Open mike 30/12/2019

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, December 30th, 2019 - 36 comments
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36 comments on “Open mike 30/12/2019 ”

  1. Jenny How to get there 1

    The Only Thing More Disastrous Than COP25 Climate Negotiations Is Global Climate

    ……. In the end, the main text of the declarations was stripped of any ambition—all that remains are meaningless words and hollow intentions…..

    https://below2c.org/2019/12/the-only-thing-more-disastrous-than-cop25-climate-negotiations-is-global-climate/

    The Derailment of Climate Talks by Polluters, Below2C

    The Derailment of Climate Talks by Polluters

    There are no mentions of greenhouse gas sources, not a single comment on fossil fuel use, nothing about how to stop the expansion of fracking, shale oil or explorations for gas and oil in the Arctic and Antarctic. Similarly there are no means for enforcement. — Donald Gutstein

    https://below2c.org/2019/12/the-derailment-of-climate-talks-by-polluters/

    New Zealand uncannily follows this international trend.

    Eerily New Zealand's Zero Carbon Bill also has nothing about how to 'stop the expansion of fracking', or 'explorations of gas and oil', and 'no means for enforcement'.

    Eerily New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions continue their relentless climb in lock step with the rest of the globe.

    Eerily New Zealand is opening new coal mines and exploring for more oil and gas, along side all other countries.

    No body wants to take the lead.

    We are all ‘fast followers’

    • Wensleydale 1.1

      We're all frantically doing nothing to prevent what is rapidly becoming inevitable. It's like these obfuscators running interference for the vested interests don't comprehend they're going to die too. Extinction events aren't known for being selective. Everyone will burn. Together. And if your house is full of money you've made from a lifetime of fossil fuel extraction, you'll likely burn faster. Maybe, right at the end, when you're shrieking like a loon, watching your skin bubble and blister as your children flail about the yard like tiny screaming roman candles, you'll have an epiphany.

      Better late than never, eh?

    • Jenny How to get there 1.2

      We are all fast followers II

      Fire, Coal, Australia, New Zealand, Climate Change, Global Leadership

      Do as I do, is the true nature of real leadership

      Fire:

      Australia fires: Thousands told to evacuate in Victoria

      BBC, 9 hours ago

      https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50938504

      Coal:

      Australia fires: PM rejects 'reckless' calls to limit coal industry

      BBC, 23 December, 2019

      Australian PM Scott Morrison says he will not make "reckless" cuts to the nation's coal industry, despite criticism of his response to climate change and a deadly bushfire crisis….

      …..On Monday, he reiterated he would not adjust his policies through "panic"…..

      https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50888786

      Australia:

      Australia defies climate warning to back coal

      BBC, 9 October, 2018

      The Australian government has backed coal-fired power, despite the recommendations of a major report on climate change.

      Phasing out coal is considered crucial to limiting global warming to within 1.5C, as set out in the UN report released yesterday.

      Australia's deputy prime minister has said the country should "absolutely" continue to use and exploit its coal…..

      https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-45798643

      New Zealand:

      New Zealand has a role to play

      Do as I do, is the nature of real leadership.

      How can we expect Australia to rein in their coal industry when we are not prepared to rein in ours?
      <

      Waikato coal exploration permit for Bathurst Resources branded hypocritical

      NewsHub, 21 June, 2019

      Information obtained by Newshub shows since the September 2017 election, five mining or exploration permits have been granted on Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) land, including one for coal exploration.

      The coal exploration permit was granted to BT Mining Ltd in September 2018. Its parent company is Wellington-based Bathurst Resources, a major player in the New Zealand coal mining industry.

      https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/06/waikato-coal-exploration-permit-for-bathurst-resources-branded-hypocritical.html

      Global Leadership:

      History reveals that 'Do as I do' is the true nature of real leadership.

      New Zealand first in women’s vote

      19, September, 1893

      With the signing of the Electoral Bill by Governor Lord Glasgow, New Zealand becomes the first country in the world to grant national voting rights to women…..
      .
      https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/new-zealand-first-in-womens-vote

      One year later, 1894 the parliament of the colony of South Australia granted women the vote, followed by the colony of West Australia in 1899

      In 1902, the newly established Federal Australian Parliament passed the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902.*

      The United States granted women the right to vote in 1920, and Great Britain guaranteed full voting rights for women in 1928.

      *(The Australian Government Franchise Act of 1902 which legislated voting rights for women 'in the newly formed Commonwealth of Australia' explicitly excluded aboriginal women and coloured Australian women immigrants from Asia, Africa and the Pacific. Shamefully Aboriginal, (men and women), were not allowed the vote till 1962).

      https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/voices/culture/article/2019/03/04/australia-colour-fight-womens-suffrage

      • Jenny How to get there 1.2.1

        The message here is that if we had waited until the whole world agreed to give women the vote we would still be waiting.

        That is not how change happens.

        Change happens when someone goes out in the front and gives a lead.

        • Sacha 1.2.1.1

          There has always been more than one way to be a leader. Wanting a heroic figure gives us arrogant blowhards like Chump and Boris.

  2. Paaparakauta 2

    High on Boris Johnson's list is a Budget which could lead to hike in Capital Gains Tax ..

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7833119/Prime-Minister-launches-task-force-talk-tough-trade-Brussels-Brexit-D-Day-looms.html

    • soddenleaf 2.1

      Negative interest rates means something. It means that lenders have to pay money to lend it! It means demand to borrow is low. It means that future value is shrinking as the appetite for risk is confused by environmental, social and political uncertainty. The four horses of malaise, unsure leaders, inequality, pollution, and end of idealism. So Boris want to raise cgt, we in nz are forcing banks to hold more cash, all to ignite inflation. The states just went bazaaro and engineered a Moron President to send all the wrong signals and force the world out of low inflation stagnation.

      • Blazer 2.1.1

        What risk exists for banks that know their profligate behaviour will be rewarded with bailouts?

        Inflation is rampant in the sectors that matter and are excluded from data to manipulate CPI and the real cost of living.

        Negative interest rates affect savers more than lenders.

  3. joe90 3

    'Murica first.

    https://twitter.com/ChaimDeutsch/status/1166896721445707777

    https://twitter.com/Delafina777/status/1211169718842859520

    -Swastikas were painted at Westwood Elementary School
    -"Similar graffiti" to the Westwood vandalism (so, I guess more swastikas?) was reported at Milken Community High School (all three of these school incidents were in LA)
    (2/x)

    -A man broke into the women's dorm at Yeshiva University and set three fires
    -Four people (a police officer and 3 bystanders) were murdered in a shooting at a kosher market in NJ
    -A group of teenagers attacked two Jewish children, 6 and 7, in NYC
    (3/x)

    -A 65-year-old man was punched and kicked by a man yelling anti-semitic slurs in NYC
    -A crowd yelled anti-semitic slurs at and threw a beverage on a 25-yearo-old man in NYC
    -A 56-year-old man was punched by a person in a group yelling slurs in NYC
    (4/x)

    -A man was hit in the face in an (alleged) anti-semitic incident in NYC
    -A 40-year-old man dressed in Hasidic clothing was punched in the face in NYC
    -A woman yelling anti-semitic slurs hit a mother walking with her 3-year-old child
    (5/x)

    -A woman slapped 3 young Jewish women while yelling anti-semitic slurs in NYC
    -A man walked into the Chabad headquarters in NYC and threatened to shoot the place up
    -Signs saying "It's okay to be anti-semitic" were stapled to telephone poles in Vermont
    (6/x)

    -5 people were stabbed at a rabbi's house in New York
    -The Glen Cove Holocaust museum in New York was vandalized with swastikas
    -A man threatened an 11-year-old boy and two adult men with assault and yelled anti-semitic slurs at them in a New York Costco
    (7/x)

    -An Indiana University fraternity was suspended for assault and anti-semitic & racist slurs.
    -The San Dieguito Academy in California reported anti-semitic vandalism
    -Syracuse University in New York is taking additional security measures after a string of racist/AS incidents
    (8/x)

    All of that was this month.

    And, like, that's just from scrolling through my FB feed and looking at news articles various friends have posted, and it's not counting anything that wasn't from a major, mainstream news source.

    That's leaving out all the personal reports of antisemitic bullying at schools, signs posted in neighborhoods, flyers left with the free local papers & magazines in grocery stores, all that stuff.

    As I keep saying, unlike in the movies, in real life this stuff isn't accompanied by dark clouds on the horizon and ominous music to tell you Shit's Getting Bad.

    This is what it looks like. Increasing amounts of this stuff, and this stuff getting normalized.

    https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1211169718842859520.html

    • JanM 3.1

      What is motivating this prejudice? It certainly doesn't sound as simple as anger against Israel's treatment of Palestine.

      • Sabine 3.1.1

        racism.

        • JanM 3.1.1.1

          But if it is increasing in intensity specifically towards Jewish people there has go be more to it than that, surely? After all, it's not as if racists haven't a large selection of people to focus their vileness on.

          • Anne 3.1.1.1.1

            My conclusion JanM is: we are seeing the 2020s version of the 1930s developing.

            Just as the 1930s was an unstable time with the world reeling from a deep depression, so is the 2020s an equally troubled time where a small segment of the world’s population holds all the wealth and power while the rest are struggling.

            In such times people look for a scapegoat and "Jews" the world over are a popular target. It's racist (as Sabine says) it's xenophobic and irrational but that's the mindset that prevails in these circumstances.

            It coincides with ultra right wing (read Fascist) governments being elected to power and away we go again…

            • JanM 3.1.1.1.1.1

              Thank you very much for that, Anne. I have quite a few Jewish friends and would be appalled to discover that this was spreading to NZ. I don't think it is, is it?

              • Anne

                I expect it's already here although hopefully it doesn't descend into the horrific violence towards Jewish institutions we are seeing elsewhere – read America in particular.

                An uncle of mine in England married into a Jewish family and I lived with them for a time decades ago. I met a number of Jewish people and at one point worked as the hotel nanny at a popular Jewish owned family hotel in the south of England. I was treated by the staff with kindness and generosity and the hotel patrons (not all of them Jewish) were equally warm and friendly.

                As result I have never been able to fathom the hostility towards ordinary Jewish people. I think it gets handed down from grandparents to parents to their children – a kind of a throwback to the days of ignorance and illiteracy.

                • JanM

                  In the 1950s I lived in England for about 4 years. My father was a Methodist minister so our stay included half a year in the East End City Mission in London, and I went to Raines Foundation Grammar School. (Neither of these places exist now). My school was half Christian and half Jewish. From Monday to Thursday we had separate assemblies and on Fridays we had a combined assembly during which we sang hymns without Jesus in them. I swear that the different assemblies were the only reason we knew who was who, and there was no negativity to or from either group towards the other. We were all just friends.

                  I have never seen anything in NZ in all my 74 years that would concern me, and I hope I never do!

          • Blazer 3.1.1.1.2

            The Capitalist western world relies on Capital.

            Central banks provide that Capital.

            Jews are well over represented in the financial sector…as a % of population.

            They become targets when recession/depression occurs,as in Germany in the aftermath of WW1.

            The foundations for the Nazis rise to power were the crippling reparations Germany was ordered to pay.

            Coupled with the sanctions the Jewish lobby imposed on the Nazi party when it was trying to raise capital,you had a readymade bogeyman to demonise to the disaffected.

            The Balfour Declaration and the establishment of Israel and its Zionist agenda has stoked so called anti Semitism ever since.

            The Zionists have created playing the victim as an artform,…some would say sympathy ..for the..devil.

            • Sacha 3.1.1.1.2.1

              Jews are well over represented in the financial sector…as a % of population.

              Has that ever been the case in NZ though? We are more likely to blame Australians these days, surely..

              • Blazer

                the big 4 banks in NZ whilst ostensibly Australian are in fact majority owned by…U.S/U.K interests.

                'The Federal Reserve System is divided into two parts: the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, located in Washington DC, and the Federal Reserve District Banks, located throughout the United States.

                If you examine this page, you will see that there are five members of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. You will also see that all five(5) of the board members are Jewish. This is a numerical representation of 100%. Why is this important? It’s important because Jews only constitute about 2% of the United States population*. So the odds that all five members of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors would be Jewish are infinitesimally small. Here are the five members of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors:

                Benjamin S. Bernanke – Jewish
                Donald L. Kohn – Jewish
                Kevin M. Warsh – Jewish
                Randall S. Kroszner – Jewish
                Frederic S. Mishkin – Jewish

                Now, if you examine the presidents of the twelve Federal Reserve District Banks, you will discover a similar pattern of Jewish over-representation. Here is the section of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors’ website that lists the twelve Federal Reserve District Banks and their respective presidents:

                If you examine this section, you will see that there are twelve Federal Reserve Bank presidents. You will also see that nine(9) of the twelve presidents are Jewish. This is a numerical representation of 75%. Again, this is important because Jews only comprise about 2% of the United States population*, so the chances that nine of the twelve Federal Reserve Bank presidents would be Jewish are incredibly miniscule. Here are the twelve presidents of the Federal Reserve District Banks:

                FRB of Boston: Eric S. Rosengren – Jewish
                FRB of New York: Timothy F. Geithner – Jewish
                FRB of Philadelphia: Charles I. Plosser – Jewish
                FRB of Richmond: Jeffrey M. Lacker – Jewish
                FRB of St. Louis: James B. Bullard – Jewish
                FRB of Minneapolis: Gary H. Stern – Jewish
                FRB of Kansas City: Thomas M. Hoenig – Jewish
                FRB of Dallas: Richard W. Fisher – Jewish
                FRB of San Francisco: Janet L. Yellen – Jewish
                FRB of Cleveland: Sandra Pianalto – gentile
                FRB of Atlanta: Dennis P. Lockhart – gentile
                FRB of Chicago: Charles L. Evans – gentile

                This extreme numerical over-representation of Jews among the members of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and the Federal Reserve District Bank presidents cannot be explained away as a coincidence or as the result of mere random chance. You must ask yourself how such an incredibly small and extremely unrepresentative minority ethnic group that only represents about 2% of the American population could so completely dominate the highest levels of the United States Federal Reserve System?.

                That is a dated snapshot,but a fair one.

                Jerome Powell the present Fed chief is NOT a Jew…the first ever?

            • McFlock 3.1.1.1.2.2

              Assuming your stories are true, why did "the Jewish lobby" impose sanctions? Oh, that's right: they were already the goddamned scapegoats. Talk about victim-blaming.

              As for your list of fed members with their religions, where you dug that up I suspect I don't want to go.

              • Blazer

                There is a plethora of information regarding the influence of Jewish influence in the financial sector.

                From the famous Amschel Rothschild in Napoleans era through to modern times ,they have dominated in the City' and…Wall St.

                Do some jew diligence.

                • Sacha

                  How is this relevant to NZ attitudes? You seem to be talking about the US and UK as if we are the same place.

                  • Blazer

                    NZ borrows off the UK/US banks….

                    The Key Govt borrowed more in 9 years than the cumulative total of all other NZ Govts.

                    Key was coy about who the specific lenders were.

                    As he was a former Merrill Lynch man…my guess would BofA would be a source.

                    • Sacha

                      I'm talking about what we collectively believe, not what the actual arrangements might be under the surface. Never heard anyone in NZ talking about Jewish bankers.

                  • Blazer

                    'I'm talking about what we collectively believe,'

                    It's not exactly shouted from the rooftops.

                    To my surprise, people that have worked at the big 4 banks in NZ, have never heard of fractional reserve banking and also believe depositors funds are Govt guaranteed.

                • McFlock

                  There is a plethora of information regarding the influence of Jewish influence in the financial sector.

                  But where did you get that list of fed members and their religions whether they are Jewish? Because I googled a few of them and their online bios (fed reserve, wikipedia, couple of others) mentioned their financial qualifications but not their faith.

                  So to compile a list like that, the only web sources I can think of that would bother are Jewish groups (because religions keep records of their members, but they wouldn't include non-Jewish fed reserve members), and some of the nazi-adjacent websites on the interwebs (because nazis gonna naz).

                  So from where else in this "plethora" did you get that list?

                  • McFlock

                    BTW, I googled the list and yeah, only found it in comment threads on random pages (including a Prince music fansite), a blog post on a weird cheap-looking finance website, and Stormfront.

                    So:

                    a) probably bullshit; and

                    b) any shred of truth is warped to serve an agenda; and

                    c) if you dive too deep down an internet rabbit hole, you break through to the world at the centre of the earth where Hitler rides dinosaurs.

                    Looks like you've swallowed old-school (like 1920s/30s) anti-semitic propaganda hook, line, and sinker.

  4. Poission 4

    Recently there have been a number of articles on stuff and rnz,detailing the widespread scourge of the meth epidemic affecting great social harm,mostly on those of low socio economic grouping.

    There needs to be a larger response from both the local community,and increased funding into rehabilitation,increased police presence in the poorer areas ,which would reduce intimidation by gangs,and a greater need for more forcible community sentences such as curfews etc.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/406383/record-year-of-drug-interceptions-at-new-zealand-s-border-customs

    Large-scale organised crime groups throughout the globe were oversupplying drug markets to drive down prices and secure a monopoly, he said.

    "They have no concern for the misery it's causing our lower socio-economic groups in our society. In fact, it's now spreading out right across society."

    It was comparable to the situation in Kawerau, Berry said, where the Mongrel Mob had flooded the town with drugs in an attempt to control it.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/118266796/hooked-a-womans-12-year-battle-to-get-clean-from-methamphetamine

    • pat 4.1

      campaign for (or against) drug reform referendum started already then

      • Poission 4.1.1

        No,you have not seen the damage or intimidation from gangs that meth is causing in the poorer community.One of the articles suggest the social harm is around 20 million per day.

        • pat 4.1.1.1

          personally no but its not a new phenomenon….and yes it is very destructive but the timing of a series of 'drugs are bad' articles is always going to be viewed with suspicion until after the referendum

          • Poission 4.1.1.1.1

            Until you see the problem,you should refrain from imaginary conspiracy.

            I took an elderly lady back to an established housing corp area in shirley.She told me there were 5 crack houses in 1 street,doing a 24/7 trade.petty thief is rampant,(shoes of the stoop and clothes off the line etc) and these victims are poor.

            • pat 4.1.1.1.1.1

              I know enough people working directly in the field to know that the massive problem of meth is not to be dismissed nor is that problem new ….you can claim imaginary conspiracy if you so wish but it wont change the suspicion that the articles are viewed with

  5. A 5

    Negative interest rates, evidence that big four banks in Australia are preparing for it – time to educate yourself is now

    Short piece here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IAwYu0vcSQ

    Longer version on In The Interest Of The People (IOTP) channel

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