“This is a classic scenario you’ve seen in non-scifi epics from Dances With Wolves to The Last Samurai, where a white guy manages to get himself accepted into a closed society of people of color and eventually becomes its most awesome member.”
I haven’t seen it yet but I’m pretty sure brownlee wouldn’t be a blue one.
But before trying to answer these questions, let me expand on just what I mean by leadership.
Leadership can mean many things, but REAL leadership the kind we need — is primarily this: the ability to align the human sphere with biophysical reality.
Anything less than this is merely opportunism, and will be exposed as such in short order probably very short order at this point. Historically, the Earth has had little reservation in punishing civilizations for violations of biophysical reality; for their foolish opportunism. I see no reason why we should be spared the same fate.
And contrary to popular sentiment among our civilization’s intellectuals, biophysical reality is not defined by humans; it is defined by the Earth and the Laws of Nature. Humans can only hope to incompletely illuminate some essential parts of it. And then we must obey it as best we can. It is not optional. And there are consequences.
Somebody actually gets it. We have no choice, we must constrain ourselves to living within the ecological limits of the Earth. We can’t end poverty by continuing to grow our economy. If we want to end poverty then we need to ensure that the resources that are available (just because they exists doesn’t mean that they’re available either) are properly distributed and that we don’t over populate the world.
Of course, we are now far past that point. I’d say that we passed it before the beginning of the 20th century.
Just watched Blind Spot. Full length low res preview and transcript through the link
An interesting and frightening point is made near the beginning in relation to how much energy we get from oil ; to what it extent it has replaced and superseded human and animal muscle power ; and just how bloody complacent…how nonchalant we are.
Imagine pushing your car 20 or 30 miles, that’s what we get from a single gallon of gasoline that we pay maybe $2.50 for, that amount of work is roughly equivalent to 6 to 8 weeks of hard human labour. Imagine getting 6 to 8 weeks of hard human labour for $2.50. That’s what we have gotten used to.
Try ‘ Capitalism Hits the Fan’ preview by Rick Wolff ( Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts.) since you aint doing TV. Very good stuff.
Thaks for the links
I have always struggled with NZTV ,having been brought up with the BBC watching great docos and political progs Question time for example
In the last year NZTV has become completely unwatchable , I despair
I hear the BBC has nosedived over recent years too. Panorama is gone, I think. I wouldn’t be surprised if Horizon is a dumbed down monkey of what it used to be….if it’s still going, that is.
But then, since TV is a delivery system for corporate agendas, I guess if you are advertising dumb stuff in an intelligently critical environment then the effectiveness of your advertising will diminish. So corporates dumb down the environment their message is delivered through and up those sales figures. Do that long enough and even a moderately critical programme on a non-commercial station looks ‘out of place’ and insofar as it could become a point of reference or a bar for programme makers, it becomes a target to be shut down by those self same corporates…even if it exists on a public broadcaster network.
Yeah, there’s a sad lack of decent documentaries on TVNZ during prime time, and when there is one in a prime-time slot, all we get are the real-life-doco’s, which like reality TV, are typically bloody shallow infotainment.
Remember all those people who excused the coup in Honduras arguing all types of shit about legality of constitutional referenda and claiming that the exiled President had been trying to set himself up for life?
And remember how a lot of the people making those arguments claimed to belong to ‘the left’? Wonder what those fuckers will be saying now the assassination of activists in Honduras is under way?
Thanks Bill, I had that sick feeling earlier this year that this would follow the longer term trends of their regional history. One gets used to being regarded as a Jeremiah in these matters, especially when the “our side is innocent and would never do such a thing” response is coming from the ideologues from both ends of the spectrum. As I always say, read the real history (as written by the losing side especially) and you get a fairly good ability to forecast this type of inhumanity.
Yeah….sort of, I guess. But then again….nah. Here’s why.
I went to the transition stuff for my city and all my worst fears were realised. The bureaucratic hell zone of committees and secretaries ( ie crystallised and hierarchical structures)…same old dirty orthodox projects and undertakings dressing themselves in the garb of transition thinking and oodles of sincere insincerity dripping off my computer screen.
Having said that, there’s nothing wrong with what Rob Hopkins was saying as such. Just that it’s all very surface level stuff and not at all new. ( Gardeners have always shared their expertise and produce for example and people have always helped out or shared skills and knowledge around non-monetised social networks.)
I had the impression that it would appeal to the pot luck dinner liberal middle class brigade. It doesn’t really confront underlying issues and offers a feel good conscience salving programmes of spare time action that are mostly, ultimately pointless.
Substantive points and matters are not, it seems, being confronted. Questions of ownership and control. Questions of financial input and how any necessary transitional finances should be generated. Organisational structures…questions of equity and reward and sanction. Questions of production….how, why and what. The (soft airbrush) focus seems to be on distribution and consumption…..easy ‘feel good’ matters that allow you to continue your 9 to 5 and your accumulation of (ethical) goods and profit while defending notions of sense as viewed through a lens of material well being.
Just that meaningful transition would involve addressing the points I raised. It doesn’t mean that everyone would then change their life utterly overnight, but points of compromise would be identified and acknowledged…desired end points identified and possible paths mapped out (subject to ongoing modifications and revisions)
But this transition thing appears to be wilfully blind to the fact that post oil is post capitalist; that we have to transition out of capitalism. Fast.
Ak47’s turning suburbias into death zones or an end to electricity, pumped water and individual transport options turning suburbias into death zones?
I reckon the latter…with of course, a little cannibalism on the side.
The tv situation is a reflection of the world view and priorities of youngish men and women whose interest is materialistic as in making or getting money and status, and things. They have little interest in the welfare of other people or the environment if there is no advantage to themselves in so doing.
It is a working example showing what the politicians will do to our broader society if able to proceed further with their personal visions which colour their chosen policies.
It makes your heart drop when you hear Clive Geddis of Queenstown get exercised about having a macron over the first a in Hawea. And stupidly say that its been that way for one hundred years. If it was a Maori name, it will date back further than that. The macron could be introduced over time, thus limiting the inconvenience and cost to organisations. It’s Whanganui all over and is an example of the too many petty, inadequate people who yet can strut their stuff enough to impress and get elected to take the role of a supposed thoughtful and clever leader, pragmatic planner and communicator.
How can we handle important things when every little improving idea has to be considered by a tight-minded elite. While the decision makers are worrying about this and other problems there are huge concerns – leaky buildings, New Zealand’s unofficial colour changing from green to khaki, an inability to take definite steps on climate change by introducing car emission measures…….
There are still a few good programmes ,but one has to search .
Have a look at channel 7. A couple of good programmes .”Back Benches” is one. Then if you can get Central have a look at Euromaxx.
Channel 6 has a couple of nature programmes well worth the time;
However if you are a clasical music devotee then the only place (believe it or not) ) is to keep an eye open at the Warehouse where now and then some top class DVDs turn up. Opera, chamber music ect,
Im afraid the idea of a “public TV channel has been lost for ever the money bags have won the day. A lose to us all and certainly a lose to the many talented stars we have in Aotearoa .
I just wish they’d stop autotuning the music already. I’m kind of sick of changing the radio whenever I hear it’s awfulness intrude, and those that do like it are no doubt sick of changing it back again. We need to end this pointless war. But I’m not having it, I don’t care how allegedly good the beats are, if it’s got an autotuned vocal we need to kill it. Kill it with fire.
Autotune the news is definitely for you. Bag the slick politicians and music all in one. They combine
well into a singing and dancing less-than-spectacular. Roll up and enjoy the ridiculously clever or the clever ridiculed.
(Warning – there may be some small traces of clever and good politicians being ridiculed which could be irksome to the highly sensitive who think they should be treasured and increased and taken from their nests and bred in controlled surroundings before being released to the wild parliament.)
I have not yet seen Al Gore’s Nobel prize winning film “An Inconvenient Truth”. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I was a AGW skeptic when it came out and now that I accept AGW I don’t feel the need to go rent it. Regardless, I think the title is brilliant. It perfectly sums up why I think people have trouble accepting AGW. AGW truly is an inconvenience. If it were true, not only would we have to consume less, but more importantly it can shake our very core beliefs. The sorts of beliefs that AGW would trouble include political/economic and religious beliefs.
Looking at a secondhand book giving helpful advice on self defence for teeagers I noticed from the library card that it had never been checked out, the card was totally clear. The book and its helpful info and photos had hardly been looked at. The same thing will happen about our future problems and only determined action will cause change.
The idea of being precautionary, acting now for future gain is all pretty boring for our marshmallow generation. Im talking here about the well known experiment with these sweeties testing the tendency of toddlers to apply control for delayed gratification instead of the more satisfactory immediate buzz.
I think the present style of government mitigates against making decisions of future importance, the politicians are limited by their fixed term and the inability to communicate with the incurious and unwilling thinkers of most of the citizens. We don’t want inconvenient truths and will punish a government that tries to persuade us, or worse raises taxes to provide revenue and economic signals guiding our actions to a better course.
I have been thinking of the advantages of another representative body apart from and less than government, perhaps chosen at random, but being drawn from people of a certain criteria to ensure a mix of capable thinkers with diverse backgrounds. This group could be petitioned for changes to legislation to achieve better effectiveness. Government continually passes legislation that is found to be flawed when tested in reality. The group would be working with law, though it may also be deemed regulations I think they are called, where a body can impose certain rules under the aegis of government.
As well there needs to be a Planning Body that we hear about, separate from government and its appointees, which looks at our future problems providing an overview.
This is all rather long and rambling but its so easy to throw mudpies and run away when disputing something. Thinking about how to improve, do better, takes time, like that cheese on tv ads.
Not just Auckland passengrs but those in Wellingtaon also mised out on free travel on Christmas day. The drivers down here (of whom I am one) didn’t get a hamper either despite our being the only business group of NZ Bus to actually increase profit in the quarter. And the pens? adding insult to injury as far as I and many other drivers here in Wgtn are concerned. Go NZ Scrooge
WASHINGTON – A new report finds that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did a poor job of screening medical experts for financial conflicts when it hired them to advise the agency on vaccine safety, officials said.
Most of the experts who served on advisory panels in 2007 to evaluate vaccines for flu and cervical cancer had potential conflicts that were never resolved.
Some were legally barred from considering the issues but did so anyway.
In the report, Daniel R. Levinson, the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, found that the centers failed nearly every time to ensure that the experts adequately filled out forms confirming they were not being paid by companies with an interest in their decisions.
As numerous medicines have been pulled from the market in recent years, worries have grown that experts may be recommending medical products – even ones they know to be unsafe – in part because manufacturers are paying them
Surely better to have a properly controlled vendor system than ad hoc speculators in pristine spots. Why not? People want it or they wouldn’t buy the stuff. Wrappers and waste need to be sternly controlled of course. Let’s not be so doctrinaire you environmental zealots.
You don’t get it. The concession itself is not the issue, it is a manifestation of the mindset which reframes the environment as some sort of vast strip mall waiting for retailers and their neon signs. If DoC were to run the icecream stand, I would still have significant concerns but not the sense of dread I have now about what’s in store for the future.
Keeping animals in cages all their lives – as some think we ought to do with cows – surely has its pros and cons. On the plus side it’s more compact, more profitable, probably less hassle in lots of ways.
The Americans do it so maybe we should be doing it too.
Animals in cages – this concept can and has been widened to include humans. Reminds me of the affordable sleeping accommodation that gets provided in some Asian cities. You have a small ‘cave’ which has a door in a wall of such ‘nests’, sleeping bag size with a lockable grill.
You can sleep in comfort and safety from thieves etc. I seem to remember Billy Connolly or someone saying they had similar in Scottish tenements, where the bed space was divided up in two rooms, one having the lower space, on the other side of the wall, the mattress would be on the top and people would climb up to their space.
Then there are criminal cells where we can’t even allow enough personal space for one person alone, the cells must be shared with an unchosen cell partner and their habits.
Gorbals tower blocks was referred to on that accommodation clip. Think that was what Billy C was talking about. The tenement room in the clip was pretty cramped but it had a window, a fire, electricity, and furniture. All that is needed, plus the funds to pay for the fuel. Could be worse. When the Roxburgh dam was being built workers were brought out from Brit but didn’t like the corrugated iron whares that were provided. Possibly they weren’t up to the same standard as the room in the clip.
Its shades of the Pythons piece on who had the worst conditions as children, but I think Orwell talked about Welsh miners whose cottages were over mineshafts on land that was moving. A miner might have to free his family or get into his cottage, by taking an axe to the door panels at the end of his working day, because doors and windows had jammed tight as the house moved slowly and continually.
I’d suggest the stench of rats (hence the cat?) and dampness would have been the first things to hit you in the miners tenement. That and the fact that there is no running water in a permanent place of residence…in the 1950s…in a ‘first world’ country.
Contrasted with Dam construction workers who were in temporary accommodation….converted trams etc which had water and light….and were situated in a climate generally a goodly few degrees warmer than that enjoyed by the miner….
Yes. It all has shades of Python…which was based on the premise that things got better as we moved forward. The only point of contention was over who should have the badge of honour for having emerged from the ‘worst’ of the ‘good old days.’
Meanwhile, I notice that the weekend or holiday baches and cribs of yesteryear are now somebodys permanent accommodation….
edit. The only reference I recall Connelly making to the high rise was the fact that you couldn’t throw jam sandwiches to the kids from 20 storeys up like you used to from the tenement window…
REminds me of a funny little poem I read once about a jam butty and its adventures as it travelled from the top of one of those extreme high rises to the little chap waiting for it on the ground. Probably the one mentioned.
I am trying to draw together the strands of “Re-run: Benefits, wages and anger”, the discussion of NZ broadcasting and the holiday season.
I’m struck by the deep denial of it all.
Not just on TV, but Radio NZ has shut down for five weeks. Why? The whole meme from all our mainstream media organisations is that New Zealand is “on holiday”. And not just on holiday, but specifically at the bach or beach. This is a total fiction propagated to Orwellian levels by our media. The vast majority of New Zealanders don’t own a bach and won’t be at the beach for endless weeks of lazy summer fun this holiday season. The whole coverage of Xmas/New Year is the starkest possible demonstration of a middle class media utterly out of touch with the reality of life in New Zealand. It’s a farrago of Pakeha middle class wishful thinking and longing for a non-existant golden age of the 1950’s-70’s.
Which brings me to Phoenix. For this poor women the penny has clearly not dropped. Phoenix imagines herself one day owning a pink McMansion at Omaha, BBQ’ing with that all round nice guy John Key just over the back fence. She lives in a media fuelled fantasy where she identifies herself as a member of the master’s class rather than as someone who will be much more likely to spend her Christmas Holiday working at cleaning John Key’s bach as a servant than eating with him as an equal. Brainwashed by a media that has convinced her she is something she is not, in her denial she struggles against her class interest. To get ahead Phoenix best chance lies in collective action. Hard work is not a virtue that is an end unto itself.
The “New Zealand on holiday” fantasy of the media and the depth of desire of Phoenix to be part of that fantasy perfectly illustrates how the mythology of the “Kiwi way of life” obstructs any real and objective assessment of the reality of life for most New Zealanders over Xmas/New year 2009/10.
Anyway, here is to 2010 and another twelve months to lay these Tory bastards low and ensure the Labour-left coalition that replaces isn’t just another pale pink “third way” administration.
I’ve wondered and felt uneasy about this ‘shut down’ malarky too.
Doesn’t happen anywhere else as far as I’m aware. You think it might have something to do with a left over colonial attitude? I mean it’s not as if the world stops, but ‘back in the day’ most important matters would have been fielded back in the ‘mother country’ anyway and trade was kind of rote and guaranteed….so, maybe government of small colonies allowed themselves the luxury of knocking off for the summer as they saw themselves as nothing much more than sub-committees.
An infectious lazy fair of sun,sand and bull shit that belongs to a bye gone era when any inadequacy in the democratic practices of NZ would have merely amounted to a noted bye line of empire?
This lapse in accountability…this hooray holiday for (it seems) everybody but the workers is beneficial to the unfettered operation of something though, innit?
Or is it merely an expression of how tied up with, how shallow and empty the media are without parliament?
This forensic hacking analysis of a victoria secret photo is intriguing. Once all the layers are taken off, including whitening her skin – what is left? Can we trust any visual image?
nothing is going to happen till the mass consciousness is raised.
while the population is excited about the world cup and having a reason to go mental then anything else is a waste of time.
look how brash excited everybody about catching up with australia in 20205 even though that meeans surpassing france and germany.
as long as wea re susceptible to being blinded by the rights rhetoric with no examination then we wil swallow anything.
all this point scoring on a blog in cyber space will not get anyone anywhere unless the facts are outed and hammered home.
this government is a con but a con that we all fall for .
why is that?
Have a browse through the fifty one fans and see if anyone can spot which sewer blogger and well known fearless defender of public morals is an early fan…
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Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
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I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
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for an interesting take on avatar try this article and comment thread http://gawker.com/5422666/when-will-white-people-stop-making-movies-like-avatar – quote
“This is a classic scenario you’ve seen in non-scifi epics from Dances With Wolves to The Last Samurai, where a white guy manages to get himself accepted into a closed society of people of color and eventually becomes its most awesome member.”
I haven’t seen it yet but I’m pretty sure brownlee wouldn’t be a blue one.
Or it could be that, under all the delusional egotism, the “white” race realises that we have to live as one people…
…but I doubt it.
Liked this from the above link
http://www.energybulletin.net/51070
Somebody actually gets it. We have no choice, we must constrain ourselves to living within the ecological limits of the Earth. We can’t end poverty by continuing to grow our economy. If we want to end poverty then we need to ensure that the resources that are available (just because they exists doesn’t mean that they’re available either) are properly distributed and that we don’t over populate the world.
Of course, we are now far past that point. I’d say that we passed it before the beginning of the 20th century.
“Somebody actually gets it”
Tthere are a few of us that “get it”, about 6% in NZ
According to Mike Moore we are from the planet Zog
Just watched Blind Spot. Full length low res preview and transcript through the link
An interesting and frightening point is made near the beginning in relation to how much energy we get from oil ; to what it extent it has replaced and superseded human and animal muscle power ; and just how bloody complacent…how nonchalant we are.
(Richard Heinberg)
watched it a couple of days ago
a good doco but it was interpersed with walmat adverts which was kinda ironic
i have just about given up watching TV so much shit
and so many good docos on the net
Don’t know where you watched it oob, but the link is completely advert free.
I’m going to guess there are about 100 docos that can be pre-viewed through the Media Education Foundation. Here’s the link to their list. No adverts.
http://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?search=action&keywords=all&template=PDGCommTemplates/HTN/SearchResult_TitlesAZ.html
brilliant! thanks.
most welcome. enjoy.
Try ‘ Capitalism Hits the Fan’ preview by Rick Wolff ( Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts.) since you aint doing TV. Very good stuff.
http://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=139&template=PDGCommTemplates/HTN/Item_Preview.html
Yeah thats good too
“Instead of paying higher wages we lend them the money”
Thaks for the links
I have always struggled with NZTV ,having been brought up with the BBC watching great docos and political progs Question time for example
In the last year NZTV has become completely unwatchable , I despair
I hear the BBC has nosedived over recent years too. Panorama is gone, I think. I wouldn’t be surprised if Horizon is a dumbed down monkey of what it used to be….if it’s still going, that is.
But then, since TV is a delivery system for corporate agendas, I guess if you are advertising dumb stuff in an intelligently critical environment then the effectiveness of your advertising will diminish. So corporates dumb down the environment their message is delivered through and up those sales figures. Do that long enough and even a moderately critical programme on a non-commercial station looks ‘out of place’ and insofar as it could become a point of reference or a bar for programme makers, it becomes a target to be shut down by those self same corporates…even if it exists on a public broadcaster network.
So I guess we are just dumbed down consumer units then.
Strange, I thought NZTV became unwatchable at least a decade back.
Yes but completely unwatchable now
Can’t even watch the news
Anyone want my telly?
Free to a bad home
Yeah, there’s a sad lack of decent documentaries on TVNZ during prime time, and when there is one in a prime-time slot, all we get are the real-life-doco’s, which like reality TV, are typically bloody shallow infotainment.
And in more ‘jolly, jolly’ news.
Remember all those people who excused the coup in Honduras arguing all types of shit about legality of constitutional referenda and claiming that the exiled President had been trying to set himself up for life?
And remember how a lot of the people making those arguments claimed to belong to ‘the left’? Wonder what those fuckers will be saying now the assassination of activists in Honduras is under way?
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/2278/1/
Thanks Bill, I had that sick feeling earlier this year that this would follow the longer term trends of their regional history. One gets used to being regarded as a Jeremiah in these matters, especially when the “our side is innocent and would never do such a thing” response is coming from the ideologues from both ends of the spectrum. As I always say, read the real history (as written by the losing side especially) and you get a fairly good ability to forecast this type of inhumanity.
http://www.ted.com/talks/rob_hopkins_transition_to_a_world_without_oil.html
worth watching
Yeah….sort of, I guess. But then again….nah. Here’s why.
I went to the transition stuff for my city and all my worst fears were realised. The bureaucratic hell zone of committees and secretaries ( ie crystallised and hierarchical structures)…same old dirty orthodox projects and undertakings dressing themselves in the garb of transition thinking and oodles of sincere insincerity dripping off my computer screen.
Having said that, there’s nothing wrong with what Rob Hopkins was saying as such. Just that it’s all very surface level stuff and not at all new. ( Gardeners have always shared their expertise and produce for example and people have always helped out or shared skills and knowledge around non-monetised social networks.)
I had the impression that it would appeal to the pot luck dinner liberal middle class brigade. It doesn’t really confront underlying issues and offers a feel good conscience salving programmes of spare time action that are mostly, ultimately pointless.
Substantive points and matters are not, it seems, being confronted. Questions of ownership and control. Questions of financial input and how any necessary transitional finances should be generated. Organisational structures…questions of equity and reward and sanction. Questions of production….how, why and what. The (soft airbrush) focus seems to be on distribution and consumption…..easy ‘feel good’ matters that allow you to continue your 9 to 5 and your accumulation of (ethical) goods and profit while defending notions of sense as viewed through a lens of material well being.
Ak47’s it is then
Nah.
Just that meaningful transition would involve addressing the points I raised. It doesn’t mean that everyone would then change their life utterly overnight, but points of compromise would be identified and acknowledged…desired end points identified and possible paths mapped out (subject to ongoing modifications and revisions)
But this transition thing appears to be wilfully blind to the fact that post oil is post capitalist; that we have to transition out of capitalism. Fast.
Ak47’s turning suburbias into death zones or an end to electricity, pumped water and individual transport options turning suburbias into death zones?
I reckon the latter…with of course, a little cannibalism on the side.
The tv situation is a reflection of the world view and priorities of youngish men and women whose interest is materialistic as in making or getting money and status, and things. They have little interest in the welfare of other people or the environment if there is no advantage to themselves in so doing.
It is a working example showing what the politicians will do to our broader society if able to proceed further with their personal visions which colour their chosen policies.
It makes your heart drop when you hear Clive Geddis of Queenstown get exercised about having a macron over the first a in Hawea. And stupidly say that its been that way for one hundred years. If it was a Maori name, it will date back further than that. The macron could be introduced over time, thus limiting the inconvenience and cost to organisations. It’s Whanganui all over and is an example of the too many petty, inadequate people who yet can strut their stuff enough to impress and get elected to take the role of a supposed thoughtful and clever leader, pragmatic planner and communicator.
How can we handle important things when every little improving idea has to be considered by a tight-minded elite. While the decision makers are worrying about this and other problems there are huge concerns – leaky buildings, New Zealand’s unofficial colour changing from green to khaki, an inability to take definite steps on climate change by introducing car emission measures…….
Took me far too long to get it.
they all came at once ?
There are still a few good programmes ,but one has to search .
Have a look at channel 7. A couple of good programmes .”Back Benches” is one. Then if you can get Central have a look at Euromaxx.
Channel 6 has a couple of nature programmes well worth the time;
However if you are a clasical music devotee then the only place (believe it or not) ) is to keep an eye open at the Warehouse where now and then some top class DVDs turn up. Opera, chamber music ect,
Im afraid the idea of a “public TV channel has been lost for ever the money bags have won the day. A lose to us all and certainly a lose to the many talented stars we have in Aotearoa .
Has everyone else caught up with Autotune the News? Its on youtube. I’ve just found it – new, clever way of looking at politics when you need a laugh.
I just wish they’d stop autotuning the music already. I’m kind of sick of changing the radio whenever I hear it’s awfulness intrude, and those that do like it are no doubt sick of changing it back again. We need to end this pointless war. But I’m not having it, I don’t care how allegedly good the beats are, if it’s got an autotuned vocal we need to kill it. Kill it with fire.
Autotune the news is definitely for you. Bag the slick politicians and music all in one. They combine
well into a singing and dancing less-than-spectacular. Roll up and enjoy the ridiculously clever or the clever ridiculed.
(Warning – there may be some small traces of clever and good politicians being ridiculed which could be irksome to the highly sensitive who think they should be treasured and increased and taken from their nests and bred in controlled surroundings before being released to the wild parliament.)
Jonathan Abrams: Why I am no longer a skeptic on climate change
One mans journey from denial to reality.
Looking at a secondhand book giving helpful advice on self defence for teeagers I noticed from the library card that it had never been checked out, the card was totally clear. The book and its helpful info and photos had hardly been looked at. The same thing will happen about our future problems and only determined action will cause change.
The idea of being precautionary, acting now for future gain is all pretty boring for our marshmallow generation. Im talking here about the well known experiment with these sweeties testing the tendency of toddlers to apply control for delayed gratification instead of the more satisfactory immediate buzz.
I think the present style of government mitigates against making decisions of future importance, the politicians are limited by their fixed term and the inability to communicate with the incurious and unwilling thinkers of most of the citizens. We don’t want inconvenient truths and will punish a government that tries to persuade us, or worse raises taxes to provide revenue and economic signals guiding our actions to a better course.
I have been thinking of the advantages of another representative body apart from and less than government, perhaps chosen at random, but being drawn from people of a certain criteria to ensure a mix of capable thinkers with diverse backgrounds. This group could be petitioned for changes to legislation to achieve better effectiveness. Government continually passes legislation that is found to be flawed when tested in reality. The group would be working with law, though it may also be deemed regulations I think they are called, where a body can impose certain rules under the aegis of government.
As well there needs to be a Planning Body that we hear about, separate from government and its appointees, which looks at our future problems providing an overview.
This is all rather long and rambling but its so easy to throw mudpies and run away when disputing something. Thinking about how to improve, do better, takes time, like that cheese on tv ads.
Merry Christmas from NZ Bus.
Not just Auckland passengrs but those in Wellingtaon also mised out on free travel on Christmas day. The drivers down here (of whom I am one) didn’t get a hamper either despite our being the only business group of NZ Bus to actually increase profit in the quarter. And the pens? adding insult to injury as far as I and many other drivers here in Wgtn are concerned. Go NZ Scrooge
WASHINGTON – A new report finds that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did a poor job of screening medical experts for financial conflicts when it hired them to advise the agency on vaccine safety, officials said.
Most of the experts who served on advisory panels in 2007 to evaluate vaccines for flu and cervical cancer had potential conflicts that were never resolved.
Some were legally barred from considering the issues but did so anyway.
In the report, Daniel R. Levinson, the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, found that the centers failed nearly every time to ensure that the experts adequately filled out forms confirming they were not being paid by companies with an interest in their decisions.
As numerous medicines have been pulled from the market in recent years, worries have grown that experts may be recommending medical products – even ones they know to be unsafe – in part because manufacturers are paying them
More here: http://tinyurl.com/yej6xao
100% pure spin…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10617650
Well our ETS doesn’t reduce emissions and we’re going to mine the crap out of our pristine parks so we’d better change our brand…
And what’s more there are Asians on your beach. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10598655
Should Asians be banned from beaches in New Zealand? Have your say.
Never mind the Asians, what about the icecream vendors. What’s next, a McDonalds atop Aoraki?
Thank’s National Ltd® – I’m lovin’ it.
Surely better to have a properly controlled vendor system than ad hoc speculators in pristine spots. Why not? People want it or they wouldn’t buy the stuff. Wrappers and waste need to be sternly controlled of course. Let’s not be so doctrinaire you environmental zealots.
You don’t get it. The concession itself is not the issue, it is a manifestation of the mindset which reframes the environment as some sort of vast strip mall waiting for retailers and their neon signs. If DoC were to run the icecream stand, I would still have significant concerns but not the sense of dread I have now about what’s in store for the future.
Just in case you missed Sean’s Christmas awesome:
http://seanmakescrafts.tumblr.com/post/297531732/merry-christmas-and-goodbye-from-me-for-now
Keeping animals in cages all their lives – as some think we ought to do with cows – surely has its pros and cons. On the plus side it’s more compact, more profitable, probably less hassle in lots of ways.
The Americans do it so maybe we should be doing it too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIV5l4gd_Oo
And we’re doing such a wonderful job with the animals in paddocks.
Animals in cages – this concept can and has been widened to include humans. Reminds me of the affordable sleeping accommodation that gets provided in some Asian cities. You have a small ‘cave’ which has a door in a wall of such ‘nests’, sleeping bag size with a lockable grill.
You can sleep in comfort and safety from thieves etc. I seem to remember Billy Connolly or someone saying they had similar in Scottish tenements, where the bed space was divided up in two rooms, one having the lower space, on the other side of the wall, the mattress would be on the top and people would climb up to their space.
Then there are criminal cells where we can’t even allow enough personal space for one person alone, the cells must be shared with an unchosen cell partner and their habits.
Ah! The dream time of those 19 50s when we sure knew how to accomodate one another.
No 2 in the sequence is ‘pretty’ telling too.
Gorbals tower blocks was referred to on that accommodation clip. Think that was what Billy C was talking about. The tenement room in the clip was pretty cramped but it had a window, a fire, electricity, and furniture. All that is needed, plus the funds to pay for the fuel. Could be worse. When the Roxburgh dam was being built workers were brought out from Brit but didn’t like the corrugated iron whares that were provided. Possibly they weren’t up to the same standard as the room in the clip.
Its shades of the Pythons piece on who had the worst conditions as children, but I think Orwell talked about Welsh miners whose cottages were over mineshafts on land that was moving. A miner might have to free his family or get into his cottage, by taking an axe to the door panels at the end of his working day, because doors and windows had jammed tight as the house moved slowly and continually.
I’d suggest the stench of rats (hence the cat?) and dampness would have been the first things to hit you in the miners tenement. That and the fact that there is no running water in a permanent place of residence…in the 1950s…in a ‘first world’ country.
Contrasted with Dam construction workers who were in temporary accommodation….converted trams etc which had water and light….and were situated in a climate generally a goodly few degrees warmer than that enjoyed by the miner….
Yes. It all has shades of Python…which was based on the premise that things got better as we moved forward. The only point of contention was over who should have the badge of honour for having emerged from the ‘worst’ of the ‘good old days.’
Meanwhile, I notice that the weekend or holiday baches and cribs of yesteryear are now somebodys permanent accommodation….
edit. The only reference I recall Connelly making to the high rise was the fact that you couldn’t throw jam sandwiches to the kids from 20 storeys up like you used to from the tenement window…
REminds me of a funny little poem I read once about a jam butty and its adventures as it travelled from the top of one of those extreme high rises to the little chap waiting for it on the ground. Probably the one mentioned.
I am trying to draw together the strands of “Re-run: Benefits, wages and anger”, the discussion of NZ broadcasting and the holiday season.
I’m struck by the deep denial of it all.
Not just on TV, but Radio NZ has shut down for five weeks. Why? The whole meme from all our mainstream media organisations is that New Zealand is “on holiday”. And not just on holiday, but specifically at the bach or beach. This is a total fiction propagated to Orwellian levels by our media. The vast majority of New Zealanders don’t own a bach and won’t be at the beach for endless weeks of lazy summer fun this holiday season. The whole coverage of Xmas/New Year is the starkest possible demonstration of a middle class media utterly out of touch with the reality of life in New Zealand. It’s a farrago of Pakeha middle class wishful thinking and longing for a non-existant golden age of the 1950’s-70’s.
Which brings me to Phoenix. For this poor women the penny has clearly not dropped. Phoenix imagines herself one day owning a pink McMansion at Omaha, BBQ’ing with that all round nice guy John Key just over the back fence. She lives in a media fuelled fantasy where she identifies herself as a member of the master’s class rather than as someone who will be much more likely to spend her Christmas Holiday working at cleaning John Key’s bach as a servant than eating with him as an equal. Brainwashed by a media that has convinced her she is something she is not, in her denial she struggles against her class interest. To get ahead Phoenix best chance lies in collective action. Hard work is not a virtue that is an end unto itself.
The “New Zealand on holiday” fantasy of the media and the depth of desire of Phoenix to be part of that fantasy perfectly illustrates how the mythology of the “Kiwi way of life” obstructs any real and objective assessment of the reality of life for most New Zealanders over Xmas/New year 2009/10.
Anyway, here is to 2010 and another twelve months to lay these Tory bastards low and ensure the Labour-left coalition that replaces isn’t just another pale pink “third way” administration.
I’ve wondered and felt uneasy about this ‘shut down’ malarky too.
Doesn’t happen anywhere else as far as I’m aware. You think it might have something to do with a left over colonial attitude? I mean it’s not as if the world stops, but ‘back in the day’ most important matters would have been fielded back in the ‘mother country’ anyway and trade was kind of rote and guaranteed….so, maybe government of small colonies allowed themselves the luxury of knocking off for the summer as they saw themselves as nothing much more than sub-committees.
An infectious lazy fair of sun,sand and bull shit that belongs to a bye gone era when any inadequacy in the democratic practices of NZ would have merely amounted to a noted bye line of empire?
This lapse in accountability…this hooray holiday for (it seems) everybody but the workers is beneficial to the unfettered operation of something though, innit?
Or is it merely an expression of how tied up with, how shallow and empty the media are without parliament?
This forensic hacking analysis of a victoria secret photo is intriguing. Once all the layers are taken off, including whitening her skin – what is left? Can we trust any visual image?
http://www.hackerfactor.com/blog/index.php?/archives/322-Body-By-Victoria.html
nothing is going to happen till the mass consciousness is raised.
while the population is excited about the world cup and having a reason to go mental then anything else is a waste of time.
look how brash excited everybody about catching up with australia in 20205 even though that meeans surpassing france and germany.
as long as wea re susceptible to being blinded by the rights rhetoric with no examination then we wil swallow anything.
all this point scoring on a blog in cyber space will not get anyone anywhere unless the facts are outed and hammered home.
this government is a con but a con that we all fall for .
why is that?
Oh! Oh! Pop onto facebook peeps and checkout Steve Crow’s NZX magazines newly established facebook presence.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/NZX-Magazine/239306762528?ref=nf
Have a browse through the fifty one fans and see if anyone can spot which sewer blogger and well known fearless defender of public morals is an early fan…
Happy New Year to us all. Any resolutions?
Gave me a bit of a fright there, BLiP 😉