly it all made sense. Universities everywhere were exposed as the fraudulent dosshouses they really are.
My mind swooped past a formative moment in our nation's history – The Great War. It truly was a great war, after all. Not just from a manufacturing perspective, but because it also gave Hitler his formative years. People say war is bad, but do we have any examples of it actually being bad? And Hitler, is he really that bad? Without Hitler we would not have the UN, and Helen Clark would be unemployed.
But spare a thought for what Hitler did for Jews in just ten short years, when Moses wasted 40 years in the desert with the Jews and didn't even think to invent anti-Semitism! These are the kind of opportunities our old way of thinking should avoid. Don't be a Moses!
No. You're right. There are downsides. But are there really? Displaced cows and sheep who'd otherwise just be standing around on farmland can swarm down out of the hills and find employment, perhaps working as passengers on public transport. Our rivers and waterways are saved! Even those pesky Greens couldn't object to that.
Suddenly I knew we had found our visionary for the post covid reality. So selfless was his sacrifice, so efficient his methods, that he didn't even use a Z for his own company's name. Quite rightly he assumed that Z is for zero, and that means no money. I was sad. But then I thought of all the words now free to choose another consonant, perhaps by taking a vote. Democracy in action!
Then it struck me. The single biggest thought I've ever had. We might think firing Rod Drury out of a canon, far out into the Tasman Sea, is a "bad" idea. But do we have any examples of it actually being bad?
Ah, I can see that you're exposing your inner Hosking again.
Is that wise? You might wind up a talk show host and go mindless from too much agonising about what to say today.
/sarc
Refugees add more value to NZ than overseas billionaires.
100%
Last thing we need is to give rich people even more power over the rest of us.
Thanks, I enjoyed that read. Wasn't bad – or was it?
Apparently ACT is polling at 5% or over as Nat voters run for cover. So National won’t need to cut them a deal in Epsom right? That poor cuckold Goldsmith can stand up straight and actually campaign to win for once. And we can put this shabby episode in our MMP history behind us.
If the national average is 5%, imagine what the Epsom support level would be?
I'd vote Seymour over Goldsmith it it was my electorate.
Despite being ACT Seymour has done some great things in parliament, and advocating for his electorate.
Where would the euthanasia debate be now without Seymour. He is far more effective than Goldsmith.
That 5% would be projected *party* vote, not for their single current MP renowned for his doorknocking and saying 'hi'.
Let’s face it that 5% is almost all Nat voters getting out before the shit really hits the fan.
The main point though is that if ACT can hit the threshold there’s no point National gifting them a seat, they’ll no longer get the extra vote in parliament for nothing.
Yes, a good point.
In the long game it would still be worthwhile for the Nats to keep ACT alive for when they pick up again. So that segment of wingnuts that think Nats aren't nutty enough for them and can kid themselves that ACT isn't really just a sockpuppet will still end adding adding to the Nats numbers in parliament.
That's my point. I think if National campaigned hard against Seymour, Seymour would still win. He's a better candidate than Goldsmith.
An interesting COVID read from a different angle:
My theory ,worked out while walking in the park, if I can smell their aftershave they could be infecting me. I stay upwind where ever possible.
Pat Baskett at Newsroom tells it like it is on industry resistance to getting to 100% renewable electricity generation.
Also points to the nonsense of requiring peak demand gas fired generators when renewable options are available if generators would get off their asses and put the different generation in.
Sure made me wonder if Tesla battery storage (apropos the South Australian solution) would be more useful as resilience than peak generation.
Otherwise it was pretty clear the main generators aren't going to act fast enough to get to the goal of 100% renewable generation by 2040.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/greenroom/2020/04/24/1141358/pat-baskett
The report itself is worth a read, as well as the article.
Tiwai Point is a major obstacle to generators getting off their asses and putting in new generation. Who in their right commercial mind wants to invest in new generation when there's the ever-present threat of the market getting flooded with cheap excess electricity at a year's notice?
For storage, New Zealand is blessed with an abundance of water and hilly country – ideal for pumped hydro storage. There's the Onslow-Manorburn depression in the South Island – if fully exploited it could store 1/3 of New Zealand's current annual electricity consumption. It would be surprising if there weren't at least a few suitable sites along the Waikato, even though I've been told most of the soild are unsuitable due to susceptibility to piping. No doubt there's lots of other potential sites in other North Island hill country.
edit: another major obstacle to generators getting off their asses is our market structure. It’s actually in the generators’ commercial interest to ride the line of major shortages as closely as possible, to increase the market price of what they sell. On top of the regular commercial incentive to not over-capitalise.
This government tends to kill new electricity generation dams. It's OK with those that are consented but unbuilt on the West Coast. Otherwise the era of such dams is gone.
At some point water storage for climate mitigation and water storage for electricity generation will find a sweet spot.
But not I fear with this government.
Thing is, pumped hydro doesn't necessarily require trashing an existing substantial waterway. See this one built basically on top of a hill.
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-aerial-view-upper-reservoir-of-the-rnkhausen-pumped-storage-hydroelectric-72731151.html
To be sure, it is usually more economic to just build a dam across an already existing water-carved valley, but that existing watercourse can be tiny. Especially if you're going for using a lot of head height and low flow for storing energy, rather than a lot of water volume at low head.
Any time one of the generators wants to put a proposal like that through our ridiculous system, I have teams that will build it for them.
Agree with your point about the market.
I have this nasty feeling we're about to find out how little this government is interested in structural change of about anything.
any good reason the government can't legislate to make this happen?
Only their commitment to neoliberalism.
Good being the operative word in my question 😉
Also points to the nonsense of requiring peak demand gas fired generators when renewable options are available if generators would get off their asses and put the different generation in.
It's even more of a nonsense when you consider that methane leakage from natural gas networks can easily cancel out the AGW gains made by the renewables. I don't have the linky to hand, but I've read at least two solid studies that have done the numbers on this.
Renewables are a very welcome transition technology, we need them and should exploit them to the optimum extent possible … but they come with their own set of limitations we should be aware of.
Roger Waters doing the right thing again.
https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/04/roger-waters-joe-biden/
Lol. I thought it was going to be, "Roger Waters calls for Democrats to put differences aside".
Why should the left wing support liberals who have stuffed their lives for the last 40 years? trump is scum, but I'm not seeing biden being a much better type of scum. What with the sexual assault allegations, voting, and civil rights record.
Presumably yourself and Waters are okay with the multi-generational harm that will undoubtedly ensue should repugs get the opportunity to continue packing courts with conservative/religious extremists.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined a conference call with conservative pastors hosted by the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins last Thursday. Pompeo told the pastors that he has two big projects: the high-level international conferences he has hosted to promote religious liberty around the world, and the Commission on Unalienable Rights.
The Commission on Unalienable Rights has generated alarm among human rights advocates and excitement among anti-LGBTQ religious-right groups that opposed the Obama administration’s promotion of LGBTQ human rights globally. In the past, the commission’s chair, conservative Harvard University law professor Mary Ann Glendon, has dismissed those concerns without allaying them.
Pompeo’s remarks on the FRC pastors call strongly suggest that he hopes the commission will do exactly what human rights advocates fear, which is to seek to limit what some conservatives call “human rights inflation,” especially the recognition of the rights of LGBTQ people
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/mike-pompeo-says-unalienable-rights-commission-will-return-human-rights-policy-to-judeo-christian-tradition-on-which-this-country-was-founded/
"Leave no vacancy behind".
McTurtle is working damn hard to ensure all empty slots are filled, and is trying to persuade all the older conservative judges to resign so thay can be replaced by young ones while he still can.
https://www.salon.com/2020/04/22/mcconnell-rushes-to-confirm-judicial-nominees-as-trump-flounders-in-polls-leave-no-vacancy-behind/
Poor presumption, Joe90. Waters is furious that they have chosen Biden because he sees him as sure to lose to Trump, and thereby empower the repugs to do exactly all that, and worse.
The time for that message ended a month ago. The voters have made their choice clear. Now it's time to move on to defeating the Marmalade Moron.
Continuing to throw whiny tantrums just helps the chances of Darth Hater continuing his covfiefdom in the Oval Office. But maybe that is indeed the intent.
Continuing to throw whiny tantrums just …
Given this is NZ, I don't suppose it really matters if the 'winning strategy' is to piss off people who might otherwise vote for the dead head over the fuck head…
Ever considered applying that idea to your own contributions to the discourse?
You have any ready examples of me vote shaming individuals there Andre?
"Vote shaming" is just one way to "piss off people", Bill.
Waters' presumes to know better than the people who selected Biden.
Nice.
/
The people who selected Biden are the same people whose failings are responsible for Trump.
If the primaries had been a neutral arena voters entered into, then Biden would not have been the nominee.
The DNC, corporate media and donors have been successful in preserving a political establishment that's divorced from the lives of workers and pushes policies that have scant regard for voters.
You reckon Roger Waters is somehow at fault to be pointing out some obvious home truths?
The Supreme Court nominations, serious as they are, can be nullified by any Democratic President increasing the number of judges that sit on the Supreme Court btw. So potential damage, yes. Inter-generational…not so much.
And it's not as if working class people aren't already struggling beneath multiple layers of inter-generational trauma. So, not to diminish the effects of some court appointments, but what's another boulder on top of the existent heap?
They are stacking way more courts than just the supreme one, and with quite young judges. Locked in for decades.
You mean like the nominations Chuck Schumer (Dem Senate leader) helped fast track?
There was no way that the Democrats in Senate could have stopped those appointments – even if they had filibustered for the 30 hours available.This was just prior to the mid-term elections and every good reason for Democratic senators to be back in the states supporting candidates and canvasing their electorate. The only way to stop this relentless attack on the court system by a ideologically driven conservative right wing establishment is to regain a majority in the Senate, and to do that the Democrats needed to preserve the seats they held. McTurtle is a clever and calculating politician and he runs the timing everything that the Senate considers. Many progressive Bills passed by the House just sit mouldering on the floor of the Senate and will never see the light of day.
In the end the fast tracking of these few judges (193 federal judges have been sworn in, in the 3 years of this "administration") was a calculated move by the Dems to ensure that in the future, such massive attacks on the US justice system will not be possible.
That may be a bit too nuanced for some, because all Dems are bad anyway therefore QED.
"a calculated move by the Dems to ensure that in the future, such massive attacks on the US justice system will not be possible."
Way too subtle for me.
Yeah it probably is. Most here have no real idea of how the system works over there. They seem to think that all the power rests in the President. But it way more subtle than that. The 3 Arms of government are the executive,the legislature and the judicial system. The GOP by stacking the judiciary with highly Conservative judges are attempting to subvert any progressive moves by future governments through legal action. You may recall how much of Trumps initial programme wrt immigration were stymied in the courts and never progressed.
If the courts are filled with Conservative judges future attempts at socially progressive legislation will be effectively stymied for decades. The only way to stop this from happening is for the left to take back control of the Senate. That is why just before election day 2018 the Democrats agreed to fast track those 15 judges in order to ensure that they were available in their states for electioneering and ensure the blue wave that did eventuate.
But they lost.
Who lost? Dems caned the Congress and gained a few in the senate seats that were up for grabs.
Uhh, McFlock, they Dems won big in the House*, but had a net loss of two in the Senate. They gained Arizona and Nevada, but lost North Dakota, Missouri, Indiana, and Florida.
To be fair, Florida was the only loss the Dems should have even have been competitive in. The others were only Dem because 2012 was an exceptionally good year, and the Repugs put up gargoyles like Todd "legitimate rape" Akin in those other seats. But overall, it was still very good for Senate Dems, winning 22 of the 33 seats.
*Congress strictly speaking refers to both the House of Representatives and the Senate put together as the legislative branch. Yes, House Reps are commonly referred to as Congressman or Congresswoman, while Senators aren't. But using Congress to refer to just the House rarks up my inner pedant every time. Sorry.
Yeah its pretty obvious what is politically toxic to most folks, apart from the lefty "elite" and their hangers on of course.
The latest round of opinion polling data suggests you don't really have a clue what constitutes politically toxic, or any idea of what folks are thinking, Ainsley.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/
People don't like being told their lives are worthless. Consequently Biden is ahead with the elderly. I doubt younger people are all that keen on dying either.
A string of recent polls shows troubling signs for President Trump with older voters, a group central to his reelection effort that appears to be drifting away from him amid a pandemic that has been especially deadly for senior citizens.
[…]
While it’s unclear if Biden’s polling strength with older voters will carry over into November, the shifts are enough to reshape the dynamics of a close race that has already been upended by a viral pandemic that has killed more than 47,000 Americans.
“We know that Americans over the age of 50 make up the majority of voters — and as a result, they’re a deciding factor in our elections,” Nancy LeaMond, AARP executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer, said in an interview. “They aren’t a monolith as a voting bloc, but one thing is clear: They do plan to vote.”
LeaMond said that while older voters were responsible for Trump’s narrow electoral college victory in 2016, their support shifted to Democrats in 2018, helping propel Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to become speaker of the House of Representatives.
http://archive.li/VTCyt
Then there's the inconvenient problem that in the swing states the people dying are demographically more likely to have voted for the Covfefuhrer.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/23/how-coronavirus-could-upend-2020-battlegrounds-204708
We need to bring back the League of Militant Atheists.
A few armed athiests trashing churches will make the god-bothers think about stripping people of their human rights, which is soooo what they want to do.
Roger isn't voting in the US Presidential election is he?
What party does he support in the UK?
"Joe Biden is a 'fucking slimeball' who can't beat Trump"
Joe Biden has to beat Trump. Biden's a horrible candidate – dull, uninspiring, with a terrible record and a rich target for attack ads. But he has to beat Trump, and it looks like the only way that happens is if Trump's mismanagement of the C-19 crisis is so terrible that people turn on him. Polls indicate it may be happening. This has opened up a whole new landscape of moral hazard for the left. Put crudely – how many deaths are you wishing for in order to beat Trump? This is a disgusting calculus – and you can blame the DNC for it, because they deemed just about the worst possible candidate to be the most electable, and enough of the voters fell in line.
"I'm so flabbergasted and gobsmacked by the way the Democratic National Committee has railroaded Bernie"
Oh come on – Waters sounds like an idiot if his understanding of power is so naive. They were never, never going to let Sanders anywhere near the nomination – he is a material threat to their existing wealth and income streams. Add to that the mistakes of the Sanders campaign itself and it was always very unlikely.
It's all the DNC, huh? The 49% of South Carolina Dem primary voters that chose Biden have no agency of their own? Nor do any of the other subsequent primary voters that coalesced around Biden to give him substantial majorities and pluralities?
edit: To me it really looks like the DNC bent over backwards to avoid doing anything that could be perceived as handicapping Bernie. Especially considering that Bernie pointedly rejects being a Democrat. Except when he runs.
Having 'agency' is not the same as being immune to external influence. Communicating a clear message from Obama on downwards that it must be Biden, constitutes influence. With influence comes culpability (at least partially).
Bugger, ran out of edit time for what I wanted to add. Which that Bernie pointedly rejects being a part of the Democratic party. Except when he wants to do an Alien facehugger/chestburster on it in service of presidential ambitions.
Around 50% of African American Dem voters in S. Carolina said they made a last minute decision to vote Biden in light of James Clyburn's endorsement.
There was also a very interesting interview with a black professor on The Hill a while back exploring the purportedly fairly unique and prevalent mind set of African American voters in states such as South Carolina. Essentially, the argument goes that white politics and white politicians have let down African Americans so often over so many generations, that many in those states approach any political promise of improvement from a 'white quarter' with such deep cynicism that they're inclined to vote instead for 'honest' white candidates who promise nothing.
America's Pest and Blightest is not a doctor, y'know, but he has a very good you-know-what. So he knows ways, lots of ways, that can cure virus. That nobody else has ever thought of. It's amazing. We could put a yuge beautiful burst of heat and light inside of people to kill the virus. Because heat and light kills viruses, you just have to get it where the virus is.
https://www.vox.com/2020/4/23/21233628/trump-disinfectant-injections-sunlight-coronavirus-briefing
The difference between Trump and Cuomo is, Trump is one step behind the virus and Cuomo is trying to be one step ahead of the virus.
On a serious note, have you caught up with reading about people presenting with reduced oxygen as much as 50%?
I tend to read a bit on medical matters compared to other topics. What I am reading about Covid-19, so much is unknown when it comes to what to do and not what to do in an ICU setting. When I read clinicians comments about how scarey the management of blood clots are and the usual treatment which is given I can see how up against the fight they are. Selfless and doing the best they can with the knowledge they have got.
Yeah, it's scary the things this virus is doing that we're slowly learning about.
I've reported this before here, but here's a repeat of what my nephew in France has observed with his case of COVID. He is currently still in recovery from COVID-19. His case would be called mild – ie like the worst case of flu most people ever experience, but he didn't get to the point of needing external breathing assistance (his mother's case is similar). He has noticed his normal reflex to draw breath has been significantly suppressed. This is shown most dramatically by exhaling as far as possible, then trying to not inhale again. Normally this gets very distressing very quickly. In his current COVID-recovering state, he is able to sit there completely calmly feeling no need to inhale, even while his measured CO2 levels are spiking and oxygen dropping. This is particularly concerning for stopping breathing while asleep, and he notes that simply dying while asleep appears to happening at an unusually high rate among COVID-recovering patients.
Then I recall seeing a report where pregnant women were turning up to hospital, not reporting COVID symptoms, but for other pregnancy related reasons. Then low oxygen reading would show up. Then they'd take an x-ray, and find significant signs of COVID in their lungs. Which would then by confirmed by a coronavirus test.
thanks, that's a really good description. I feel like the emerging reports this week of hypoxia, as well as the blood clot issues, are another Italy moment for us, this one is not so in our face but a big wake up call nonetheless. Can't shake the feeling that we're still at the early stages of this whole thing and that we've not go to grips with the bigger picture yet.
God almighty – when are some people in white coats going to turn up and take him away?
Maybe he'll ask for a beautiful big burst of light and heat inside him. To kill any germs there. And they give it to him. Along with a big injection of antiseptic like he asked for.
Someone sent me this. See Trumps suggestions about disinfectant. He maybe onto something with his UV claims as he spends a lot of time in sun beds and hasn't gotten sick.
Hell i've still got the giggles.
Don't try this at home now, yih hear.
Just waiting for the reports of the people that do try it at home. There might be some truly awesome idiot inventiveness coming up.
The hydroxychloroquine thing has already killed.
Although apparently diy/vet treatments are the only affordable option for many yanks, because their health system sucks that bad.
Iso Prop shooters at Don and Mel's.
https://twitter.com/sarahcpr/status/1253474772702429189
Be warned – cannot be unseen.
The MSD investigation of the wage subsidy. While the numbers are a little muddled it looks like some where over 50% of the investigations produced a repayment. That's huge. Note the really crooked claimants can just pay it back not face criminal proceedings. Other MSD nvestigations have never been that forgiving.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/121215598/coronavirus-more-than-16-million-in-wage-subsidy-to-be-refunded-after-government-audit
Pretty much equivalent to how WINZ audits their stuff…
Just wait for Bridges to get cracking on the government's "slack monitoring, giving money away hand-over-fist" incompetence.
The reality is, Simon, that the government needed to get that money out straight away. If they took a slow and overly careful approach to assessment there'd be an outcry of how long the process was taking, as well as how eligible businesses were missing out. This is precisely what happens with any tightly controlled targeted regime – eligible people miss out. Just look at our benefit system. The cases where there's been payments made in error are likely to have come from confusion over the criteria rather than employers setting out deliberately to defraud. Everything happened so quickly, and it needed to. Of course mistakes were going to be made.
Will Bridges touch this one – It's likely to be RW supporters who are taking far too much advantage? Yes there will some errors and mistakes and voluntary repayments before audit because of that but lets not let it all go as "a just errors" narrative. It was a high trust enviroment, meant to be a last resort and likely has been abused. We've had discussions already on the "how did they get a subsidy" and how the high end managers didn't do more than slap a wet bus ticket on their incomes.
Yes, perhaps. There'll be a mix of reasons and no doubt some fraud, just like with any system. But it's very easy to slip into thinking the majority of cases are where employers understood exactly what they were doing. I just don't think there are that many people across the board who think like that. But maybe there is – dunno. It was a massive undertaking that happened very quickly.
Whether Bridges goes on the offensive, who knows. He's probably got bigger things to think about right now, putting his foot in his mouth is probably one of them so maybe he won't. If he does he could still take a hard line against the fraudulent and/or a slack government but I think he'd be wrong on both accounts.
There will be people with forensic accountancy experience looking for work soon. The government were quick to act with this matter and hats off to them. Business owners exploiting the opportunity is nothing short of white collar looting in a crisis. I think the looters should be made to pay it back twofold and if they can't, sell up their assets. The recovery and relevant fines should more than pay for the investigations and prosecutions.
I wonder how many of those white collar looters might also be the types that have unexplained income tucked in the shadows? Might prompt a ring from an IRS team.
On the difficulties, limitations and accuracy of anti-body testing.
https://www.city-journal.org/understanding-covid-19-testing
You find better links than me on Covid-19 that I have been reading. I think I will just wait for you to post them.
Maybe I could supply a list and you could find the link.
Try PubMed.
Bastards.
Both Countdown and Foodstuffs supermarkets will be cutting the 10% bonus they’ve been paying workers throughout lockdown starting from the week after next.
I know plenty of people already attempt to buy from small retail outlets. But I take it there will be a more widespread effort to buy stuff from places other than supermarkets now?
Absolutely. Luckily we have a local organic shop open in competition.
The government has given the duopoly license to make bank all the way.
Time the Commerce Commission made these food barons prove their prices and their margins.
Why? They had no need to pay 10% extra but did . Things are mostly likely going to be a whole lot safer in a couple of weeks .
Make the minimum wage a living wage!
Sadly, as Deborah Russell astutely noted the other day, there's an issue with small businesses that would need to fixed first.
New from the Stones.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNNPNweSbp8&feature=youtu.be
I still prefer Nemesis Dub Systems
You're allowed to like more than one thing. I myself like several things.
Tried that once. Didn't like it.
At how many levels did you not like it?
Why is the Left-Green faction of the Greens seeking to roll Shaw, Genter, and Swarbrick?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/121235996/leftwing-green-faction-wants-to-axe-coleader-james-shaw-and-eugenie-sage-and-chle-swarbrick
Five months to go – keep your shit together team.
Don't need another 2017 meltdown.
Stuff, as usual, gets it wrong.
If they get rid of Shaw, Genter, and Swarbrick they won't have to worry about the ones ahead of those players not doing the right thing in government next time round, or in Parliament. No-one from the party will be in Parliament.
Sage not Genter. They have Genter at the same slot as the initial list.
Members are entitled to an opinion, that is democracy. As the article says they are a small group relative to the total number of members.
Goodness me, the "Green Left" are a bit of a larf, arn't they? About 100 fanatics getting their most electable MPs as much bad publicity as possible.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/121235996/leftwing-green-faction-wants-to-axe-coleader-james-shaw-and-eugenie-sage-and-chle-swarbrick
Only 5 months to keep it together Greens.
Stay on target, stay on target.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnP5iDKwuwk
Your concern is misplaced. From the article:
Only took one last time.
There's fewer fucking up the Nats right now.
No, it took a hostile media beat-up, as we are see again with this amplification of a marginal group within a democratic organisation.
I still support the actions of Turei, she did not deserve the pile-on for highlighting the failures of our welfare system.
The media are even more hostile to Bridges right now.
The media don't owe politicians anything, nor do they owe their party supporters anything.
The Greens will I suspect get through this unless they are terminally stupid.
The issues in 2017 were largely caucus issues from what I can tell, about how the different MPs were communicating with each other under the pressures of a tough election campaign, and then their unpreparedness for the fall out and MSM response. I totally expect them to have done a lot of work on that.
That is quite different from a member network publishing ideas internally on how to make the party more left wing. On the face of it their proposal seems daft, both as strategy for the party in election year assuming theoretically they could actually influence the list, but also in terms of ignoring how it might affect the party as a whole. But I suspect it's more in the context of how to get some kind of leftward movement by using this controversial approach rather than working within the more cooperative processes within the party (the latter may not have been effective).
If so, it's very trad left and not something I see as particularly useful for the party. Hard to tell how influential the group is. Journo is saying less than 100 people, Jack McDonald is saying it's a much bigger group and one of the most influential in the party.
The media may not owe politicians anything but they do owe their position in society to their supposed commitment to the journalistic concepts of truthful and contextual reporting. If their role is only produce profit then we are being badly served. As citizens we are owed an factual and informative media.
A communist purge from within the the Greens ! That would be a really interesting development & cat fight before the election. I look forward to it happening as post Covid-19 lockdown entertainment. Off to the gulag for the "Green" Greens while the Reds take control !!
Donald Trump, the Pope, the World's most renowned virologist and a little girl are the only ones still on a damaged plane that is rapidly losing height. There are 4 people and only 3 parachutes.
The virologist grabs a parachute, says "I have to do important work to save the world from COVID-19", and jumps out of the plane.
Donald Trump grabs one and says "I am the smartest man in America and must lead the nation through this crisis", and jumps out of the plane.
The Pope turns to the little girl and says "You take the last parachute, I am an old man who has lived his life, and you have yours ahead of you."
The little girl says "We can both take one your Holiness – the smartest man in America just jumped out of the plane wearing my Hello Kitty backpack."
In the USA they have Drs having to tell people to not ingest disinfectant, please!
Dr Brix, what a battle it is for her.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1253482576699969537
Yes, poor woman, the wellbeing of the USA on her mind and she is forced to walk through crowded supermarkets holding that spinning toddler's hand.
Apologies to Solomon Linda.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkU1ob_lHCw&feature=youtu.be
https://twitter.com/mneelzy/status/1250844274108686336
https://twitter.com/mneelzy/status/1253384693266788354
Irony is dead if it turns out nicotine does have a beneficial use.
Nicotine could protect people from contracting the coronavirus, according to new research in France, where further trials are planned to test whether the substance could be used to prevent or treat the deadly illness.
The findings come after researchers at a top Paris hospital examined 343 coronavirus patients along with 139 people infected with the illness with milder symptoms.
They found that a low number of them smoked, compared to smoking rates of around 35 percent in France's general population.
"Among these patients, only five percent were smokers," said Zahir Amoura, the study's co-author and a professor of internal medicine.
The research echoed similar findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine last month that suggested that 12.6 percent of 1,000 people infected in China were smokers. That was a much lower figure than the number of regular smokers in China's general population, about 26 precent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)
[…]
The theory is that nicotine could adhere to cell receptors, therefore blocking the virus from entering cells and spreading in the body, according to renown neurobiologist Jean-Pierre Changeux from France's Pasteur Institut who also co-authored the study.
The researchers are awaiting approval from health authorities in France to carry out further clinical trials.
They plan to use nicotine patches on health workers at the Pitie-Salpetriere hospital in Paris — where the initial research was conducted — to see if it protects them against contracting the virus.
They have also applied to use the patches on hospitalised patients to see whether it helps reduce symptoms and also on more serious intensive care patients, Amoura said.
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/coronavirus-drug-news-france-testing-if-nicotine-prevents-coronavirus-from-attaching-to-cells-2217313