disagree there cleangreen.
it was a fairly scrappy affair in the first half but the team settled into a rhythm in second half.
this was a chance for a lot of second string players to make a mark.
jordie barrett scored 4 tries and had a good all round game.
we had hookers putting good kicks through to set up tries.
ok, the result was never in doubt but the nature of the all blacks performance in the final test of a long season was heartening for this fan.
of more concern is the lopsided score england vs australia. 37-18 to england.
we need australian rugby to be stronger than it is at the moment.
ps, i don’t pay for any sport nowadays, its such an old fashioned habit.
We’re a country the size of Melbourne, generating sports teams that continue to conquer the world.
In Italy we just beat a country with the economic capacity to buy all of our top Rugby players multiple times over if it wanted.
Currently we’re battling it out with Pakistan, a country with 202 million people and over 10 million cricket players. We would be lucky to scrape together 2,000 top players.
Sport is one of New Zealand’s top industries.
It’s also one of the fastest upward routes out of deprivation for many of our citizens.
Well I certainly dislike the kiwi battler meme – bit of a cliche now – I dislike the financial/money angle for sure but hate? Bit OTT there – go and dig the garden you seem a bit worked up old chap.
Anyway I cannot be bothered getting hassled by the likes of you and james so I’ll fuck off and leave you to it.
You got reciprocated twerp. And ad, well the little battler bullshit stuck in my throat esp after the non acceptance from him imo last night that iwi organisations are more than corporates.
But being given shade from a rwnj like you is actually a badge of honour in leftie circles so thanks for the cred LOL
We have issues like climate change confronting the world, yet our puppet media and desperate people dribble on about a sports victory against a minnow team .
Rugby in Aotearoa is more than just a sport.
Rugby clubs have unified communities for generations.
Professional and labourer, town and country, Maori and Pakeha.
It is also how we grew up a little, and got out from the mother country yoke.
That doesn’t mean I can’t be concerned by inequality and CC.
Sport is simply bread and circuses for the masses. Our inane obsession with it says a lot about the mental immaturity of our Country. There are far more important pursuits in life. Sure, keep fit by doing some sport, but professionalism has turned it into something as bad as fundamentalist religion.
Ad isn’t always wrong marty mars. Don’t be prejudiced against him because he sees most things through a money lens. It is true that sport generates money, gives us an international profile, gives opportunities to see the world for low income men and women, gives jobs now to many low income families in a job–poor society (despite rock star rah rah statistics (finely made to match international specifications).
Ad can be relied on to take a certain pragmatic approach, and is pretty consistent, so we know what to expect and respect in his opinions.
I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to the World Women’s 7’s in Hamilton next year. We’ve already booked tickets. There are a couple of our greats who are close to retirement.
Gould might have also mentioned how blessed New Zealand has been to have waves of Pasifika migration to draw talent from across so many sporting fields including Rugby.
In some respects also we are good at enabling female participation as a matter of public policy – but only in the last two years. That’s unusual in global terms still, even if slowly improving.
Don’t get stuck on critique savenz. Bad for mental health. You are so good at taking a country-wide and global view so we know our problems, and also seeing what we could do. Perhaps each separate critical para you state how a change could improve or turn all negative into partly positive I think making a small positive input all the time may make a great change to the mood of the readers.
David Slack’s comment: “You can’t rely on the weather but there are two things you can set your clock by in November: NCEA exams and NCEA exam controversy. This year the level three history exam provided the popcorn. A question used the world ‘trivial’ and students complained this was not a word they knew. There was much rolling of eyes by people of a greater age.”
” There are more than 170,000 words in the Oxford dictionary, and it’s not easy staying on top of them all. John Key, an Auckland businessman and retired politician, left school with a B Bursary and prospered in the world of buying and selling money. He was once a luncheon guest of the Queen. They shared a glass of champagne, hollandaise eggs, beef, a panna cotta dessert and some cheese. “It was quite a fulsome lunch,” he told reporters afterwards, “I’m fairly full.” Over the past eight centuries the word fulsome has been used to mean copious, and it has also been used to mean foul, odious and rotten. Which meaning did he intend? What a conundrum of syzygy.”
Which meaning of syzygy did Slack mean? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syzygy – bright students would ponder the selection and come up with a simile not present: conjoined. Explain that to the class & the other students would be wondering `what does conjoined mean?’
Not in NCEA they can’t. A student asked me whether the word ‘differ’ was the same derivation as ‘different’. I couldn’t answer as an exam supervisor. All I could do was tell him I was not allowed and to do his best.
Some lucky bastards can be as fat as santa and have every other measurement within normal parameters – blod pressure, heart rate, uric acid, liver function, all of that shit. And live to a ripe old age.
In a nutshell: an AB win acts like mass medication to make Kiwis feel good about themselves (Big People) and their country. An AB loss OTOH makes Kiwis feel like Small People in a small country at the bottom of the World (AKA trivial).
Watched in horror on Friday as an elderly male bus driver jumped out of the blue Metro bus he was driving and ran to the vehicle in front. Karate chopped the front windscreen and then punched the young woman driver in the head 2 or 3 times. All happened in peak hour traffic and very quickly. Where do I lodge a report about this ? Police and Auckland Transport ? I have the bus number / time / place etc. And another witness who was with me.
Thank you, Ad. By the time I got out of my car the traffic was moving and the car driver behind me was blowing his horn. The passengers on the bus were not impressed but not sure they could see the violence.
Hard for anyone else to do something in that short space and time. And that fact of crush of traffic and impatience is probably behind the violence, and what might happen at home to an offending female explodes in public.
They are under so much stress, bus and truck drivers. Very sad it comes to that.
I feel that this could tie into something I noticed the other day. The driver of the local recycling truck came along on his busy round. They have a specially built cabin with the wheel on the left side, near the kerb, and space to stand behind it. They draw in, empty the bins into the moving auger? system carefully, make sure they stop that before they reach in to clear anything etc. and quickly move on to the next place. A busy and lonely job,.
I happened to be on the pavement nearby and said Good morning, no response. I spoke again about the weather, but no appearance of being heard or seen. I wondered if he was deaf, and watched how he went about it. He was concentrating on the job, finished dealing with a number of bins, and didn’t look up at all, head down all the time. It seemed, he didn’t want to have any interaction with others around, he seemed sullen, internally angry and unhappy.
It looked to me as if he had a major negative attitude brewing in his brain, was isolating himself from the general public, and it seemed as if a huge resentment and hate might be simmering which left me feeling very uneasy.
What’s your point gabby? Do you want to live in a friendly, happy, interactive society or not? If you have something to say can you make it have some point instead of the first thing that passes through your head momentarily.
That’s what you get when you pay $20 p/h in a stressful job. You mention he was elderly, and male, anything else you want to add in there Patricia? I’m guessing he was not white, thus not fitting the white male privilege… that people love to blame on everything these days… but happy to be proved wrong.
savenz
You are sounding like the way that China is thinking about reporting facts and truth, that they should be filtered in a way so that the results match their requirements for the ‘right’ appearance to be presented that matches the desired approach and image.
Yep, if you want to give a description do it properly, not subjectively, revealing your own bias or these days it seems more a concern about woke identity politics as a sort of brain washing, if you don’t want to reveal a person’s physical appearance, then just use the word, bus driver. The police will want to know anyway.
Actually I first thought is was not a big thing, but actually thinking about a bus driver that has actually left the vehicle to attack a women, actually sounds like a crime that is a police matter, especially as there is a growing issue in Auckland of fake drivers driving commercial vehicles and I have a friend who was hospitalised by one .
If he is that out of control he is assaulting people in public who knows what other things might be revealed.
Also maybe the guy goes home and beats up his wife, who knows?
Assault is a crime for police, not for AT, which is more for bad driving.
If you remove indentity politics, and it’s resulting gender, racial prejudice you get this.
I witnessed a bus driver hop out of the bus, go up to a car, smash the window and assault the driver.
Identity is irrelevant to the event, or the reality of a crime being committed.
Identity politics effect on Law results in a doubled sentence, due to the victims identity, for the male bus driver if the act or harm is identicle if a woman was the bus driver.
Don’t call Auckland Transport, they will do nothing. Call the police and lodge a report, if the driver is that bad they might run someone over next time they have a road rage attack and at least with the police there will be more chance of them catching who did it and working out whether the driver should be working with the public or not.
Also the police can check whether he has a fake bus license or not, which is a growing problem of both fake licenses and also identity swaps where the person driving does not match the whoever was supposed to be driving the vehicle.
Know someone who was hospitalised by that scam. Police are investigating and I think did bring charges, but the person who caused the accident looked nothing like the drivers license photo and tried to flee the scene in his delivery van. Meanwhile our hospitals are filling up and people’s lives being destroyed by injury by these fakes.
AT employ so many people doing processes it will never get anywhere, let alone they understand the seriousness of what is going on with drivers attacking people and all the fakes out there.
Gee you see a woman punched in the head two or three times and two days later ask on a forum where do you lodge a report?
It’s amazes me that people can’t work shit like this out and are happy to drive on and do nothing like call the police when they see a young woman assaulted.
Gee a little inadequate twerp makes all sorts of ill informed and ignorant judgments about another based on a question on this forum and shows, once again, why he is a waste of space and a loser.
It amazes me that people like that, so puffed up with their own privilege, just mouth off without engaging their brains.
Not stupidness but boredom – the boredom of a right wing nut job when pretending is even too much.
No, James has a point there. The incident should have been reported on Friday. As it was assault it probably should have been a 111 call but a *555 probably would have worked as well.
That said, this speaks of what I said the other day. People seeing an action that they don’t know how to handle because it’s outside of their experience.
The New Zealand truckies are workers seeking to stop being required to work over 70 hours a week. That’s 6 days a week 12 hours a day.
Those workers are controlling machinery weighing 1-2 tonnes traveling at 90 kilometers an hour often mere centimeters from the public which includes you and your family.
They don’t want to be worked so hard that they cause deaths.
Another option is to get trains running and a more workable way to transit from them (aka don’t put a port in the middle of downtown Auckland) so that we don’t need all these polluting, road damaging, and dangerous trucks on the road.
“Trucking companies are competing for big contracts at the expense of their staff, a truck driver’s union has warned.
It says the companies are competing for tenders by forcing drivers to accept low pay rates and long work hours.
First Union secretary for transport Jared Abbott said a lot of drivers were working at least 70 hours, the maximum hours allowed per week.
“We see it a lot where people are pushed to break the logbook rules or to breach health and safety in some way.
“Their scared – rightfully so – for their livelihoods to test it and we see it a lot with quite reputable companies where people do test it, they get shafted.”
Part of problem is most truckers are contractors in corporate colours ( mainfreifgt freight Courier post etc) They own the issue as well as many on wages now and in the pass have taken the piss on hours and looking after company vehicals; etc not to mention over the top Union action They in essence shafted themselves Saying that contractor drivers are way more incentivised to align business and individual interest; albeit agree it is a race to the bottom to a degree at the moment driven by procurement division of buyers of freight services not the freight companies themselves
At our NGO committee meeting with ‘Port of Napier’ executives in November 2016 we were advised of this; –
“The truckies have warned the Port of Napier that they will fight rail to retaining their 90% of moving logs to the port”.
So we are fighting a war against truckies who don’t want to use public owned rail period.
As to road safety;
So the Government needs urgently now to sort the truckies out here, as we will loose many lives on our narrow windy roads as the “wall of wood arrives”.
Your key responsibilities as an executive officer
Some key responsibilities may include ensuring that:
• your business practices do not require or encourage
drivers to:
― exceed the speed limits
― exceed regulated driving hours
― fail to meet the minimum rest requirements
― drive while impaired by fatigue.
• heavy vehicles and their loads comply with relevant mass
and dimension requirements
• you remain informed of business performance in regards
to CoR responsibilities
• you lead other parties in the supply chain with effective
guidance with regards to complying with the HVNL
• your decisions do not influence the conduct of the
corporation to breach the law
• systems to manage safety and all requirements and
obligations of the HVNL are in place.”
As I understand it, if an incident occurs the driver’s logs etc are examined to ensure that the workload expected and time taken to deliver was reasonable. If not, the responsibility for the incident is shifted to management.
That was disappointing Gabby. For a second I saw the ch and thought you were talking about chocolate! Choochoos, Thomas the tank engine and all, aren’t they stories that you read to children about long ago ways to get around and go to see at old technology parks? /sarc cleangreen don’t blow a foofoo valve.
Wonder if the truckies would be supportive of a law that prevented them from working more than 8 hours a day and no more than five days a week. They are, after all, correct in that long hours behind driving is dangerous and it’s not just to them but to the rest of the population as well.
I bet they\ truckies would not want to limit themselves to short hours like that and would rather work longer hours, but not to the extent they are pushed now. It wouldn’t be so bad if truckies got extra payment for working unsocial hours, and over the 8 hour limit, which would be justified. They would have been paid properly for their time and effort like that once. And of course there has to be an upper limit otherwise it is too hard on the drivers.
But they are being pressured to go too far for too long, and the roads are not coping. Nine years National had to work out a better transport plan, but no. And their stooge Ken Shirley happily on the one hand talks about how busy the transport industry is and then wants more money spent on roads. He used to be in the Labour Party I think. He knew which side has the best butter and most bread.
David is purposely starting fights in bars so someone will beat him up.
Jo is knowingly getting into positions that cause injury on the rugby field. Jo then aggravates the injury.
Daniel hides his self-harming and tells a counsellor years later after stopping.
Females aren’t the only ones that self-harm. David and Daniel are male. Jo is agender…
… there is an emphasis on seeing self-harm as largely a female issue – see for example a recent Stuff article, “Why are our girls hurting themselves?”
Some research suggests self-harm is more common in females. Other research suggests the number of males and females self-harming is about the same. And don’t forget there are more than two genders.
But even if self-harm is more common in females, it is still an issue for other genders…
… Stuff obtained figures from the Ministry of Health to show there was a significant number – 4,328 – of females aged between 10 and 29 hospitalised due to self-injury last year. Self-injury probably means suicidal behaviour and non-suicidal self-harm.
The figures also show there was a significant number of males hospitalised – 1,630…
… I worry anyone who isn’t female might hesitate to be open about self-harming. They may even fail to recognise that what they are doing is self-harm. This might hinder them asking for help, if it is needed.
A thought provoking post marty. Would this come under mental health?
Perhaps it shows expression of deeply felt pain. More funding for trained help could assist.
How do we create connections to provide community support? Self harm can be so hard to see sometimes. Some harm behaviours need a trigger, some are repeated responses to stress.
This is apparently a growing problem. A symptom of larger social ills?
Perhaps we are ‘connected by the internet’ but are ‘touch deprived’ so have constant grief.
Self harm for males can be exactly the same as females, in being a cry for help. It’s just not addressed, identified, diagnosed as well as females.
One issue for males is risk taking self harm. So the young male who isn’t intentionaly suiciding engages in high risk acts. Driving extremely dangerously combines with “look at me” male behavours. An episode of suicidle thoughts may combine with dangerous driving, as a release.
So the self harm is never identified because they don’t cut themselves etc.
Suicide for men often involves “cry for help” with nobody giving a shit.
Parliaments self immolation victim is a perfect example.
Male teens engage in risk-taking activities and behaviour because they think they’re indestructible, which is fuelled by testosterone spikes and the fact that their brains haven’t fully developed and matured.
It’s mating behavour of look at me, I’m the best, strongest, healthiest driven by sexual chemistry far more complex than just testosterone. You said they think but then said they don’t think.
It’s a direct counter to young females biologically being attracted older men, in that older men have proven to have successful genes. There is no thinking involved in the females mating preference.
Just as there is no thinking involved in females being sexually attracted to males or a male being sexually attracted to other men.
Replicated throughout the animal kingdom.
That is completely different from depression based suicide behavours and self harming.
Your comment is why recognising males with problems is ignored as it just gets attributed to feminist ideology that males are inherently flawed. A male acting out can be a cry for help but is put down as you expressed as just the actions of a stupid male.
It was true for some risk-taking males, just as your initial comment was true for others.
The difficulty with the self harm identified in the article is how an observer is supposed to identify the intention. Does someone get into bar fights because they are insecure and drunk, or because they are intentionally self-destructive? Is a fight a good time for them, reasserting macho dominance? A sportsman playing through an injury: intentional self harm, or foolish machismo “toughing out” the injury? A guy jumping off a wall: poor decision making, or intentional self harm?
Cuts with a razor and (sometimes) prescription overdoses leave little ambiguity.
But yes, just as heart attacks in women are often underdiagnosed because the publicised symptoms tend to be in males, and just as males can be late-diagnosed with eating disorders or breast cancer, self harm in males can be underdiagnosed.
Difficult as very few can deconstruct what they witness from family and freinds. Resulting in family saying they never saw any signs of there loved ones having issues prior to suicide. But they were present.
In the case of ambiguous injuries, there is a shortcoming where if we can’t see it, we can’t count it, and if we can’t count it, we can’t assess it as a need of the population.
And everything is a balance of resources until utopia comes: if a DHB has X$ to spend on public health and wellness campaigns and a greater number of potential compaigns looking for funding, It comes down to which selection of programs will do the greatest good for X$ spent. Which is how qualitative stuff sometimes gets ignored.
Very well said. Acting out often is just what it is: acting out, establishing boundaries, developing identity (and persona). Where warning signs can become tell-tale signs is when a negative repetitive pattern develops, for example.
The scientific literature must be awash with feminist propaganda but I stick with the literature nevertheless if you don’t mind – indeed, there are competing (or rather complementing) scientific hypotheses. But feel free to put up a credible link that supports your statement.
It’s mating behavour [sic] of look at me, I’m the best, strongest, healthiest driven by sexual chemistry far more complex than just testosterone.
Just as well that I didn’t argue that it was all down to “just testosterone”.
You said they think but then said they don’t think.
Please read it again; that isn’t at all what I said.
Your comment is why recognising males with problems is ignored as it just gets attributed to feminist ideology that males are inherently flawed.
This makes no sense whatsoever!? Males are flawed and therefore we ignore their problems or we assume that they don’t have a problems!? You seem to have hang ups about this “feminist ideology” you keep referring to.
A male acting out can be a cry for help but is put down as you expressed as just the actions of a stupid male.
This is exactly the point I was trying to make, which is that correct interpretation of a male acting out is very difficult. You grabbed the wrong end of the stick and went off on your rant.
True that, many males are still stuck in their teenage years. After all, it’s an important market segment for gyms. And don’t get me started on roid rage.
A apposed to females with I’m a princess syndrome manifesting in things like bridezillas who reject males for only offering $1,000 rings vs $5,000 dollar ones. An important market for pointless bits of rock.
All part of the mating behaviour. To you it’s a pointless bit of rock but to her it’s clear sign how much the potential mate ‘values’ her and how far he can and will go to woe her. Many women want their wedding day to be very special and the best day of their lives (AKA the dream wedding) but that doesn’t make them princesses or bridezillas. Reality TV is a misnomer, you know?
What does the man get in turn for this “woman want”. It is clearly not necessary then. It should be “special, best day”. Like out of a fantasy movie. Everything else is equal isn’t it?
So what do men get? Equality speaking. For a fantasy to come true for them?
We’re still talking about the mating ritual, are we? Almost 8 billion people on this planet all chasing fantasies? About half of them are bridezillas and the other half are hapless creatures that cannot and must not get fulfilment (or, as more directly verbalised by the Rolling Stones: satisfaction)? Do you and/or your partner/spouse wear a ring? A pointless bit of metal?
You’re all over the place; does your left hand know what your right hand is doing? You seem to have too much time on your hands …
Well, it seems we do have something in common: an overactive brain that doesn’t know when to stop. For this reason I landed on TS a few years back and I’ve found it very therapeutic as well as educational and informative. Some Standardistas just blow me away. And there’s humour, not quite enough IMO, but at times it is enough to dissipate the worries and stresses of a long day at work and life in general.
You think of something, think “X would like that”, and do it, because you love them. And X does the same, not as a transaction but because they love you.
And sometimes people need reassurance that they are loved, and sometimes all this other crap is going on and future inlaws might be judging and the seating plan can’t have exes close to each other etc etc etc.
If I proposed to someone and they turned me down because the ring wasn’t expensive enough, I’d know it wasn’t reciprocal love and I’d be well out of that. But if someone’s cool with a transactional arrangement, fair enough.
If you want to reject someone then it’s easier to say “you’re ring is not worth enough” rather than “you’re the last man on earth I’d ever want to marry”. Rejected males are not the safest people to be around so it’s best to do it as impersonally as possible.
Yep. I was scared a partner would stab me to death in my sleep once. I had already had to flee through the house shuting myself in a room because my partner used a knife to explain my bank account was empty for good reasons. Getting out of relationships with crazy individuals isn’t easy. Honesty and self preservation conflict.
On a post last week, somebody mentioned a new article by public finance expert Don Gilling on AUT’s Briefing Papers website had disappeared. It is now back online:
It raises questions about the stewardship of the National Library and Archives NZ by the Department of Internal Affairs since these agencies were merged into DIA in 2010. Gilling notes the decline in NLNZ budget under DIA, even while the Department’s overall budget has risen, as well as the increasing proportion of NLNZ budget going to DIA for centrally managed costs. The implication is that DIA is milking NLNZ and Archives to cover other departmental functions.
One might also ask why the DIA is managing the current review of the Library, Archives and Nga Taonga, when there is such an apparent conflict of interest. Brian Easton alluded to this on his Pundit blog some months back:
lprent commented on Don’s article disappearing from Briefing Papers inhis patest post here (link below) and asked if anyone knew Don Gilling etc. he would be interested in seeing the article.
I do know him and was intending contacting him (or Brian Easton who is a very close friend/associate of Don’s) to ask what happened with it. By coincidence, yesterday I met his wife in a shop and mentioned the article and its disappearance from BPs and the fact that there were people here including lprent interested in seeing it. Apparently it had been put up there by someone else, not Don so then taken down. She was going to raise it with Don, but the article was probably already back up on BPs already by that stage.
Apparently Don has been getting a lot of interest and feedback on his thoughts in this article. I noted recently that Don is also now on the Committee of the Friends of the Turnbull Library here in Wellington for the 2018/19 year,
An implication of Don Gilling’s article is that NLNZ & Archives NZ have been subject to the same kind of austerity RNZ suffered under the last government. But, buried layers down in DIA, this has been far less visible.
Didn’t we lose a collection of historical photos a few years ago, due to the asinine decision to outsource them to a small digital conversion outfit in the US, which then went into bankruptcy and never returned those photos?
Whether they have been returned yet I don’t know. There were concerns at the time about whether Ministry of Culture and Heritage had exercised proper oversight under the Protected Objects Act.
We are like children being led into the Forest of Business and Dubious Efficiency. Questions were raised about the wisdom and good faith involved in taking control in 2010 of our heritage material and putting it under the wing of a big Department with wide responsibilities.
It raises questions about the stewardship of the National Library and Archives NZ by the Department of Internal Affairs since these agencies were merged into DIA [Department of Internal Affairs] in 2010.
Now we should be determined to stop this downgrading of irreplaceable stuff about our past. We have had decades of dilettantes in government to make useful profitable connections for themselves, interested in cutting the part of the budget that went on tasks requiring and needing government care and scrutiny. (Notice Sam A 5.2.1 – the missing photographs so carelessly dispensed with to the USA business.)
Also remember the horror of letting a populist politician get control over important historic records in Canada.
Like a bull in a china shop. The Harper Government Has Trashed and Destroyed Environmental Books and Documents
In the first few days of 2014, scientists, journalists, and environmentalists were horrified to discover that the Harper government had begun a process to close seven of the 11 of Canada’s world-renowned Department of Fisheries and Oceans libraries… https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/4w578d/the-harper-government-has-trashed-and-burned-environmental-books-and-documents
Various NZ s over the years need to set themselves up as Guardians of whatever and follow the taonga, Friends of the Taonga or Friends of … to differentiate Maori from pakeha objects as there are so many that could be lost, the kaitiaki of each should watch what they know and treasure, working in conjunction.
Thanks Sam. I couldn’t recall the details of the archive, and having it identified as Fairfax decision rather than government, means that our collective archive was not affected.
I recall at the time seeing images of some of the colonial photos that were being advertised on eBay, which seemed such a loss.
John Wight exposes the West’s war crimes in Yemen.
‘’As crimes pile up, they become invisible’: Western complicity in Saudi Arabia’s dirty war in Yemen.
The complicity of Western governments in the ocean of suffering being wrought in Yemen exposes them as agents of Saudi brutality.
After three years of relentless conflict, it has been estimated that out of a population of 27.4 million, 22.2 million people in Yemen are in need of humanitarian assistance, 17 million are food insecure, 14.8 million lack basic healthcare, 4.5 million children are suffering malnourishment, while 2.9 million people are internally displaced. As for dead and injured, the toll stands at almost 10,000 and 50,000 respectively.
…..Returning to Western complicity in the carnage and suffering being meted out to the Yemeni people, never has there been a more naked example of hypocrisy masquerading as democracy. Indeed, the longstanding alliance between the US, UK and Saudi Arabia takes a scalpel to the oft-repeated boasts of Washington and London when it comes to their self-appointed role as champions and guardians of human rights and democracy.
Beginning with the Obama administration, and ramped up under Trump, US involvement in this brutal conflict has consisted of direct military airstrikes (carried out against Al-Qaeda and Islamic State targets, according to Washington), along with logistical, intelligence, and other non-combat support provided to the anti-Houthi Saudi-led coalition. This, of course, is not forgetting US arms sales to the Kingdom, consisting of over 50 percent of all US arms exports.
….The war in Yemen is a dirty war, being waged by a Western-supported Saudi kleptocracy in the name of clerical fascism. Bertolt Brecht was right: “As crimes pile up, they become invisible”
On Monday, November 26, 2018, NASA’s Mars Insight is scheduled to land on Mars. The spacecraft will touch down at approximately 20:00 UTC (3 p.m. EST). Watch coverage of the event on NASA TV. Live landing commentary runs from 19:00-20:30 UTC (2-3:30 p.m. EST). Translate UTC to your time.
Great thanks Joe. The new age of hope perhaps turning into reality?
And this more of the same:
“…Instead of using propellers or turbines, the researchers used electroaerodynamics. The technology works by sending a current through an electrode which electrically charges the molecules in the surrounding air. These charged molecules are then attracted towards a separate electrode on the aircraft – this movement of ions and neutral air particles generates an effect known as ionic or electric wind. By positioning an aerofoil in this air flow, lift can be generated, potentially allowing powered flight.” https://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=12164473
Ion engines are already well established as the best in space, propulsion engine.
Essentially the rocket engine ejects matter at low speed, requiring scale to lift the rocket. The ion engine ejects very little mass but it is at extremely high speed.
The efficiency of rockets to create momentum is small. The efficiency of ion engines to create momentum is very high.
The energy for an ion energy is electricity from, nuclear heat/Stirling engines, or Solar. Solar is effective in the inner solar system but not in the outer solar system so most projects have nuclear heat/Stirling engines. Not to be confused by Nuclear power plants as they are not a controlled fission. They are simply concentrated radioactive elements giving off heat designed to match power needs, with the Stirling engine designed to match.
In theory ion engines (today’s tech) could accelerate a starship into the 5% to 10% of speed of light range. This results in interstellar travel below the 200 year mark for already identified colonisation viable solar systems.
The energy for an ion energy is electricity from, nuclear heat/Stirling engines, or Solar.
Nope. Radioisotope thermoelectric generator just use standard thermocouples. No Stirling engines involved. I suspect the added mass and complexity makes Stirling engines impractical.
I think this sort of tech is interesting because it highlights energy sources that are green and as yet have limited practical applications. I think it’s wrong to bypass it because it is yet to raise a Cessna.
Another that interests me is the way air rushes out of a tube that stretches from sea level up to mountain top.
It would be great if there was a natural geological tube that coastal air shot up and would carry positioned parcels up to a certain height and platform, then they could be directed down slides or something to a collection point below using gravity.
Probably not viable but the idea of a tube effect of fast moving air upwards is appealing.
That fast moving air upwards has to get its energy from somewhere. If we’re looking at then using that fast moving air to do work, chances are it’ll work out to be more efficient, convenient, and flexible to turn that energy into electricity. Either by using the fast moving air to drive a generator, or going a step further back and harvesting whatever energy source that made the air move fast to make electricity instead.
Reliability of the Stirling is an issue but I have seen figures of 100,000 hours reliable for inline magnetic and air bearing versions. They are not that big for the advantages, anything from cup size to fridge size, but much bigger than thermocouples. More expensive too.
A good example is adoption in sun following dish/mirrors in that they are by far the best performing heat to usable energy system.
If the basis of the system is to give grunt to an engine then the power you can put in matters.
Imagine a spacecraft supporting lots of people. The power requirements will be huge without solar being effective. The small spacecraft with 100W needs is perfect for RTG but large ships will go in the Stirling direction.
The Stirling generators were extensively tested on Earth by NASA, but their development was cancelled in 2013 before they could be deployed on actual spacecraft missions.
Reliability of the Stirling is an issue but I have seen figures of 100,000 hours reliable for inline magnetic and air bearing versions.
Voyager has been running continuously for 40+ years so for ~400,000 hours.
Imagine a spacecraft supporting lots of people. The power requirements will be huge without solar being effective. The small spacecraft with 100W needs is perfect for RTG but large ships will go in the Stirling direction.
More than likely at some point but it hasn’t happened yet.
Yes, they canceled that project along with many others, but it is still being developed for other projects in space. The lifecycle of the engine isn’t an issue if a person is there to do repairs. Voyager is a good example of what the design requirements are. No maintenance possible and thermocouples are the only option.
I was reading about spaceships powered by ion drives half a century ago, in scifi books, when I was a teenager. I knew enough college physics to get that it was plausible in theory, but haven’t heard of any building of such in practice since, so I routinely dismiss all such stuff nowadays a mere speculation.
In fact, although Kim Stanley Robinson did an excellent trilogy about the terraforming of Mars and atmospheric production could make it habitable if the rate exceeded gravitational loss at the upper margin, I’ve long since given up on the notion that it’ll happen. Those dozens of breakdowns & malfunctions in the DEW system, Chernobyl, Murphy’s Law, the tendency of computers to head into dysfunction just like people, nah, I got no faith in technology left…
I was reading about spaceships powered by ion drives half a century ago, in scifi books, when I was a teenager. I knew enough college physics to get that it was plausible in theory, but haven’t heard of any building of such in practice since, so I routinely dismiss all such stuff nowadays a mere speculation.
“We have shown that X3 can operate at over 100 kW of power,” said Alec Gallimore, who is leading the project, in an interview with Space.com. “It operated at a huge range of power from 5 kW to 102 kW, with electrical current of up to 260 amperes. It generated 5.4 Newtons of thrust, which is the highest level of thrust achieved by any plasma thruster to date,” added Gallimore, who is dean of engineering at the University of Michigan. The previous record was 3.3 Newtons, according to the school.
NOW EXPOSED: A UK-led, ‘New Cold War’ int’l intelligence propaganda & disinformation operation, using top Mainstream Media ‘journalists’, govt staff, #AtlanticCouncil, in partnership w/#NATO designed to increase fear and tension between West & Russia:.
Anonymous has published documents which it claims have unearthed a massive UK-led psyop to create a “large-scale information secret service” in Europe.
I wouldn’t view that stuff as anything much beyond an example of how stupidly paranoid some people are. This made me laugh – (From the “Integrity Initiative” handbook)
…the Integrity Initiative is funded by the Institute for Statecraft. The IfS gets its funding from multiple sources to ensure its independence. These include: private individuals; charitable foundations; international organisations (EU, NATO); UK Govt (FCO, MOD)
Kind of lacking in basic integrity I’d have thought. Oh, and the “independence”? Yeah well… probably best not to comment on the narrow focus embodied by such a ‘broad’ sweep of ‘diverse’ funding bodies, eh? 😉
Yes Germany has long wanted to even the score with Russia for the loss of the war in 1945 so the underside of Germany is alive still and want to see another ‘action’ against Russia.
Germany cant change their spots like others cant either.
That is human nature unfortunately and Britain knows that all to well.
There was a throwaway sentence in a textbook I was reading: "In 1793, the French actress Olympe de Gouges was guillotined by the Jacobins, after daring to demand political rights for women as well as men." Of course I had to find out who she was, and why I'd never heard of her. pic.twitter.com/59HaeekhtR— Hanna Nina Jameson (@Hanna_Jameson) October 27, 2018
Probably because a person who fights for the political rights for women as well as men is an actual Feminist. Completely different from those who stand in parliament spouting the magnificent Ministry for Women, claiming to be feminists, then vehemently attacking attempts to create a Ministry for Men.
Plus the patriarchy narrative requires ignoring the reality of our past so many brave women and mens actions are ignored. Kate Sheppards advocacy for women is made godlike, while the decades long voting rights battle behind both male suffrage and its resulting female voting rights becomes a footnote. Very few would know the names of the men who put forward male sufferage laws in NZ or who put forward female sufferage laws in NZ.
The Ecuadorian government has removed its ambassador to the UK, sparking speculation over Julian Assange’s future at the diplomatic mission there.
The 47-year-old founder of WikiLeaks moved into the Ecuadorian Embassy in central London in 2012 while wanted for questioning over sexual assault allegations in Sweden. Assange maintained his innocence and claimed the charges were nothing more than an attempt to extradite him to the United States.
Yes but where will they go. And perhaps there should be hermitage, sanctuary for whistleblowers who need protecting so they don’t get shot, damaged by acid, sawn up and other grisly outcomes.
he is a grown up, he can get a job, rent a flat, find a supermarket and buy some groceries. And next time he has sex with a women and the deal/agreement/consent is only with a condom, i suggest he wears a condom.
Can’t give a flying poo about this guy, he can go in the wilderness and stay there. The sooner he gets out of the media, real of fake the better. He has spammed the world long enough.
It is a pity that you “Pride Parade” guys and girls, slander the police. You clearly don’t understand the constant Bravery and Service the Police give to the Citizens of New Zealand.
No wonder the significant Businesses of Auckland have withdrawn their support from you – because of your childish attitudes.
Show off and Dance on our streets. Yes. But don’t pretend you are anything like as important as our Police Women and Men. They Lay their Bodies on the line. – Day and Night.
A couple of takeouts from Daniel Andrews’ crushing landslide win for Labor in Victoria.
Voters will overlook any number of missteps in a government if they see that government getting on doing stuff to make their lives better – so knock yourself out National, bang on about Sroubek, Clare Curran, Meka Whaitiri and all the rest of it as much as you like. So long voters think the Coalition is working for them it won’t make any difference.
It’s totally game over for the old Tory trick of promising tax cuts and small government without compromising essential services. Voters have wised up to that bullshit, they know they can’t have both tax cuts and well maintained hospitals, schools and transport and all the other government services. Middlemore Hospital, the WOF debacle, schools maintenance, you name it National is going to get whacked with this.
Infrastructure spending wins votes. Voters in Melbourne, a city bursting at the seams (its population topped 5 milllion earlier this year according to Stats Australia) flocked to Labor on the back of Andrews’ pledge to spend 50 billion dollars on infrastructure and they didn’t much care that some of that money will need to be borrowed.
With crime falling in most western democracies, banging the law and order drum doesn’t work like it used to. Earlier this year Peter Dutton claimed that Victorians were too scared to go out for dinner at night because of gang violence in Melbourne. A ridiculous statement that just seems to have pissed off Melburnians, not least because he’s a Queensland federal MP.
Nathan Guy was pretty unelectable after being sprung doing dodgy deals with developers in his role as the responsible minister when last in power.
Like here they’re getting on with it on an almost gridlocked Melbourne that’s done nowhere near enough on public transport as it zoomed past 5mill a few months ago.
In the days before mass immigration the middle classes of Russian, China, Middle East and India would rise up and overthrow their dictators and demand further rights, nowadays, the middle class support them, get a plane ticket out of those countries to places like NZ and the west and leave the tin pot dictators alone, who then use their money to reduce the welfare and rights of small countries like NZ, influence big countries, whose governments are only too keen to take the cash, the loans, and the cheap labour, decrease then educational standards, and pocket the money for their assets to be bought. Sometimes they are so frightened of being ‘racist’ they give them away for free, aka water rights because the laws have been written for that very purpose. Anyone who doesn’t agree is ‘racist’ apparently.
Likewise the mass displacement of the Middle East and Africa of refugees and economic migrants. Guess what, nobody says stop bombing the shit out of those countries and start spending money on making sure that those countries are habitable with enough food and water and resources to support themselves, that is where the debate should be…
nope straight too, where should these people go and making other countries forces secure the oil lines etc?
The people of earth themselves are between rock and a hard place with so many stupid politicians and political strategists and the world’s media owned by the world’s wealthy and sending the same messages of distraction and neoliberalism to further a short term gain and environmental destruction, massive migration for the privileged or desperate.
None of this will turn out well in the end for any of the countries and most of the people and the flora and fauna, but great if your individual goal in life is to own a super yacht, a sports team, gold curtains and more money and houses and assets than you can live in or even manage, and earn that by legal and illegal theft or manipulation of former public assets and resources.
I was looking at Karl Marx and petite bourgeoisie yesterday and go the quote below. It seems that the middle classes are not action-oriented for better things for all, rather re-action to protect their standard of living and growing privilege.
When i worked in a solicitor’s office dealing with accident claims before ACC, I didn’t notice them trying to get better law that was helpful and kinder to those who had workplace injuries. He wasn’t into changing anything for that reason.
An interesting piece of theory – He [Wilhelm Reich] claimed that the middle classes were a hotbed for political reaction due to their reliance on the patriarchal family (according to Reich, small businesses are often self-exploiting enterprises of families headed by the father, whose morality binds the family together in their somewhat precarious economic position) and the sexual repression that underlies it.[5]‘ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petite_bourgeoisie
It seems to me that feminists were majorly middle class and were agitating for better conditions. But they were thinking of themselves and when the
changes happened that suited them with a with some trickle-down to the poorer, disadvantaged, the pressure for change dropped. Things improved and then change slowed, and the ones who needed most, only got a toe-in I think, not a shoe-in.
Point being that the middle classes have never risen up against squat.
They are who they are because of their obeisance to their betters, their contemptible disregard for their lessors, and their continued prosperity relies entirely on maintaining the status quo.
Oooh you are so hard joe 90. I think I prefer living in the middle classes and perhaps I am not so good about caring and sharing. Thinks – uncomfortable.
Wrong. The middle class are the swing voters in democracy. (Steriotyping) The poor will vote left no matter what’s happening. The rich will vote right no matter what’s happening. The middle class will react to incompetence buy voting for the opposite, or react to voting bribes. The middle class in self preservation reacts to propaganda.
They rise up at every election. They just don’t march in the streets.
Hence democracy fails in that it never addresses the poor or reigns in the rich. The minority becomes oppressed by the majority.
S’cuse the ignorance, but since I don’t follow the machinations of Australian politics, I have to ask, – assuming that the Liberal Party is of the full on soggy shit smeared variety, is the Australian Labor Party much more worth or use than slightly and suspiciously soiled toilet paper ?
The bloke Julian Assange threw into the Washington military dungeon turned out to be a sweet young lady. Chelsea.
I hope Assange controls himself and keeps well away from her, – now that she is a respected USA Citizen.
What with Jules going a bit far with his two Swedish female staff – and Trump famous for his ever ready Pussygrope, Chelsea should take lots of care. Always board the right Boeing – Chelsea
in the meantime, Assange is pulling faces at the Ecuador Embassy and generally being the objectionable upstart that he always is.
Fascinating stuff Observer. This is why i generally keep away from discussing the USA-involved political stuff. It’s a sideshow to keep us from thinking about the serious development stuff we need to concentrate on – the world is a stage, and we need to be actors in our part of it is my certainty. Climate change is changing the scenery.
This is an example of how we can be easily distracted from politics. Start replacing interest in what is happening with entertainment – Punch and Judy anyone? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcE7ppOT_0c
Then on the other hand, can what is being shown in the longer show after the first short excerpt, is from Brighton Beach, UK. indicate an approach that would be right for now for New Brighton beach and pier in Christchurch NZ.
If Brighton, Christchurch could throw a regular event between 1 and 3pm on Saturday afternoons with traditional things like donkey rides, balloons, music, dancing to a youth band, and do it with good publicity for a season, they could boost their economic life.
Try Napier beach now it has a heavy deep ditch 10 meters off the shoreline, that now has developed super sized ‘undertow” of swirling currents that now knock you off your feet and drag you under.
Several have drowned now from this super sized undertow so yes the beaches are changing dramatically now because of increases in current flow and surrounding sea temperature increases we are told.
Here is piece on Christchurch, New Brighton that shows how well they are doing
and mentions the problems. That beach is one of Christchurch’s assets and
I am sure they will adapt and build jobs and businesses for the locals. Pop-ups for cheaper buildings on shaky ground, with limited investment in a changing coastline for instance. If you are there at Christmas – school holidays give them a visit and fly kites if the wind is right and make sandcastles on real sand on the long beach. And I think there is kite-surfing there.
It has a pretty good UPS system with the server and the network endpoints on it. I check it every 4 months and battery replace every year. It will last about 6-8 hours on fresh batteries. 4-6 when I replace them.
I’m in central Auckland which has been somewhat refurbished power-wise after they blacked or browned me and everyone else out periodically for 3 months in 1998 in a stunning display of the efficiency of greed and deregulation 🙂
Wouldn’t mind some largeish Li-ion or Li-iron. But they need very good control systems – especially in my living room 🙂 I work with large Li-ion in large quantities, so I can tell you that I don’t to see that kind of failure here.
Currently the prices are formidable, but coming down. But in the meantime sealed lead-acid is good enough and cheap enough to keep the site running.
From a farm pov this is a notable problem that shows up the city as polluter.
But we are talking here about people pollution, not farm animals. It is obvious that many NZ dairy farms are overstocked and ignoring good husbandry of their animals and their effluent. First step is to control runoff, limit irrigation, and destock numbers.
Similarly with people. The farm-business big-export, big-profit phalanx want to overstock NZ with people who either bring in investment money or are charged for working here at minimal wages. We now have too many people in pockets of concentration, for the modern facilities provided to keep the place healthy and attractive. If you want to reduce city pollution complain to the decision-making people suffering from the hungry tapeworm called super-wealth.
(There appears to be a serious outbreak of some disease which may be parasitic tapeworms – Ingesting the eggs leads to tapeworm larvae growing in many different human tissues, particularly brain and muscle. https://www.verywellhealth.com/parasitic-infections-of-the-central-nervous-system-2488670)
This would explain why we see such little brain power indicated in poor planning and decision making in the country, and the lack of physical activity driving many of these debilitated people to sit all day playing around with computer models which are supposed to mirror real life, but actually are pale imitations.
You started me off bwaghorn – the above guff is your fault!
Scientists are proposing an ingenious but as-yet-unproven way to tackle climate change: spraying sun-dimming chemicals into the Earth’s atmosphere.
The research by scientists at Harvard and Yale universities, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, proposes using a technique known as stratospheric aerosol injection, which they say could cut the rate of global warming in half.
The technique would involve spraying large amounts of sulfate particles into the Earth’s lower stratosphere at altitudes as high as 12 miles. The scientists propose delivering the sulfates with specially designed high-altitude aircraft, balloons or large naval-style guns.
From the Exec summary of this months O3/wmo report.
Intentional long-term geoengineering applications that substantially increase stratospheric aerosols to mitigate global warming by reflecting sunlight would alter the stratospheric ozone layer. The estimated magnitude and even the sign of ozone changes in some regions are uncertain because of the high sensitivity
to variables such as the amount, altitude, geographic location, type of injection and the halogen loading. An increase of the stratospheric sulfate aerosol burden in amounts sufficient to substantially reduce global radiative forcing would delay the recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole. Much less is known about the effects on
ozone from geoengineering solutions using non-sulfate aerosols.
Science proceeds via experiment. Trial & error. Atmosphere experimentation: if it doesn’t work, just throw it away & get another one. Normal scientific method, as performed by normal scientists.
The Archdruid is usually good on the big picture, and the past year or two he’s been on about faustian culture. Google it gets you this:
“Faustian culture is driven to reach as far as it can in all directions, almost as a virtue in itself. It sees itself as built atop all previous cultures. It dreams of global dominance, and has many senses achieved that but it is unsatisfied. The climb of perpetual progress is an important story to the Faustian man.”
“Faustian Culture began in Western Europe around the 10th century and according to Spengler such has been its expansionary power that by the 20th century it was covering the entire earth, with only a few regions where Islam provides an alternative world view.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decline_of_the_West
Alerts us to why China’s dictator is in rebel mode, eh? Too negligible to even rate a mention. “The use of the word ‘Faustian’ when describing the Western culture Spengler explained by pointing out a parallel between the tragic figure of Faust and the Western world. Just as Faust sold his soul to the devil to gain greater power, the Western man sold his soul to technics.” https://faustianeurope.wordpress.com/2007/07/…/oswald-spengler-and-faustian-cultur…
So there you have it. Techne – modern equivalent of magic – driven toward global transformation by the Promethean power drive in our collective unconscious. Don’t assume atmosphere experiments are merely scientific hubris!
Nothing obvious in the way of a substantial advance since I read up on it around seven years ago. Usage would snowball noticeably if the successes cited were generally replicable. The economic rewards would compel that.
One. Two
You know it all you smart arse. Well get off your bottom and go and fix it, whatever, instead of hanging round here trying to prevent us getting to know about some of the things your great mind has already absorbed. I am just so sick of you lazy geniuses, all talk and no commitment to useful action for the good of humankind.
You have no idea what I do or who I am, GW…so dial it a little bit eh…
If you think my pointing out that J90 was posting rehashed articles, which he has admitted to not actually reading before linking 20.4…then you’re barking up the wrong tree…
On you can be in your own way..same applies to every one of us…
which he has admitted to not actually reading before linking 20.4
Arse. After reading the abstract of the paper referred to in the CNN article I posted, I noted that the CNN article erroneously inferred that the paper was an actual proposal.
So again, do fuck off you supercilious sack of shit, and take your disingenuous drivel with you.
I have every idea what you do on this blog One Two. And what line you take usually – negative. Seeing that the world is in crisis perhaps you could start looking for better ways to aid your fellow humans instead of slagging us off.
By the way this site doesn’t profess to have the latest scientific things, and if you find there is something better, put up the link. Say this might be more up to date don’t criticise us as your first move.
Refer to what is important yourself instead.
Your style as here is not acceptable to me as a serious person worrying about the known problems not being tackled and the unknown ones that are looming.
‘Dimming The Sun’
Article title, that you linked Joe…
The ‘clue’ is in the title of the respective articles which are the ‘same subject’…
If you can’t ‘see’ the relationship…well…I would not be surprised if you’re not reading or understanding what you post about…
And after a quick squiz at the abstract, and despite my own flippancy, it looks like CNN clickbait.
The author’s read it as an actual proposal rather than what it is, a pie in the sky assessment.
Abstract
We review the capabilities and costs of various lofting methods intended to deliver sulfates into the lower stratosphere. We lay out a future solar geoengineering deployment scenario of halving the increase in anthropogenic radiative forcing beginning 15 years hence, by deploying material to altitudes as high as ~20 km. After surveying an exhaustive list of potential deployment techniques, we settle upon an aircraft-based delivery system. Unlike the one prior comprehensive study on the topic (McClellan et al 2012 Environ. Res. Lett. 7 034019), we conclude that no existing aircraft design—even with extensive modifications—can reasonably fulfill this mission. However, we also conclude that developing a new, purpose-built high-altitude tanker with substantial payload capabilities would neither be technologically difficult nor prohibitively expensive. We calculate early-year costs of ~$1500 ton−1 of material deployed, resulting in average costs of ~$2.25 billion yr−1 over the first 15 years of deployment. We further calculate the number of flights at ~4000 in year one, linearly increasing by ~4000 yr−1. We conclude by arguing that, while cheap, such an aircraft-based program would unlikely be a secret, given the need for thousands of flights annually by airliner-sized aircraft operating from an international array of bases.
I find your post fascinating Joe. It leads me to wonder what other ways we could turn the sun’s energy back on itself.
We all know how something painted black sucks up heat and something white has a greater tendency to reflect the heat and light.
One of the problems with diminishing snow and ice is that we’re not bouncing as much light and heat back up.
What if every sun struck man made item was white or mirrored? Cars, building roofs, supermarket carparks. Could pasture be genetically modified to be white?
Could we float a bio product on oceans that reflects more light than salt water?
The subject of albedo (reflectivity) is certainly a complex aspect of global warming.
In short, making the artificial surfaces you have control over white (or light green) actually does do quite a bit to reduce warming. To the point I was absolutely astonished when I found out Auckland Council required dark roofs on new construction in at least one semi-rural area.
Grassland is also quite a lot more reflective than forest. Most deserts are more reflective than grassland. In total, the increase in the earth’s reflectivity from land-use changes from human activity counteracts maybe 5% of the global warming from the greenhouse gases we’ve dumped into the atmosphere.
But the big albedo variable that’s still poorly understood is clouds. It’s for sure that a warmer world means more moisture in the atmosphere, which means more clouds, which you would think would reflect more sunlight. But it turns out to be a lot more complicated than that, since they also reflect heat radiated from the earth back down to ground (think how much warmer mornings are after a cloudy night than a clear night). The net effect apparently depends on how high and how thick the clouds are (among other variables).
Latent heat is the energy absorbed by or released from a substance during a phase change from a gas to a liquid or a solid or vice versa. … When these gas molecules condense into liquid drops, latent heat is released into the atmosphere which warms the air surrounding the molecule.
Yeah, that’s part of the complexity of clouds’ net effect on warming. I vaguely recall reading something that came to the conclusion that the height at which the latent heat was released or absorbed was fairly significant from a warming perspective, and that the water-ice transition was still quite important even though the latent heat of fusion is around 1/6 that of evaporation for water.
This is useful information to householders and landscapers too. Different plants have different levels of reflection. Part of reflection is heat energy.
Dark trees absorb more light and heat. Lighter trees reflect more light and heat. Nature does ambient lighting, you just need to be aware what you’re looking at.
Could we float rafts that create shadows and havens for fish and bird life on seas near coastlines. Perhaps over the Australian reefs, and where fisher people live so they can continue their ‘peasant’ fishing culture and diet.
We could float rafts that provide habitat, shelter, and double as phosphate collectors and even oceanic monitoring stations.
In freshwater we could float rafts that grow rampant plants as stock food, meanwhile stripping excess nutrients from water, providing habitat and shade, and with some cunning design, aeration to the surrounding water.
I was knocking up these designs for some NZ lakes when they were deemed to be complete shit holes decades ago. But the policy then was to pretend they weren’t shit holes.
Some such rafts are already in operation here in NZ. They work successfully, but many of our degraded lakes are big. Estuaries are the focus now – the penultimate receiving bodies of all that goes on and in further up the catchment. Silt and nutrient are the big issues, eutrophication the symptom of human carelessness. Unless big tides clear clogged estuaries, there’s not a lot else that can be done; all ideas gratefully received. (Rafts of plants are challenged by brackish waters). Giant sludge-sucking pumps are great science fiction.
I think really people need to realize that changes are coming and it does not matter what they burn down in anger.
France has a good public transport system at least in the larger areas and conecting to rural areas of importance.
But there are things to be done, i .e. community cars. Rather then have two / three cars per family, have community cars that are owned by a trust, that are maintained by membership contribution and that people can book in for when they need a car. Take me, i don’t actually need a car, – the little car that i got from my partner when his company gave him a car has served my inlaws when they lost their cars in the big floods a few years ago, then it was driven by the son in law when his car died and he could not afford one, then it was driven by a young lady with three kids who needed a car but could not afford one outright, so she the little old one until she had enough saved up to buy one herself. I haven not missed this car in a year and a half.
We – the people – need to come of our sofas and realise that the gravy years are over. We either want this planet to sustain us, or we can drive in an SUV to hell without a return ticket.
As for the conomic system being upset, it already is.
I like it when Shakespeare peers over our shoulders – thanks for reminding me!
I am a dullard compared to you writers … but yes – Iwanka taking her laptop home tof fiddle with Trumpian Profundities is very Innocent. Says Daddy.
How Lprent rides the WiFI Surf day in day out- I shall never know. But I admire his alertness and patience.
The Brighton Wharf is long – if i remember correctly. It could be Colourful if we allowed Judith Collins to invite her and her Beijing Comrades to bring the dragons and Balloons down there of a weekend.
China V Canterbury – attacking each other with high diving Kites.
Looks like someone has the stones to reel in the data crims.
The UK Parliament invoked a rarely used legal power to compel a US software company to hand over internal Facebook documents that could contain revelations on the run-up to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Damian Collins, MP and chair of the culture, media and sport select committee used a rare parliamentary mechanism to compel the founder of Six4Three to hand over the documents while on a business trip, local media reported on Saturday.
A serjeant was sent to his hotel to issue a final call and communicate a two-hour deadline to comply with the order. British daily The Guardian reported that when the firm founder failed to comply, he was escorted to parliament. Not complying with the request could have led to fines and even imprisonment.
The cache of documents is alleged to include email exchange between senior executives, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckenberg.
“We are in uncharted territory,” Mr Collins, who also chairs an inquiry into fake news, told local media. “This is an unprecedented move but it’s an unprecedented situation. We’ve failed to get answers from Facebook and we believe the documents contain information of very high public interest.”
Peter Calder went to check it out: “the Islamic Republic of Iran – is a hypermoralist theocracy in which pornography, prostitution, alcohol, drugs, YouTube, Facebook, and much else besides, is banned, on pain of imprisonment, and corporal or even capital punishment. Yet the population accesses all of them with a quietly exuberant abandon. Defiance, indeed, is the currency of daily life.”
“As the PBS show Frontline reported, Iran is the only state in which the executive branch does not control the armed forces.” “The hijab – a head-covering scarf – remains obligatory, even for tourist women. Meanwhile, the basij, a volunteer auxiliary corps of young men recognisable by their neatly trimmed beards and black clothing, enforce internal security, police morals (they question couples walking together to establish the legitimacy of their relationship) and suppress dissidents and protest gatherings.”
So you can see why some leftists onsite here support Iran in its opposition to Saudi Arabia, eh? That’d be because Trump doesn’t like the Iranian regime. Having to choose between a conservative narcissist and a totalitarian regime, they understandably prefer the latter.
“The exchange rate of the Iranian rial is soaring: the US dollar, worth IRR43,000 in international markets, was fetching 120,000 in early September and 140,000 by the end of the month. A grim joke doing the rounds asked what the dollar is worth. “Do you mean now, now or now?” was the punchline answer. Not since I was in Argentina in the 1970s have I experienced an exchange rate so grotesquely advantaging the visitor as it hammered the locals.”
Iran and Saudi Arabia drive their people to hate each other, and they are about as oppressive as each other. They aren’t the only two choices available.
European Council President Donald Tusk has recommended that the EU approve the Brexit deal at a summit on Sunday.
It comes after Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez received assurances from the UK government over Gibraltar, and dropped his threat to boycott the summit.
He said he had received the written guarantees he needed over Spain’s role in the future of the British territory.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May has arrived in Brussels and held talks with top EU officials, ahead of the summit.
The terms of the UK’s withdrawal have been under negotiation since June 2016 following a referendum in which 51.9% voted to leave the EU.
Even if the EU approves the deal, it still has to be passed by the UK Parliament, with many MPs having stated their opposition.
Spain had raised last-minute objections ahead of the summit about how the issue of Gibraltar had been handled in the Brexit talks so far.
But EU leaders secured a compromise with the Spanish prime minister, who said that Europe and the UK “had accepted the conditions set down by Spain” and so would “vote in favour of Brexit”.
Mr Tusk, who represents EU leaders on the world stage, said he recommended “that we approve on Sunday the outcome of the Brexit negotiations” in a letter to members of the European Council.
He added: “No-one has reasons to be happy. But at least at this critical time, the EU 27 has passed the test of unity and solidarity.”
The political declaration, which sets out what the UK and EU’s relationship may be like after Brexit – outlining how things like UK-EU trade and security will work.
The EU withdrawal agreement: a 585-page, legally binding document setting out the terms of the UK’s exit from the EU. It covers the UK’s £39bn “divorce bill”, citizens’ rights and the Northern Ireland “backstop” – a way to keep the border with the Republic of Ireland open, if trade talks stall.
There is no formal vote on Sunday but the EU expects to proceed after reaching a consensus.
Dumb as I am, may I ask what good Merry England is going to do by snubbing its snotty nose at the accomplished EU. ?
We all know that Brits think themselves the bees knees and have the answer to everything under the Sun. But I have a feeling that the Boris Johnsons – and the Farrages will do well and the glory tories- but the rest of the UK will be living off sweet nothing.
Scotland and Ireland will do well. Because they are not stupid like the grumbling Brits. Hopefully the Welsh will ditch the mad Poms too.
Observer Tokoroa; – Ouch! – I married a pom 42 years ago and she’s been o/k.
I good mate I reckon, am I lucky?
I find that the EU was to hard on Greece and they are dictatorial after they allowed Greece borrow so much private funding to develop there infrastructure and went bust on foreign capital .
we are similarly exposed like Greece too.
Actually we still don’t know who we have borrowed $60 Billion from do we?
Goldman Sachs was the agent that Greece used and they are a shifty lot too.
I worry when the next GFC comes around what will happen to all those ‘cling-ons” new smaller states to the EU.
Some are very shaky, especially the eastern side of Europe, like Hungary and Romania and some others.
Actually, in NZ we are in a much more secure situation than Greece. The problem for Greece is that it uses a ‘foreign’ currency in the Euro and must therefore stay on good terms with the ECB and other European institutions. Unfortunately for Greece good terms means agreeing to aggressive Austerity demands and other economic ‘reforms’. Despite IMF forecasts for a quick recovery these reforms caused a 25% shrinkage in the Greek economy and 20% unemployment rate and will negatively influence the Greek economy for more than a decade.
In return for this (and probably against the letter of the ECB legislation) the ECB has been supporting the Greek government by maintaining a lowish interest rate on Greek government debt and allowing them not to default. The ECB is also doing this for other Euro countries.
In NZ however our parliament ultimately controls our central bank (which can do the same kinds of things as the ECB does) and so if push comes to shove NZ will never experience such problems of being bullied economically by higher level institutions. The UK is similar to NZ in that it also controls its Bank of England meaning the exchequer ultimately calls the shots for the UK. Not that this prevents self inflicted economic pain, as George Osborne caused when he (predictably, it was predicted) turned a single dip recession into a triple dip recession through mindless austerity policies. However I think the conservatives soon realized that running the economy into the ground with ideologically driven Austerity policies was going to be bad for their chances of re-election. At that point they kept talking up all the austerity they were doing, but basically stopped doing it.
Ultimately the important question seems to be if this stuff is controlled by elected representatives or if the elected representatives have to answer to un-elected institutions.
Amazon’s Alexa probably won’t admit there was a murder in her home, but the data she stores on the company’s servers might tell a different story.
An Amazon Echo, the device that houses the company’s Alexa AI, in the kitchen of a Farmington, N.H., home is at the heart of a double murder trial. Earlier this month, a judge ordered partial records of that device be released.
Prosecutors believe there may be recordings of the stabbings of two women from January 2017. Amazon has not yet said if it would release the information.
“I think this is the beginning of the ‘internet of evidence’ where lots of pieces of smart devices are going to show up in criminal prosecutions,” Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, author of The Rise of Big Data Policing: Surveillance, Race, and the Future of Law Enforcement, told Day 6.
Kia ora The Am Show the jail term for dairy dack is just a political stunt by national there is no thought about what is good for people just what floats there toilet polls.
Last year all the retailers were advertising chrismas a the start of October this year they have not even started. Just like the work being done on the inter Island power cables being carried out at the start of summer instead of a few months earlier when the Hydro lakes are full. ?????????.
My Huawei phone got the signal fine I was not going to com on this subject till I heard Azzes make his statement .
simon your m8 has moved to Bali .
So long as the new Australian Governments combat climate change that’s the big picture Jason I will be doing a post on what the dozens of ex judges are calling for in Australia anti white collar corruption force nearly all the carbon lobbyist are ex mps a big conflicted of interest there hence all the problem in the Australian governments lobbyist should be banned all around the world .
The santa issue is just some man grandstanding the topic of Equality and everyone has fallen for the neo anti Equality mens tricks.
Who wrote those word for you Mark Communism is just a word nowadays used to trash socialism whats so wrong with the wealthy shearing there billions of lollies with common poor people so they get a house and not a bridge he tangata he tangata.
Yes we need a cabon tax and use the tax to of set the price of clean energy like Norway . Its cool that we have a lot of people buying electric cars in Aotearoa now.
I agree its stupid not rolling out a electric Car subsidy when we import most of our oil come on . Ka kite ano
This is a Wahine whos actions speak as loud as her word and a Mana Wahine I will tau toko her ka pai
Sweden’s then deputy prime minister remained enigmatic as the picture went viral and she was asked whether she had been “trolling” the US president. “It is up to the observer to interpret the photo,” she was quoted as saying. “We are a feminist government, which shows in this photo.”
Lövin is one of the leading figures in what she says is a resurgence in environmentally conscious politics across the continent. “There is a green wave going on in Europe, in Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium, and in Finland as well,” she says. “I’m convinced that green parties offer a positive vision, and also the willingness to take on the huge challenges that we see in the world right now.” Ka kite ano link below.
Dozens of former judges urge Scott Morrison to set up anti-corruption watchdog
Arguing that existing federal integrity agencies “lack the necessary jurisdiction, powers and know-how to investigate properly the impartiality and bona fides of decisions made by, and conduct of, the federal government and public sector” .
Greed drive the carbon barons to propagandize lie and cheat so they can keep poisoning our Grandchildren’s future with carbon. link below.
The Nationals’ WA branch similarly failed to respond when asked why it failed to declare the $20,000 donation from Mineral Resources.
The iron ore miner confirmed it had given a $20,000 bank cheque to the Nationals in March last year, around the time of the state election. But a spokesman said the company made donations to all sides, not just the Nationals. Its donations to Labor and the Liberals were declared properly.
More than half of all Australian lobbyists previously worked inside government or for the major political parties, with one in four staffing the offices of ministers, parliamentary secretaries or backbenchers.
Guardian Australia has investigated the backgrounds of all 483 individuals listed on July’s federal lobbyist register, checking each for a history in federal or state government, either as politicians, political staffers, party officials or public servants.
Australia’s lax lobbying regime the domain of party powerbrokers
Read more
The analysis, believed to be the first of its kind, reveals 255 lobbyists, or 52.8%, have a previous history within government or political party hierarchies.
It also revealed one in four lobbyists have worked as staffers – policy advisers, chiefs of staff, or electorate or media officers – to Australian politicians. Ka kite ano link below.
Kia ora Newshub Its cool that the District Health is upping the wages of there low paid workers .
Lloyd nice scarf .
Changing the WOF to 12 months was a fool of a move we don’t have nice flat straight 2 lane roads like they do overseas hence 6 monthly WOF .
Well thats shocking all these surgical devices being sold to Kiwis and they have not been tested wtf the people who make these thing are playing Russian roulette with Kiwi lives .
trump will be a bigger fool if he lets the ICE shoot those refugees at there Mexico boarder .
Ollie Ka pai to Scott for his win on the Super Car .
Ka kite ano
Kia ora The Crowd Goes Wild congrats to Mikayla and Brodie for there prizes .
Storm that was a good win for Scott.
Yes you cant do that to the Ranfurly Shield .
I liked his acting as Muhammad Ali Will that is that’s a cool movie they don’t make em like they use to.
Jen Hackman is a cool actor.
I say a golf game between Barak and trump would be cool
Good win King .
Ka kite ano Some countrys don’t no how to be good host guys
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
Bryce Edwards writes – It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played.“Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I- Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Chumbawamba have reportedly issued the deputy PM a cease-and-desist notice after he used their song 'Tubthumping' before his state of the nation speech. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
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 Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
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Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has hosted members of the Green Party Caucus at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawahia. The audience follows the King’s Hui-aa-Motu on 20 January, where more than 10,000 people gathered to discuss national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Rachael Potter, Research Associate and Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology, University of South Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Pregnant women and workers with children are often unfairly treated by their bosses and colleagues, despite laws to protect against workplace discrimination ...
Reacting to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s refusal to rule out introducing new taxes at the budget, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “Today’s refusal to rule out new taxes suggests the Government is nothing more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne Aila Images/Shutterstock Aged-care workers will receive a significant pay increase after the Fair Work Commission ruled they ...
RNZ at 7am news said that the ‘All blacks beat Italy with 10 tries today’
Yawn.
Glad I didn’t pay to watch it.
Just a walk in the park as Italy is not a rugby country but a rabid soccer loving country stacked full of fans.
We can’t feel good about beating Italy in rugby here. Hollow victory we got only.
disagree there cleangreen.
it was a fairly scrappy affair in the first half but the team settled into a rhythm in second half.
this was a chance for a lot of second string players to make a mark.
jordie barrett scored 4 tries and had a good all round game.
we had hookers putting good kicks through to set up tries.
ok, the result was never in doubt but the nature of the all blacks performance in the final test of a long season was heartening for this fan.
of more concern is the lopsided score england vs australia. 37-18 to england.
we need australian rugby to be stronger than it is at the moment.
ps, i don’t pay for any sport nowadays, its such an old fashioned habit.
We’re a country the size of Melbourne, generating sports teams that continue to conquer the world.
In Italy we just beat a country with the economic capacity to buy all of our top Rugby players multiple times over if it wanted.
Currently we’re battling it out with Pakistan, a country with 202 million people and over 10 million cricket players. We would be lucky to scrape together 2,000 top players.
Sport is one of New Zealand’s top industries.
It’s also one of the fastest upward routes out of deprivation for many of our citizens.
It’s good for us, celebrate the wins.
yeah – the wee battler yarp, yarp, yarp,
Change your mythology imo – because you seem to filter everything through that money-lens of yours.
You need to calm down and pull back from your keyboard.
You’re not adding anything except hate.
Well I certainly dislike the kiwi battler meme – bit of a cliche now – I dislike the financial/money angle for sure but hate? Bit OTT there – go and dig the garden you seem a bit worked up old chap.
Anyway I cannot be bothered getting hassled by the likes of you and james so I’ll fuck off and leave you to it.
“I cannot be bothered getting hassled by the likes of you and james so I’ll fuck off and leave you to it.”
Which is ironic since you replied to both of us with stupid and rude comments.
We hadn’t even engaged with you. But you try to make it all about you and we are hassling you. /facepalm
You got reciprocated twerp. And ad, well the little battler bullshit stuck in my throat esp after the non acceptance from him imo last night that iwi organisations are more than corporates.
But being given shade from a rwnj like you is actually a badge of honour in leftie circles so thanks for the cred LOL
I’m with you mm on this subject. I’m sure that makes you feel heaps better. 😉
Sick and tired of the ABs. Sometimes wish they would take a running jump over the nearest cliff.
As for the “we’re the little kiwi battlers” theme… get over all your insecurities I say and get on with your lives.
We have issues like climate change confronting the world, yet our puppet media and desperate people dribble on about a sports victory against a minnow team .
Pathetic.
You know Eddie that people like to read a wide range of topics – not everyone loves to wallow in misery and doom.
James you are a member of the elite. Of course you would not care.
Ed, life ain’t binary.
Yes I accept bread and circuses aspect to sport.
Rugby in Aotearoa is more than just a sport.
Rugby clubs have unified communities for generations.
Professional and labourer, town and country, Maori and Pakeha.
It is also how we grew up a little, and got out from the mother country yoke.
That doesn’t mean I can’t be concerned by inequality and CC.
Anyhoo, back to the grindstone.
You wish they would jump off a cliff because you are sick and tired of other people being entertained by them.
Classy.
What about consideration for those of us who have spent years having the ABs rammed down our throats.
Selfish.
Easier to just scroll past or change channel than wishing they jump off a cliff.
But hey wishing harm on others because you don’t like sports says a lot about you.
In addition to James not being able to spel good, it appears he doesn’t know what a figure of speech is.
Sport is simply bread and circuses for the masses. Our inane obsession with it says a lot about the mental immaturity of our Country. There are far more important pursuits in life. Sure, keep fit by doing some sport, but professionalism has turned it into something as bad as fundamentalist religion.
James,
I also am sick and tired of sports bullshit.
Get real; – and give constructive input into the ‘real issues’ climate change flooding and polluting of our environment for instance.
These things are far more serious than you will ever know if you ignore the signs that are impacting our lives.
try this firstly; -https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018670839/mike-joy-solving-nz-s-freshwater-crisis
Will you lower the tone on the sports banter as it is boring and so over-rated!!!!!!!.
Colin Peacock nails it on Mediawatch, displaying the idiocy of media rugby reporters in New Zealand.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018672555
Ed, thank you.
Ad isn’t always wrong marty mars. Don’t be prejudiced against him because he sees most things through a money lens. It is true that sport generates money, gives us an international profile, gives opportunities to see the world for low income men and women, gives jobs now to many low income families in a job–poor society (despite rock star rah rah statistics (finely made to match international specifications).
Ad can be relied on to take a certain pragmatic approach, and is pretty consistent, so we know what to expect and respect in his opinions.
Bryan Gould on why New Zealand is so good at Rugby across the genders and age-grades.
http://www.bryangould.com/what-makes-the-all-blacks-so-good/
I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to the World Women’s 7’s in Hamilton next year. We’ve already booked tickets. There are a couple of our greats who are close to retirement.
Gould might have also mentioned how blessed New Zealand has been to have waves of Pasifika migration to draw talent from across so many sporting fields including Rugby.
In some respects also we are good at enabling female participation as a matter of public policy – but only in the last two years. That’s unusual in global terms still, even if slowly improving.
Professional Sport Ad. The rest is recreation. Cheers.
Recreational sport is a massive direct and indirect social and economic benefit to this country as well.
We all started as amateurs, and most continue to give back long after their professional paying years are done.
Makes for a great country to be in sport.
Don’t you mean sport is one of NZ’s top corporate welfare recipients.
Actually certain sports such as Rugby and Yacht racing are NZ’s top corporate welfare recipients.
Crumbs for other sports and for participation in sports, judging from our growing obesity rates.
Plenty of fat people into sport, and good on them. I was one.
All industry gets welfare in this country. It’s our thing.
Yes forgot you can be fat and fit now, with the PC culture.
Being fat is just woke healthy.
I better go off and try and start a twitter account to change the word ‘trivial’.
Don’t get stuck on critique savenz. Bad for mental health. You are so good at taking a country-wide and global view so we know our problems, and also seeing what we could do. Perhaps each separate critical para you state how a change could improve or turn all negative into partly positive I think making a small positive input all the time may make a great change to the mood of the readers.
David Slack’s comment: “You can’t rely on the weather but there are two things you can set your clock by in November: NCEA exams and NCEA exam controversy. This year the level three history exam provided the popcorn. A question used the world ‘trivial’ and students complained this was not a word they knew. There was much rolling of eyes by people of a greater age.”
” There are more than 170,000 words in the Oxford dictionary, and it’s not easy staying on top of them all. John Key, an Auckland businessman and retired politician, left school with a B Bursary and prospered in the world of buying and selling money. He was once a luncheon guest of the Queen. They shared a glass of champagne, hollandaise eggs, beef, a panna cotta dessert and some cheese. “It was quite a fulsome lunch,” he told reporters afterwards, “I’m fairly full.” Over the past eight centuries the word fulsome has been used to mean copious, and it has also been used to mean foul, odious and rotten. Which meaning did he intend? What a conundrum of syzygy.”
Which meaning of syzygy did Slack mean? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syzygy – bright students would ponder the selection and come up with a simile not present: conjoined. Explain that to the class & the other students would be wondering `what does conjoined mean?’
OK Google. What did John Key mean when he said he had a fulsome lunch?
(In summary – I’m a complete dickhead)
The students have the right to ask the meaning of the word during a test. A trivial point, but an important one.
Not in NCEA they can’t. A student asked me whether the word ‘differ’ was the same derivation as ‘different’. I couldn’t answer as an exam supervisor. All I could do was tell him I was not allowed and to do his best.
I’ve been misinformed. It was a right wing person that did that too me as well.
It reminded me of a movie scene. A chain of monkeys sending a message up to a penguin.
Some lucky bastards can be as fat as santa and have every other measurement within normal parameters – blod pressure, heart rate, uric acid, liver function, all of that shit. And live to a ripe old age.
Utter bastards.
So fat & fit is a thing.
It was always going to be an easy game.
I assume that you didn’t pay for England or Ireland either.
The Ireland game was particularly good.
In a nutshell: an AB win acts like mass medication to make Kiwis feel good about themselves (Big People) and their country. An AB loss OTOH makes Kiwis feel like Small People in a small country at the bottom of the World (AKA trivial).
That’s a very broad brush you are painting with there incognito.
Indeed, it is.
Watched in horror on Friday as an elderly male bus driver jumped out of the blue Metro bus he was driving and ran to the vehicle in front. Karate chopped the front windscreen and then punched the young woman driver in the head 2 or 3 times. All happened in peak hour traffic and very quickly. Where do I lodge a report about this ? Police and Auckland Transport ? I have the bus number / time / place etc. And another witness who was with me.
Call Auckland Transport 09 301 0101
Thank you, Ad. By the time I got out of my car the traffic was moving and the car driver behind me was blowing his horn. The passengers on the bus were not impressed but not sure they could see the violence.
Hard for anyone else to do something in that short space and time. And that fact of crush of traffic and impatience is probably behind the violence, and what might happen at home to an offending female explodes in public.
They are under so much stress, bus and truck drivers. Very sad it comes to that.
I feel that this could tie into something I noticed the other day. The driver of the local recycling truck came along on his busy round. They have a specially built cabin with the wheel on the left side, near the kerb, and space to stand behind it. They draw in, empty the bins into the moving auger? system carefully, make sure they stop that before they reach in to clear anything etc. and quickly move on to the next place. A busy and lonely job,.
I happened to be on the pavement nearby and said Good morning, no response. I spoke again about the weather, but no appearance of being heard or seen. I wondered if he was deaf, and watched how he went about it. He was concentrating on the job, finished dealing with a number of bins, and didn’t look up at all, head down all the time. It seemed, he didn’t want to have any interaction with others around, he seemed sullen, internally angry and unhappy.
It looked to me as if he had a major negative attitude brewing in his brain, was isolating himself from the general public, and it seemed as if a huge resentment and hate might be simmering which left me feeling very uneasy.
Maybe you should let him get on with his job and stop trying to distract him.
What’s your point gabby? Do you want to live in a friendly, happy, interactive society or not? If you have something to say can you make it have some point instead of the first thing that passes through your head momentarily.
I don’t want to be crushed by a bloke emptying bins because some clot wanted a chinwag greysy.
So, what you’re saying is that it’s better for a worker in an unsatisfying job to ‘flip’ rather than for you to be inconvenienced?
Getting crushed by a truck’s bloody incovenient draccy.
Why would you be standing in front of it?
A distracted operator, and the fucker could kill in an instant.
https://screenshotscdn.firefoxusercontent.com/images/ba85ef93-0808-44f9-824d-4a6ba9369521.png
Neithrt do I want people to be treated like robotsd by an uncaring and thoughtless master or mistress class grabby.
Perhaps he didn’t speak english?
That’s what you get when you pay $20 p/h in a stressful job. You mention he was elderly, and male, anything else you want to add in there Patricia? I’m guessing he was not white, thus not fitting the white male privilege… that people love to blame on everything these days… but happy to be proved wrong.
savenz
You are sounding like the way that China is thinking about reporting facts and truth, that they should be filtered in a way so that the results match their requirements for the ‘right’ appearance to be presented that matches the desired approach and image.
Yep, if you want to give a description do it properly, not subjectively, revealing your own bias or these days it seems more a concern about woke identity politics as a sort of brain washing, if you don’t want to reveal a person’s physical appearance, then just use the word, bus driver. The police will want to know anyway.
Actually I first thought is was not a big thing, but actually thinking about a bus driver that has actually left the vehicle to attack a women, actually sounds like a crime that is a police matter, especially as there is a growing issue in Auckland of fake drivers driving commercial vehicles and I have a friend who was hospitalised by one .
If he is that out of control he is assaulting people in public who knows what other things might be revealed.
Also maybe the guy goes home and beats up his wife, who knows?
Assault is a crime for police, not for AT, which is more for bad driving.
If you remove indentity politics, and it’s resulting gender, racial prejudice you get this.
I witnessed a bus driver hop out of the bus, go up to a car, smash the window and assault the driver.
Identity is irrelevant to the event, or the reality of a crime being committed.
Identity politics effect on Law results in a doubled sentence, due to the victims identity, for the male bus driver if the act or harm is identicle if a woman was the bus driver.
Don’t call Auckland Transport, they will do nothing. Call the police and lodge a report, if the driver is that bad they might run someone over next time they have a road rage attack and at least with the police there will be more chance of them catching who did it and working out whether the driver should be working with the public or not.
Also the police can check whether he has a fake bus license or not, which is a growing problem of both fake licenses and also identity swaps where the person driving does not match the whoever was supposed to be driving the vehicle.
Know someone who was hospitalised by that scam. Police are investigating and I think did bring charges, but the person who caused the accident looked nothing like the drivers license photo and tried to flee the scene in his delivery van. Meanwhile our hospitals are filling up and people’s lives being destroyed by injury by these fakes.
AT employ so many people doing processes it will never get anywhere, let alone they understand the seriousness of what is going on with drivers attacking people and all the fakes out there.
Gee you see a woman punched in the head two or three times and two days later ask on a forum where do you lodge a report?
It’s amazes me that people can’t work shit like this out and are happy to drive on and do nothing like call the police when they see a young woman assaulted.
Stupidity or laziness is enabling the attacker.
Gee a little inadequate twerp makes all sorts of ill informed and ignorant judgments about another based on a question on this forum and shows, once again, why he is a waste of space and a loser.
It amazes me that people like that, so puffed up with their own privilege, just mouth off without engaging their brains.
Not stupidness but boredom – the boredom of a right wing nut job when pretending is even too much.
You are a bitter wee thing today aren’t you.
I mean more than you normally are.
Try doing something fun today – it might put you in a better disposition.
Yes you and ad are onto me lol
I just think you were mean and I replyed in the same vein. Probably a mistake but there you go.
Anyway you are correct I’ve had a hard night with the people I work with so i’ll leave you and ad to it.
Cheer up Marty Mars. There is a fine line between bitterness and pithy.
You often ‘put your finger on ‘ popular concerns.
Sorry you are going through a ‘hard time with people you work with’.
That can change the way a person views everything else.
Been there done the hard yards. Kia mau kaha toku hoa.
DFTT and your internal rage and depression.
You keep saying your going Marty and leaving james et al to it; only to bounce back in a couple of threads, take a break for every ones benefit
No, James has a point there. The incident should have been reported on Friday. As it was assault it probably should have been a 111 call but a *555 probably would have worked as well.
That said, this speaks of what I said the other day. People seeing an action that they don’t know how to handle because it’s outside of their experience.
Woah that would have been scary to see.
Good on you for having the sense to note the details and doing something about it.
I heard this on RNZ truckies want rules to stop pressures on truck drivers
https://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018672721
And BBC news; – Truckies and farmers in France want diesel tax dropped!!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDO8SDIlxNk
So it appears that they want to keep using ‘dirty diesel to pollute planet’ eh?
Mmmmmm!
The New Zealand truckies are workers seeking to stop being required to work over 70 hours a week. That’s 6 days a week 12 hours a day.
Those workers are controlling machinery weighing 1-2 tonnes traveling at 90 kilometers an hour often mere centimeters from the public which includes you and your family.
They don’t want to be worked so hard that they cause deaths.
Seems pretty reasonable.
I’ll agree with you on that, AD.
Another option is to get trains running and a more workable way to transit from them (aka don’t put a port in the middle of downtown Auckland) so that we don’t need all these polluting, road damaging, and dangerous trucks on the road.
Yes totally agree.
“Trucking companies are competing for big contracts at the expense of their staff, a truck driver’s union has warned.
It says the companies are competing for tenders by forcing drivers to accept low pay rates and long work hours.
First Union secretary for transport Jared Abbott said a lot of drivers were working at least 70 hours, the maximum hours allowed per week.
“We see it a lot where people are pushed to break the logbook rules or to breach health and safety in some way.
“Their scared – rightfully so – for their livelihoods to test it and we see it a lot with quite reputable companies where people do test it, they get shafted.”
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/376670/trucking-contracts-putting-staff-at-risk
Part of problem is most truckers are contractors in corporate colours ( mainfreifgt freight Courier post etc) They own the issue as well as many on wages now and in the pass have taken the piss on hours and looking after company vehicals; etc not to mention over the top Union action They in essence shafted themselves Saying that contractor drivers are way more incentivised to align business and individual interest; albeit agree it is a race to the bottom to a degree at the moment driven by procurement division of buyers of freight services not the freight companies themselves
You do know that the rail used to go to the port right?
The big trucks are more like 30 tonne
???
That’s up to 50+ tonnes.
The machinery I had in mind there was just the truck so 1-2 tonnes.
The regs for weight by each kind of axle are here:
https://www.drivingtests.co.nz/resources/heavy-vehicle-weights-and-loads/
‘Truckies; Slow to learn, resistant to change, another type of nimby.
Or workers trying to change their conditions in a threatened industry.
Yes Patricia, SaveNZ, and Ad.
At our NGO committee meeting with ‘Port of Napier’ executives in November 2016 we were advised of this; –
“The truckies have warned the Port of Napier that they will fight rail to retaining their 90% of moving logs to the port”.
So we are fighting a war against truckies who don’t want to use public owned rail period.
As to road safety;
So the Government needs urgently now to sort the truckies out here, as we will loose many lives on our narrow windy roads as the “wall of wood arrives”.
Australia have already made moves to address this with the CoR – Chain of Responsibility legislation.
As I understand it, if an incident occurs the driver’s logs etc are examined to ensure that the workload expected and time taken to deliver was reasonable. If not, the responsibility for the incident is shifted to management.
You no doubt noticed that programme didn’t mention choochoos once that I recall cleany?
That was disappointing Gabby. For a second I saw the ch and thought you were talking about chocolate! Choochoos, Thomas the tank engine and all, aren’t they stories that you read to children about long ago ways to get around and go to see at old technology parks? /sarc cleangreen don’t blow a foofoo valve.
Wonder if the truckies would be supportive of a law that prevented them from working more than 8 hours a day and no more than five days a week. They are, after all, correct in that long hours behind driving is dangerous and it’s not just to them but to the rest of the population as well.
I bet they\ truckies would not want to limit themselves to short hours like that and would rather work longer hours, but not to the extent they are pushed now. It wouldn’t be so bad if truckies got extra payment for working unsocial hours, and over the 8 hour limit, which would be justified. They would have been paid properly for their time and effort like that once. And of course there has to be an upper limit otherwise it is too hard on the drivers.
But they are being pressured to go too far for too long, and the roads are not coping. Nine years National had to work out a better transport plan, but no. And their stooge Ken Shirley happily on the one hand talks about how busy the transport industry is and then wants more money spent on roads. He used to be in the Labour Party I think. He knew which side has the best butter and most bread.
A good follow up article on self harm.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/108797977/females-arent-the-only-ones-that-selfharm
Maybe that was Patricia’s bus driver. Desperate to leave AT.
A thought provoking post marty. Would this come under mental health?
Perhaps it shows expression of deeply felt pain. More funding for trained help could assist.
How do we create connections to provide community support? Self harm can be so hard to see sometimes. Some harm behaviours need a trigger, some are repeated responses to stress.
This is apparently a growing problem. A symptom of larger social ills?
Perhaps we are ‘connected by the internet’ but are ‘touch deprived’ so have constant grief.
Self harm for males can be exactly the same as females, in being a cry for help. It’s just not addressed, identified, diagnosed as well as females.
One issue for males is risk taking self harm. So the young male who isn’t intentionaly suiciding engages in high risk acts. Driving extremely dangerously combines with “look at me” male behavours. An episode of suicidle thoughts may combine with dangerous driving, as a release.
So the self harm is never identified because they don’t cut themselves etc.
Suicide for men often involves “cry for help” with nobody giving a shit.
Parliaments self immolation victim is a perfect example.
Male teens engage in risk-taking activities and behaviour because they think they’re indestructible, which is fuelled by testosterone spikes and the fact that their brains haven’t fully developed and matured.
That was feminist propaganda.
It’s mating behavour of look at me, I’m the best, strongest, healthiest driven by sexual chemistry far more complex than just testosterone. You said they think but then said they don’t think.
It’s a direct counter to young females biologically being attracted older men, in that older men have proven to have successful genes. There is no thinking involved in the females mating preference.
Just as there is no thinking involved in females being sexually attracted to males or a male being sexually attracted to other men.
Replicated throughout the animal kingdom.
That is completely different from depression based suicide behavours and self harming.
Your comment is why recognising males with problems is ignored as it just gets attributed to feminist ideology that males are inherently flawed. A male acting out can be a cry for help but is put down as you expressed as just the actions of a stupid male.
It was true for some risk-taking males, just as your initial comment was true for others.
The difficulty with the self harm identified in the article is how an observer is supposed to identify the intention. Does someone get into bar fights because they are insecure and drunk, or because they are intentionally self-destructive? Is a fight a good time for them, reasserting macho dominance? A sportsman playing through an injury: intentional self harm, or foolish machismo “toughing out” the injury? A guy jumping off a wall: poor decision making, or intentional self harm?
Cuts with a razor and (sometimes) prescription overdoses leave little ambiguity.
But yes, just as heart attacks in women are often underdiagnosed because the publicised symptoms tend to be in males, and just as males can be late-diagnosed with eating disorders or breast cancer, self harm in males can be underdiagnosed.
Good comment Mc Flock
Difficult as very few can deconstruct what they witness from family and freinds. Resulting in family saying they never saw any signs of there loved ones having issues prior to suicide. But they were present.
In the case of ambiguous injuries, there is a shortcoming where if we can’t see it, we can’t count it, and if we can’t count it, we can’t assess it as a need of the population.
And everything is a balance of resources until utopia comes: if a DHB has X$ to spend on public health and wellness campaigns and a greater number of potential compaigns looking for funding, It comes down to which selection of programs will do the greatest good for X$ spent. Which is how qualitative stuff sometimes gets ignored.
Very well said. Acting out often is just what it is: acting out, establishing boundaries, developing identity (and persona). Where warning signs can become tell-tale signs is when a negative repetitive pattern develops, for example.
The scientific literature must be awash with feminist propaganda but I stick with the literature nevertheless if you don’t mind – indeed, there are competing (or rather complementing) scientific hypotheses. But feel free to put up a credible link that supports your statement.
Just as well that I didn’t argue that it was all down to “just testosterone”.
Please read it again; that isn’t at all what I said.
This makes no sense whatsoever!? Males are flawed and therefore we ignore their problems or we assume that they don’t have a problems!? You seem to have hang ups about this “feminist ideology” you keep referring to.
This is exactly the point I was trying to make, which is that correct interpretation of a male acting out is very difficult. You grabbed the wrong end of the stick and went off on your rant.
Teenage males aren’t alone in that coggy.
True that, many males are still stuck in their teenage years. After all, it’s an important market segment for gyms. And don’t get me started on roid rage.
A apposed to females with I’m a princess syndrome manifesting in things like bridezillas who reject males for only offering $1,000 rings vs $5,000 dollar ones. An important market for pointless bits of rock.
All part of the mating behaviour. To you it’s a pointless bit of rock but to her it’s clear sign how much the potential mate ‘values’ her and how far he can and will go to woe her. Many women want their wedding day to be very special and the best day of their lives (AKA the dream wedding) but that doesn’t make them princesses or bridezillas. Reality TV is a misnomer, you know?
What does the man get in turn for this “woman want”. It is clearly not necessary then. It should be “special, best day”. Like out of a fantasy movie. Everything else is equal isn’t it?
So what do men get? Equality speaking. For a fantasy to come true for them?
We’re still talking about the mating ritual, are we? Almost 8 billion people on this planet all chasing fantasies? About half of them are bridezillas and the other half are hapless creatures that cannot and must not get fulfilment (or, as more directly verbalised by the Rolling Stones: satisfaction)? Do you and/or your partner/spouse wear a ring? A pointless bit of metal?
You’re all over the place; does your left hand know what your right hand is doing? You seem to have too much time on your hands …
I’m trying to use my time wisely. It’s not easy living a a mind that doesn’t have a pause button. This just good therapy and positive thoughts.
Well, it seems we do have something in common: an overactive brain that doesn’t know when to stop. For this reason I landed on TS a few years back and I’ve found it very therapeutic as well as educational and informative. Some Standardistas just blow me away. And there’s humour, not quite enough IMO, but at times it is enough to dissipate the worries and stresses of a long day at work and life in general.
I’m not sure romantic love is a transaction.
You think of something, think “X would like that”, and do it, because you love them. And X does the same, not as a transaction but because they love you.
And sometimes people need reassurance that they are loved, and sometimes all this other crap is going on and future inlaws might be judging and the seating plan can’t have exes close to each other etc etc etc.
If I proposed to someone and they turned me down because the ring wasn’t expensive enough, I’d know it wasn’t reciprocal love and I’d be well out of that. But if someone’s cool with a transactional arrangement, fair enough.
Depends on the man/fantasy and the arrangement between the couple. Tis their business and nobody else’s, as long as it harms none.
Everyone has different ideas, dreams. Relationships are about compromise, nothing like a wedding to start that ball rolling.
Exhusband and I both agreed that buying our first home was way more important than a fancy wedding. So we did it that way.
Wedding was awesome, honeymoon was epic. Buying that house, worked out well for all.
Everyone has different priorities re a wedding, depends on the volume of brainwashing and visual media one has been exposed to.
Also depends on the communication channels and honesty between a couple.
Yep you got it spot on.
If you want to reject someone then it’s easier to say “you’re ring is not worth enough” rather than “you’re the last man on earth I’d ever want to marry”. Rejected males are not the safest people to be around so it’s best to do it as impersonally as possible.
Yep. I was scared a partner would stab me to death in my sleep once. I had already had to flee through the house shuting myself in a room because my partner used a knife to explain my bank account was empty for good reasons. Getting out of relationships with crazy individuals isn’t easy. Honesty and self preservation conflict.
On a post last week, somebody mentioned a new article by public finance expert Don Gilling on AUT’s Briefing Papers website had disappeared. It is now back online:
http://briefingpapers.co.nz/follow-the-money/
It raises questions about the stewardship of the National Library and Archives NZ by the Department of Internal Affairs since these agencies were merged into DIA in 2010. Gilling notes the decline in NLNZ budget under DIA, even while the Department’s overall budget has risen, as well as the increasing proportion of NLNZ budget going to DIA for centrally managed costs. The implication is that DIA is milking NLNZ and Archives to cover other departmental functions.
One might also ask why the DIA is managing the current review of the Library, Archives and Nga Taonga, when there is such an apparent conflict of interest. Brian Easton alluded to this on his Pundit blog some months back:
https://www.pundit.co.nz/content/whither-archives-new-zealand-and-the-national-library
Thanks for that, Sam A.
lprent commented on Don’s article disappearing from Briefing Papers inhis patest post here (link below) and asked if anyone knew Don Gilling etc. he would be interested in seeing the article.
https://thestandard.org.nz/my-civics-the-new-zealand-civil-war/
I do know him and was intending contacting him (or Brian Easton who is a very close friend/associate of Don’s) to ask what happened with it. By coincidence, yesterday I met his wife in a shop and mentioned the article and its disappearance from BPs and the fact that there were people here including lprent interested in seeing it. Apparently it had been put up there by someone else, not Don so then taken down. She was going to raise it with Don, but the article was probably already back up on BPs already by that stage.
Apparently Don has been getting a lot of interest and feedback on his thoughts in this article. I noted recently that Don is also now on the Committee of the Friends of the Turnbull Library here in Wellington for the 2018/19 year,
I read it on my way back home on Thursday. Planning to write a post on it after I get the anger under control.
Thanks, look forward to your post. I haven’t read Don’s article yet …
Yes I look forward to that also.
An implication of Don Gilling’s article is that NLNZ & Archives NZ have been subject to the same kind of austerity RNZ suffered under the last government. But, buried layers down in DIA, this has been far less visible.
Didn’t we lose a collection of historical photos a few years ago, due to the asinine decision to outsource them to a small digital conversion outfit in the US, which then went into bankruptcy and never returned those photos?
Molly, I think this is what you refer to:
https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/93966105/fairfax-nz-photo-library-set-to-return-home-after-us-wrangle
Whether they have been returned yet I don’t know. There were concerns at the time about whether Ministry of Culture and Heritage had exercised proper oversight under the Protected Objects Act.
We are like children being led into the Forest of Business and Dubious Efficiency. Questions were raised about the wisdom and good faith involved in taking control in 2010 of our heritage material and putting it under the wing of a big Department with wide responsibilities.
It raises questions about the stewardship of the National Library and Archives NZ by the Department of Internal Affairs since these agencies were merged into DIA [Department of Internal Affairs] in 2010.
Now we should be determined to stop this downgrading of irreplaceable stuff about our past. We have had decades of dilettantes in government to make useful profitable connections for themselves, interested in cutting the part of the budget that went on tasks requiring and needing government care and scrutiny. (Notice Sam A 5.2.1 – the missing photographs so carelessly dispensed with to the USA business.)
Also remember the horror of letting a populist politician get control over important historic records in Canada.
Like a bull in a china shop.
The Harper Government Has Trashed and Destroyed Environmental Books and Documents
In the first few days of 2014, scientists, journalists, and environmentalists were horrified to discover that the Harper government had begun a process to close seven of the 11 of Canada’s world-renowned Department of Fisheries and Oceans libraries…
https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/4w578d/the-harper-government-has-trashed-and-burned-environmental-books-and-documents
Various NZ s over the years need to set themselves up as Guardians of whatever and follow the taonga, Friends of the Taonga or Friends of … to differentiate Maori from pakeha objects as there are so many that could be lost, the kaitiaki of each should watch what they know and treasure, working in conjunction.
Some links about caring for safety of museum and artifacts disasters and heroism:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donny_George_Youkhanna
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/revealed-the-real-story-behind-the-great-iraq-museum-thefts-515067.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32824379 – Palmyra
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/18/isis-beheads-archaeologist-syria
https://www.ajaonline.org/online-review-museum/364
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/201841596/saving-ancient-religious-manuscripts-from-destruction
https://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-politics/national-museum-staff-saves-irreplaceable-pieces-during-fire/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2018/09/05/heres-how-you-can-help-document-rios-national-museum-collections-after-the-catastrophic-fire/#8e5b2303dacd
https://mentalfloss.com/article/556959/wikipedia-digitally-preserving-items-destroyed-brazil-national-museum-fire
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/why-we-need-fight-save-mosuls-cultural-heritage-180962091/
http://savingantiquities.org/natural-disasters-and-their-impact-on-looting-and-destruction-of-cultural-heritage/
https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/destroying-cultural-heritage-more-just-material-damage
Thanks Sam. I couldn’t recall the details of the archive, and having it identified as Fairfax decision rather than government, means that our collective archive was not affected.
I recall at the time seeing images of some of the colonial photos that were being advertised on eBay, which seemed such a loss.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/11/auckland-pride-parade-organisers-consider-ditching-sponsors-completely.html
Im guessing that this might be the last pride festival (if this one happens at all).
I do not believe that the board understands how off side they are with public opinion on this one.
Correct james.
John Wight exposes the West’s war crimes in Yemen.
‘’As crimes pile up, they become invisible’: Western complicity in Saudi Arabia’s dirty war in Yemen.
The complicity of Western governments in the ocean of suffering being wrought in Yemen exposes them as agents of Saudi brutality.
After three years of relentless conflict, it has been estimated that out of a population of 27.4 million, 22.2 million people in Yemen are in need of humanitarian assistance, 17 million are food insecure, 14.8 million lack basic healthcare, 4.5 million children are suffering malnourishment, while 2.9 million people are internally displaced. As for dead and injured, the toll stands at almost 10,000 and 50,000 respectively.
…..Returning to Western complicity in the carnage and suffering being meted out to the Yemeni people, never has there been a more naked example of hypocrisy masquerading as democracy. Indeed, the longstanding alliance between the US, UK and Saudi Arabia takes a scalpel to the oft-repeated boasts of Washington and London when it comes to their self-appointed role as champions and guardians of human rights and democracy.
Beginning with the Obama administration, and ramped up under Trump, US involvement in this brutal conflict has consisted of direct military airstrikes (carried out against Al-Qaeda and Islamic State targets, according to Washington), along with logistical, intelligence, and other non-combat support provided to the anti-Houthi Saudi-led coalition. This, of course, is not forgetting US arms sales to the Kingdom, consisting of over 50 percent of all US arms exports.
….The war in Yemen is a dirty war, being waged by a Western-supported Saudi kleptocracy in the name of clerical fascism. Bertolt Brecht was right: “As crimes pile up, they become invisible”
https://t.co/PMfkXdrCW3?amp=1
For the spaceflight tragics.
(Tuesday 27 at 9.00am)
On Monday, November 26, 2018, NASA’s Mars Insight is scheduled to land on Mars. The spacecraft will touch down at approximately 20:00 UTC (3 p.m. EST). Watch coverage of the event on NASA TV. Live landing commentary runs from 19:00-20:30 UTC (2-3:30 p.m. EST). Translate UTC to your time.
https://earthsky.org/space/how-to-watch-insight-mars-landing-nov26-2018
Wonder if the ion energy that you linked to will be a feature in the space travel? Powered by solar energy I expect.
Little things make big things happen.
https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/214206-the-first-satellite-powered-entirely-by-ion-engines-is-online
Great thanks Joe. The new age of hope perhaps turning into reality?
And this more of the same:
“…Instead of using propellers or turbines, the researchers used electroaerodynamics. The technology works by sending a current through an electrode which electrically charges the molecules in the surrounding air. These charged molecules are then attracted towards a separate electrode on the aircraft – this movement of ions and neutral air particles generates an effect known as ionic or electric wind. By positioning an aerofoil in this air flow, lift can be generated, potentially allowing powered flight.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=12164473
Ion engines are already well established as the best in space, propulsion engine.
Essentially the rocket engine ejects matter at low speed, requiring scale to lift the rocket. The ion engine ejects very little mass but it is at extremely high speed.
The efficiency of rockets to create momentum is small. The efficiency of ion engines to create momentum is very high.
The energy for an ion energy is electricity from, nuclear heat/Stirling engines, or Solar. Solar is effective in the inner solar system but not in the outer solar system so most projects have nuclear heat/Stirling engines. Not to be confused by Nuclear power plants as they are not a controlled fission. They are simply concentrated radioactive elements giving off heat designed to match power needs, with the Stirling engine designed to match.
In theory ion engines (today’s tech) could accelerate a starship into the 5% to 10% of speed of light range. This results in interstellar travel below the 200 year mark for already identified colonisation viable solar systems.
Nope. Radioisotope thermoelectric generator just use standard thermocouples. No Stirling engines involved. I suspect the added mass and complexity makes Stirling engines impractical.
I think this sort of tech is interesting because it highlights energy sources that are green and as yet have limited practical applications. I think it’s wrong to bypass it because it is yet to raise a Cessna.
Another that interests me is the way air rushes out of a tube that stretches from sea level up to mountain top.
I’m pretty sure that radioisotopes aren’t all that green.
???
Maybe a solar updraft tower?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_updraft_tower
It would be great if there was a natural geological tube that coastal air shot up and would carry positioned parcels up to a certain height and platform, then they could be directed down slides or something to a collection point below using gravity.
Probably not viable but the idea of a tube effect of fast moving air upwards is appealing.
That fast moving air upwards has to get its energy from somewhere. If we’re looking at then using that fast moving air to do work, chances are it’ll work out to be more efficient, convenient, and flexible to turn that energy into electricity. Either by using the fast moving air to drive a generator, or going a step further back and harvesting whatever energy source that made the air move fast to make electricity instead.
You will be interested in this then.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_radioisotope_generator
So 4 times as energy efficient as an RTG system.
Reliability of the Stirling is an issue but I have seen figures of 100,000 hours reliable for inline magnetic and air bearing versions. They are not that big for the advantages, anything from cup size to fridge size, but much bigger than thermocouples. More expensive too.
A good example is adoption in sun following dish/mirrors in that they are by far the best performing heat to usable energy system.
If the basis of the system is to give grunt to an engine then the power you can put in matters.
Imagine a spacecraft supporting lots of people. The power requirements will be huge without solar being effective. The small spacecraft with 100W needs is perfect for RTG but large ships will go in the Stirling direction.
From your link.
Voyager has been running continuously for 40+ years so for ~400,000 hours.
More than likely at some point but it hasn’t happened yet.
Yes, they canceled that project along with many others, but it is still being developed for other projects in space. The lifecycle of the engine isn’t an issue if a person is there to do repairs. Voyager is a good example of what the design requirements are. No maintenance possible and thermocouples are the only option.
I was reading about spaceships powered by ion drives half a century ago, in scifi books, when I was a teenager. I knew enough college physics to get that it was plausible in theory, but haven’t heard of any building of such in practice since, so I routinely dismiss all such stuff nowadays a mere speculation.
In fact, although Kim Stanley Robinson did an excellent trilogy about the terraforming of Mars and atmospheric production could make it habitable if the rate exceeded gravitational loss at the upper margin, I’ve long since given up on the notion that it’ll happen. Those dozens of breakdowns & malfunctions in the DEW system, Chernobyl, Murphy’s Law, the tendency of computers to head into dysfunction just like people, nah, I got no faith in technology left…
The first successful test of one was in 1964. There have been quite a few since then.
General info
Ion Thruster Prototype Breaks Records in Tests, Could Send Humans to Mars
NOW EXPOSED: A UK-led, ‘New Cold War’ int’l intelligence propaganda & disinformation operation, using top Mainstream Media ‘journalists’, govt staff, #AtlanticCouncil, in partnership w/#NATO designed to increase fear and tension between West & Russia:.
Anonymous has published documents which it claims have unearthed a massive UK-led psyop to create a “large-scale information secret service” in Europe.
https://t.co/mwgjKrxpvv?amp=1
I wouldn’t view that stuff as anything much beyond an example of how stupidly paranoid some people are. This made me laugh – (From the “Integrity Initiative” handbook)
…the Integrity Initiative is funded by the Institute for Statecraft. The IfS gets its funding from multiple sources to ensure its independence. These include: private individuals; charitable foundations; international organisations (EU, NATO); UK Govt (FCO, MOD)
Kind of lacking in basic integrity I’d have thought. Oh, and the “independence”? Yeah well… probably best not to comment on the narrow focus embodied by such a ‘broad’ sweep of ‘diverse’ funding bodies, eh? 😉
Hi Ed,
Yes Germany has long wanted to even the score with Russia for the loss of the war in 1945 so the underside of Germany is alive still and want to see another ‘action’ against Russia.
Germany cant change their spots like others cant either.
That is human nature unfortunately and Britain knows that all to well.
Thread.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1056198831086452737.html
Thanks joe 90 and we thought we were trail blazers back in the mid 1900’s.
We live in interesting times, centuries, millenia! (I hope.)
Probably because a person who fights for the political rights for women as well as men is an actual Feminist. Completely different from those who stand in parliament spouting the magnificent Ministry for Women, claiming to be feminists, then vehemently attacking attempts to create a Ministry for Men.
Plus the patriarchy narrative requires ignoring the reality of our past so many brave women and mens actions are ignored. Kate Sheppards advocacy for women is made godlike, while the decades long voting rights battle behind both male suffrage and its resulting female voting rights becomes a footnote. Very few would know the names of the men who put forward male sufferage laws in NZ or who put forward female sufferage laws in NZ.
[citation needed]
Males have always been able to vote in NZ. It was non-owners that were prevented.
Who has dibs on Jules?
The Ecuadorian government has removed its ambassador to the UK, sparking speculation over Julian Assange’s future at the diplomatic mission there.
The 47-year-old founder of WikiLeaks moved into the Ecuadorian Embassy in central London in 2012 while wanted for questioning over sexual assault allegations in Sweden. Assange maintained his innocence and claimed the charges were nothing more than an attempt to extradite him to the United States.
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/23/uk/julian-assange-ecuador-diplomacy-gbr-intl/index.html
Gosh you just can’t evict some wily tenants.
stop feeding them and watch them squirrel away into the darkness to find some other ‘benefactor’ that will keep the housed and fed.
Yes but where will they go. And perhaps there should be hermitage, sanctuary for whistleblowers who need protecting so they don’t get shot, damaged by acid, sawn up and other grisly outcomes.
he is a grown up, he can get a job, rent a flat, find a supermarket and buy some groceries. And next time he has sex with a women and the deal/agreement/consent is only with a condom, i suggest he wears a condom.
Can’t give a flying poo about this guy, he can go in the wilderness and stay there. The sooner he gets out of the media, real of fake the better. He has spammed the world long enough.
Hey – Look At my wonderful body
It is a pity that you “Pride Parade” guys and girls, slander the police. You clearly don’t understand the constant Bravery and Service the Police give to the Citizens of New Zealand.
No wonder the significant Businesses of Auckland have withdrawn their support from you – because of your childish attitudes.
Show off and Dance on our streets. Yes. But don’t pretend you are anything like as important as our Police Women and Men. They Lay their Bodies on the line. – Day and Night.
Can’t the police have their own parade? I don’t remember them parading with Pride in the early days, maybe because they didn’t.
Police marched in this year’s parade.
A couple of takeouts from Daniel Andrews’ crushing landslide win for Labor in Victoria.
Voters will overlook any number of missteps in a government if they see that government getting on doing stuff to make their lives better – so knock yourself out National, bang on about Sroubek, Clare Curran, Meka Whaitiri and all the rest of it as much as you like. So long voters think the Coalition is working for them it won’t make any difference.
It’s totally game over for the old Tory trick of promising tax cuts and small government without compromising essential services. Voters have wised up to that bullshit, they know they can’t have both tax cuts and well maintained hospitals, schools and transport and all the other government services. Middlemore Hospital, the WOF debacle, schools maintenance, you name it National is going to get whacked with this.
Infrastructure spending wins votes. Voters in Melbourne, a city bursting at the seams (its population topped 5 milllion earlier this year according to Stats Australia) flocked to Labor on the back of Andrews’ pledge to spend 50 billion dollars on infrastructure and they didn’t much care that some of that money will need to be borrowed.
With crime falling in most western democracies, banging the law and order drum doesn’t work like it used to. Earlier this year Peter Dutton claimed that Victorians were too scared to go out for dinner at night because of gang violence in Melbourne. A ridiculous statement that just seems to have pissed off Melburnians, not least because he’s a Queensland federal MP.
Nathan Guy was pretty unelectable after being sprung doing dodgy deals with developers in his role as the responsible minister when last in power.
Like here they’re getting on with it on an almost gridlocked Melbourne that’s done nowhere near enough on public transport as it zoomed past 5mill a few months ago.
Matthew Guy . . . .
‘Murica – raise $10k, or die.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dsxs93cU8AEkm0J.jpg
In the days before mass immigration the middle classes of Russian, China, Middle East and India would rise up and overthrow their dictators and demand further rights, nowadays, the middle class support them, get a plane ticket out of those countries to places like NZ and the west and leave the tin pot dictators alone, who then use their money to reduce the welfare and rights of small countries like NZ, influence big countries, whose governments are only too keen to take the cash, the loans, and the cheap labour, decrease then educational standards, and pocket the money for their assets to be bought. Sometimes they are so frightened of being ‘racist’ they give them away for free, aka water rights because the laws have been written for that very purpose. Anyone who doesn’t agree is ‘racist’ apparently.
Likewise the mass displacement of the Middle East and Africa of refugees and economic migrants. Guess what, nobody says stop bombing the shit out of those countries and start spending money on making sure that those countries are habitable with enough food and water and resources to support themselves, that is where the debate should be…
nope straight too, where should these people go and making other countries forces secure the oil lines etc?
The people of earth themselves are between rock and a hard place with so many stupid politicians and political strategists and the world’s media owned by the world’s wealthy and sending the same messages of distraction and neoliberalism to further a short term gain and environmental destruction, massive migration for the privileged or desperate.
None of this will turn out well in the end for any of the countries and most of the people and the flora and fauna, but great if your individual goal in life is to own a super yacht, a sports team, gold curtains and more money and houses and assets than you can live in or even manage, and earn that by legal and illegal theft or manipulation of former public assets and resources.
When did the middle classes of Russian, China, Middle East and India rise up?.
I was looking at Karl Marx and petite bourgeoisie yesterday and go the quote below. It seems that the middle classes are not action-oriented for better things for all, rather re-action to protect their standard of living and growing privilege.
When i worked in a solicitor’s office dealing with accident claims before ACC, I didn’t notice them trying to get better law that was helpful and kinder to those who had workplace injuries. He wasn’t into changing anything for that reason.
An interesting piece of theory –
He [Wilhelm Reich] claimed that the middle classes were a hotbed for political reaction due to their reliance on the patriarchal family (according to Reich, small businesses are often self-exploiting enterprises of families headed by the father, whose morality binds the family together in their somewhat precarious economic position) and the sexual repression that underlies it.[5]‘
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petite_bourgeoisie
It seems to me that feminists were majorly middle class and were agitating for better conditions. But they were thinking of themselves and when the
changes happened that suited them with a with some trickle-down to the poorer, disadvantaged, the pressure for change dropped. Things improved and then change slowed, and the ones who needed most, only got a toe-in I think, not a shoe-in.
Point being that the middle classes have never risen up against squat.
They are who they are because of their obeisance to their betters, their contemptible disregard for their lessors, and their continued prosperity relies entirely on maintaining the status quo.
OTOH, peasants…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peasant_revolts
Oooh you are so hard joe 90. I think I prefer living in the middle classes and perhaps I am not so good about caring and sharing. Thinks – uncomfortable.
Wrong. The middle class are the swing voters in democracy. (Steriotyping) The poor will vote left no matter what’s happening. The rich will vote right no matter what’s happening. The middle class will react to incompetence buy voting for the opposite, or react to voting bribes. The middle class in self preservation reacts to propaganda.
They rise up at every election. They just don’t march in the streets.
Hence democracy fails in that it never addresses the poor or reigns in the rich. The minority becomes oppressed by the majority.
It never ends well joey, not even in France.
Bloodbath, landslide.
Labour smash the coalition out of the park. That said the Greens did not really increase their vote.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-24/as-it-happened-victorian-election-2018-results/10521290
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-25/victorian-election-winners-and-losers/10544750
S’cuse the ignorance, but since I don’t follow the machinations of Australian politics, I have to ask, – assuming that the Liberal Party is of the full on soggy shit smeared variety, is the Australian Labor Party much more worth or use than slightly and suspiciously soiled toilet paper ?
No.
You should have seen Peta Credlin spinning like a top. You could almost see the wrinkles developing around her mouth
Hi Greywarshark
The bloke Julian Assange threw into the Washington military dungeon turned out to be a sweet young lady. Chelsea.
I hope Assange controls himself and keeps well away from her, – now that she is a respected USA Citizen.
What with Jules going a bit far with his two Swedish female staff – and Trump famous for his ever ready Pussygrope, Chelsea should take lots of care. Always board the right Boeing – Chelsea
in the meantime, Assange is pulling faces at the Ecuador Embassy and generally being the objectionable upstart that he always is.
Hit and Hide – is Jules motto.
Fascinating stuff Observer. This is why i generally keep away from discussing the USA-involved political stuff. It’s a sideshow to keep us from thinking about the serious development stuff we need to concentrate on – the world is a stage, and we need to be actors in our part of it is my certainty. Climate change is changing the scenery.
This is an example of how we can be easily distracted from politics. Start replacing interest in what is happening with entertainment – Punch and Judy anyone?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcE7ppOT_0c
Then on the other hand, can what is being shown in the longer show after the first short excerpt, is from Brighton Beach, UK. indicate an approach that would be right for now for New Brighton beach and pier in Christchurch NZ.
If Brighton, Christchurch could throw a regular event between 1 and 3pm on Saturday afternoons with traditional things like donkey rides, balloons, music, dancing to a youth band, and do it with good publicity for a season, they could boost their economic life.
greywarshark; 100% to that.
Try Napier beach now it has a heavy deep ditch 10 meters off the shoreline, that now has developed super sized ‘undertow” of swirling currents that now knock you off your feet and drag you under.
Several have drowned now from this super sized undertow so yes the beaches are changing dramatically now because of increases in current flow and surrounding sea temperature increases we are told.
Here is piece on Christchurch, New Brighton that shows how well they are doing
and mentions the problems. That beach is one of Christchurch’s assets and
I am sure they will adapt and build jobs and businesses for the locals. Pop-ups for cheaper buildings on shaky ground, with limited investment in a changing coastline for instance. If you are there at Christmas – school holidays give them a visit and fly kites if the wind is right and make sandcastles on real sand on the long beach. And I think there is kite-surfing there.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/100814553/the-long-road-towards-a-new-new-brighton
Kite surfing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBO7dZPMndo
You’re on it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oqohzfA5ZM
Running
Christchurch 10km Series: Sand – NZ Running Calendar
https://www.runningcalendar.co.nz/event/christchurch-10km-series-sand/
Nov 9, 2018 – The first event in the 2019 Christchurch 10km Series has sand and sea at North Beach in New Brighton on Sunday, 20 January.
Christchurch
https://www.christchurchnz.org.nz/news/christchurch-welcomes-a-bumper-summer-of-events/
Nasty power blip. Both UPS blipped. Screen went off for 20 seconds.
Normally my systems don’t blip. It usually means a nasty power outage somewhere in Auckland. Anyone on batteries?
Tripped at te awamutu.
https://www.transpower.co.nz/sites/default/files/interfaces/exn/EXN%20Voltage%20North%20Island%20Te%20Awamutu%20T1%20Tripped%2C%20Hangatiki%202953737450.pdf
System is still fragile due to cook strait HVDC shutdown,and intermittent wind.
Shit Iprent,
We need to put a fund raiser up to buy you a backup battery solar power system?
It has a pretty good UPS system with the server and the network endpoints on it. I check it every 4 months and battery replace every year. It will last about 6-8 hours on fresh batteries. 4-6 when I replace them.
I’m in central Auckland which has been somewhat refurbished power-wise after they blacked or browned me and everyone else out periodically for 3 months in 1998 in a stunning display of the efficiency of greed and deregulation 🙂
Wouldn’t mind some largeish Li-ion or Li-iron. But they need very good control systems – especially in my living room 🙂 I work with large Li-ion in large quantities, so I can tell you that I don’t to see that kind of failure here.
Currently the prices are formidable, but coming down. But in the meantime sealed lead-acid is good enough and cheap enough to keep the site running.
Iprent,
My son has been installing backup solar systems all around HB to Waitako and several lodges and motels with Tesla battery backup systems.
He is buggering off to Germany for a year but has all the data on them.
I am considering one to, but i would like to see the government give some grants for solar like Germany does.
We will wait their move to solar.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12165591
We need to start seriously imposing big fines on these filthy councils ruining our beaches.
From a farm pov this is a notable problem that shows up the city as polluter.
But we are talking here about people pollution, not farm animals. It is obvious that many NZ dairy farms are overstocked and ignoring good husbandry of their animals and their effluent. First step is to control runoff, limit irrigation, and destock numbers.
Similarly with people. The farm-business big-export, big-profit phalanx want to overstock NZ with people who either bring in investment money or are charged for working here at minimal wages. We now have too many people in pockets of concentration, for the modern facilities provided to keep the place healthy and attractive. If you want to reduce city pollution complain to the decision-making people suffering from the hungry tapeworm called super-wealth.
(There appears to be a serious outbreak of some disease which may be parasitic tapeworms – Ingesting the eggs leads to tapeworm larvae growing in many different human tissues, particularly brain and muscle.
https://www.verywellhealth.com/parasitic-infections-of-the-central-nervous-system-2488670)
This would explain why we see such little brain power indicated in poor planning and decision making in the country, and the lack of physical activity driving many of these debilitated people to sit all day playing around with computer models which are supposed to mirror real life, but actually are pale imitations.
You started me off bwaghorn – the above guff is your fault!
So, chemtrails it is.
Scientists are proposing an ingenious but as-yet-unproven way to tackle climate change: spraying sun-dimming chemicals into the Earth’s atmosphere.
The research by scientists at Harvard and Yale universities, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, proposes using a technique known as stratospheric aerosol injection, which they say could cut the rate of global warming in half.
The technique would involve spraying large amounts of sulfate particles into the Earth’s lower stratosphere at altitudes as high as 12 miles. The scientists propose delivering the sulfates with specially designed high-altitude aircraft, balloons or large naval-style guns.
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/23/health/sun-dimming-aerosols-global-warming-intl-scli/index.html
From the Exec summary of this months O3/wmo report.
Intentional long-term geoengineering applications that substantially increase stratospheric aerosols to mitigate global warming by reflecting sunlight would alter the stratospheric ozone layer. The estimated magnitude and even the sign of ozone changes in some regions are uncertain because of the high sensitivity
to variables such as the amount, altitude, geographic location, type of injection and the halogen loading. An increase of the stratospheric sulfate aerosol burden in amounts sufficient to substantially reduce global radiative forcing would delay the recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole. Much less is known about the effects on
ozone from geoengineering solutions using non-sulfate aerosols.
Dont need it for the SH.
Science proceeds via experiment. Trial & error. Atmosphere experimentation: if it doesn’t work, just throw it away & get another one. Normal scientific method, as performed by normal scientists.
The Archdruid is usually good on the big picture, and the past year or two he’s been on about faustian culture. Google it gets you this:
“Faustian culture is driven to reach as far as it can in all directions, almost as a virtue in itself. It sees itself as built atop all previous cultures. It dreams of global dominance, and has many senses achieved that but it is unsatisfied. The climb of perpetual progress is an important story to the Faustian man.”
“Faustian Culture began in Western Europe around the 10th century and according to Spengler such has been its expansionary power that by the 20th century it was covering the entire earth, with only a few regions where Islam provides an alternative world view.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decline_of_the_West
Alerts us to why China’s dictator is in rebel mode, eh? Too negligible to even rate a mention. “The use of the word ‘Faustian’ when describing the Western culture Spengler explained by pointing out a parallel between the tragic figure of Faust and the Western world. Just as Faust sold his soul to the devil to gain greater power, the Western man sold his soul to technics.” https://faustianeurope.wordpress.com/2007/07/…/oswald-spengler-and-faustian-cultur…
So there you have it. Techne – modern equivalent of magic – driven toward global transformation by the Promethean power drive in our collective unconscious. Don’t assume atmosphere experiments are merely scientific hubris!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_Weather_Modification_Office
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_modification
Nothing obvious in the way of a substantial advance since I read up on it around seven years ago. Usage would snowball noticeably if the successes cited were generally replicable. The economic rewards would compel that.
Always hard how much credit to give WP but you may have missed the hint to a non-Western culture.
See, SirPonyboy was right all along.That’ll be why he’s positioned himself on the Air NZ board.
Old ‘news’ J90.
Another years old rehashed article…signalling what has already been deployed…
Global Dimming…BBC ran articles about that ‘phenomena’…years ago also..
Which was about the declining amount of solar energy reaching the Earth’s surface, and has zip to do with the article posted.
‘Dimming The Sun’
Article title, that you linked Joe…
The ‘clue’ is in the title of the respective articles which are the ‘same subject’…
If you can’t ‘see’ the relationship…well…I would not be surprised if you’re not reading or understanding what you post about…
Edit: wiki is acceptable for such a reference
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_dimming
Oh do fuck off with your arcane claptrap.
One. Two
You know it all you smart arse. Well get off your bottom and go and fix it, whatever, instead of hanging round here trying to prevent us getting to know about some of the things your great mind has already absorbed. I am just so sick of you lazy geniuses, all talk and no commitment to useful action for the good of humankind.
You have no idea what I do or who I am, GW…so dial it a little bit eh…
If you think my pointing out that J90 was posting rehashed articles, which he has admitted to not actually reading before linking 20.4…then you’re barking up the wrong tree…
On you can be in your own way..same applies to every one of us…
I have every idea what you do on this blog One Two. And what line you take usually – negative.
Seeing that the world is in crisis perhaps you could start lookinhg for ways to aid your fellow humans instead of slagging us off.
Arse. After reading the abstract of the paper referred to in the CNN article I posted, I noted that the CNN article erroneously inferred that the paper was an actual proposal.
So again, do fuck off you supercilious sack of shit, and take your disingenuous drivel with you.
I have every idea what you do on this blog One Two. And what line you take usually – negative. Seeing that the world is in crisis perhaps you could start looking for better ways to aid your fellow humans instead of slagging us off.
By the way this site doesn’t profess to have the latest scientific things, and if you find there is something better, put up the link. Say this might be more up to date don’t criticise us as your first move.
Refer to what is important yourself instead.
Your style as here is not acceptable to me as a serious person worrying about the known problems not being tackled and the unknown ones that are looming.
‘Dimming The Sun’
Article title, that you linked Joe…
The ‘clue’ is in the title of the respective articles which are the ‘same subject’…
If you can’t ‘see’ the relationship…well…I would not be surprised if you’re not reading or understanding what you post about…
Edit: wiki is acceptable for such a reference
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_dimming
Your style here is not acceptable to me…
So instead of dialing it back you’ve doubled down…
GW, if my comments and the syle of them go past you…well..so be it…I don’t write for you…
That you ‘believe’ I see the world as a crisis indicates you don’t comprehend my comments…you’re a long way off the mark…
Your comments read like you have a grudge of some sort…
Move on from it…leave the personal insults to others here…you’re probably better than that…
And after a quick squiz at the abstract, and despite my own flippancy, it looks like CNN clickbait.
The author’s read it as an actual proposal rather than what it is, a pie in the sky assessment.
Abstract
We review the capabilities and costs of various lofting methods intended to deliver sulfates into the lower stratosphere. We lay out a future solar geoengineering deployment scenario of halving the increase in anthropogenic radiative forcing beginning 15 years hence, by deploying material to altitudes as high as ~20 km. After surveying an exhaustive list of potential deployment techniques, we settle upon an aircraft-based delivery system. Unlike the one prior comprehensive study on the topic (McClellan et al 2012 Environ. Res. Lett. 7 034019), we conclude that no existing aircraft design—even with extensive modifications—can reasonably fulfill this mission. However, we also conclude that developing a new, purpose-built high-altitude tanker with substantial payload capabilities would neither be technologically difficult nor prohibitively expensive. We calculate early-year costs of ~$1500 ton−1 of material deployed, resulting in average costs of ~$2.25 billion yr−1 over the first 15 years of deployment. We further calculate the number of flights at ~4000 in year one, linearly increasing by ~4000 yr−1. We conclude by arguing that, while cheap, such an aircraft-based program would unlikely be a secret, given the need for thousands of flights annually by airliner-sized aircraft operating from an international array of bases.
http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aae98d/meta
I find your post fascinating Joe. It leads me to wonder what other ways we could turn the sun’s energy back on itself.
We all know how something painted black sucks up heat and something white has a greater tendency to reflect the heat and light.
One of the problems with diminishing snow and ice is that we’re not bouncing as much light and heat back up.
What if every sun struck man made item was white or mirrored? Cars, building roofs, supermarket carparks. Could pasture be genetically modified to be white?
Could we float a bio product on oceans that reflects more light than salt water?
The subject of albedo (reflectivity) is certainly a complex aspect of global warming.
In short, making the artificial surfaces you have control over white (or light green) actually does do quite a bit to reduce warming. To the point I was absolutely astonished when I found out Auckland Council required dark roofs on new construction in at least one semi-rural area.
Grassland is also quite a lot more reflective than forest. Most deserts are more reflective than grassland. In total, the increase in the earth’s reflectivity from land-use changes from human activity counteracts maybe 5% of the global warming from the greenhouse gases we’ve dumped into the atmosphere.
But the big albedo variable that’s still poorly understood is clouds. It’s for sure that a warmer world means more moisture in the atmosphere, which means more clouds, which you would think would reflect more sunlight. But it turns out to be a lot more complicated than that, since they also reflect heat radiated from the earth back down to ground (think how much warmer mornings are after a cloudy night than a clear night). The net effect apparently depends on how high and how thick the clouds are (among other variables).
https://skepticalscience.com/earth-albedo-effect-intermediate.htm
Latent heat is the energy absorbed by or released from a substance during a phase change from a gas to a liquid or a solid or vice versa. … When these gas molecules condense into liquid drops, latent heat is released into the atmosphere which warms the air surrounding the molecule.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latent_heat
Yeah, that’s part of the complexity of clouds’ net effect on warming. I vaguely recall reading something that came to the conclusion that the height at which the latent heat was released or absorbed was fairly significant from a warming perspective, and that the water-ice transition was still quite important even though the latent heat of fusion is around 1/6 that of evaporation for water.
This is useful information to householders and landscapers too. Different plants have different levels of reflection. Part of reflection is heat energy.
Dark trees absorb more light and heat. Lighter trees reflect more light and heat. Nature does ambient lighting, you just need to be aware what you’re looking at.
Could we float rafts that create shadows and havens for fish and bird life on seas near coastlines. Perhaps over the Australian reefs, and where fisher people live so they can continue their ‘peasant’ fishing culture and diet.
We could float rafts that provide habitat, shelter, and double as phosphate collectors and even oceanic monitoring stations.
In freshwater we could float rafts that grow rampant plants as stock food, meanwhile stripping excess nutrients from water, providing habitat and shade, and with some cunning design, aeration to the surrounding water.
I was knocking up these designs for some NZ lakes when they were deemed to be complete shit holes decades ago. But the policy then was to pretend they weren’t shit holes.
Some such rafts are already in operation here in NZ. They work successfully, but many of our degraded lakes are big. Estuaries are the focus now – the penultimate receiving bodies of all that goes on and in further up the catchment. Silt and nutrient are the big issues, eutrophication the symptom of human carelessness. Unless big tides clear clogged estuaries, there’s not a lot else that can be done; all ideas gratefully received. (Rafts of plants are challenged by brackish waters). Giant sludge-sucking pumps are great science fiction.
In the meantime Paris
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/11/watch-utter-anarchy-champs-elysees-paris-erupts-fiery-protests-fuel-prices/
Diesel has gone up 23% in the last year. Bound to upset the economic system.IIRR
it will go up further.
I think really people need to realize that changes are coming and it does not matter what they burn down in anger.
France has a good public transport system at least in the larger areas and conecting to rural areas of importance.
But there are things to be done, i .e. community cars. Rather then have two / three cars per family, have community cars that are owned by a trust, that are maintained by membership contribution and that people can book in for when they need a car. Take me, i don’t actually need a car, – the little car that i got from my partner when his company gave him a car has served my inlaws when they lost their cars in the big floods a few years ago, then it was driven by the son in law when his car died and he could not afford one, then it was driven by a young lady with three kids who needed a car but could not afford one outright, so she the little old one until she had enough saved up to buy one herself. I haven not missed this car in a year and a half.
We – the people – need to come of our sofas and realise that the gravy years are over. We either want this planet to sustain us, or we can drive in an SUV to hell without a return ticket.
As for the conomic system being upset, it already is.
” the world is a stage” all the world
Greywarshark
I like it when Shakespeare peers over our shoulders – thanks for reminding me!
I am a dullard compared to you writers … but yes – Iwanka taking her laptop home tof fiddle with Trumpian Profundities is very Innocent. Says Daddy.
How Lprent rides the WiFI Surf day in day out- I shall never know. But I admire his alertness and patience.
The Brighton Wharf is long – if i remember correctly. It could be Colourful if we allowed Judith Collins to invite her and her Beijing Comrades to bring the dragons and Balloons down there of a weekend.
China V Canterbury – attacking each other with high diving Kites.
Hey Observer you have found this blog very invigorating for ideas as I have.
Cheers.
Looks like someone has the stones to reel in the data crims.
The UK Parliament invoked a rarely used legal power to compel a US software company to hand over internal Facebook documents that could contain revelations on the run-up to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Damian Collins, MP and chair of the culture, media and sport select committee used a rare parliamentary mechanism to compel the founder of Six4Three to hand over the documents while on a business trip, local media reported on Saturday.
A serjeant was sent to his hotel to issue a final call and communicate a two-hour deadline to comply with the order. British daily The Guardian reported that when the firm founder failed to comply, he was escorted to parliament. Not complying with the request could have led to fines and even imprisonment.
The cache of documents is alleged to include email exchange between senior executives, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckenberg.
“We are in uncharted territory,” Mr Collins, who also chairs an inquiry into fake news, told local media. “This is an unprecedented move but it’s an unprecedented situation. We’ve failed to get answers from Facebook and we believe the documents contain information of very high public interest.”
https://www.thenational.ae/world/europe/uk-parliament-seizes-internal-facebook-documents-1.795495
Peter Calder went to check it out: “the Islamic Republic of Iran – is a hypermoralist theocracy in which pornography, prostitution, alcohol, drugs, YouTube, Facebook, and much else besides, is banned, on pain of imprisonment, and corporal or even capital punishment. Yet the population accesses all of them with a quietly exuberant abandon. Defiance, indeed, is the currency of daily life.”
“As the PBS show Frontline reported, Iran is the only state in which the executive branch does not control the armed forces.” “The hijab – a head-covering scarf – remains obligatory, even for tourist women. Meanwhile, the basij, a volunteer auxiliary corps of young men recognisable by their neatly trimmed beards and black clothing, enforce internal security, police morals (they question couples walking together to establish the legitimacy of their relationship) and suppress dissidents and protest gatherings.”
So you can see why some leftists onsite here support Iran in its opposition to Saudi Arabia, eh? That’d be because Trump doesn’t like the Iranian regime. Having to choose between a conservative narcissist and a totalitarian regime, they understandably prefer the latter.
“The exchange rate of the Iranian rial is soaring: the US dollar, worth IRR43,000 in international markets, was fetching 120,000 in early September and 140,000 by the end of the month. A grim joke doing the rounds asked what the dollar is worth. “Do you mean now, now or now?” was the punchline answer. Not since I was in Argentina in the 1970s have I experienced an exchange rate so grotesquely advantaging the visitor as it hammered the locals.”
“Islam is more than a religion; it is a tool of state control. Most Iranians (particularly in urban areas) are not devout, or even practising, Muslims, but admitting as much is fatal to employment prospects.” https://www.noted.co.nz/currently/world/iran-us-sanctions-corrupt-ideologues-defiance/
Iran and Saudi Arabia drive their people to hate each other, and they are about as oppressive as each other. They aren’t the only two choices available.
Brexit looks to be a goer today.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-46330380
European Council President Donald Tusk has recommended that the EU approve the Brexit deal at a summit on Sunday.
It comes after Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez received assurances from the UK government over Gibraltar, and dropped his threat to boycott the summit.
He said he had received the written guarantees he needed over Spain’s role in the future of the British territory.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May has arrived in Brussels and held talks with top EU officials, ahead of the summit.
The terms of the UK’s withdrawal have been under negotiation since June 2016 following a referendum in which 51.9% voted to leave the EU.
Even if the EU approves the deal, it still has to be passed by the UK Parliament, with many MPs having stated their opposition.
Spain had raised last-minute objections ahead of the summit about how the issue of Gibraltar had been handled in the Brexit talks so far.
But EU leaders secured a compromise with the Spanish prime minister, who said that Europe and the UK “had accepted the conditions set down by Spain” and so would “vote in favour of Brexit”.
Mr Tusk, who represents EU leaders on the world stage, said he recommended “that we approve on Sunday the outcome of the Brexit negotiations” in a letter to members of the European Council.
He added: “No-one has reasons to be happy. But at least at this critical time, the EU 27 has passed the test of unity and solidarity.”
The political declaration, which sets out what the UK and EU’s relationship may be like after Brexit – outlining how things like UK-EU trade and security will work.
The EU withdrawal agreement: a 585-page, legally binding document setting out the terms of the UK’s exit from the EU. It covers the UK’s £39bn “divorce bill”, citizens’ rights and the Northern Ireland “backstop” – a way to keep the border with the Republic of Ireland open, if trade talks stall.
There is no formal vote on Sunday but the EU expects to proceed after reaching a consensus.
Hi Cleangreen
Dumb as I am, may I ask what good Merry England is going to do by snubbing its snotty nose at the accomplished EU. ?
We all know that Brits think themselves the bees knees and have the answer to everything under the Sun. But I have a feeling that the Boris Johnsons – and the Farrages will do well and the glory tories- but the rest of the UK will be living off sweet nothing.
Scotland and Ireland will do well. Because they are not stupid like the grumbling Brits. Hopefully the Welsh will ditch the mad Poms too.
Observer Tokoroa; – Ouch! – I married a pom 42 years ago and she’s been o/k.
I good mate I reckon, am I lucky?
I find that the EU was to hard on Greece and they are dictatorial after they allowed Greece borrow so much private funding to develop there infrastructure and went bust on foreign capital .
we are similarly exposed like Greece too.
Actually we still don’t know who we have borrowed $60 Billion from do we?
Goldman Sachs was the agent that Greece used and they are a shifty lot too.
I worry when the next GFC comes around what will happen to all those ‘cling-ons” new smaller states to the EU.
Some are very shaky, especially the eastern side of Europe, like Hungary and Romania and some others.
Time will tell.
Actually, in NZ we are in a much more secure situation than Greece. The problem for Greece is that it uses a ‘foreign’ currency in the Euro and must therefore stay on good terms with the ECB and other European institutions. Unfortunately for Greece good terms means agreeing to aggressive Austerity demands and other economic ‘reforms’. Despite IMF forecasts for a quick recovery these reforms caused a 25% shrinkage in the Greek economy and 20% unemployment rate and will negatively influence the Greek economy for more than a decade.
In return for this (and probably against the letter of the ECB legislation) the ECB has been supporting the Greek government by maintaining a lowish interest rate on Greek government debt and allowing them not to default. The ECB is also doing this for other Euro countries.
In NZ however our parliament ultimately controls our central bank (which can do the same kinds of things as the ECB does) and so if push comes to shove NZ will never experience such problems of being bullied economically by higher level institutions. The UK is similar to NZ in that it also controls its Bank of England meaning the exchequer ultimately calls the shots for the UK. Not that this prevents self inflicted economic pain, as George Osborne caused when he (predictably, it was predicted) turned a single dip recession into a triple dip recession through mindless austerity policies. However I think the conservatives soon realized that running the economy into the ground with ideologically driven Austerity policies was going to be bad for their chances of re-election. At that point they kept talking up all the austerity they were doing, but basically stopped doing it.
Ultimately the important question seems to be if this stuff is controlled by elected representatives or if the elected representatives have to answer to un-elected institutions.
Telescreens, anyone?
Amazon’s Alexa probably won’t admit there was a murder in her home, but the data she stores on the company’s servers might tell a different story.
An Amazon Echo, the device that houses the company’s Alexa AI, in the kitchen of a Farmington, N.H., home is at the heart of a double murder trial. Earlier this month, a judge ordered partial records of that device be released.
Prosecutors believe there may be recordings of the stabbings of two women from January 2017. Amazon has not yet said if it would release the information.
“I think this is the beginning of the ‘internet of evidence’ where lots of pieces of smart devices are going to show up in criminal prosecutions,” Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, author of The Rise of Big Data Policing: Surveillance, Race, and the Future of Law Enforcement, told Day 6.
https://t.co/DZk9GcH7K2
Scoop needs us. It is ready to go further as a community NZ owned news service.
https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/5837-scoop-3-0-crowdsale-and-crowdfunding-campaign
What’s with the lack of produce in the supermarket lately?
Thanks Cleangreen
I am glad you are pleased with your lovely Girl. She is a Treasure.
Although I am of British stock I do not trust the Parliament of the Uk.
It exists for the very Wealthy. Not for the Many.
Perhaps one day the Brits may realise that Equality and Fraternity are better than a sham toy Parliament.
Again thanks Cleangreen
Kia ora The Am Show the jail term for dairy dack is just a political stunt by national there is no thought about what is good for people just what floats there toilet polls.
Last year all the retailers were advertising chrismas a the start of October this year they have not even started. Just like the work being done on the inter Island power cables being carried out at the start of summer instead of a few months earlier when the Hydro lakes are full. ?????????.
My Huawei phone got the signal fine I was not going to com on this subject till I heard Azzes make his statement .
simon your m8 has moved to Bali .
So long as the new Australian Governments combat climate change that’s the big picture Jason I will be doing a post on what the dozens of ex judges are calling for in Australia anti white collar corruption force nearly all the carbon lobbyist are ex mps a big conflicted of interest there hence all the problem in the Australian governments lobbyist should be banned all around the world .
The santa issue is just some man grandstanding the topic of Equality and everyone has fallen for the neo anti Equality mens tricks.
Who wrote those word for you Mark Communism is just a word nowadays used to trash socialism whats so wrong with the wealthy shearing there billions of lollies with common poor people so they get a house and not a bridge he tangata he tangata.
Yes we need a cabon tax and use the tax to of set the price of clean energy like Norway . Its cool that we have a lot of people buying electric cars in Aotearoa now.
I agree its stupid not rolling out a electric Car subsidy when we import most of our oil come on . Ka kite ano
This is a Wahine whos actions speak as loud as her word and a Mana Wahine I will tau toko her ka pai
Sweden’s then deputy prime minister remained enigmatic as the picture went viral and she was asked whether she had been “trolling” the US president. “It is up to the observer to interpret the photo,” she was quoted as saying. “We are a feminist government, which shows in this photo.”
Lövin is one of the leading figures in what she says is a resurgence in environmentally conscious politics across the continent. “There is a green wave going on in Europe, in Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium, and in Finland as well,” she says. “I’m convinced that green parties offer a positive vision, and also the willingness to take on the huge challenges that we see in the world right now.” Ka kite ano link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/24/isabella-lovin-trolled-trump-swedish-minister-climate-change-mission-fishing-ban
Dozens of former judges urge Scott Morrison to set up anti-corruption watchdog
Arguing that existing federal integrity agencies “lack the necessary jurisdiction, powers and know-how to investigate properly the impartiality and bona fides of decisions made by, and conduct of, the federal government and public sector” .
Greed drive the carbon barons to propagandize lie and cheat so they can keep poisoning our Grandchildren’s future with carbon. link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/nov/25/dozens-of-former-judges-urge-scott-morrison-to-set-up-anti-corruption-watchdog
The Nationals’ WA branch similarly failed to respond when asked why it failed to declare the $20,000 donation from Mineral Resources.
The iron ore miner confirmed it had given a $20,000 bank cheque to the Nationals in March last year, around the time of the state election. But a spokesman said the company made donations to all sides, not just the Nationals. Its donations to Labor and the Liberals were declared properly.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/nov/26/major-parties-failed-to-declare-corporate-donations-electoral-commission-finds
More than half of all Australian lobbyists previously worked inside government or for the major political parties, with one in four staffing the offices of ministers, parliamentary secretaries or backbenchers.
Guardian Australia has investigated the backgrounds of all 483 individuals listed on July’s federal lobbyist register, checking each for a history in federal or state government, either as politicians, political staffers, party officials or public servants.
Australia’s lax lobbying regime the domain of party powerbrokers
Read more
The analysis, believed to be the first of its kind, reveals 255 lobbyists, or 52.8%, have a previous history within government or political party hierarchies.
It also revealed one in four lobbyists have worked as staffers – policy advisers, chiefs of staff, or electorate or media officers – to Australian politicians. Ka kite ano link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/sep/16/in-the-family-majority-of-australias-lobbyists-are-former-political-insiders
Kia ora Newshub Its cool that the District Health is upping the wages of there low paid workers .
Lloyd nice scarf .
Changing the WOF to 12 months was a fool of a move we don’t have nice flat straight 2 lane roads like they do overseas hence 6 monthly WOF .
Well thats shocking all these surgical devices being sold to Kiwis and they have not been tested wtf the people who make these thing are playing Russian roulette with Kiwi lives .
trump will be a bigger fool if he lets the ICE shoot those refugees at there Mexico boarder .
Ollie Ka pai to Scott for his win on the Super Car .
Ka kite ano
Kia ora The Crowd Goes Wild congrats to Mikayla and Brodie for there prizes .
Storm that was a good win for Scott.
Yes you cant do that to the Ranfurly Shield .
I liked his acting as Muhammad Ali Will that is that’s a cool movie they don’t make em like they use to.
Jen Hackman is a cool actor.
I say a golf game between Barak and trump would be cool
Good win King .
Ka kite ano Some countrys don’t no how to be good host guys