Modern industrial soy is a blight on the planet. Look it up.
“..how much more proof do you need..?”
Yeah, nah.
Animal Products Linked to Cancer
December 27, 2013
Consumption of meat and other animal products is strongly linked to several types of cancer, according to an article published in the journal Nutrients. The author analyzed data on 21 different cancers in 157 countries and found that certain factors, especially diet, were associated with risk for developing specific cancers. Specifically, the association between animal product consumption and cancer was as strong as that linking tobacco and cancer. Possible mechanisms for risk include animal products’ promotion of growth and high iron and fat content. The author notes that while detection and treatment are important, animal product consumption has been recognized as a cancer risk for more than a century and needs to be addressed in order to prevent the deadly disease.
How come non-Western cultures with high meat protein diets don’t have high rates of cancer (quite the opposite)? It’s not meat eating per se, it’s how we do it. Can’t comment futher on that research until I see whether they controlled for things like refined carb intake, lifestyle, modern pollutants etc which tend to go hand in hand with meat consumption. Would also want to know if they differentiated between grass-fed meat vs feed-lot, pumped full of chemicals meat.
I said that because there is lots of dodgy research being done in the world and I’d want to see a better analysis of the reasearch than was on the page you linked to before I commented further.
to equate to proof, without any fact checking or analysis at all. Don’t worry, I see meat eaters making the same kinds of mistakes.
Do you understand how things like overall diet, lifestyle, environment could affect the outcome of research into on the health effects of a specific food? I suspect you don’t. I know I’ve asked you these kinds of questions before that you just ignore. It’s the worst kind of intellectual argument (quoting a useless source and then refusing to back it up) and I’m surprised that its tolerated by the general commentariat here. If you were making a more conventional political statement people would be all over you.
“..that has been written up in a scientific-journal..called ‘nutrition’..(with all the checks and balances that entails..)..”
Alot of medical research is done poorly and/or has been co-opted by various special interest groups. This is a well known phenomenon and is acknowleged within science and medicine.
I don’t know the Nutrition journal so am in no position to judge the value of its peer review (assuming it did peer review the research). I haven’t seen the research published. That’s all I said – that there wasn’t enough information to judge the value of it. You are quite welcome to trust it, but if you post it in a public forum then expect some analysis.
So, it’s not strawman argument. It’s based on experience and understanding. I note that yet again you fail to answer my questions and just call them horseshit, and so have just reinforced my opinion of you that you don’t really understand how scientific research works and how to evaluate it.
correction:..the scientific journal is called ‘nutrients’..
..and is described in wikipedia as thus:
“..Nutrients is an open access peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing reviews, regular research papers, and short communications on all aspects of nutrition..”
..(hope that helps..)
..and once again i have to return to the fact you seem unable to grasp..
..this is a meta-study..looking at 151 other scientific-studies..over 21 countries..
..so yr paranoias detailed in yr second paragraph ..do not/cannot apply to that..
..it is a different discipline…mainly number/stat-crunching..
..no actual on lab-table research/study..
..get that..?
..and if you can’t ‘trust’ a study/evidence of such magnitude/scope..
..and if you think that ‘vested-interests’..(who..?..the all-powerful vegan-lobby?..) have twisted this research somehow..
..best you go and stand over there with the tobacco-doesn’t-cause-cancer/the-moon-landings-didn’t-happen crew..eh..?
..and you still haven’t answered that simple straightforward question:
..do you receive/derive yr monies from the animal-flesh-trade industries..?
..and what questions of yours do you feel i have not answered..?
How come non-Western cultures with high meat protein diets don’t have high rates of cancer (quite the opposite)? It’s not meat eating per se, it’s how we do it. Can’t comment futher on that research until I see whether they controlled for things like refined carb intake, lifestyle, modern pollutants etc which tend to go hand in hand with meat consumption. Would also want to know if they differentiated between grass-fed meat vs feed-lot, pumped full of chemicals meat.
“..eating cheese/milk/meat will likely give you cancer/premature-death..”
Citation needed. And what’s with the ‘likely’ bit?
You still haven’t responded to my substantive points (not really surprised, you strike me as very dogmatic on this, so why bother with reality).
I was vegetarian for a long time (a very nutritionally well-informed vegetarian), and part of that time I was virtually vegan. My health improved substantially when I started eating meat again. I know many other people that this is true for. I also know people that do well on vege diets. One size doesn’t fit all.
How come non-Western cultures with high meat protein diets don’t have high rates of cancer (quite the opposite)? It’s not meat eating per se, it’s how we do it.
Paleo. Been holding my body together now 3 years. No sugar, no fructose, no hydrogenated oils, minimal wheat and dairy.
Lots of vegetable carbs, fermented foods, protein and saturated fats. Recent cardio test was perfect.
The big problem I’m not properly managing in my life at the moment is correct exercise, stress and inflammation.
Nice one RL. I know other people who paleo works very well for too. There are other traditional diets that have good health outcomes too. I don’t even object to people being vegan, it just irks when some claim that their way is best and that everyone else would be better off doing what they do (demonstrably false), and anyone who doesn’t is somehow bad or wrong. Veganism, as practiced by most in the West, is also pretty high in terms of environmental damage, so pah to their moral high ground.
“..do you derive your income from the income generated by the animal-flesh-trade..?”
No, I have nothing to do with the meat industry.
“..and the rage/irrationality/tone/timbre of yr responses on this subject..”
Ha, ha, I’m actually not eating meat at all at the moment. There is nothing wrong with appropriately placed anger (ts is full of it, as is the vegan movement). But by all means point out some specific examples of where I am being irrational. Things you merely don’t like don’t count.
RL I got the idea you were on a mountain somewhere. So either you are overdoing the exercise or setting a very demanding schedule. And stress, I think that a bit of meditation in a quiet safe place rests all the body, even a change, another page in the book you have chosen to read. Also a lie down where you start relaxing your whole body from your toes up. We are holding ourselves in readiness for action all the time and don’t realise it till we deliberately shed it.
Don’t the Nats have a major trust through which their campaign funds are filtered?
Yes, the Waitemata Trust. Been going for years and in that time millions of anonymous dollars have been transferred through it and used in successive election campaigns. Add to that the other ‘private’ trusts where money is deposited for special purposes, and it’s obvious to anyone with half a brain that the NZ Herald is party to a dirty tricks campaign aimed at destroying public profile figures associated with Labour and/or the Greens. All of it designed to peak just before the general election which might only be six months away.
Add to that the latest delay in the Dotcom extradition case from March to July (and if things don’t go according to plan no doubt the FBI will be willing to have it further delayed) then it will likely mean the ‘dirt and filth’ will hit their targets at the right time, leading to another election win for the Nats.
Well-put. Election anouncement shortly after a wildly-optimistic Budget sounds about right – before rising interest rates start clobbering voters with mortgages later in the year. Opposition needs to be forcefully and continually joining those dots for people and offering a credible alternative.
I am also of the opinion that the general election will be called early, Anne – probably in mid-winter from about early July (with hopes of a low voter turnout due to weather).
In terms of timelines next year:
Early April 3014- Royal visit with lots of photo-ops for Key, and warm afterglow
14 April 2014 – current scheduled date for the start of the Dotcom extradition hearing forecast to take several weeks: but expected to be further delayed again until at least July 2014 *
* Anne, I note you suggest “Add to that the latest delay in the Dotcom extradition case from March to July” . I checked Google, and the current date is 14 April 2014, and there does not appear to have been an formal decision as yet to delay until July although speculation is that this will happen.
May 2014 – Banks court case
Mid to late May 2014 – Budget.
IIRC, an election can be called on as little as six weeks’ notice, so my thinking is that Key will go for an announcement either just after the royal visit, or around Budget day to get the best PR from these two events – and to overshadow the Banks trial and any Dotcom ongoing court hearings on release of property taken (eg electronic records etc), compensation etc; and to get the election over before the Dotcom extradition hearing itself.
I don’t believe that Key will hold out for a November election for the above reasons and also because IIRC there are one or two big international conferences/events in Nov 2014 that Key would want to attend which he couldn’t go to if the election was in Nov. I recall some discussion in the media a few months ago about these events – but cannot remember what they are. It is now bugging me, so will do some research.
@ veutoviper
Yes. I was aware the the FBI have only requested a delay until July, but they’re likely to get what they want. Then, if it suits Key and co., they will go for a further delay so that Dotcom’s info. on Key doesn’t hit the air-waves until after the election. I’m sure the FBI operatives on the Dotcom case don’t want to see a change in government!
For the reasons you mention above – and others – the situation is fluid, so Key could end up out of luck. Fingers firmly crossed…
Funding is a crucial issue. Look at the mess of the USA where money literally enables the rich to buy laws. I’ve seen suggestions on this site in the past of how to fix this issue but until the general public understand what a problem it is nothing will be done. It’s not a vote getter and, in fact, as the electoral finance mess showed, it can be spun as a vote loser.
“what a corrupt little third world pacific island nation we really are..eh..?”
A sad, but true analysis. We sure have become leaner and meaner. The quick and the dead. Welcome to the future.
+1
There’s a simple measurement I usually apply – the simple and uncomplicated is usually the best
IF we wish to be included in 1st world status, but can only do so by paying slave wages; minimising long fought-for benefits in order to remain viable
THEN we aren’t and we’re only fooling ourselves. (see the other post on America)
Problem is though that the race to the bottom for the many in order for a scared few to maintain their lifestyles is not necessary – it’s only their ideologically-driven and egotistical bullshit that makes it so.
And if because of their short term view, they feel an increasing need to live behind PIN-only accessible gated communities, then more fool them.
The tragedy is that the longer it’s all propped up on a firm foundation of solid bullshit and jellybeams, the more violent the outcome is likely to be.
As the 70% or so versus the 30% moves more and more towards the 99.9 versus the 0.01% – I know where I’m putting my fiat currency. (Some smart smarmy cnut is probably already inventing some derivative in order to have a bob each way!!)
….. probably also why there are a few in the Labour Party who are desperately trying to delay the inevitable (i.e. kicking cans down roadways).
…… my suggestion to them is to just double up on your security, engage another risk management consultant, pay ’em a bundle, see a touchy feely, drop a prozac or two (up the dose if necessary), and life will remain just peachy keen,
I’ve never actually seen a time (in my lifetime) where the neo-liberal driven ideology means that the masses are ‘comfortable’ with ever-increasing disparity.
BUT just imagine how angry they’ll be when the inevitable shit hits the fan, mortgagee sales become a reality, offspring have gone all feral, and they’re all looking for someone to blame.
(There are some natural targets, and you can be sure they’ll be in that ‘economic minority’ of a 1 or possible 0.1%)
Snot Rok Soince is it?
In São Paulo, the rich live in gated condominiums with armed guards. True to form, they pay their guards a pittance so that when a building is attacked by criminals, the guards put up minimal resistance. The crims then get up to 20 filthy rich households to empty out, all at once. They usually drive off with trucks full of expensive possessions. This seems to be what the stupidly rich want for this part of the world as well.
Yesterday I drove on the brand new highway between Taupiri to central Hamilton. why was this highway built? It must have cost well over a billion dollars (at a guess).
How does the National government get so much credit for its economic management when it has built these roads at a huge cost, all of it increasing our huge debt burden…I don’t see our MSM attacking National for its inept economic management on this. The huge expenditure on roads in the Waikato and BOP I reckon will in the long term actually reduce GDP (but will improve the profit of some large trucking companies and Fonterra), I challenge any economist/anyone to prove otherwise.
National have done a tremendous job, just goes to show what can be achieved when we get some decent people at the helm, people with skill and talent.
Only a complete idiot would want labour in power, you’d struggle to find a bigger pile of know nothing, pie in the sky numpties than the current labour line up.
Skill and Talent? Really? Are you sure? Who are we talking about? Mr Brownlee, whose “political clout” has prevented countless people in Christchurch to have a roof over their heads after 3 (!) years? This is by the way inexcusable and one wonders whether we see in the run up to the election a sudden increase in Insurance payouts. Just do be clear, commercial law is passed in parliament and not by Insurance companies – or is it?
Or is it Mrs Bennett who had the benefit of the social system when it was available and used it to the full extent only to deny it everybody else since she has the portfolio? Has she found in her heart that all of her “success” is wrong?
Or lets go to Mr Bridges, who supports deep see drilling and fracking. Interesting though, I was not aware that a lawyer has such extended education to understand the issues of engineering and biology so to be able to make such decisions. Furthermore, being able to override any sovereign interest amid many documented disadvantages and just unilateral make the call?
Yes, lets keep some hope alive. I will vote green as this hopefully gives the next generation a voice.
“National have done a tremendous job, just goes to show what can be achieved when we get some decent people at the helm, people with skill and talent.”
Having lived in the Far North for years I am always in awe of Waikato roads when travelling there, even the secondary routes beautifully sealed and cambered. People who travel the South Island regularly tell a similar story of great roads in a sparsely populated landscape.
according to the Northland Regional Council…
“Of the 6,530 kilometres of road in Northland, 753 kilometres are State Highway with the remaining being local roads. Approximately 65% of these local roads are unsealed, compared to the national average of 40%. The proportion of unsealed roads, many of which have poor foundation conditions and alignments, is one of the highest in the country”.
One could make a case for Waikato and South Island as major tory voters getting special ‘two lane blacktop’ treatment. So what about the Far North? also consistent tory electorate voters (though when you add in the Te Tai Tokerau and the non national general electorate vote the numbers don’t look so good for the torys)–just the land that time forgot? The North has high suicide rates and lots of car crashes and little economic development for decades.
One could make a case for Waikato and South Island as major tory voters getting special ‘two lane blacktop’ treatment.
Not so sure about that. I live in the Waitaki electorate and our road is so bad it’s a favourite with rally car drivers. We’ve had the Rally of Otago blatt past on numerous occasions, except only from one direction. It’s too dangerous going the other. Too many cars went over banks. Bloody good job. The environment bit back.
TM, quite a few people I know in the North don’t want the sort of roads they have in the Waikato. They see one great benefit of gravel roads – they scare the Jafas into keeping their Remuera tractors south of Wellsford. On the other hand, quite a few of them would like to see decent train and bus services.
Don’t forget the North Shore tractors MO. Arrogant drivers who think they own the road and it’s the women who are the worst. One of them screamed abuse at me once for driving up to an intersection on the inside of her. Plenty of room for me to turn left and she to the right. Told her after the screaming match subsided that she was a stupid bitch. She then tried to ram me but I was too quick for her. Contemplated carrying a bag of stones in my glove box in case it happened again. A smashed rear window would have been a satisfactory outcome but decided it was too risky. It would be my luck to have a cop car come ambling past at the moment of impact.
I was out fishing with a mate once and some stupid yuppie in his 15m gin palace managed to catch a few snapper. He promptly filleted them and threw the remains overboard, which every snapper fisher knows is just not on. It puts the rest right off the bite. My mate started throwing sinkers at him, which worried me a bit, since my tinny was only 4.4m. Luckily the idiot wasn’t the aggressive type and left rather than run us over.
“just who it is who ‘owns’/’bought’ influence”. Perfectly said PU.
Without legislation along the lines you suggest we facilitate the availability of massive corruption to the often mutually inclusive wealthy and the holders of power, derived from democratic process, ironically.
Start with strict liability from the top dog down in both the donor and donee camps. Make glib lies like “the law is unclear” and “I’m a busy person I relied on assurances from my trusted minions” and “Oh I forgot” unavailable to the wealthy and the holders of power.
Deploy demonstrably heavy penalties directed according to statutory presumption in favour of imprisonment topped off with additional truly massive financial penalties for donor and donee and permanent disqualification for both from the electoral process at any level.
In cases of political and electoral corruption let judges’ sentencing notes contain stern denunciation of offending which “sheets to the core of justice and democracy”. As presently occurs in obviously far less-reaching cases of attempting to/perverting the course of justice where some fool engages falsehood given on oath to protect a family member or mate charged with an offence.
Acknowledging that for the sake of brevity I overlook Brown, why please did Mediaworks pay for the witheringly castigating holier-than-thou Cameron Brewer’s holiday on the Gold Coast ? If the motivation were truly impeccable there would be more bang-for-the-buck in widely vaunted donation to The Auckland City Mission.
That’s a risibly inadequate response/rationalisation BM.
How possibly can you distinguish between favours given after the event and favours given before the event ? The ‘distinction’ is facile and meaningless especially in the context of a course of conduct dynamic.
You’re a supporter of corruption clearly. It’s what makes the world of the wealthy and the powerful go round what ? Such a democrat you BM.
Thinking about the traditional story of Christmas and all, my pick for the Three Wise Men:
the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu and Pope Francis. I’m sure they’d have a lot of fun riding across the desert together on camels.
‘What Cunliffe will be seeking this year is to capitalise on the sense rolling through the country that the National-led administration is arrogant and indifferent to the beliefs and needs of ordinary New Zealanders. But what he and the rest of us need to keep front of mind is the plight of those who cannot even aspire to ordinariness.
The Child Poverty Monitor report, released three weeks ago by Children’s Commissioner Russell Wills, shows that a quarter of our children are living in poverty, some of it severe and persistent. Poverty-related illness, such as asthma and bronchitis, reached record highs.
With every passing year, it becomes harder to be proud of a country that was once a world-leading social democracy. The small Scandinavian countries we used to rub shoulders with at the top of the league tables have maintained their positions as we have plummeted.
It is not about resources, but about political will. It’s something that politicians and voters should devote thought to as another year dawns.’
Ark! That is so annoying. Looking at the feed and considering why the Feeds (now with the bulk feeders TDB and Scoop politics separated so the smaller blogs get front billing) are duplicating.
Obvious. There are 3 web servers running (two front and one backup) all looking at the same database and set of files. It has the same problem as sphinx search had – they’re ALL updating the feed database. When they happen to coincide, I get up to three copies of the same RSS record.
Should be fixable by checking for duplicates when updating the database like the duplicate comment fix. But a better idea will be to do that update from a single server.
Will anyone in greens or labour begin to respond to this economic “good” news with
for whom. How long will ordinary nzers continue to believe and vote for the myth begun in the 80s by douglas’ mythical good news. The richardsons mother of all bad news… and so on until today. There is no evidence that this type of good news is actually good for anyone but those trumpetting the good news. The banks. The stock market. The reps of big business and politicians.
theres a reason simon power went from justice minister to westpac millionaire and it has nothing to do with wealth trickling down.
Simon Power
Realised his chance to become leader PM was gone so what’s the point of hanging round doing long hours for a relative pittance when you can get millions instead of thousands.
More liars….
No. 38 Jeremy Hansen: “I read a great column by Paul Thomas in the Herald….”
No. 37 Alan Seay: “You know, we respect the rights of people to protest….”
No. 36 Paul Dykzeul: “No we won’t be changing the Listener; it’s got a terrific editor….”
No. 35 Mark Jennings: “I think Paul’s a bright guy and he will be able to bring a discipline to his performance….”
No. 34 Willie Jackson: “I thought we’d been sensitive with her yesterday….”
No. 33 Supt. Bill Searle: “I think what’s happened here is the police officers have done their very best….”
No. 32 Sonny-Bill Williams: “It’s good to get the win over Papua-New Guinea, a strong Papua-New Guinea side, aahhhh….”
No. 31 John Palino: “Suggestions that I am somehow orchestrating some grand right-wing conspiracy to unseat Len after the election are so wrong…”
No. 30 Alan Dershowitz: “I will give $10,000 to the PLO if you can find a historical fact in my book that you can prove to be false.”
No. 29 John Banks: “I have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. And never, ever would I ever knowingly sign a false electoral return. Never ever would I ever.”
No. 28 John Kerry: “…we are especially sensitive, Chuck and I, to never again asking any member of Congress to take a vote on faulty intelligence.”
No. 27 Lyse Doucet: “I am there for those without a voice.”
No. 26 Sam Wallace: “So here we are—Otahuhu. It’s just a great place to be, really.”
No. 25 Margaret Thatcher: “…no British government involvement of any kind…with Khmer Rouge…”
No. 24 John Key: “…at the end of the day I, like most New Zealanders, value the role of the fourth estate…”
No. 23 Jay Carney: “…expel Mr Snowden back to the U.S. to face justice…”
No. 22 Mike Bush: “Bruce Hutton had integrity beyond reproach.”
No. 21 Tim Groser: “I think the relationship is genuinely in outstanding form.”
No. 20 John Key: “But if the question is do we use the United States or one of our other partners to circumvent New Zealand law then the answer is categorically no.”
No. 19 Matthew Hooton: “It is ridiculous to say that unions deliver higher wages! They DON’T!”
No. 18 Ant Strachan: “The All Blacks won the RWC 2011 because of outstanding defence!”
No. 17 Stephen Franks: “Peter has been such a level-headed, safe pair of hands.”
No. 16 Phil Kafcaloudes: “Tony Abbott…hasn’t made any mistakes over the past eighteen months.”
No. 15 Donald Rumsfeld: “I did not lie… Colin Powell did not lie.”
No. 14 Colin Powell: “a post-9/11 nexus between Iraq and terrorist organizations…connections are now emerging…”
No. 13 Barack Obama: “Simply put, these strikes have saved lives.”
No. 12 U.K. Ministry of Defence: “Protecting the Afghan civilian population is one of ISAF and the UK’s top priorities.”
No. 11 Brendan O’Connor: “Australia’s approach to refugees is compassionate and generous.”
No. 10 Boris Johnson: “Londoners have… the best police in the world to look after us and keep us safe.”
No. 9 NewstalkZB PR dept: “News you NEED! Fast, fair, accurate!”
No. 8 Simon Bridges: “I don’t mean to duck the question….”
No. 7 Nigel Morrison: “Quite frankly, they’ve been VERY tough.”
No. 6 Herald PR dept: “Congratulations—you’re reading New Zealand’s best newspaper.”
No. 5 Rawdon Christie: “…a FORMIDABLE replacement, it seems, is Claudette Hauiti.”
No. 4 Willie and J.T.: “The X-Factor. Nah, nah, there’s some GREAT talent there!”
No. 3 John Key: “Yeah we hold MPs to a higher standard.”
No. 2 Colin Craig: “Oh, I have a GREAT sense of humour.”
No. 1 Barack Obama: “Margaret Thatcher was one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.”
No. 29 John Banks: “I have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. And never, ever would I ever knowingly sign a false electoral return. Never ever would I ever.”
and the best way to ensure this would be to never ever sign something without reading it first.
No. I am saying if he truly wanted to never ever make a false return he would fucking read everything before he signed otherwise he is displaying wilful ignorance which is not the same as honest mistake.
No. I am saying if he truly wanted to never ever make a false return he would fucking read everything before he signed otherwise he is displaying wilful ignorance which is not the same as honest mistake.
Fair comment.
is english gour [sic] second language Morrisey
I accept your point, Tracey.
TRACEY: Is english your second language Morrisey?
MORRISSEY: [conciliatorily] I accept your point, Tracey.
TRACEY: [earnestly It was a genuine question morrisey. Not sarcastic. Didn’t know how else to ask. McFLOCK:[sardonically] I suspect that this universe is his second reality.
……Long pause. Silence, then a mocking slow clap can be heard……
MORRISSEY: Oh dear. Looks like we’ve just unearthed another one of the Melody Rules scriptwriters.
The WAR on WELFARE will continue in 2014, but like she did for those parents or grand-parents looking after a child (other than a foster child), Paula Bennett will try to manipulate the media and the wider public, into believing that actually “more” is being done to “support” those in need. The truth is kept from the wider public, while a nasty agenda, all based on nothing but “cost saving” and “cutting back” of services, is followed.
What does a few hundred dollars a year achieve and change, I ask? Yes, every bit of help should be appreciated, I agree. But this is “help” that patches up gaps and cracks in the income situation of many, that have been caused in another places, where households face pressures.
“Sip It Sweetie”, that is her motto now. Thank you Paula, we know it was all about YOURSELF after all.
As for the “help” for sick and disabled on benefits, we will watch with great concern how the new outsourced work capability testing will be implemented from February 2014.
For all those, that actually care to learn a bit more about all this stuff, and what is behind the “welfare reforms”, that are now affecting thousands in a very bad way, have a study of information that can be found on this small website:
That site is still a bit new and under (experiemental) construction, but accessing and using the many resources and links offered there should assist many to see, assess and understand what is really going on under this hideous government, with nothing but contempt for those at the bottom of the heap! Putting pressures, fears and expectations on sick and disabled to compete for work, and dressing this up as “caring for” and “assisting” them, that is worse than being mean spirited. It is disgustingly dishonest and criminal.
For instance mental health funding has been capped or cut for many services here in Auckland. So where is the extra “help” and “treatment” coming from? It will be GPs prescribing generic and non generic psychiatric drugs, and others sent to self help “coping groups”, to live with pain and impairments. Most extra funding has gone straight to MSD and WINZ, for more case management, none else.
Best wishes for 2014, keep up the FIGHT for JUSTICE!
I thought that Bill English has been announcing the end of the following year return to higher interest rates (as a result of his governments disinterested neglect of the economy) ever since 2009? He has built it into every budget up until 2012 when he finally became aware after the election that making a foolish prophecy wasn’t the same as making it happen.
Or have you forgotten?
I suspect there will be a slight interest rate rise next year, which will immediately stall the retail economy again. It will then stagnate for another year or so. I think that the same thing will happen offshore.
Having a jobless ‘recovery’ is a completely fragile and essentially useless recovery. Thought people would have realised this over the last couple of hundred years.
I suspect there will be a slight interest rate rise next year, which will immediately stall the retail economy again.
Which is, of course, exactly what it’s supposed to do. Raising interest rates is done to cool down an over-heating economy but, for some strange reason, it only ever seems to initiate housing bubbles as the hot money from other countries floods in fueling the money creation process by local banks.
Having a jobless ‘recovery’ is a completely fragile and essentially useless recovery. Thought people would have realised this over the last couple of hundred years.
I think you’ll find that economists and RWNJs really like jobless recoveries because it indicates an increase in profit while wages are kept down thus preventing a wage/price inflation spiral.
Yeah, causes short-term profit taking. The problem is that they run out of steam, fall back to a lower level, then repeat as a lower amplitude.
Ask the Japanese. They have had them for nearly two decades now. I’m also pretty sure that Europe would be in that state as well if they hadn’t kept expanding the size of the EU.
Yeah. Been meaning to separate the larger feed suppliers from the smaller (and often more interesting) blogs. Took the opportunity to do some upgrades to the other tabbed dialog as well – and it allowed me to dispose of some old residual jquery.
edit: opps – meant to have been a reply to weka at 21.1..
17 April. Shots of the cabinet and the ex-cabinet at Lady Thatcher’s funeral in St Paul’s just emphasise how consistently cowardly most of them were, the only time they dared to stand up to her when eventually they kicked her out. What also galls is the notion that Tory MPs throw in almost as an afterthought, namely that her lack of a sense of humour was just a minor failing, of no more significance than being colourblind, say, or mildly short-sighted. In fact to have no sense of humour is to be a seriously flawed human being. It’s not a minor shortcoming; it shuts you off from humanity. Mrs Thatcher was a mirthless bully and should have been buried, as once upon a time monarchs used to be, in the depths of the night.
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The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
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proof of meat/dairy-bye-product consumption having as strong a link to cancer..
..as tobacco..
(the results of this new research was just released on december 27th..
“..Consumption of meat and other animal products is strongly linked to several types of cancer –
– according to an article published in the journal Nutrients.
The author analyzed data on 21 different cancers in 157 countries –
– and found that certain factors – especially diet –
– were associated with risk for developing specific cancers.
Specifically – the association between animal product consumption and cancer –
– was as strong as that linking tobacco and cancer..”
(cont..)
..ed:..and funny story!!
..those types of cancers linked to meat/dairy consumption are cancers of which we in new zealand.have some of the highest rates in the world..
..and of course that fits in tidily with our world-beating rates of consumption of that meat/dairy..eh..?
..it’s kinda like join-the-dots..but at a pre-school level..eh..?
http://www.pcrm.org/health/medNews/
..now..how can that not be a wake-up all..?
..how much more proof do you need..?
..when you are told the risks of cancer/premature-death are as high as from smoking tobacco..
..whoar..!..eh..?
‘waiter..!..hold that bacon ‘n cheese sarnie..!..i’ll have the porridge instead..!..’
eh..?
phillip ure..
Doesn’t porridge have milk with it? As I recall it’s the reason I could never stomach porridge as a child.
@ karol..good point..
..but soy/rice/almond etc.- milk is the answer..
..vanilla-flavoured soy goes particularly well with a fruit-packed-porridge..(mmm!!!..)
..(and of course those big/fat wholemeal porridge whole-flakes..
..not that powdered muck..that just turns into wallpaper-paste..
..and if you pack enough fruit into it..(raisins/banana/apple/pear..a good porridge is just as edible sans milk…)
..i also recommend a layer of frozen/fresh-berries in the bottom of the bowl..
..a ‘surprise’…that lifts the porridge-experience to a whole new level..
..and leaves you sneering in disdain at yr bog-standard fat-soaked/greasy/slimy bacon ‘n cheese sarnie..that just leaves you feeling ‘blagh!’…
..eh..?
phillip ure..
Modern industrial soy is a blight on the planet. Look it up.
“..how much more proof do you need..?”
Yeah, nah.
Animal Products Linked to Cancer
December 27, 2013
Consumption of meat and other animal products is strongly linked to several types of cancer, according to an article published in the journal Nutrients. The author analyzed data on 21 different cancers in 157 countries and found that certain factors, especially diet, were associated with risk for developing specific cancers. Specifically, the association between animal product consumption and cancer was as strong as that linking tobacco and cancer. Possible mechanisms for risk include animal products’ promotion of growth and high iron and fat content. The author notes that while detection and treatment are important, animal product consumption has been recognized as a cancer risk for more than a century and needs to be addressed in order to prevent the deadly disease.
How come non-Western cultures with high meat protein diets don’t have high rates of cancer (quite the opposite)? It’s not meat eating per se, it’s how we do it. Can’t comment futher on that research until I see whether they controlled for things like refined carb intake, lifestyle, modern pollutants etc which tend to go hand in hand with meat consumption. Would also want to know if they differentiated between grass-fed meat vs feed-lot, pumped full of chemicals meat.
@ weka..
did you not even read what you posted..?
“..The author analyzed data on 21 different cancers in 157 countries..”
..if you claim you did..then why did you say:
“..Can’t comment futher on that research until I see whether they controlled for things like refined carb intake, lifestyle, modern pollutants etc..”
just obfuscating-bullshit on yr part..eh..?..really..
..phillip ure..
I said that because there is lots of dodgy research being done in the world and I’d want to see a better analysis of the reasearch than was on the page you linked to before I commented further.
What concerns me is that you consider this
http://www.pcrm.org/health/medNews/
to equate to proof, without any fact checking or analysis at all. Don’t worry, I see meat eaters making the same kinds of mistakes.
Do you understand how things like overall diet, lifestyle, environment could affect the outcome of research into on the health effects of a specific food? I suspect you don’t. I know I’ve asked you these kinds of questions before that you just ignore. It’s the worst kind of intellectual argument (quoting a useless source and then refusing to back it up) and I’m surprised that its tolerated by the general commentariat here. If you were making a more conventional political statement people would be all over you.
@ weka..
“..the page you linked to ..”
the page i linked to..(that you sneer at/use to dismiss the whole argument).. is a report from a physicians-group….
..alerting readers to a new/groundbreaking study..
..that has been written up in a scientific-journal..called ‘nutrition’..(with all the checks and balances that entails..)..
..so no..weka..it isn’t an article in fucken usa-today..eh..?
..it is the results of meta-research of 151 other studies..comparing cancers in 21 different countries..
..so yr..’i need more details!’..
..is just strawman-argument bullshit..eh..?
..and as for yr final paragraph..
..once again..utter horseshit..
..of course there are variables in every study..
..but once again..a strawman-argument from you..
..as this is a study of other studies..
..what are you finding so hard to grasp about that simple fact..?
..phillip ure..
“..that has been written up in a scientific-journal..called ‘nutrition’..(with all the checks and balances that entails..)..”
Alot of medical research is done poorly and/or has been co-opted by various special interest groups. This is a well known phenomenon and is acknowleged within science and medicine.
I don’t know the Nutrition journal so am in no position to judge the value of its peer review (assuming it did peer review the research). I haven’t seen the research published. That’s all I said – that there wasn’t enough information to judge the value of it. You are quite welcome to trust it, but if you post it in a public forum then expect some analysis.
So, it’s not strawman argument. It’s based on experience and understanding. I note that yet again you fail to answer my questions and just call them horseshit, and so have just reinforced my opinion of you that you don’t really understand how scientific research works and how to evaluate it.
correction:..the scientific journal is called ‘nutrients’..
..and is described in wikipedia as thus:
“..Nutrients is an open access peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing reviews, regular research papers, and short communications on all aspects of nutrition..”
..(hope that helps..)
..and once again i have to return to the fact you seem unable to grasp..
..this is a meta-study..looking at 151 other scientific-studies..over 21 countries..
..so yr paranoias detailed in yr second paragraph ..do not/cannot apply to that..
..it is a different discipline…mainly number/stat-crunching..
..no actual on lab-table research/study..
..get that..?
..and if you can’t ‘trust’ a study/evidence of such magnitude/scope..
..and if you think that ‘vested-interests’..(who..?..the all-powerful vegan-lobby?..) have twisted this research somehow..
..best you go and stand over there with the tobacco-doesn’t-cause-cancer/the-moon-landings-didn’t-happen crew..eh..?
..and you still haven’t answered that simple straightforward question:
..do you receive/derive yr monies from the animal-flesh-trade industries..?
..and what questions of yours do you feel i have not answered..?
..phillip ure..
But none of that was in the original link was it.
Here’s the full article. How about you read it and then respond to the points I raised in my first comment.
http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/6/1/163
How come non-Western cultures with high meat protein diets don’t have high rates of cancer (quite the opposite)? It’s not meat eating per se, it’s how we do it. Can’t comment futher on that research until I see whether they controlled for things like refined carb intake, lifestyle, modern pollutants etc which tend to go hand in hand with meat consumption. Would also want to know if they differentiated between grass-fed meat vs feed-lot, pumped full of chemicals meat.
i think i’ll just leave you to dance on the head of yr pin there..weka..
..but the basic message still stands..
..eating cheese/milk/meat will likely give you cancer/premature-death..
..and..as with the ciggy-smokers of yore.. it’s over to you now..
..what you (and other readers) do with that new information/knowledge/awareness..eh..?
..you have two choices..(as did the ciggy-smokers when they first got the news..)
..denial..and continuing to consume/feed yr children this proven carcinogen..
..or acceptance of the science/facts..
..and a lifestyle adjustment to take that new information into account..
..as i said..it’s up/over to you..
..i’ve delivered the message..
..that’s all i can do..
phillip ure
and as a p.s..
..all the info/recipies etc. you will need to shed the carcinogenic-diet can be found here..
http://whoar.co.nz/category/vegan-stuff/
and as an aside..there is a ‘high’ to be had from being vegan..
..a ongoing ‘high’ that not even vegetarians are aware of/experience..
..tho’ vegetarians have had a taste of it from dropping the meat..
..but the high-payoff from going vegan is much more pronounced than if dairy is still consumed..
..(i was vegetarian for 15 yrs..(and thought vegans were ‘a bit weird’..wot…?..no cheese..?..geddouttahere..!..)
..)and have been vegan for 15 yrs..
..and i mean it most sincerely when i tell you that you will feel much better..
..when you stop eating animals..
..and things processed from them..
..(and did i mention ‘the cancer’..?..)
..there is both a (high) carrot..and a (cancer) stick..
..with this one..
..phillip ure..
“..eating cheese/milk/meat will likely give you cancer/premature-death..”
Citation needed. And what’s with the ‘likely’ bit?
You still haven’t responded to my substantive points (not really surprised, you strike me as very dogmatic on this, so why bother with reality).
I was vegetarian for a long time (a very nutritionally well-informed vegetarian), and part of that time I was virtually vegan. My health improved substantially when I started eating meat again. I know many other people that this is true for. I also know people that do well on vege diets. One size doesn’t fit all.
you are attempting to complicate what is simple..
..the message is as ‘simple’ and straightforward as the ‘tobacco causes cancer’ one..
..and all the twisting/twirling in the world from you won’t change that..
..and yes..this may be called heralding a seachange in global dietary-patterns..
..and yes..it also heralds a seachange for the new zealand economy..
..we had all better crack on and copy james cameron..
..he is converting the large dairy-holdings he pruchased in the wairarapa..
..back into producing real food/crops..
..he is just being a pioneer in what the rest of the country will have to do..
..eventually..
..(and as a comparison/example of other cancer-causing info radically changing society..
..how long ago was it that everyone smoked cigarettes..?..)
..i remember that/those times..
..and how the smokers scoffed when the scientists first started going:..’um..!..hang on..!..cancer..?’..
..it may seem hard for many to grasp here/now/today..
..but the cheese-block is due to go the way of the packet of ciggies..
..it will no longer be an essential of our daily life..
..and will assume the odium of the full-ashtray..
..phillip ure..
How come non-Western cultures with high meat protein diets don’t have high rates of cancer (quite the opposite)? It’s not meat eating per se, it’s how we do it.
Paleo. Been holding my body together now 3 years. No sugar, no fructose, no hydrogenated oils, minimal wheat and dairy.
Lots of vegetable carbs, fermented foods, protein and saturated fats. Recent cardio test was perfect.
The big problem I’m not properly managing in my life at the moment is correct exercise, stress and inflammation.
Nice one RL. I know other people who paleo works very well for too. There are other traditional diets that have good health outcomes too. I don’t even object to people being vegan, it just irks when some claim that their way is best and that everyone else would be better off doing what they do (demonstrably false), and anyone who doesn’t is somehow bad or wrong. Veganism, as practiced by most in the West, is also pretty high in terms of environmental damage, so pah to their moral high ground.
sheesh weka..i’m just the messanger..eh..?
..and ..could you plse answer the question..
..do you derive your income from the income generated by the animal-flesh-trade..?
..what else to explain yr choleric-tone..?
..you aren’t eating too much meat..are you..?
..i’ve heard it’s not good for ya..eh..?
..and the rage/irrationality/tone/timbre of yr responses on this subject..likely echo the responses to those first reports of cigs causing cancer..
..for smokers..amongst smokers..eh..?
..phillip ure..
“..do you derive your income from the income generated by the animal-flesh-trade..?”
No, I have nothing to do with the meat industry.
“..and the rage/irrationality/tone/timbre of yr responses on this subject..”
Ha, ha, I’m actually not eating meat at all at the moment. There is nothing wrong with appropriately placed anger (ts is full of it, as is the vegan movement). But by all means point out some specific examples of where I am being irrational. Things you merely don’t like don’t count.
RL I got the idea you were on a mountain somewhere. So either you are overdoing the exercise or setting a very demanding schedule. And stress, I think that a bit of meditation in a quiet safe place rests all the body, even a change, another page in the book you have chosen to read. Also a lie down where you start relaxing your whole body from your toes up. We are holding ourselves in readiness for action all the time and don’t realise it till we deliberately shed it.
I know, phillip.
My breakfast is usually some fruit, nuts, seeds – blender & almond milk + a bit of plain unsweetened yogurt.
My childhood, wretching experiences of porridge have put me off it for life.
Easily edible without any milk whatsoever
It’s the morning staple in my household where no-one is able to have milk
eat it without milk… doesn’t need it.
.. oh my god …
…saw this terrifying study….
..might be a wake up call!!!..
…100% of vegans will eventually die…
..just like everyone else…
eh?..
that’s all you’ve got there as rebuttal..?..qot..?
..that’s it..?
..so we can take the info/report as q.e.d..?..then..?
..phillip ure..
But did you know….
and that’s all you’ve got there..?..joe..?..a butchers’ blackboard..?
once again..the facts of the matter are clearly q.e.d…eh..?
..now its’ just a matter of ‘your call’..eh..?
phillip ure..
Without citing previous work on the same topic, QOT, what you have published above qualifies as plagiarism.
eh?..[1]
[1] phillip ure, various.
heh..!
phillip ure..
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11178968
The Herald’s hypocrisy over Brown is breathtaking.
“Many believe he will not see out his term at the helm of the Super City.”
Rather ironic since it’s this newspaper leading the campaign to have him resign.
Don’t the Nats have a major trust through which their campaign funds are filtered?
My thoughts also, K.
Yes. I reckon it’s time to put a cap on all campaign spending – the whole system of funding campaigns corrupts democracy.
And it’s why there’s no truly left wing viable candidate for mayor of Auckland. It all aid the interests of the wealthy ad the powerful corporates.
they all do..it is an area screaming for urgent-reform..
..when 446 grand of the seven hundred something grand brown spent on his campaign..
..came from that donor-secret slush-fund..it is clear something stinks..
..and going on browns’ actions to date..i think we all really need to know just who it is who ‘owns’/’bought’ influence with him..
..(and how that buying dictates his actions/inactions in office..)
..all political donations above a miserly small figure must be made public..
..not hidden in secret slush-funds..
..(oh..!..how the top end of town must laugh..eh..?..having all the politicians..labour..national..and the mayor of nzs’ biggest city..
..in their pockets..)
..what a corrupt little third world pacific island nation we really are..eh..?
..and i haven’t even gone near our role as a money-laundering destination/favourite..eh..?..)
phillip ure..
and i loved the rejoinder from browns’ campaign-manager..
..and that response couldn’t be a clearer clarion call for reform..
..he whined a twofer-response/excuse..
..that:..’it’s legal’..and ‘everyone else does it’…
..not really/quite enough of a reason/excuse…eh..?
phillip ure..
until we get real campaign-finance reform..this corruption/subversion of the democratic process..at all levels…will continue..
..with the interests of the people..
..continuing to be at the end of a very long queue..
..it’s as simple as that..really..
..eh..?
..we need to ‘own’ our politicians…
..at all levels..
..not have them in thrall to that top end of town..
..as is the case now..
..doing their ‘business’..for them..
phillip ure..
Yes, the Waitemata Trust. Been going for years and in that time millions of anonymous dollars have been transferred through it and used in successive election campaigns. Add to that the other ‘private’ trusts where money is deposited for special purposes, and it’s obvious to anyone with half a brain that the NZ Herald is party to a dirty tricks campaign aimed at destroying public profile figures associated with Labour and/or the Greens. All of it designed to peak just before the general election which might only be six months away.
Add to that the latest delay in the Dotcom extradition case from March to July (and if things don’t go according to plan no doubt the FBI will be willing to have it further delayed) then it will likely mean the ‘dirt and filth’ will hit their targets at the right time, leading to another election win for the Nats.
May not be bang on, but a plausible theory…
Well-put. Election anouncement shortly after a wildly-optimistic Budget sounds about right – before rising interest rates start clobbering voters with mortgages later in the year. Opposition needs to be forcefully and continually joining those dots for people and offering a credible alternative.
to give credit where credit is due..the herald on sunday today has a powerful clarion-call of its’ very own..
..(that will have national/the top end of town sweating..and should empower the labour party policy-makers/leadership..you’d think..?)
..they present a powerful/pungent call for meaningful political/policy-action to end child-poverty..
..lamenting how we are no longer like those scandanavian nations we used to be neck and neck with..
..in the ‘good-country’-stakes/rankings..
..and unequivocal in their call for us to get back there..again..
..so..a tip of the hat to them..for that..
..and let’s hope labour (finally?) realise they really have nothing to be scared of…eh..?
..that the ‘time’ for real and meaningful change…
..is now..
..phillip ure..
The HOS has a different editorial team to the weekly Herald.
I am also of the opinion that the general election will be called early, Anne – probably in mid-winter from about early July (with hopes of a low voter turnout due to weather).
In terms of timelines next year:
Early April 3014- Royal visit with lots of photo-ops for Key, and warm afterglow
14 April 2014 – current scheduled date for the start of the Dotcom extradition hearing forecast to take several weeks: but expected to be further delayed again until at least July 2014 *
* Anne, I note you suggest “Add to that the latest delay in the Dotcom extradition case from March to July” . I checked Google, and the current date is 14 April 2014, and there does not appear to have been an formal decision as yet to delay until July although speculation is that this will happen.
May 2014 – Banks court case
Mid to late May 2014 – Budget.
IIRC, an election can be called on as little as six weeks’ notice, so my thinking is that Key will go for an announcement either just after the royal visit, or around Budget day to get the best PR from these two events – and to overshadow the Banks trial and any Dotcom ongoing court hearings on release of property taken (eg electronic records etc), compensation etc; and to get the election over before the Dotcom extradition hearing itself.
I don’t believe that Key will hold out for a November election for the above reasons and also because IIRC there are one or two big international conferences/events in Nov 2014 that Key would want to attend which he couldn’t go to if the election was in Nov. I recall some discussion in the media a few months ago about these events – but cannot remember what they are. It is now bugging me, so will do some research.
@ veutoviper
Yes. I was aware the the FBI have only requested a delay until July, but they’re likely to get what they want. Then, if it suits Key and co., they will go for a further delay so that Dotcom’s info. on Key doesn’t hit the air-waves until after the election. I’m sure the FBI operatives on the Dotcom case don’t want to see a change in government!
For the reasons you mention above – and others – the situation is fluid, so Key could end up out of luck. Fingers firmly crossed…
Funding is a crucial issue. Look at the mess of the USA where money literally enables the rich to buy laws. I’ve seen suggestions on this site in the past of how to fix this issue but until the general public understand what a problem it is nothing will be done. It’s not a vote getter and, in fact, as the electoral finance mess showed, it can be spun as a vote loser.
“what a corrupt little third world pacific island nation we really are..eh..?”
A sad, but true analysis. We sure have become leaner and meaner. The quick and the dead. Welcome to the future.
+1
There’s a simple measurement I usually apply – the simple and uncomplicated is usually the best
IF we wish to be included in 1st world status, but can only do so by paying slave wages; minimising long fought-for benefits in order to remain viable
THEN we aren’t and we’re only fooling ourselves. (see the other post on America)
Problem is though that the race to the bottom for the many in order for a scared few to maintain their lifestyles is not necessary – it’s only their ideologically-driven and egotistical bullshit that makes it so.
And if because of their short term view, they feel an increasing need to live behind PIN-only accessible gated communities, then more fool them.
The tragedy is that the longer it’s all propped up on a firm foundation of solid bullshit and jellybeams, the more violent the outcome is likely to be.
As the 70% or so versus the 30% moves more and more towards the 99.9 versus the 0.01% – I know where I’m putting my fiat currency. (Some smart smarmy cnut is probably already inventing some derivative in order to have a bob each way!!)
….. probably also why there are a few in the Labour Party who are desperately trying to delay the inevitable (i.e. kicking cans down roadways).
…… my suggestion to them is to just double up on your security, engage another risk management consultant, pay ’em a bundle, see a touchy feely, drop a prozac or two (up the dose if necessary), and life will remain just peachy keen,
I’ve never actually seen a time (in my lifetime) where the neo-liberal driven ideology means that the masses are ‘comfortable’ with ever-increasing disparity.
BUT just imagine how angry they’ll be when the inevitable shit hits the fan, mortgagee sales become a reality, offspring have gone all feral, and they’re all looking for someone to blame.
(There are some natural targets, and you can be sure they’ll be in that ‘economic minority’ of a 1 or possible 0.1%)
Snot Rok Soince is it?
In São Paulo, the rich live in gated condominiums with armed guards. True to form, they pay their guards a pittance so that when a building is attacked by criminals, the guards put up minimal resistance. The crims then get up to 20 filthy rich households to empty out, all at once. They usually drive off with trucks full of expensive possessions. This seems to be what the stupidly rich want for this part of the world as well.
The land of the free.
//
http://philebersole.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/one-in-four-us-workers-are-guard-labor/
Yesterday I drove on the brand new highway between Taupiri to central Hamilton. why was this highway built? It must have cost well over a billion dollars (at a guess).
How does the National government get so much credit for its economic management when it has built these roads at a huge cost, all of it increasing our huge debt burden…I don’t see our MSM attacking National for its inept economic management on this. The huge expenditure on roads in the Waikato and BOP I reckon will in the long term actually reduce GDP (but will improve the profit of some large trucking companies and Fonterra), I challenge any economist/anyone to prove otherwise.
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/network/projects/project.html?ID=63
All this new roading development is brilliant.
For me it one of the best things National has done.
Spending billions on roads when we are so deeply in debt is NOT good economic management…clearly this proves that you are a fuckwit BM.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/9560760/Welcome-to-the-boom-of-2014
National have done a tremendous job, just goes to show what can be achieved when we get some decent people at the helm, people with skill and talent.
Only a complete idiot would want labour in power, you’d struggle to find a bigger pile of know nothing, pie in the sky numpties than the current labour line up.
Compete dross.
“Compete” dross BM ? You’re doing fabulously well BM.
I guess you add a bit of colour BM…but you are as thick as pig shit (or is that Bat Shit).
Skill and Talent? Really? Are you sure? Who are we talking about? Mr Brownlee, whose “political clout” has prevented countless people in Christchurch to have a roof over their heads after 3 (!) years? This is by the way inexcusable and one wonders whether we see in the run up to the election a sudden increase in Insurance payouts. Just do be clear, commercial law is passed in parliament and not by Insurance companies – or is it?
Or is it Mrs Bennett who had the benefit of the social system when it was available and used it to the full extent only to deny it everybody else since she has the portfolio? Has she found in her heart that all of her “success” is wrong?
Or lets go to Mr Bridges, who supports deep see drilling and fracking. Interesting though, I was not aware that a lawyer has such extended education to understand the issues of engineering and biology so to be able to make such decisions. Furthermore, being able to override any sovereign interest amid many documented disadvantages and just unilateral make the call?
Yes, lets keep some hope alive. I will vote green as this hopefully gives the next generation a voice.
I suspect that boom will last until the prediction wears off – sometime in January.
“National have done a tremendous job, just goes to show what can be achieved when we get some decent people at the helm, people with skill and talent.”
Stop taking the piss BM
And here in Hawke Bay, we all love the new Rail Line to Gisborne.
Or is that Gisbin (TV weather).
YEAH RITE.
Having lived in the Far North for years I am always in awe of Waikato roads when travelling there, even the secondary routes beautifully sealed and cambered. People who travel the South Island regularly tell a similar story of great roads in a sparsely populated landscape.
according to the Northland Regional Council…
“Of the 6,530 kilometres of road in Northland, 753 kilometres are State Highway with the remaining being local roads. Approximately 65% of these local roads are unsealed, compared to the national average of 40%. The proportion of unsealed roads, many of which have poor foundation conditions and alignments, is one of the highest in the country”.
One could make a case for Waikato and South Island as major tory voters getting special ‘two lane blacktop’ treatment. So what about the Far North? also consistent tory electorate voters (though when you add in the Te Tai Tokerau and the non national general electorate vote the numbers don’t look so good for the torys)–just the land that time forgot? The North has high suicide rates and lots of car crashes and little economic development for decades.
How about the puhoi-wellsford route
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/consultation/puhoi-wellsford-2/index.html
That’s got to help speed things up.
That would be another loss making Road of National(s) Significance.
You might also find this interesting.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11096356
With the Norwegians currently looking for oil off the Northland coast, could be boom times ahead for those up North.
One could make a case for Waikato and South Island as major tory voters getting special ‘two lane blacktop’ treatment.
Not so sure about that. I live in the Waitaki electorate and our road is so bad it’s a favourite with rally car drivers. We’ve had the Rally of Otago blatt past on numerous occasions, except only from one direction. It’s too dangerous going the other. Too many cars went over banks. Bloody good job. The environment bit back.
On a positive note its a awesome part of the country to live in
TM, quite a few people I know in the North don’t want the sort of roads they have in the Waikato. They see one great benefit of gravel roads – they scare the Jafas into keeping their Remuera tractors south of Wellsford. On the other hand, quite a few of them would like to see decent train and bus services.
Don’t forget the North Shore tractors MO. Arrogant drivers who think they own the road and it’s the women who are the worst. One of them screamed abuse at me once for driving up to an intersection on the inside of her. Plenty of room for me to turn left and she to the right. Told her after the screaming match subsided that she was a stupid bitch. She then tried to ram me but I was too quick for her. Contemplated carrying a bag of stones in my glove box in case it happened again. A smashed rear window would have been a satisfactory outcome but decided it was too risky. It would be my luck to have a cop car come ambling past at the moment of impact.
I was out fishing with a mate once and some stupid yuppie in his 15m gin palace managed to catch a few snapper. He promptly filleted them and threw the remains overboard, which every snapper fisher knows is just not on. It puts the rest right off the bite. My mate started throwing sinkers at him, which worried me a bit, since my tinny was only 4.4m. Luckily the idiot wasn’t the aggressive type and left rather than run us over.
Same.
“just who it is who ‘owns’/’bought’ influence”. Perfectly said PU.
Without legislation along the lines you suggest we facilitate the availability of massive corruption to the often mutually inclusive wealthy and the holders of power, derived from democratic process, ironically.
Start with strict liability from the top dog down in both the donor and donee camps. Make glib lies like “the law is unclear” and “I’m a busy person I relied on assurances from my trusted minions” and “Oh I forgot” unavailable to the wealthy and the holders of power.
Deploy demonstrably heavy penalties directed according to statutory presumption in favour of imprisonment topped off with additional truly massive financial penalties for donor and donee and permanent disqualification for both from the electoral process at any level.
In cases of political and electoral corruption let judges’ sentencing notes contain stern denunciation of offending which “sheets to the core of justice and democracy”. As presently occurs in obviously far less-reaching cases of attempting to/perverting the course of justice where some fool engages falsehood given on oath to protect a family member or mate charged with an offence.
Acknowledging that for the sake of brevity I overlook Brown, why please did Mediaworks pay for the witheringly castigating holier-than-thou Cameron Brewer’s holiday on the Gold Coast ? If the motivation were truly impeccable there would be more bang-for-the-buck in widely vaunted donation to The Auckland City Mission.
He was chief executive of the Newmarket Business Association for a long time.
The trip was probably a thanks from media works for Brewer pushing work their way.
That’s a risibly inadequate response/rationalisation BM.
How possibly can you distinguish between favours given after the event and favours given before the event ? The ‘distinction’ is facile and meaningless especially in the context of a course of conduct dynamic.
You’re a supporter of corruption clearly. It’s what makes the world of the wealthy and the powerful go round what ? Such a democrat you BM.
No…….piss off with your moral bankruptcy.
++ @ North
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/9560760/Welcome-to-the-boom-of-2014
– Well thats a positive headline from the Herald for a change
isn’t that great..!..chris 73..!
..no more excuses now not to declare war on poverty..eh..?
..no more ‘but we can’t afford it’-whines/excuses..eh..?
..that is ‘positive’..
..those ‘boom-times’..and a financial-transaction-tax on the banksters..
..should just about get it sorted..eh..?
..no more poverty..no more third world diseases..eh..?
..gee..!..chris 73..and maybe we can start to bay back some of the $60+ billio nthis bunch of tory/clowns/fuckwits have run up..eh..?
..with their borrow and givre to the rich policies/..
phillip ure..
Its positive from the point of re-electing the National government
Ah…thought you might care about the increasing inequality.
But you don’t.
It’s all just a game to C73.
He doesn’t give a shit about people.
Kickbacks from Nactionals slush fund.
pay back to National party for bailout or was it to organize the bailout.
Mc Cready will sort it out.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9560681/Banks-nemesis-looks-for-others-to-put-in-dock
– Hes gotta pay his bills somehow I guess
Thinking about the traditional story of Christmas and all, my pick for the Three Wise Men:
the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu and Pope Francis. I’m sure they’d have a lot of fun riding across the desert together on camels.
Mildly surprised by a NZ Herald editorial today:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11178946
‘What Cunliffe will be seeking this year is to capitalise on the sense rolling through the country that the National-led administration is arrogant and indifferent to the beliefs and needs of ordinary New Zealanders. But what he and the rest of us need to keep front of mind is the plight of those who cannot even aspire to ordinariness.
The Child Poverty Monitor report, released three weeks ago by Children’s Commissioner Russell Wills, shows that a quarter of our children are living in poverty, some of it severe and persistent. Poverty-related illness, such as asthma and bronchitis, reached record highs.
With every passing year, it becomes harder to be proud of a country that was once a world-leading social democracy. The small Scandinavian countries we used to rub shoulders with at the top of the league tables have maintained their positions as we have plummeted.
It is not about resources, but about political will. It’s something that politicians and voters should devote thought to as another year dawns.’
For once, they got it right.
Boringly Myopic.
No rest for the wicked.
I thought you’d be off to HawaiiKey or pukett slinking down cool drinks with Cactus Kate.
Ark! That is so annoying. Looking at the feed and considering why the Feeds (now with the bulk feeders TDB and Scoop politics separated so the smaller blogs get front billing) are duplicating.
Obvious. There are 3 web servers running (two front and one backup) all looking at the same database and set of files. It has the same problem as sphinx search had – they’re ALL updating the feed database. When they happen to coincide, I get up to three copies of the same RSS record.
Should be fixable by checking for duplicates when updating the database like the duplicate comment fix. But a better idea will be to do that update from a single server.
Will anyone in greens or labour begin to respond to this economic “good” news with
for whom. How long will ordinary nzers continue to believe and vote for the myth begun in the 80s by douglas’ mythical good news. The richardsons mother of all bad news… and so on until today. There is no evidence that this type of good news is actually good for anyone but those trumpetting the good news. The banks. The stock market. The reps of big business and politicians.
theres a reason simon power went from justice minister to westpac millionaire and it has nothing to do with wealth trickling down.
Simon Power
Realised his chance to become leader PM was gone so what’s the point of hanging round doing long hours for a relative pittance when you can get millions instead of thousands.
LIARS OF OUR TIME
No. 39: George W. Bush
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“We will be standing with the people of Afghanistan and Iraq until their hopes for freedom and liberty are fulfilled.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
—President George W. Bush, 21 September 2004
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38139-2004Sep21_2.html
More liars….
No. 38 Jeremy Hansen: “I read a great column by Paul Thomas in the Herald….”
No. 37 Alan Seay: “You know, we respect the rights of people to protest….”
No. 36 Paul Dykzeul: “No we won’t be changing the Listener; it’s got a terrific editor….”
No. 35 Mark Jennings: “I think Paul’s a bright guy and he will be able to bring a discipline to his performance….”
No. 34 Willie Jackson: “I thought we’d been sensitive with her yesterday….”
No. 33 Supt. Bill Searle: “I think what’s happened here is the police officers have done their very best….”
No. 32 Sonny-Bill Williams: “It’s good to get the win over Papua-New Guinea, a strong Papua-New Guinea side, aahhhh….”
No. 31 John Palino: “Suggestions that I am somehow orchestrating some grand right-wing conspiracy to unseat Len after the election are so wrong…”
No. 30 Alan Dershowitz: “I will give $10,000 to the PLO if you can find a historical fact in my book that you can prove to be false.”
No. 29 John Banks: “I have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. And never, ever would I ever knowingly sign a false electoral return. Never ever would I ever.”
No. 28 John Kerry: “…we are especially sensitive, Chuck and I, to never again asking any member of Congress to take a vote on faulty intelligence.”
No. 27 Lyse Doucet: “I am there for those without a voice.”
No. 26 Sam Wallace: “So here we are—Otahuhu. It’s just a great place to be, really.”
No. 25 Margaret Thatcher: “…no British government involvement of any kind…with Khmer Rouge…”
No. 24 John Key: “…at the end of the day I, like most New Zealanders, value the role of the fourth estate…”
No. 23 Jay Carney: “…expel Mr Snowden back to the U.S. to face justice…”
No. 22 Mike Bush: “Bruce Hutton had integrity beyond reproach.”
No. 21 Tim Groser: “I think the relationship is genuinely in outstanding form.”
No. 20 John Key: “But if the question is do we use the United States or one of our other partners to circumvent New Zealand law then the answer is categorically no.”
No. 19 Matthew Hooton: “It is ridiculous to say that unions deliver higher wages! They DON’T!”
No. 18 Ant Strachan: “The All Blacks won the RWC 2011 because of outstanding defence!”
No. 17 Stephen Franks: “Peter has been such a level-headed, safe pair of hands.”
No. 16 Phil Kafcaloudes: “Tony Abbott…hasn’t made any mistakes over the past eighteen months.”
No. 15 Donald Rumsfeld: “I did not lie… Colin Powell did not lie.”
No. 14 Colin Powell: “a post-9/11 nexus between Iraq and terrorist organizations…connections are now emerging…”
No. 13 Barack Obama: “Simply put, these strikes have saved lives.”
No. 12 U.K. Ministry of Defence: “Protecting the Afghan civilian population is one of ISAF and the UK’s top priorities.”
No. 11 Brendan O’Connor: “Australia’s approach to refugees is compassionate and generous.”
No. 10 Boris Johnson: “Londoners have… the best police in the world to look after us and keep us safe.”
No. 9 NewstalkZB PR dept: “News you NEED! Fast, fair, accurate!”
No. 8 Simon Bridges: “I don’t mean to duck the question….”
No. 7 Nigel Morrison: “Quite frankly, they’ve been VERY tough.”
No. 6 Herald PR dept: “Congratulations—you’re reading New Zealand’s best newspaper.”
No. 5 Rawdon Christie: “…a FORMIDABLE replacement, it seems, is Claudette Hauiti.”
No. 4 Willie and J.T.: “The X-Factor. Nah, nah, there’s some GREAT talent there!”
No. 3 John Key: “Yeah we hold MPs to a higher standard.”
No. 2 Colin Craig: “Oh, I have a GREAT sense of humour.”
No. 1 Barack Obama: “Margaret Thatcher was one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.”
No. 29 John Banks: “I have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. And never, ever would I ever knowingly sign a false electoral return. Never ever would I ever.”
and the best way to ensure this would be to never ever sign something without reading it first.
…and the best way to ensure this would be to never ever sign something without reading it first.
Are you trying to suggest that Banks made an honest mistake?
No. I am saying if he truly wanted to never ever make a false return he would fucking read everything before he signed otherwise he is displaying wilful ignorance which is not the same as honest mistake.
is english gour second language Morrisey
No. I am saying if he truly wanted to never ever make a false return he would fucking read everything before he signed otherwise he is displaying wilful ignorance which is not the same as honest mistake.
Fair comment.
is english gour [sic] second language Morrisey
I accept your point, Tracey.
It was a genuine question morrisey. Not sarcastic. Didnt know how else to ask
I suspect that this universe is his second reality.
TRACEY: Is english your second language Morrisey?
MORRISSEY: [conciliatorily] I accept your point, Tracey.
TRACEY: [earnestly It was a genuine question morrisey. Not sarcastic. Didn’t know how else to ask.
McFLOCK: [sardonically] I suspect that this universe is his second reality.
……Long pause. Silence, then a mocking slow clap can be heard……
MORRISSEY: Oh dear. Looks like we’ve just unearthed another one of the Melody Rules scriptwriters.
🙄
Thanks, buddy. I hope you’re having a good Christmas break.
The WAR on WELFARE will continue in 2014, but like she did for those parents or grand-parents looking after a child (other than a foster child), Paula Bennett will try to manipulate the media and the wider public, into believing that actually “more” is being done to “support” those in need. The truth is kept from the wider public, while a nasty agenda, all based on nothing but “cost saving” and “cutting back” of services, is followed.
See this pre-Christmas sweetener Bennett released smartly just over a week before the holidays:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11172923
What does a few hundred dollars a year achieve and change, I ask? Yes, every bit of help should be appreciated, I agree. But this is “help” that patches up gaps and cracks in the income situation of many, that have been caused in another places, where households face pressures.
And then it comes from one with this bizarre sense of opportunism mixed with “humour”:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11176800
“Sip It Sweetie”, that is her motto now. Thank you Paula, we know it was all about YOURSELF after all.
As for the “help” for sick and disabled on benefits, we will watch with great concern how the new outsourced work capability testing will be implemented from February 2014.
Remember this:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9356043/Contractors-to-assess-sick-and-disabled-for-work
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/278489/tests-disabled-flawed-model
For all those, that actually care to learn a bit more about all this stuff, and what is behind the “welfare reforms”, that are now affecting thousands in a very bad way, have a study of information that can be found on this small website:
http://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.wordpress.com/2013/12/28/designated-doctors-used-by-work-and-income-some-also-used-by-acc-the-truth-about-them/
http://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.wordpress.com/2013/09/07/the-health-and-disability-panel-and-its-hand-picked-members/
http://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.wordpress.com/2013/09/02/medical-and-work-capability-assessments-based-on-the-controversial-bio-psycho-social-model/
That site is still a bit new and under (experiemental) construction, but accessing and using the many resources and links offered there should assist many to see, assess and understand what is really going on under this hideous government, with nothing but contempt for those at the bottom of the heap! Putting pressures, fears and expectations on sick and disabled to compete for work, and dressing this up as “caring for” and “assisting” them, that is worse than being mean spirited. It is disgustingly dishonest and criminal.
For instance mental health funding has been capped or cut for many services here in Auckland. So where is the extra “help” and “treatment” coming from? It will be GPs prescribing generic and non generic psychiatric drugs, and others sent to self help “coping groups”, to live with pain and impairments. Most extra funding has gone straight to MSD and WINZ, for more case management, none else.
Best wishes for 2014, keep up the FIGHT for JUSTICE!
chrs 4 keeping on top of all that..xtasy..
..regular updates thru the year will be appreciated..
..phillip ure..
I see parallels happening in New Zealand.
http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/dec/28/mortgage-rise-homeowners-perilous-debt
Too bad that hasn’t been announced for the last two years… oh wait…
I thought that Bill English has been announcing the end of the following year return to higher interest rates (as a result of his governments disinterested neglect of the economy) ever since 2009? He has built it into every budget up until 2012 when he finally became aware after the election that making a foolish prophecy wasn’t the same as making it happen.
Or have you forgotten?
I suspect there will be a slight interest rate rise next year, which will immediately stall the retail economy again. It will then stagnate for another year or so. I think that the same thing will happen offshore.
Having a jobless ‘recovery’ is a completely fragile and essentially useless recovery. Thought people would have realised this over the last couple of hundred years.
Which is, of course, exactly what it’s supposed to do. Raising interest rates is done to cool down an over-heating economy but, for some strange reason, it only ever seems to initiate housing bubbles as the hot money from other countries floods in fueling the money creation process by local banks.
I think you’ll find that economists and RWNJs really like jobless recoveries because it indicates an increase in profit while wages are kept down thus preventing a wage/price inflation spiral.
Yeah, causes short-term profit taking. The problem is that they run out of steam, fall back to a lower level, then repeat as a lower amplitude.
Ask the Japanese. They have had them for nearly two decades now. I’m also pretty sure that Europe would be in that state as well if they hadn’t kept expanding the size of the EU.
Damn – sorry about that. Some code didn’t copy over properly.
nice upgrade though. Looks good now.
Yeah. Been meaning to separate the larger feed suppliers from the smaller (and often more interesting) blogs. Took the opportunity to do some upgrades to the other tabbed dialog as well – and it allowed me to dispose of some old residual jquery.
edit: opps – meant to have been a reply to weka at 21.1..
heh
17 April. Shots of the cabinet and the ex-cabinet at Lady Thatcher’s funeral in St Paul’s just emphasise how consistently cowardly most of them were, the only time they dared to stand up to her when eventually they kicked her out. What also galls is the notion that Tory MPs throw in almost as an afterthought, namely that her lack of a sense of humour was just a minor failing, of no more significance than being colourblind, say, or mildly short-sighted. In fact to have no sense of humour is to be a seriously flawed human being. It’s not a minor shortcoming; it shuts you off from humanity. Mrs Thatcher was a mirthless bully and should have been buried, as once upon a time monarchs used to be, in the depths of the night.
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n01/alan-bennett/diary