What do we have to look forward to this Easter? Getting out in the garden? Time with family?
Nope – more expensive power as our dodgy government is again held to ransom by a struggling multinational down on their luck asking for just a few million to tide them over. And who doesn’t trust a multinational? After all, they are just taxpaying citizens like the rest of us.
KABUL, March 27 (Reuters) – Afghan and international special forces staged a night raid in the country’s restive east, with police on Wednesday saying five civilians died in the operation, four of them children.
While the defence ministry said there had been no civilian deaths in the overnight operation in Logar province, Reuters television footage taken in the village, Sejewand, showed the bodies of at least three children.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has previously criticised special forces raids in Afghan villages, particularly those in which civilians are killed.
An Interior Ministry statement said 23 Taliban fighters were killed and 26 captured during the fighting in Sejewand.
Logar police official Rais Khan Seddiq said the operation was undertaken by Afghan commandos, assisted by international special forces, in order to rescue two Afghan soldiers captured the previous day by the Taliban.
“Two civilians were killed and three were wounded,” Seddiq said, adding that those wounded had later died. Four of the dead were children, he said.
The defence ministry rejected any notion of civilian deaths. The ministry’s head of operations, Afzal Aman, told Reuters that all those killed or detained had been carrying weapons.
“We … do not accept the claim of civilian casualties. All those killed or detained were armed, but an investigation is occurring and it will become clear if there are any civilians among the dead,” he said.
Allegations of disappearances and illegal killings in neighbouring Wardak province prompted Karzai to halt all U.S. special operations there last month. While he also ordered international troops out of some areas of the province, that has yet to occur.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at least 40 civilians had been killed during the fighting, but later revised that figure to 28.
The Taliban often claim their fighters killed in battle were civilians, an ISAF spokesman said.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) says it has reduced civilian casualties in recent years, and insurgents such as the Taliban are now responsible for 84 per cent of all such deaths and injuries. (Additional Reporting by Mirwais Harooni; Writing by Dylan Welch; Editing by Ron Popeski)
We do not have special forces in Syria who are involved in any sort of operations. At least, not that I know of. We send troops to Afghanistan and are supposed to thank them for fighting for our freedom, serving their country etc. To me, this makes a focus on Afghanistan relevant, not to mention that people dying in one part of the world does not excuse deaths in another.
Wanting something worthwhile and political to do over the Holiday week end?
How about this?
Meet for a roadside rally this holiday Monday at the Mangatangi Mine site beside State Highway 2
Auckland Coal Action and Coal Free Mangatawhiri are calling for the public to rally this Monday beside State Highway 2 at the site of the Fonterra’s proposed new Mangatangi coal mine:
Start time: 2pm
Meeting place: Bell Road overbridge
Coming from Auckland; Exit the state highway at the Mangatawhiri off ramp, to meet at Bell Road. From there march down to the main road.
Easter, Spoke to my mother who will be giving a reading on Sunday, and talked about the Pope. She is a staunch Anglican, and tolerates her sons agnosticism with some guarded difficulty. We both agreed that old institutions change at a snails pace, and that inertia is a challenge for Francis. As a pair of Fabians we like the cut of Francis cloth however. From Stuff today:
Speaking to about 1600 priests from Rome who attended the St Peter’s Mass, he said those who did not live in humility close to the people risked becoming “collectors of antiques or novelties – instead of being shepherds living with ‘the smell of the sheep'”.
“Those who do not go out of themselves, instead of being mediators, gradually become intermediaries, managers. We know the difference: the intermediary, the manager … doesn’t put his own skin and his own heart on the line, he never hears a warm, heartfelt word of thanks,” he said. Francis said priests should not get bogged down in “introspection” but step outside of themselves and concentrate on those who need their help.
Quote of the week, “If we had a Race Relations Commissioner worth her black balls….”, Marama Davidson on housing and how it ties in with a multitude of other issues.
BB askes, What does the future of home ownership look like for GenX’s and GenY’s?
“Well it looks good in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney”, replies Efeso Collins.
This government will and are copying policies the Tories in the U$K are doing including taking a more agressive sanctions attitude. I’ve seen two young fit men begging for money in Wellington a week ago. 🙁 .
Now the U$K is doing a sanctions goal score card which encourages case managers to get “nasty” if claimants slip up in any way on their obligations! This government won’t be far behind believe you me:
‘ A second adviser to contact the Guardian said he worked in a medium-sized jobcentre in the north-east of England, and said he was appalled at the attitude of management towards sanctions.
“I have been an adviser for many years and have always prided myself on the help I have given claimants, whilst still testing their conditionality and ensuring they were aware of their responsibilities. Now, however, the emphasis seems to be about persecuting claimants and all advisers are being pressured into referring claimants to the decision-makers in the hope that people will sign off and contribute to the off-flow target.
“At my last review I was told in no uncertain terms that I needed to start identifying more people to refer for sanctioning and, as my next review looms, I feel under pressure now to start picking on people, otherwise I will be put on a performance improvement plan.” ‘
“Jobcentre ‘scorecard’ shows how areas are performing on stopping benefits
Table emerges after ministers deny existence of targets for sanctioning benefit claimants over jobseeking efforts”
—— Now, however, the emphasis seems to be about persecuting claimants and all advisers are being pressured into referring claimants to the decision-makers in the hope that people will sign off and contribute to the off-flow target.—– This is a policy of bureaucratic harassment to dishearten benefit claimants into just giving up altogether. This is already being done to disability claimants who are being persecuted by Atos and being forced to go through very stressful procedures in appealing ludicrous decisions made by this criminal outfit paid for by the scum Tories.
Government financial support for Benefit advocates here in NZ for review procedures are having that support cut. The objective is the bewildered demoralised bennie won’t know where to turn to to get help on his rights when he’s sanctioned for a minor infringement of his obligations.
Not convinced of the rest yet (frog….water slowly rising to the boil??) but certainly the replacement of cash handouts with food stamps I can see happening, except the ministry considered far worse – replacing food grants where low income earners could choose appropriate food for their dietary needs, and suitability with other stuff they could scrounge from their pantry with food parcels provided by supermarkets.
Undoubtedly the “parcels” would consist of food near it’s expiry, of low quality and with complete disregard for those of us with very specific food needs or limited preparation ability. In this way the supermarkets would off load their dodgy food they were throwing out and even make a profit from it.
With about 7% of the workforce out of work, literally hundreds of people turning up for jobs, and no signs of a government that gives a shit about helping to create jobs… Ummm… Perhaps this might be a structural issue rather than the religious morality one you seem to view it as.
If we mentioned them you’d have no reason to exist, dumarse. We on the left are kind hearted, compassionate people, and have no wish to take your delusions away from you.
You mean those doubled and tripled numbers of them on various job databases like Trade Me? And do you mean that odd needle in the large haystack – out on the farm?
That is what you get when you “outsource” and tender out services like medical assessments, work capacity assessments, work readying programs, parenting courses, whatever they will come up with.
It will be “bums on seats” representing “dollares”!
It will be turnover determining likely profit and more “dollares”!
It will be the whip and baton to “motivate” (not necessarily literally) the “clients” to do what is expected of them, and the “provider” will get even more “dollares”!
That is the kind of “motivational” program Bennett and NatACT “soft fascists” have on mind for good ol little NZ. It is strange, but why are so many measures and laws being adopted from the UK. It is as if colonialism is still not a thing of the past.
I dare not to call them (NatACT) “proper” fascists as yet, but they are getting there fast, by adopting a “soft” NAZI like approach.
This is an Open Letter to the people in charge of Labour’s communications. It is intended in a constructive spirit. Please take heed.
I have Google. That’s all. No IT skills, no insider contacts, no nothing … just an old computer and two finger typing.
That is all you need to find contradictions and confusion – on the record – in Labour’s stated positions. Every week there are more. Yesterday it was Tiwai Point (Parker versus Shearer). Today, it’s education – specifically, National Standards.
David Shearer visits Rotorua, and is reported thus:
Mr Shearer said that the national standards being used were not national and were not standardised. He gave his reassurance that if the Labour party was elected he would do away with national standards and charter schools.
Many would be pleased with this commitment to “do away with national standards”. But it’s a clear shift from Shearer’s previous statements, when he said they would be kept. For example …
So … is it policy? A commitment? Or just an attempt to say something nice?
Or was it mis-reported? If so, where is the correction?
You cannot do this, Labour. You cannot have the leader out there saying different things all the time. You cannot then blame the voters or the media for mis-representing you, if your leader is the one who mis-represents.
You cannot keep going around the regions and pretend it’s the 19th century, that the message to Dunedin student radio or a Gisborne newspaper or an Auckland business breakfast will not be picked up elsewhere. You are going to get Googled to death by Farrar, Slater and the rest of National’s attack dogs. They are collecting time-bombs for the campaign, and you’re providing them. It’s electoral suicide.
Either teach your “leader” how to communicate a clear and consistent message, or get a leader who can.
I don’t see it as an either/or situation, gobsmacked. People who know what they believe in and enter politics because of the fire in their belly don’t tend to have Shearer’s problems. He just has to go. Labour cannot afford him, and more importantly, we cannot afford him. When a politician is saying different things to Dunedin students and the Auckland bourgeoisie, it’s a pretty safe bet that what he wants to do is much closer to what he says in Auckland.
gobsmacked: When you have a memory like a Swiss cheese full of LARGE holes, forgetting about a bank account having over 50 or even 100 k dollars in it, and when you go around criticising others for their lack of memory, then it maybe better to shut up.
But a “leader” who always shuts up is what we had for too long.
So whatever, this man is a liability, and for his own well-being, and that of many others, he better be pulled out of traffic a.s.a.p..
Sadly I cannot see it, he races around like a boy racer with damaged brakes, and a car too big for him to steer. Nobody seems to bother too much.
While violence against women is a concern, violence against ANYBODY irrespective of gender or skin color etc is at least as an important concern.
It’s like saying “End Violence Against Asian People!”, implying its ok against any other group or “not as bad” or “not as important”.
Also it is something of a front for the Feminist/Social Constructionist Marx-y types who hide their true intentions behind apparently righteous social causes.
“It’s like saying “End Violence Against Asian People!”, implying its ok against any other group or “not as bad” or “not as important”.”
“End Violence Against Asian People” would be a perfectly reasonable stance if it were shown that Asian people were overwhelmingly the victims of violence relative to other groups.
But still what about the implication that other groups don’t matter or are “not as important”. Especially when those leading the crusade against “violence against women” are surprise surprise Feminists.
You need to come clean Felix, what are you – Marxist, Social Constructivist?
I’ve asked you several times already and you squirm out of it.
I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that before. Usually you just tell me what I am, and that seems to vary wildly depending on your meds.
But ignoring your irrelevant attempt at diversion, I fully support any effort to stop people throwing A bombs at the Japanese.
It hasn’t really been much of an issue in my lifetime. However in the 80s there was what seemed quite a real threat of the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. chucking bombs at each other and potentially destroying much of Europe and Nth America, and I – along with many others – voiced strong opinions on the matter.
You’ll note that it might be more difficult to find records of people speaking out about the imminent nuclear destruction of Borneo, and I’m interested to see if you can figure out why.
No wonder Smiley Wavy stays at historically record highs in the popularity stakes, why you sabotage the Left with that disastrous Social Constructionist/Marx-y/ Feminist nonsense.
Just take a look at that Socialist outfit in the UK which has imploded.
Meanwhile Jamie Dimon and the other banksters continue their rampage.
I haven’t gone anywhere you fucking idiot, I said “bye” because you left the discussion and decided instead to waffle on about labels, none of which I have any idea of the meaning of, or their relation to anything I’ve said.
You do this all the time. Frankly I think you’re a coward who is afraid to discuss anything meaningfully.
KP, you seem worried that there might be a set amount of violence in the world, so that if we end it against one group, it’ll pop up somewhere else. Could be the Marxist in me, but I don’t think it really works like that.
“But still what about the implication that other groups don’t matter or are “not as important””
The only people who think that the call to end violence against women implies that other groups don’t matter are people that hate women and/or feminists.
No its strains of feminism that are hateful towards men.
What is Feminism? – in all forms it is only an adjunct to a male invented philosophy – Liberalism, Marxism, Deconstructionism ( ok the last one was basically invented by a 1970s French homosexual so dunno if that counts )
Feminism is fun to deconstruct, even more fun than deconstructing Deconstructionists, LOL!
Myself, I’m able to think and discuss without needing an academic framework, but I’m fairly sure you don’t understand what deconstructionism is.
Nevertheless, if you think that calls for the end to violence against women is exclusive of others, you’re a fucking idiot (although I don’t think you do believe that, I think you just said that so you could promulgate your misogyny again).
So did I Karol and did the same – googled the name. It remains to be seen whether he will be charged or was just giving evidence about others – hence me not actually naming the person.
Max Keiser Report – all the global ( JP Morgan etc ) and reserve banks are insolvent, the banksters act with out any fear of the law, there is simply no law inforcement.
Germany is building its 4th Reich ( no i am not claiming they are Nazis, just going for European domination like they have always fantasized about ) not by military but financial power – Cyprus is great because it sends the Euro lower, helping German exports boom, its employment higher and it is buying up assets in Greece etc for cents on the dollar.
I’m surprised Max’s dead body hasn’t been fished out of the Thames River or New York harbour, yet.
I honestly do not get it, why have the stupid (or intentionally government pampering) media “dippoes” not picked up on this one???
Here comes Gerry Brownlee and swiftly announces a STOP to all email correspondence and traffic between EQC staff and outsiders, on a late Thursday afternoon, right before work stops for 4 days being a long EASTER weekend!
Is he trying to look like an “action man” an “action Minister” for once? Latest news on Radio New Zealand this afternoon was, that EQC expects email issues to have been addressed and traffic to be back to normal again some time next week (right after the long weekend). They will have a task force look at the issues over the coming days, it seems.
This is ridiculous. You may as well announce that all shops will immediately have to close on Good Friday!? Few are opened anyway.
So all sit in awe and say, hey, this is staunch, it was never done before. Brownlee is really taking action now.
“Dumb, dumber the dumbest”, who has the most stupid channel of all?
I sense a new spirit of “competition” in the mainstream media. The downward spiral is setting the standards now. TVNZ ONE is canning the all night (few hours actually) of commercial free BBC World broadcast for good now, replacing it with some “newish” content not be found anywhere else: INFOMERCIALS!
Why not have Jagat Guru videos played all night, that at least will give some viewers some mental and spiritual enjoyment???
I am not sure, whether it was on Triangle once, or on another small channel, that used to go on for hours what he was talking about. Perhaps a nice “gap filler”, just a bit more stimulating than infomercials.
It’s been a few months since the switch and I don’t even know if they are still bothering to broadcast it, but will not this latest move also mean that an hour later you can watch the Infomercials as repeats instead of what was once Channel 7.
So do the advertisers pay twice for that or is that just one more subsidy ?
There are many shopaholics out there, you’d be amazed!
So they must get a kick out of the infomercials and the shopping channel, like a gambler at the one armed bandit. Once the tingle sets in, once that bit of hormones shoot through the blood vessels, they are caught, stuck and sit there with note-pads and mobile phones 24/7.
Yep, my sources in the industry tell me they sell a LOT of this stuff. And all those triggers are calculated very carefully, much like the casino most of us don’t really see the allure but the targeted customer does.
I once bought something. Bags which allowed you to cook roast veges in the microwave and still have them turn out crunchy. I guess the catch is obvious, but it wasn’t to me, in the middle of the night, desperately tired but unable to sleep.
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
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In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Debbie Passey, Digital Health Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Josephine Barbaro, Associate Professor, Principal Research Fellow, Psychologist, La Trobe University Unsplash We’ve come a long way in terms of understanding that everyone thinks, interacts and experiences the world differently. In the past, autistic people, people with attention deficit hyperactive disorder ...
PNG Post-Courier Papua New Guinea’s deputy opposition leader James Nomane has accused the government of “reckless economic management” that has forced devaluation to manage loan repayments in foreign currency and placate the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Prime Minister James Marape “must stop lying to the people of Papua New Guinea”, ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to ...
RNZ News As Israel presses ahead with strikes in Rafah and seizing the Rafah crossing from Egypt, aid agencies are sounding the alarm of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation”. Rafah was “significant” because it was the only part in Gaza that had not been terribly damaged by the conflict, United Nations ...
With funding set to be scrapped for the Hamilton-Auckland commuter train, Te Huia enthusiast Georgie Dansey argues for it to be thrown a lifeline. It’s 5.45am and the chain of my crappy old bike falls off slugging up the one hill in Hamilton. I contemplate yeeting the bike into the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Cooke, Honorary Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland We feel ecological grief when we lose places, species or ecosystems we value and love. These losses are a growing threat to mental health and wellbeing globally. We all see ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shauna Brail, Associate Professor, Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto A shift to hybrid and remote work continues to affect worker presence in Toronto’s downtown.(Shutterstock) Downtown Toronto, the core of Canada’s largest city, continues to reel from the lingering ...
Responding to an Auditor-General's report slamming failures in the administration of the 2023 General Election, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: ...
Productivity apps now make up a big chunk of the software market. But do they work? And why do they all have AI integrations?Despite being firmly on the record as a physical planner fan, I sometimes dream of something better than my pretty diary and its scrawled, ugly, interior ...
The Taxpayers’ Union says the Beehive need to lead by example, following reports of more than $50,000 spent upgrading video conferencing equipment and furniture in the Prime Minister’s office. Taxpayers’ Union Campaign Manager, Connor Molloy, ...
An objective list of the 50 most powerful people in New Zealand, as judged by the Spinoff Editorial Board. It’s power list season, baby, and we want in on the action. Sure, there’s the rich list and the powerful “c-suite” list and the young people with power (hmmm) but here, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the names of deceased people, and describes ongoing colonial violence towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. First Nations people in Australia ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Macquarie University Netflix Baby Reindeer’s phenomenal success has much to do with its writer and lead, Richard Gadd, who plays Donny in a tender semi-autobiographical account of sexual abuse, harassment and stalking. Gadd’s story has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle KarolinaGrabowska/Pexels If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Moon, Professor of History, Auckland University of Technology Ans Westra, self-portrait, c. 1963. National Library ref AWM-0705-F They try but invariably fail – those writers who believe they are capable of encapsulating in prose or verse the essence of ...
Stewart Sowman-Lund looks at the growing concern around the world in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. What’s all this? When Covid-19 arrived on our shores in early 2020, some argued we were too slow, or crucially, ill-prepared for a pandemic. So ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Franco Montalto, Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and Director, Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Laboratory, Drexel University Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary.Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images ...
The inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones has turned up a new witness who says he saw two teenagers and a small child in a high vis vest in the area where the boy’s body was found the day he died. Lachie’s body was discovered face up ...
Stories from the tenancy trenches, featuring spider infestations, cupboard rats and same-sex discrimination. Lucy’s brother was living in a damp 1930s building in Mt Eden where “he had to tie the cupboard doors closed so the rats didn’t get in”. Although he shared custody of his six-year-old son, his property ...
Simeon Brown, Chris Luxon, and Wayne Brown climbed into a hole and announced a plan to solve Auckland’s water woes. This is how it’ll work. New Zealand’s pipes are munted. They’re cracked and leaking, and struggling to handle all the extra poos excreted by our rising population. It’s a big, ...
I knew Taika Waititi quite well when he was a kid. His mother lived in a tall narrow house in Aro St, and my youngest sister had a similar house two doors along. They were both single mums, they each had a son aged seven. Taika and my nephew Stepan ...
Opinion: “As time passes, knowledge of the circumstances of the August 2016 outbreak will fade and its immediate impact will be lost.” This statement is from the 2017 report of the Official Inquiry into the Havelock North campylobacteriosis outbreak. The then National-led government established the inquiry after the outbreak left ...
Opinion: Nicholas Khoo looks at two key points in the high-stakes foreign policy pact debate – and asks if NZ can engage with as little drama as possible. The post Where to next for the Aukus ruckus? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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Opinion: ‘Reference-class forecasting’ is at the heart of improving pricing a project and identifying the expected timeframe but it doesn’t appear to be in use here The post ‘Think fast and act slowly’ is failing big projects appeared first on Newsroom. ...
What do a sombrero in Argentina and cognitive driving tests have in common? Don’t worry, we’re not setting up a bad joke. Hinengaro Clinic dementia clinician Gregory Winkelman has the answer on today’s episode of The Detail. “We ask a patient’s spouse or son or daughter: If you went to ...
Wellington long jumper Phoebe Edwards is back and she’s having fun again. Until this year, Edwards, a top athlete in her teens, had never competed as a senior athlete in New Zealand. In March, the 26-year-old won a national long jump title in a lifetime best of 6.28m after ...
After replacing a fifth of their caucus in just four months, the Greens’ opportunity to reset, reshuffle and refocus on the Government is quickly slipping away The post Persistent Green Party scandals delay caucus reset appeared first on Newsroom. ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
By Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...
Asia Pacific Report The Aotearoa chapter of the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has appealed to the New Zealand government to call out Israel over the “cruel and barbaric use of force” in Gaza and demand a permanent ceasefire. The league’s open letter was sent to Prime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will invest $566 million over a decade on data, maps and other tools to promote exploration and development in Australia’s resources industry. The project will fund “the first comprehensive map of what’s ...
Asia Pacific Report Following an open letter by Auckland University academics speaking out in support of their students’ right to protest against the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza, a group of academics at Otago University have today also called on New Zealand academic institutions to “repair colonial violence” and end ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda J. Graham, Professor and Director of the Centre for Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology Ryan Tauss/ Unsplash, CC BY Two male students have been expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in a list ranking female students. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year – and quite possibly none before the next federal election, due next May. That’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University The Victorian budget offered more of the same on Tuesday, with the only change being how the budget papers were packaged. The usual shrink wrap was gone, hinting at savings in the pages ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition is demanding extensive amendments to the government’s legislation targeting non-citizens who refuse to co-operate with their removal. In a dissenting report to the senate inquiry into the legislation, the Coalition says it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanita Yadav, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Brett Boardman/Belvoir The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a dinner conversation ...
Disruption to patient care from a nationwide junior doctors strike is bordering on unsafe, a senior doctor claims, despite what health officials say. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Ground Picture/Shutterstock The anti-cancer drug abemaciclib (also known as Vernezio) has this month been added to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat certain ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Robbie Porter, OzFish Unlimited Around Australia, hundreds of people are coming together to help a once-prized, but decimated and largely forgotten marine ecosystem. They’re busy restoring Australia’s native oyster and mussel reefs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Austin Human/Unsplash How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rory Mulcahy, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power to change attitudes by sparking conversations about political issues and social ...
Comment: The weekly Monday post-Cabinet press conference is a useful forum for observing Christopher Luxon and how he is developing into the job of Prime Minister. He attempts to convey the impression of a man of action, speaking fast, delivering memorised National Party strategies in a connect-the-slogans kind of way, ...
Double votes, missing ballot boxes, tired tech and stressed staff: how tick-tallying went astray at last year’s election. Cast your mind back to November 2023, that bleary-eyed post-election period duringwhichwewaited, andwaited, for a coalition deal to be hammered out. A distraction from the hotel-hopping of our ...
International audiences are starting to discover what New Zealand already knew about After the Party.When After the Party aired in New Zealand last year, the response was fast and furious. In his preview for Rec Room, Duncan Greive said it was a “gritty, wrenching and highly confronting” series. By ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Convenor of the Middle East Studies Forum (MESF), and Acting Director the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Iran’s leadership has been a direct beneficiary of the months-long war in Gaza. With every missile that Israel fires ...
Claire Mabey reviews the haunting and sexy debut novel from Sinéad Gleeson, who is about to touch down in Aotearoa for a string of live events.When Irish writer Sinéad Gleeson was in Aotearoa in 2018 with her spectacular collection of essays, Constellations, she told me she was working on ...
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Where some saw the worst press conference given by the government to date, Anna Rawhiti-Connell recognised girl maths game.Nicola Willis, recently exasperated by comparisons to Ruth Richardson, said she was “a bit sick of being compared with every female finance minister that’s ever been out there.”Some think that’s ...
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What do we have to look forward to this Easter? Getting out in the garden? Time with family?
Nope – more expensive power as our dodgy government is again held to ransom by a struggling multinational down on their luck asking for just a few million to tide them over. And who doesn’t trust a multinational? After all, they are just taxpaying citizens like the rest of us.
Oh well, at least with powershop I was able to buy power in advance at the cheaper prices for winter.
AN EASTER GIFT TO THE KIDS OF AFGHANISTAN
Four children killed in Afghan-coalition operation: police
This was headline news on the BBC, ITV, C4 News, Radio NZ National, TVNZ and TV3.
Wasn’t it??
Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:28 GMT Source: Reuters // Reuters
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/four-children-killed-in-afghan-coalition-operation-police
by Samiullah Paiwand
KABUL, March 27 (Reuters) – Afghan and international special forces staged a night raid in the country’s restive east, with police on Wednesday saying five civilians died in the operation, four of them children.
While the defence ministry said there had been no civilian deaths in the overnight operation in Logar province, Reuters television footage taken in the village, Sejewand, showed the bodies of at least three children.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has previously criticised special forces raids in Afghan villages, particularly those in which civilians are killed.
An Interior Ministry statement said 23 Taliban fighters were killed and 26 captured during the fighting in Sejewand.
Logar police official Rais Khan Seddiq said the operation was undertaken by Afghan commandos, assisted by international special forces, in order to rescue two Afghan soldiers captured the previous day by the Taliban.
“Two civilians were killed and three were wounded,” Seddiq said, adding that those wounded had later died. Four of the dead were children, he said.
The defence ministry rejected any notion of civilian deaths. The ministry’s head of operations, Afzal Aman, told Reuters that all those killed or detained had been carrying weapons.
“We … do not accept the claim of civilian casualties. All those killed or detained were armed, but an investigation is occurring and it will become clear if there are any civilians among the dead,” he said.
Allegations of disappearances and illegal killings in neighbouring Wardak province prompted Karzai to halt all U.S. special operations there last month. While he also ordered international troops out of some areas of the province, that has yet to occur.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at least 40 civilians had been killed during the fighting, but later revised that figure to 28.
The Taliban often claim their fighters killed in battle were civilians, an ISAF spokesman said.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) says it has reduced civilian casualties in recent years, and insurgents such as the Taliban are now responsible for 84 per cent of all such deaths and injuries. (Additional Reporting by Mirwais Harooni; Writing by Dylan Welch; Editing by Ron Popeski)
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/four-children-killed-in-afghan-coalition-operation-police
http://members5.boardhost.com/medialens/msg/1364482051.html
Try reading about Syria. See how many innocent die there a day.
We do not have special forces in Syria who are involved in any sort of operations. At least, not that I know of. We send troops to Afghanistan and are supposed to thank them for fighting for our freedom, serving their country etc. To me, this makes a focus on Afghanistan relevant, not to mention that people dying in one part of the world does not excuse deaths in another.
Try reading about Syria.
I do read about Syria. I am absolutely sure I know far more about Syria than you do.
See how many innocent die there a day.
Why are you talking about Syria? The initial post was about yet another killing by U.S.-led “special forces” of children in AFGHANISTAN.
Why would you start talking about Syria?
Wanting something worthwhile and political to do over the Holiday week end?
How about this?
Meet for a roadside rally this holiday Monday at the Mangatangi Mine site beside State Highway 2
Auckland Coal Action and Coal Free Mangatawhiri are calling for the public to rally this Monday beside State Highway 2 at the site of the Fonterra’s proposed new Mangatangi coal mine:
Start time: 2pm
Meeting place: Bell Road overbridge
Coming from Auckland; Exit the state highway at the Mangatawhiri off ramp, to meet at Bell Road. From there march down to the main road.
http://www.wises.co.nz/l/waikato/mangatawhiri/bell+road/#c/-37.223528/175.147991/15/
Bring your own banners and signs
There should be lots of returning holiday crowds to interact with. Bored out of their minds sitting in the traffic.
If you are returning from your holiday why not join the rally?
Daunted by the huge expected traffic jams?
Break up your journey by joining the rally, (at least until the traffic dies down).
Support the campaign against all new coal mines.
You know it makes sense.
Coming from the East, take the Maramarua Golf Course Exit to pass under the highway to meet at Bell Road.
Easter, Spoke to my mother who will be giving a reading on Sunday, and talked about the Pope. She is a staunch Anglican, and tolerates her sons agnosticism with some guarded difficulty. We both agreed that old institutions change at a snails pace, and that inertia is a challenge for Francis. As a pair of Fabians we like the cut of Francis cloth however. From Stuff today:
Speaking to about 1600 priests from Rome who attended the St Peter’s Mass, he said those who did not live in humility close to the people risked becoming “collectors of antiques or novelties – instead of being shepherds living with ‘the smell of the sheep'”.
“Those who do not go out of themselves, instead of being mediators, gradually become intermediaries, managers. We know the difference: the intermediary, the manager … doesn’t put his own skin and his own heart on the line, he never hears a warm, heartfelt word of thanks,” he said. Francis said priests should not get bogged down in “introspection” but step outside of themselves and concentrate on those who need their help.
Maybe our entire parliament should take example.
Quote of the week, “If we had a Race Relations Commissioner worth her black balls….”, Marama Davidson on housing and how it ties in with a multitude of other issues.
Citizen A, March 28th 2013
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2013/03/29/citizen-a-with-marama-davidson-efeso-collins/
Comment on housing begins around 13 minutes.
BB askes, What does the future of home ownership look like for GenX’s and GenY’s?
“Well it looks good in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney”, replies Efeso Collins.
Too true mate, too true.
With thanks to Xtasy who has gone into the detail of what this government intends to do to hapless bennies. John Minto of Mana has written a piece saying National intends to move 100,000 off benefits in ten years:
“Government’s plan to push 100,000 off welfare with no job plan in place is shameful”
http://mana.net.nz/2013/03/governments-plan-to-push-100000-off-welfare-with-no-job-plan-in-place-is-shameful/
This government will and are copying policies the Tories in the U$K are doing including taking a more agressive sanctions attitude. I’ve seen two young fit men begging for money in Wellington a week ago. 🙁 .
Now the U$K is doing a sanctions goal score card which encourages case managers to get “nasty” if claimants slip up in any way on their obligations! This government won’t be far behind believe you me:
‘ A second adviser to contact the Guardian said he worked in a medium-sized jobcentre in the north-east of England, and said he was appalled at the attitude of management towards sanctions.
“I have been an adviser for many years and have always prided myself on the help I have given claimants, whilst still testing their conditionality and ensuring they were aware of their responsibilities. Now, however, the emphasis seems to be about persecuting claimants and all advisers are being pressured into referring claimants to the decision-makers in the hope that people will sign off and contribute to the off-flow target.
“At my last review I was told in no uncertain terms that I needed to start identifying more people to refer for sanctioning and, as my next review looms, I feel under pressure now to start picking on people, otherwise I will be put on a performance improvement plan.” ‘
“Jobcentre ‘scorecard’ shows how areas are performing on stopping benefits
Table emerges after ministers deny existence of targets for sanctioning benefit claimants over jobseeking efforts”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/mar/28/jobcentre-scorecard-areas-stopping-benefits
And:
Just as in the U$ the U$K http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2299931/Food-stamps-replace-cash-handouts-poor-vulnerable-benefits-shake-up.html
—— Now, however, the emphasis seems to be about persecuting claimants and all advisers are being pressured into referring claimants to the decision-makers in the hope that people will sign off and contribute to the off-flow target.—– This is a policy of bureaucratic harassment to dishearten benefit claimants into just giving up altogether. This is already being done to disability claimants who are being persecuted by Atos and being forced to go through very stressful procedures in appealing ludicrous decisions made by this criminal outfit paid for by the scum Tories.
Government financial support for Benefit advocates here in NZ for review procedures are having that support cut. The objective is the bewildered demoralised bennie won’t know where to turn to to get help on his rights when he’s sanctioned for a minor infringement of his obligations.
Fascist.
Not convinced of the rest yet (frog….water slowly rising to the boil??) but certainly the replacement of cash handouts with food stamps I can see happening, except the ministry considered far worse – replacing food grants where low income earners could choose appropriate food for their dietary needs, and suitability with other stuff they could scrounge from their pantry with food parcels provided by supermarkets.
Undoubtedly the “parcels” would consist of food near it’s expiry, of low quality and with complete disregard for those of us with very specific food needs or limited preparation ability. In this way the supermarkets would off load their dodgy food they were throwing out and even make a profit from it.
No mention of the bludging bennies who won’t get off their arses and look for the work that’s out there.
With about 7% of the workforce out of work, literally hundreds of people turning up for jobs, and no signs of a government that gives a shit about helping to create jobs… Ummm… Perhaps this might be a structural issue rather than the religious morality one you seem to view it as.
You really are a dumbarse.
If we mentioned them you’d have no reason to exist, dumarse. We on the left are kind hearted, compassionate people, and have no wish to take your delusions away from you.
No mention of the dumarse tr0lls either.
dumrse:
Jobs?
You mean those doubled and tripled numbers of them on various job databases like Trade Me? And do you mean that odd needle in the large haystack – out on the farm?
johnm
Yes, it is criminal what is happening in the UK.
That is what you get when you “outsource” and tender out services like medical assessments, work capacity assessments, work readying programs, parenting courses, whatever they will come up with.
It will be “bums on seats” representing “dollares”!
It will be turnover determining likely profit and more “dollares”!
It will be the whip and baton to “motivate” (not necessarily literally) the “clients” to do what is expected of them, and the “provider” will get even more “dollares”!
That is the kind of “motivational” program Bennett and NatACT “soft fascists” have on mind for good ol little NZ. It is strange, but why are so many measures and laws being adopted from the UK. It is as if colonialism is still not a thing of the past.
I dare not to call them (NatACT) “proper” fascists as yet, but they are getting there fast, by adopting a “soft” NAZI like approach.
This is an Open Letter to the people in charge of Labour’s communications. It is intended in a constructive spirit. Please take heed.
I have Google. That’s all. No IT skills, no insider contacts, no nothing … just an old computer and two finger typing.
That is all you need to find contradictions and confusion – on the record – in Labour’s stated positions. Every week there are more. Yesterday it was Tiwai Point (Parker versus Shearer). Today, it’s education – specifically, National Standards.
David Shearer visits Rotorua, and is reported thus:
Mr Shearer said that the national standards being used were not national and were not standardised. He gave his reassurance that if the Labour party was elected he would do away with national standards and charter schools.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/rotorua-review/8476876/Shearer-holds-Govt-to-account
Many would be pleased with this commitment to “do away with national standards”. But it’s a clear shift from Shearer’s previous statements, when he said they would be kept. For example …
http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news/interview-labour-leader-david-shearer-5085905
So … is it policy? A commitment? Or just an attempt to say something nice?
Or was it mis-reported? If so, where is the correction?
You cannot do this, Labour. You cannot have the leader out there saying different things all the time. You cannot then blame the voters or the media for mis-representing you, if your leader is the one who mis-represents.
You cannot keep going around the regions and pretend it’s the 19th century, that the message to Dunedin student radio or a Gisborne newspaper or an Auckland business breakfast will not be picked up elsewhere. You are going to get Googled to death by Farrar, Slater and the rest of National’s attack dogs. They are collecting time-bombs for the campaign, and you’re providing them. It’s electoral suicide.
Either teach your “leader” how to communicate a clear and consistent message, or get a leader who can.
+1
I don’t see it as an either/or situation, gobsmacked. People who know what they believe in and enter politics because of the fire in their belly don’t tend to have Shearer’s problems. He just has to go. Labour cannot afford him, and more importantly, we cannot afford him. When a politician is saying different things to Dunedin students and the Auckland bourgeoisie, it’s a pretty safe bet that what he wants to do is much closer to what he says in Auckland.
gobsmacked: When you have a memory like a Swiss cheese full of LARGE holes, forgetting about a bank account having over 50 or even 100 k dollars in it, and when you go around criticising others for their lack of memory, then it maybe better to shut up.
But a “leader” who always shuts up is what we had for too long.
So whatever, this man is a liability, and for his own well-being, and that of many others, he better be pulled out of traffic a.s.a.p..
Sadly I cannot see it, he races around like a boy racer with damaged brakes, and a car too big for him to steer. Nobody seems to bother too much.
he races around like a boy racer with damaged brakes, and a car too big for him to steer. Nobody seems to bother too much.
LOL. Great metaphor.
Marvellous, make sure you go full screen.
http://www.petapixel.com/2013/03/28/four-gigapixel-mars-panorama-created-using-407-photos-taken-by-curiosity/
KiwiRail committed to struggling service
Hint to Kiwirail: Transport always runs at a loss.
I haven’t watched it all yet but what I have seen is pretty damn thought provoking.
http://www.vday.org/livestream
While violence against women is a concern, violence against ANYBODY irrespective of gender or skin color etc is at least as an important concern.
It’s like saying “End Violence Against Asian People!”, implying its ok against any other group or “not as bad” or “not as important”.
Also it is something of a front for the Feminist/Social Constructionist Marx-y types who hide their true intentions behind apparently righteous social causes.
“It’s like saying “End Violence Against Asian People!”, implying its ok against any other group or “not as bad” or “not as important”.”
“End Violence Against Asian People” would be a perfectly reasonable stance if it were shown that Asian people were overwhelmingly the victims of violence relative to other groups.
Well the Japanese got two A bombs thrown at them.
But still what about the implication that other groups don’t matter or are “not as important”. Especially when those leading the crusade against “violence against women” are surprise surprise Feminists.
You need to come clean Felix, what are you – Marxist, Social Constructivist?
I’ve asked you several times already and you squirm out of it.
I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that before. Usually you just tell me what I am, and that seems to vary wildly depending on your meds.
But ignoring your irrelevant attempt at diversion, I fully support any effort to stop people throwing A bombs at the Japanese.
It hasn’t really been much of an issue in my lifetime. However in the 80s there was what seemed quite a real threat of the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. chucking bombs at each other and potentially destroying much of Europe and Nth America, and I – along with many others – voiced strong opinions on the matter.
You’ll note that it might be more difficult to find records of people speaking out about the imminent nuclear destruction of Borneo, and I’m interested to see if you can figure out why.
Pigeon holing again. 🙄
Hey, another one of the Power Girls has rocked on up to the party!
Pigeon holing?
Drop the act.
Just want to know what flag you’re flying under, but you get all evasive.
That’s because you know I’ve got a big philosophical stick that I’m going to beat you long and hard with once you declare your colours ;).
Bye.
Why? You gone crying to the mods again?
No wonder Smiley Wavy stays at historically record highs in the popularity stakes, why you sabotage the Left with that disastrous Social Constructionist/Marx-y/ Feminist nonsense.
Just take a look at that Socialist outfit in the UK which has imploded.
Meanwhile Jamie Dimon and the other banksters continue their rampage.
I haven’t gone anywhere you fucking idiot, I said “bye” because you left the discussion and decided instead to waffle on about labels, none of which I have any idea of the meaning of, or their relation to anything I’ve said.
You do this all the time. Frankly I think you’re a coward who is afraid to discuss anything meaningfully.
As good a description of kp’s flag as any
Yep, no symptoms of male insecurity here … 🙄
KP, you seem worried that there might be a set amount of violence in the world, so that if we end it against one group, it’ll pop up somewhere else. Could be the Marxist in me, but I don’t think it really works like that.
Tell me about the Marxist in you, is it kind of like a demonic possession?
“But still what about the implication that other groups don’t matter or are “not as important””
The only people who think that the call to end violence against women implies that other groups don’t matter are people that hate women and/or feminists.
No its strains of feminism that are hateful towards men.
What is Feminism? – in all forms it is only an adjunct to a male invented philosophy – Liberalism, Marxism, Deconstructionism ( ok the last one was basically invented by a 1970s French homosexual so dunno if that counts )
Feminism is fun to deconstruct, even more fun than deconstructing Deconstructionists, LOL!
Myself, I’m able to think and discuss without needing an academic framework, but I’m fairly sure you don’t understand what deconstructionism is.
Nevertheless, if you think that calls for the end to violence against women is exclusive of others, you’re a fucking idiot (although I don’t think you do believe that, I think you just said that so you could promulgate your misogyny again).
and btw k_p, there is a reason why we don’t have p-day. Know what it is?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/8487795/Australian-arrested-in-Savile-scandal
Hmm how many 82 year old australian entertainers can one think of, good thing wikipedia wouldn’t help…
I wouldn’t have thought it but then I’m somewhat naive in some areas
82 year old Australian – therefore born in 1930 or thereabouts.
Try this link – sorry, must learn how to shorten these.
http://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Finagist.com%2Fall%2F317432113924296704%2F&ei=0E5VUd6rEcj2iwLV6IHwBw&usg=AFQjCNHTV__68Z7467uR12l78GyoneI48A&sig2=P-VWOb_e4CQpjyZh77X64w&bvm=bv.44442042,d.cGE
I guessed it straight away – googled his name out of curiosity & bingo. There are articles online naming him.
He may just be giving evidence about other people’s illegal actions.
So did I Karol and did the same – googled the name. It remains to be seen whether he will be charged or was just giving evidence about others – hence me not actually naming the person.
Um, one doesn’t tend to get “arrested on suspicion of sexual offences” if all they want to do is ask you questions …
Some scientists think they have figured out why the bee population has mysteriously been declining at an alarming rate in the past few decades.
Turns out it might be because of the poisonous chemicals put on (or in) the plants to kill insects. Who’d have thunk it?
“A pesticide trade group questioned the data, saying the levels of pesticide used were unrealistically high…”
Watch as Big AgriChem use the standard PR misinformation tactics, politicians, smears etc to torpedo this one.
Max Keiser Report – all the global ( JP Morgan etc ) and reserve banks are insolvent, the banksters act with out any fear of the law, there is simply no law inforcement.
Germany is building its 4th Reich ( no i am not claiming they are Nazis, just going for European domination like they have always fantasized about ) not by military but financial power – Cyprus is great because it sends the Euro lower, helping German exports boom, its employment higher and it is buying up assets in Greece etc for cents on the dollar.
I’m surprised Max’s dead body hasn’t been fished out of the Thames River or New York harbour, yet.
More PRETENTIOUS “browneyed” BROWNLEE “action” or rather “bull-shit”:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10874342
I honestly do not get it, why have the stupid (or intentionally government pampering) media “dippoes” not picked up on this one???
Here comes Gerry Brownlee and swiftly announces a STOP to all email correspondence and traffic between EQC staff and outsiders, on a late Thursday afternoon, right before work stops for 4 days being a long EASTER weekend!
Is he trying to look like an “action man” an “action Minister” for once? Latest news on Radio New Zealand this afternoon was, that EQC expects email issues to have been addressed and traffic to be back to normal again some time next week (right after the long weekend). They will have a task force look at the issues over the coming days, it seems.
This is ridiculous. You may as well announce that all shops will immediately have to close on Good Friday!? Few are opened anyway.
So all sit in awe and say, hey, this is staunch, it was never done before. Brownlee is really taking action now.
FOOLS all over the show!
So well written xtasy. You find the essence !
Another “GEM” –
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10874041
“Dumb, dumber the dumbest”, who has the most stupid channel of all?
I sense a new spirit of “competition” in the mainstream media. The downward spiral is setting the standards now. TVNZ ONE is canning the all night (few hours actually) of commercial free BBC World broadcast for good now, replacing it with some “newish” content not be found anywhere else: INFOMERCIALS!
Why not have Jagat Guru videos played all night, that at least will give some viewers some mental and spiritual enjoyment???
Well, this guy I was thinking of:
http://www.scienceofidentityfoundation.net/about-us/jagad-guru-siddhaswarupananda-paramahamsa-chris-butler.html
I am not sure, whether it was on Triangle once, or on another small channel, that used to go on for hours what he was talking about. Perhaps a nice “gap filler”, just a bit more stimulating than infomercials.
Ha, I didn’t know this guy was still kicking around.
It’s been a few months since the switch and I don’t even know if they are still bothering to broadcast it, but will not this latest move also mean that an hour later you can watch the Infomercials as repeats instead of what was once Channel 7.
So do the advertisers pay twice for that or is that just one more subsidy ?
It’s beyond me why anyone would sit and watch infomercials.
Indeed. Some even call the 0800 number and buy stuff.
There are many shopaholics out there, you’d be amazed!
So they must get a kick out of the infomercials and the shopping channel, like a gambler at the one armed bandit. Once the tingle sets in, once that bit of hormones shoot through the blood vessels, they are caught, stuck and sit there with note-pads and mobile phones 24/7.
Yep, my sources in the industry tell me they sell a LOT of this stuff. And all those triggers are calculated very carefully, much like the casino most of us don’t really see the allure but the targeted customer does.
I once bought something. Bags which allowed you to cook roast veges in the microwave and still have them turn out crunchy. I guess the catch is obvious, but it wasn’t to me, in the middle of the night, desperately tired but unable to sleep.