Open mike 28/03/2019
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7:12 am, March 28th, 2019 - 198 comments
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- International statement – End-to-end encryption and public safetyWe, the undersigned, support strong encryption, which plays a crucial role in protecting personal data, privacy, intellectual property, trade secrets and cyber security. It also serves a vital purpose in repressive states to protect journalists, human rights defenders and other vulnerable people, as stated in the 2017 resolution of the ...1 week ago
- Ministry of Defence Biodefence Assessment releasedThe Ministry of Defence has today released a Defence Assessment examining Defence’s role across the spectrum of biological hazards and threats facing New Zealand. Biodefence: Preparing for a New Era of Biological Hazards and Threats looks at how the NZDF supports other agencies’ biodefence activities, and considers the context of ...1 week ago
- New Approaches to Economic Challenges: Confronting Planetary Emergencies: OECD 9 October 2020New Approaches to Economic Challenges: Confronting Planetary Emergencies: OECD 9 October 2020 Hon David Parker’s response following Thomas Piketty and Esther Duflo. Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, wherever in the world you might be. I first acknowledge the excellent thought provoking speeches of Thomas Piketty and Esther ...1 week ago
- Kaipara Moana restoration takes next stepA Memorandum of Understanding has been signed today at Waihāua Marae between the Crown, local iwi and councils to protect, restore and enhance the mauri of Kaipara Moana in Northland. Environment Minister David Parker signed the document on behalf of the Crown along with representatives from Ngā Maunga Whakahī, Ngāti ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand and Uruguay unite on reducing livestock production emissionsAgriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Uruguayan Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries Carlos María Uriarte have welcomed the launch of a three-year project that will underpin sustainable livestock production in Uruguay, Argentina, and Costa Rica. The project called ‘Innovation for pasture management’ is led by Uruguay’s National Institute of Agricultural ...2 weeks ago
- 3100 jobs created through marae upgradesHundreds of marae throughout the country will be upgraded through investments from the Provincial Growth Fund’s refocused post COVID-19 funding to create jobs and put money into the pockets of local tradespeople and businesses, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta have announced. “A total ...2 weeks ago
- Health volunteers recognised in annual awardsHealth Minister Chris Hipkins has announced 9 teams and 14 individuals are the recipients of this year’s Minister of Health Volunteer Awards. “The health volunteer awards celebrate and recognise the thousands of dedicated health sector volunteers who give many hours of their time to help other New Zealanders,” Mr Hipkins ...2 weeks ago
- Community COVID-19 Fund supports Pacific recoveryThe Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio says a total of 264 groups and individuals have successfully applied for the Pacific Aotearoa Community COVID-19 Recovery Fund, that will support Pacific communities drive their own COVID-19 recovery strategies, initiatives, and actions. “I am keen to see this Fund support Pacific ...2 weeks ago
- Community benefits from Māori apprenticeshipsUp to 50 Māori apprentices in Wellington will receive paid training to build houses for their local communities, thanks to a $2.75 million investment from the Māori Trades and Training Fund, announced Employment Minister Willie Jackson today. “This funding will enable Ngāti Toa Rangatira Incorporated to provide its Ngā Kaimahi ...2 weeks ago
- Training fund supports Māori jobseekersRapidly growing sectors will benefit from a $990,000 Māori Trades and Training Fund investment which will see Wellington jobseekers supported into work, announced Employment Minister Willie Jackson today. “This funding will enable Sapphire Consultants Ltd. to help up to 45 Māori jobseekers into paid training initiatives over two years through ...2 weeks ago
- Ruakura Inland Port development vital infrastructure for WaikatoThe Government is investing $40 million to develop an inland port at Ruakura which will become a freight super-hub and a future business, research and residential development for the Waikato, Urban Development and Transport Minister Phil Twyford, and Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The funding has been has ...2 weeks ago
- Appointments made to Defence Expert Review GroupDefence Minister Ron Mark announced today the establishment of an Expert Review Group to review a number of aspects of the New Zealand Defence Force’s (NZDF) structure, information management and record-keeping processes. The Expert Review Group’s work arises out of the first recommendation from the Report of the Government’s Inquiry ...2 weeks ago
- No active community cases of COVID-19There are no active community cases of COVID-19 remaining in the country after the last people from the recent outbreak have recovered from the virus, Health Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “This is a big milestone. New Zealanders have once again through their collective actions squashed the virus. The systems ...2 weeks ago
- Clean energy upgrade for more public buildingsMore public buildings will be supported by the Government to upgrade to run on clean energy, the Minister for Climate Change James Shaw announced today. Minister Shaw announced that Lincoln and Auckland universities will receive support through the Clean-Powered Public Service Fund to replace fossil fuel boilers. Southern, Taranaki, and ...2 weeks ago
- Schools back donations scheme for the second yearMore schools have opted in to the donations scheme for 2021, compared to 2020 when the scheme was introduced. “The families of more than 447,000 students will be better off next year, with 94% of eligible schools and kura opting into the scheme,” Education Minister Chris Hipkins said. “This is ...2 weeks ago
- Ruapehu cycle trails gets PGF boostThe spectacular Mountains to Sea cycle trail in Ruapehu District will receive $4.6 million in funding from the Provincial Growth Fund for two additional trails, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This is an exciting development for the local community, and one that will provide significant economic opportunities ...2 weeks ago
- Update to air border order strengthens crew requirementsAdditional measures coming into effect on Monday will boost our defence against COVID-19 entering New Zealand through the air border, Health Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “As part of our precautionary approach and strategy of constant review, we’re tightening the requirements around international aircrew,” Chris Hipkins said. The COVID-19 Public ...3 weeks ago
- A true picture of Māori business activityA better picture of the contribution Māori businesses make to the economy will be possible with changes to the way information is collected about companies and trading enterprises. Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Small Business Minister Stuart Nash have announced a new option for Māori enterprises who are part ...3 weeks ago
- PGF funding for Taranaki projectsThe South Taranaki museum, a New Plymouth distillery and a Pasifika building firm will benefit from a Government investment totalling more than $1 million, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones says. The $1.05m in grants and loans from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) will help the recipients expand and create ...3 weeks ago
- Fijian Language Week 2020 inspires courage and strength during COVID-19 pandemicThe Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio says the theme for the 2020 Fijian Language Week reflects the strong belief by Fijians that their language and culture inspires courage and strength that is strongly needed in times of emergencies, or through a significant challenge like the global COVID-19 pandemic ...3 weeks ago
- Trades training builds on iwi aspirationsAn investment of $2.025 million from the Māori Trades and Training Fund will support Māori to learn new skills while making a positive difference for their communities, announced Employment Minister Willie Jackson today. “K3 Development Limited Partnership will receive $2,025,000 for its Takitimu Tuanui apprenticeship programme, which will support the ...3 weeks ago
- Conservation Minister plants two millionth tree in Raglan restorationA long-term conservation project led by the Whaingaroa Harbour Care group in the western Waikato reaches a significant milestone this week, with the planting of the two millionth tree by the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. “Planting the two millionth tree crowns 25 years of commitment and partnership involving Whaingaroa ...3 weeks ago
- Seniors – our parents and grandparentsInternational Older Persons Day is a chance to think about the individual older New Zealanders we know and to confront ageism, Seniors Minister Tracey Martin said today. “What happened around COVID-19 is a reminder that our over-65s are a very large and diverse group of people and we need to ...3 weeks ago
- New Zealand's new LGBTQ MPs make Parliament most rainbow in world
Eleven LGBTQ people won seats in the weekend's election - that's 9.16 percent of the 120 MPs. ...34 mins ago - View from The Hill: Morrison says he wants to run full term, and there are good reasons to believe h...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra We don’t have to credit Scott Morrison’s claim at Tuesday’s Coalition joint party room meeting that an election is the furthest thing from his mind, but we can take at face value his indication he ...42 mins ago - Parliament still packed with lawyers – but is that a bad thing?Analysis - The new Parliament might be the most diverse in history, but some things remain the same, including the high number of lawyers who have just been elected, Craig Stephen writes. ...58 mins ago
- Māori Party's Rawiri Waititi arrives at Parliament in styleThe Māori Party's Rawiri Waititi - donning a white cowboy hat - touched down at Parliament today for the first time since winning the Waiariki electorate. ...1 hour ago
- My best worst film: dubbed a crass Adam Sandler comedy, Click is a deep meditation on relationshipsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jo Li Tay, Lecturer, School of Design and the Built Environment, Curtin University In a new series, our writers explore their best worst film. They’ll tell you what the critics got wrong – and why it’s time to give these movies another ...1 hour ago
- Defending state abuse: Follow the money
The cost to the Crown of fighting claims by victims of abuse in state care is finally revealed before a Royal Commission. Aaron Smale calculates where most of the money went As Deep Throat would say, follow the money. There were likely to be a few people gagging as they ...2 hours ago - As the Queensland campaign passes the halfway mark, the election is still Labor’s to loseSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Williams, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities, Griffith University We’re at the mid-point of the Queensland election campaign. Pre-polling opened on Monday, with about two million Queenslanders expected to vote before election day on October 31. But with just 12 days to ...2 hours ago
- Tofiga isn’t sorry about it
Tofiga Fepulea’i is back on stage with some comedic relief in a truly dismal year. Tofiga Fepulea’i cracks up as we discuss some of the trends he’s clicked onto.First, there’s the fitness buzz. Anyone who follows the Laughing Sāmoans comedian online will have seen the videos he posts of he ...4 hours ago - Two High Court of Australia judges will be named soon – unlike Amy Coney Barrett, we know nothing ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joe McIntyre, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of South Australia Many Americans were riveted last week by the at times absurd confirmation hearing for US Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett. The death in mid-September of Ruth Bader Ginsburg thrust the ...4 hours ago
- Covid-19 has changed New Zealand forever. The experts explain howSome of the smartest people in the country examine the effects of the pandemic on Aotearoa’s future in 400 words or fewer. There are few corners of society that Covid-19 has not touched. From healthcare to the economy, education to professional sport, the pandemic has changed the way we interact with ...4 hours ago
- Anti-poverty Groups To Labour: Election Results Mean No More Excuses
Child Poverty Action Group, ActionStation and Auckland Action Against Poverty are calling on the new government to follow through quickly on their plan of raising income support so people receiving benefits are no longer locked into poverty. "Labour ...4 hours ago - ‘I wrote The Pōrangi Boy for kids like me’: Shilo Kino on her debut novelThe Marae TV journalist tells the origin story of her debut novel, a young adult book releasing this week.Patricia Grace wrote a story called “It used to be green once” and every year my Pākehā teacher would pull it out in English class and everyone would laugh at the poor ...4 hours ago
- Election night 2020: All the misery, all the tumescent joyA long election campaign finally ended in one five-hour period on Saturday, October 17. José Barbosa was there. This is what he saw.I forgot how covering an election is a lot of fun. My last working election was well over a decade ago, and there’s always this breathlessness that accompanies ...5 hours ago
- Ousted National MP Jo Hayes takes on role with Wairarapa iwiJo Hayes failed to win the seat of Mana and missed out on getting back as a list MP because of her party's big election defeat. ...5 hours ago
- When and how should the Victoria-NSW border reopen? Is fishing allowed in Victoria? When can I trave...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, La Trobe University Victoria recorded one new case of COVID-19 on Monday, another fantastic result that suggests the coronavirus outbreak there is now being well controlled. Premier Daniel Andrews said on Tuesday the state was “well placed this ...5 hours ago
- Hard to spot, but worth looking out for: 8 surprising tawny frogmouth factsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Les Christidis, Professor, Southern Cross University The tawny frogmouth is one of Australia’s most-loved birds. In fact, it was first runner-up in the Guardian/BirdLife Australia bird of the year poll (behind the endangered black-throated finch). Tawny frogmouths are found throughout Australia, including ...5 hours ago
- Finance Minister’s Commitment To WEAG Recommendations WelcomeWelfare advocate and former Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) member Kay Brereton says she is pleased to hear Finance Minister Grant Robertson describe the WEAG report as the “blueprint” for their welfare policy. “The comments made by Grant on ...5 hours ago
- The budget promises jobs, but does little for workers in the gig economySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nat Kassel, PhD Candidate, Griffith University Treasurer Josh Frydenberg promised a federal budget focused on “jobs, jobs, jobs”. In one sense he didn’t disappoint. His budget speech mentioned jobs 37 times – an average of about once a minute. “This budget is ...5 hours ago
- Judith Collins speaks after National Party caucus meeting: 'Onwards and upwards'Judith Collins is giving a media briefing after the National Party's first caucus meeting since the election, which returned their worst result in years. Watch live here. ...5 hours ago
- What this election means for PasifikaNational’s Pacific MPs are gone, the Greens have their first, and Labour’s Pasifika caucus is now its biggest ever. But will any of this make any real difference to our communities? Do you reckon Moses could have parted the red sea on Saturday night? Because even the bluest, most conservative seats in ...6 hours ago
- Judith Collins speaks after National Party caucus meetingJudith Collins is giving a media briefing after the National Party's first caucus meeting since the election, which returned their worst result in years. Watch live here. ...6 hours ago
- You’ve probably heard of the Green New Deal in the US — is it time for one in Australia?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Crowley, Associate Professor, Public and Environmental Policy, University of Tasmania After the 2008 global financial crisis, Green New Deals were proposed in various countries as a way to pick up the pieces of the economy. The general idea is to create ...6 hours ago
- On the Rag: What is imposter syndrome and how do we destroy it?Join Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey, Leonie Hayden and a lineup of incredibly successful New Zealand women as they confront their imposter syndrome once and for all. For some it appears as a constant whisper, for others it’s a screeching megaphone in the face at the most inopportune of moments. Many of ...8 hours ago
- Peters and Mark remind us they still have ministerial work to do as governmental caretakers
Hey – look whose names appeared on the only press statement to be posted on The Beehive website yesterday, two days after Election Day and the first statement to be posted on the site since October 15. The names are those of Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister ...8 hours ago - Allbirds is launching a new T-shirt – and it’s partly made from crab shellsAfter years of specialising in low-carbon footwear, Allbirds has introduced a new line of sustainable apparel made from an unconventional yet innovative source.In April, when Allbirds announced it would be the first fashion label to introduce a sticker that measured the carbon footprint of each one of its products, it ...8 hours ago
- Government Must Lead Uncomfortable Conversations About SuicideInformation gained in the Key to Life Charitable Trust’s 1,000 Letters Report must be a part of the Government’s preventative measures to tackle suicide prevention in New Zealand – people’s lives depend upon it. “Our hope is that with the ...8 hours ago
- PETA Sends Duncan Garner Vegan GoodiesAs Auckland-based radio host Duncan Garner prepares to begin his new life as a vegan, making good on his promise to go vegan for a year if Labour won the 2020 election, animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) ...8 hours ago
- Injecting real change in NZ – Greens must not shy away from mandateANALYSIS: By Selwyn Manning, editor of EveningReport.nz There is a mood circulating among some New Zealand circles that it would end badly for the Green Party in 2023 should it negotiate a part within a now-powerful Labour-led government. The argument goes: that should the Greens negotiate roles within the new ...8 hours ago
- US law officials brace for the contingency of Trump refusing to accept election defeatUS law enforcement agencies from the FBI down are preparing contingency plans in case of violence after the November 3 presidential elections. These have been triggered by President Donald Trump’s refusal to commit to a peaceful exit from office, arguing the election results will be “rigged” because of his opposition ...8 hours ago
- With clear mandate, Labour must decide what it really stands forOpinion - A pandemic can change a society's foundations. But if this happens in New Zealand over the next three years, it will be for reasons beyond the control of the sixth Labour government. ...9 hours ago
- Biofouling Measures Approved For Naval VesselsNew measures to prevent biofouling will reduce the risk of Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) vessels introducing marine pests and diseases to New Zealand without creating any undue restrictions on naval operations. Biosecurity New Zealand and the RNZN ...9 hours ago
- 'Fighting every step of the way' – New Green MPNew Green Party MP Ricardo Menéndez March is ready to "fight tooth and nail" for his communities including rainbow and migrant groups. ...9 hours ago
- COVID-19 Outbreak On A Live Export ShipWhile New Zealand is gearing up to lift a temporary ban on live exports, 25 crew have tested positive for COVID-19 on the livestock carrier Al Messilah, which is docked at Fremantle Port in Western Australia. The ship, which was due to be loading ...9 hours ago
- A world beyond our feet: Rethinking our relationship with where we grow our kaiThe health of our soil is intrinsically linked to the health of our people, and a new book aims to centre matauranga Māori in the quest to stop treating our soil like, well, dirt.We hardly ever think about it, even though it’s literally under our feet. But in the coming ...9 hours ago
- Papua’s Asmat shut off following eight confirmed covid-19 casesPacific Media Centre Newsdesk Asmat regency in Papua has decided to limit access to and from the area for 28 days, starting last Sunday, after eight people in the regency’s capital Agats tested positive for covid-19 on Saturday, reports The Jakarta Post. Acting Asmat regent Triwarno Purnomo said the administration ...9 hours ago
- Election Delivers High Expectations For Working PeopleE tū congratulates the Labour Party and the Green Party for their respective victories after the preliminary results of General Election 2020. While the official count is yet to come, Labour have won enough votes to govern alone, and the Greens are ...10 hours ago
- Week in memes: Tōfā soifua to 19 National MPsToo much news? Here’s the only political round-up you need.I spent Saturday evening reporting from the Act Party election event and witnessed a crowd of Act supporters mumble halfheartedly through Sweet Caroline despite the DJ’s increasingly desperate words of encouragement. I tell you this only to give an indication of ...10 hours ago
- Duncan Garner Will Be Vegan For A YearThe AM Show's Duncan Garner said in July that if Labour won the election, he would go vegan. The Vegan Society is delighted to see a Labour government and we feel confident that after a year of being vegan, reaping the health benefits such as having more ...10 hours ago
- Op-Ed: Enhanced social protection an opportunity Asia Pacific must graspOpinion by By Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana and Chihoko Asada Miyakawa Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). In the fight against COVID-19, success has so far been defined by responses in Asia and the Pacific. ...11 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – October 20 2020Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Today’s content Coalition negotiations, shape of government Gordon Campbell: On why the Greens shouldn’t join the government Andrew Geddis (Pundit): What Sort Of Relationship Might Labour And The Greens Agree ...11 hours ago
- Labour’s Small Business Plan A Contradictory Mess“Labour’s plan for small businesses is a contradictory mess”, says ACT’s small business spokesperson and Nelson employer Chris Baillie. “Labour is piling new costs and red tape on SMEs with one hand and giving handouts with the other. ...11 hours ago
- Trump took a sledgehammer to US-China relations. This won’t be an easy fix, even if Biden winsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hui Feng, ARC Future Fellow and Senior Research Fellow, Griffith University Few would have thought a US-China relationship marked by relative stability for half a century would be upended in just four years. But US President Donald Trump’s privileged tour of the ...12 hours ago
- If we have the guts to give older people a fair go, this is how we fix aged care in AustraliaSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joseph Ibrahim, Professor, Health Law and Ageing Research Unit, Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University This article is part of our series on the future of aged care. In the face of the harrowing findings of the Royal Commission into Aged ...12 hours ago
- WHO reform: a call for an early-warning protocol for infectious diseasesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Gluckman, Director of Koi Tū, the Centre for Informed Futures; former Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of New Zealand, University of Auckland The World Health Organization (WHO) has come in for its share of criticism for its handling of ...12 hours ago
- Fewer flights and a pesticide-free pitch? Here’s how Australia’s football codes can cut their ca...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hutchins, Professor of Media and Communications Studies, Monash University Australian sport’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been remarkable. Major leagues reorganised with impressive speed to keep games going. Schedules dissolved, seasons were compressed and players relocated. And the once unthinkable ...12 hours ago
- This is how universities can lead climate actionSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabi Mocatta, Lecturer in Communication, Deakin University, and Research Fellow in Climate Change Communication, Climate Futures Programme, University of Tasmania Universities are vital hubs of research and teaching on climate change. As large organisations, they also have significant emissions, which contribute to ...12 hours ago
- Beyond the police state to COVID-safe: life after lockdown will need a novel approachSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meg Elkins, Senior Lecturer with School of Economics, Finance and Marketing, RMIT University As second-wave outbreaks of COVID-19 around the world demonstrate, it’s a tricky transition from hard lockdowns to more relaxed, but still effective, measures. The responses of different nations (Sweden ...12 hours ago
- Five things to know about the AntichristSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip C. Almond, Emeritus Professor in the History of Religious Thought, The University of Queensland In the history of the West over the last 2000 years, there has never been a time when someone hasn’t been predicting the end of the world. ...12 hours ago
- National MPs say goodbye as caucus dissects what went wrongNational's caucus will today begin the task of trying to pick up the pieces, at its first meeting following the weekend's crushing defeat. ...12 hours ago
- Live Updates, October 20: Remaining National MPs head to Wellington after election defeatWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 20. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz7.40am: Election 2020 – what’s next?Election day might be over, but there’s still a lot of developments still to come.The newly re-elected prime minister Jacinda Ardern yesterday held ...12 hours ago
- The Bulletin: System springs into action on Port Covid caseGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: System springs into action on Port Covid case, Labour opens up initial talks with Greens, and New Zealand travellers creating headaches for Aussie states.A clarification on the new case of Covid-19 announced on Sunday – it was not in fact ...13 hours ago
- Business & Investing: Demand high for medical cannabis
Shares in 'green' company highly sought after, green light for Metlifecare takeover ...13 hours ago - Why voters rejected conspiracy theorists
Political hopefuls peddling conspiracy theories have been rejected by New Zealand voters. ...13 hours ago - MediaRoom: TVNZ wins election ratings, NBR wins in court
TVNZ wins election night ratings TVNZ cruised to a comfortable ratings win over Three but, Mark Jennings reports, advances in streaming are creating opportunities for other media. Both TV networks reached over a million viewers with their election night coverage but their days of dominance are starting to dwindle. Stuff’s ...13 hours ago - Simon Sweetman vs Stuff
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The recent flare-up of fighting in the south Caucasus is nasty. After the break up of the Soviet Union, Armenians and Azerbaijanis fought an unpleasant war over the Armenian-populated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh with casualties of around 100,000 and one million displaced. Armenia prevailed then. Now Azerbaijan, with the help ...14 hours ago - RBNZ to protect notes and coins for the vulnerable
As banks take the opportunity to close down branches and ATMs in the Covid-19 lockdowns, the RBNZ moves to stop cash disappearing entirely. ...14 hours ago - The roots of National's fall
The National Party is still alive despite a crushing loss, but is it in a state to regrow? ...14 hours ago - Ex-UN climate chief praises PM, urges greater action
The world is running out of time, but in the nick of time, on climate change, Christiana Figueres tells David Williams In December 2015, US President Barack Obama hailed the Paris climate agreement, hammered out between almost 200 countries, as a potential turning point for the world. “The targets we’ve ...14 hours ago - A political fairytale gone wrong
The coming months will be crucial for Boris Johnson, the EU, the British economy – and for the future unity of the United Kingdom. ...14 hours ago - Progress report: NZ's 3 World Cups in 3 years
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: New Zealand will host three World Cups over the next three years, kicking off with rugby in 2021, followed on by cricket in 2022 and topped off with football in 2023. All three major events are at different stages of planning and delivery, but all are progressing on ...14 hours ago - Peters' fight and court bills will go on
Outgoing deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has yet to overturn a $317,000 award against him for legal costs and has another outstanding case to fund. Tim Murphy reports Winston Peters is about to lose his $334,000 salary and staff - but still has unfinished business and bills for two court actions he ...14 hours ago - Labour could out-green the Greens
With Covid we've taken the approach, go hard or go home. We need to go hard on transformative environmental change too – there’ll be no home to go to. ...14 hours ago - A consistent and worrying failure
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- Jacinda Ardern and transforming the would-be transformerThe self-proclaimed governors of transformation have not so far infused the ‘wellbeing’ idea they trumpeted into everyday speech. Do they dare do so now, asks Colin James.Jacinda Ardern claimed a “mandate” on election night to “accelerate our response [to Covid] and our recovery”. Does that portend the “government of transformation” ...15 hours ago
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- 'Yo-yo MP' Maureen Pugh not counting on bounce from special votesThis is the third time National's Maureen Pugh has been caught in limbo - she's waiting to see if special votes will mean she's out of Parliament. ...24 hours ago
- New modelling finds investing in childcare and aged care almost pays for itselfSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janine Dixon, Economist at Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University In the absence of an official analysis of the impact of the budget by gender the National Foundation for Australian Women has this morning published its own gender analysis of the budget, ...1 day ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Leftwing euphoria meets realityAnalysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. The political left has been euphoric since Saturday’s night historic landslide victory for Labour. But political commentators from across the spectrum are united in warning that the new Government isn’t about to be transformative. Instead, we will see more of ...1 day ago
- The Issues With The Proposed Cannabis Legalisation And Control BillAs a non-cannabis user, I strongly believe cannabis should be legalised but I do not think the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill is the best way to do it. The bill aims to reduce harm to people and communities. But it will not reduce the harms ...1 day ago
- Hell yes it’s time for some more dogs at polling boothsThis election, the nation embraced dogs at polling booths. We ran out of time and capacity to put them all up on Saturday, so here are some of the pooches that got away.Last week, we asked you to send in your photos of dogs at polling booths, promising our election ...1 day ago
- Embrace This Pandemic, Help The Vulnerable, And Don’t Encourage Drug UseEmbrace, Help, and Don’t Encourage - Embrace This Pandemic, Help The Vulnerable, and Don’t Encourage Drug Use To many people, 2020 was just not their year. Some have lost their jobs, or their loved ones while some have been stuck in parts of ...1 day ago
Rabid rottweilers of racism here – who see racism wherever they look – will relish an opportunity to explain why the Islamic race is better than the Christian race. Here’s one: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/brunei-lgbt-whipping-stoning-gay-people-sharia-law-a8841706.html
I ask only that they go further and explain why we ought to tolerate sharia law. It will be helpful to cite usage of sharia by the Sultan of Brunei in support of their rationale.
You’re confusing race vs religion
I’m referring to their tendency to do that, actually! 🙄
“Someone said something upsetting. Can I upset you too. Can I repeat their shitty views here while posing as a concerned citizen”
Smilies are out already. So human and filled with emotion aren’t you.
Do you think you’ve been picked on? Where did the bad man touch your argument?
I suggest you go to Brunei, a one twat delegation, and sort it out.
Random irrelevancies all you are capable of this morning? Get some fresh air, do a few exercises, tai chi, to help clear your head…
WTB has got you in one.
Inability to get to the point is well-worth demonstrating, you think. Dunno if it’s quite the brilliant idea you seem to think it is.
Yeah franksplain it again for us cos we dum
+1
Can I ask you Mr Frank Sir?
What’s your tipple?
I’ll save up real hard so I can send you a case down Courier Post, and another for the Beige Badger
Nice of you to offer, OWT, but I can afford my own no problem. 🍷
You’re confusing race vs religion
That’s what has happened over the mosque attacks though, surely …. the call of racism has gone out, yet it was a religious attack
both are all mixed up at the moment I think
DF’s issue is entirely legitimate
DF is an idiot. He read one verse of the Quran (in the context of the terrorist manifesto) and decided it required changing. Then he began to tell us how the terrorist has a point, based on this verse and more from the killers mind Dennis was happy to quote.
Now let’s just get a few words of his post above and take a look
“the christian race”
and
“the Islamic race”
A muppet by any other name would sound as stupid.
Being disingenuous is cool? Or confused? If you genuinely have never heard of satire, there’s a quick remedy: google it. 😎
Definitely confused. Your methods and jokes are well over my head.
Sure. But this religious attack has already been deemed a racist attack by many. I think the horse has bolted.
… side track… religion pfftt … science is continually eating away at it, and has been for eons. Dolly the original cloned sheep should have raised alarm bells with the religious in the world…. yet like all extremists the religious* block, deny, re-define etc..
.. it would be good to be around in a few more hundreds of years to see where science and religion have got to… methinks science will continue to explain and define more and more of the unknown/religious as simply previously unexplained physical realities…
.. like science explained the sun as a burning thing and not a god
.. like science explained the spiritual/soul as a subset of the physical via dolly the sheep.
.. like science could well explain a ‘creation event’ in the future
.. like science could well explain that a ‘creator’ existed and still does – elsewhere in the universes, as a physical entity right now, made up of carbon and iron or some such
It is certainly unfortunate that this world contains many iterations of doctrine that condemn ‘others’ and even incite violence. The world also contains a majority of faithful who have adopted more peaceful memes from said doctrines.
Personally, I think (some of) the worlds religions are a two edged sword. On the one hand they provide community service where governments fail. They also add the all important human contact to such services. Many work tirelessly to help societies less fortunate and are commendable. Others use piousness and scripture to persecute their fellow man. Often churches have both groups present in the one fellowship.
In all of this, the crazy world, Trump, Brexit, terrorist extremism from both ends of the scale as well as famines, drought, fires, flooding, corruption, exploitation, random nutters, poverty and financial uncertainty, and of course global warming….
We desperately need leadership. Churches swell in the vacuum.
Good people use religion, theism, or atheism, to do good.
Arseholes, use it to do bad.
No, religion will never die, just change form.
Look at the anti-vaxxers. That’s a faith that denies all scientific evidence. Look at the many conspiracy theorists (including those within the Muslim community who have publically claimed it was all a Jewish plot).
Not to mention neoliberalism. It’s a fucking cult – it’s neither explanatory nor are its ostensible benefits reproducible. But still we’re stuck with it because of the number of less acute pencil heads who’ve momentarily got their paws on the levers of power.
Science is not all things to all men. Faith in our fellow humans is gold. Those who have faith in a higher being often are calm in their certainty.
Mind you a certain Destiny fellow has shaken that!!
Yes, ignorance is bliss, for some people Patricia.
You do know that science and religion are not mutually exclusive, don’t you?
Yes, a certain astronaut (John Glenn) found science and religion not mutually exclusive, as many others who went to space after him did as well.
They gained a sense of perspective perhaps.
Vto stay in compassion mate you get ugly fast when your fear takes hold. Just think it through and I’m saying this from compassion believe me.
Que? Sorry, I don’t follow..
So foreign nation of choice wasn’t trying to disarm nz readying us to be invaded.
Geez can you imagine being a white supremacist and going to a gun meet right now, theyweren’t policing their own now everyone blames them for losing their toys.
Na they’re to fucking thick to blame the person /people who cost them there toys .
Its the gubimints fault .
Some of the memes floating around out there boogle the mind in their stupidity and it’s amazing how many gobble them up and shear them .
I hope you are reporting them. Be brave and we can get to a better place.
I wouldnt call them racist just fucking dumb .
I have pointed out the stupidity of memes to those dumb enough to shear them to my page . Hopefully it sunk in a little.
I suspect in this case that theracism wasn’t against a particular race, it was that the religion he picked was in his mind “not white”.
It’s the typical trash man being Mr Trash again. Jacinda or any one else can not walk around the APEC conference with there heads held high while Brunei is legally allowed to stone gays to death. It’s just a matter of time before homosexuality is completely normal in society so a hardline fundamentalist religious group will not gain a majority in any APEC or associated forum. You’re just complete trash.
Bit early for you to be on the piss again isn’t it? Still in the AM in Aus?
So that white wash you was seeing magically cleared right up or are you faking it again?
Maybe you should reread what I wrote, and get your parents to help you with the larger words.
You were mind reading again. Like I said, makes you trash.
Because that was such a big call for guessing whate a white supremacist might be motivated by?
Why it’s much easier measuring internal factors like hormones so when guys or even girls get into fight mode they’ll release a shot of adrenaline which is objective. But it’s more subjective to measure external factors like what some one might say because people lie all the time so it’s like untrustworthy and as I say, trash.
Hormones.
totally relevant as to whether the fucker committed a racist attack or whether that’s a misnomer.
Wait a sec. So if hormones are irrelevant, I’ll have to question whether you are talking about a human or some sort of machine, perhaps an AI or something. There are plenty of studies that say that hormones play a huge part in why people fight. People pick up on pheromones all the time and want to duke it out. Hitler was one such guy who was disgusted by germs, Jew germs specifically which is much more measurable than saying every German is rascist, Y’know? I happen to like Germany, doesn’t make me a rascist.
Seriously, you are either taking too many drugs or not nearly enough drugs.
The thread is simply a semantic issue about whether the attacks could reasonably be described as “racist”, even if Islam is a religion that crosses ethnic boundaries.
My position is that a racist act doesn’t need to be against a single “race”, it can be for a single “race”, as well. Yes, hormones are irrelevant to that semantic discussion.
Yeah, I just don’t care about semantics or true believers or something as much as you do. All I care about is if some nut case gets so emotional it motivates the nut to do something criminal and preventing that. Other wise people are free to do what ever, say what ever. And I say that because of the Urewera raids, like one chance tip off about what some nastiness some one said cause so much preventable harm. And you are like trying to pin the same rhetoric on people, just this time white peoples and that’s just immoral by my objective standards, trash basically.
Two points:
No, that’s not remotely close to what I actually wrote.
Secondly, if you’re not interested in a semantic discussion, don’t include yourself in a semantic discussion.
So do you agree that in this case that theracism wasn’t against a particular race, it was that the religion he picked in his mind “not white”. ? So do you agree because I don’t, I literally don’t care for semantics. I just don’t believe that too people should agree all the time just to have a debate so, what you have to say for yourself.
If you don’t care for a semantic debate, don’t include yourself in a semantic debate.
I don’t include myself in discussions about sport, because I don’t care for such discussions. I don’t care about Married at First Sight, so I don’t include myself in discussions about that.
As for whether a racist attack must be restricted to being against one ethnicity, or whether that description could also include an attack against every ethnicity except a particular one, that is a semantic discussion in which you have no interest.
So why do you even ask?
So the question I asked you was do you agree that in this case that theracism wasn’t against a particular race, it was that the religion he picked was in his mind “not white”. ? Yes, or no?
As I originally said, yes, I suspect that might be the case for that particular fucker. An anti-semite hates Jews, but I suspect this guy hated everyone he didn’t regard as “white”. As in he is a “white supremacist”.
Yeah, and my premis was that by any “objective” standard, measuring how many times he says his race is purer is more measurable, now I’m not going to write a list of rascist rhetoric for every one to see because we need to be able to spot these guys but it is measurable. Or that they put up walls so thick that it makes it difficult for ideas to cross contaminate potential extremist ideology. I hope you’re following me so far because there’s not much value in semantics catching national security threats when there are fix targets that spooks can knock off.
Ok so a terrorist attack is kind of a random event. But if you’ve got the history you’ll be able to see that it’s not so random after all, it’s measurable and we can prevent this stuff through internal observations.
Well, that leads into another discussion about the validity of using past measurements to predict human behaviour, the holy grail of silicon vally, wall st, and the soviet central planning bureaucracy.
It doesn’t work, because the inputs required to substantially change the outputs are much smaller and more numerous than can ever be measured. So you come up with an “objective” metric (and objectivity in automated data collection and analysis is a whole other issue) and you find pretty quickly that it unfairly targets some groups while other rogue anusses plan their massacres in secret.
But that is all separate from the semantic “was it a racist attack” discussion you included yourself in.
So in one word they don’t think it’s “immoral” to be like spying on your own citizens or even friends and family.
Um, everything you just wrote was either incorrect or nonsensical. Starting with “in one word”.
Was in quotation marks as “immoral” was the one word. So what I’m saying is your data or statements is them getting interviewed and reported. Maybe like filling out a questionnaire for being like rapped of ideas so if you give that questionnaire to grandma she’s going to say what the fuck, no, who likes getting mind fucked for ideology and then she’ll watch coronation street that same night. It’s just dumb and nothing to orient national security measures around.
If you were more specific in your phrasing and more conventional in your grammar and vocabulary, you might be able to communicate your ideas more effectively.
The thing about kiwi culture is we obviously value the right to vote and human rights in general, if most people don’t want those rights to apply then it’s not going to happen by consensus. So in this case you might want to establish that viewing content is wrong, is that where you are going with that?
And what has that got to do with whether the fuckers attack was racist or not?
Sam
You say homosexuals have been stoned to death. And I have heard of erring females condemned to this in some countries. That is bad – are you in a group which protests against this.? When you hear of this happening will you let us know who you are protesting to and we can join and add to the number. If enough people notice perhaps, on a change of leader there would be a change of heart.
Why would we protest? IMO there’s no need to protest because Brunei and New Zealand are members of APEC and we have trade and foreign relations that go back to WW2. Any self respecting prime minister would have the issue top 10 on there things to do at APEC. Like stoning people to death is barbaric and would be enough to get your country thrown out of APEC.
sam
You are probably a great guy. But never become a politician otherwise the compromises you will have to make to achieve things for your country will fragment you so much you will fall in flakes on the floor.
Every country has a stain that won’t wash out, and it pays to remember that and not look at each other’s dirty linen while sitting at meetings with other countries about mutually important matters.
I have heard of so many really terrible things in my lifetime that if I concentrated too much on any one of them I would go mad. It is like looking at the sun – you can’t stare at it without hurting yourself. I
do hope you understand analogies otherwise I am wasting my time.
And I do hope that you can take suggestions to your heart and brain and learn from them, I fear from reading your numerous missives that they don’t get far in. And I suggest that you who are so shocked at what happened, do something personal to protest it. If you try it you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you aren’t like the people who are so callous, and have shown them how different you are.
So then what if I argue that votes or those opinions are superficial?
But is your judgment worth a dime? Do you know what superficial opinion is like when you see it?
None of your comment makes any sense.
1. Islam and Christianity aren’t races.
2. Why would anti-racists necessarily even have a view on whether “Christendom” (for want of a better term) is “better” than the Umma, let alone feel the urge to hold forth on the subject?
3. I haven’t noticed any anti-racists claiming we should tolerate Sharia law (in this country, at least). Or did you mean “tolerate Sharia law” anywhere in the world including Brunei? That would be even less likely.
1. You don’t get satire? 2. No idea. 3. I have. No.
Will they franky? Says who?
Literalism, Gabby? So early in the day? Do you also do push-ups before breakfast?
If you’re fishing for admission that I used a rhetorical device, happy to oblige…
Is that what fuckups are called now franky?
ha ha make me laugh Gabby – remind me of a previous poster Felix who used to sprinkle these pages with delightful one-liners of wit and mirth
Yes I remember Felix vto. Maybe the smartest contributor ever to grace this site. His one/two liners were pithy and always went straight to the heart of the topic under discussion. He floored those who tried to up-end him. One day one of them went too far and it turned nasty. Felix got up and walked away never to return. Gabby does remind me of him too.
Yes exactly, he was great.. and as you say impenetrable..
Same here; I think everyone learned very quickly to not rub the kitty up the wrong way 🙂
Reminds me a bit of a mate of mine at the pub. Me, I’m mouthing off all the time on everything and anything. Others aren’t shy of sharing an opinion. S is usually pretty quiet. But every so often when one of us (usually me) is in full flight and takes an instant to draw breath, S will say (at most) half a dozen words that just deflate me completely and cause much laughter.
It really is an art form
No, still called push-ups. I leave them to younger folk. Running on the beach just downhill from here is way better. 🏃 + 🧘♂️
You certainly pushed that one right up franky.
Nah, to be fair I can’t take the credit. The Sultan is the dude on the day. Exemplary demonstration of sharia law to leftists everywhere, so they can explain why it ought to be tolerated. I encourage them not to hold back any longer. Get started!! 😎
I put up a comment on dishonest debating tactics not long ago in the, somewhat forlorn hope, that some would get the hint, and make an honest attempt to discuss, solutions.
Rather than having “pissing contests”.
Those who just want to “win the debate”, or show how clever they are, are just playing games, not helping.
Look up straw man, Frank.
Please point to the posts, specifically from The Standard where lefties have given you cause to ask for them to:
“explain why it [Sharia Law] ought to be tolerated”
You are looking for fuel to take to another blog.
“They said Sharia Law’s all good”
I can only speak for myself. But I’d hazard
No, we (the left on TS) did not approve of, or ever argue for, Sharia Law. Your claim is repulsive, your motives? WTF is wrong with you mate?
Almost bannable, imo.
You haven’t heard of sin by omission? It’s a traditional thing. The danger I’m alerting everyone too is that tolerance of islam means tolerance of sharia law.
I agree that implementation of sharia law as per the Sultan or Saudia Arabia etc is not currently attempted here (as far as I know). If the Islamic community has issued an official statement that it will not be used in Aotearoa, well and good. We need citation as proof to provide reassurance.
Shooting the canary in the coal-mine is a dumb response imo. Best to address the actual issue.
Bullshit Dennis.
Does my toleration of Christianity, mean I tolerate the Catholic view on “apostasy” homosexuality or womens rights?
Obviously not.
Something else for you to look up. False equivalence,
It’s a good metaphor, that canary.
Only worth listening to when it falls silent.
Man who reads his first verse of the Quran days ago imagines himself
‘the canary in the coal-mine’
and supposes that he has some important insight.
Reads Terrorist manifesto, right wing rants, concerns over extremist government in Brunei…
Calls for reassurance from New Zealand’s ‘Islamic community’.
Delusional, and a bigot?
Still nobody addressing the actual issue. Wonder why evasion is so appealing? It was last year that a media report featured the verse that proves the prophet required his follower to kill unbelievers, WTB. Who would actually want to read the Koran?? Certainly not me, so stop spinning your usual misrepresentations of others.
How many times have I already told you here that I’ve never wanted to read that manifesto due to the likelihood psychic contamination. Yet still you wrote “Reads Terrorist manifesto” – in order to prove yourself a liar?? Such behaviour seems a more worthy candidate for banning. Why would any moderators here want to tolerate such deliberate lying? You ought to apologise.
And I did not call “for reassurance from New Zealand’s ‘Islamic community’”. Re-read what I wrote! I pointed out how that community could reassure the kiwi public. Allay fears about sharia law. I hope they do so. Peaceful assimilation requires it.
Still trying to get people banned eh Dennis. You really are a lot less smart than you think you are. Remember the other day with Mickey you thicko? Youre becoming a parody poster, a joke. Thank God you never got near power.
You’re also misrepresenting me. First time I ever suggested behaviour here could deserve a ban! Get a grip Marty. Just because you feel unable to address the moral issue is no excuse.
“Who would actually want to read the Koran?? Certainly not me”
You just keep going, like an energizer dunny.
You were quoting the terrorists views here, don’t be lying, wayback knows.
Untrue – you did it to me too Dennis. If you grip it any tighter mate the toothpick will snap. Funny how you like running against the tide – just a big ego wank to you, you seem to lack any idea of others. Sad.
Most Westerner’s never read the Bible, much less the Quran. Even many believers don’t.
But having a reasonable working knowledge of the former, and made an attempt at understanding the latter, what I can say is that most people are going to encounter the English translation of the Quran with almost total bafflement. It’s written in a language that is largely incomprehensible to the modern mind, it’s history, it’s allusions and that it’s really only understood at multiple levels of abstraction simultaneously are a challenge to even the serious student.
Personally I got some distance into it and found it too hard. So I’m not posing as any kind of expert.
The other big challenge is that most Westerners will instinctively compare Muhammad with Christ, when realistically the better comparison is with Moses. The trajectory of both their ministries meant they were not only the pivotal spiritual source for their followers, but were also responsible for the civil administration of substantial communities in their own lifetime.
Nor do most modern people have much grasp of how entirely different the nature of Arabian society was in that era. It was an extremely tribal and fractured society, placing a high value on prowess in battle, while at the same time boasting highly developed poetic literary tradition. There really was nothing resembling the ‘rule of law’ as we would recognise it.
So when modern people look at sharia law what we miss is that compared to the relative barbarity it replaced, Islamic Law was highly enlightened. For instance the usual tribal punishment for theft was for a posse of young bloods to track down the suspected offender and disembowel him on the spot. When Muhammad required a minimum number of witnesses, due process and the removal of the left hand little finger for the third offense; it would have been regarded as absurdly liberal by the people of the time.
Hey, WTB, trying to pretend you can’t tell the difference between reading the Koran and commenting on selected quotations from it in the media just insults the intelligence of every reader of what you wrote. Is that really your purpose? You usually come across as smarter than that.
Plus it’s the only quote from it that I’ve ever felt the need to comment on. Due to the apparent fear & motive of the shooter.
Suitable context for relative judgment, RL. People tend to move on. Too bad ideologies don’t move with them, eh? I have no problem with the general practice of islam. I’m only targeting the toxic bit, which is maintained via ideology down through the centuries.
If I did it to you then I’m sorry Marty. It isn’t part of my conscious way of contributing, so I suspect it was just how you perceived something I wrote (not my intended meaning).
Also, ego is a seeming thing. I’m aware of the extent to which I fight the good fight as per childhood Christian brainwashing. If my conscience did not require me to do so on an issue by issue basis, I would relinquish that motivation. I’m old enough to!
But someone ought to represent the centrist view here as a positive alternative to partisan leftists. Have you noticed how easily I identify common ground with non-partisan leftists here? And you sometimes – you seem to oscillate between both stances. I just wish you would copy me & play the ball, not the man. Consensus never develops if participants polarise on a personal basis.
@ Dennis yep fair enough.
The right are a problem. Centrists are also a big problem imo. You Pete George, red logix all push the middleman line and I think it is dishonest because you enable the right and dilute solid left thinking and actions so really you may as well be right as far as I’m concerned. The velvety smooth tones dripping with false concern make my skin crawl when middlemen do it. So yeah nah.
Thing is, the concern isn’t actually false! Dunno why you would even want to try that stance on. Can you really not detect genuine motivations in others?? Doing so is part of emotional intelligence, which you do exhibit in other respects. It’s vital to how groups function. I’m aware it ain’t easy online, of course.
Way to miss the point. ffs you’re a frustrating bastard – bet you’ve heard that before. You aren’t an ally you’re on the other side imo for the reasons above.
@marty
So I’ve been contributing here for 12 years and it’s all a fake? That is an impressive long bow you have there.
Nor am I a centrist, politically I’m moderate left with a libertarian streak.
But you are correct; us moderates who in fact comprise at least 90% of the political spectrum, are capable of working with people of all persuasions, and we are the ones who stand in the way of radicals like you imposing yet another mad, utopian revolution every 10 minutes or so.
So yes I do understand why you shit on me so. If indeed I was a fake you wouldn’t get so angry with me all the time.
Ever thought that rather than being “partisan”, we are responding to an observed reality.
Whereas the fence sitters are pretending to be concerned and looking for solutions, when in reality it is all bloodless to them, so long as their comfortable middle class boat, doesn’t get rocked.
The fact is for everyone to do better, some of us have to give up a little, socialism. And I am one who has enough income to be paying higher taxes. A small price to pay to live in a decent society.
Mad utopian revolution. Like the first Labour party, you mean?
I haven’t seen anyone, you call “partisan left” advocating anything more extreme than Democratic socialism, in a mixed economy. Not much different from the statements of our present Prime Minister.
Your concern is noted, but it doesn’t help even one young person into a home, or a decent job, when you support those who are doing the harm.
so long as their comfortable middle class boat, doesn’t get rocked.
What the same middle class boat that everyone aspires to in order to escape poverty and insecurity?
Did you know that globally there are now more people in the middle class, more people who have escaped poverty than any time in all of human history? 3.8 billion people, more than half of humanity?
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2018/09/27/a-global-tipping-point-half-the-world-is-now-middle-class-or-wealthier/
So exactly why do you want that boat rocked again?
@ red yep you stand in the way and obstruct and distract and dilute left thinking. You are a roadblock to the future. Your fakeness is you think you add value to the left – you don’t imo you add value to the right.
How to miss the point again @Red.
We have more people in poverty in New Zealand, than we ever had.
Despite having more physical resources per capita than almost any other country.
I have a picture in my mind of a nice doggie with a stick and the game is to drop it and then the other picks it up and throws it. And doggie runs after it swiftly and happily and brings it back. And part of the game is the doggie holds onto it and won’t drop it so it can be thrown again, until encouraged by the other; ‘Drop it, drop, drop’.
Should the doggie be left holding the stick and the game finish?
Should it be left to hold the stick and beat everybody with it?
As everyone knows who has a dog, this game can go on for hours.
In the dog’s mind it is fun and a very fulfilling and satisfying activity
but the other involved has to decide when to stop and do something else. The game then is put on hold, and the those involved go away and attend to other pursuits.
Perhaps someone could report other newsworthy events so we can switch focus? But I’m already in the garden pulling wet weeds. Still at least one dark frog in the rainwater tub.
Attended Taranaki 2050 workshop on people & talent session 3 yesterday. Still amazed that the govt is actually providing a design-for-resilience process. Impressed with both the format and conduct of their process too. Full marks to the coalition + Greens again!
DF
Next Sunday in the How to get there post – Would you put up a small – even bulleted – report of what impressed you about the event’s outcomes, please? And what you think about the Labour Coalition’s plans and directions and achievements in them so far?
It sounds so interesting to hear positives is so good and what you think we should look for government progress in, and perhaps what isn;t being grasped satisfactorily. Regards to you. Woof, wag.
Had been thinking of doing so. Hope I will remember to. Pulling together impressions, commenting on design & process…
“Pence’s ascent to the second most powerful position in the U.S. government is a tremendous coup for the radical religious right. Pence — and his fellow Christian supremacist militants — would not have been able to win the White House on their own. For them, Donald Trump was a godsend.”
” Horror that a candidate who ran on a platform of open bigotry, threats against immigrants and Muslims, and blatant misogyny will soon be president is now sinking in. ” https://theintercept.com/2016/11/15/mike-pence-will-be-the-most-powerful-christian-supremacist-in-us-history/
Here’s a Muslim man answering dennis s negative Muslim stereotyping ,,,,, it’s probably best he says it ….. as dennis s sort always complains about the Muslim community not condemning enough ….
Tweets by QasimRashid
The draconian nation of Brunei to enforce capital punishment for LGBT
•This is barbaric & has no semblance w/Islam & human rights
•UK heavily funds & supports Brunei—that must end
•Brunei’s own leadership is corrupt & evil This is wrong. It must stop.
The article reports the UK has thousands of troops in Brunei and buys oil from Brunei. Moreover Brunei was a UK colony until 1984 & its anti-LGBT laws were enacted during that colonial period. It’s a wealthy dictatorship supported by a world superpower. Horrible combination.
The danger of fighting monsters is that you risk becoming a monster yourself.
On the fact that every frontline New Zealand police officer now has a compulsory glock on their hip, (alongside their tazer).
That police with fully automatic weapons attend every public event.
That the National Party are seeking even more intrusive powers, and even lesser accountability for our spy agencies.
I am totally against the routine arming of police, for many reasons.
But. I agree with it for the next few weeks, as an measured response to an immediate threat.
Given the police commissioner has put a time limit on it.
Like you, I don’t think the spies need any more power.
They have shown they cannot be trusted with those they have.
The spies need more adult supervision.
Doesn’t attract the sort of person who wants to be a spy. 🙂
Love drives out hate
The son of a Japanese immigrant who fought for New Zealand, makes a powerful statement against xenophobia and fascism at the age of 95.
Glenn McConnell is a journalist and student. He writes a fortnightly column for Stuff. His view of the manifesto suppression:
“I’ve seen people online offering to distribute the document via less well moderated sites than Facebook, in retaliation against the censor. The rare banning is simply a warning shot. It’s virtue-signalling in its greatest form. It lets people know that, if they share views like that, they really have no place in New Zealand. They are not “us”.” https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-shooting/111574053/were-banning-their-comments-manifesto-and-books–lets-stop-and-talk
“As valiant as our campaign to silence racism may seem, what we really need to do is understand it. We’ll need to meet people, in real life. Perhaps the only good thing of these past days has been meeting people. I’ve seen diversity and genuine interest from strangers in one and other. It has restored a sense of heart during a time that has seemed so dark. Maybe we also need to reach out to those who share views similar to the attacker. Our only other option is to live under a surveillance state.”
He’s getting dangerously close to having an open mind, eh? Leftist brain police will have to bombard him with denial. Hippie advocacy of peace, love & understanding prevailed over the mainstreamer’s ethos of war, hate and misunderstanding during the seventies, but perhaps we are due to repeat the cycle…
This is your expert’s advice
“We’ll need to meet people, in real life.”
You are correct, that’s ‘dangerously close to an open mind’, and the left will undoubtedly be upset by the concept of sunlight and human relations.
Thanks for the wisdom.
“Maybe we also need to reach out to those who share views similar to the attacker.”
We’ve seen you doing exactly that. What a humanitarian.
Unlike you to give credit where it’s due, but I appreciate the momentary lapse. 😇
I think this is a much better example where censorship might be considered OTT, but maybe still worth a debate:
The word: cyclist.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12216990
Indeed a good example. Who would have thought that cyclist is dehumanising? However, social science research would need to establish a solid basis for deciding that the word does have that effect in the minds of most drivers.
People who drive motor vehicles franky. Please don’t dehumanise them or Nanelle will get upset. I’m sure the people who conduct research have done a fine job for the person who teaches at a place where people go to learn stuff after they finish learning stuff at the places where people under 18 go to learn easier stuff.
I imagine certain phrases can become ‘curses’ rapidly in social media where meme generation is a full time preoccupation for some.
There are some drivers who feel the road is solely their domain, and cyclists are encroaching on it. While I think entitlement is a large part of the issue, it comes from both sides. We’ve all seen the clips of cyclists two-three abreast on winding country roads – and cyclists have all been cut off at some point…
Again, two aggrieved sides, escalation, words traded, sides taken.
Across the road from me a Professor who cycles. Next door a tradie with a pick up. Neighbors and friends.
Neither the enemy, but when I drive the cyclists are annoying, and when I cycle the cars are dangerous. The (slight) dehumanising aspect occurs in a split second. The brain keeps this rot in check so I can drive A-B and all involved get home safely.
The driver who thinks the road is theirs, the cyclist who thinks the road is theirs, both part of the problem. imo.
I think referring to cyclists as people on bicycles has merit. But is it all a bit silly?
You’re right – there’s a silly side plus a serious side. I’ve encountered the `cyclists two-three abreast’ thing myself several times. I wonder if they are deliberately breaking the law or if the law got changed & I never noticed.
I became a competitive driver in Auckland & Sydney traffic, ended up always beating others to the gap in the traffic flow, but nowadays take it real easy. I know how road rage kicks in fast.
Absolutely agree to take it easy.
My advice to any friends visiting AK is to give themselves an extra half hour for their journeys across town. So if traffic hits they’re still ok not frothing. Phones help too. Pull aside and let your destination know you’re in traffic it takes the pressure right off.
And I always take some reading with me, for when traffic is light I get to relax before meetings. Others might prefer something else to reading.
I think it would be useful to spread memes/public education something around when you see a cyclist – it is a human on a cycle – when you see a car – it is a human in a car. Obviously more catchy than that…
From drivers vs cyclists to humans in cars and humans on bikes.
The main reason why cyclists don’t always keep closely to the left is to prevent motorists from cutting them off at intersections, pinch points, bridges and roundabouts.
Every cyclist frequently has the experience of a car or truck coming dangerously close at a point where the rider has no room to move, and as a matter of simple survival they quickly find the best tactic is to move to the centre of the lane for a short period to stop this from happening.
Then when space permits the rider or group will generally move back closer to the left. Cyclists riding in large groups are almost always moving at a reasonable speed usually > 40km/hr and while people love moaning about these ‘lycra-clad road rats’, for the most part they really don’t hold motorists up for more than 30secs or maybe a minute or two at worst.
While the road code does give guidance around motorists to leaving a 1.0 or 1.5m passing distance, the reality is that there are many places where achieving that is not possible.
http://cyclingchristchurch.co.nz/2015/11/13/mythbusting-what-a-safe-passing-rule-means/
Years back I was riding somewhere in the South Is near Timaru heading onto a bridge, when an NZR bus roared past at full speed, frighteningly close. I crossed the bridge and a bit shaken took a break on the other side. I still recall my shock at finding a distinct little pile of NZR bus paint on the buckle of my roadside pannier.
Good link that RL, A most important point is made:
” If it is a narrow road, then generally the safest option is to overtake using the next lane over, when the way is clear. If it’s not safe to overtake due to oncoming traffic, then slow down and wait – it’s what you would do if it was (say) a slow-moving tractor. It’s interesting how so many drivers jump straight to the default option of trying to squeeze past between a bike and an adjacent motor vehicle”
In cities one reason not to keep left is car door openers – a real hazard.
Back when I biked frequently I used to reckon on one close call a week, and the only real solution is to keep as far as possible away from drivers. Things like the free left turn bikes take at lights are a safety thing – they put space between you and trouble.
Park cars, when the driver exit, they can’t see a cyclist, the further left the more in the blind spot. So good drivers know this, and govt should lower speed to 30 in tightly parked areas.
@ Soddenleaf
There is actually a simple cure for the car door bike killers. In the Netherlands, drivers are taught to open doors with the inside hand, which tilts the shoulders and makes looking behind much easier – no risk of cricks in necks.
As an (almost) daily cyclist, the biggest thing motorists need to remember is, cycles are allowed to ride in the lane. Not confined to the left of the white line where the parked cars, glass, bits of metal, sharp stones etc reside. If I am passing parked cars I allow for someone opening the door.
I understand the arguments from both sides and in general it boils down to tolerance. I have had quite a few arguments with people over the ‘rights’ of cyclists but I have found that asking them whose fault it is why kids no longer find it safe to bike to school usually shuts them up.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12216713
Not really sure how being licensed, have a WOF and Rego contributed to this situation…
There is such an unsatisfactory story here. Cyclists are not being looked after. Everyone is disadvantaged who is trying to be responsible and not use cars.
* A cyclist is doing good for themselves and the planet.
* But there is not a safe lane for them.
* If they go for too long in the way of a car the driver can’t use the car effectively. So has to dawdle behind the cyclist. and holds up a line of traffic at 10-20km when the road was built and planned for 40 km up.
* Bikes on pavements – I hadn’t realised that adults aren’t legally allowed to ride there, just children. I don’t notice adult cyclists paying much attention to the law, and both adults and schoolboys in my area are menacing pedestrians without concern as they whip by either silently, or alarmingly with bells announcing I’m coming – get out of my way.
* If one runs into me and I fall over and sprain or break something, who cares? Who pays for my doctor visit, for the extra dressings I need, for my pain relief, for my lost opportunities while I recover at home stiff and sore? Who recompenses me for the loss of my freedom to move relaxed and peaceful on the footpath without the constraint of awareness, to enjoy my surroundings without being compromised by vehicles that can harm me?
* Cyclists involved in an accident have those same problems.
So they move onto the footpath and endanger pedestrians and behave just like the drivers they are avoiding.
* The effect of cyclists children and adults on the footpath is
that pedestrians have to be on the watchout as if they are walking on a road with slowish traffic; a pavement, is supposed to be a safe haven from vehicles on the road, but is now a path taken over by two-wheeled vehicles, mobility carts, scooters and now Lime scooters.
Ways forward:
* All bicycles with a chain and pedals, even little ones must have a licence with number plates, not too costly but enough to cover the adminisration and number plate costs. This will put in people’s and children’s minds that they are driving a moving vehicle and they must take care, and avoid pedestrians, not the other way round.
* Same for mobility scooters which will be required to use the footpath unless it is too narrow etc. (On the road mobility scooters are really dangerous as their riders are often away in another world, or in a bubble of entitlement that doesn’t include being courteous to other road users.)
* Anyone who runs into someone or causes an accident should, as part of a code of behaviour which will be drawn up and publicised continually to bike and mobility riders, have to help the person they have struck or caused to fall, and leave their licence number.
** And car imports should gradually be reduced, cars should go back to normal size not be high, metal, tiny houses.
* Public transport increase.
* Legitimate taxi companies set up an arrangement where you can place an order for one at a set price, but choose to register for a shared route going to your destination with the cost apportioned. This might take people to a rail hub, a bit like a small bus but would come to your door. There would be a flag fall fee for registering for the shared ride.
* Uber drivers have to pay a flag-fall to the government for each ride. And the system have to pay a user-free for use of the roads.
* Roads should where possible have a wide left hand lane for bikes.
* Planners should stop doing just the same as they do overseas as we are different. Other systems may not work in NZ. Give them a try in some places but not blanket over a whole area.
* Bicycles and bus and truck drivers should have special understandings of each other, be encouraged to see themselves as special, worthy people, looking out for each other; bicycles good for the planet and trucks and buses hauling things and people around – helping, working for community and our business. Each aware of the other and trying to be very clear about hand signals and being aware of future moves.
* Bicycles to have rear mirrors on handlebars so they know what is behind.
* Lime scooters zipping past my place or on city footpaths always a bit fast are going to be more than an irritation.
* There needs to be a tiny, inexpensive Court to deal with infractions (and perhaps fractures) on the footpath so that pedestrians and other users have somewhere to meet and settle who should pay costs after injury and damage. And an established level of violence is to be allowed. Hitting someone over the head with a handbag just okay, but if it has a brick in it, no. Using a bottle will be forbidden. Slapping with gloves means a fine or cycle pumps at dawn with seconds present.
And there should be a code of conduct – pedestrians must not stand having long conversations in the middle of the path; no poking umbrellas through the bicycle spokes, or at riders. Water pistols would be allowed, but not containing indelible dyes.
I have written down all the thoughts that came to me. We need to make changes and I thought that would be a nice lot to start with. No doubt there will be some helpful comments on these.
I’m definitely learning things here I’d not fully considered before with regards to cyclists on roads.
I think more public education is required – education in the points cyclists and car drivers are making here, and other relevant points of course.
Life saving education. Bonus – making the roads more pleasant to be on.
Time management
Respect
Understanding the other’s perspective and situation (a mile in the others shoes)
Re-humanising fellow travelers
WTB= ” I think more public education is required – education in the points cyclists and car drivers are making here,”
What about truck drivers too?
2400 truck movements pass every day on Napier’s roads to Napier port so how do you intend to police the trucks?
Answers please?
Camera surveillance perhaps like Tauranga had on noisy trucks??
14 Feb 2014 12:55 pm | NZ Transport Agency
https://www.nzta.govt.nz/media-releases/noise-camera-a-sound-initiative/
NZ Transport Agency
1. Media releases
Noise camera a ‘sound’ initiative
14 Feb 2014 12:55 pm | NZ Transport Agency
The NZ Transport Agency is working with the Road Transport Association NZ, Log Transport Safety Council, and National Road Carriers to reduce engine braking noise through a trial in Tauranga.
A ‘noise camera’, which has been installed on SH2 Takitimu Drive near the Elizabeth St roundabout, is at the centre of the trial.
Transport Agency Freight Director Harry Wilson says the camera, a first for New Zealand, photographs only those trucks using noisy engine brakes.
“Answers please?”
I don’t have answers.
The conversation will require all road users and persons cleverer than me at the table. There’s obviously misunderstanding on both sides (cyclists/motorists) as to road rules regarding cycling, and motorists ‘rights’.
Maybe the process would be something like: Work out exactly what’s what – data, law and the views/experiences of road users and experts, see if things might need a tweak to improve safety and then tweak, package in laymans terms a guide for all road users, disseminate the information broadly.
I like the noise cameras, clever.
Two abreast is legal. You just have to think of them as just another slow vehicle. Like the old guy with a cap driving at 30 k.
Also riding in front of a car to ensure your safety, on a road or roundabout where it is too narrow for the car to pass you against oncoming traffic, without pushing you off the road.
Some Car drivers often think they have an absolute right to pass a bike, and a tractor or any slower vehicle, in any situation. Or to turn left in front of you.
The rules say you cannot pass unless you can do it safely. Same as with any vehicle which holds you up. That means being able to keep at least 1m from the bike.
I’ve biked in just about all New Zealand cities. Most car drivers are actually OK. Often they simply don’t see you. Something you have to allow for. Their focus is on other cars. I’ve decided Auckland drivers drive with their eyes shut 🙂
It is only in Wellington, I’ve had car drivers deliberately try and run me over.
I stopped cycling into uni in Auckland it was too dangerous. Rain made road surfaces reflective and shiny, sun made buildings reflective and shiny, pedestrians darting across, buses weaving in and out… I walked.
Sensory overload!
Much nicer walking, and often just as fast as the backed up traffic.
Two abreast was illegal when I passed my driver test & got my licence in ’67. Either that or I’m now so old memory is unreliable.
http://cyclingchristchurch.co.nz/2013/06/16/can-you-ride-two-abreast/
“Many cyclists believe that the law is completely on their side with this behaviour, as the Road Code (and the underlying legal Road Rules) allows cyclists to ride two abreast. However the rules do not give cyclists the right to ride two abreast in all circumstances. For example, they must resume cycling single-file when passing to the right of another vehicle, including a parked vehicle. Technically this makes it rather hard to ride next to your mate on many urban streets; you’d be constantly switching back and forth between one and two abreast.”
https://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/roadcode/cyclist-code/about-cycling/rules/
Always ride as near as you can to the left side of the road. If you are holding back traffic you must move as far as possible to the left side of the road to allow traffic to pass, as soon as you can. However, you do need to cycle in a sensible position on the road to keep safe. See Cyclist responsibilities for more information.
Two cyclists can ride next to each other but should take into account the keep left rule and not hold back traffic. Three or more people cycling next to each other is illegal, except in the case of a road race that has been given traffic management approval from a road controlling authority.
It’s actually a pretty balanced article, DF just quoted the bits that are the cons against censoring nazis.
The amount of effort to lift your foot slightly off the accelerator or softly push the break pedal is nothing compared to those cyclists using all their energy in all weather. It astounds me how impatient drivers are, just calm the fuck down. Sure there are idiot cyclists, but there are a screaming lot of bully car drivers out there.
I’m trying to keep out of the cycling debate.
The cycling debate is othering.
Othering is easy when you are in a car and they are in lycra.
A related example: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HdgVcGjzgR4
I doubt there’s ever been a war in Yemen without British involvement.
At least five members of Britain’s special forces have reportedly been injured in gun battles in Yemen. If true, the story has serious implications because the British government has long insisted that it is not a party to the conflict.
https://medium.com/@Brian_Whit/british-forces-injured-in-yemen-is-uk-now-a-party-to-the-conflict-7149fc0efcbd
Well technically it may have “serious implications” but who really cares about Yemen when the papers are full of Brexit.
The “man on the Clapham Omnibus” – (the famous average Joe in England) worries about himself and whether Brexit will affect his holiday in Spain this year.
May is toast, so who is actually worrying about Yemen? Surely not her, and it wont sell papers but for one day, Then its back to Brexit and how it will affect our holidays in Spain.
The yankers mightn’t have even told Maybot there were pommies in Yemen.
Were they hit by fragments of wedding guests?
You’se kin pry mah BBQ tongs from mah cold deed hands.
Kiwi Nationalism.
Rugger version – you can take the ‘Crusaders’ name from my…
Yeah…
Ha ha – oh yes there fuckin’ is matey! I’ll be feeling both joy and happiness when yours finishes.
I usually find that somewhere between 45-55% of the nation finds joy and happiness in the end of a high profile politicians career.
Tho the numbers may have been higher when Bill Birch pulled the pin
Poor Jacob isn’t nearly as smart as his dad Bill.
It will be interesting to know who has been pressing this guys buttons in Christchurch, I doubt very much he is a “Lone Wolf”, I think some of the other shooters at the Bruce Rifle Range should be investigated by the SIS ?
I had the same impression from the ex-soldier who joined that gun club, was dismayed by the culture, and never went back! Saw him interviewed a couple of times, thought he was a credible witness.
I’m sure the authorities are all over it. Unless someone’s cousin / school chum would rather they weren’t.
I would think that the other shooters at Bruce Rifle Range will have been investigated thoroughly in the past week or so.
To not do so would be negligent
So disgusting and the cause of SO MUCH SUFFERING – just horrendous.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/111311921/we-finally-know-the-true-extent-of-abuse-in-state-care-it-is-shocking
That article was originally published on the morning of the 15th. I recall Siobahn and myself, both as former foster parents, had a brief discussion about these dreadful stats. This was before our world exploded.
Significant is that the the numbers are high because Oranga Tamariki are collecting and recording the data differently….there may not actually be more abuse…it is that the abuse is being counted.
Also relevant is the breakdown of which particular type of person involved with the care of these children is attracting the greatest number of complaints…and type of complaint.
And when Oranga Tamariki fail to act decisively on notifications from concerned neighbours… https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/385757/little-waihi-residents-vow-that-2yo-nevaeh-jahkaya-whatukura-ager-s-death-not-in-vain
This whanau’s world was exploding in full public view, in the glare of the media spotlight, and none of the authorities the neighbours expressed their concerns to about the wee girl’s safety stepped in to save her life.
Yes I wanted to bring it back to awareness for some – for others like us we havent forgotten it – just timing really.
It is so difficult to rejoin/trust society when state sanctioned caregivers are in fact tormentors and abusers. Especially where folk then go to other authorities only to be patronised and have it all swept under the carpet.
And so a new generation arrive with anti-social tendencies created by society.
I remember you posting on the 15th about this. I left a poem there as it’s all a bit close for comfort to talk at length about here.
I met Shane in State ‘Care’.
Shane
He was 14 and he slept
Curled up in our dog kennel
Under an old cooking apple tree
That had seen
It was better, he said
than the last foster care
and the one before that
and back through the years
He had the prettiest longest eyelashes
This side of the Caribbean
and he
Won hearts and minds
and he
Broke them again
The prize, he said, is Doctor’s bags
Chemists shelves
And surgery swag
As he lit out from his captors
Once more
He was caught then escaped
Till too aged for such japes
Then they took him to Waikeria
To grow old.
I’d like to think that it is understood that not all ‘state sanctioned caregivers’ are/were tormentors and abusers…
Most of us did our very best…realising that in many cases it would never be enough.
I can say with some certitude that all of the children we cared for needed to be removed from their family home to ensure their immediate safety. The myth that authorities are constantly cruising, seeking to violently remove perfectly happy children from safe and loving homes needs to be debunked once and for all.
It simply isn’t true in the vast number of instances. And when they are tardy in responding to reports of children at risk…yet another dead child.
That the authorities (because who the hell knows what we’ll be calling them next restructuring) don’t place these children in safe environments and don’t provide much needed support for these children and their new (hopefully temporary) families is the true crime.
The fact that so many children’s homes are so absolutely dysfunctional, and there seems to be no imperative to find out why is a national disgrace.
“Most of us did our very best…realising that in many cases it would never be enough.”
I absolutely agree. And if not for people like yourself in the system, some of us would have had no hope.
What got/still gets me is that there have been no significant improvements in the care and protection of children since I was officially an ‘at risk’ child some fifty odd years ago.
Yes. There’s so much that works in society, but why aren’t we actively taking on feedback and fixing the things which aren’t working and especially causing harm? BAU finds it inconvenient? Too simplistic…
Perhaps we are at least in some areas now making progress. For me it seems the wheels grind interminably slower for those aware of the issues.
e.g. Some people have been fighting on climate change for half a century or maybe more, that’s got to be SO frustrating. I was a late tagger on, maybe 20 years, still feeling a bit tired of talking about it 😉
I remember someone caring for a young child who came to them without any of the personal management milestones, and was helped greatly. Soon she could use the toilet, didn’t do it all in her pants/naps. But each time she went back home to visit she would return having reverted to the default system she had adopted in all the basics. It was very hard to deal with and it seemed that keeping her in touch with home was possibly spoiling her development, retarding her so she would be behind her peers as she grew up. It also made foster care of her more difficult than it should have been, and more demanding on the rest of the household.
This week, there have been two opinion pieces commenting on gangs following to the Christchurch massacres. Stuff’s offering from Mike Yardley, was based on old prejudices, unsubstantiated assumptions and was dripping with cynicism and insulting language. In it he advocated legal changes which would presume gang members should not share the same rights as others and indicated that gangs should be disposed of by the State using violent means. To add flavor, he referenced a comment by the Minister of Police that was at odds with the aspirational, inclusive and kindness of the Prime Minister that have gained international respect. The rant was obviously poorly researched, ill-considered and lacked the insight and eloquence of Paito Fatu, the inspirational president of the county’s largest Mongrel Mob chapter. In summary, he depicting a country where the ‘good people’ are constantly being assaulted in a war with gang members who are armed to the teeth with semi-automatic rifles that they won’t surrender. A strange commentary when it was white supremacy that stirred the pot. Stuff carried the opinion piece at the most inopportune of times but at least had the decency to remove it from the website within hours. On the other hand, today’s Herald carries an informed nuanced opinion piece by a qualified researcher and expert, Jarrod Gilbert (https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12216426).
Gilbie has no idea aomy.
Its becoming so hard to tell who these ‘good people ‘ are,
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/thai-king-urges-support-for-good-people-hours-before-polls-open
thank some deity for bertold brecht
Sonny Fatu inspired nothing but fear for a long time. The name is legend in some circles and it aint good. A supposed change of heart is commendable, but cynicism is not unreasonable (not talking about the news attack pieces but people in general).
I commend the man for his current stance. It is up to him to show if he is posturing or genuine. We love redemption stories, and they do occur. If Sonny can turn it around, there’s hope for a lot of bad bastards.
Address addictions, they make bad stuff worse and healing much harder.
Address hate by humbling yourself in the service of others more vulnerable than yourself. When love is given, love is received, not before.
Service to your community builds pride.
Staying your hand shows strength. Especially where you are stronger physically.
Re-establish ties to culture and family where broken. Be patient. Where family is not present build new ties based on love and respect.
It’s so much better being part of the world than hating it. Despite the fact some may have lists of grievances against them, it is not an excuse to cause harm.
You could find good news every day if you sought it out. Even better, you could create good news.
Some might think I’m patronising, they have no idea of the shit I’ve survived to be here.
It’s so much better being part of the world than hating it.
This.
Some might think I’m patronising, they have no idea of the shit I’ve survived to be here.
No it was always clear you were being honest and authentic to your own story …
Still overly defensive I guess.
Yardley’s piece is still there….https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-shooting/111533164/despite-their-sorrow-over-the-terror-attacks-nz-gangs-have-not-changed
…and Gilbert is not entirely 100% without a modicum of skepticism, in fact he says…
” There will be sceptics, of course, and that isn’t just understandable; it’s probably healthy.
Not only are the Mongrel Mob responsible for some of New Zealand’s most notorious crimes – think Ambury Park 1986 – but they have also been apt to bite the hand that helps them.
In 2012 a chapter in Dunedin were given access to $20,000 of Whanau Ora funding and they promptly used it to set up a cannabis growing operation. Entrepreneurial, for sure, but not what was envisaged.
So people are right to cast a narrow eye to see how this plays out, but the evidence thus far is there to see. ”
If the days of a father with peripheral Mob connections saying his 15 year old daughter deserved the ‘block’ for hanging around the gang house are over…I’ll be on the road to optimism.
As Gilbert says….these guys are getting old…hopefully they’ll use the last of their ‘influence’ for positive change.
aom
Thanks for link to Jarrod Gilbert. It is interesting to know what he is thinking after his in-depth period being in contact with gangs and knowing how they tick.
As for Mike Yardley, here is a man who apparently free lances and writes in a punchy style, well flavoured so to speak. He does a bit of everything, likes travel, and is probably waiting for his next assignment there. In the meantime he needs to provide some lucre in his pocket and the gangs are reliably colourful and rambunctious.
There is hope for good things from gang initiatives that have come up FTTT and I looked at Denis O’Reilly? the other day for some background. We can give more positives to him and the other leaders who want to find a place where they can be good citizens able to make their way legally whether pakeha or Maori.
You mention Paito Fatu and if he and his Mongrel Mob cohort want to move in a positive direction, that’s good, and the good they have achieved so far should be cause for a happy smile from citizens and with a willingness to support further steps. So let us hear less of Mike Yardley popping up for a fast buck, and more from the Mongrel Mob going after the decent life which should be due to everybody in this society who cares to be a good citizen, whether they wear a suit coat or a leather jacket showing a golf club, or other, logo on it.
A provincial election has been called in Canada’s smallest province Prince Edward Island. The Greens are currently leading in the polls. Should they win they will be the country’s first Green government at provincial level. Islanders will also vote in a referendum on electoral reform asking if they want to stay with FPTP or switch to MMP.
https://globalnews.ca/news/5065522/poll-pei-election/
Shit Scott I drove around PEI (Prince Edward Island in February 1976 as a resident Kiwi in Toronto before leaving Canada.
They are the most friendly folks I have ever met, and a lot of residents there spend all winter in the pubs there, and it reminded me of the west coast of South Island here.
I can see why they would vote for ‘Greens’ as it is a horticulture industry and fishing mainly.
There was a settlement at the south east side of PEI that is called New Zealand.
I stopped at the store and we three kiwis signed the log book of visitors and there was the library of evidence that explained how it was named after a Mariner from NZ was sailing around PEI in the early 1900’s about 1910 i think from memory and he capsized his boat on a reef there and set up their life there afterwards.
You have to hand it to Claire Trevett. Her articles are always well put together, and often very funny. He latest offering is both:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12216819
This bit:
LOL
Claire and Hooten have had to go back over a decade to any Labour leader responsibility for lack of gun control.
Anytime they want to hold National’s last three terms to account would be good.
Hooten’s shocking bias against Labour and in defence of National undercuts any rational message he may have.
Hooten = RWNJ
Oh i paid a million for my home, no, wait you paid two… …these peolple selling homes to each other to tap capital gain are bottom of the barrel capitalists. Creaming the top for no advantage to the economy. End the private tax on us all, tax capital gains now.
A fairly charitable read of the situation from the Washington Post:
When it comes to foreign invaders, we must be vigilant:
https://www.ticketmaster.co.nz/The-Wiggles-tickets/artist/705291
Is the ‘big red car’ a communist trojan horse?
Does the song ‘toot toot chuga chuga’ encourage our infants to use cocaine and beer?
And what of ‘hot potato’ – a reference to the contentious immigration debate?
In the Herald today there is an article stating that The Wiggles have Sold Out.
Who to?
They’ll deny it, of course, but we mustn’t give them any wriggle room.
Thank you – I needed a smile after wading through all that combative stuff!
Pence? Does he even believe the moon exists wtf is going on here – just out right bullshit or a way to get the big rockets fixed for spacearmy.
http://www.astronomy.com/news/2019/03/pence-america-will-put-astronauts-back-on-the-moon-in-five-years
Yay to space science. Boo to the posturing.
One could argue the Earth has more pressing issues, but others might argue the Earth is cooked and we need an escape capsule.
Others might simply argue 😉
I am a self confessed space geek. I don’t go too deep into it as all that math is well over my pay grade. But I absolutely love the imagery and commentary returned by excursions and experts.
This stuff fires the imagination, lends wonder and discovery to jaded minds.
To Pence it is a PR tool. A powerful PR tool for an administration direly in need of PR.
Murica!
Yeah – funny. A few days saying “no collusion”, then when the news starts saying “no ,i>conclusive evidence of collusion” we’re back to the moon lol
They need the space suits, first.
The comments under the article are funny.
I’m picturing an earlier meeting in which the administration agreed on the need for a bold new initiative to inspire the American people, something like JFK’s announcement that the US would send astronauts to the moon, and Pence noting down “inspring new initiative – astronauts to moon.”
Damn – is Trump getting all his policy from Iron Sky?
So proud of our people, of our youth. Thank you.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/rnz/teacher-shuts-down-hate-speech-wake-terror-attack
Here on Earth we stand living our our potentially wonderful lives of everyday impact of new ideas, new vistas, change and building on the past, retaining, holding what we can of the good, and trying to learn from the bad. A full time job. Exploring caves with features built up over a the course of a thousand lifetimes. And the capitalist creations made from thousands of ideas and agreements and tokens have built the money system that strips Earth of its resources and denies people the ability or right to have a place to stand and live and be themselves.
Instead capitalism has tilted the playing field where the people stand so that most of us will slide, fall off and die. Then the money-mad materialists will use the requisitioned required resources to send a man and woman to the moon for a permanent base. They know so much that when they look up to the sky they don’t see heaven, religious fantasies are for fools. They have better, scientific fantasies. It’s doing things and utilising the money system that fires the sagging dolls of capitalism as pictured in the Alex cartoons in The Telegraph, limited to their rat runs and their figures on screens.
Caves:
Caves reveal past climate change
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/audio/2018688270/caves-reveal-past-climate-change
US wants permanent moon base in five years
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018688550/us-wants-permanent-moon-base-in-five-years
(They will go that far just to get away from those pesky Mexicans?)
Alex – just double click for size.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/alex/alex-archive/
Former White House adviser Steve Bannon believes President Trump will “come off the chains” and “go full animal” on his political opponents. “He will use it to bludgeon them,”
https://nypost.com/2019/03/25/bannon-predicts-trump-to-go-full-animal-now-that-russia-probe-is-over/
Bannon expects the next year in politic to be the most vitriolic since the civil war.
Fasten your seat belts, world.
well he should know, right?
I would agree with that assessment.
The Billion dollar fix.
In the days preceding the official conclusion of the Mueller Report, Brad Parscale, Trump’s campaign manager, was on a trip to Romania, where he outlined a $1 billion dollar strategy to get the U.S. President re-elected in 2020.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tudormihailescu/2019/03/24/trump-campaign-chief-outlines-1-billion-strategy-for-2020-on-trip-to-romania/amp/
Latest is;
This will be exposed in documents being released soon.
Republican Senior Lindsey Graham press release; He claims; –
George Soros Billionaire bankrolled a campaign to get a phony Russian collusion case against Donald Trump from Russia/Ukraine contacts under Hillary Clinton before his election as an ‘insurance policy’ should he win that election.
The case began when “A secretive Washington firm that commissioned the dubious intelligence dossier on Donald Trump is stonewalling congressional investigators trying to learn more about its connections to the Democratic Party.”
“The Senate Judiciary Committee is also investigating whether the FBI has wrongly relied on the anti-Trump dossier and its author, Christopher Steele — the old spy who was hired by Fusion GPS to build a Russia file on Trump — to aid its ongoing espionage investigation into the Trump campaign and its possible ties to Moscow.”
We know this was fake information now of Russian Collusion between Trump debunked by special Council Mueller.
https://nypost.com/2017/06/24/inside-the-shadowy-intelligence-firm-behind-the-trump-dossier/
How to sell a massacre part 2 is up
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/australia-nation-offered-change-voting-system-cash-190327170846167.html
Oh deary me…
Thanks WTB for the link, much appreciated.
NRA targeting NZ social media users
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12216973
‘From the cradle to the grave’
The Welfare State still lives
We have Corporate Welfare, where the government spends $1.7 billion protecting investors in the collapsed South Canterbury Finance, and another $1.48 billion bailing out AMI insurance when they wouldn’t pay out their insurance claims after the Christchurch Earthquake.
Now the Government say they will cover the losses of Spec Builders.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/383859/what-does-the-crown-underwrite-of-kiwibuild-homes-mean-for-taxpayers
Good to know spec builders are being looked after,
Meanwhile, as spec builders get paid for houses left standing empty, for lack of buyers.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/107698218/at-least-3600-homeless-in-auckland-but-problem-could-be-worse-than-count-results-show
Kia ora Newshub It’s good that Facebook has started to ban the hate group from their site.
Its is awesome that the joint year of tourism with China and Aotearoa is underway Kelvin.
I seen the stats on the Sips tamariki being abuse more mess our humane Government has to clean up.
NO comment on brexit. The Tauranga Council need to get its – – – – they created the environment for the poor homeless people I drove through greeaton quite a lot I never seen that many homeless that shop owner looks like he has a personal problem with poor people – – – – – – – -. It gives me hope that someone is challenging this law in the courts.
With the elite school issues in America at the minute that is how the systems work in America and around the world?????????.
Thunder birds car in Britain Lloyd it looks like a classic and its getting a lot of interest from potential buyers Ka pai. Ka kite ano
Kia ora Te ao Maori News
Its looks like the government needs to do some more research on classification of manuka honey everyone knows the best Manuka Honey comes from the place where it was first discovered and has the highest % of the good stuff in it Te tairawhiti. Sea Lords has to clean up its act.
Its cool to see te tai tokerou kapa haka is on the up ka kite ano P.S I see
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.
Kia ora R&R With the emrgenc of super bugs part of the problem is drug companies pushing the sale of antibiotics hence the bugs mutanta and become rasistance to drugs. That is another reason money it’s not profitable for the company’s to develop the drugs so government has to step up and make sure the drugs are being research and develop.
That is the reason why we need to protect Tane Mahuta Wild life because one of the plants /animals that are going EXTINCT could hold the cure for humam AILMENTs.
We best learn fast to save these species from extinction if not that could be the down fall of humans.
We also should research old Maori medicines to. I agree with him tangata go to the DOCTOR. Live longer to guide OUR Mokopuna up there ladders of Life. Ka kite ano