Really disappointed with the ferociousness of attacks on the Green Party from comments on this site, The Daily Blog and others over Red Peak. It’s as if the level of work the Green Party has put in over the past seven years in fighting this govt counts for nothing. For example a good number of Greens spent many hours collecting signatures for the Keep Our Assets petition. It’s time for a lot of people to take a chill pill on this subject and at least be a little bit less derogatory. We are all in this together and there where things like protecting workers rights where the Greens stand right beside Labour.
I don’t think people are trying to attack the Green party, more their decision to wade in, boots and all and help Key.
We saw Labour do this on Surveillance, taking a fiasco and antidemocratic law and then, being enabled by Labour to endorse it. In a smaller way Labour and TPP by not saying clearly NO.
The same is happening here with the Greens. By collaborating in a flawed and stupid process to change the flag they are enabling Key and scaring their voters by thinking OH MY GOD they Greens don’t get it! Why can’t they see they are being manipulated?
It is a waste of time and effort as the flag will not be changed anyway. So the Greens are just falling into a trap, wasting time and money, instead of focusing on how to collaborate with other opposition and get rid of this corrupt government once and for all and concentrate on REAL things, TPP, zero hour contracts, climate change, our waterways being degraded, our assets sold off, etc
Thats what we want the Greens to do and Labour NOT get into Nat LIte issues of flag changes and Panda purchases.
They have lost respect from within their own support as well.
A number will get over it, but some will clearly note it, using the backlash as an example if the Party ever considers to again cross the line.
The Greens and Labour should have both stayed far away from Key’s desire to change the flag.
They should have focused on the more important issues we face.
Instead, they both decided to partake, fueling the fire, resulting in them both being burnt.
Polls suggest they will both require to work together. This newly created rift negatively impacts on the public perception the two Parties are aligned.
The ones gaining here is Key and his Party. Thanks to the pair of them, Key’s flag desire has been given far more media hype. While his opposition now distrust and squabble amongst themselves.
This can cause people to lose faith in the opposition and NOT VOTE. That is the number 1 goal of rightwing parties to reduce people’s faith in democracy and therefore refuse to vote.
It is a clear manipulation from National to the Greens and Labour.
You can’t win all the votes, but you can disable your opposition by undermining them to cause their voters NOT TO VOTE. And get in by default.
That is the clear strategy of the Natz strategists.
When you throw in the latest brouhaha about ‘red peak’ turning into a swastika perhaps the Greens band wagon jumping wasn’t so wise after all.
Besides if you try and get the Greens and Labour to all publicly hold hands and sing kum bay ya then all it does is push the issues underground where they fester like a plastered wound.
James Shaw said the additional cost of adding the Red Peak flag was not a significant concern and I agree with him. Being the facilitator for the inclusion of an option that was outside of the jacked-up “panel” process is admirable, in my view and the Greens will benefit from showing that they can spot opportunities like that and act on them. Increasing the choices available to the public is a positive action by the Greens. Their brand has been advanced through their proactive, democracy-enhancing action to add another option. The Greens, in my opinion, do not act to disadvantage their partners on any level, despite being the recipients of such treatment on a regular basis. They did not and will not try to slip into the blue tent. They have their own and pitch it where their members and reliable ideological foundation require them to.
The angst expressed here over their tidy action over Red Peak reflects insecurity that’s not shared by those who have an establ;shed confidence in the Green Party and her trajectory, in my view.
Despite being unhappy with the GP actions I do feel the need to point out that there is considerable difference between micromanaging messages and one’s actions via obsessive internal polling, and responding to a movement arising out of the people that conventional polling shows is popular.
the brand has indeed been advanced – toward the great bland middle – nice one greens. Green + blue + red = black, a hole with sides steep but but at least the greens will get some votes out of it and their advocates, like Hawking radiation, still emit.
Sorry Robert I know you do good stuff but my keyboard needed to talk 🙂
Reading Klein’s book shows there is a need for radical and immediate action if we are to prevent catastrophic climate change.
The New Zealand Green Party seems to favour just another form of consumerism and capitalism.
Not good enough.
Shaw is ruining the Green Party.
“Increasing the choices available to the public is a positive action by the Greens.”
I don’t think it is (for reasons I’ve posted on other threads about the flag change process).
The Green Party are undoubtedly a political force for social justice and environmental awareness and action. But that doesn’t mean they should not be criticised for making a bad policy implementation process worse.
Greater choices available in the referendum was not, and is not, the policy problem that needed solving. There is nothing positive in process terms about having more options available. If anything it just compounds the problems with the process.
And this criticism applies equally to any Labour MP who advocated for the inclusion of Red Peak in the options.
I think those who favour ‘Red Peak’ seem to be confusing having something available as an option (the ends) with a proper process (the means). For me – especially when it comes to constitutional symbols of nationhood – the integrity of the means has to take precedence over preferences for particular outcomes (ends).
After all, I imagine a lot of people wanted something with a fern on it so why would anyone criticise the original four options if the popularity of particular options in the referendum was all that mattered? Yet the Green Party appears to have adopted the position that there was something wrong with the process leading to those four options – despite the fact that at least three of the options would likely have had more than 50,000 people voting for them (if the UMR polls that swordfish references on another thread are any guide).
This process should have been one that was at least nominally acceptable to as great a proportion of the population as possible. You don’t get that with a highly distorted and unfair process.
Sticking Red Peak into the process worsens that unfairness and distortion, it does not reduce it.
People will inevitably lobby for their preferred option in this sort of haphazard and entirely unprincipled flag change process but that lobbying should not then be formalised through ad hoc legislation. At a bare minimum, any lobbying for Red Peak should have been done before the options were decided, not after.
I say all of this not to support the original four options or process. Quite the opposite. It has been a continuing debacle to the point that I think it would be cause for national shame if we ended up changing the flag as a result of this ‘process’ (and I have no sentimental, or other, attachment to the current flag).
And frankly I really don’t care how ragingly popular a new flag might be. Even huge popularity of the final choice would in no way vindicate the process – and that is the problem in a nutshell.
That’s because it is the process of why and how we come to decide – and not the design of the piece of cloth we end up with – that most substantively reflects what we are as a nation.
Ad@3:21 – well said.
Hi Puddleglum (lovely character, he. Clive Staples created some very memorable ones, scenes too; Mr Tumnus’ ransacked cave, the lilied sea…)
Behind all of the machinations; the flag, the TPPA, the cancellation of votes for prisoners, oil exploration licenses et al, is a sizeable frustration at being deceived and manipulated. The swift and effective move that put the non-Key option onto the flag-table was hugely encouraging for people who feel desperate for a win of some kind. The grip this government has over the direction and results across the board was weakened by Shaw’s intervention, I believe, and great heart can be taken from that and attributed to the Greens. It’s a small thing, but a big signal. Flag, schmag – it’s the greater game that counts. Parallel moves, out-of-step strategies are needed to break a winning formula. I like Shaw’s move.
Truth and MSM reporting in this country are not the same thing. Remember headline, headline – anything to make our leader John Key look good and drive a wedge through opposition party co operation is the object.
If you want to know why John Key is still looking quite popular that is why – lying and misinformation and smearing and negative reporting of the other parties.
But – the point is, why do the opposition fall for it and make themselves targets by helping Key?
the cold blob is a worry and I don’t mean a politician (that’ll be too easy)
It is, for our home planet, an extremely warm year.
Indeed, last week we learned from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that the first eight months of 2015 were the hottest such stretch yet recorded for the globe’s surface land and oceans, based on temperature records going back to 1880. It’s just the latest evidence that we are, indeed, on course for a record-breaking warm year in 2015.
Yet, if you look closely, there’s one part of the planet that is bucking the trend. In the North Atlantic Ocean south of Greenland and Iceland, the ocean surface has seen very cold temperatures for the past eight months:
What’s up with that?
First of all, it’s no error…
… some scientists suspect that the cooling seen in these maps is no fluke but, rather, part of a process that has been long feared by climate researchers — the slowing of Atlantic Ocean circulation.
I like the phrase “dream age” in this context (‘we must be dreaming if we think we can carry on like this’) but was this just a ‘lucky’ auto correct or deliberate?
Today her opinion is going on about her own ageing process (sorry no link yet) which is supremely ironic given her rep for gouging at old white men.
Maybe she is worried her opinions will become less worthy as she ages (guess what Beck Eleven – wisdom comes with age. You should be aware of that by now).
What was one of the main reasons we dropped out of the Australian Commonwealth at the last minute over a century ago?
Racial intolerance? Or concerns over potential Maori treatment?
That cartoon is basically saying everyone from the 1900’s to 1950’s was a racist prick, is that actually true? Some is, and what about now, all gone? A bit bloody simplistic.
Chis Rocks thoughts on the state of race relations from New Yorker Interview…
“When we talk about race relations in America or racial progress, it’s all nonsense. There are no race relations. White people were crazy. Now they’re not as crazy. To say that black people have made progress would be to say they deserve what happened to them before…
So, to say Obama is progress is saying that he’s the first black person that is qualified to be president. That’s not black progress. That’s white progress. There’s been black people qualified to be president for hundreds of years. If you saw Tina Turner and Ike having a lovely breakfast over there, would you say their relationship’s improved? Some people would. But a smart person would go, “Oh, he stopped punching her in the face.” It’s not up to her. Ike and Tina Turner’s relationship has nothing to do with Tina Turner. Nothing. It just doesn’t. The question is, you know, my kids are smart, educated, beautiful, polite children. There have been smart, educated, beautiful, polite black children for hundreds of years. The advantage that my children have is that my children are encountering the nicest white people that America has ever produced. Let’s hope America keeps producing nicer white people”
The most expensive mortgage term currently is …. Floating around 6%, which is 0.5% more expensive than fixing for 5 years !!!! With expectations that the OCR is to drop further from its current 2.75% and this will have been included in any yield curves of the banks and partially priced into any mid to long term fixed rate.
Why is the bank pricing out floating mortgages ? http://www.mortgagerates.co.nz/
A hypothetical reason would be.
The bank expects that the OCR will be cut, and that fixed interest rates will drop in the next year or so.
If that is their belief they would want as many people as possible to convert to long term fixed rates now. Then you are going to be locked into higher rates than might be normal next year.
The way to encourage you to lock in? Make the floating rate much higher.
That is purely a hypothetical answer of course. I’m not involved with the mortgage providing part of any bank and I’m not in the market for one so I don’t actually know what they might be planning.
In an ex work place of mine there was a strong union, pro-women and pro-Maori. Wages and conditions were good but a rival union who didn’t like the pro-women, pro-maori parts started up .
The CEO was delighted and nurtured the new union, eventually giving better conditions to its members.New employees sadly but naturally chose to belong to the union with better conditions. and it grew bigger.
Now the CEO now presides over a weakened split work force, conditions are deteriorating for all workers and the CEO is laughing all the way on overseas trips.
Sounds a bit like the simple but effective divide and rule strategy of our current CEO-PM. He’s so good at it. Our opposition frogs don’t seem to realise they’re being boiled.
In an ex work place of mine there was a strong union, pro-women and pro-Maori. Wages and conditions were good but a rival union who didn’t like the pro-women, pro-maori parts started up .
The CEO was delighted and nurtured the new union, eventually giving better conditions to its members.New employees sadly but naturally chose to belong to the union with better conditions. and it grew bigger.
Now the CEO now presides over a weakened split work force, conditions are deteriorating for all workers and the CEO is laughing all the way on overseas trips.
Sounds a bit like the simple but effective divide and rule strategy of our current CEO-PM. He’s so good at it. Our opposition frogs don’t seem to realise they’re being boiled.
PS ..Just remembered ..At one stage the CEO introduced a new ‘improved’ company logo and encouraged employee debate..but no pandas.
Key and National were going to sign no matter what. Their job isn’t to do what’s right for NZ but what the corporations, especially US corporations, want them to do which is to sell out NZ for their profit.
Anne Tolley admitted this morning: “It’s pretty hard to survive on a benefit.”
But, as usual, Lisa Owen failed to follow up. The Nation, TV3, Saturday 26 September 2015
patsy /ˈpatsi/ n. a person who is easily taken advantage of, swindled, deceived, coerced, persuaded, etc.; sucker.
This morning Lisa Owen interviewed—or, more accurately, provided a pretty much unobstructed free platform for—the Social Development minister Anne Tolley. Owen asked her whether it was desirable that most of the CYFS-approved foster families were themselves on a benefit. Mustering all the gravitas she could, Mrs Tolley intoned: “It’s pretty hard to survive on a benefit.”
Sadly, Lisa Owen lacked the nous to press her on that remarkable admission.
A little later, she asked Mrs Tolley about reports of the Key regime’s plans to “outsource” child welfare services to companies like Serco. Mrs Tolley, who seems to have not been listening to the prime minister or his henchmen lately, was adamant that nothing of the sort was being discussed….
HON. ANNE TOLLEY:[speaking in as low a tone as possible, in order to convey honesty and seriousness] Let’s put it to rest. This is a state responsibility. There’s been no talk in government about outsourcing. … I’m firmly on the side of the children.
Again, Lisa Owen, who obviously does little or no research for these interviews, failed to confront her with any recent statements by Key or Steven Joyce or Bill English that directly contradict those words.
It seems to have passed without more than a murmur, dumped on a day when distractions abound, but the Nacts released the so called results of the study done?.
From the little I could gather they seem to have taken the 1991-1992 birth cohort and worked out who got NCEA, who ended up on unemployment etc etc. How they did it was all very, very vague but I gained the impression that they had mined every government data base and matched up the data they had on individuals presumably by name & date of birth. If you didn’t immigation & emmigration would flaw the results.
That or even anything like that would be an horrific gross invasion of privacy for that cohort. Why are there not more questions about it? Not only that but I suspect they picked the youngest cohort they could where most now have an IRD no but are not fully integrated into adult life – so I can speculate that the iRD are involved. I’d like to hear more about this
Fine by me as long as the data is scrubbed before humans get it – to complete this accurately, it only needs a specified range of dates of birth (i.e. all people born in NZ between dates X and Y), not actual dates.
We’ve been doing a Census for however long, and this is a better tool.
So essentially spying on a cohort of New Zealanders is okay so long as you only get results with names removed? and the range of birth dates only? People move in and out of the country and you may have only one risk factor attached to each person in the survey so you are going to be looking deeper at the data than that.
Anyway if this is such a great idea why don’t we model which taxpayers are the most likely to avoid or evade tax over certain dollar amounts and slap some IRD staffers down in their office to monitor them .. now there would be a profitable exercise
Tolley is turning into a surprisingly compassionate voice in her Cabinet.
Her interviews are solid, her handling of MSD is good compared to her woeful performance in Education in the previous term.
Quite astonishing that it’s Roche that’s getting any traction against her, rather than the Labour spokesperson.
After a month of really good hits against the government in agriculture, corrections, and trade, Ministers below 4 in Cabinet are regathering and re-stabilising. Not good.
” Let’s put it to rest. This is a state responsibility. There’s been no talk in government about outsourcing. … I’m firmly on the side of the children.”
Didn’t someone say something about not believing anything until it has been officially denied?
Didn’t someone say something about not believing anything until it has been officially denied?
That was Count Otto von Bismarck originally, although it’s usually credited to the late great Claud Cockburn.
I fear that Mrs Tolley’s words will eventually be classified along with the following quote by her erstwhile colleague John Banks: “I have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. And never, ever would I ever knowingly sign a false electoral return. Never ever would I ever.”
Did John Key get up to the same “swinanigans” as David Cameron?
I urge anyone interested in the subject of human-porcine relations to click on the following link and look at the comment by a YouTuber who rejoices in the moniker “Flesh”. It was written one year ago, long before last week’s explosive revelations about the British prime minister David “Snooty” Cameron….
A ‘Grumpy’ John Key On Q & A To Answer To Allegations That He Lied About Knowing Of Kim Dotcom
Rituals are used by the privileged to ensure their puppets are controlled.
The puppets know that if they fail to follow their instructions these secrets will be revealed.
What has Cameron failed to do?
What are Key’s directives?
I don’t think Cameron is being blackmailed over those revelations. It’s something that was beyond his control. Balling* a dead pig is probably one of the more benign activities of the Bullingdon set.
What’s interesting here is the way these revelations have been handled. On Paul Henry’s godawful television show, a ticker kept referring to “bizarre allegations”. The fools on radio and in print in this country obediently parrot the label “Pig-gate”, which serves to trivialize the issue.
Just imagine how the commentariat in the U.K. and this country would have reacted if Jeremy Corbyn had been revealed to have “balled” a dead pig.
* Yes, it’s an appalling Americanism, but I like it!
For me it’s a timely read following the revelation that weirdo researchers shot pigs for medico legal research as a consequence of our soft touch ethics regime. That had made me reflect that in spite of the obvious obscenity of the unscientific experiment, the pigs will suffer less than most of their contemporaries.
Another Guardian writer, George Monbiot, has aptly identified our cognitive dissonance on factory farming: ”Even as we search for meaning and purpose, we want to be told that our actions are inconsequential. We seek reassurance that we are significant, but that what we do is not”. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/19/chicken-welfare-human-health-meat
This was not microcredit’s intended poverty reduction so much as the intensification of poverty, suffering and deprivation among the very poorest communities forced into informal sector work. Even worse, social tensions were greatly exacerbated thanks to hyper-competition and the aggressive taking of clients away from existing businesses, while ethnically-motivated business turf wars inevitably began to rear their ugly head too.
Competition comes to…
…destroy yet another society.
When are we going to wake up to the fact that competition is bad for our society?
Competition is required at some level, if not just to inspire people.
Microcredit in its original form was commendable, but from the article – is “commercialisation” the problem?
“A further intractable problem with microcredit in South Africa is related to the extensive commercialisation that was introduced into the global microcredit industry in order to make it financially self-sustaining.”
Mmmmm… anyone smell a bankster? And what the fuck does ‘financially self-sustaining’ mean? Totally separate from economically or morally self-sustaining for the end user.
DTB- ++ competition inspires in rugby, tennis, golf-even choosing an idiotic flag but never, never, where human needs , food, clothing shelter, safety or kid’s lives are involved- unless of course you are a jungle animal without a developed cerebral cortex…(read..tory ).
“but never, never, where human needs , food, clothing shelter, safety or kid’s lives are involved- unless of course you are a jungle animal without a developed cerebral cortex…(read..tory )”
Great article!
one in the eye for TearFund, World Vision and other worthies who thought this policy was the breakthrough killer financial app for liberating women.
I honestly cannot believe that nobody reading or commenting on TS missed this great opportunity to call the Assistant Minister for Social Development a blatant LIAR and guilty of misleading the House of Representatives:
She asked about details about the Sole Parent Employment Service and also Mental Health Employment Service, run on a trial basis for over a year now, and where NO real data has been made available about their supposed “success”. She asked for a response to conflicting, worrying details she appears to have received by way of an OIA request.
As for the answer by Jo Goodhew, Associate Minister, she was LYING and misleading the House!
She claims there is no obligation for mental health suffering or sole parents to take part in the employment referral programs that MSD now use through outsourced, contracted service providers. The truth is that officially there is no obligation for mental health sufferers on health related benefits to join the MHES, being the Mental Health Employment Service, but there is an obligation for sole parents to participate, as the following shows: http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/documents/forms/sole-parent-support-obligations-and-privacy-form.pdf
There is most clearly an OBLIGATION to take part in such measures, that assist a person that receives the Sole Parent Benefit to get employment. See 2. for part time work obligations!
“take part in any other activities that Work and Income refer me to, such as attend any job training courses, seminars, work experience or work assessments (including rehabilitation, but not medical treatment) that will improve my work readiness or help me get work”
So in denying there is an obligation, that it is supposed to be all voluntary is untrue, and hence Jo Goodhew mislead Parliament, which is a serious matter.
More on this whole BS that continues to go on about welfare and the refusal by MSD to reveal info, even via OIA requests, read this:
Sadly we get endless misinformation, and not even Carmel Sepuloni bothered challenging the Associate Minister for the BS she told Parliament and the public. As for the mental health sufferers, they may be told to have a choice to take part, but there is still and implicit expectation put to them by case managers.
You will sadly find many links to certain info on relevant websites in those posts disabled now, as MSD and other key vested interest parties seem to be doing all to keep the public misinformed about what really goes on.
I wish some here would bother following all this up, but beneficiaries do not deserve any much attention these days. On the Nation on TV 3 today, even Ann Tolley admitted in an interview that it was very hard to live off a benefit, when commenting on CYFS care children put into homes of mostly beneficiary foster parents.
The so-called “opposition” in NZ cannot be much of a “force” to reckon with, when they totally miss such opportunities. They do NOT deserve to be a government in waiting if they do not even do their damned homework, I am afraid.
They are now cutting per head benefits payments for refugees, if any here may be interested. But most Kiwis are totally disconnected with what goes on outside this country, I fear.
No wonder we’re disconnected with what goes on outside this country. I don’t know how many people still watch the telly news but it’s incredible how little overseas news we do get, and how brief the few overseas items are.
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Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
Chris Trotter writes – MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
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. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Headline: The moment of friction. – 36th Parallel Assessments In strategic studies “friction” is a term that it is used to describe the moment when military action encounters adversary resistance. “Friction” is one of four (along with an unofficial fifth) “F’s” in military strategy, which includes force (kinetic mass), ...
The Fast-track Bill, if passed, would allow three Ministers, unchallenged and unchecked, to approve the immediate extraction and exhaustion of one-off resources. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term “bulk billed” refers to a GP visit they don’t have to pay ...
Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss what’s in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to what’s been on my mind for a while. It’s very important. You see we’ve recently had some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so we’ve destroyed valuable coastal habitat – in the case of some types of habitat, ...
Josh Thomson on the 80s milk ad jingle he can’t stop singing, the beauty of The Simpsons, why Jersey Shore is as good as Shakespeare and more. For someone who spends a lot of time on our screens, popping up in everything from 7 Days to Taskmaster, Educators to Good ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
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Really disappointed with the ferociousness of attacks on the Green Party from comments on this site, The Daily Blog and others over Red Peak. It’s as if the level of work the Green Party has put in over the past seven years in fighting this govt counts for nothing. For example a good number of Greens spent many hours collecting signatures for the Keep Our Assets petition. It’s time for a lot of people to take a chill pill on this subject and at least be a little bit less derogatory. We are all in this together and there where things like protecting workers rights where the Greens stand right beside Labour.
Turning a straw-poll into legislation is at least as stupid as bringing dead fish to Parliament. The derision comes with the territory.
I don’t think people are trying to attack the Green party, more their decision to wade in, boots and all and help Key.
We saw Labour do this on Surveillance, taking a fiasco and antidemocratic law and then, being enabled by Labour to endorse it. In a smaller way Labour and TPP by not saying clearly NO.
The same is happening here with the Greens. By collaborating in a flawed and stupid process to change the flag they are enabling Key and scaring their voters by thinking OH MY GOD they Greens don’t get it! Why can’t they see they are being manipulated?
It is a waste of time and effort as the flag will not be changed anyway. So the Greens are just falling into a trap, wasting time and money, instead of focusing on how to collaborate with other opposition and get rid of this corrupt government once and for all and concentrate on REAL things, TPP, zero hour contracts, climate change, our waterways being degraded, our assets sold off, etc
Thats what we want the Greens to do and Labour NOT get into Nat LIte issues of flag changes and Panda purchases.
For every action there is a reaction, Esoteric Pineapples.
All the Greens represent, relationships fostered and good work done undermined by one action (in the eyes of some).
An unintended consequence or one that should have been foreseen?
What is done is done. Can it be put right? Lessons to be learned?
United we stand, divided we fall.
They lost a lot of my respect over this.
They have lost respect from within their own support as well.
A number will get over it, but some will clearly note it, using the backlash as an example if the Party ever considers to again cross the line.
The Greens and Labour should have both stayed far away from Key’s desire to change the flag.
They should have focused on the more important issues we face.
Instead, they both decided to partake, fueling the fire, resulting in them both being burnt.
Polls suggest they will both require to work together. This newly created rift negatively impacts on the public perception the two Parties are aligned.
The ones gaining here is Key and his Party. Thanks to the pair of them, Key’s flag desire has been given far more media hype. While his opposition now distrust and squabble amongst themselves.
+100
The Greens and Labour should talk about poverty, inequality and climate change.
+1 Chairman
This can cause people to lose faith in the opposition and NOT VOTE. That is the number 1 goal of rightwing parties to reduce people’s faith in democracy and therefore refuse to vote.
It is a clear manipulation from National to the Greens and Labour.
You can’t win all the votes, but you can disable your opposition by undermining them to cause their voters NOT TO VOTE. And get in by default.
That is the clear strategy of the Natz strategists.
+1
It hasn’t changed that much: they’re still the worst possible party apart from all the other ones.
It doesn’t help when the petition itself has been shown to be flawed with multiple entries from fictitious people.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11518994
When you throw in the latest brouhaha about ‘red peak’ turning into a swastika perhaps the Greens band wagon jumping wasn’t so wise after all.
Besides if you try and get the Greens and Labour to all publicly hold hands and sing kum bay ya then all it does is push the issues underground where they fester like a plastered wound.
Strangely i respected them more out of it.
They played a short term game well.
Shaw’s political balls just dropped.
When he gets up to bat again, trust me Labour will be paying attention.
Yes they did all that Esoteric, and got my attention, and then they went and lost the plot on bunch of corporate logos, sorry flags.
Sorry but it’s the principle, they went and chose backroom deal undemocratic bollocks.
Back to being loopo crystalogists.
James Shaw said the additional cost of adding the Red Peak flag was not a significant concern and I agree with him. Being the facilitator for the inclusion of an option that was outside of the jacked-up “panel” process is admirable, in my view and the Greens will benefit from showing that they can spot opportunities like that and act on them. Increasing the choices available to the public is a positive action by the Greens. Their brand has been advanced through their proactive, democracy-enhancing action to add another option. The Greens, in my opinion, do not act to disadvantage their partners on any level, despite being the recipients of such treatment on a regular basis. They did not and will not try to slip into the blue tent. They have their own and pitch it where their members and reliable ideological foundation require them to.
The angst expressed here over their tidy action over Red Peak reflects insecurity that’s not shared by those who have an establ;shed confidence in the Green Party and her trajectory, in my view.
“Spotting opportunities” – I am uneasy 🙁
How is democracy “enhanced” by adding last-minute clauses to flawed legislation, on the basis of a social media campaign?
Key is rightly criticised for being poll-driven. Sauce for the Tory goose goes equally well with the Green gander.
Despite being unhappy with the GP actions I do feel the need to point out that there is considerable difference between micromanaging messages and one’s actions via obsessive internal polling, and responding to a movement arising out of the people that conventional polling shows is popular.
James Shaw should read Naomi Klein’s ‘This Changes Everything.’
Capitalism is the problem.
Were not going to be able to reform capitalism, but Country Calendar from August 22 does show a viable alternative. Show is ondemand.
the brand has indeed been advanced – toward the great bland middle – nice one greens. Green + blue + red = black, a hole with sides steep but but at least the greens will get some votes out of it and their advocates, like Hawking radiation, still emit.
Sorry Robert I know you do good stuff but my keyboard needed to talk 🙂
Reading Klein’s book shows there is a need for radical and immediate action if we are to prevent catastrophic climate change.
The New Zealand Green Party seems to favour just another form of consumerism and capitalism.
Not good enough.
Shaw is ruining the Green Party.
“The New Zealand Green Party seems to favour just another form of consumerism and capitalism.”
Perhaps you should read actual GP policy and what Shaw really says. To me it looks like you are getting your information about the GP from the MSM.
“Shaw is ruining the Green Party.”
The party chose Shaw, not the other way round. Stop and consider why that might be.
Call me Consumerist Capitalist Splitter, but I’d vote for him, and donate.
Hell he can have my baby.
Hi Robert Guyton,
“Increasing the choices available to the public is a positive action by the Greens.”
I don’t think it is (for reasons I’ve posted on other threads about the flag change process).
The Green Party are undoubtedly a political force for social justice and environmental awareness and action. But that doesn’t mean they should not be criticised for making a bad policy implementation process worse.
Greater choices available in the referendum was not, and is not, the policy problem that needed solving. There is nothing positive in process terms about having more options available. If anything it just compounds the problems with the process.
And this criticism applies equally to any Labour MP who advocated for the inclusion of Red Peak in the options.
I think those who favour ‘Red Peak’ seem to be confusing having something available as an option (the ends) with a proper process (the means). For me – especially when it comes to constitutional symbols of nationhood – the integrity of the means has to take precedence over preferences for particular outcomes (ends).
After all, I imagine a lot of people wanted something with a fern on it so why would anyone criticise the original four options if the popularity of particular options in the referendum was all that mattered? Yet the Green Party appears to have adopted the position that there was something wrong with the process leading to those four options – despite the fact that at least three of the options would likely have had more than 50,000 people voting for them (if the UMR polls that swordfish references on another thread are any guide).
This process should have been one that was at least nominally acceptable to as great a proportion of the population as possible. You don’t get that with a highly distorted and unfair process.
Sticking Red Peak into the process worsens that unfairness and distortion, it does not reduce it.
People will inevitably lobby for their preferred option in this sort of haphazard and entirely unprincipled flag change process but that lobbying should not then be formalised through ad hoc legislation. At a bare minimum, any lobbying for Red Peak should have been done before the options were decided, not after.
I say all of this not to support the original four options or process. Quite the opposite. It has been a continuing debacle to the point that I think it would be cause for national shame if we ended up changing the flag as a result of this ‘process’ (and I have no sentimental, or other, attachment to the current flag).
And frankly I really don’t care how ragingly popular a new flag might be. Even huge popularity of the final choice would in no way vindicate the process – and that is the problem in a nutshell.
That’s because it is the process of why and how we come to decide – and not the design of the piece of cloth we end up with – that most substantively reflects what we are as a nation.
Ad@3:21 – well said.
Hi Puddleglum (lovely character, he. Clive Staples created some very memorable ones, scenes too; Mr Tumnus’ ransacked cave, the lilied sea…)
Behind all of the machinations; the flag, the TPPA, the cancellation of votes for prisoners, oil exploration licenses et al, is a sizeable frustration at being deceived and manipulated. The swift and effective move that put the non-Key option onto the flag-table was hugely encouraging for people who feel desperate for a win of some kind. The grip this government has over the direction and results across the board was weakened by Shaw’s intervention, I believe, and great heart can be taken from that and attributed to the Greens. It’s a small thing, but a big signal. Flag, schmag – it’s the greater game that counts. Parallel moves, out-of-step strategies are needed to break a winning formula. I like Shaw’s move.
Parliament wasting more time on this disraction is one cost.
At the moment, we are being encouraged to talk about the flag and the All Blacks.
And yet we could we weeks from being tied up by the TPPA.
It is scary to see how people can be so easily hoodwinked.
+1
“Parliament wasting more time on this disraction is one cost.
At the moment, we are being encouraged to talk about the flag and the All Blacks.
And yet we could we weeks from being tied up by the TPPA.
It is scary to see how people can be so easily hoodwinked.”
+1000%
Red Peak was a brilliant strategy to keep people talking about flags.
Can any one explain HOW adding one line and changing a couple of words on the flag referendum can cost $400,000
Especially as no printing has been done yet?
Taxpayers are being ripped off?
Truth and MSM reporting in this country are not the same thing. Remember headline, headline – anything to make our leader John Key look good and drive a wedge through opposition party co operation is the object.
If you want to know why John Key is still looking quite popular that is why – lying and misinformation and smearing and negative reporting of the other parties.
But – the point is, why do the opposition fall for it and make themselves targets by helping Key?
Apparently, according to dompost, there has be an amount of supporting material printed already.
the cold blob is a worry and I don’t mean a politician (that’ll be too easy)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/09/24/why-some-scientists-are-worried-about-a-cold-blob-in-the-north-atlantic-ocean/
another canary has dropped dead
And New Zealand fiddles while Rome burns.
To be honest, we shouldn’t even go to Paris in December – we’ll cause more dream age than help.
Shameful.
I like the phrase “dream age” in this context (‘we must be dreaming if we think we can carry on like this’) but was this just a ‘lucky’ auto correct or deliberate?
scary.
Some may recall a few days ago a long thread about opinionist Beck Eleven and her rabid anti-old white men views. See http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-22092015/#comment-1073082 and in particular http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/columnists/beck-eleven/8227168/Time-to-ban-the-rants-of-men-aged-over-50
Today her opinion is going on about her own ageing process (sorry no link yet) which is supremely ironic given her rep for gouging at old white men.
Maybe she is worried her opinions will become less worthy as she ages (guess what Beck Eleven – wisdom comes with age. You should be aware of that by now).
Frikkin’ idiot young white woman
plus ca change
Wisdom does NOT always come with age – a stupid young person usually grows into a stupid old person.
fuck move on man there is a FLAG fucken debate and we might be getting some fucken PANDAS why can’t you let go and contribute to REAL issues
ha ha, quite so ..
turning into a nice day – might head out for a fish instead of bashing my head against a keyboard …
enjoy
MM-Heh! good one
Unfortunately, many old people disprove that adage.
The Pencilsword: Goodbye Old Zealand…
http://thewireless.co.nz/articles/the-pencilsword-goodbye-old-zealand
that is as loaded with intolerance as that about which they complain – just like beck eleven
fuck the old white men
fuck tolerance and compassion and understanding
fuck you
Yup, those fucken old white pricks.
What was one of the main reasons we dropped out of the Australian Commonwealth at the last minute over a century ago?
Racial intolerance? Or concerns over potential Maori treatment?
That cartoon is basically saying everyone from the 1900’s to 1950’s was a racist prick, is that actually true? Some is, and what about now, all gone? A bit bloody simplistic.
Chis Rocks thoughts on the state of race relations from New Yorker Interview…
“When we talk about race relations in America or racial progress, it’s all nonsense. There are no race relations. White people were crazy. Now they’re not as crazy. To say that black people have made progress would be to say they deserve what happened to them before…
So, to say Obama is progress is saying that he’s the first black person that is qualified to be president. That’s not black progress. That’s white progress. There’s been black people qualified to be president for hundreds of years. If you saw Tina Turner and Ike having a lovely breakfast over there, would you say their relationship’s improved? Some people would. But a smart person would go, “Oh, he stopped punching her in the face.” It’s not up to her. Ike and Tina Turner’s relationship has nothing to do with Tina Turner. Nothing. It just doesn’t. The question is, you know, my kids are smart, educated, beautiful, polite children. There have been smart, educated, beautiful, polite black children for hundreds of years. The advantage that my children have is that my children are encountering the nicest white people that America has ever produced. Let’s hope America keeps producing nicer white people”
Brilliant! Thanks for that, katipo.
What??
The most expensive mortgage term currently is …. Floating around 6%, which is 0.5% more expensive than fixing for 5 years !!!! With expectations that the OCR is to drop further from its current 2.75% and this will have been included in any yield curves of the banks and partially priced into any mid to long term fixed rate.
Why is the bank pricing out floating mortgages ?
http://www.mortgagerates.co.nz/
A hypothetical reason would be.
The bank expects that the OCR will be cut, and that fixed interest rates will drop in the next year or so.
If that is their belief they would want as many people as possible to convert to long term fixed rates now. Then you are going to be locked into higher rates than might be normal next year.
The way to encourage you to lock in? Make the floating rate much higher.
That is purely a hypothetical answer of course. I’m not involved with the mortgage providing part of any bank and I’m not in the market for one so I don’t actually know what they might be planning.
In an ex work place of mine there was a strong union, pro-women and pro-Maori. Wages and conditions were good but a rival union who didn’t like the pro-women, pro-maori parts started up .
The CEO was delighted and nurtured the new union, eventually giving better conditions to its members.New employees sadly but naturally chose to belong to the union with better conditions. and it grew bigger.
Now the CEO now presides over a weakened split work force, conditions are deteriorating for all workers and the CEO is laughing all the way on overseas trips.
Sounds a bit like the simple but effective divide and rule strategy of our current CEO-PM. He’s so good at it. Our opposition frogs don’t seem to realise they’re being boiled.
In an ex work place of mine there was a strong union, pro-women and pro-Maori. Wages and conditions were good but a rival union who didn’t like the pro-women, pro-maori parts started up .
The CEO was delighted and nurtured the new union, eventually giving better conditions to its members.New employees sadly but naturally chose to belong to the union with better conditions. and it grew bigger.
Now the CEO now presides over a weakened split work force, conditions are deteriorating for all workers and the CEO is laughing all the way on overseas trips.
Sounds a bit like the simple but effective divide and rule strategy of our current CEO-PM. He’s so good at it. Our opposition frogs don’t seem to realise they’re being boiled.
PS ..Just remembered ..At one stage the CEO introduced a new ‘improved’ company logo and encouraged employee debate..but no pandas.
whoops! meant just the PS as an edit.
Dont piss about Rodel.
Name and shame.
you do your posts. I’ll do mine/
‘Terrorist’ stone throwers.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11519350
‘Radical’ murderers.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11490628
Just lovely NatziYahoo !
Interesting euphemism by the Herald.
For ‘clamps down’ read ‘shoots.’
The Government’s previous stance was that New Zealand would not sign the TPPA if the dairy deal was not a good one.
Now it’s: the end deal would “hopefully land in the right place,” but would be “the very best we can do,” Key said
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/dairy/72421487/trade-minister-admits-tppa-inadequate-on-dairy
Unless the best we can do equates to a good deal, it sounds like a softening of position.
Key and National were going to sign no matter what. Their job isn’t to do what’s right for NZ but what the corporations, especially US corporations, want them to do which is to sell out NZ for their profit.
Serco, Warner Bros, Rio Tinto, Anardarko, Sky City, Solid Energy, Fletchers, the company that owned the Rena, and many more.
Theres countless others under the radar too like property developers that have profited from National as well.
No doubt. However, they have to carefully balance throwing the farming voting block under a bus while also catering to the multinationals.
Losing support of the farming block could cost the Party the next election.
When the Last Tree Is Cut Down, the Last Fish Eaten, and the Last Stream Poisoned, You Will Realize That You Cannot Eat Money
Seen that quote around for awhile now but the history given at the link fills it out quite a bit more.
Anne Tolley admitted this morning: “It’s pretty hard to survive on a benefit.”
But, as usual, Lisa Owen failed to follow up.
The Nation, TV3, Saturday 26 September 2015
patsy /ˈpatsi/ n. a person who is easily taken advantage of, swindled, deceived, coerced, persuaded, etc.; sucker.
This morning Lisa Owen interviewed—or, more accurately, provided a pretty much unobstructed free platform for—the Social Development minister Anne Tolley. Owen asked her whether it was desirable that most of the CYFS-approved foster families were themselves on a benefit. Mustering all the gravitas she could, Mrs Tolley intoned: “It’s pretty hard to survive on a benefit.”
Sadly, Lisa Owen lacked the nous to press her on that remarkable admission.
A little later, she asked Mrs Tolley about reports of the Key regime’s plans to “outsource” child welfare services to companies like Serco. Mrs Tolley, who seems to have not been listening to the prime minister or his henchmen lately, was adamant that nothing of the sort was being discussed….
HON. ANNE TOLLEY: [speaking in as low a tone as possible, in order to convey honesty and seriousness] Let’s put it to rest. This is a state responsibility. There’s been no talk in government about outsourcing. … I’m firmly on the side of the children.
Again, Lisa Owen, who obviously does little or no research for these interviews, failed to confront her with any recent statements by Key or Steven Joyce or Bill English that directly contradict those words.
Bill English is pushing ahead with big data and predictive analytics, said to play a leading role in the imminent changes to the delivery of care.
It seems to have passed without more than a murmur, dumped on a day when distractions abound, but the Nacts released the so called results of the study done?.
From the little I could gather they seem to have taken the 1991-1992 birth cohort and worked out who got NCEA, who ended up on unemployment etc etc. How they did it was all very, very vague but I gained the impression that they had mined every government data base and matched up the data they had on individuals presumably by name & date of birth. If you didn’t immigation & emmigration would flaw the results.
That or even anything like that would be an horrific gross invasion of privacy for that cohort. Why are there not more questions about it? Not only that but I suspect they picked the youngest cohort they could where most now have an IRD no but are not fully integrated into adult life – so I can speculate that the iRD are involved. I’d like to hear more about this
http://werewolf.co.nz/2015/09/big-data-big-problems/
Fine by me as long as the data is scrubbed before humans get it – to complete this accurately, it only needs a specified range of dates of birth (i.e. all people born in NZ between dates X and Y), not actual dates.
We’ve been doing a Census for however long, and this is a better tool.
So essentially spying on a cohort of New Zealanders is okay so long as you only get results with names removed? and the range of birth dates only? People move in and out of the country and you may have only one risk factor attached to each person in the survey so you are going to be looking deeper at the data than that.
Anyway if this is such a great idea why don’t we model which taxpayers are the most likely to avoid or evade tax over certain dollar amounts and slap some IRD staffers down in their office to monitor them .. now there would be a profitable exercise
Tolley is turning into a surprisingly compassionate voice in her Cabinet.
Her interviews are solid, her handling of MSD is good compared to her woeful performance in Education in the previous term.
Quite astonishing that it’s Roche that’s getting any traction against her, rather than the Labour spokesperson.
After a month of really good hits against the government in agriculture, corrections, and trade, Ministers below 4 in Cabinet are regathering and re-stabilising. Not good.
” Let’s put it to rest. This is a state responsibility. There’s been no talk in government about outsourcing. … I’m firmly on the side of the children.”
Didn’t someone say something about not believing anything until it has been officially denied?
Didn’t someone say something about not believing anything until it has been officially denied?
That was Count Otto von Bismarck originally, although it’s usually credited to the late great Claud Cockburn.
I fear that Mrs Tolley’s words will eventually be classified along with the following quote by her erstwhile colleague John Banks: “I have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. And never, ever would I ever knowingly sign a false electoral return. Never ever would I ever.”
Did John Key get up to the same “swinanigans” as David Cameron?
I urge anyone interested in the subject of human-porcine relations to click on the following link and look at the comment by a YouTuber who rejoices in the moniker “Flesh”. It was written one year ago, long before last week’s explosive revelations about the British prime minister David “Snooty” Cameron….
A ‘Grumpy’ John Key On Q & A To Answer To Allegations That He Lied About Knowing Of Kim Dotcom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0apI5nlPJyI&lc=z120gbnhanfgtlfje04cizlpzmamwvmx3l00k
Rituals are used by the privileged to ensure their puppets are controlled.
The puppets know that if they fail to follow their instructions these secrets will be revealed.
What has Cameron failed to do?
What are Key’s directives?
I don’t think Cameron is being blackmailed over those revelations. It’s something that was beyond his control. Balling* a dead pig is probably one of the more benign activities of the Bullingdon set.
What’s interesting here is the way these revelations have been handled. On Paul Henry’s godawful television show, a ticker kept referring to “bizarre allegations”. The fools on radio and in print in this country obediently parrot the label “Pig-gate”, which serves to trivialize the issue.
Just imagine how the commentariat in the U.K. and this country would have reacted if Jeremy Corbyn had been revealed to have “balled” a dead pig.
* Yes, it’s an appalling Americanism, but I like it!
Why factory farming is one of history’s worst crimes:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/sep/25/industrial-farming-one-worst-crimes-history-ethical-question
For me it’s a timely read following the revelation that weirdo researchers shot pigs for medico legal research as a consequence of our soft touch ethics regime. That had made me reflect that in spite of the obvious obscenity of the unscientific experiment, the pigs will suffer less than most of their contemporaries.
Another Guardian writer, George Monbiot, has aptly identified our cognitive dissonance on factory farming: ”Even as we search for meaning and purpose, we want to be told that our actions are inconsequential. We seek reassurance that we are significant, but that what we do is not”.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/19/chicken-welfare-human-health-meat
Microcredit has been a disaster for the poorest in South Africa
Competition comes to…
…destroy yet another society.
When are we going to wake up to the fact that competition is bad for our society?
Competition is required at some level, if not just to inspire people.
Microcredit in its original form was commendable, but from the article – is “commercialisation” the problem?
“A further intractable problem with microcredit in South Africa is related to the extensive commercialisation that was introduced into the global microcredit industry in order to make it financially self-sustaining.”
Mmmmm… anyone smell a bankster? And what the fuck does ‘financially self-sustaining’ mean? Totally separate from economically or morally self-sustaining for the end user.
Nope, not even a little bit. Cooperation wins there too.
DTB- ++ competition inspires in rugby, tennis, golf-even choosing an idiotic flag but never, never, where human needs , food, clothing shelter, safety or kid’s lives are involved- unless of course you are a jungle animal without a developed cerebral cortex…(read..tory ).
“but never, never, where human needs , food, clothing shelter, safety or kid’s lives are involved- unless of course you are a jungle animal without a developed cerebral cortex…(read..tory )”
+1
Great article!
one in the eye for TearFund, World Vision and other worthies who thought this policy was the breakthrough killer financial app for liberating women.
I honestly cannot believe that nobody reading or commenting on TS missed this great opportunity to call the Assistant Minister for Social Development a blatant LIAR and guilty of misleading the House of Representatives:
Carmel Sepuloni asked this question in the House (17 Sept. 2015):
http://www.inthehouse.co.nz/video/39670
She asked about details about the Sole Parent Employment Service and also Mental Health Employment Service, run on a trial basis for over a year now, and where NO real data has been made available about their supposed “success”. She asked for a response to conflicting, worrying details she appears to have received by way of an OIA request.
As for the answer by Jo Goodhew, Associate Minister, she was LYING and misleading the House!
First see her details here, on the glossy Parliament website:
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/minister/jo-goodhew
She claims there is no obligation for mental health suffering or sole parents to take part in the employment referral programs that MSD now use through outsourced, contracted service providers. The truth is that officially there is no obligation for mental health sufferers on health related benefits to join the MHES, being the Mental Health Employment Service, but there is an obligation for sole parents to participate, as the following shows:
http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/documents/forms/sole-parent-support-obligations-and-privacy-form.pdf
There is most clearly an OBLIGATION to take part in such measures, that assist a person that receives the Sole Parent Benefit to get employment. See 2. for part time work obligations!
“take part in any other activities that Work and Income refer me to, such as attend any job training courses, seminars, work experience or work assessments (including rehabilitation, but not medical treatment) that will improve my work readiness or help me get work”
So in denying there is an obligation, that it is supposed to be all voluntary is untrue, and hence Jo Goodhew mislead Parliament, which is a serious matter.
More on this whole BS that continues to go on about welfare and the refusal by MSD to reveal info, even via OIA requests, read this:
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.wordpress.com/2015/04/10/mental-health-and-sole-parent-employment-services-msd-withholds-o-i-a-information-that-may-prove-their-trials-a-failure/
We are also told endless porkies about the supposed “evidence” justifying the extreme work ability focus now used:
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.wordpress.com/2015/08/09/msd-and-dr-david-bratt-present-misleading-evidence-claiming-worklessness-causes-poor-health/
Sadly we get endless misinformation, and not even Carmel Sepuloni bothered challenging the Associate Minister for the BS she told Parliament and the public. As for the mental health sufferers, they may be told to have a choice to take part, but there is still and implicit expectation put to them by case managers.
You will sadly find many links to certain info on relevant websites in those posts disabled now, as MSD and other key vested interest parties seem to be doing all to keep the public misinformed about what really goes on.
I wish some here would bother following all this up, but beneficiaries do not deserve any much attention these days. On the Nation on TV 3 today, even Ann Tolley admitted in an interview that it was very hard to live off a benefit, when commenting on CYFS care children put into homes of mostly beneficiary foster parents.
A nation of shame I call NZ now.
The so-called “opposition” in NZ cannot be much of a “force” to reckon with, when they totally miss such opportunities. They do NOT deserve to be a government in waiting if they do not even do their damned homework, I am afraid.
How “welcoming” and “friendly” are Merkel and Germany really towards refugees, remembering past comments?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdCNmr3XEvg
They are now cutting per head benefits payments for refugees, if any here may be interested. But most Kiwis are totally disconnected with what goes on outside this country, I fear.
No wonder we’re disconnected with what goes on outside this country. I don’t know how many people still watch the telly news but it’s incredible how little overseas news we do get, and how brief the few overseas items are.
i cannot believe the new agenda by the “western nations” to address the middle east crisis, they are incompetent:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhRznfps2W4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51XDO16Jpzg
This is what goes on, peace will not be found, something stronger will be needed.