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notices and features - Date published:
7:00 am, November 27th, 2019 - 36 comments
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The current rise of populism challenges the way we think about people’s relationship to the economy.We seem to be entering an era of populism, in which leadership in a democracy is based on preferences of the population which do not seem entirely rational nor serving their longer interests. ...
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Not only are Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere breaking all records the rate of increase is accelerating.
To sign national and international agreements to reach carbon neutrality by such and such a date, if these agreements contain no agreement to make actual cuts in Green house gas emissions they are just 'aspirational', as John Key was once proudly announced about his climate policy.
When will we start making our immediate ‘steep cuts’ in our greenhouse gas emissions?
As well as when, where should we start?
Co2. Cars. Private motors, overwhelmingly inefficient usage patterns. Just count number of people in a four seater. Trips that could be rebalance by freeing up the corner store. Technology that let's us work from home, can also bring basic goods to the end of the road store. The whole parking lot superstore is already being undercut by individual deliveries, just as co2 burdensome. Yet put a assortment of items in the back of a truck, delivers to the end of the road store, and everyone walks for their daily groceries. Low co2. The west needs to ditch the car cult.
Cars are here to stay, They just need to be electric. Groceries would only be more expensive from a corner store and i have helped carry them home in 1970. That would never work now. Many kids won't even bike or catch the bus to school.
You can blame the motorists for that Nastiman.
Community trumps divisiveness, writes former top journo Linda Clark: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/11/27/920665/if-it-sounds-or-looks-like-trump-press-delete
Good riddance to another dodgy landlord.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/117733831/landlord-says-cards-stacked-against-her-in-tenancy-tribunal
I suppose it was inevitable – New Zealand politics descent into the swill of populist appeal.
After all, it worked for Trump and Morrison.
Soimun’s ‘tough on gangs’ rhetoric, while being ultimately meaningless, and from evidence in Australia, largely ineffective, appeals to the redneck/blinkered section of the middle class.
And, in the cosmic scheme of things, in the face of an impending/actual climate crisis of catastrophic proportions, a bloody sad waste of time and energy.
A Conservative Britannic Analysis
https://www.conservativehome.com/leftwatch/2019/11/an-idea-for-mcdonnell-pledge-1-million-to-every-voter-in-britain.html
Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of the Erebus tragedy. Today's podcast from the Herald's series "Litany of Lies" is about the fall from grace of Justice Peter Mahon.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12286432
It sums up the entire tragedy of the Erebus affair and one man more than anyone else was responsible for the deep divisions, the loss of careers, the severed lives of innocent people and reputations left in tatters.
Yes, I'm referring to Robert David Muldoon.
I sincerely hope this is the story that ultimately comes out of the sad saga – what happened to those people who found themselves caught up in the aftermath through no fault of their own. My story is one of them and some of it would beggar belief, but it's all true.
I hope you have written what you know down Anne and on someone else's computer, and taken a copy of it. One day it will have a place in a critique of that period of our political regress.
It's documented grey and in detail.
For the future – truth will out eventually.
I have just listened to a male reporter on Trending now but can find no written details as to whom, talking about the Erebus disaster. He was saying that the phrase 'litany of lies' would never have been said if there had been two or three judges in the commission of enquiry.
The tenor of his report was that the frank opinion of Judge Mahon would have been suppressed or diluted by others. I suppose that there are many such examples of sliding away from the truth in this country.
Justice Peter Mahon was a man of letters – a well read man who had a rhetorical flourish to his style of writing. For him, the phrase "orchestrated litany of lies" would have been a normal form of expression, but to many people – who were less well read and lacked his breadth of knowledge – it would have come across as excessive.
It was the only part of his report that was challenged. His actual finding of Air NZ culpability was never challenged but the media of the day did not highlight that fact.
So Mahon ended up dammed by one and all.
Another series of comments today regarding the; "litany of lies" remark used in part summary by the late Justice Peter Mahon is in today's NZ Herald and elsewhere.
Today, the comments are presented by Judge Gary Harrison, who was heavily involved with the matter at around that time.
Yes. The deception by Air New Zealand during that era was clearly evident, but with the public having entirely accepted the words of this respected member of the bench (Justice Mahon, that is), so many seemed to form an opinion that the pilots were to have been considered free of blame.
In fact, all that was really clear from the Royal Commission of Inquiry findings was that Air New Zealand (as a corporate body) had simply contrived to lay the entire blame on the pilots, but unsuccessfully, and where the attempt to do so was a highly inappropriate thing to do.
Additionally, it was apparent that the company had at the very least, not attempted prevent the destruction of pertinent evidence relating to the event. Again, highly inappropriate conduct.
Actually, despite public opinion after the inquiry, the pilots were not actually absolved of blame nor culpability, after the standards which should have been applied and maintained at the time were reviewed again.
But it was certainly evident that the airline had made concerted efforts to "stitch them up". After all, neither of them were in any position to speak on behalf of themselves.
The pilots and a generous number of others were collectively responsible for the event. No one individual nor group of individuals could reasonably be held responsible for it on their own.
It was simply a tragic tragedy chain, comprising many human links.
It would be refreshing if the whole Erebus 901 blame game and finger pointing thing ceased. And the sooner the better.
The more it is dwelt on, the more likely the heartache and the anguish will remain strong, and even more likely the bitterness will remain present.
And yes I admit that it is I who am dwelling on it today, yet again, but really only in relation to Judge Harrison's public outpourings and not relating to any matter which he has presided over as a judge.
And hopefully for me, on this topic, for the last time in any public forum.
Excellent!!
https://twitter.com/HarbiehNadie/status/1199383053493293056?s=20
How long must they wait in Basra?
https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/07/22/basra-thirsty/iraqs-failure-manage-water-crisis
I've just finish reading a chapter in a book called "British Generals in Blair's Wars", which is a bit of an eye opener to say the least.
Anyway back to Basra, after the pom's ended combat operations in the Basra area they into a internal security/ peace stabilisation operation. The British General in charge of the Basra AO got all the major players/ HoD's from the former Iraqi Government for a meeting to get all services back up running and form a central planning committee to oversee with help from varuios specialise British Army Units and imbed members from the Brit TA whose day jobs back in the UK were identical to their jobs in Barsa. With the idea of overseeing the Iraqis bringing back on the services, problem solve, provide training, provide a CoA for the long term IRT funding for rebuilding the services, training etc etc.
Just as the Pom's were slowly getting their post conflict plan up and running (bear in mind there was no overall Post Conflict Plan prior to the first round going down range, during or to the last round down range from the Yanks. Read this book from Pommy POV and as I said its an eye opener.). This fuckwit of an yank called Bremer decided to sack everyone of the former Iraqi Government from the Top down and everything turned to shit soon afterwards.
It's probably no wonder Basra is still without its services today because of this fuckwit's decisions and we could still point the fingers at the other 3 muppets who should never be spoken of again.
I suppose it's only a coincidence that National's law and order policy was presented by the the party leader around the time of the end of year opinion polls …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkSFxWARrZY
Wonder what fiscal hole Slick's funding his lawn ordure polussy from.
If anyone plays boardgames with their family, and doesn't understand the appeal of Monopoly, the original version "The Landlord's game" was created by a Quaker woman, Elizabeth G Magie and the story behind the original game is that it could be played with two sets of rules, one that created a society and one that rewarded monopolist capitalism.
The person who purchased the outdated patent of the original game has produced a reproduction, which is now for sale. (Quite pricey given the additional shipping, but quite a few board games are around $150 NZD.)
In June 2019 there were wildfires in wild uninhabited areas in the far noth of the Northern Hemisphere. We have to plant urgently in NZ and as a world response, just to keep up with what is burning down.
In June, the fires released an estimated 50 megatonnes of carbon dioxide – the equivalent of Sweden's annual carbon output, according to Cams. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/395357/arctic-ablaze-in-unprecedented-wildfires
What have the wild animals been able to do? Would they have been able to run away and survive. What would have been left to eat afterwards? In every fire there is destruction of living beings of all sorts, from insects up.
2019 https://siberiantimes.com/ecology/others/news/massive-wildlife-tragedy-as-bears-and-foxes-flee-taiga-while-smaller-animals-suffocate-in-smoke/
2019 https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/23765/russian_wildfires_pictures/
2019 https://theconversation.com/huge-wildfires-in-the-arctic-and-far-north-send-a-planetary-warning-121167
2019 https://www.vox.com/2019/8/1/20750200/siberia-wildfire-russia-fire-smoke-trump-putin
The problems for Siberian tigers in 2001 – https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1392-forest-fires-threaten-siberian-tigers/
Yet there are plans to cut down trees in Auckland as a complete project because some deskhound, green or brown, has set a target that sounded right at the time it was thought up. The thinking is another example of last century slow-burn thinking carried forward. Trees should be considered individually. Ideas about natives being planted en masse are only good if they are extra, not the traditional way of clearing all before some new project is implemented.
Yet there are plans to cut down trees in Auckland as a complete project because some deskhound, green or brown, has set a target that sounded right at the time it was thought up.
Stop talking through your arse. The plan has the full support of the Tree Council and Forest and Bird. These are people who are arborists, biosecurity specialists and others who have been doing the mahi on the ground for decades. It is also not a matter of “clearing all” as the majority of trees on the maunga are natives.
Kia Ora 1 News.
Its good to see that wealthier cheats are getting held accountable for their cheating.
Any publicity is good publicity to some people.
Let's hope no one is poisoned from the American chemical factory fire the smoke will be loaded with chemicals.
Ka kite Ano.
Ka kite Ano link below
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
I think that they should keep the Opotiki maternity unit open the Wahine have a long road to get to Whakatane from the Coast .???????.
Awsome that Purirua the government giving Ngāti Toa whenua to build their Tangata whare Ka pai.
Great to see that Whangarei is getting government help to build Marae style Whare for the 70 homeless people. A Whare is very important in Tangata Whenua Culture
Ka pai to the zero waste program being promoted by Tangata Whenua.
Good that the Auckland Council are taking Kauri Dieback seriously and protecting Tane Mahuta and his mokopuna
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Breakfast.
I back a system with the lowest carbon footprint to deliver the goods to Aotearoa biggest city Auckland.
It would be stupid to send the goods to another port and fright it by road or rail back to Auckland. Instead boost fright to Tauranga and up North after all we should be doing everything we can to become more effective and efficient in every aspect of our lives. It's not all about the money people any more.
Cool that Yellow Birds ethical sestanable fashion clothes for your tohu sustainable products is the new Gold.
The Judge could read there body language.
Ka kite Ano
This is great showing Aotearoa that fright can be trucked around on Electric power only this story gives me a sore face.
The truck has been launched with assistance from the Government's Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund.
Watch: Alsco explains how and why a heavy EV makes sense for New Zealand.
Alsco New Zealand has launched what it claims is the country's first "inter-city heavy EV" truck.
The company,formerly known as NZTS, serves about 30,000 customers per week cleaning and delivering uniforms/linen and distributing cleaning products.
Alsco is now running a Hino GH 1828 truck with a fully-EV power system producing a continuous 259kW (372kW maximum) and 1825Nm (3500Nm peak). The range to complete battery depletion is 200km
The composite design of the truck is by Action Manufacturing and includes a body with extra curves for improved aerodynamics, which it claims saves 5-7 per cent in fuel on any type of truck
The new truck replaces a diesel vehicle. With calculations based on an average 5.6 tonne load carried over the same 284km route daily, Alsco claims the new plug-in truck will save at least 25,000 litres of diesel and 67,610 kg of CO2 per year.
The build of the electric truck cost $225,938; with the Contestable Fund grant of $50,126 it was $19,915 extra over an equivalent diesel unit
With the difference in electricity/diesel cost, less than half the maintenance and no Road User Charges (itself a $34,378 cost for the diesel truck), the capital cost of the EV truck will be recovered in 0.4 years
Ka kite Ano link below.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/motoring/EVs/117770655/nzs-first-intercity-ev-truck-is-on-the-road
We just have to look into our past and see what we did in those days and replacate them to minimise our carbon footprint.
Cut the wrap! UK dairy farm aims to be first to go single-use plastic-free
Staff at Mossgiel farm hope to promote a more sustainable model of dairy farming, including delivering milk in reusable glass bottles
Lying in a field of grass among his herd of dairy cows, Ayrshire farmer Bryce Cunningham picks up and pretends to throw away a plastic carton of milk. This is what we want to get rid of on our farm, he says in a promotional video, as he explains his quest to become the UK’s first single-use plastic-free milk producer.
After raising more than £10,000 from a crowdfunding campaign, he’s managed to replace single-use plastic cartons with 32,000 glass bottles adorned with the face of Robert Burns – who’s said to have once worked on the farmland – which he is able to wash and reuse.
Ka kite Ano link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/28/scottish-dairy-farm-aims-to-become-uks-first-to-go-single-use-plastic-free-mossgiel-ayrshire
Ka pai this will be a model that tangata whenua should copy.
Tūhoe touts eco status of planned first of 40 co-housing villages
Charlotte Jones, local democracy reporter
The Eastern Bay could soon become the epicentre of co-operative housing in New Zealand.
Tūhoe and a private group of individuals are both looking into building co-operative housing in the region.
A resource consent application has been lodged on behalf of the Tūhoe Charitable Trust to build a 25-unit eco village at the old Tāneatua railway yard on the corner of Morrison and Station Roads.
The second group is at a much earlier stage in its housing dream with a meeting planned next week to gauge community interest and progress the idea.
Tūhoe's proposed eco-village is the first of 40 the iwi wants to build for its people. The village will be similar to Tūhoe's Te Kura Whare which houses its governing body Te Uru Taumatua
The development and will contain communal gardens and orchards, a communal kitchen and dining area, solar electricity, roof collected rainwater as a water source, onsite botanical wastewater treatment and disposal and encouragement away from heavy reliance on private motor vehicles
Tūhoe has received written approval from four neighbours to the site while another three have expressed concerns about privacy, construction noise, traffic and whether the eco-village could affect the resale value of their homes
The council understands the intention is to provide services at the village in an environmentally sustainable manner, including not connecting to existing infrastructure," said Mr Begley.
Ka kite Ano link below
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/ldr/404423/tuhoe-touts-eco-status-of-planned-first-of-40-co-housing-villages
Ed TV Whanau
https://youtu.be/IuwxZSIS__4
Name suppression. WTF. Haha on us the public that we can't be protected against nasty little termites after their precious.
7 Aug 2019 The serial fraudster, also known as Joanne Sharp, landed work at the ministry some six years after getting name suppression when she was prosecuted for defrauding Tower Insurance.
From late 2013, Harrison used fake invoices and bogus contractors to con the transport ministry out of $726,000.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/114732640/10k-rolex-watch-among-assets-seized-from-fraudster-joanne-harrison?rm=a
Kia Ora 1 News.
Its the new phenomenon buying products made sustainable and ethical.
Its good to see some Australians getting justice.
That was a big explosion at that Texas chemicals plant.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
That's a good thing people getting goods donated for Samoa in there time of need.
Ka pai Heartland for reaching out to help tangata whenua get mahi with the organisation.
Cool to see tangata whenua getting into the clothing fashion industry.
Ka pai to the Maori Basket ball player to get into the Basket ball Hall of Fame.
Ka kite Ano
One point I would like to make is towns and cities sewage system carbon footprint is not included in the data.??????????????
Climate Change: Everything New Zealand needs to do to get to zero carbon
Ka kite Ano link below.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/environment/117587959/climate-change-everything-new-zealand-needs-to-do-to-get-to-zero-carbon
Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute.
https://youtu.be/9o_jVHmU_V4
Kia Ora 1 News.
I think that the Maori Council is still got Mana.
The South land Paparoa and Pike River 29 track looks like a great walk into Aotearoa forest.
That's good a new drydock may be built in Whangarei.
Why would a charity burn the Great Rainforest in Brazil that they are trying to protect. These people who think that there lies are going to be believed if they repeated it are not nice at all.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
That's good that people have reported oil pollution going into the Awa we must treat all our Wai as taonga that they are.
That Awsome the Taramaki Iwi mahi together and celebrateing it to make a better future for their mokopuna kia Ora.
Ka kite Ano