Oh fuck – we can't have a small island nation in the Pacific exercising its sovereign rights – the US told us we have to create a foreign affairs fuss! Fuck the fact that we are prepared to shit on an important trading partner after our ''ethnically sensitive" Minister of Foreign Affairs strode around proclaiming we had a mature relationship with China.
A lot of fuss over what is laughingly called a military base in the Solomon Islands when as a five-eyes spy, we condone the master having 800 world-wide. What happened to the days when we aspired to be a moral nation. Oh yeah – that 's before we became a snivelling state of grovellers needing warm fuzzies from a senile, easily confused US President.
So you welcome anyone not the US having a port in the Pacific for their nuclear powered and armed fleet?
The whole point of our nuclear free Pacific policy was to keep this super power shit out of our region.
What sort of nation turns atolls into islands in breach of international law – then militarises them, after saying it won't. One you should not trust that's who.
What was missed? Where is the report that says China intends establishing a nuclear powered and armed fleet in the Solomon's or that the anti-nuke policy was to keep the US out of the Pacific?
Talking about turning atolls into islands leads one to think about, for example, Diago Garcia. Makes conversion of a few atolls look pretty tame – especially when the US has over 800 bases around the world.
Surely the Solomon's are entitled to exercise sovereignty, or is that only for an approved class of states?
Our nuclear vessel free port policy was part of a nuclear free South Pacific policy (our equivalent to the US-USSR agreement to withdrawal missiles from Europe).
All for the principle of national sovereignty regardless of neighbours wish to keep the super power rivalry out it it – and your opine on Ukraine is …
The fact is China is making a territorial claim in a major sea land and stealing from the economic zones of other nations – all in breach of international law. And it promised it would not militarise the islands. A deliberate lie.
Trading partner or not, that is a concern.
We will probably seek assurances from them, but should we trust what they say now?
Where did you get, "base for the Chinese navy not excluding …?" and what fits on the …… space?
2. A territorial claim of a few tiny atolls are a real worry. Some aircraft carrier fleet may crash into them on wild nights while doing some 'freedom of access' cruises (sarc/)
3. Seems most of the stealing from Pacific economic zones is done by humungous chartered fishing ships from Europe etc.
4. Lost me there – got a link?
5. What is your concern, trading or partner?
6. Seems China's word is pretty much its bond, with friends. The other option is a well proven liar that seldom bothers about commitments, even to friends.
The publicised arrangement is apparently without exclusion of nuclear powered ships, or those with nuclear weapons, and no exclusion from use of the ports in wartime.
A clear lack of consideration of other nations in the area and their interests.
China doing this is the regional equivalent of Ukraine joining NATO
Turning atolls into islands and claiming them as part of territory in breach of international law, stealing the economic zones of surrounding nations (including harassment of their fishing fleets) and lying about plans to militarise them is the equivalent of annexing territory off Ukraine.
Global war like global warming is inevitable. The cause is the same for both. Infinite growth on a finite planet is impossible. Causing us not just to crash up against the physical limits of the planet, but up against each other.
it doesn't matter which side started the war, or even where it first breaks out. The war is inevitable. It is also inevitable that now that war has broken out somewhere, that, that war will become a global conflict.
The grotesque war being raged in Ukraine targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, is the modern method of warfare. The fixed lines of conventional standing armies arrayed against each other last seen in the First World War and in preceding wars, first fully abandoned at Guernica, has been honed and perfected in numerous wars ever since.
The destruction of Warsaw resembled the destruction of Guernica, The destruction of Dresden resembled the destruction of Warsaw, the destruction of Aleppo resembled the destruction of Warsaw, The destruction of Mariupol resembles all of them.
Hi Ad, sorry for upsetting you so. You can't please everybody I suppose. The fact is, I purposely limited myself to only one link in my comment, I was trying hard not to annoy Incognito, who seems to prefer opinion, more than debate backed up with linked based facts.
The ends does not justify the means. Rotten means are indicative of Rotten….. ends…..
[@ 7:18 am you posted your first absurdly long comment, the first comment in OM. Of course, it had too many links, as usual, and was held up in Auto-Moderation until a Moderator released it @ 9:48 am.
@ 10:33 am you reposted the same comment here with only a very subtle change at the top without first checking that your initial comment had been approved and released.
Hi Ad, If you really want to debate anything about my comment this morning, that displeased you. (Before I take up your suggestion that I burn my keyboard, ie ban myself). I will provide you with all the link based facts, that you could possibly want, to back up my comment. even at the risk of being banned again.
[Are you kidding me? Really? Seriously?
You’ve been spamming this site for a long time with ultra-long copy & pasta comments that often had too many links, which triggered the spam-trap and making work for Moderators. The limit is no more than 10 links per comment.
You’ve been given clear educational feedback about your commenting behaviour. Many times. The central role of robust debate here on TS is opinion supported by facts (and links), not the other way round, such as long swaths of copied & pasta text and/or YT clips (short or tediously long) with a few fluffy words on the side dressed up as opinion, commentary, or reason to waste time on (all) the links and clips.
It is not the all-or-nothing that you seem to think it is, but I’d prefer this from you any day: “Testing, testing. 123”.
Learn from other commenters here, as most (!) do a great job of commenting and participating in debate here – Incognito]
" Infinite growth on a finite planet is impossible".
Why do you, and others, keep repeating this silly phrase? After all, as I am sure any mathematician would tell you, that to get to "infinite" growth would take an infinite time. Given that the Sun will expand out and destroy any life on earth within a finite period (albeit in about a billion years) we really don't have to worry about your concept of "infinite" growth do we?
Well, if you don't understand that "infinite" doesn't mean just a very large number you are. I believe it was Einstein who said “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”. Well anytime you start rabbiting on about "infinite" growth you are displaying human stupidity.
Unlimited growth on a limited planet is impossible.
Better? Some prefer to 'live without limits', but (to paraphrase Dirty Harry): 'A civilisation’s got to know its limitations' – spaceship Earth and many of its inhabitants are showing signs of stress.
Not in mathematics,In pseudoscience such as social or political studies,it requires creating a problem (which may or not exist) and offering burnt toast to the gods of metaphysics as pennance.
My reaction to that was best expressed by Tom Lehrer in his introduction to the song Alma
"It's people like that who make you realize how little you've accomplished. It is a sobering thought, for example, that when Mozart was my age, he had been dead for two years."
Of course it could have been like Dorothy Parker when she discovered that Incognito was dead. Her response was "How can they tell".
Edit. Sorry, sorry. I have misquoted the lady. She said it about Calvin Coolidge. But who would know the difference?
Why do you, and others, keep repeating this silly phrase? After all, as I am sure any mathematician would tell you, that to get to "infinite" growth would take an infinite time.
– alwyn @1.2.2
Kudos, alwyn, for your precious contribution to the supertask debate – your knowledge & intellect is exceeded only by your twit.
Edit. Sorry, sorry. 'Wit', not 'twit', although in alwyn's case there’s precious little difference, imho
Janet Wilson, doing her media pro thing, contrasts the PM's speechifying style of two years ago & now:
Where 2020’s speech was short and sharp – 1819 words in length – this week’s was long and rambling at 3193 words. It began with a history lesson. A history lesson we all knew only too well, because we’d been through it. So why tell us it in the first place? If only to be self-congratulatory and remind us that the Government had got us safely through the pandemic?
The speech also falls prey to the curse of governments that have been in power for a while, by telling us too much detail in an explaining-is-losing kind of way. There was a lot of revisionary talk about the traffic light system, which any good sub-editor would have taken the red pen to, and the need for vaccine passes then but not now.
Yeah, the PM was obviously intent on carefully closing the stable door several months after the horse had bolted.
The speech, a miasma of unjoined-up thinking that dismantled the traffic light system while still retaining it, ended with: “This is not the end, but in some ways, it is a new beginning.”
Except it wasn’t. The Greek chorus of experts that had until now sat behind the prime minister, backing up the science, went rogue. Microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles described the dropping of vaccine passes, scanning requirements and some mandates as “disappointing”, saying she’d prefer to have kept it. That was backed up by epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker.
Hell hath no fury like public health experts scorned by their government, who had hitherto been legislating in accord with their consensus. Still, their linguistic restraint was admirable in the circumstances! Poll-driven govts must follow the sheeple, after all. The sheeple noticed that the protest had generated sufficient resonance in the public mind to affect a change of mood – so they stampeded through that gate.
So the govt's exhibition of totalitarianism has produced a substantial loss of public support. Can they learn the lesson? Unlikely. Have you ever seen a liberal learn from experience? The PM's retreat into denial stimulated a stylistic critique from the media pro but the underlying psychology is more significant.
Responding to changed circumstances with fresh initiative is good, but her failure to learn from the cause & effect relation that produced the loss of public confidence is bad. Leadership requires active intelligence that responds suitably, and in politics that means getting to the point fast and accurately. She failed that test – but where the hell are any competent advisors? Can't blame her alone. Clueless deputy PM & clueless deputy Labour leader must share it. And the Greens are still not helping.
Janet Wilson, as she has done for so many months is grasping at straws.
This is the government getting out of the way after two years of heath measures. People are now dying, which is what Janet and her friends on the right and far right want.
It is unfortunate but there was always going to be a point at which the water found its level since NZ was not going to be locked up forever.
It's alway amusing when the opposition criticises the government for doing something which they themselves had been advocating for many months, ie allowing Covid deaths…
…150 in the weeks since Omicron arrived. Three times the total before that. But #Omicronismild. You could almost stick it in a syringe and call it a vaccine…
l'm fascinated by successive governments who always provide the public with a plethora of initiatives to be implemented once elected. But they never think of sitting down and dismantling the time lines of previous governments to see at what stage of governance problems start becoming apparent.
In fact it's no secret after two terms in office, a third term is usually a government's swan song as public boredom and discontent grows.
Yes but the current question is whether the current govt will even get to a third term. Poor recent performance has produced polling that introduces the question.
Focus on the PM isn't a good idea. Too traditional. The principle of collective leadership also applies. What Labour is currently displaying is total lack of support for the PM from within their ranks. Those with nominal leadership positions are first in the firing line: Grant & Kelvin! However the Green co-leaders are also failing.
Reading a Twitter thread about a woman's partner, working in Poland as an aid worker for the Ukrainian refugees. He mentioned the lack of administration and safeguarding in terms of private citizens turning up offering accommodation and support.
Genevieve Gluckman covers the crisis capitalism (and explotation) on her Substack:
Human traffickers have previously abducted women and girls from conflict-affected areas in Ukraine for sex and labor trafficking, according to a 2021 U.S. State Department report. In addition, research from human rights bodies has consistently found that displaced, refugee, and migrant women and children are at an increased risk of human trafficking.
Recently, a charity worker helping refugees flee Ukraine told HuffPost UK, “I have seen numerous dodgy men standing on site for hours looking for victims. You can tell by the distant look in their eyes, they won’t look at you, but they are scanning the crowds of refugees for victims,” he added.
Anna Dabrowska, director of human rights at the NGO Homo Faber, said men at the border were approaching women with children offering them safe accommodation in Germany. When the women asked police for advice, the men would quickly disappear from the station.
“For predators and human traffickers, the war in Ukraine is not a tragedy,” Secretary-General of the UN António Guterres recently commented. “It’s an opportunity – and women and children are the targets.”
Sorry but can't go past a Graham Lineham post without adding something:
[The Spanish archer has arrived and given you the weekend off. Your reply to Molly’s serious comment was an infantile piss-take YT clip and you have been skating on thin ice before this (e.g. yesterday in OM). I don’t need the extra work this weekend – Incognito]
I’m flattered, but I’m not furry (my cat is) and I don’t have a heart of stone. Nor am I peach cream, sweet and juicy. You must be confusing me somebody else, you unfaithful one. I’m breaking up with you
Authorities chasing these mongrels should see this as an opportunity to observe exactly who these men are and follow them home, through the web, their contacts.. get em!
Already women and girls have gone missing. Quite a few actually. Warnings about sex trafficking came from Berlin, Poland, England etc. But that was to be expected. And hence why many time in war times men try to get out first and then have their wife and children follow.
In Germany they hand out little leaflets with ‘prostitution is legal’ to arriving women and others.
disclaimer: women and girls are adult human females and child human females irrespective of their 'self id'.
Yes I have been wondering about this – the threat is obvious. This is one matter where EU authorities absolutely need to expand their thinking and step up. This is likely the largest and most rapid refugee crisis in all of human history and in it's own right demands an extraordinary response.
Nothing will more rapidly undermine solidarity than accounts of Ukrainian women and children being exploited or worse by predatory filth.
It seems Xi Jinping is to prioritise (economic and political) security before global warming.
China looks set to reduce its imports of gas this year and use more local coal (while also increasing renewable energy capacity for the longer term).
One reason would be price, another geo-political given sanctions on Russian gas and playing the nuetral (and also energy independence given the potential for sanctions on China over … ).
Kim Jong-un rocking his new cool look, launches the new Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile….I would wager a bet that no missile in history has been treated to such a over the top, flamboyant launch….
Hell, he can't even afford a real leather jacket. Ah, well, at least he has his missile and a multitude of starving countrymen. What more could a dictator want?
What did everyone think of the rudd interview this morn ? I really admire the way Kim reads out the feedback from her show positive an neg warts n all .Rudd's managed to garner quite a lot of publicity for his new book but having kissingers name on the cover would be sufficiently offputting to deter not a few readers i would have thought !.
Maybe i imagined listening to it this morn incog ?nothing comes up in their search bar could be my ineptitude i guess .Maybe someone else can find it ? Hope so the feedback alone was worth listening for in fact more rewarding than the interview itself Kevin rudd imagines himself soooo pivotal
That is code for Russia is getting its arse handed to it everywhere else in Ukraine, and so it should settle for something that might be achievable. But, that might be too little too late I think.
Yes. He should have started by capturing the south. He could have quickly captured all the port cities if he had focussed all his forces there.
Then he would have been able to strangle the Ukrainian economy as they would not have been able to export their commodities very easily.
Also, it wouldn't have given the west time to build up momentum with sanctions etc and arming the Ukranians. It would probably have been the west huffing and puffing as usual without doing much.
But the situation now is that they don't control Odessa, and probably won't. Also, it looks like the Russians could lose Kershon.
Now, if they retreat back to Donbass they will have to maintain a strong military presence there in the face of huge sanctions. Also, they will have to deal with an insurgency armed to the teeth who will be trying to drive them out of Donbas and Crimea.
Also, it looks like large numbers of Russian forces around Kiev are in danger of being encircled by the Ukranians. So there may well be some mass surrenders up there.
Now that Russia looks like they will retreat to the Donbas, the response of the international community should be to tell Russia that sanctions start to be withdrawn once they move their forces right out of Ukraine, including an exit from Crimea.
It would be interesting to know if the Crimeans still feel the same way after they have seen how Russia has treated Russian speaking parts of Ukraine that could well include their friends and relatives.
Have you any evidence to support that statement. Or is it just one of those "I want it to be the case that …." opinions without any evidence to back it up?
Human immunity is dead in the water when confronted with a virus that's evolved to evade superior rodent immunity. Who woulda thunk it.
So-called "natural immunity" against COVID-19 has always been a dodgy argument for avoiding vaccination during the pandemic. But amid omicron, natural immunity is clearly rubbish.
Unvaccinated people who recover from an omicron coronavirus variant infection are left with paltry levels of neutralizing antibodies against omicron. They also have almost no neutralizing antibodies against any of five other coronavirus variants, including delta. People who were vaccinated before getting an omicron infection, however, have strong protection against all five variants, and they have some of the highest levels of neutralizing antibodies against omicron.
And the idea that this allows are removal of constraints,such as mask wearing in the UK now sees a higher rate of hospitilisation (record admissions) and 1 in 11 infected in scotland.
In Scotland, the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 continued to increase in the week ending 20 March 2022; we estimate that 473,800 people in Scotland had COVID-19 (95% credible interval: 436,100 to 512,500), equating to 9.00% of the population or around 1 in 11 people.
On the 1 of April the UK removes free testing,Has closed down the NHS covid testing labs,so there will be a significant inability to provide high quality data.
Then when you read the actual study being referred to, the main thrust of it is that unvaccinated people infected with omicron don't have antibodies for the other variants, which is what you would expect if they have never previously contracted those variants. This is summed up in their conclusion:
"Despite certain limitations of this study, including the small sample size and retrospective study design (Table S7), our data support the hypothesis that the omicron BA.1 variant is an extremely potent immune-escape variant that shows little cross-reactivity with the earlier variants. Therefore, unvaccinated persons who are infected with the omicron BA.1 variant only (without previous SARS-CoV-2 infection) might not be sufficiently protected against infection with a SARS-CoV-2 variant other than omicron BA.1; for full protection, vaccination is warranted." https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2201607
The bits in the arsetechnica article"natural immunity is clearly rubbish" and the unvaccinated being left with "paltry levels of neutralizing antibodies".. might well then just be propaganda?
… which is what you would expect if they have never previously contracted those variants.
Did the vaccines induces antibodies against all variants so far, with the possible exception of Omicron BA.1? Indeed, they did.
Did (most) unvaccinated people who were infected have antibodies against new(er) variants, with the possible exception of Omicron BA.1? Indeed, they did.
Omicron BA.1 is the exception that proves the rule that usually there’s at least some level of cross-reactivity with different but related variants of the same virus.
And colonialism consumes a lot of power, to produce a boring product. In an article once I described it thus, "The history of Marlborough is the story of water usage and rights from first Māori colonisation in Aotearoa at the Wairau Bar till modern viticulture. Joseph was prescient in saying that Marlborough's history was like water. But how much?
He did not write of what is now rightly becoming more general knowledge. Our history is much more. But then it had been water distilled in a colonial retort, sanitised, made potable and safe."
What's raw water? Distilled water isn't ordinary water. It has all minerals and added crap removed. It is a solvent. It should have a TDS reading of zero.
There's a huge debate about whether DW leaches minerals from the body.
Some say crap, minerals in water can't be used by the body. Others say minerals are needed by the body to act as electrical conductors.
Hence my post to see if anyone had been drinking DS for years, and had they encountered any problems? Personally, I feel great on the stuff. I haven't drunk tap water since they added chlorine to our water supply.
Raw water is a trend at the other end of the BS water industry: completely untreated and gathered from streams and suchlike, shilled as natural and wonderfully healthy.
If minerals in the water can't be used by the body, then fluoridation isn't a problem for the anti-fluoride mob and lead isn't a problem for our aging water infrastructure.
On the one hand, distilled water won't have giardia and suchlike in it (the reason the chlorine is there). On the other, the only way you'll get trace elements like fluoride is through food. Makes a balanced diet more important, including sourcing food from overseas to balance any soil deficiencies we have here (it's why our table salt is iodised).
OK I worked in the bulk water supply industry for almost a decade.
We add about 0.8ppm free chlorine at the treatment plant.
By the time it gets to the reservoirs it has dropped to about 0.4ppm
By the time it gets to your taps it is usually less than 0.2ppm free chlorine. That level is harmless.
It is not the chlorine that is the problem, it is the organochlorides that are the byproduct of it's disinfection action which have the potential to be carcinogenic. It is not a very high risk, but nor has anyone demonstrated a direct cause and effect, but it is taken seriously all the same.
The primary role of the treatment plant is to remove as much organics from the water before we add chlorine to absolutely minimise this issue. We typically use UV spectroscopic instruments to accurately measure the organics arriving in the plant, then carefully manage the flocculant dosing to get the delivery water as close to a measured zero organics as possible, before the chlorine is added. This is usually the last step before it leaves the plant. Again this chlorine addition process is carefully measured and controlled within pretty tight limits. (Also this is when any fluoride is added as well.)
Then at key points in the distribution system we will also continuously measure three critical variables – pH, Turbidity and Free Chlorine content. If the pH is within a certain range – 7.4 – 8.1 from memory – and the turbidity is less than a certain value, and the free chlorine is within range – then we can be very certain the water is safe to drink. Samples are also physically drawn at least daily and lab analysed in much further detail.
This data is stored and analysed comprehensively and in order to maintain NZDWS certification an annual report and audit of performance must be submitted. All this compliance activity is taken very seriously by the industry in my experience – although I cannot rule out that some smaller councils may struggle with resourcing and skills from time to time – in general the big city operators are by world standards extremely good in NZ.
Interesting reply. My chlorine issue is more about smell and taste. My city had great drinking water until they decided to chlorinate. I remember the first time I made coffee with chlorinated water, I spat it out, it was that foul. My hair became dank and lifeless, and even my distiller, with a VOC filter. couldn't remove the smell or taste. I now use well water.
I understand there are different types of chlorine, one of those cannot be filtered from water if I understand things correctly. That may be the type my council is using?
Previously I had rung my council up, and they put me on to a water treatment worker who told me they were using a 35% solution of chlorine ( I should have asked for context). Looking at your ratios, I'm wondering if my council have a clue as to what they are doing.
It is not the chlorine you can smell or taste, but the by products of its disinfection action (DBP's). In fact if you have free chlorine in absolutely clean water there is no smell at all – but a swimming pool where there is plenty of disinfection going on will have a very distinctive odour.
Keep in mind that chlorine ions are not dangerous like the gas is. After all table salt is 50% ionic chlorine and the ocean is full of it.
I understand there are different types of chlorine,
Yes there are. It can be added as pure free chlorine which is the time tested method that I think is still dominant in NZ, or as a compound mix of chlorine and ammonia called chloramine which is now dominant in Aus and the US as far as I know. There are pros and cons to both.
Aquatic life for example is very sensitive to chloramine treated water – it will kill a tank full of pet goldfish overnight. And while chloramine doesn't produce as much in the way of DBP's it still does – and produces a much wider range of them (many thousands) albeit in tiny, tiny quantities, but most have never been researched or understood from a medical perspective. The NZ approach is that you are better off removing the organics before adding chlorine in any form.
The third wild card factor is that some small fraction of the population are what we called 'supertasters' – people who could detect tiny amounts and changes in the water quality. We had one staff member who could reliably tell us exactly what water source we were using and from which plant – and he was very useful to help us improve our treatment processes and algorithms to minimise this impact. We thought they might be around 1 – 2% of the population – so you could easily be one.
Disclaimer – I merely designed and wrote the control systems for all of this and what I've outlined here is only the fundamentals that I absorbed along the way. Actual specialists would have a lot more to add.
Yep. There are two sides to every conflict, but of course mainstream media don’t believe in free speech so very few people worldwide are able to get some sort of balance.
Good on TS for allowing free speech, though there are many here who are in denial of acceptance of the ‘ other points of view’ and will respond with some sort of dismissive vitriol. However those who only believe in a one sided argument will continue in their delusionment.
The ridiculous unintentional dark humour of General Sergei Rudskoy, Russia's version of Baghdad Bob.
….The course of the operation confirmed the validity of this decision.
It is conducted by the General Staff in strict accordance with the approved plan.
The tasks are carried out taking into account minimizing losses among personnel and minimizing damage to civilians….
Thank you Franscesca for providing us this exposure of the Russian high command's out of touch with reality. We can only hope that for their own people's sake that they don't actually believe this themselves.
Man you really will just swallow(and then regurgitate) anything handed to you…have you ever thought about actually turning on that internal bullshit detector most humans are born with once and awhile?
Irrelevant and distracting YT clips are not a substitute for a strong counter-argument or counter-view and robust debate. We have been here so many times
Stiff resistance in Ukraine, protests on the home front.
Now this:
Russian troops attack own commanding officer after suffering heavy losses
By Lexi Lonas- 03/25/22 03:20 PM EDT
Ukrainian journalist Roman Tsymbaliuk said in a post on Facebook that Russian Col. Yuri Medvedev was attacked after fighting in Ukraine left nearly half of the men in the 37th Motor Rifle Brigade dead, The Washington Post reported.
Tsymbaliuk said the brigade injured both of Medvedev's legs by hitting him with a tank, causing him to be hospitalized, according to the newspaper.
The incident occurred roughly 30 miles from Kyiv, in Makariv, Ukraine, the Post reported. The country reportedly retook the town this week after Russia gained control of it earlier in the war.
A senior Western official told the newspaper that he thinks Medvedev has died, saying the incident shows the low morale among the Russian troops in Ukraine.
Documented and suspected fragging incidents totaled nearly nine hundred from 1969 to 1972. [from the wiki]
Think it was from Michael Herr's book that I recall it.
described by no less a critic than John Le Carré as “the best book ever written about men at war in our time”.
He met soldiers with a left pocket full of Dexedrine, the “upper” officially administered by the army to get them into battle, and a right pocket full of “downers” to get them through it.
Re Ukraine, looks like Putin has a pivot back to the east in mind. If we take yesterday's dual propaganda releases by Russian generals seriously. Note their suggestions that the Ukrainians are bombing their own hospitals, women, & children.
My comment to Joe90 above, applies to you as well….you do know that everything you said and linked to above comes from western sources, who all believe they themselves are at war with Russia, so by extension everything they say has to be considered war propaganda now?…. nothing in your comment is verifiable at this point.
We see the same old propaganda playbook the Russians used in Syria, "…the Ukrainians are bombing their own people to make us look bad," bull-(cough)-shit.
The fact is the Russian aggressor is losing, and losing badly. A point I notice you don't dispute.
+….. nothing in your comment is verifiable at this point." Adrian Thornton
I am glad you qualified your statement.
And you are right, of course. And I thought hard on whether I should comment on it. But this reported incidence of fragging in the Russian forces, was not just covered by Western sources, but also by India's Wion News.
Last week, videos from Wion News, which prides itself on even handed reporting of this war, was blocked from you tube, for posting reports favourable of Russia.
Thanks J.h.t.g.there, that's all I am asking for from TS community… some thought and independent research that can be called on if needed, to verify their comments….well verify to some degree anyway, as none of us can know what is really happing (or has happened) and won’t until well after this war is over..a fact I am sure you are well aware of.
I am an enemy of Putin (and was of Trump I might add), but the endless mindless, thoughtless, uncritical regurgitating of (mainly) western MSM media propaganda on both those subjects is infuriating..I mean it's not as if those two and their horrible projects haven't got enough real issues to draw on right?…why do so many smart people here constantly resort to speculation and such obvious logic bending half truths all the friggin' time!…that is what I want to know?
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Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year – and quite possibly none before the next federal election, due next May. That’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University The Victorian budget offered more of the same on Tuesday, with the only change being how the budget papers were packaged. The usual shrink wrap was gone, hinting at savings in the pages ...
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International audiences are starting to discover what New Zealand already knew about After the Party.When After the Party aired in New Zealand last year, the response was fast and furious. In his preview for Rec Room, Duncan Greive said it was a “gritty, wrenching and highly confronting” series. By ...
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PNG Post-Courier Bougainville Affairs Minister Manasseh Makiba has described the Post-Courier’s front page story yesterday regarding a meeting between Bougainville and national government leaders as “sensationalised” and without substance. The Autonomous Bougainville Government (AGB) had warned it might use “other avenues to gain its independence” should the PNG government “continue ...
Where some saw the worst press conference given by the government to date, Anna Rawhiti-Connell recognised girl maths game.Nicola Willis, recently exasperated by comparisons to Ruth Richardson, said she was “a bit sick of being compared with every female finance minister that’s ever been out there.”Some think that’s ...
The March results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2023 (HYEFU 2023), published on 20 December 2023 and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...
Jamie Arbuckle, the district councillor who became an MP but decided to keep getting paid for both roles, will instead donate one salary to charity. ...
Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an 18-year-old who’s studying and working in hospo shares their approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Transmasc Age: 18 Ethnicity: Pākehā/Māori Role: Student, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Kelsey, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Resources Minister Shane Jones has reportedly asked officials for advice on whether oil and gas companies could be offered “bonds” as compensation if drilling rights offered by ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Throsby, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Macquarie University Arts companies and individual artists in Australia are supported by government arts agencies, philanthropists, industry bodies, private donors and patrons. However, it is frequently overlooked that a major source of support for the arts ...
Harm Reduction Coalition Aotearoa, a new incorporated society dedicated to ending harmful drug policies, officially launched today, seeks a new fit-for-purpose drug law for Aotearoa New Zealand, rooted in science, experience and evidence. ...
The Corrections Minister admits he "muddied the water" after he and the Prime Minister repeatedly provided incorrect information about a $1.9 billion prison spend-up. ...
It took a post-post-cabinet statement to confirm that 810 new beds will be built at Waikeria, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Lili Tokaduadua was only 15 when she left her family in Fiji to pursue her netball dream in New Zealand. She’d been playing the sport for 10 years and was offered a netball scholarship at Auckland’s Howick College. Now, in her first year out of high school, the 19-year-old defender ...
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Oh fuck – we can't have a small island nation in the Pacific exercising its sovereign rights – the US told us we have to create a foreign affairs fuss! Fuck the fact that we are prepared to shit on an important trading partner after our ''ethnically sensitive" Minister of Foreign Affairs strode around proclaiming we had a mature relationship with China.
A lot of fuss over what is laughingly called a military base in the Solomon Islands when as a five-eyes spy, we condone the master having 800 world-wide. What happened to the days when we aspired to be a moral nation. Oh yeah – that 's before we became a snivelling state of grovellers needing warm fuzzies from a senile, easily confused US President.
So you welcome anyone not the US having a port in the Pacific for their nuclear powered and armed fleet?
The whole point of our nuclear free Pacific policy was to keep this super power shit out of our region.
What sort of nation turns atolls into islands in breach of international law – then militarises them, after saying it won't. One you should not trust that's who.
Can the coming world war be stopped?
If we can unravel the imperialist causes of war.
If we can regulate our unconstrained growth economy that is the root cause of expansionist wars.
If we can untangle ourselves from economic and military imperialist alliances.
Then this country can become a voice for peace and the keeping of the natural world and climate within natural limits.
What was missed? Where is the report that says China intends establishing a nuclear powered and armed fleet in the Solomon's or that the anti-nuke policy was to keep the US out of the Pacific?
Talking about turning atolls into islands leads one to think about, for example, Diago Garcia. Makes conversion of a few atolls look pretty tame – especially when the US has over 800 bases around the world.
Surely the Solomon's are entitled to exercise sovereignty, or is that only for an approved class of states?
A base for the Chinese navy not excluding …
Our nuclear vessel free port policy was part of a nuclear free South Pacific policy (our equivalent to the US-USSR agreement to withdrawal missiles from Europe).
All for the principle of national sovereignty regardless of neighbours wish to keep the super power rivalry out it it – and your opine on Ukraine is …
The fact is China is making a territorial claim in a major sea land and stealing from the economic zones of other nations – all in breach of international law. And it promised it would not militarise the islands. A deliberate lie.
Trading partner or not, that is a concern.
We will probably seek assurances from them, but should we trust what they say now?
2. A territorial claim of a few tiny atolls are a real worry. Some aircraft carrier fleet may crash into them on wild nights while doing some 'freedom of access' cruises (sarc/)
3. Seems most of the stealing from Pacific economic zones is done by humungous chartered fishing ships from Europe etc.
4. Lost me there – got a link?
5. What is your concern, trading or partner?
6. Seems China's word is pretty much its bond, with friends. The other option is a well proven liar that seldom bothers about commitments, even to friends.
The publicised arrangement is apparently without exclusion of nuclear powered ships, or those with nuclear weapons, and no exclusion from use of the ports in wartime.
A clear lack of consideration of other nations in the area and their interests.
China doing this is the regional equivalent of Ukraine joining NATO
Turning atolls into islands and claiming them as part of territory in breach of international law, stealing the economic zones of surrounding nations (including harassment of their fishing fleets) and lying about plans to militarise them is the equivalent of annexing territory off Ukraine.
https://thediplomat.com/2016/12/its-official-xi-jinping-breaks-his-non-militarization-pledge-in-the-spratlys/
Maybe you should check out the history of the Marshal Islands.
It's not a pretty story…for the locals,anyway.
There is no us, or them. It is all us.
Global war like global warming is inevitable. The cause is the same for both. Infinite growth on a finite planet is impossible. Causing us not just to crash up against the physical limits of the planet, but up against each other.
it doesn't matter which side started the war, or even where it first breaks out. The war is inevitable. It is also inevitable that now that war has broken out somewhere, that, that war will become a global conflict.
The grotesque war being raged in Ukraine targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, is the modern method of warfare. The fixed lines of conventional standing armies arrayed against each other last seen in the First World War and in preceding wars, first fully abandoned at Guernica, has been honed and perfected in numerous wars ever since.
The destruction of Warsaw resembled the destruction of Guernica, The destruction of Dresden resembled the destruction of Warsaw, the destruction of Aleppo resembled the destruction of Warsaw, The destruction of Mariupol resembles all of them.
Set fire to your keyboard so we don't have to read more of your fact-free catastrophist wankery.
Real mature.
A well written and thoughtful opinion causes you to verbally blow your load like a premature ejaculator Ad. Says much about you and it ain't nice.
Thanks Jenny for such a good read to start the day.
Hi Ad, sorry for upsetting you so. You can't please everybody I suppose. The fact is, I purposely limited myself to only one link in my comment, I was trying hard not to annoy Incognito, who seems to prefer opinion, more than debate backed up with linked based facts.
Hi Ad, If you really want to debate anything about my comment this morning, that displeased you. (Before I take up your suggestion that I burn my keyboard, ie ban myself). I will provide you with all the link based facts, that you could possibly want, to back up my comment. even at the risk of being banned again.
[Are you kidding me? Really? Seriously?
You’ve been spamming this site for a long time with ultra-long copy & pasta comments that often had too many links, which triggered the spam-trap and making work for Moderators. The limit is no more than 10 links per comment.
You’ve been given clear educational feedback about your commenting behaviour. Many times. The central role of robust debate here on TS is opinion supported by facts (and links), not the other way round, such as long swaths of copied & pasta text and/or YT clips (short or tediously long) with a few fluffy words on the side dressed up as opinion, commentary, or reason to waste time on (all) the links and clips.
It is not the all-or-nothing that you seem to think it is, but I’d prefer this from you any day: “Testing, testing. 123”.
Learn from other commenters here, as most (!) do a great job of commenting and participating in debate here – Incognito]
Mod note
That’s what I call a heartfelt appeal to reason
" Infinite growth on a finite planet is impossible".
Why do you, and others, keep repeating this silly phrase? After all, as I am sure any mathematician would tell you, that to get to "infinite" growth would take an infinite time. Given that the Sun will expand out and destroy any life on earth within a finite period (albeit in about a billion years) we really don't have to worry about your concept of "infinite" growth do we?
https://thenextweb.com/news/nasa-figures-weve-got-about-a-billion-years-before-the-sun-kills-us-all
Who’s being silly now?
Who is being silly?
Well, if you don't understand that "infinite" doesn't mean just a very large number you are. I believe it was Einstein who said “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”. Well anytime you start rabbiting on about "infinite" growth you are displaying human stupidity.
Better? Some prefer to 'live without limits', but (to paraphrase Dirty Harry): 'A civilisation’s got to know its limitations' – spaceship Earth and many of its inhabitants are showing signs of stress.
https://collapseofindustrialcivilization.com/tag/human-exceptionalism/
Your sillyness is infinite like a gift that keeps giving.
Well, we can see that Mathematics wasn't a subject that had any place in your education.
You cannot see with your eyes closed.
Not a problem for a problem solver like Pontryagin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Pontryagin
Solving and creating problems are 2 different things 😉
Not in mathematics,In pseudoscience such as social or political studies,it requires creating a problem (which may or not exist) and offering burnt toast to the gods of metaphysics as pennance.
You just described alwyn‘s MO here on TS.
My reaction to that was best expressed by Tom Lehrer in his introduction to the song Alma
"It's people like that who make you realize how little you've accomplished. It is a sobering thought, for example, that when Mozart was my age, he had been dead for two years."
Of course it could have been like Dorothy Parker when she discovered that Incognito was dead. Her response was "How can they tell".
Edit. Sorry, sorry. I have misquoted the lady. She said it about Calvin Coolidge. But who would know the difference?
Kudos, alwyn, for your precious contribution to the supertask debate – your knowledge & intellect is exceeded only by your twit.
Edit. Sorry, sorry. 'Wit', not 'twit', although in alwyn's case there’s precious little difference, imho
Janet Wilson, doing her media pro thing, contrasts the PM's speechifying style of two years ago & now:
Yeah, the PM was obviously intent on carefully closing the stable door several months after the horse had bolted.
Hell hath no fury like public health experts scorned by their government, who had hitherto been legislating in accord with their consensus. Still, their linguistic restraint was admirable in the circumstances! Poll-driven govts must follow the sheeple, after all. The sheeple noticed that the protest had generated sufficient resonance in the public mind to affect a change of mood – so they stampeded through that gate.
So the govt's exhibition of totalitarianism has produced a substantial loss of public support. Can they learn the lesson? Unlikely. Have you ever seen a liberal learn from experience? The PM's retreat into denial stimulated a stylistic critique from the media pro but the underlying psychology is more significant.
Responding to changed circumstances with fresh initiative is good, but her failure to learn from the cause & effect relation that produced the loss of public confidence is bad. Leadership requires active intelligence that responds suitably, and in politics that means getting to the point fast and accurately. She failed that test – but where the hell are any competent advisors? Can't blame her alone. Clueless deputy PM & clueless deputy Labour leader must share it. And the Greens are still not helping.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/128160395/tale-of-two-speeches-reveals-how-labour-is-losing-its-grip
Janet Wilson, as she has done for so many months is grasping at straws.
This is the government getting out of the way after two years of heath measures. People are now dying, which is what Janet and her friends on the right and far right want.
It is unfortunate but there was always going to be a point at which the water found its level since NZ was not going to be locked up forever.
It's alway amusing when the opposition criticises the government for doing something which they themselves had been advocating for many months, ie allowing Covid deaths…
…150 in the weeks since Omicron arrived. Three times the total before that. But #Omicronismild. You could almost stick it in a syringe and call it a vaccine…
We would have had a shit load more people dying if Janet Wilson and her m8's from National and ACT were in power over the past 2 x years ?
Is that the same Janet Wilson who dissed Judith Collins? How uncouth and unmatey.
https://www.wiki.ng/en/wiki/who-is-nz-journalist-janet-wilson-everything-on-former-press-secretary-of-judith-collins-663857
l'm fascinated by successive governments who always provide the public with a plethora of initiatives to be implemented once elected. But they never think of sitting down and dismantling the time lines of previous governments to see at what stage of governance problems start becoming apparent.
In fact it's no secret after two terms in office, a third term is usually a government's swan song as public boredom and discontent grows.
Politics – 3 strikes and you are out.
Yes but the current question is whether the current govt will even get to a third term. Poor recent performance has produced polling that introduces the question.
Focus on the PM isn't a good idea. Too traditional. The principle of collective leadership also applies. What Labour is currently displaying is total lack of support for the PM from within their ranks. Those with nominal leadership positions are first in the firing line: Grant & Kelvin! However the Green co-leaders are also failing.
Back masking, heavy metal, gangster rap, D&D, Harry Potter, video games, comic books and now…working out
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/pandemic-fitness-trends-have-gone-extreme-literally-n1292463
Gangsta Rap lol, so passee, find yourself some Country Rap, now that is eye opening.
Reading a Twitter thread about a woman's partner, working in Poland as an aid worker for the Ukrainian refugees. He mentioned the lack of administration and safeguarding in terms of private citizens turning up offering accommodation and support.
Genevieve Gluckman covers the crisis capitalism (and explotation) on her Substack:
https://grahamlinehan.substack.com/p/german-trans-sex-work-org-targets?s=r
Sorry but can't go past a Graham Lineham post without adding something:
[The Spanish archer has arrived and given you the weekend off. Your reply to Molly’s serious comment was an infantile piss-take YT clip and you have been skating on thin ice before this (e.g. yesterday in OM). I don’t need the extra work this weekend – Incognito]
Mod note
Begs one question Incognito – are you the only on moderating?
Why does it “beg” the one question??
Am I the only Moderator around? No
Don’t you love me anymore?
Of course I love you, you furry little peach you 🙂
I’m flattered, but I’m not furry (my cat is) and I don’t have a heart of stone. Nor am I peach cream, sweet and juicy. You must be confusing me somebody else, you unfaithful one. I’m breaking up with you
Oh Adam, he knows..
Authorities chasing these mongrels should see this as an opportunity to observe exactly who these men are and follow them home, through the web, their contacts.. get em!
Already women and girls have gone missing. Quite a few actually. Warnings about sex trafficking came from Berlin, Poland, England etc. But that was to be expected. And hence why many time in war times men try to get out first and then have their wife and children follow.
In Germany they hand out little leaflets with ‘prostitution is legal’ to arriving women and others.
disclaimer: women and girls are adult human females and child human females irrespective of their 'self id'.
Yes I have been wondering about this – the threat is obvious. This is one matter where EU authorities absolutely need to expand their thinking and step up. This is likely the largest and most rapid refugee crisis in all of human history and in it's own right demands an extraordinary response.
Nothing will more rapidly undermine solidarity than accounts of Ukrainian women and children being exploited or worse by predatory filth.
It seems Xi Jinping is to prioritise (economic and political) security before global warming.
China looks set to reduce its imports of gas this year and use more local coal (while also increasing renewable energy capacity for the longer term).
One reason would be price, another geo-political given sanctions on Russian gas and playing the nuetral (and also energy independence given the potential for sanctions on China over … ).
https:/www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/alarm-bells-are-ringing-as-china-falls-back-in-love-with-coal-20220325-p5a7t8.html
Kim Jong-un rocking his new cool look, launches the new Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile….I would wager a bet that no missile in history has been treated to such a over the top, flamboyant launch….
The revolving door between Hollywood and Government.
Kim Jong Un wants a piece of the action, trying to get himself in the International News Media, Putin stealing all the headlines at the moment.
Hell, he can't even afford a real leather jacket. Ah, well, at least he has his missile and a multitude of starving countrymen. What more could a dictator want?
The Ukraine
Doh! You got me.
The subject of sports washing bothers me.
I love sport, I’ve either played, managed, coached and watched as long as I can remember.
But the sight of Saudi Arabia, China, USA, England, and others using sport to polish their image in the mind of the world makes me feel sick.
At what point do sports administrators decide that principles override money. I’m not holding my breath.
What did everyone think of the rudd interview this morn ? I really admire the way Kim reads out the feedback from her show positive an neg warts n all .Rudd's managed to garner quite a lot of publicity for his new book but having kissingers name on the cover would be sufficiently offputting to deter not a few readers i would have thought !.
[Link required]
Mod note
Maybe i imagined listening to it this morn incog ?nothing comes up in their search bar could be my ineptitude i guess .Maybe someone else can find it ? Hope so the feedback alone was worth listening for in fact more rewarding than the interview itself Kevin rudd imagines himself soooo pivotal
Never mind, I found it easily & quickly: https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018835798/kevin-rudd-detainment-of-refugees-an-act-of-monumental-cruelty
Russia has decided to focus its efforts on the eastern part of Ukraine now.
https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-03-25-22/h_c643e508161e80821fff786bbbfbc16e
That is code for Russia is getting its arse handed to it everywhere else in Ukraine, and so it should settle for something that might be achievable. But, that might be too little too late I think.
Putin tried to take too bigger bite of the cherry straight up, his eyes were bigger than his stomach ?
Yes. He should have started by capturing the south. He could have quickly captured all the port cities if he had focussed all his forces there.
Then he would have been able to strangle the Ukrainian economy as they would not have been able to export their commodities very easily.
Also, it wouldn't have given the west time to build up momentum with sanctions etc and arming the Ukranians. It would probably have been the west huffing and puffing as usual without doing much.
But the situation now is that they don't control Odessa, and probably won't. Also, it looks like the Russians could lose Kershon.
Now, if they retreat back to Donbass they will have to maintain a strong military presence there in the face of huge sanctions. Also, they will have to deal with an insurgency armed to the teeth who will be trying to drive them out of Donbas and Crimea.
Also, it looks like large numbers of Russian forces around Kiev are in danger of being encircled by the Ukranians. So there may well be some mass surrenders up there.
So, not the best outcome for them.
And I thought Napolean was historys greatest…General!
Doesn't take a great general to work that plan out.
And the plan worked out by actual Russian generals hasn't worked out that well, has it?
Heck, the Russians probably didn't need to invade at all. They could have done the trick by sending their navy in and blockade the Ukrainian ports.
Great video here:
Now that Russia looks like they will retreat to the Donbas, the response of the international community should be to tell Russia that sanctions start to be withdrawn once they move their forces right out of Ukraine, including an exit from Crimea.
You might want to ask the Crimeans about that .No way do they want to return to Ukraine
It would be interesting to know if the Crimeans still feel the same way after they have seen how Russia has treated Russian speaking parts of Ukraine that could well include their friends and relatives.
Have you any evidence to support that statement. Or is it just one of those "I want it to be the case that …." opinions without any evidence to back it up?
Hundred of thousands of Crimean Tatars would like a word.
/
https://www.eurozine.com/the-silent-colonization-of-crimea/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/10/ukraine-rising-tensions-put-crimean-tatar-muslims-at-risk-again
The attack by the Russians on Kyiv may have been a red herring, to keep Ukranian forces in the North while they themselves took over the South.
Where is the laugh emoji. Hahaha!
Human immunity is dead in the water when confronted with a virus that's evolved to evade superior rodent immunity. Who woulda thunk it.
So-called "natural immunity" against COVID-19 has always been a dodgy argument for avoiding vaccination during the pandemic. But amid omicron, natural immunity is clearly rubbish.
Unvaccinated people who recover from an omicron coronavirus variant infection are left with paltry levels of neutralizing antibodies against omicron. They also have almost no neutralizing antibodies against any of five other coronavirus variants, including delta. People who were vaccinated before getting an omicron infection, however, have strong protection against all five variants, and they have some of the highest levels of neutralizing antibodies against omicron.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/03/omicron-is-trouncing-the-argument-for-natural-immunity-to-covid/
Interesting – thanks.
With reinfection , the case for herd immunity is dismissed.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00438-3
And the idea that this allows are removal of constraints,such as mask wearing in the UK now sees a higher rate of hospitilisation (record admissions) and 1 in 11 infected in scotland.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19infectionsurveypilot/25march2022
On the 1 of April the UK removes free testing,Has closed down the NHS covid testing labs,so there will be a significant inability to provide high quality data.
Dinosaurs.
https://twitter.com/yaneerbaryam/status/1506428625389768711?cxt=HHwWjsCy_c629OcpAAAA
Then when you read the actual study being referred to, the main thrust of it is that unvaccinated people infected with omicron don't have antibodies for the other variants, which is what you would expect if they have never previously contracted those variants. This is summed up in their conclusion:
"Despite certain limitations of this study, including the small sample size and retrospective study design (Table S7), our data support the hypothesis that the omicron BA.1 variant is an extremely potent immune-escape variant that shows little cross-reactivity with the earlier variants. Therefore, unvaccinated persons who are infected with the omicron BA.1 variant only (without previous SARS-CoV-2 infection) might not be sufficiently protected against infection with a SARS-CoV-2 variant other than omicron BA.1; for full protection, vaccination is warranted." https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2201607
The bits in the arsetechnica article "natural immunity is clearly rubbish" and the unvaccinated being left with "paltry levels of neutralizing antibodies".. might well then just be propaganda?
Paltry's not a word a science report would/should use but significantly less protection seems accurate.
Now if I gave you insurance protecting you from fire, flood, wind, earthquake and in laws – that's a pretty good cover.
The cover for earthquake only, some would say, is paltry by comparison.
Did the vaccines induces antibodies against all variants so far, with the possible exception of Omicron BA.1? Indeed, they did.
Did (most) unvaccinated people who were infected have antibodies against new(er) variants, with the possible exception of Omicron BA.1? Indeed, they did.
Omicron BA.1 is the exception that proves the rule that usually there’s at least some level of cross-reactivity with different but related variants of the same virus.
More evidence of why the Ukrainian farmers are now the 5th biggest army in the world:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AZdu7aYOvP4
A little weird this one : Does anyone drink distilled water on a regular basis? And do you have your own distiller?
Do you?
Mine is triple distilled.
You wouldn't know distilled water if you were drowning in it.
Distilled water is very soft.
M. K. J0SEPH Distilled Water
…………Consider now the nature of distilled
Water which has boiled and left behind
In the retort rewarding sediment
Of salts and toxins. Chemically pure of course
(No foreign bodies here) but to the taste
Tasteless and flat. Let it spill on the ground
Leach out its salts, accumulate its algae,
Be living: the savour's in impurity……"
Joseph was of course writing about our colonial legacy in a poem about Blenheim.
So I don't like my water distilled….
Distilling water consumes a lot of power.
And colonialism consumes a lot of power, to produce a boring product. In an article once I described it thus, "The history of Marlborough is the story of water usage and rights from first Māori colonisation in Aotearoa at the Wairau Bar till modern viticulture. Joseph was prescient in saying that Marlborough's history was like water. But how much?
He did not write of what is now rightly becoming more general knowledge. Our history is much more. But then it had been water distilled in a colonial retort, sanitised, made potable and safe."
When it rains, it pours.
Then perhaps Maori and you are missing out on its many health benefits… or lack thereof, depending on what side of the fence you are on:
Removing mental fog for one.
You might have to explain that one?
Meh. same as what the raw water nutters claim.
Probably just drinking more water, being careful of hydration levels.
Sometimes I'll drink filtered or even bottled water for a change (or the bottle), but it's all much of a muchness.
What's raw water? Distilled water isn't ordinary water. It has all minerals and added crap removed. It is a solvent. It should have a TDS reading of zero.
There's a huge debate about whether DW leaches minerals from the body.
Some say crap, minerals in water can't be used by the body. Others say minerals are needed by the body to act as electrical conductors.
Hence my post to see if anyone had been drinking DS for years, and had they encountered any problems? Personally, I feel great on the stuff. I haven't drunk tap water since they added chlorine to our water supply.
Raw water is a trend at the other end of the BS water industry: completely untreated and gathered from streams and suchlike, shilled as natural and wonderfully healthy.
I understand the process of distillation. When you're getting into absolutely pure, it can dissolve a "wrench" (spanner) in five years. But I doubt home distillers would get to that spec.
If minerals in the water can't be used by the body, then fluoridation isn't a problem for the anti-fluoride mob and lead isn't a problem for our aging water infrastructure.
On the one hand, distilled water won't have giardia and suchlike in it (the reason the chlorine is there). On the other, the only way you'll get trace elements like fluoride is through food. Makes a balanced diet more important, including sourcing food from overseas to balance any soil deficiencies we have here (it's why our table salt is iodised).
I believe the Russians are also deep into ultra pure water technology, both for applications in health and military applications.
OK I worked in the bulk water supply industry for almost a decade.
We add about 0.8ppm free chlorine at the treatment plant.
By the time it gets to the reservoirs it has dropped to about 0.4ppm
By the time it gets to your taps it is usually less than 0.2ppm free chlorine. That level is harmless.
It is not the chlorine that is the problem, it is the organochlorides that are the byproduct of it's disinfection action which have the potential to be carcinogenic. It is not a very high risk, but nor has anyone demonstrated a direct cause and effect, but it is taken seriously all the same.
The primary role of the treatment plant is to remove as much organics from the water before we add chlorine to absolutely minimise this issue. We typically use UV spectroscopic instruments to accurately measure the organics arriving in the plant, then carefully manage the flocculant dosing to get the delivery water as close to a measured zero organics as possible, before the chlorine is added. This is usually the last step before it leaves the plant. Again this chlorine addition process is carefully measured and controlled within pretty tight limits. (Also this is when any fluoride is added as well.)
Then at key points in the distribution system we will also continuously measure three critical variables – pH, Turbidity and Free Chlorine content. If the pH is within a certain range – 7.4 – 8.1 from memory – and the turbidity is less than a certain value, and the free chlorine is within range – then we can be very certain the water is safe to drink. Samples are also physically drawn at least daily and lab analysed in much further detail.
This data is stored and analysed comprehensively and in order to maintain NZDWS certification an annual report and audit of performance must be submitted. All this compliance activity is taken very seriously by the industry in my experience – although I cannot rule out that some smaller councils may struggle with resourcing and skills from time to time – in general the big city operators are by world standards extremely good in NZ.
Interesting reply. My chlorine issue is more about smell and taste. My city had great drinking water until they decided to chlorinate. I remember the first time I made coffee with chlorinated water, I spat it out, it was that foul. My hair became dank and lifeless, and even my distiller, with a VOC filter. couldn't remove the smell or taste. I now use well water.
I understand there are different types of chlorine, one of those cannot be filtered from water if I understand things correctly. That may be the type my council is using?
Previously I had rung my council up, and they put me on to a water treatment worker who told me they were using a 35% solution of chlorine ( I should have asked for context). Looking at your ratios, I'm wondering if my council have a clue as to what they are doing.
'My hair became dank and lifeless, '
Have you tried….Pantene?-or maybe a Lux …cut!
Is Pam's family value shampoo any good? I hear it also doubles as carwash and flea treatment for cats.
My chlorine issue is more about smell and taste.
It is not the chlorine you can smell or taste, but the by products of its disinfection action (DBP's). In fact if you have free chlorine in absolutely clean water there is no smell at all – but a swimming pool where there is plenty of disinfection going on will have a very distinctive odour.
Keep in mind that chlorine ions are not dangerous like the gas is. After all table salt is 50% ionic chlorine and the ocean is full of it.
I understand there are different types of chlorine,
Yes there are. It can be added as pure free chlorine which is the time tested method that I think is still dominant in NZ, or as a compound mix of chlorine and ammonia called chloramine which is now dominant in Aus and the US as far as I know. There are pros and cons to both.
Aquatic life for example is very sensitive to chloramine treated water – it will kill a tank full of pet goldfish overnight. And while chloramine doesn't produce as much in the way of DBP's it still does – and produces a much wider range of them (many thousands) albeit in tiny, tiny quantities, but most have never been researched or understood from a medical perspective. The NZ approach is that you are better off removing the organics before adding chlorine in any form.
The third wild card factor is that some small fraction of the population are what we called 'supertasters' – people who could detect tiny amounts and changes in the water quality. We had one staff member who could reliably tell us exactly what water source we were using and from which plant – and he was very useful to help us improve our treatment processes and algorithms to minimise this impact. We thought they might be around 1 – 2% of the population – so you could easily be one.
Disclaimer – I merely designed and wrote the control systems for all of this and what I've outlined here is only the fundamentals that I absorbed along the way. Actual specialists would have a lot more to add.
Russian military briefings 25 March
https://thesaker.is/speech-of-the-head-of-the-main-operational-directorate-of-the-general-staff-of-the-armed-forces-of-the-russian-federation-colonel-general-sergei-rudskoy/
Yep. There are two sides to every conflict, but of course mainstream media don’t believe in free speech so very few people worldwide are able to get some sort of balance.
Good on TS for allowing free speech, though there are many here who are in denial of acceptance of the ‘ other points of view’ and will respond with some sort of dismissive vitriol. However those who only believe in a one sided argument will continue in their delusionment.
The ridiculous unintentional dark humour of General Sergei Rudskoy, Russia's version of Baghdad Bob.
Thank you Franscesca for providing us this exposure of the Russian high command's out of touch with reality. We can only hope that for their own people's sake that they don't actually believe this themselves.
A very British stink.
https://twitter.com/ByDonkeys/status/1500385094950952961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1500385094950952961%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FByDonkeys2Fstatus2F1500385094950952961widget%3DTweet
Actually, he was sipping tea as he was on his way down from a very high window when he had his heart attack.
https://twitter.com/AlexandruC4/status/1507473089952718851
Man you really will just swallow(and then regurgitate) anything handed to you…have you ever thought about actually turning on that internal bullshit detector most humans are born with once and awhile?
Aww….triggered much.
/
Irrelevant and distracting YT clips are not a substitute for a strong counter-argument or counter-view and robust debate. We have been here so many times
'
'Fragging'
Stiff resistance in Ukraine, protests on the home front.
Now this:
Putin's military incursion into Ukraine has failed.
It is hard to say how this will play out.
Will a negotiated settlement be sought?
Alternatively, will Putin order his doomed army to fight on, with massive losses on both sides, until Russia's ultimate crushing defeat?
The course of this war is tied to the personality of Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin..
US President, Biden has called for Putin’s removal from office. Unlikely as it may seem. Whether by palace coup, or mass internal revolt.
If the war continues in its present form, I wouldn’t rule anthing out.
Yeah, it reminded me of that too:
Think it was from Michael Herr's book that I recall it.
Re Ukraine, looks like Putin has a pivot back to the east in mind. If we take yesterday's dual propaganda releases by Russian generals seriously. Note their suggestions that the Ukrainians are bombing their own hospitals, women, & children.
My comment to Joe90 above, applies to you as well….you do know that everything you said and linked to above comes from western sources, who all believe they themselves are at war with Russia, so by extension everything they say has to be considered war propaganda now?…. nothing in your comment is verifiable at this point.
"A senior Western official told the newspaper"
"Ukrainian journalist Roman Tsymbaliuk said"
….seriously?…come on.
This is an excellent comment!
We see the same old propaganda playbook the Russians used in Syria, "…the Ukrainians are bombing their own people to make us look bad," bull-(cough)-shit.
The fact is the Russian aggressor is losing, and losing badly. A point I notice you don't dispute.
+….. nothing in your comment is verifiable at this point." Adrian Thornton
I am glad you qualified your statement.
And you are right, of course. And I thought hard on whether I should comment on it. But this reported incidence of fragging in the Russian forces, was not just covered by Western sources, but also by India's Wion News.
Last week, videos from Wion News, which prides itself on even handed reporting of this war, was blocked from you tube, for posting reports favourable of Russia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ7vy2JxH0U&ab_channel=WION
Thanks J.h.t.g.there, that's all I am asking for from TS community… some thought and independent research that can be called on if needed, to verify their comments….well verify to some degree anyway, as none of us can know what is really happing (or has happened) and won’t until well after this war is over..a fact I am sure you are well aware of.
I am an enemy of Putin (and was of Trump I might add), but the endless mindless, thoughtless, uncritical regurgitating of (mainly) western MSM media propaganda on both those subjects is infuriating..I mean it's not as if those two and their horrible projects haven't got enough real issues to draw on right?…why do so many smart people here constantly resort to speculation and such obvious logic bending half truths all the friggin' time!…that is what I want to know?