You beat me to it.
As Chomsky said.
“Any dictator would admire the uniformity and obedience of the U.S. media.”
The Herald ..paid puppet and poodle of corporate interests.
“You can now convert New Zealand dollars into renminbi, if you are of such a mind to do so. So, life after politics, I might go back to the foreign exchange markets and smack around the renminbi. Maybe not.”
Well, thats always been on the cards hasn’t it. Probably not joking about that one. With a good effort from the the Left and the voting public his wish may be granted after 20th September.
phillip ure. You do know I was joking about the “phil n’ bad” show don’t you? You went and put on an evening show last night! I told you I was busy with Charlie Brooker!
bad12: glad you finally got that wind up toy you wanted as a child 🙂
Hi Phil and bad 12 …I always enjoy reading your comments( together or individually)…very entertaining and informative…feel blinded by your knowledge and eloquence too…so keep going as far as i am concerned ( keep the show going!)
btw Phil….there was a programme yesterday on Buddhism and drugs which you may be interested in…someone said drug addicts are often very sensitive intelligent people who use drugs to cope with the everyday rough reality of this world ….anyway I thought of you as i listened and just in case you didnt hear it
SUNDAY, 23 MARCH 2014
BUDDHIST RECOVERY NETWORK
NavachittaMany very successful addiction recovery programmes begin from a foundation in faith or spirituality. This can prove to be a barrier for non-believers. Justin explores an alternative option: recovering from addiction with help from the Buddha.
Navachitta is an ordained member of the Triratna Buddhist Community and leads the Buddhist Recovery Network at the Auckland Buddhist Centre.
Photo: Navachitta, courtesy of the Auckland Buddhist Centre.
Spiritual Outlook for 23 March 2014 ( 24′ 45″ )
17:06 In Spiritual Outlook this week; recovering from addiction with help from the Buddha.
Dr Andrew Wakefield does seem to have blotted his copybook though. On 24 May 2010 he was struck off the United Kingdom medical register.
That said, I would tend to err on the side of caution and ensure that any vaccinations to my children (should I produce any) be administered separately rather than as a combined injection.
@Naturesong…that is what he wanted …separate vaccinations…and an open hearing
…is it true for example that vaccinating companies were given indemnity from prosecution if there were side effects by the British government?…is it true that vaccinations that had been discontinued other countries ( Canada , Japan)because of side effects eg meningitis ….were used in Britain?…(and against the recommendations of the vaccinating company!)……is it true that they were then discontinued due to the same side effects in Britain and then shipped off to Brazil?….where there was subsequently an epidemic of meningitis?
struck off by the UK medical register?….this raises a lot of questions in my mind…why?…was pressure brought to bear by the British Govt?..eg. .it does not necessarily mean Dr Wakefield “blotted his copybook”…it may mean the UK medical establishment blotted their copy book!…..eg.we all know that the British govt under Tony Blair blotted its copybook over the reasons for the war in Iraq
Time will tell on this issue and the truth will out eventually with more REAL scientific knowledge about vaccination and the human immune system…and side effects and long term effects…In the meantime I am keeping an open mind and i am very suspicious of zealots who wish to close it on the likes of Andrew Wakefield.
Personally if I had my time again I would listen to my doctor and NOT get my kids vaccinated
I saw a doco on him – must have been around 2001-02 in the UK. It detailed his poor research practices – was exposed by his student assistant.
The doco also detailed his patent/trademark or some such for a single vaccine rather than the MMR triple as a reason for him discrediting the MMR vaccine. The man should be in prison rather than (at the time) making a fortune on the medical conference circuit in the US. A fraud and the very person who, for me, established the idea of that bad research practice and pharma fraud can exist (I should maybe thank him, but won’t – he’s caused way too much damage). Strange that some holistic healing people are followers. They have a false prophet and should read up about the fraudulent research. Getting hold of the doco that exposed him would be well worth their time, imo
…well according to him …if you have watched the utube above ….that is false that he wanted to set up his own vaccination company……he was discredited and framed by a journalist with no medical background…there were a number of lies put about by that journalist….certainly Wakefield is far better educated as a specialist in bowel problems than many of his so -called critics…and it would seem some of his colleagues were also highly trained.
….it is a topsy turvey old world , particularly where big business gets involved in health and there are billions to be made with a captive compliant recipient population
No not just “holist healing people” who have an open mind on the efficacy of all vaccinations……ordinary medical doctors as well….so not so strange after-all…
Wakefield is guilty of scientific fraud and falsifying the medical reports of children.
‘Aided and abetted by useful idiots in the media, by British newspapers and other media that sensationalized the story, and the antivaccine movement, which hailed Wakefield as a hero, Wakefield managed to drive MMR vaccination rates in the U.K. below the level of herd immunity, from 93% to 75% (and as low as 50% in some parts of London). As a result Wakefield has been frequently sarcastically “thanked” for his leadership role in bringing the measles back to the U.K. to the point where, fourteen years after measles had been declared under control in the U.K., it was in 2008 declared endemic again.”
Have i seen his rebuttal? Yes. Plus I’m not new to this story. , I first saw and read of it more than 10 years ago while living in the Uk. I remember the fear from parents and was there when the story of falsified research broke. Have you read/watched the original expose? If not, where is your open mind? Have you seen the invasive medical tests he put those kids through?
Sorry for being blunt but seriously you are doing the cause of questioning conventional medical practise a complete disservice by promoting this man. Do yourself a favour and find someone more credible. he was very much the establishment at the time and has been thoroughly discredited by great investigative journalism, not some government plot.
Yes NOW is the first time i have discovered Wakefield …believe it or not!…and as you are questioning my integrity….I wasnt actually hunting for Wakefield or anything on vaccinations…..rather how to help an elderly person cope with MRSA …this led me to Dr Mercola’s site where I saw the Wakefield interview
….and quite frankly I find Wakefield credible!….he doesn’t reinforce my opinion that ALL vaccines are “bad”, as you suggest ….but that an OPEN MIND mind must be kept on vaccines…especially side effects and long term effects…and especially as it is a multi-billion dollar business….and especially as pressure is being applied to all parents to vaccinate their children for the ‘good of herd immunity’
…once upon a time i would have thought the anti-vaccine “Crowd” were the ones with a bee- in- their- bonnet….but no longer !….Believe it or not my interest in this issue has been piqued by the attitudes of some people on this site …who I believe do not have an open mind at all…but who have a vested interest in the vaccination industry and are rather nasty when their beliefs are challenged…i dont like your insinuations!
hopefully people will watch this interview from beginning to end and make up their own minds where they stand based on the evidence…and particularly if they have children
That demonstration of your complete comprehension incompetence merely underlines the idiocy of anyone who takes their medical advice from you. Have fun..
“…..hopefully people will watch this interview from beginning to end and make up their own minds where they stand based on the evidence…and particularly if they have children..”
Hopefully people will also look at the credentials of the two persons in the video you link to.
If you want to talk about close-minded – then the former Dr Wakefield is just the ticket. He got research results that didn’t match his research question so created fraudulent results. Why? professional arrogance? unshakeable belief in his hypothesis? As he says, it was nothing to do with his tie up with class-action lawsuits or his alternative patent that he denies he wanted to make a pharma fortune from http://briandeer.com/mmr/lancet-summary.htm
Chooky, you find this man credible:
His research assistant didn’t find him credible and was so concerned he blew the whistle at the risk of his own research and medical career
A high court judge didn’t find Wakefield credible when he refused to allow him to gag the investigation
The Times didn’t find him credible when they reviewed and printed the investigation
Channel 4 didn’t find him credible when it aired the documentary exposing him
The Lancet didn’t find him credible, however much the editors wanted to, when it embarrassingly retracted his research articles
The Medical Council didn’t find him credible when it struck him off
His business partner didn’t find him credible when he renounced Wakefield’s work and withdrew from their shared business activities
Ben Goldacre didn’t when he used Wakefield’s research as a case in point for his chapter in his book ‘Bad Science’ detailing public health scares due to media reporting of bad research (Goldsmith is an equal opportunity critic – his 2012 book is Bad Pharma).
However you find him credible. This is beyond my ability to understand*
*and I do understand perfectly well that people can have their credibility ruined by the powers that be – Dr David Kelly the most obvious of among many, imo – Wakefield is not fit to be considered in the same space of injustice.
@Mirovax…read your links……and you find Brian Deer the ( non medically trained) journalist credible?!…two of your three links are are to Brian Deer’s home site !
….yes I do find Andrew Wakefield ( a bowel specialist…with 5+ 8 years medical training ) credible as does Dr Mercola ( whom I also find credible)…and I find what Wakefield has to say is very different from what he is accused of…i also know he is up against a multi- billion dollar business
….more importantly i dont find blanket vaccinations of whole populations for common childhood viruses credible ( nor do many others and not a few doctors)…especially when they are in combined jabs like MMR and especially when they often dont last long and especially when they give the little kid the very thing they are supposed to be protecting them from eg serious mumps after getting the MMR vaccination and bad whooping cough which went on for weeks if not months after getting the whooping cough vaccination ( but then again I am a mere parent, so i am probably “incompetent” and my observations fraudulent …or worse I am a liar like Dr. Wakefield)
….i also think it entirely credible that meningitis outbreaks have been a consequence of the mumps component of MMR vaccinations( there were no meningitis outbreaks when i was a kid nor any autism that i remember)…. and entirely credible that autism can be linked to gut problems which can cause neurological problems….if some medical specialists want to question the MMR /measles vaccine and investigate its side effects on the gut, based on the reports of parents then this is fine by me!
conclusion: think carefully about vaccinations and be very careful about the doctor you choose….but thankfully some are fantastic…i just wish i had listened to mine
I am absolutely not getting into a vaccination debate with you. As a mere parent I stand with the list of people who find Mr Wakefield’s assertions not credible.
Brian Deer’s links are used because he led the research!
Once again, especially if you have read up on the investigation, I simply do not understand how you can use this man as a credible face for asserting your view on vaccinations. As per my comments above – you’d be best to find someone else without the history. This is all I was attempting to communicate.
To quote you…
it is a topsy turvey old world , particularly where big business gets involved in health and there are billions to be made with a captive compliant recipient population
This applies to Mr Wakefield and his ‘research’ – in spades.
I really cant be bothered continuing with this discussion, because it would seem i am arguing with people who have made up their minds …also I am no expert ( as McFlock and Northshoredoctor have kindly pointed out)
…but it would seem that Dr Andrew Wakefield is not the only medical expert.. or for that matter legal expert or biochemistry expert with very serious concerns about the multi billion dollar vaccine industry in cahoots with governments which is injuring children ( that is an understatement)
…Wakefield is just one of many critics ! …so the attacks made on him to discredit him, unrelentingly, by you and others on this site are rather pointless imo….given the evidence in this recent film…..which is very very sobering
EVERY NEW PARENT SHOULD WATCH THIS!
‘Silent Epidemic- Untold Story of Vaccines” (October 2013)
…pretty damning nevertheless and choc full of experts ….from immunologists to lawyers to biochemists to medics to medical journalists ….and with reference to the media which is frequently into disinformation and cover up ….also reference to the editor of a prestigious New England (?) medical journal who has resigned because she says a medical research publishing which has integrity has become impossible (surely you are not suggesting all these experts are phoney?)
…how can you discount these experts!?….really !…..the word contempt is beginning to come to mind….
imo this scandal has the potential to disastrously bring down the credibility of the medical profession
“…how can you discount these experts!?….really !…..the word contempt is beginning to come to mind….”
Because they are proven frauds who prey on the frightened and uneducated with misleading, selective and on occasion downright fraudulent information.
“imo this scandal has the potential to disastrously bring down the credibility of the medical profession”
Well, in my opinion frauds such as those you repeatedly rely upon for your information are the ones who bring down the credibility of the medical and other associated professions through their disgraceful behaviour.
Chooky I’m pretty sure everyone who has read your comments on immunisation can see where you sympathies lie, however as you have commented you are by no means an expert in the area of medicine or immunisation. I would encourage everyone to approach the question of vaccination with an open mind and see where the bulk of the expert opinion lies.
Meanwhile the Auckland measles outbreak continues with those unvaccinated students at WBHS having to be excluded from school for another couple of weeks.
Government Minister has extra marital affair with lobbyist who works for business that has had easy regulatory ride from this administration. Key clearly doesn’t know as he’s kicked out Worth for similar. Hope he finds out before the press decide to out it.
I’d love to shout it to the Sky, Karol, but I haven’t got hard evidence and said Minister would simply deny it. I couldn’t care about the sex, it’s the sex with a lobbyist who is getting a free ride (pun intended) that feels , well it feels like justice isn’t being done.
Tigger, if you havn’t got ‘hard evidence’ but ‘know’ something is happening that has obviously lead to conflicts of interest then why don’t you do the logical thing and play sleuth, a good camera helps, to obtain the evidence,
Other than that what you say is to be tossed in the ‘not another one’ draw as bullshit…
There’s some funny logic happening here: the original comment is about a government minister having an affair. Tracey says “name him”. Tigger says that’s a sexist assumption, Tracey says “are you saying the two parties are women?”
This only makes sense if you assume Tracey thinks all business lobbyists are women.
Or, if “name him” referred to the lobbyist, Tracey thinks all government ministers are women. Or only men can have affairs, and always have affairs with women? I’m well confused.
Some info gleaned from the Herald online,(aka the National Party disinformation service), it appears that it is not only politicians of the left that have a close relationship with Kim DotCom,
National’s Tau Henare is said to have tweeted Dotcom Happy Birthday to one of DotCom’s kids, of equal if not more interest would seem to be the fact that Henare is also another National MP that has been given the ”see ya later’, (having been well rewarded for His waka jump to National from NZFirst’), from the Party as Slippery the Prime Minister attempts to fill Nationals Benches with a majority of ‘yesmen and women’,
Henare is said to be overseas and is taking a week off to consider His future, which just might be code for ‘considering whether to hump His carpet-bag over to the the DotCom camp…
As an afterthought, you can see how this might work for DotCom, IF Henare walked from National now and didn’t resign from the Parliament he could in theory become the first DotCom MP,
This may be revealing as to who else DotCom has talked too, any of them who consider themselves, as cannon fodder, to be likely to feature too low down on the Party list to get back into the Parliament in their current Parties could choose within the next six months to jump to the Cross Benches in the guise of a DotCom MP,
This would fit the hand into the glove if it looks like DotCom might be about to get deported befor the 2014 election IF he had the 4 or 5 MP’s willing to do ‘the jump’ anything could happen,
Pure conjecture of course, but, such conjecture fits the current information,(true or false),that is out in the public arena now…
greywarbler, IF my memory serves me correctly, and it doesn’t always do me such service,blame the occasional bout of concussion over the years, i believe the waka jumping Legislation had a sunset clause written into it which means that it has now expired,
Horan having been given the kick from NZFirst being an example…
Watching, now your stretching my knowledge, Horan definitely got the bums rush outta NZFirst by Winston Peters,(i have some interesting tit-bits to impart on this little fracas at a later date),
As far as the waka jumping Legislation goes i am pretty sure that it died after having a sunset clause installed at the time it became Law,
i will tho have a dig later and see if my recollection is correct, first tho, being an ancient old fart, in body functioning ability, not years, an afternoon siesta is called for as i got up early this morning and the blood sugar levels are to a certain extent kept balanced by plenty of sleep,(a passable excuse at the least don’t you think)…
Quite an interesting story that, remembers Alamein Kopu to us all,(pay attention Hone), the Alliance MP who jumped ship and gave Her support to National,
The point being that should Hone form this touted alliance with DotCom He is going to have to be pretty sure of the credentials of any DotCom candidates He takes into the Parliament or risk an Alamein Kopu types situation developing,
As i was hunting out this article i came across one from Farrar at His branch of the sewer which gave a hint that in early 2013 National were talking of reviving the waka jumping Legislation,
my nose is far too sensitive for me to subject it to anything as ugly as kiwiblog so i didn’t ‘click on’ the article for a read,
It did tho make me wonder, was there a Palace coup brewing in National in early 2013 that was put down befor it came to a head, perhaps it was just Slippery being in some way offended by Horan having got the boot from NZFirst,(perhaps He didn’t like the idea that Horan’s vote went to the Greens while Horan disappeared to presumably go surfing or commune with His constituents at the TAB, which might have given more than one National MP a glitter in the eye imagining the baubles He or She could wrench outta the PM’s hands with a quick bolt to the Cross Benches)…
Ugly is hungry kids with third world diseases. A few obscene phrases which aptly describe the foulness known as SSLands is poetry. I’m not surprised your foppish sensibilities can’t tell the difference.
Don’t disagree with you on your analysis of Henare, just saying, But, ‘desperate needs call for desperate deeds’ would be the impetus for both Henare and DotCom,
Remembering all the time that my comment we are addressing is simple speculation…
For those of you wanting to unseat Dunne this election, you may be interested in attending this talk hosted by Wellington Workers’ Educational Association:
“How Not To Be Dunne Over Again This Election!”
This Wednesday, 26th March at St John’s conference centre on the corner of Willis and Dixon streets, Wellington, 5.30 – 6.30pm. Speaker John Maynard.
This year is Dunne’s 30th anniversary of holding the seat of Ohariu. Given the damage he’s done with his one precious vote in these last two terms, it’s high time he went, don’t you think?!
And for those interested in the benefits of a UBI there is a talk on at the same time the following Wednesday by Perce Harpham “Reducing inequality via a Universal Basic Income”.
Dunne-deal and his roost. Some facts about him for others like me who have heard of this magnificent creature that rivals a peacock in his splendour. I looked up the various wikipedia entries describing Peter Dunne and his political doings.
The electorate has had boundary changes. Dunne held Ohariu as Labour MP 1984-1993 then stayed on when it became Onslow 1993-2008. In 1994 Dunne resigned from Labour and became an independent, then started the Future NZ Party. But in 1995 Dunne joined a group under the United NZ which joined National in coalition. In 1996 all other United candidates lost their seats and only Dunne remained in parliament. Then in 2002 Dunne’s United united with a new Future NZ. (Are you following all this, I’m trying to be clear.)
In the 2002 election (this from the United Future Wikipedia page): The uplift in United Future support during the last two weeks of the campaign caught many commentators by surprise and drew votes away from National, Labour and the Green parties, who were engaged in a public squabble over genetic engineering. (I notice the dismissive word “squabble” over the strong discussion on the important new science of genetic engineering.)
Dunne as United Future candidate unexpectedly drew many votes after a strong showing in a televised debate (did the worm turn) and got 6.9% party vote and agreed to support the Labour Party. This continued in 2005 which surprised some as, During the election campaign Dunne and National Party leader Don Brash publicly sat outside an Epsom café over a cup of tea as a demonstration to the electorate that Dunne could co-operate with National.
In the last two elections United has dropped sharply in its Party Vote and only Dunne has retained his seat. The columns show that for election year 2008 there were 51 electorate contenders and 30 on the list, dropping to 20 and 17 for the next. Their Party Vote has gone from 20,497 to 13,443 at 0.60%.
2008 51 / 30 1 20,497 0.87%
2011 20 / 17 1 13,443 0.60%
In 2011 Dunne only received 672 Party Votes in his own electorate but personally had a 5.97% rise to to 14,357. But Labour was close with Charles Chauvel at 12,965 a rise of 4.89%. Charles resigned in March 2013 to work in the U.N.)
National was up in the Party Vote to 49.60% and Greens had risen too to 14.42%.
The man is a chameleon or maybe a gecko which I believe have remarkable suction pads on their feet that enable them to resist the pull of gravity and walk effortlessly across ceilings.
Ohariu demographics – The new electorate contains the section of Wellington City between Crofton Downs and southern Tawa, including Ngaio, Khandallah, Johnsonville and Newlands. The rest of the electorate consists of Lower Hutt’s hill suburbs of Korokoro, Maungaraki and Normandale. Ōhariu is one of 11 electorate names to include a macron, for the first time.
Both Ohariu-Belmont and Ōhariu are young and wealthy; it has the largest number of 30-49 year-olds in the country, and the second highest number of families earning between $70,000 and $100,000 per year. 69% of its population is New Zealand European, 14% Asian and 8% Māori.[1]
And following on from that note on salaries in the Ohariu electorate, I’ll slip in some interesting data from the census that The Herald published about rises in income. A Herald analysis of the income figures show a 90 per cent rise in people earning between $70,001 and $100,000 – from 125,115 to 238,212 – and a 40 per cent increase in those bringing home between $50,000 and $70,000.
Of those earning more than $100,000 41 per cent live in Auckland, 19 per cent in Wellington and 12 per cent in Christchurch.
Women are a fifth more likely to have a degree than men, but women’s incomes lag behind men’s because women are still more likely to do more unpaid child-minding….
The number of women on six-figure salaries has doubled from 22,824 to 45,294 since the 2006 Census….
While the median wage – Men earn $36,500 and women $23,100, according to the median income figures, up from $31,500 and $19,100 respectively. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11166484
Lolz warbler, i like your analogy likening Dunne to a gecko, its so He can scurry effortlessly around the toilet bowl without getting His ‘hairdo’ wet…
The boundaries are however on the move and have yet to be confirmed. Ohariu will lose the Lower Hutt hill suburbs you mention and gain the wealthy city suburb of Wadestown.
The other thing, despite Ohariu “being young and wealthy” (probably more so in the suburbs of Ngaio and Khandallah) is that there is also a great deal of poverty in the Ohariu electorate. Dunne, who has said he won’t support Hone Harawira’s “feed the kids” bill has so far failed to acknowledge that we have had two new food charities set up business in the electorate. One is (from memory) Kiwi Community Assistance based in Tawa who distribute food parcels and donated clothing and blankets and sadly, a food bank has opened up in Newlands – not that far from his office.
You’re right. He is indeed a chameleon, changing his colours to blend in with the next wave to come along to personally advance his standing and security in the electorate. He has a following here of dull non thinking conservatives (sorry, lol, can’t back that up, just my obs) and manages to get a story about his little local efforts in the community newspaper most weeks.Its a cosy sleepy arrangement.
He only got in by 1392 votes last time, as you point out above. Those votes went to the Green candidate. I would suggest to those Green supporters (of which I have party voted previously) to take a deep breath, vote for the Labour candidate, Virginia Anderson and do it for the country! Yes!
We can do it! We need voters on board and we can end Dunne’s reign!
Not sure if you should take what happen in 2011 as applying to 2014, as:
Katrina Shanks chased the electorate vote quite hard as her days as a list MP were numbered. This pissed off the Nats & we know what happen next.
In 2011 the Nats were going to win by a landslide (so the polls said), the the Nats voters became sloppy in Ohariu & departed from the script. In 2014 every vote counts & Ohariu/Dunne will be crucial for a Nats win – so expect a significant movement of former Shanks votes back to Dunne.
In 2011 Labour had a high profile candidate in Chauvel, never heard of Anderson.
I assume that Wadestown pool of voters will be following the Dunne electorate & Nats List voting script. If they lived in Auckland I guess they would be Epsom voters.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Dunne margin is 2000plus on Sept 20th
” In 2014 every vote counts & Ohariu/Dunne will be crucial for a Nats win – so expect a significant movement of former Shanks votes back to Dunne.”
I absolutely agree Watching and I do expect that those who want a National coalition to retain power, to back Dunne. I’m also aware that we have lost our high profile Labour candidate. I also have made the same assumptions about the Wadestown voters but am hoping than in an alternative universe those hills are alive with the the cries of chardonnay socialists.
You are giving voice to my unspoken fears – I’d rather you didn’t!
In saying hat, that doesn’t mean that those of us who are determined to see Dunne out shouldn’t go F- ing hard out in the mean time. You may also be aware that Ohariu voted 67% NO in the asset sales referendum. I think that could be seen as an indication of how the electorate are feeling let down by Dunne – They shouldn’t have expected anything better but sometimes folks learn the hard way
A chance to repeat my favourite quote:
By three methods we may learn wisdom:
First, by reflection, which is noblest;
Second, by imitation, which is easiest;
and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
Confucius
(brainyquote)
Rosie good picture of what’s happening in your area. And yes it would be a good strategic move to move him on. The Greens would survive and it is no use sticking to rigid practices when there is greater need. I mean that normally I think support yur own Party, but when there is a chance to push the ejector seat button, it’s worth the entry price.
I believe that this sort of career politician good ole’ boy is very common in the USA in one of their houses at least. I think I am against career politicians but for some experience in life first, and then a limit on how many cycles one can serve for within 20 years say. Otherwise you end up with people who used to ride penny farthings to work.
Warbs, the image of Peter Dunne on a penny farthing whizzing down the Ngauranga Gorge, on his way to work came to mind. He does have the bow tie! Mind you, those Victorian gents had a different type of tie didn’t they? This one does:
Seriously though, I do think that given the importance of removing Dunne from his seat, that during campaign time Cunliffe should come to our electorate and do a speech, along side our new candidate. That would get people talking and voting would it not!?
Rosie
He looks like the sort of man we could do with. Firm of purpose, strikes a good pose, looks a straight shooter, good jawline, ready to take on the world and uncowed by the mighty beast beside him. Looks full of vim and vigour, whether that would be applied wisely I wouldn’t know – he looks too young to have achieved wisdom. But a change from someone, who sorry to say, is an old hack.
Hi Akldnut. I’m afraid I can’t answer your question.I think it’s just a regional event, put on by the local WEA. I see on the WEA website there is a Waitakere group so maybe you could ask them if they have anyone speaking soon on this topic:
Interesting Herald Editorial on this – basically the government went the extra mile to assure that they had given the process of reviewing the funding to people that aren’t part of the government – they went so far to ensure this, as to raise the question of it being done deliberately to ensure the PGF was silenced in a way that government couldn’t be blamed for it.
Try as the Opposition might to blame the Key Government, a careful trail of bureaucratic process has been laid, one that leads away from the Beehive.
Then this bit:
As that minister, Peter Dunne, said in reply to criticism from the Greens, Labour and the Public Service Association, the ministry “went beyond the requirements of best practice”. Which could well confirm the critics in their cynicism. They know and the electorate knows public servants can pick up on political winds, anticipate their masters’ prejudices and move to consider them. Not always to meet them, but to find a way for the political within the strict machinery of the state.
Newspaper Publishers’ Association editorial director Rick Neville, who chairs the Press Council’s executive committee, said most publishers felt the time had come to strengthen the Press Council’s authority, and to extend its coverage to handle complaints against digital media, including bloggers.
I was going to raise that. Are there any benefits to bloggers joining the Press Council? I know Cameron Slater will be wanting to get that veneer of legitimacy, but aside from an ego trip does it offer any protection or advantages?
What is the minimum bid? How does it work? And what does the winner do with the money – I suggest donate it to The Standard. It would still be fun to participate, pure sport with no personal profit resulting.
Somehow Laws and how he looks makes my mind flash to a Castles episode seen recently. A group make up and dress up as zombies and go out late at night hunting marks dressed weirdly. Looks fun for those who like that sort of thing. I feel that Laws would enjoy participating in some fashion.
Not necessarily, Phill could make a late charge from the back of the field by producing evidence in the way of a link that says Williams was all for Jones until a late mind change,
Yeah what the hell am i saying, as usual its looking like Phill’s full of it.
After examining 72 academic studies involving more than 600,000 participants, the study, funded by the (British Heart) foundation, found that saturated fat consumption was not associated with coronary disease risk. This assessment echoed a review in 2010 that concluded “there is no convincing evidence that saturated fat causes heart disease”.
The article winds up with some basic common sense.
The crucial phrase “avoid processed food” appears nowhere in government nutritional guidelines, yet this is the most concise way to sum up in practical terms what is wholesome and healthy to eat.
But hey…keep on with the marg and the prepacked, processed to hell gunk, (Still avoiding eggs?) and hunt down all those wee heart ticks and exclamations of low this and low that.
Thanks Bill. An excellent read.
Where is the apology from science and governments?
Maybe once they give up dissembling over what’s left of the crumbling low fat diet consensus, but only if we hold them to account.
Science and naïve government food faddism of the last 30 years hyped processed fats instead of the animal fats that sustained us for centuries. It’s been deadly and ruined the lives of millions with obesity. It gave sugar and excess carbs a free pass, and loaded our systems with awful processed fats that were also horrible to eat.
Another great example of why we should always follow our own instincts on eating and health care rather than official advice, where it takes 30 years and counting for irrefutable ‘evidence’ to arrive.
Also this, from the article:
‘In line with the contention that foods containing animal fats are harmful, we have also been instructed to restrict our intake of red meat. But crucial facts have been lost in this simplistic red-hazed debate. The weak epidemiological evidence that appears to implicate red meat does not separate well-reared, unprocessed meat from the factory farmed, heavily processed equivalent that contains a cocktail of chemical additives, preservatives and so on. Meanwhile, no government authority has bothered to tell us that lamb, beef and game from free-range, grass-fed animals is a top source of conjugated linoleic acid, the micronutrient that reduces our risk of cancer, obesity and diabetes.’
The Heart Association sells its ticks to food manufacturers, in the USA anyway. Moral hazard there. And the NZ Government gets sponsorship from food producers for its dietary brochures. So very objective – not.
Lolz, Interesting, but to be remembered most of us do not have access to free range unmolested by humans red meat,
Beef and sheep in this country are molested by the humans pumping stuff into them all at an early age, and, who hasn’t heard of water or something else? being pumped into meat by butchers and supermarkets to make the stuff last a bit longer in the chillers,
i have just hit the 3 month mark of a high fish,high veg,high fruit diet, no meat,(except the odd bacon and egg burger),at least halved the sugar intake and swapped to multi grain bread and brown rice, psychologically i feel good and my recovery time, in breathing, from physical exertion is far faster than previously,
Remember tho, you got tobacco use causes half of its users to die of cancers and heart disease from these very same people,
i do not recommend anyone start puffing on that particular weed, but, i would suggest that given enough time this alarmist mantra brought to you by the anti-smoking fanatics will be proven to be an absolute can of male bovine defecation….
Good to hear that the new food tricks are going well…………….did you ever find those tonzu vego sausages at new world Miramar or at the commonsense organic store in Kilbrinie? (They are 80 cents cheaper at the organic store than than at NW)
As to Bill’s comment, thats not surprising at all. I remember attending a seminar on “The cholesterol juggernaut” back in 2000 where the researcher discussed another cause of heart disease – tiny tears in the arteries caused by damage from homocysteine, an amino acid found in processed red meat. These little tears trap cholesterol which of course famously causes “blocks the arteries”. Without the tears, even the “bad” cholesterol can flow through. (This was almost 15 years ago and just my memory I’m going so don’t take it for gospel)
They talked about the additional effects of trans fatty acids found in margarine and refined cooking oils. They reckoned that Indian people had less heart disease when ghee, their traditional clarified butter was used in cooking compared to when it was replaced with cheaper mass produced refined vegetable oil. The English seminar presenter was definitely a fan of cooking with lard!
Personally, I enjoy using quite a bit of unrefined olive oil in my food prep and cooking but also like the odd bit of butter (in mashed potatoes!)
Yeah thanks Rosie, i found them in the Kilbirnie health food store, while for me there was nothing really wrong with them something in my wee pea brain didn’t quite take to them so i ended up feeding half the packet i did buy to the garden,
i can’t quite put my finger on why i didnt take to them, they tasted alright but in a way sort of tasted of nothing, anyway, i dropped that idea in favor of fish,(bugger the mercury),and things are going great on the dietary front,(down to 97 kilo),
The proof of the pudding as the saying goes, will be the results of the next Count Dracula test in mid April when i see how the numbers are for cholesterol and blood sugar,
Fonterror having cranked up the prices of both butter and cheese i have again banned them from my shopping trolley, the replacement for butter/cheese on my toast is now Guacamole which has plenty of veg oil in it to soften the toast a bit…
I’m a bit over them myself. I now use the vego saus for backup when theres nothing else and tend to use quite a bit of Zing brand tomato sauce.
Good on you for your efforts and getting results. I need to take a leaf out of your book!
There was something done about sports paying levies – I don’t know about now. And whether they get a reduced rate if they aren’t always turning up with head injuries.
Hooten loses plot again. Warner Brother law changes hurt local independent contractors. This according to Hooten is much better than Cunliffes forestry policy that helps contractors, forestry businesses and the whole country (wood framed homes).
Labour did movie deals, has Hooten forgotten. It wasn’t the dealing with a industry that was the problem, its National choosing winners under the deal. Its not correct to say changes in government policy doesn’t make some loses and some winners, its that the policy harm NZ and kiwis while giving foreign interest a sweet deal. We all know that after the Warner deal the production industies took a big hit, shedding staff, because the deal wasn’t about helping the industry, it was about Key desperate weakness in needing to get a Hobbit deal as Clark had. Its was all about how high Key could piss up the wall, as high as Clark.
What’s worse though is Hooten pre-empted the issue just as the program was coming to an end and so left the rather nasty taste, leaving both Williams and the presenter without a chance to introduce balance. Warner Brothers scored an own goal globally by harming unionists here and sending the message that Warner was anti-union worldwide, just so creepy Key could get another hit for term neo-liberal and smash employee and contractor bargain power.
I might as while give Hooton some more information since he is ‘so’ unoriginal r.e. Shane Jones/NZF.
How long is it before Winston Peters announces he will stand in the electorate seat of Whangarei?
Thanks for your kind offer of wanting me to stand for your new independent political party Mr Horan, however I can’t support party votes to your party that need to go to the Left, thanks all the same bud I’m honoured to be considered 🙂 http://nzindependent.org.nz/
*well (sorry not much of an editor)
Since Peters sister Lynette Stewart lost in a very close selection meeting yesterday to the tough as nails, street fighting justice lawyer Kelly Ellis, now allows Winnie an in to swipe this seat right under the Nats noses!
An item on a failed builder in The Weekend Press ‘Alarm as builder folds.’ Very young, only 29, builder from the Far North starts business in Christchurch where all the money and work is. Has problems argues with insurers doesn’t pay contractors houses don’t get built. Says he hasn’t got the money to finish. (One supplier said, he told my staff they could use his house in Bali anytime.)
Police have been asked to investigate NZ Premium Construction which has been put into liquidation by its shareholders Craig Johnson and wife Eva Johnson. They have come a cropper, though they tried to trade through. I think they probably bit off more than they could chew.
Another young ambitious cowboy builder, perhaps following in the footsteps of those others who built the leaky houses. He is following the same shonky operation.. Eight days before his liquidation, Johnson formed another company called NZ Premium Construction 2014. He was initial director and shareholder but has now resigned and replaced by Auckland accountant Fergus Cleaver. Then the company’s name was changed to Kwik Management a few days later.
This has got to stop. This being the ability to set up companies so easily. NZ is known apparently as being a know-nothing lot who will let you set up just about any legal entity, quick and easy. We cannot allow people to use our system to facilitate con men who aren’t interested in being reliable businesspeople to advance themselves at others expense!
Especially builders! Used car salesmen always had a favoured place in wry comedy, but should be replaced by builders, some of these slimy NZ builders take the cake, and your bread as well.
But its a National policy to make it easy for people to lose their shirts. Older investors, sandy silty foundations, mine inspections… ..the list of losers makes National core supporters feel like superheros, the call to power brigade, the Randian front line.
greywarbler, yeah i have touched on a similar but definitely related problem a number of times, last week it was one of National’s own MP’s that had been bit by the ability of someone in a dispute being able to escape payment of monies ordered by an adjudication because befor it got that far the company named had shifted everything into another company and such orders are not attached to the material owners/benefactors of the company befor the adjudicator,
We read a lot about this or that person having won an employment dispute and a company being ordered to cough up an amount of dollars as compensation, what we do not hear about is that a lot of these, usually small employers have other companies basically sitting as shells on the shelf,
As soon as these people get wind of an impending employment dispute they simply fold the company at the heart of the dispute doing a paper transfer of all assets into one of the entities they have ready sitting and waiting,and thus, avoid having to pay a cent to the offended against employee,
It’s a problem right across the adjudication/tribunals system which need be changed so that all orders are for the named company but also attache to the owner/material beneficiary of the company named…
bad12 That’s important. Didn’t know that. It has seemed to me that there are wormholes in National’s legal space. Everything they do needs to be surveilled for them.
Worms good in my garden, bad in politics and law.
greywarbler, Pike River springs to mind as to just how far up the food chain the current Laws allow avoidance of responsibility to occur,
it aint rocket science, company law should require the company to provide a name/names of the material owner or beneficiary of the company to whom all orders from an Adjudication/Tribunal should attach/apply,
If that means X company has to list 100,000 shareholders well then so be it, but, as the Law now stands, if i as a citizen have an order made against me by an Adjudicator/Tribunal and refuse to pay in the end the Court will simply order such monies taken from either my wages or benefit,
The same rule should be applied to the material owner/beneficiaries of any company where those given an order of compensation by a Adjudication/Tribunal process should be able to apply to the court to have that order enforced against those registered as the owner/material beneficiaries of a company,
In essence, the current Law as it stands simply allows/encourages those hiding behind a company name to pervert the course of justice and such people are knowingly and willfully doing so…
Naturesong some sports such as rugby soccer(football) netball pay ACC as part of their membership fees.
But skiers and outdoor pursuitists don’t.
Some outdoors persuits like skiing have a high and expensive injury rate.
you’re wrong tricledown. Sports clubs of any sort don’t pay levies. Sports injuries are funded out of the earners account, which comes out of your wages/salary of you are employed or the non-earners account (funded by the govt) if you’re not.
Yeah, rugby and skiing in particular get a very, very easy ride from ACC. Mind you so do accidents in the home. The ACC argument is that people who have those injuries are generally paying levies elsewhere, but there is very little incentive for most individuals to moderate risky behaviour. We could retain all the good things about a no fault system by spreading the fee burden to risky activities, i.e., a couple of bucks on a ski pass, a levy on sports clubs etc.
thee other thing should be to take non-residents out of the coverage. Most tourists who are visiting more than NZ would likely come here with travel insurance, but have an accident and claim on ACC instead of their insurance. Madness from a NZ fiscal point of view.
It does seem to have an exchange rate: offering the pain and injury that can be extracted from a pointy stick is generally exchanged for “all the money in the till”.
As opposed to one for whom paying a nominal insurance levy (or, for that matter, HP agreement, car loan, or traffic ticket) would make more of a difference? Is that what you meant by “incentive for most individuals to moderate risky behaviour”? And, for that matter, are “young males” what you meant by “most individuals”? Because they’re only a few hundred thousand out of 4 million.
Err, you seem to be implying that young males are so reckless and careless that the fear of pain, injury (even death, presumably) has no effect on their decision to engage in risky behaviour.
However you also seem to be implying that some sort of monetary incentive will have an effect on the same decision.
If ‘all is well’ in New Zealand, (as the Dominion Post editorial asserts 19/3/14,) why are there more than 150,000+ people looking for a job and another 350,000 people under-unemployed? If that isn’t a crisis, I don’t know what is. A dearth of employment opportunities here is making life permanently grim for hundreds of thousands of people.
Child poverty is rising, home ownership is decreasing quickly, because employment availability and security is being compromised by free trade agreements that remove jobs, investment, and the flow on effects of wealth circulation that instead heads offshore.
Add to that the latest attacks on collective bargaining which is guaranteed to lower wages and salaries and employment security even further and we’re heading into a third world scenario.
If you vote National, you truly need your head examined because the only people that are safe from their policies are multi- millionaires. Everybody else is extremely vulnerable.
I can’t access TS through normal process (Firefox). All I get is a “Hello World” in top left corner. I’m accessing it through Google and hitting “Politics”.
oh well our national role models have moved on from pissing on the pub carpet (Mills), car stomping in the UK (you know who it was) and partner bashing (various) to pilling out; there is no depression in Noo Zeeeeland. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11225346
I suspect that was some type of private medical insurance or physio payment scheme, or if you are a professional i.e., you then pay a levy on your wages. The only time a club has to pay ACC levies is as part of their payroll for staff, not for players.
Having an odd site issue: This a.m. was fine but all afternoon I am getting the ” Hello world” page when trying to access TS on my desktop via tethered phone.
Damn. I have been recently getting sliding ads on firefox, even though I use adblocker etc. I was mainly getting it on news sites over the last week or so.
Suddenly, I’m getting them on TS – just started in the last hour or so. They slide across the screen from the right and bottom simultaneously. To read anything I have to click on the 2 sliders separately.
Ok, found and fixed the problem with the fall over server. Option inside apache2 configuration file that got upgraded. I must have hit merge – something it did badly.
It seems that it is the Indian Ocean that was the end for MH370 flight. I wonder if there was a fire. In one of the articles that was mentioned, and does happen from overheated tyres, insufficiently inflated, or the lithium batteries said to be on board. If there is a fire then it is difficult to use an oxygen mask because it feeds it. There is a smoke mask that copes for some minutes. If the plane was set on auto pilot then it would fly on itself until it ran out of fuel.
Wikipedia has a simple graphic that shows the possible two corridors and if the plane was aiming for the large airport on Malaysia but couldn’t get down, then it could have just kept going on the Indian Ocean route. But then wouldn’t that have shown up on their radar at the airport. I don’t understand all the aspects to this.
Air traffic control radar is not primary radar. It works off a transponder signal from the aircraft.
More like ships AIS, than normal radar.
If the transponder signal disappears, because of a fire, power loss or deliberately switched off, then the aircraft goes “off the radar”. Controllers would have to switch to “primary radar” backups.
They had some trouble locating a plane that crashed in forest in, I seem to remember, Belgium, because they lost track of it when the transponder stopped working.
Power loss would be unusual as there is an auxiliary generator of some kind to keep power on essential systems, even if all the engines fail..
A possibility is that everyone on board was asphyxiated from a fire or cabin pressure loss.
I did consider they may have lost navigation systems as well as pother electronics and simply got lost. Extremely unlikely these days however.
It was the likely cause of many of the plane disappearances in the past. Like the so called “mysteries” of the Bermuda Triangle. The Erubus crash, primary cause, was a miss-programming of navigation co-ordinates.
Malaysian military radar (which is a primary radar, meaning the plane is tracked by reflection rather than by transponder interrogation response) has tracked the plane on a southwesterly course back across the Malay Peninsula into the Strait of Malacca….
When I saw that left turn with a direct heading, I instinctively knew he was heading for an airport. He was taking a direct route to Palau Langkawi, a 13,000-foot airstrip with an approach over water and no obstacles
For me, the loss of transponders and communications makes perfect sense in a fire. And there most likely was an electrical fire. In the case of a fire, the first response is to pull the main busses and restore circuits one by one until you have isolated the bad one. If they pulled the busses, the plane would go silent. It probably was a serious event and the flight crew was occupied with controlling the plane and trying to fight the fire. Aviate, navigate, and lastly, communicate is the mantra in such situations… (He also mentions the possibility of a tyre fire.)
Once going, a tire fire would produce horrific, incapacitating smoke. Yes, pilots have access to oxygen masks, but this is a no-no with fire. Most have access to a smoke hood with a filter, but this will last only a few minutes depending on the smoke level. (I used to carry one in my flight bag, and I still carry one in my briefcase when I fly.)
What I think happened is the flight crew was overcome by smoke and the plane continued on the heading, probably on George (autopilot), until it ran out of fuel or the fire destroyed the control surfaces and it crashed. You will find it along that route–looking elsewhere is pointless.
Stuff’s Political Editor Luke Malpass - A Fellow at New Zealand IniativeLast week I half-joked that Stuff / The Post’s Luke Malpass1 always sounded like he was auditioning for a job at the New Zealand Initiative.Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. For a limited time, subscriptions are 20% off. Thanks ...
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Do its Property Right Provisions Make Sense?Last week I pointed out that it is uninformed to argue that the New Zealand’s apparently poor economic performance can be traced only to poor regulations. Even were there evidence they had some impact, there are other factors. Of course, we should seek to ...
Richard Wagstaff It was incredibly jarring to hear the hubris from the Prime Minister during his recent state of the nation address. I had just spent close to a week working though the stories and thoughts shared with us by nearly 2000 working people as part of our annual Mood ...
Odd fact about the Broadcasting Standards Authority: for the last few years, they’ve only been upholding about 5% of complaints. Why? I think there’s a range of reasons. Generally responsible broadcasters. Dumb complaints. Complaints brought under the wrong standard. Greater adherence to broadcasters’ rights to freedom of expression in the ...
And I said, "Mama, mama, mama, why am I so alone"'Cause I can't go outside, I'm scared I might not make it homeWell I'm alive, I'm alive, but I'm sinking inIf there's anyone at home at your place, darlingWhy don't you invite me in?Don't try to feed me'Cause I've been ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ star is on the rise, having just added the Energy, Local Government and Revenue portfolios to his responsibilities - but there is nothing ambitious about the Government’s new climate targets. Photo: SuppliedLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
It may have been a short week but there’s been no shortage of things that caught our attention. Here is some of the most interesting. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt took a look at public transport ridership in 2024 On Thursday Connor asked some questions ...
The East Is Red: Journalists and commentators are referring to the sudden and disruptive arrival of DeepSeek as a second “Sputnik moment”. (Sputnik being the name given by the godless communists of the Soviet Union to the world’s first artificial satellite which, to the consternation and dismay of the Americans, ...
Hi,Back on inauguration day we launched a ridiculous RFK Jr. “brain worms” tee on the Webworm store, and I told you I’d be throwing my profits over to Mutual Aid LA and Rainbow Youth New Zealand. Just to show I am not full of shit, here are the receipts. I ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump over Gaza and Ukraine.Health expert and author David Galler ...
In an uncompromising paper Treasury has basically told the Government that its plan for a third medical school at Waikato University is a waste of money. Furthermore, the country cannot afford it. That advice was released this week by the Treasury under the Official Information Act. And it comes as ...
Back in November, He Pou a Rangi provided the government with formal advice on the domestic contribution to our next Paris target. Not what the target should be, but what we could realistically achieve, by domestic action alone, without resorting to offshore mitigation. Their answer was startling: depending on exactly ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guest David Patman and ...
I don't like to spend all my time complaining about our government, so let me complain about the media first.Senior journalistic Herald person Thomas Coughlan reported that Treasury replied yeah nah, wrong bro to Luxon's claim that our benighted little country has been in recession for three years.His excitement rose ...
Back in 2022, when the government was consulting internally about proactive release of cabinet papers, the SIS opposed it. The basis of their opposition was the "mosaic effect" - people being able to piece together individual pieces of innocuous public information in a way which supposedly harms "national security" (effectively: ...
With The Stroke Of A Pen:Populism, especially right-wing populism, invests all the power of an electoral/parliamentary majority in a single political leader because it no longer trusts the bona fides of the sprawling political class among whom power is traditionally dispersed. Populism eschews traditional politics, because, among populists, traditional politics ...
I’ve spent the last week writing a fairly substantial review of a recent book (“Australia’s Pandemic Exceptionalism: How we crushed the curve but lost the race”) by a couple of Australian academic economists on Australia’s pandemic policies and experiences. For all its limitations, there isn’t anything similar in New Zealand. ...
Mr Mojo Rising: Economic growth is possible, Christopher Luxon reassures us, but only under a government that is willing to get out of the way and let those with drive and ambition get on with it.ABOUT TWELVE KILOMETRES from the farm on the North Otago coast where I grew up stands ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. “That is completely ...
The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. “There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...
Jon Kroll and Aimee McCammon have been appointed to the New Zealand Film Commission Board, Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “I am delighted to appoint these two new board members who will bring a wealth of industry, governance, and commercial experience to the Film Commission. “Jon Kroll has been an ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has hailed a drop in the domestic component of inflation, saying it increases the prospect of mortgage rate reductions and a lower cost of living for Kiwi households. Stats NZ reported today that inflation was 2.2 per cent in the year to December, the second consecutive ...
Two new appointed members and one reappointed member of the Employment Relations Authority have been announced by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden today. “I’m pleased to announce the new appointed members Helen van Druten and Matthew Piper to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and welcome them to ...
A long time ago, Brian Turner wrote a poem in which, among the mountains, as he slept on a river flat … My speechless ancestors played like mice among my dreamsand he woke to the river running over my bed of stone. I have come to know that where a ...
Pacific Media Watch President Donald Trump has frozen billions of dollars around the world in aid projects, including more than $268 million allocated by Congress to support independent media and the free flow of information. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has denounced this decision, which has plunged NGOs, media outlets, and ...
Otago University professor of international relations Robert Patman says New Zealand should provide a robust response to Donald Trump's Gaza plan, and also "should stop tip-toeing" around Trump. ...
The new minister of transport has opened the door for public consultation on at least some of the speed limit changes the government said would be automatic. ...
Officially, they’re called ‘memecoins,’ but Kōura Wealth founder Rupert Carlyon says the crypto world has another name for them: ‘shitcoins’.In digital finance, that phrase is used for tokens that have no true value – in essence, a money-grab.A few days before his inauguration, US President Donald Trump launched his own ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. Guy Williams has made a whole show off the joke that he is a “volunteer” journalist. So getting publicly owned by David Seymour while trying to act as a journalist is a good and timely reminder not to underestimate the nuance and ...
Many of Sāmoa’s beloved dishes are the result of cultural collaboration, writes Madeleine Chapman. All photos by Jin FelletIf you ever find yourself at a barbecue in a Sāmoan home, there’s 99% chance that sapasui (chop suey) will be on the table. For the past century, sapasui has ...
The funnyman takes us through his life in television, including Jono and Ben mayhem, live Telethon flubs, and funnelling all those experiences into his new comedy Vince. There’s an inciting incident in Three’s new comedy Vince where morning television presenter Vince Walters (Jono Pryor) is visiting sick kids in hospital ...
People often claim they just want Waitangi Day to be a celebration. At Waitangi, away from the headlined political acrimony and the marae ātea, celebrating is what most people are doing. The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous ...
Is there anything more fashionable than a Māori get together? One of the best things about Northland is that nobody cares what they look like — probably because they’re all naturally more stylish than the rest of us, famously. Māori from the Far North, especially. In 27 degree heat, wearing ...
I’ve been in love with him since last July, but it’s only now in this tepid hotel room that I find myself wondering why. The first thing he does when we arrive is smoke a cone in the bathroom – he emerges, hacking up a lung, fists thrust into his ...
MONDAY“Name,” barked a representative of the lower orders.I regarded him with a look of stern disapproval, and told him from up high, “May I remind you that I have name suppression. I shall also thank you to ask with more respect as befits a former president of the Act Party, ...
Books of Mana: 180 Māori-Authored Books of Significance, edited by Jacinta Ruru, Angela Wanhalla and Jeanette Wikaira has just been released by Otago University Press. In this essay, Books are Taonga, Jeanette Wikaira explores her personal relationship to books and their value.For me, books are taonga. The knowledge ...
Get to know Tara, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Tara’s human for their support! Dog name: Tara Age: Two Breed: Mostly Border Collie and a little bit Catahoula Leopard dog If dog ...
Health NZ's CEO has resigned, but frontline healthworkers are sceptical that installing new leadership will make any difference to a system grappling with problems. ...
Health NZ's CEO has resigned, but frontline healthworkers are sceptical that installing new leadership will make any difference to a system grappling with problems. ...
Gail Duncan, Chairperson of the St Peter’s on Willis Social Justice Group, one of the organisations invited to submit on the Bill, says the Government’s actions are unprecedented. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amani Kasherwa, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, The University of Queensland In late January, a rebel group that has long caused mayhem in the sprawling African nation of Democratic Republic of Congo took control of Goma, a major city of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yee-Fui Ng, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Monash University An ad falsely depicting independent candidate Alex Dyson as a Greens member.ABC News/Supplied The highly pertinent case of a little-known independent candidate in the Victorian seat of Wannon has exposed a gaping ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland Nik/Unsplash You might have heard that eating too many eggs will cause high cholesterol levels, leading to poor health. Researchers have examined the science behind this myth again, and ...
Everything you missed from the third day of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard four hours of oral submission. Read our recaps of day one of the hearings here, and day two here. Parliament was quiet on Friday for the third day of hearings on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Jeffries, Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, Western Sydney University Tijana Simic/Shutterstock The news last week that three people in Sydney were hospitalised with botulism after receiving botox injections has raised questions about the regulation of the cosmetic injectables industry. The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jens Blotevogel, Principal Research Scientist and Team Leader for Remediation Technologies, CSIRO Mino Surkala, Shutterstock Lithium-ion batteries are part of everyday life. They power small rechargeable devices such as mobile phones and laptops. They enable electric vehicles. And larger versions store ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edith Jennifer Hill, Associate Lecturer, Learning & Teaching Innovation, Flinders University Netflix Netflix’s new limited series, Apple Cider Vinegar, tells the story of the elaborate cancer con orchestrated by Australian blogger Annabelle (Belle) Gibson. The first episode opens with Gibson’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dee Ninis, Earthquake Scientist, Monash University Greece’s government has just declared a state of emergency on the island of Santorini, as earthquakes shake the island multiple times a day and sometimes only minutes apart. The “earthquake swarm” is also affecting other ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Western Australian state election will be held on March 8. A Newspoll, conducted January 29 to February 4 from a sample ...
She’s back behind the wheel, and this time, she wants to find out what it is that makes us tick. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. After a prolific career on stage and screen, 83-year-old Miriam Margolyes is on the road again. ...
A new poem by Jordan Hamel. Real Poet Every word earned its place and so did he, so should you. Real poet lives in the capital but writes himself into the Mackenzie country golden hour, man of the paper land, he neglects to mention his pollen ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Understanding Te Tiriti by Roimata Smail (Wai Ako Press, $25) No better time to get ...
The committee has published this list to inform the public about its work, and to give clarity to submitters who have contacted the committee asking if they will be invited to make an oral submission. ...
Alex Casey and Gabi Lardies dissect their Laneway 2025 experience. Gabi Lardies: Hi Alex :))))))) Congratulations on not getting sunburnt. Everyone I talked to at Laneway yesterday was braving the sun for one thing. Charli XCX. How was your brat experience?Alex Casey: We will talk about the rest of ...
The US President's suggestion, which sparked enormous debate globally, has been labelled as a threat, not a proposal, by the Federation of Islamic Associations. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine McCarthy, Senior Lecturer in Interior Architecture, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Interior of Auckland South Men’s Prison.Getty Images Prisons are not colourful places. Typically, they are grey or some variation of a monochrome colour scheme. But increasingly, ...
FICTION1Tree of Nourishment (Kāwai 2) by Monty Soutar (David Bateman, $39.99)Interesting to note that the author of the biggest-selling New Zealand novel in Waitangi Week is Māori (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tai, and Ngāti Kahungunu).2 Kāwai: For Such a Time as This (Kāwai 1) by Monty Soutar (David ...
Remembering the renowned New Zealand writer, who died on February 5, 2025. The Stopover When the trout rise like compassion It is worth watching when the hinds come down from the hills with a new message it will be as well to listen. – Brian Turner Poet, environmentalist, sportsman, journalist, ...
Survivors can choose to have former High Court judge Paul Davison assess their individual claims to tailor payments to their personal circumstances. ...
Another sycophantic article in Shonkey’s Daily Rag today:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11224933
He needs some new material, those are awful.
You beat me to it.
As Chomsky said.
“Any dictator would admire the uniformity and obedience of the U.S. media.”
The Herald ..paid puppet and poodle of corporate interests.
Key:
“You can now convert New Zealand dollars into renminbi, if you are of such a mind to do so. So, life after politics, I might go back to the foreign exchange markets and smack around the renminbi. Maybe not.”
Well, thats always been on the cards hasn’t it. Probably not joking about that one. With a good effort from the the Left and the voting public his wish may be granted after 20th September.
His arrogance is breathtaking
his work is a game… which is not the same as enjoying your work.
phillip ure. You do know I was joking about the “phil n’ bad” show don’t you? You went and put on an evening show last night! I told you I was busy with Charlie Brooker!
bad12: glad you finally got that wind up toy you wanted as a child 🙂
well..you’ll probably be pleased to know that the show is over..
for how long?…………………
Hi Phil and bad 12 …I always enjoy reading your comments( together or individually)…very entertaining and informative…feel blinded by your knowledge and eloquence too…so keep going as far as i am concerned ( keep the show going!)
btw Phil….there was a programme yesterday on Buddhism and drugs which you may be interested in…someone said drug addicts are often very sensitive intelligent people who use drugs to cope with the everyday rough reality of this world ….anyway I thought of you as i listened and just in case you didnt hear it
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/spiritualoutlook
SUNDAY, 23 MARCH 2014
BUDDHIST RECOVERY NETWORK
NavachittaMany very successful addiction recovery programmes begin from a foundation in faith or spirituality. This can prove to be a barrier for non-believers. Justin explores an alternative option: recovering from addiction with help from the Buddha.
Navachitta is an ordained member of the Triratna Buddhist Community and leads the Buddhist Recovery Network at the Auckland Buddhist Centre.
Photo: Navachitta, courtesy of the Auckland Buddhist Centre.
Spiritual Outlook for 23 March 2014 ( 24′ 45″ )
17:06 In Spiritual Outlook this week; recovering from addiction with help from the Buddha.
yeah chooky..i heard it..
.and wd recommend people listen to it on the rnz website..
..it was one of the more intelligent commentaries i have heard..on that topic..
…interesting interview….first time I have become aware of this doctor…he deserves to be heard!…anyone who tries to shut him up is sus imo
Dr Andrew Wakefield does seem to have blotted his copybook though. On 24 May 2010 he was struck off the United Kingdom medical register.
That said, I would tend to err on the side of caution and ensure that any vaccinations to my children (should I produce any) be administered separately rather than as a combined injection.
@Naturesong…that is what he wanted …separate vaccinations…and an open hearing
…is it true for example that vaccinating companies were given indemnity from prosecution if there were side effects by the British government?…is it true that vaccinations that had been discontinued other countries ( Canada , Japan)because of side effects eg meningitis ….were used in Britain?…(and against the recommendations of the vaccinating company!)……is it true that they were then discontinued due to the same side effects in Britain and then shipped off to Brazil?….where there was subsequently an epidemic of meningitis?
struck off by the UK medical register?….this raises a lot of questions in my mind…why?…was pressure brought to bear by the British Govt?..eg. .it does not necessarily mean Dr Wakefield “blotted his copybook”…it may mean the UK medical establishment blotted their copy book!…..eg.we all know that the British govt under Tony Blair blotted its copybook over the reasons for the war in Iraq
Time will tell on this issue and the truth will out eventually with more REAL scientific knowledge about vaccination and the human immune system…and side effects and long term effects…In the meantime I am keeping an open mind and i am very suspicious of zealots who wish to close it on the likes of Andrew Wakefield.
Personally if I had my time again I would listen to my doctor and NOT get my kids vaccinated
I saw a doco on him – must have been around 2001-02 in the UK. It detailed his poor research practices – was exposed by his student assistant.
The doco also detailed his patent/trademark or some such for a single vaccine rather than the MMR triple as a reason for him discrediting the MMR vaccine. The man should be in prison rather than (at the time) making a fortune on the medical conference circuit in the US. A fraud and the very person who, for me, established the idea of that bad research practice and pharma fraud can exist (I should maybe thank him, but won’t – he’s caused way too much damage). Strange that some holistic healing people are followers. They have a false prophet and should read up about the fraudulent research. Getting hold of the doco that exposed him would be well worth their time, imo
/end rant
…well according to him …if you have watched the utube above ….that is false that he wanted to set up his own vaccination company……he was discredited and framed by a journalist with no medical background…there were a number of lies put about by that journalist….certainly Wakefield is far better educated as a specialist in bowel problems than many of his so -called critics…and it would seem some of his colleagues were also highly trained.
….it is a topsy turvey old world , particularly where big business gets involved in health and there are billions to be made with a captive compliant recipient population
No not just “holist healing people” who have an open mind on the efficacy of all vaccinations……ordinary medical doctors as well….so not so strange after-all…
info about the original documentary here
http://briandeer.com/wakefield-deer.htm
His vaccination company? Yeah he’s spent long time scamming for his share of pharma profits
how do you know the original documentary is not some govt paid hack journalist make up?( Wakefield denies those accusations)
.. there was a lot of shit discrediting those British scientists who opposed the war in Iraq too
…and scientists who pointed out the dangers of the cigarette industry
….so?….derrrh
……..have you watched the link i put up to hear Wakefield’s side of the story….?
Wakefield is guilty of scientific fraud and falsifying the medical reports of children.
‘Aided and abetted by useful idiots in the media, by British newspapers and other media that sensationalized the story, and the antivaccine movement, which hailed Wakefield as a hero, Wakefield managed to drive MMR vaccination rates in the U.K. below the level of herd immunity, from 93% to 75% (and as low as 50% in some parts of London). As a result Wakefield has been frequently sarcastically “thanked” for his leadership role in bringing the measles back to the U.K. to the point where, fourteen years after measles had been declared under control in the U.K., it was in 2008 declared endemic again.”
Have i seen his rebuttal? Yes. Plus I’m not new to this story. , I first saw and read of it more than 10 years ago while living in the Uk. I remember the fear from parents and was there when the story of falsified research broke. Have you read/watched the original expose? If not, where is your open mind? Have you seen the invasive medical tests he put those kids through?
Sorry for being blunt but seriously you are doing the cause of questioning conventional medical practise a complete disservice by promoting this man. Do yourself a favour and find someone more credible. he was very much the establishment at the time and has been thoroughly discredited by great investigative journalism, not some government plot.
Andrew Wakefield is guilty of scientific fraud and falsifying the medical reports of children.
Lol:
Wakefield is literally the only guy on the planet to make a link between a particular vaccine and autism.
Is focus of global anti-vac crowd and associated nutbars.
Gets denounced as a fraud with a barrow to push.
You hear from anti-vac crowd about vaccines being bad .
You suddenly discover Wakefield (really? Only now?).
Wakefield reinforces your belief that vaccines are bad.
Wakefield is credible to you because “big pharma” must be conspiring against him, because why else would he be called a fraud?
@ McFlock
Yes NOW is the first time i have discovered Wakefield …believe it or not!…and as you are questioning my integrity….I wasnt actually hunting for Wakefield or anything on vaccinations…..rather how to help an elderly person cope with MRSA …this led me to Dr Mercola’s site where I saw the Wakefield interview
….and quite frankly I find Wakefield credible!….he doesn’t reinforce my opinion that ALL vaccines are “bad”, as you suggest ….but that an OPEN MIND mind must be kept on vaccines…especially side effects and long term effects…and especially as it is a multi-billion dollar business….and especially as pressure is being applied to all parents to vaccinate their children for the ‘good of herd immunity’
…once upon a time i would have thought the anti-vaccine “Crowd” were the ones with a bee- in- their- bonnet….but no longer !….Believe it or not my interest in this issue has been piqued by the attitudes of some people on this site …who I believe do not have an open mind at all…but who have a vested interest in the vaccination industry and are rather nasty when their beliefs are challenged…i dont like your insinuations!
I wasn’t questioning your integrity, merely your competence.
There’s no question as to their competence.
“integrity”?…”competence”?…who?…me?….you?
hopefully people will watch this interview from beginning to end and make up their own minds where they stand based on the evidence…and particularly if they have children
That demonstration of your complete comprehension incompetence merely underlines the idiocy of anyone who takes their medical advice from you.
Have fun..
“…..hopefully people will watch this interview from beginning to end and make up their own minds where they stand based on the evidence…and particularly if they have children..”
Hopefully people will also look at the credentials of the two persons in the video you link to.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Mercola
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Wakefield
http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c7452
“hopefully people will watch this interview from beginning to end and make up their own minds where they stand based on the evidence”
Hopefully people will also click in the links describing the investigation into the work of Mr Wakefield and the fall-out from it.
To repeat…
http://briandeer.com/wakefield-deer.htm
I watched your video, will you read my link?
If you want to talk about close-minded – then the former Dr Wakefield is just the ticket. He got research results that didn’t match his research question so created fraudulent results. Why? professional arrogance? unshakeable belief in his hypothesis? As he says, it was nothing to do with his tie up with class-action lawsuits or his alternative patent that he denies he wanted to make a pharma fortune from
http://briandeer.com/mmr/lancet-summary.htm
Chooky, you find this man credible:
His research assistant didn’t find him credible and was so concerned he blew the whistle at the risk of his own research and medical career
A high court judge didn’t find Wakefield credible when he refused to allow him to gag the investigation
The Times didn’t find him credible when they reviewed and printed the investigation
Channel 4 didn’t find him credible when it aired the documentary exposing him
The Lancet didn’t find him credible, however much the editors wanted to, when it embarrassingly retracted his research articles
The Medical Council didn’t find him credible when it struck him off
His business partner didn’t find him credible when he renounced Wakefield’s work and withdrew from their shared business activities
Ben Goldacre didn’t when he used Wakefield’s research as a case in point for his chapter in his book ‘Bad Science’ detailing public health scares due to media reporting of bad research (Goldsmith is an equal opportunity critic – his 2012 book is Bad Pharma).
However you find him credible. This is beyond my ability to understand*
*and I do understand perfectly well that people can have their credibility ruined by the powers that be – Dr David Kelly the most obvious of among many, imo – Wakefield is not fit to be considered in the same space of injustice.
@Mirovax…read your links……and you find Brian Deer the ( non medically trained) journalist credible?!…two of your three links are are to Brian Deer’s home site !
….yes I do find Andrew Wakefield ( a bowel specialist…with 5+ 8 years medical training ) credible as does Dr Mercola ( whom I also find credible)…and I find what Wakefield has to say is very different from what he is accused of…i also know he is up against a multi- billion dollar business
….more importantly i dont find blanket vaccinations of whole populations for common childhood viruses credible ( nor do many others and not a few doctors)…especially when they are in combined jabs like MMR and especially when they often dont last long and especially when they give the little kid the very thing they are supposed to be protecting them from eg serious mumps after getting the MMR vaccination and bad whooping cough which went on for weeks if not months after getting the whooping cough vaccination ( but then again I am a mere parent, so i am probably “incompetent” and my observations fraudulent …or worse I am a liar like Dr. Wakefield)
….i also think it entirely credible that meningitis outbreaks have been a consequence of the mumps component of MMR vaccinations( there were no meningitis outbreaks when i was a kid nor any autism that i remember)…. and entirely credible that autism can be linked to gut problems which can cause neurological problems….if some medical specialists want to question the MMR /measles vaccine and investigate its side effects on the gut, based on the reports of parents then this is fine by me!
conclusion: think carefully about vaccinations and be very careful about the doctor you choose….but thankfully some are fantastic…i just wish i had listened to mine
I am absolutely not getting into a vaccination debate with you. As a mere parent I stand with the list of people who find Mr Wakefield’s assertions not credible.
Brian Deer’s links are used because he led the research!
Once again, especially if you have read up on the investigation, I simply do not understand how you can use this man as a credible face for asserting your view on vaccinations. As per my comments above – you’d be best to find someone else without the history. This is all I was attempting to communicate.
To quote you…
This applies to Mr Wakefield and his ‘research’ – in spades.
@ mirovax
I really cant be bothered continuing with this discussion, because it would seem i am arguing with people who have made up their minds …also I am no expert ( as McFlock and Northshoredoctor have kindly pointed out)
…but it would seem that Dr Andrew Wakefield is not the only medical expert.. or for that matter legal expert or biochemistry expert with very serious concerns about the multi billion dollar vaccine industry in cahoots with governments which is injuring children ( that is an understatement)
…Wakefield is just one of many critics ! …so the attacks made on him to discredit him, unrelentingly, by you and others on this site are rather pointless imo….given the evidence in this recent film…..which is very very sobering
EVERY NEW PARENT SHOULD WATCH THIS!
‘Silent Epidemic- Untold Story of Vaccines” (October 2013)
“EVERY NEW PARENT SHOULD WATCH THIS!”
‘Silent Epidemic- Untold Story of Vaccines” (October 2013)”
Only if they are also aware of the producers credentials.
http://www.quackwatch.com/04ConsumerEducation/null.html
And the main interviewees credentials.
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/dec/23/struck-off-mmr-doctor-quackery-award
@northshoredoc
…pretty damning nevertheless and choc full of experts ….from immunologists to lawyers to biochemists to medics to medical journalists ….and with reference to the media which is frequently into disinformation and cover up ….also reference to the editor of a prestigious New England (?) medical journal who has resigned because she says a medical research publishing which has integrity has become impossible (surely you are not suggesting all these experts are phoney?)
…how can you discount these experts!?….really !…..the word contempt is beginning to come to mind….
imo this scandal has the potential to disastrously bring down the credibility of the medical profession
@ Chooky
you absolutely must read this
http://www.quickmeme.com/p/3vqjb0
@chooky
“…how can you discount these experts!?….really !…..the word contempt is beginning to come to mind….”
Because they are proven frauds who prey on the frightened and uneducated with misleading, selective and on occasion downright fraudulent information.
“imo this scandal has the potential to disastrously bring down the credibility of the medical profession”
Well, in my opinion frauds such as those you repeatedly rely upon for your information are the ones who bring down the credibility of the medical and other associated professions through their disgraceful behaviour.
Chooky I’m pretty sure everyone who has read your comments on immunisation can see where you sympathies lie, however as you have commented you are by no means an expert in the area of medicine or immunisation. I would encourage everyone to approach the question of vaccination with an open mind and see where the bulk of the expert opinion lies.
Meanwhile the Auckland measles outbreak continues with those unvaccinated students at WBHS having to be excluded from school for another couple of weeks.
http://www.arphs.govt.nz/health-information/communicable-disease/measles#.UzH1lNw5HPY
Lolz Rosie, i think the spring was faulty at the point of manufacture, or, did i really wind it up too much???…
lets find out bad………………The next episode seems to be on hold due to production issues.
Lolz Rosie, is Phillip ‘simpering’, have to go on hold for a while myself this morning, a little bit of face to face politicing is calling…
Government Minister has extra marital affair with lobbyist who works for business that has had easy regulatory ride from this administration. Key clearly doesn’t know as he’s kicked out Worth for similar. Hope he finds out before the press decide to out it.
I do love a mystery. Gonna give us any clues to work from?
I’d love to shout it to the Sky, Karol, but I haven’t got hard evidence and said Minister would simply deny it. I couldn’t care about the sex, it’s the sex with a lobbyist who is getting a free ride (pun intended) that feels , well it feels like justice isn’t being done.
how do you know if you have no hard evidence?
Forgive me for chuckling at the potential double entendre Tracey
Tigger, if you havn’t got ‘hard evidence’ but ‘know’ something is happening that has obviously lead to conflicts of interest then why don’t you do the logical thing and play sleuth, a good camera helps, to obtain the evidence,
Other than that what you say is to be tossed in the ‘not another one’ draw as bullshit…
+1
Anyway slugslick will be onto it as we write in the name of rooting out corruption and sexual infidelity everywhere in nz
“slugslick” I love it.
Ouch, I suspect John Key may regret opening up that top drawer of his.
When you decide to play that sort of dirty politics you really need to know where all the bodies are buried, not just those of your opponent.
just name him if you are so sure.
‘Him’? That’s a sexist assumption, Tracey.
Are you saying the two parties are women?
There’s some funny logic happening here: the original comment is about a government minister having an affair. Tracey says “name him”. Tigger says that’s a sexist assumption, Tracey says “are you saying the two parties are women?”
This only makes sense if you assume Tracey thinks all business lobbyists are women.
Or, if “name him” referred to the lobbyist, Tracey thinks all government ministers are women. Or only men can have affairs, and always have affairs with women? I’m well confused.
Orrrr Tracey is saying that “name him” could refer to either party, assuming a het coupling.
Having read your comment i am even more confused…
Tigger, is the Minister a rural or urban MP?
Some info gleaned from the Herald online,(aka the National Party disinformation service), it appears that it is not only politicians of the left that have a close relationship with Kim DotCom,
National’s Tau Henare is said to have tweeted Dotcom Happy Birthday to one of DotCom’s kids, of equal if not more interest would seem to be the fact that Henare is also another National MP that has been given the ”see ya later’, (having been well rewarded for His waka jump to National from NZFirst’), from the Party as Slippery the Prime Minister attempts to fill Nationals Benches with a majority of ‘yesmen and women’,
Henare is said to be overseas and is taking a week off to consider His future, which just might be code for ‘considering whether to hump His carpet-bag over to the the DotCom camp…
As an afterthought, you can see how this might work for DotCom, IF Henare walked from National now and didn’t resign from the Parliament he could in theory become the first DotCom MP,
This may be revealing as to who else DotCom has talked too, any of them who consider themselves, as cannon fodder, to be likely to feature too low down on the Party list to get back into the Parliament in their current Parties could choose within the next six months to jump to the Cross Benches in the guise of a DotCom MP,
This would fit the hand into the glove if it looks like DotCom might be about to get deported befor the 2014 election IF he had the 4 or 5 MP’s willing to do ‘the jump’ anything could happen,
Pure conjecture of course, but, such conjecture fits the current information,(true or false),that is out in the public arena now…
In the best case scenario, Dot Com puts together a cross-party pressure group on matters related to privacy, internet freedom and civil liberties.
But Tau is a boot-camp authoritarian imo, so something doesn’t fit.
Are they allowed to waka jump like that? I thought that legislation had closed that down some time ago.
And Tau Henare is I think an ambitious man, for himself, and would probably fit into the ethos of Dotcom very well.
greywarbler, IF my memory serves me correctly, and it doesn’t always do me such service,blame the occasional bout of concussion over the years, i believe the waka jumping Legislation had a sunset clause written into it which means that it has now expired,
Horan having been given the kick from NZFirst being an example…
bad12 – technical question?
Did Horan do a weka jump or was he kicked out of his party.
So if the weka jumping legislation was still current would it have applied to Horan?
Watching, now your stretching my knowledge, Horan definitely got the bums rush outta NZFirst by Winston Peters,(i have some interesting tit-bits to impart on this little fracas at a later date),
As far as the waka jumping Legislation goes i am pretty sure that it died after having a sunset clause installed at the time it became Law,
i will tho have a dig later and see if my recollection is correct, first tho, being an ancient old fart, in body functioning ability, not years, an afternoon siesta is called for as i got up early this morning and the blood sugar levels are to a certain extent kept balanced by plenty of sleep,(a passable excuse at the least don’t you think)…
Watching, here you go, definitely was a sunset clause in the Waka-jumping Legislation,
http://www.stuff.co.nz/…/Horan-situation-raises-waka-jumping-law-again
Quite an interesting story that, remembers Alamein Kopu to us all,(pay attention Hone), the Alliance MP who jumped ship and gave Her support to National,
The point being that should Hone form this touted alliance with DotCom He is going to have to be pretty sure of the credentials of any DotCom candidates He takes into the Parliament or risk an Alamein Kopu types situation developing,
As i was hunting out this article i came across one from Farrar at His branch of the sewer which gave a hint that in early 2013 National were talking of reviving the waka jumping Legislation,
my nose is far too sensitive for me to subject it to anything as ugly as kiwiblog so i didn’t ‘click on’ the article for a read,
It did tho make me wonder, was there a Palace coup brewing in National in early 2013 that was put down befor it came to a head, perhaps it was just Slippery being in some way offended by Horan having got the boot from NZFirst,(perhaps He didn’t like the idea that Horan’s vote went to the Greens while Horan disappeared to presumably go surfing or commune with His constituents at the TAB, which might have given more than one National MP a glitter in the eye imagining the baubles He or She could wrench outta the PM’s hands with a quick bolt to the Cross Benches)…
“my nose is far too sensitive for me to subject it to anything as ugly as kiwiblog so i didn’t ‘click on’ the article for a read,”
I assume you are being ironic? You are the epitome of ugly!
Only to the likes of wads of scum like you SSLands…
Ugly is hungry kids with third world diseases. A few obscene phrases which aptly describe the foulness known as SSLands is poetry. I’m not surprised your foppish sensibilities can’t tell the difference.
Don’t disagree with you on your analysis of Henare, just saying, But, ‘desperate needs call for desperate deeds’ would be the impetus for both Henare and DotCom,
Remembering all the time that my comment we are addressing is simple speculation…
The jack boots and Gerry Brownlee.
I know Nuthink.
For those of you wanting to unseat Dunne this election, you may be interested in attending this talk hosted by Wellington Workers’ Educational Association:
“How Not To Be Dunne Over Again This Election!”
This Wednesday, 26th March at St John’s conference centre on the corner of Willis and Dixon streets, Wellington, 5.30 – 6.30pm. Speaker John Maynard.
This year is Dunne’s 30th anniversary of holding the seat of Ohariu. Given the damage he’s done with his one precious vote in these last two terms, it’s high time he went, don’t you think?!
And for those interested in the benefits of a UBI there is a talk on at the same time the following Wednesday by Perce Harpham “Reducing inequality via a Universal Basic Income”.
thanx Rosie…unfortunately i cant go …but hope it goes well!
Dunne-deal and his roost. Some facts about him for others like me who have heard of this magnificent creature that rivals a peacock in his splendour. I looked up the various wikipedia entries describing Peter Dunne and his political doings.
The electorate has had boundary changes. Dunne held Ohariu as Labour MP 1984-1993 then stayed on when it became Onslow 1993-2008. In 1994 Dunne resigned from Labour and became an independent, then started the Future NZ Party. But in 1995 Dunne joined a group under the United NZ which joined National in coalition. In 1996 all other United candidates lost their seats and only Dunne remained in parliament. Then in 2002 Dunne’s United united with a new Future NZ. (Are you following all this, I’m trying to be clear.)
In the 2002 election (this from the United Future Wikipedia page): The uplift in United Future support during the last two weeks of the campaign caught many commentators by surprise and drew votes away from National, Labour and the Green parties, who were engaged in a public squabble over genetic engineering. (I notice the dismissive word “squabble” over the strong discussion on the important new science of genetic engineering.)
Dunne as United Future candidate unexpectedly drew many votes after a strong showing in a televised debate (did the worm turn) and got 6.9% party vote and agreed to support the Labour Party. This continued in 2005 which surprised some as, During the election campaign Dunne and National Party leader Don Brash publicly sat outside an Epsom café over a cup of tea as a demonstration to the electorate that Dunne could co-operate with National.
In the last two elections United has dropped sharply in its Party Vote and only Dunne has retained his seat. The columns show that for election year 2008 there were 51 electorate contenders and 30 on the list, dropping to 20 and 17 for the next. Their Party Vote has gone from 20,497 to 13,443 at 0.60%.
2008 51 / 30 1 20,497 0.87%
2011 20 / 17 1 13,443 0.60%
In 2011 Dunne only received 672 Party Votes in his own electorate but personally had a 5.97% rise to to 14,357. But Labour was close with Charles Chauvel at 12,965 a rise of 4.89%. Charles resigned in March 2013 to work in the U.N.)
National was up in the Party Vote to 49.60% and Greens had risen too to 14.42%.
The man is a chameleon or maybe a gecko which I believe have remarkable suction pads on their feet that enable them to resist the pull of gravity and walk effortlessly across ceilings.
Ohariu demographics –
The new electorate contains the section of Wellington City between Crofton Downs and southern Tawa, including Ngaio, Khandallah, Johnsonville and Newlands. The rest of the electorate consists of Lower Hutt’s hill suburbs of Korokoro, Maungaraki and Normandale. Ōhariu is one of 11 electorate names to include a macron, for the first time.
Both Ohariu-Belmont and Ōhariu are young and wealthy; it has the largest number of 30-49 year-olds in the country, and the second highest number of families earning between $70,000 and $100,000 per year. 69% of its population is New Zealand European, 14% Asian and 8% Māori.[1]
And following on from that note on salaries in the Ohariu electorate, I’ll slip in some interesting data from the census that The Herald published about rises in income.
A Herald analysis of the income figures show a 90 per cent rise in people earning between $70,001 and $100,000 – from 125,115 to 238,212 – and a 40 per cent increase in those bringing home between $50,000 and $70,000.
Of those earning more than $100,000 41 per cent live in Auckland, 19 per cent in Wellington and 12 per cent in Christchurch.
Women are a fifth more likely to have a degree than men, but women’s incomes lag behind men’s because women are still more likely to do more unpaid child-minding….
The number of women on six-figure salaries has doubled from 22,824 to 45,294 since the 2006 Census….
While the median wage – Men earn $36,500 and women $23,100, according to the median income figures, up from $31,500 and $19,100 respectively.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11166484
Lolz warbler, i like your analogy likening Dunne to a gecko, its so He can scurry effortlessly around the toilet bowl without getting His ‘hairdo’ wet…
Thats right Warbly.
The boundaries are however on the move and have yet to be confirmed. Ohariu will lose the Lower Hutt hill suburbs you mention and gain the wealthy city suburb of Wadestown.
The other thing, despite Ohariu “being young and wealthy” (probably more so in the suburbs of Ngaio and Khandallah) is that there is also a great deal of poverty in the Ohariu electorate. Dunne, who has said he won’t support Hone Harawira’s “feed the kids” bill has so far failed to acknowledge that we have had two new food charities set up business in the electorate. One is (from memory) Kiwi Community Assistance based in Tawa who distribute food parcels and donated clothing and blankets and sadly, a food bank has opened up in Newlands – not that far from his office.
You’re right. He is indeed a chameleon, changing his colours to blend in with the next wave to come along to personally advance his standing and security in the electorate. He has a following here of dull non thinking conservatives (sorry, lol, can’t back that up, just my obs) and manages to get a story about his little local efforts in the community newspaper most weeks.Its a cosy sleepy arrangement.
He only got in by 1392 votes last time, as you point out above. Those votes went to the Green candidate. I would suggest to those Green supporters (of which I have party voted previously) to take a deep breath, vote for the Labour candidate, Virginia Anderson and do it for the country! Yes!
We can do it! We need voters on board and we can end Dunne’s reign!
Not sure if you should take what happen in 2011 as applying to 2014, as:
Katrina Shanks chased the electorate vote quite hard as her days as a list MP were numbered. This pissed off the Nats & we know what happen next.
In 2011 the Nats were going to win by a landslide (so the polls said), the the Nats voters became sloppy in Ohariu & departed from the script. In 2014 every vote counts & Ohariu/Dunne will be crucial for a Nats win – so expect a significant movement of former Shanks votes back to Dunne.
In 2011 Labour had a high profile candidate in Chauvel, never heard of Anderson.
I assume that Wadestown pool of voters will be following the Dunne electorate & Nats List voting script. If they lived in Auckland I guess they would be Epsom voters.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Dunne margin is 2000plus on Sept 20th
” In 2014 every vote counts & Ohariu/Dunne will be crucial for a Nats win – so expect a significant movement of former Shanks votes back to Dunne.”
I absolutely agree Watching and I do expect that those who want a National coalition to retain power, to back Dunne. I’m also aware that we have lost our high profile Labour candidate. I also have made the same assumptions about the Wadestown voters but am hoping than in an alternative universe those hills are alive with the the cries of chardonnay socialists.
You are giving voice to my unspoken fears – I’d rather you didn’t!
In saying hat, that doesn’t mean that those of us who are determined to see Dunne out shouldn’t go F- ing hard out in the mean time. You may also be aware that Ohariu voted 67% NO in the asset sales referendum. I think that could be seen as an indication of how the electorate are feeling let down by Dunne – They shouldn’t have expected anything better but sometimes folks learn the hard way
A chance to repeat my favourite quote:
By three methods we may learn wisdom:
First, by reflection, which is noblest;
Second, by imitation, which is easiest;
and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
Confucius
(brainyquote)
And bitter it will be if we get No.3.
Rosie good picture of what’s happening in your area. And yes it would be a good strategic move to move him on. The Greens would survive and it is no use sticking to rigid practices when there is greater need. I mean that normally I think support yur own Party, but when there is a chance to push the ejector seat button, it’s worth the entry price.
I believe that this sort of career politician good ole’ boy is very common in the USA in one of their houses at least. I think I am against career politicians but for some experience in life first, and then a limit on how many cycles one can serve for within 20 years say. Otherwise you end up with people who used to ride penny farthings to work.
Warbs, the image of Peter Dunne on a penny farthing whizzing down the Ngauranga Gorge, on his way to work came to mind. He does have the bow tie! Mind you, those Victorian gents had a different type of tie didn’t they? This one does:
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/11/70/33/117033871446d19efcdae0b65cf32f6a.jpg
Seriously though, I do think that given the importance of removing Dunne from his seat, that during campaign time Cunliffe should come to our electorate and do a speech, along side our new candidate. That would get people talking and voting would it not!?
Rosie
He looks like the sort of man we could do with. Firm of purpose, strikes a good pose, looks a straight shooter, good jawline, ready to take on the world and uncowed by the mighty beast beside him. Looks full of vim and vigour, whether that would be applied wisely I wouldn’t know – he looks too young to have achieved wisdom. But a change from someone, who sorry to say, is an old hack.
Lol, yes 🙂
dont tell srylands he thinks the current system brings prosperity and equity.
Rosie do you know Perce Harpham is coming north? I would be really interested in going if he was giving a presentation in Auckland.
Hi Akldnut. I’m afraid I can’t answer your question.I think it’s just a regional event, put on by the local WEA. I see on the WEA website there is a Waitakere group so maybe you could ask them if they have anyone speaking soon on this topic:
http://www.wea.org.nz/
The mantra should be Problem Gambling Foundation, Problem Gambling Foundation….
Interesting Herald Editorial on this – basically the government went the extra mile to assure that they had given the process of reviewing the funding to people that aren’t part of the government – they went so far to ensure this, as to raise the question of it being done deliberately to ensure the PGF was silenced in a way that government couldn’t be blamed for it.
Then this bit:
Site authors take note:
Newspaper Publishers’ Association editorial director Rick Neville, who chairs the Press Council’s executive committee, said most publishers felt the time had come to strengthen the Press Council’s authority, and to extend its coverage to handle complaints against digital media, including bloggers.
I was going to raise that. Are there any benefits to bloggers joining the Press Council? I know Cameron Slater will be wanting to get that veneer of legitimacy, but aside from an ego trip does it offer any protection or advantages?
I hope he applies and is accepted.
Anyone interested in running a book for the date he gets struck off? 😈
What is the minimum bid? How does it work? And what does the winner do with the money – I suggest donate it to The Standard. It would still be fun to participate, pure sport with no personal profit resulting.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11224833
SO Michael Laws. A depiction SO deserved.
i wouldn’t have called that a ‘horrible’ picture of Laws, more like a ‘diseased’ portrait of Laws…
Somehow Laws and how he looks makes my mind flash to a Castles episode seen recently. A group make up and dress up as zombies and go out late at night hunting marks dressed weirdly. Looks fun for those who like that sort of thing. I feel that Laws would enjoy participating in some fashion.
More like an excellent portrait of the real mr laws.
It’s as if he’s painted his soul.
Yep. Reckon Laws bid on it?
dorian grayesque
Ha-ha-ha, Mike Williams on the Mike and Matty show, ”Shane Jones is a potential Prime Minister in an election or two”,
At such a point i am leaving, even if i have to swim…
Not the first time Mike Williams has sung Shane’s praises.
Now Hooton bringing out his anti-labour spin. Labelling Labour’s wood policy as crony-capitalists.
At least Mike is defending Labour.
Ooo now matthew’s voice getting shrill….heee hee
haha classic
williams was a total booster of jones during that leadership race..
.(.and about the only one..)
..and i’m still waiting for an apology from him for his role in that poor-bashing/neo/lib/environment-fucking-over clark -labour regime..
..the man is an irrelevant fucken clown..
..’i agree with matty..’..
Wrong. He went on public record as voting for David Cunliffe.
All he did was note that Shane is a born orator with a good sense of humour.
i am sorry anne..you are incorrect..
..the record will show williams was for jones until just before the end..
..when he switched to cunnliffe..
..i viewed that at the time as a craven effort to be ‘on the right side’ at the end..
..nothing more..
..(and how farcical is his current claim that ‘jones cd b pm in an election or two’..?..
..the man is fucken delusional..)
A link to some evidence that supports your assertion Phillip would be helpful…
Not true I heard him on natrad at the beginning of the leadership contest and he picked cunliffe
Anne, a link to some evidence that supports your assertion would be helpful…
Very evenhanded.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9153223/Cunliffe-gets-leadership-boost
Phil’s full of it.
Not necessarily, Phill could make a late charge from the back of the field by producing evidence in the way of a link that says Williams was all for Jones until a late mind change,
Yeah what the hell am i saying, as usual its looking like Phill’s full of it.
Surprise, surprise, surprise.
The article winds up with some basic common sense.
But hey…keep on with the marg and the prepacked, processed to hell gunk, (Still avoiding eggs?) and hunt down all those wee heart ticks and exclamations of low this and low that.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/23/everything-you-know-about-unhealthy-foods-is-wrong
All of this points to the inability to make good measurements in medicine.
Thanks Bill. An excellent read.
Where is the apology from science and governments?
Maybe once they give up dissembling over what’s left of the crumbling low fat diet consensus, but only if we hold them to account.
Science and naïve government food faddism of the last 30 years hyped processed fats instead of the animal fats that sustained us for centuries. It’s been deadly and ruined the lives of millions with obesity. It gave sugar and excess carbs a free pass, and loaded our systems with awful processed fats that were also horrible to eat.
Another great example of why we should always follow our own instincts on eating and health care rather than official advice, where it takes 30 years and counting for irrefutable ‘evidence’ to arrive.
Also this, from the article:
‘In line with the contention that foods containing animal fats are harmful, we have also been instructed to restrict our intake of red meat. But crucial facts have been lost in this simplistic red-hazed debate. The weak epidemiological evidence that appears to implicate red meat does not separate well-reared, unprocessed meat from the factory farmed, heavily processed equivalent that contains a cocktail of chemical additives, preservatives and so on. Meanwhile, no government authority has bothered to tell us that lamb, beef and game from free-range, grass-fed animals is a top source of conjugated linoleic acid, the micronutrient that reduces our risk of cancer, obesity and diabetes.’
The Heart Association sells its ticks to food manufacturers, in the USA anyway. Moral hazard there. And the NZ Government gets sponsorship from food producers for its dietary brochures. So very objective – not.
Lolz, Interesting, but to be remembered most of us do not have access to free range unmolested by humans red meat,
Beef and sheep in this country are molested by the humans pumping stuff into them all at an early age, and, who hasn’t heard of water or something else? being pumped into meat by butchers and supermarkets to make the stuff last a bit longer in the chillers,
i have just hit the 3 month mark of a high fish,high veg,high fruit diet, no meat,(except the odd bacon and egg burger),at least halved the sugar intake and swapped to multi grain bread and brown rice, psychologically i feel good and my recovery time, in breathing, from physical exertion is far faster than previously,
Remember tho, you got tobacco use causes half of its users to die of cancers and heart disease from these very same people,
i do not recommend anyone start puffing on that particular weed, but, i would suggest that given enough time this alarmist mantra brought to you by the anti-smoking fanatics will be proven to be an absolute can of male bovine defecation….
Good to hear that the new food tricks are going well…………….did you ever find those tonzu vego sausages at new world Miramar or at the commonsense organic store in Kilbrinie? (They are 80 cents cheaper at the organic store than than at NW)
As to Bill’s comment, thats not surprising at all. I remember attending a seminar on “The cholesterol juggernaut” back in 2000 where the researcher discussed another cause of heart disease – tiny tears in the arteries caused by damage from homocysteine, an amino acid found in processed red meat. These little tears trap cholesterol which of course famously causes “blocks the arteries”. Without the tears, even the “bad” cholesterol can flow through. (This was almost 15 years ago and just my memory I’m going so don’t take it for gospel)
They talked about the additional effects of trans fatty acids found in margarine and refined cooking oils. They reckoned that Indian people had less heart disease when ghee, their traditional clarified butter was used in cooking compared to when it was replaced with cheaper mass produced refined vegetable oil. The English seminar presenter was definitely a fan of cooking with lard!
Personally, I enjoy using quite a bit of unrefined olive oil in my food prep and cooking but also like the odd bit of butter (in mashed potatoes!)
Yeah thanks Rosie, i found them in the Kilbirnie health food store, while for me there was nothing really wrong with them something in my wee pea brain didn’t quite take to them so i ended up feeding half the packet i did buy to the garden,
i can’t quite put my finger on why i didnt take to them, they tasted alright but in a way sort of tasted of nothing, anyway, i dropped that idea in favor of fish,(bugger the mercury),and things are going great on the dietary front,(down to 97 kilo),
The proof of the pudding as the saying goes, will be the results of the next Count Dracula test in mid April when i see how the numbers are for cholesterol and blood sugar,
Fonterror having cranked up the prices of both butter and cheese i have again banned them from my shopping trolley, the replacement for butter/cheese on my toast is now Guacamole which has plenty of veg oil in it to soften the toast a bit…
I’m a bit over them myself. I now use the vego saus for backup when theres nothing else and tend to use quite a bit of Zing brand tomato sauce.
Good on you for your efforts and getting results. I need to take a leaf out of your book!
This is interesting:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/9858526/Taxpayers-taking-the-hit-for-sports-concussions
Those bloody citizens! Always got their hands out. And guess who has to pay? Yes, us, the taxpayers!
Quelle Horreur!
ACC actually doing their job?
I’m off outside to make sure the sky isn’t falling!
Anyone know if sports clubs pay an ACC levy?
There was something done about sports paying levies – I don’t know about now. And whether they get a reduced rate if they aren’t always turning up with head injuries.
Hooten loses plot again. Warner Brother law changes hurt local independent contractors. This according to Hooten is much better than Cunliffes forestry policy that helps contractors, forestry businesses and the whole country (wood framed homes).
Labour did movie deals, has Hooten forgotten. It wasn’t the dealing with a industry that was the problem, its National choosing winners under the deal. Its not correct to say changes in government policy doesn’t make some loses and some winners, its that the policy harm NZ and kiwis while giving foreign interest a sweet deal. We all know that after the Warner deal the production industies took a big hit, shedding staff, because the deal wasn’t about helping the industry, it was about Key desperate weakness in needing to get a Hobbit deal as Clark had. Its was all about how high Key could piss up the wall, as high as Clark.
What’s worse though is Hooten pre-empted the issue just as the program was coming to an end and so left the rather nasty taste, leaving both Williams and the presenter without a chance to introduce balance. Warner Brothers scored an own goal globally by harming unionists here and sending the message that Warner was anti-union worldwide, just so creepy Key could get another hit for term neo-liberal and smash employee and contractor bargain power.
I might as while give Hooton some more information since he is ‘so’ unoriginal r.e. Shane Jones/NZF.
How long is it before Winston Peters announces he will stand in the electorate seat of Whangarei?
Thanks for your kind offer of wanting me to stand for your new independent political party Mr Horan, however I can’t support party votes to your party that need to go to the Left, thanks all the same bud I’m honoured to be considered 🙂
http://nzindependent.org.nz/
*well (sorry not much of an editor)
Since Peters sister Lynette Stewart lost in a very close selection meeting yesterday to the tough as nails, street fighting justice lawyer Kelly Ellis, now allows Winnie an in to swipe this seat right under the Nats noses!
An item on a failed builder in The Weekend Press ‘Alarm as builder folds.’ Very young, only 29, builder from the Far North starts business in Christchurch where all the money and work is. Has problems argues with insurers doesn’t pay contractors houses don’t get built. Says he hasn’t got the money to finish. (One supplier said, he told my staff they could use his house in Bali anytime.)
Police have been asked to investigate NZ Premium Construction which has been put into liquidation by its shareholders Craig Johnson and wife Eva Johnson. They have come a cropper, though they tried to trade through. I think they probably bit off more than they could chew.
Another young ambitious cowboy builder, perhaps following in the footsteps of those others who built the leaky houses. He is following the same shonky operation.. Eight days before his liquidation, Johnson formed another company called NZ Premium Construction 2014. He was initial director and shareholder but has now resigned and replaced by Auckland accountant Fergus Cleaver. Then the company’s name was changed to Kwik Management a few days later.
This has got to stop. This being the ability to set up companies so easily. NZ is known apparently as being a know-nothing lot who will let you set up just about any legal entity, quick and easy. We cannot allow people to use our system to facilitate con men who aren’t interested in being reliable businesspeople to advance themselves at others expense!
Especially builders! Used car salesmen always had a favoured place in wry comedy, but should be replaced by builders, some of these slimy NZ builders take the cake, and your bread as well.
But its a National policy to make it easy for people to lose their shirts. Older investors, sandy silty foundations, mine inspections… ..the list of losers makes National core supporters feel like superheros, the call to power brigade, the Randian front line.
greywarbler, yeah i have touched on a similar but definitely related problem a number of times, last week it was one of National’s own MP’s that had been bit by the ability of someone in a dispute being able to escape payment of monies ordered by an adjudication because befor it got that far the company named had shifted everything into another company and such orders are not attached to the material owners/benefactors of the company befor the adjudicator,
We read a lot about this or that person having won an employment dispute and a company being ordered to cough up an amount of dollars as compensation, what we do not hear about is that a lot of these, usually small employers have other companies basically sitting as shells on the shelf,
As soon as these people get wind of an impending employment dispute they simply fold the company at the heart of the dispute doing a paper transfer of all assets into one of the entities they have ready sitting and waiting,and thus, avoid having to pay a cent to the offended against employee,
It’s a problem right across the adjudication/tribunals system which need be changed so that all orders are for the named company but also attache to the owner/material beneficiary of the company named…
bad12 That’s important. Didn’t know that. It has seemed to me that there are wormholes in National’s legal space. Everything they do needs to be surveilled for them.
Worms good in my garden, bad in politics and law.
greywarbler, Pike River springs to mind as to just how far up the food chain the current Laws allow avoidance of responsibility to occur,
it aint rocket science, company law should require the company to provide a name/names of the material owner or beneficiary of the company to whom all orders from an Adjudication/Tribunal should attach/apply,
If that means X company has to list 100,000 shareholders well then so be it, but, as the Law now stands, if i as a citizen have an order made against me by an Adjudicator/Tribunal and refuse to pay in the end the Court will simply order such monies taken from either my wages or benefit,
The same rule should be applied to the material owner/beneficiaries of any company where those given an order of compensation by a Adjudication/Tribunal process should be able to apply to the court to have that order enforced against those registered as the owner/material beneficiaries of a company,
In essence, the current Law as it stands simply allows/encourages those hiding behind a company name to pervert the course of justice and such people are knowingly and willfully doing so…
pervert the course of justice Indeed.
More evidence that our Minister of Culture and Heritage doesn’t understand culture and heritage:
http://readingthemaps.blogspot.co.nz/2014/03/chris-finlayson-and-end-of-history.html
Naturesong some sports such as rugby soccer(football) netball pay ACC as part of their membership fees.
But skiers and outdoor pursuitists don’t.
Some outdoors persuits like skiing have a high and expensive injury rate.
That was my understanding as well.
So the stuff article referenced by Mary is being loose with the truth.
This appears to be an editorial decision by Stuff to undermine the primary function of ACC (no fault cover).
ACC are an easy target due to changes in funding levels put in place by National, as well as the numerous well documented failures to deliver their statutorily required services.
you’re wrong tricledown. Sports clubs of any sort don’t pay levies. Sports injuries are funded out of the earners account, which comes out of your wages/salary of you are employed or the non-earners account (funded by the govt) if you’re not.
http://www.acc.co.nz/about-acc/overview-of-acc/how-were-funded/index.htm
Cheers for that Nadis.
Easy fix would be to include ACC levies in high risk sports membership fees then.
Yeah, rugby and skiing in particular get a very, very easy ride from ACC. Mind you so do accidents in the home. The ACC argument is that people who have those injuries are generally paying levies elsewhere, but there is very little incentive for most individuals to moderate risky behaviour. We could retain all the good things about a no fault system by spreading the fee burden to risky activities, i.e., a couple of bucks on a ski pass, a levy on sports clubs etc.
thee other thing should be to take non-residents out of the coverage. Most tourists who are visiting more than NZ would likely come here with travel insurance, but have an accident and claim on ACC instead of their insurance. Madness from a NZ fiscal point of view.
I would have thought that the incentive to moderate risky behaviour was pain and injury.
As for treating tourists, make it a component of the visa/immigration fees if that’s such an issue.
“I would have thought that the incentive to moderate risky behaviour was pain and injury.”
I don’t understand how a rational self-interested consumer/taxpayer should account for this “pain and injury” as you call it.
Can it be expressed as a unit of currency?
It does seem to have an exchange rate: offering the pain and injury that can be extracted from a pointy stick is generally exchanged for “all the money in the till”.
Have you ever been or known a young male?
As opposed to one for whom paying a nominal insurance levy (or, for that matter, HP agreement, car loan, or traffic ticket) would make more of a difference? Is that what you meant by “incentive for most individuals to moderate risky behaviour”? And, for that matter, are “young males” what you meant by “most individuals”? Because they’re only a few hundred thousand out of 4 million.
Err, you seem to be implying that young males are so reckless and careless that the fear of pain, injury (even death, presumably) has no effect on their decision to engage in risky behaviour.
However you also seem to be implying that some sort of monetary incentive will have an effect on the same decision.
I’m sorry Dave, I can’t do that.
you might find this ACC stats calculator useful.
If ‘all is well’ in New Zealand, (as the Dominion Post editorial asserts 19/3/14,) why are there more than 150,000+ people looking for a job and another 350,000 people under-unemployed? If that isn’t a crisis, I don’t know what is. A dearth of employment opportunities here is making life permanently grim for hundreds of thousands of people.
Child poverty is rising, home ownership is decreasing quickly, because employment availability and security is being compromised by free trade agreements that remove jobs, investment, and the flow on effects of wealth circulation that instead heads offshore.
Add to that the latest attacks on collective bargaining which is guaranteed to lower wages and salaries and employment security even further and we’re heading into a third world scenario.
If you vote National, you truly need your head examined because the only people that are safe from their policies are multi- millionaires. Everybody else is extremely vulnerable.
Some software at the server had a problem and made all web server instances fall over (another fallover hole to fix damnit!)
I have it back running and I think it should be ok now.
Just taking the backup servers offline again. I’ll leave one running just in case.
@ lprent
I can’t access TS through normal process (Firefox). All I get is a “Hello World” in top left corner. I’m accessing it through Google and hitting “Politics”.
Shift +refresh. There was a server crash earlier – need to clear the cache I think.
Figured it out. Thanks karol. 🙂
Try Shift+F5 or Shift+click the refresh button.
oh well our national role models have moved on from pissing on the pub carpet (Mills), car stomping in the UK (you know who it was) and partner bashing (various) to pilling out; there is no depression in Noo Zeeeeland.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11225346
Nadis google sports clubs and ACC payment the Soccer club I used to play for was charged $45 per year per player as part of our fee’s.
I suspect that was some type of private medical insurance or physio payment scheme, or if you are a professional i.e., you then pay a levy on your wages. The only time a club has to pay ACC levies is as part of their payroll for staff, not for players.
Sorry Nadis yourself ate right.our club must have had private insurance.
My predictive text has gone rogue
Having an odd site issue: This a.m. was fine but all afternoon I am getting the ” Hello world” page when trying to access TS on my desktop via tethered phone.
This post was done direct from phone.
Will check in later for any advice, thanks.
See lprent’s post now. Never mind 😎
Damn. I have been recently getting sliding ads on firefox, even though I use adblocker etc. I was mainly getting it on news sites over the last week or so.
Suddenly, I’m getting them on TS – just started in the last hour or so. They slide across the screen from the right and bottom simultaneously. To read anything I have to click on the 2 sliders separately.
How do I stop it?
Switch to Chrome and dump Firefox
I was using chrome but it started to give me hassles – shockwave kept crashing. So went back the firefox for TS.
I have now found a way to switch the sliding ads off. They actually have a little button on them to do that.
I’m getting the ‘hello world’ message on the main page when using firefox. Normal on explorer.
There was a message earlier from Lynn shift +refresh to clear it.
Sweet, thanks, karol.
What are they advertising?
erm…. I didn’t look closely – some junk. Clothes and nicknacks I think.
Sounds malicious. I don’t think thestandard would be serving ads in that way.
Odd. In suspect that you should uninstall firefox and then reinstall it. Sounds to me like you have a plugin for firefox active.
trend micro does the trick.
The Bank of England has kindly produced this paper for those of us trying to explain to RWNJ trolls that Green monetary policy is on the whole a lot sounder than the Gnat’s:
http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Documents/quarterlybulletin/2014/qb14q102.pdf
Ok, found and fixed the problem with the fall over server. Option inside apache2 configuration file that got upgraded. I must have hit merge – something it did badly.
Thanks for that late bird – red eye job lprent. The World welcomes you.
Hopefully the site will no longer welcome the world.
It seems that it is the Indian Ocean that was the end for MH370 flight. I wonder if there was a fire. In one of the articles that was mentioned, and does happen from overheated tyres, insufficiently inflated, or the lithium batteries said to be on board. If there is a fire then it is difficult to use an oxygen mask because it feeds it. There is a smoke mask that copes for some minutes. If the plane was set on auto pilot then it would fly on itself until it ran out of fuel.
Wikipedia has a simple graphic that shows the possible two corridors and if the plane was aiming for the large airport on Malaysia but couldn’t get down, then it could have just kept going on the Indian Ocean route. But then wouldn’t that have shown up on their radar at the airport. I don’t understand all the aspects to this.
A comment from last week from an ex pilot that’s informative.
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2014/03/mh370-electrical-fire/
http://news.yahoo.com/flight-missing-plane-ended-indian-ocean-malaysian-pm-141026301.html – shows all area
Here’s a very full report from the Mail on line from about a week ago.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2580815/Missing-MH370-jet-flown-Indias-Andaman-Islands-according-radar-data-claimed-inquiries-focus-increasingly-hijacking-theory.html
Air traffic control radar is not primary radar. It works off a transponder signal from the aircraft.
More like ships AIS, than normal radar.
If the transponder signal disappears, because of a fire, power loss or deliberately switched off, then the aircraft goes “off the radar”. Controllers would have to switch to “primary radar” backups.
They had some trouble locating a plane that crashed in forest in, I seem to remember, Belgium, because they lost track of it when the transponder stopped working.
Power loss would be unusual as there is an auxiliary generator of some kind to keep power on essential systems, even if all the engines fail..
A possibility is that everyone on board was asphyxiated from a fire or cabin pressure loss.
I did consider they may have lost navigation systems as well as pother electronics and simply got lost. Extremely unlikely these days however.
It was the likely cause of many of the plane disappearances in the past. Like the so called “mysteries” of the Bermuda Triangle. The Erubus crash, primary cause, was a miss-programming of navigation co-ordinates.
Thanks KJT this piece from a former pilot brings up that point. He seems to have a plausible theory.
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2014/03/mh370-electrical-fire/
Malaysian military radar (which is a primary radar, meaning the plane is tracked by reflection rather than by transponder interrogation response) has tracked the plane on a southwesterly course back across the Malay Peninsula into the Strait of Malacca….
When I saw that left turn with a direct heading, I instinctively knew he was heading for an airport. He was taking a direct route to Palau Langkawi, a 13,000-foot airstrip with an approach over water and no obstacles
For me, the loss of transponders and communications makes perfect sense in a fire. And there most likely was an electrical fire. In the case of a fire, the first response is to pull the main busses and restore circuits one by one until you have isolated the bad one. If they pulled the busses, the plane would go silent. It probably was a serious event and the flight crew was occupied with controlling the plane and trying to fight the fire. Aviate, navigate, and lastly, communicate is the mantra in such situations… (He also mentions the possibility of a tyre fire.)
Once going, a tire fire would produce horrific, incapacitating smoke. Yes, pilots have access to oxygen masks, but this is a no-no with fire. Most have access to a smoke hood with a filter, but this will last only a few minutes depending on the smoke level. (I used to carry one in my flight bag, and I still carry one in my briefcase when I fly.)
What I think happened is the flight crew was overcome by smoke and the plane continued on the heading, probably on George (autopilot), until it ran out of fuel or the fire destroyed the control surfaces and it crashed. You will find it along that route–looking elsewhere is pointless.