Words like, monster, monstrous, largest, major, rare, hybrid, exceptional, severe, historic, life threatening, not typical, superstorm, megastorm, mass evacuations.
From the president down, not one mention of the two words at the back of everyone’s mind
Yes weather modification has been a stated goal by the DoD, and military dating back many decades now, and countries around the world make use of “weather control” in various ways.
Sad is not even having the stomach or mental strength to read what has been mainstream information about the subject for many years Bloke. There is plenty of details around, they were at it generations back, so like with all technologies, as time progresses, so do the techniques!
There is every chance that it has been, sure, because the technologies/techniques exist to do so.
Edit: Dude you are an unoriginal parrot! If you think its clever mocking something, which has been written about, published on and happening for decades, then thats your choice!
Just don’t go parroting your weakness back in my direction!
If you think your opinions are a reasonable summation of that “which has been written about, published on and happening for decades”, what does that say about me?
I think that’s a good possibility. The illuminati have grown too powerful for either to tolerate them after their use of an antimatter bomb to destroy London during the Olympics. Luckily TBTP managed to cover it up as a fireworks display.
“The lunatic is all idée fixe, and whatever he comes across confirms his lunacy. You can tell him by the liberties he takes with common sense, by his flashes of inspiration, and by the fact that sooner or later he brings up the Templars.”
― Umberto Eco, Foucault’s Pendulum
Right on election time, boom, a storm like never seen before, almost like someone was writing a script!
Oh ffs.
What’s the theory here?
I thought you believed that the elections themselves don’t matter, b/c TBTB win either way. So why would they be bothering with engineering a massive storm, in ways unnoticed by everyone, in order to achieve, what?
Who knows why TPTB do these things, Pb. The other day we had a massive downpour just as I was about to paint the shed, as if someone was writing a script. It’s amazing, the granular level these plans can get down to.
Elections don’t matter PB, not overall in any case, I’m sure you might be able to string that together, and think experimentation, as opposed to theory eh!
My contention is simply that there exists the technology, and the stated desire to “control weather”, “weather modify”, or whatever you prefer to call it, and has been going on a long time.
The fact that the “largest storm in US history” fantastically arrives in time for elections, may simply just be “the storm of a century”, but because technologies and stated desire exist, surely the question has to be asked, just what is this “franken-storm”!
Felix – Shame about your shed, if suns out today, perhaps get some exercise, and put some elbow into it!
The fact that the “largest storm in US history” fantastically arrives in time for elections, may simply just be “the storm of a century”, but because technologies and stated desire exist, surely the question has to be asked, just what is this “franken-storm”!
Maybe because the elections are always the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, and late October / early November is a storm season?
This storm probably is the result of human intervention, though, TC, because climate change is going to make/is already making these events a regular occurence.
Totes agree re: the tinfoil hat brigade. Blaming everything on a worldwide conspiracy is a great excuse for both intellectual and physical laziness.
“This storm probably is the result of human intervention, though, TC, because climate change is going to make/is already making these events a regular occurence.”
Storms were already a regular occurence and this one is so dangerous because it is hitting to other fronts and it is hitting at high tide, neither of which have to do with climate change. Climate change probably does have a part to play but in this instance there are other factors which have nothing to do with AWG which make this a very dangerous storm.
I believe you are wrong, TC. The frequency and intensity of these storms are both increasing, as most climate change models predict.
The high tide thing is a red herring. Obviously the storm is going to last through the full daily cycle of tides and its effects will be worse at the high tide, but that’s not significant.
I think the weird thing about this situation is that Obama cannot say ‘sorry folks, if we want to live like pigs, then this is what happens’ because it allows the Republicans to use the climate change stick to hit him with and it changes the dynamic of the election. Obama has chosen to keep quiet on the possible link to climate change and he will ride out this storm, and will be trying to look as Presidential as possible as he tours the damaged suburbs tomorrow.
I am in no way claiming AWG has no place here but what makes this a super storm is meeting two other fronts which are part of a normal weather pattern.
I don’t dispute that AGW makes storms more intense.
Warmer air holds more moisture, therefore 100% of the weather is affected by AGW.
Moreover, Hansen and Sato’s Climate Dice are increasingly loaded.
Whether or not this particular (“Frankenstorm”) occurrence could not have happened without AGW, it’s clear from actual observations (not models) that extreme outliers are happening with increasing frequency.
Which, funnily enough, is pretty much what the models predicted. Blow me down with a feather.
In this case the problem was a cold jet stream that oscillated further south than usual and hitting a equatorial born hurricane. The reason for that happening is the increased energy in the system – especially the heightened arctic temperatures.
It has been pretty predictable for a few decades that if you increase arctic temperatures you will wind up with increased temperature gradients further south in the Atlantic. Measurements over the last decade have shown that is indeed what has been happening at a statistically significant level. Weather is powered by temperature gradients and moisture. So increasing the gradients by having polar and equatorial weather systems colliding and providing more moisture from warmer equatorial seas is going to give bigger and more powerful storms.
Storms were already a regular occurence and this one is so dangerous because it is hitting to other fronts and it is hitting at high tide, neither of which have to do with climate change.
It is hitting on several ‘fronts’ because it is a bloody big storm with a lot of energy (about 1600km’s or so in diameter from what I hear). It is several times bigger than the usual hurricanes because of the temperature gradient. This means that it hits a lot of coastline. Of course high tides happen several times per day and at different times in different locations over a few thousand kms of coastline. The probability of a big storm hitting somewhere at high tide is remarkably high – in fact damn near certain.
Are you really as much of a fool about basic science, geography and stats as you seem?
I’d expect to see several of this level of storm over the next decade and some nasty winter weather up north because of the rate at which the arctic is melting. Especially over the next few years because of el-nino and the solar max pushing more heat around. The north will get an increasing frequency of these types of storms and especially in the narrow Atlantic. The previous storm at this level was in the 30’s and I think you have to look deep into the 19th to see anything similar.
This type of storm and crazy winters will be pretty normal in a few decades in the north america and northern europe.
I wasn’t doing it as a moderator. That is usually pretty noticeable because it looks like
[lprent: notes ]
As well as being a moderator I frequently comment. I tend to get quite acidic on people misrepresenting on topics I know well.
I particularly like educating about basic earth sciences (my first degree) in a way that is memorable when people say something quite stupid. It helps to reduce my pain at seeing them mangling simple heat exchanges with meaningless explanations.
But you notice the fulsome explanation that I provided about exactly why you were making particularly idiotic and indefensible assertions?
Perhaps you should read it. It might help you in avoiding my irritation
I never denied AGW, I never denied AGW had a part to play in this storm, I accepted AGW makes storm more intense, I accepted the AGW caused this storm to move further North, I commented that the two fronts this system is to hit makes it more dangerous than other storms, I commented that both these cold fronts were part of normal weather patterns, I made note of the high tide which increases the danger of storm surges.
The bit that caught my eye was the section that I quoted.
The reason why the two “fronts”* were colliding was precisely because of the increased energy from melting in the Arctic is pushing cold jetstreams further south. The tropical hurricanes have probably been getting more energetic (not statistically significant yet) in the water borne heat that drives them from slightly warmer tropical seas. But that just increases the energy available and possibly slightly increases their range.
firstly: The shift in the arctic jetstreams has been proven to a statistically significant level over the last few years. Exceptional storms like this one are therefore increasingly more likely. If they hadn’t collided then all other factors (tides etc) are largely irrelevant because the hurricane would have been pretty normal and largely spent before hitting the US continental shores.
secondly: Large storms hit large amounts of shore over quite a long period of time. Statistically they will have high tides across a lot of those stores. It isn’t a coincidence that high tides coincide with large storms hitting shore. What would be more surprising if they did not.
Your statement was absurdly reductionist and tried to treat factors as seperate and coincidental. They aren’t. They are quite predictable to come together in this combination now that the Arctic jetstreams are moving further south. Read the links.
* Actually it is a high altitude dry cold oscillating jetstream and a lower altitude warm and water laden cyclonic storm extending into the jetstreams altitude causing condensation and a massive release of energy from water. It is not two “fronts”
[lprent: I’d hate to think what you are using that analogy. A burst appendix? Something else that is pretty damn pointless and appears to be an evolutionary dead end. ]
I never stated it was a coincidence, I stated that the hurricane is hitting at a high tide which makes the storm surge much greater…not too mention a full moon which is a bad coincidence because high tides are much higher (admittedly this was missed in the original comment but what I was meant to be implying).
Also there are these fronts hitting at same time as this hurricane which is also a bad news and makes the storm worse.
Those are the two points I made.
Neither of which deserved this response:
“Are you really as much of a fool about basic science, geography and stats as you seem?”
I made no denial of AGW or any denial AGW had any effect here but pointed out two factors that can happen outside of AGW therefore it isn’t a purely AGW causing this to be such a hectic storm.
Read my first reply carefully. I didn’t mention AGW at all.
I just talked about the consequences of increased Arctic temperatures. Something that you appear to either be diverting away from or too dumb to follow (in the latter case why are you bothering to speak?).
Your other points are simple trivia. There is nothing exceptional or surprising in any of them. All of them will happen in this combination many times per year and frequently many times per month.
What is exceptional is the energy in this storm, and that the northerners are likely to get more of them because the Arctic is warmer. Now I’m aware that that is caused by AGW, however that wasn’t what I was rapping you over the head for.
You were trying to say that the severity of this storm was exceptional because of trivial effects. That was (to put it mildly) complete crap….
So if you’re quite finished attempting moronic diversions from what is actually interesting to your simplistic and incorrect “explanations”… Just find something that is less able to be demolished.
Otherwise I’d better do some work and finish this transformation matrix.
“Read my first reply carefully. I didn’t mention AGW at all. I just talked about the consequences of increased Arctic temperatures. Something that you appear to either be diverting away from or too dumb to follow (in the latter case why are you bothering to speak?).”
Increased Arctic temperatures are not to do with AGW? Funny, I was sure they were. I am not diverting at all and your “too dumb” remark is just childish.
What a great example for a moderator you are.
“Your other points are simple trivia. There is nothing exceptional or surprising in any of them. All of them combine to happen in this combination many times per year and frequently many times per month.”
Really, a sizable Hurricane hitting a major coastline during a full-moon high-tide before careering into winter front’s from the South happens several times per month?
Fact remains I pointed to things which are making this bad storm worse, neither of which are trivial and nothing of which are factually incorrect.
You haven’t actually demolished anything except for any reason why anyone should hold any respect for you at all.
Increased Arctic temperatures are not to do with AGW? Funny, I was sure they were.
It isn’t relevant to the effects of elevated Arctic temperatures – which with it’s effect on Atlantic storms is of more immediate interest.
Really, a sizable Hurricane hitting a major coastline during a full-moon high-tide before careering into winter front’s from the South happens several times per month?
That happens several times per year. You should read up on the frequency of hurricanes from their Caribbean generation points (or are you solely interested in their effects on the US and Canada?). They usually hit other weather fronts and they usually cross high tides on one or more of the islands before dissipating in the Atlantic .
Exceptional tides can happen several times per month depending on orbits. Hurricanes frequently coincide with them.
None of that is exceptional. You can expect combinations like that every year. Whereas what this storm’s energy level is something that occurs normally with many decades between instances.
Fact remains I pointed to things which are making this bad storm worse, neither of which are trivial and nothing of which are factually incorrect.
And none of them in anyway compare to the effects of having a cold jetstream hitting the upper levels of a warm cyclone. They are quite simply trivial by comparison. You do the maths. It is like adding tritium to a fission bomb for its effects.
Relying on “facts” rather than actually understanding what they mean is really kind of stupid. Of course it is how you can construct an argument that sounds good but is spurious and has no substance – as millions of weak essays by schoolchildren and undergrads well demonstrate. Confuses those who don’t know better and usually gets a C or even a B-. But it is a rather weak reed to cling to if you ever have to defend it.
You haven’t actually demolished anything except for any reason why anyone should hold any respect for you at all.
As I said before, diversions when you can’t argue really are kind of stupid.
I have no interest in being ‘respected’, liked, or anything else. I run and maintain the site. When I have time and I’m interested in something I do enjoy debate on subjects with substance – but that seldom happens due to lack of time.
But I also enjoy being a complete arsehole (as HS puts it with bad spelling) when I see someone feeding a line of bullshit on a subject I’m interested in. It allows me to keep in practice while educating the inexperienced about what can happen. I wouldn’t get too upset about it. And you really should look at your personal defenses. Getting that upset about an opinion on your comments really does make you look like easy meat.
Ummm. I’m a science grad, ex-army, ex-factory manager, a Otago MBA, a hell of a hardcore programmer, occasional CTO or lead programmer or team leader when I can’t get out of it, and I’ve been around the net and it’s predecessors since about 1980. Why should I not know exactly where the limits to my knowledge and understanding are?
I’m not some inexperienced poseur – but they are somewhat easy to recognize..
“Ummm. I’m a science grad, ex-army, ex-factory manager, a Otago MBA, a hell of a hardcore programmer, occasional CTO or lead programmer or team leader when I can’t get out of it, and I’ve been around the net and it’s predecessors since about 1980.”
You’re pretty cool, dude. I surprised you can even stand yourself, what with your complete misrepresentation of others and your seeming indifference to it because, hey. why should you care? After all you’re a ” science grad, ex-army, ex-factory manager, a Otago MBA, a hell of a hardcore programmer, occasional CTO or lead programmer or team leader when I can’t get out of it”
I also like the way you went “ummm” before detailing your inflated sense of authority as if I were to go “Oh shit, I didn’t realise what I was dealing with!”
The fact you even lay this down betrays a giant inferiority complex from someone who despite all this has achieved fuck all apart from being an asshole moderator who completely ignores his own rules while moderating because, in reality, his detailing this supposed experience is completely fucking meaningless to the comment at hand.
“I am ex-army therefore my comment is more important than yours!”
Get over yourself Princess…I’m sorry, Prentice. You’re a nobody. You’re a science grad? Big deal man, that doesn’t mean dick. John Key is a commerce grad, if he came here and said “Hey I am a commerce grad!” mean you’d give him credence? No, it wouldn’t. So your credential bashing is meaningless. Particularly when nothing I said was scientifically invalid and the circumstances of this storm including the fullmoon/high tides and coalescence with other storms have been roucdly considered as rather an extraordinary circumstances leading to the dubbing of Sandy as a “frankenstorm”.
Explain to me again how hurricane induced storm surges at the height of a highest tide during a full moon before hitting cold fronts happens several times a month?
I know what you mean CV, all I do is mention, like most of the weathermen and media were doing, that the full-moon high-tide and the convergence of winter cold fronts hitting this storm make it particularly dangerous and suddenly Prentice starts calling me names, questioning my intelligence, before asserting these conditions happen several times a month (without any evidence) and trying to bully me with his credentials all while telling me I am ‘easy meat’ for him to attack me based up something I said that was scientifically valid and something that, you know actually happened.
Just another right-winger trying to pull someone down
… before asserting these conditions happen several times a month (without any evidence)
You really are lacking in attention to detail. Reread what I wrote and what I was responding to rather than bawling your hurt…
What you said was
I stated that the hurricane is hitting at a high tide which makes the storm surge much greater…not too mention a full moon which is a bad coincidence because high tides are much higher (admittedly this was missed in the original comment but what I was meant to be implying).
What I said was that those conditions
All of them will happen in this combination many times per year and frequently many times per month.
High tides happen several times per day – read a chart of tides. Close moons* can happen several days per month – these give the peak tides you were trying to articulate about – look on the chart of tides for expected tide levels. In hurricane season there may be quite a few hurricanes per month – look at the list of hurricanes for the caribbean. You also mentioned cold fronts – which again are not uncommon during hurricane season – read any weather chart.
If you put it all together you will find that in most years there are hurricanes somewhere that get all those effects in some location. The combination you were specifying isn’t anything special. It is likely to happen several times during hurricane season – often in the same month. Just read ANY book about weather patterns in the Caribbean and eastern US seaboard.
* Full moons are not relevant – that is just reflection of light of the sun and really has little effect. However I suspected that with your usual level of inaccuracy, you were trying to articulate something about the effect on tides of the precession of the lunar orbit, or if you were somewhat more sophisticated (unlikely) and understood about solar tides.
The interesting things about Sandy were that it got pinned by a arctic jetstream and pushed into the New Jersey coast instead of dissipating out in the Atlantic. It had exceptional levels of rain/energy (in hurricanes they are somewhat synonymous) because of the warmer water conditions off the US coast and the interaction with the cold jetstream, and that it went so far north because of those exceptional energy levels.
My real point was that you have no real idea of what you were talking about. Consequently you were waffling about a whole pile of irrelevancies with regard to the storm that was Sandy and ignoring all of the exceptional bits. And you are somewhat sensitive about being called an idiot because you were being such a superficial waffler.
“Full moons are not relevant – that is just reflection of light of the sun and really has little effect.”
Not relevant? Just a reflection? Little effect?
Orly, science guy?
“When the moon is full or new, the gravitational pull of the moon and sun are combined. At these times, the high tides are very high and the low tides are very low. This is known as a spring high tide. Spring tides are especially strong tides (they do not have anything to do with the season Spring). They occur when the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon are in a line. The gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun both contribute to the tides. Spring tides occur during the full moon and the new moon.” http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/moontides/
“In hurricane season there may be quite a few hurricanes per month – look at the list of hurricanes for the caribbean.”
It is an additive effect (and also happens on a new moon) and the solar tide is a LOT smaller than the lunar tide. Same site further down in the section on Proxigean Spring Tide :-
The Moon follows an elliptical path around the Earth which has a perigee distance of 356,400 kilometers, which is about 92.7 percent of its mean distance. Because tidal forces vary as the third power of distance, this little 8 percent change translates into 25 percent increase in the tide- producing ability of the Moon upon the Earth
The lunar inclination is also out of plane relative to the sun and the earth which also affects the tide levels more than the solar tide. And then of course there are the precession effects. – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbit_of_the_Moon
They haven’t pointed out the relative levels of the effects, but it is pretty obvious if you ever look at the equations for gravitional attraction that he is referring to. While the sun is has immensely higher mass than the moon (and therefore has a much higher gravitational attraction), it is also immensely further away (so the tidal influence is only a fraction of the moon). So it’s tidal effects are only a fraction of those caused by the moon’s orbit or for that matter by something even more local like windspeed or shore geography.
Of course the solar tide can pull things higher. But it is a small additional effect compared to those from the moon’s orbit.
1) it is currently only simulated science theory
2) what possible reason would you have for creating a frankenstorm this size where the central path diverts around New York? Surely based on that theory you’d be looking for the biggest damage inducer.
I’d go as far to say that even if the ability to effect hurricanes existed today it is far more likely that it could only be used divert weather.
But regardless weather modification doesn’t really belong in that list above unless weaponised which is against the UN Charter, which tends to suggest it’s not so hocus-pocus that the UN saw fit to outlaw it in the 70’s.
Whereas chemtrails/haarp/nwo are pretty far-out theories not based in reality.
You need a subscription to Scientific American to read that. The full version is here.
It deals with theoretical computer simulations of “hurricane intervention” using as-yet non-existent technology and notes that “if meteorological control does turn out to work at some point in the future, it would raise serious political problems.”
It irks me that on one hand many commentators on here will complain about the lack of truthful reporting in media regarding politics, climate change, police reports. And then act like there is no possibility of technologies that exist in theory and the lab being tested.
Not to say there’s any correlation in this event as far as I would expect/hope/believe.
But I can atleast fathom the idea.
Why would you expect them to mention that in media but then expect the lies where Domestic politics is involved.
Let me remind you that geo-engineering was a “conspiracy” not more than a few years ago. Now canada is charging someone with seeding the coastline with iron (or what ever the compound was).
Weather modification would have huge benefits where food supply and agriculture was involved and in a peak oil century ofcourse it’ll be looked at. Look at the national geographic issue lately on colonising mars. We have people thinking of weather modification on completely foreign planets, but we wouldn’t be looking at it on our own??
In my mind I fully expect Military and big business to be looking at it. The tech has existed since the 70’s. It would be prudent security and business sense to experiment with it. I remember reading that one kind of modification was trialled in asia to divert radiation from Fukishima.
And I abhor people closing the book on scienctific theory. People like you thought it was impossible to put a man on the moon at one time.
Given that teleportation and wormholes also “exist in theory and the lab being tested”, should we then discuss the possibility that the military are also using those in some way?
Indeed. But there’s a major leap between the theory and putting forward as a rational suggestion that they have it up and running and are using it for nefarious purposes.
Damn you for getting in first and making have to spell it out, like an idiot. This deliberate obfuscation it is enough to make me want to scratch my eyes out with frustration.
Can’t you get it?
We are in a fight for the survival of our civilisation and probably for a good part of humanity as well, And you make a stupid tinfoil hat claim of a conspiracy to upset the US election.
We are in a fight for the survival of our civilisation and probably for a good part of humanity as well, And you make a stupid tinfoil hat claim of a conspiracy to upset the US election.
Jenny, civilizations come and go, thats just the way it is. Humanity has been under attack much longer than those of you on the CC bandwagon have been banging on about, and planet earth will most likely continue on, despite the best efforts of those to try and control our little part of the universe.
Interesting to read some comments go from mocking, to conceding that there technologies have existed for decades to modify weather, but oh its a big leap to go from theory to practicle, as if those running such experiementation are going to broadcast it to the world, more than they already do!
Perhaps instead of trying to cover so many bases, and not making the best case in most of them, try focussing on something, e.g the PoAL situation, which you put some really good comments and information up on!
Edit: If you think I’m right wing, it only serves to show how your compass, while morally well set, it pointing you in the wrong direction!
Don’t fall into the the trap others here do by closing off yourself too much, as in this world, there is so much which we can’t/won’t see, and don’t understanding. Letting don’t understand become won’t/can’t understand, is to admit defeat!
Well, if you must know, I noticed it listed by Alternet as one of the “Five Crazy Right Wing Conspiracy Theories About Hurricane Sandy”. The timing seemed perfect, almost as though someone were working to a script.
What a patronising. ignorant git you are, muzza. Jenny has a proud history of activism, a lifetime of learning and has pretty direct experience of how the world really works. You, on the other hand, appear to be channelling Rick from the Young Ones.
I don’t know anything about Jennys background, and made no comment about it.
Looks like you were not able to avoid that school boy error!
Edit: Gosman, it sounds like the real you is back today.
And yes the weather can/has been controlled, engineered, and modified, long ago, the fact the UN “outlawed” it as not to be weaponised” was frankly laughable whoever made that statement. The UN says cluster bombs and DU are illegal too!
Yup, but overall the universe will ultimately do what it wants, spot on!
I get very frustrated by these arguments. On one hand Gosman and TRP annoy the crap out of me with their obdurate refusal to even think the conventional, mocking anything that isn’t within their view of the world.
At the same time you piss me by failing to apply some elementary logic and sceptical reasoning to your ideas. Like you I’m pretty clear that there is lot going on ‘behind the curtain’ as it were that us ordinary people are not privvy to. It’s good to be aware of that.
But at the same time we are NOT privvy to the details or the evidence. Just because something is possible does NOT make it certain. You only make a fool of yourself and discredit the fundamental case you are making by pretending otherwise. You don’t have to uncover the wizard’s trick in order to know he is magician, and trying to outsmart the magician on his own turf is always a blunder.
Otherwise you fall into the elementary trap that Shearer did a few weeks ago when he claimed there was a video of John Key talking to the GCSB about Dotcom. Now everyone knows that the video was almost certainly made …. but Shearer’s inability to produce it when challenged to do so allowed Key to turn a potential win into a loss.
At the same time you piss me by failing to apply some elementary logic and sceptical reasoning to your ideas..
Why do you get emotional about it Red? Can you elaborate where you feel I fail to apply logic and sceptical reasoning to, what are not my ideas at all, they are only my opinions based on readings, and personal experiences!
You only make a fool of yourself and discredit the fundamental case you are making by pretending otherwise.
Did you read my posts RL? – Where is it I have categorically pretended that I know otherwise?
What rubbish, Muzza. Your comprehension problems are probably what leads you to make such weird comments here. Garbage in, garbage out. The point I was making is that Jenny walks the walk. You talk the talk, but when you move your lips, all we hear is gibberish. Maybe when you leave your teenage years behind, you’ll start making sense. But I have my doubts.
Why on earth would you pretend to know what I do, its just assumption error after school-boy error with you, followed by transferance of “comprehension problems”, which given how this conversation is headed again, seems to be a repeated failing of yours!
Assumption Lesson 101: If you don’t know someone personally, never assume you know what that person, does, or does not do!
There is so much water in the oceans, which cover so much of the word at an average depth of 12,000 feet, he told the committee, that the deepest parts are extremely well insulated from any transient temperature changes at the surface. As decades and even in some cases more than 100 years of data show, water temperature does not usually vary much in the deepest parts of the ocean.
Over the past ten years, however, the average temperature of even this deepest water has started to rise. Given that the deep ocean is so well protected from the kinds of measuring problems that can confound temperature results on land, the deep water trend provides some of the best evidence to date that average temperatures on the Earth are climbing.
“There is no debate that the earth’s temperature is increasing,” McCarthy concluded. “Over the last half century the atmosphere, land surface, ocean surface and deep ocean and ice loss in polar regions have all confirmed this. And they can only be explained by the increase in greenhouse gases. There is no scientific evidence that refutes this conclusion.”
Testimony to the Senate committee hearing on climate change
No doubt further evidence of this unfolding climate disaster will be greeted with deafening silence by both the leading political parties in this country as well, and even the Greens will mute their response so as not to appear to radical.
At least be bitter in the right direction Jenny – Like with the Syria situation, you are again, on the wrong track.
muzza
muzza, no amount of mass murder from the air will save the Assad regime. In the eyes of the people it’s legitimacy is gone.
Despite the regime’s savage bombardment of rebel-held areas in Damascus, residents take to the streets of the capital’s Rukn el-Din neighbourhood to sing their opposition to Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.
Hey muzza, give up the misdirection, drop the left humanist pose, I can see through your act. You are just another cynical, run of the mill, right wing misanthrope.
UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi expressed his regret yesterday at the failure of the four-day Eid truce in Syria as regime warplanes launched the most intense air raids since the uprising began 19 months ago.
Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the Syrian military was trying to compensate for recent losses on the ground with air strikes.
“Today has seen the most intense air raids across Syria since the start of the uprising,” he said.
“More than 100 buildings have been destroyed, some levelled to the ground,” said opposition activist Moaz Al Shami, who said he had witnessed three air raids in the northeastern suburb of Harasta alone. “Whole neighbourhoods are deserted … There is no food, water, electricity or telephones.”
The Damascus air raids followed what residents said were failed attempts by troops to storm eastern parts of the city.
“Tanks are deployed around Harat Al Shwam but they haven’t been able to go in. They tried a week ago,” said an activist who lives near the area…..
Ah shit you’re right I meant to say Syrian civil war, sorry.
Oh look, yet another news article saying that the Syrian rebels are accepting help from foreign fighters and foreign Al Qaeda, even though they know that some of them are religious extremists.
Jabhat al-Nusra is the largest grouping of foreign jihadis in Syria, and the rebels say they number about 300 fighters in Aleppo, as well as branches in neighboring Idlib province, the city of Homs and the capital Damascus. Any direct links to al-Qaida are unclear, although U.S. and Iraqi officials have said they believe members of al-Qaida’s branch in Iraq have crossed the border to join the fight against Assad.
There are no reliable figures for the number of foreign fighters in Syria, although available estimates put the number in the hundreds, rather than the thousands.
Sandy is an argument for continual voting where you can change your vote every say three months, and if for three months the governing party doesn’t have a majority it loses power to those who do.
But not all at once. In fact, as I recall, that’s why the registration system was changed from cars having the same registration date to a floating date. There was, quite simply, far too much administration taking place on one day of the year for no appreciable gain.
It sounds terrible. It means everything the government does must be absolutely populist or they’ll be voted out and replaced. With such short time frames it’d be impossible to implement new policies.
Now, continual voting whereby come election day the votes are crystalised, that’d be fine. But I don’t think that’s what aero is suggesting.
In the US they almost have continuous voting with the cycles of senate and representative elections. In the presidential elections they have been voting in some places for over a month – 15m votes already – but the results are not allowed to be reported. http://elections.gmu.edu/early_vote_2012.html
Lanth, your definition of “populist” applies equally well to all democratic representation and renders our entire system of government essentially meaningless.
Nothing wrong with holding that point of view, but don’t pretend it only applies to this one specific idea of how representative democracy might be practised.
The government’s announcements on improving housing affordability are useless….
1. Freeing up a widdle bit more land will do nothing to relevant land values in Auckland. ha ha ha.
2. Improving resource consent timeframes will do nothing. You don’t even need a resource consent to build a house ffs. And if you cannot get a resource consent through in 6 months for a subdivision then the applicant has done a useless job.
3. What was the other thing?
That has to be the most useless package I have ever seen.
Watched “that girl’ on TV last night, seems anywhere by NZ you can live in a renovated warehouse in the inner city, not in NZ. National predilection for more sprawl isn’t the answer.
“2. Improving resource consent timeframes will do nothing. You don’t even need a resource consent to build a house ffs. And if you cannot get a resource consent through in 6 months for a subdivision then the applicant has done a useless job.”
They had a developer on the news saying that basically when you’re doing a subdivision, you end up waiting for the consents etc. This means you end up borrowing money from the bank to cover this downtime and keep the project afloat, which results in more interest costs that are passed on to the final sale price. Also it just makes the whole exercise more difficult and costly trying to deal with shifting time frames.
Well I guess that would be an expected response. My time on the planet has taken me into this sphere many many times and there has never been any serious problem with Council timeframes. And that is in over 20 years.
The problems arise when a poorly structured application is put to Council. This industry attracts cowboys and secondhand car dealers. They put in bad applications that are incomplete and cause the Council grief. Good operators do not have this particular problem. It is a myth that English is playing politics with.
As for holding costs while going through consent – those operators need to factor it in. What do they expect? That they can fill out an A4-sized form and get consent the next day? Or some such similarity? They need to do their research and do the job properly.
Really, wonder where you get that from
The real issues to me at these:
Banks and their liberal loaning policies.
Extremely poor town planners who prepare crap plan changes that do not reflect the nature of the land, developers operate under council guidelines.
Immigration that central govt allows then walks away from the issues that this increase in pop. causes.
Poor planning in linking work, home, school, recreation etc
(Apologies for the length – but don’t yet have this anywhere where you could click on a link.)
WELLINGTON! LEARN FROM THE AUCKLAND $UPERCITY!
“CORRUPTION AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS”!
This presentation was filmed, and can be viewed, (after registering – costs nothing to register) at http://www.allaboutauckland.com/
“CORRUPTION AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS” 25 October 2012
________________________________________________________________________________
AUCKLAND COUNCIL GOVERNING BODY
25 OCTOBER 2012 PUBLIC FORUM
– “CORRUPTION AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS”
Penny Bright (Transcript)
“I hate to be the one to pop the hot air balloon, but New Zealand is actually a corrupt, polluted tax haven.
Although we are ‘perceived’ to be the ‘least corrupt country in the world’, the Transparency International ‘Corruption Perception Index’ is actually based upon the subjective opinions of anonymous business people.
If NZ is ‘the least corrupt country in the world’ – arguably we should be the most transparent.
So – how come the ‘books’ of Auckland Council and Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) are NOT open?
How come we are not given the ‘devilish detail’ – the NAMES of the consultants/contractors; the SCOPE, the TERM and VALUE of the contracts?
As of 21 November last year, there were 5000 contracts to 12,500 suppliers.
Please be reminded Councillors, of your statutory duties under the Local Government Act :
s.14 Principles relating to local authorities
(1 )In performing its role, a local authority must act in accordance with the following principles:
(a)a local authority should—
(i) conduct its business in an open, transparent, and democratically accountable manner; and
(g)a local authority should ensure prudent stewardship and the efficient and effective use of its resources in the interests of its district or region;
You swear an Oath to the public:
“I, declare that I will faithfully and impartially, and according to the best of my skill and judgment, execute and perform, in the best interests of Auckland, the powers, authorities, and duties vested in or imposed upon me as a member of the Auckland Council by virtue of the Local Government Act 2002, the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, or any other Act.”
So, how come you are not carrying out your statutory duties?
How come you are not enforcing s.42 of the Local Government Act which makes it encumbent upon the CEO to ensure:
(2)A chief executive appointed under subsection (1) is responsible to his or her local authority for—
(e)maintaining systems to enable effective planning and accurate reporting of the financial and service performance of the local authority;
This is not the first time that I’ve raised these issues with you.
What channel that I could have gone down, have I not gone down?
I have made a formal complaint to the National Archives Office because under s.17 of the Public Records Act 2005:
17 Requirement to create and maintain records
(1)Every public office and local authority must create and maintain full and accurate records of its affairs, in accordance with normal, prudent business practice, including the records of any matter that is contracted out to an independent contractor.
You are not doing that.
And – who is holding you to account?
That’s why a formal complaint has been lodged with the Office of the Auditor-General and they ‘look at it before they look at it’ – but what this complaint is requesting is to investigate allegedly corrupt ‘conflicts of interest’ of Auckland Council CEO Doug McKay who is also a member of the extremely powerful private lobby group – the Committee for Auckland.
How many contracts have been awarded by Auckland Council and any of the following CCOs to member companies of the Committee for Auckland?
Watercare Services Ltd
Auckland Transport
ATEED (Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development Ltd)
ACIL (Auckland Council Investment Ltd)
AWDA (Auckland Waterfront Development Agency Ltd)
RFA (Regional Facilities Auckland)
ACPL (Auckland Council Property Ltd)
Also – we want an investigation – why has Auckland Council not ensured CEO Doug McKay has carried out his statutory duties?
Since 2006 – people such as myself organized opposition to the ‘Supercity’ because we said
the ‘Supercity’ was not to benefit the majority of citizens and ratepayers.
The purpose of the ‘Supercity’ was to set up a bigger public trough, for fewer, but bigger private snouts.
Now we have the evidence to support this.
The fact of the matter is that the ‘Supercity’ was a corrupt corporate coup – the organizational mechanism for the corporate takeover being the CCO model, which has never been subject to any ‘cost-benefit’ analysis by the Office of the Auditor-General; the Department of Internal Affairs; Treasury or any Council.
To finish – I believe there should be NO TAXATION without TRANSPARENCY or ACCOUNTABILITY. That’s why I have not paid my rates since 2008, and I refuse to do so.
I believe that the people of Auckland must make a stand to take back our region from corporate control, and I call on people to take that action. NO SAY – NO PAY!
QUESTION FROM COUNCILLOR CATHY CASEY:
“What response have you had from Council when you have asked for the list of contractors that you named – the 5000 and 12,500 suppliers.
What reason have you been given for withholding this information?”
MY REPLY:
Reasons given on 21 November 2011 from Darrell Griffin (Manager for Democracy Services):
When I asked:
” 1) Is the Auckland Council, in a truly ‘open, transparent and democratically-accountable’ way,
going to ensure that citizens and ratepayers of the Auckland region are going to be given the ‘devilish’ detail,
so we can see exactly where our rates monies are being spent on private sector consultants and contractors?
a) Are the names of the consultants/ contractors; the scope, term and value of these contracts going to be
published in the Auckland Council annual Report so that they are available for public scrutiny?
b) If not – why not?
(ANSWER) Not at this stage. there are 500 contracts related to 12,500 suppliers. To collate and publish these
would be a major exercise logistically and cost-wise. ”
That is the answer – the books are not open – they are still not open.
I checked on the website this morning in the forlorn hope that there might have been some development.
You put ‘contracts’ in the Council website – you find nothing.
But – on the front page of the Auckland Council website – ‘Investment in Auckland’.
If you are an investor – Auckland Council is very keen to help you and give you information.
If you are a ratepayer wanting to know where your monies are being spent – sorry – BAD LUCK.
Just one final point.
This book to which I was referring contains ten new ‘Items of Evidence’ that High Court Judge Ellis allowed
me to adduce in the Occupy Auckland vs Auckland Council case at which I was an Appellant.
So – it’s not only the Office of the Auditor-General looking at these issues – also a High Court Judge.
________________________________________________________________________________
The SIS told the Immigration NZ in October last year that Kim Dotcom posed no threat to the security of NZ.
So, why the Hollywood style raid at his Coatesville residence in January of this year? If he was no security risk then all they needed to do was knock on his front door.
And that leads to another question. Why was John Key happy for them to carry out the raid on Dotcom’s property? Yes, we know he claims he never knew about it, but we all know now that he did – from October of last year!
So, why the Hollywood style raid at his Coatesville residence in January of this year? If he was no security risk then all they needed to do was knock on his front door.
Yep. Two constables turning up in a Holden would have done the trick.
Anne in Hollywood, woops I mean America, if you put on a huge production when arresting someone for say, running/owning a raw foods store, or arrest the armish for selling raw foods/ milk, or arrest someone who is growing fresh produce in their own garden, then you set the stage for the public to assume guilt, because hey, if they sent in SWAT/FBI so that person must have done something really bad right!
Its all for show, there is no other reason for it!
The SIS have said they were not involved in the surveillance of Dotcom, but did pass on a request in October last year from the FBI to New Zealand police about carrying out a joint investigation into his activities.
And Key claims he never knew anything? Just how gullible does he think we are?
Top Auckland schools that offer the system have been asked to a meeting by Auckland University tomorrow, amid concerns that younger students pushed through Cambridge are struggling with higher education.
Schools including Kings College say the Cambridge exams are a better system than NCEA.
So, the students that go through the ‘better’ system are struggling…
Right, that would indicate that it’s not actually the better system.
Cambridge suits cramming and practising exams as Auckland Grammar prides itself.
But it does not result in absence of planning/research skills/independent study/ and thus struggling at University level. This is the same problem faced by students at traditional private schools who are highly organised but ignoring self motivation self organisation.
Oops “But it does not result in absence of planning/research skills/independent study…..”
“But it does result in absence of planning/research skills/independent study……
Exactly. My experience with “gifted” kids from the “elite” schools at the university level is that many of them do not know how to self-motivate. They also think in a very linear fashion and are hopeless at open ended problems. Where they excel is at paint by numbers type stuff.
On the other hand, kids from normal schools who make it to university are often glad to have the opportunity to learn and make the most of it. They do not suffer from any sense of entitlement concerning the degree or diploma they think they deserve once a few tasks have been completed.
Note that this is a total generalisation from my own experiences and I have not done any scientific study of the matter. Somebody probably has.
I disagree. Its your job, you are the expert educationist, and sure people from different backgrounds come incumbered with different problems. But worse, its not your job to turn out work ready, hungry capitalists, or any particular type. It is certainly true though that people desperate for success are likely to be fawning over themselves to feed narcissists. If a student is not engaging in your course, then it could be your course is boring, you teaching style doesn’t work for them, or the student is depressed for some personal reason, etc, etc, i.e. its an opportunity to learn, which is why you work in a learning establishment. The concern I have is how saturated our society has become with the needs of business, like every good idea, ideal, social good, can only come about if someone is profiting from their exploitation.
One point – it is talking about students who are going to university straight from year 12, so they should be having another year at school. It does not say that students who complete year 13 are having any issues.
Sounds like the major issue is it is too easy to get UE in year 12 for Cambridge rather than either system being better.
There’s nothing wrong with school, I had a great time…played sport, ate my lunch, fired a few spit balls.
Although, I was lucky in that I didn’t bother doing any school work. That meant that I didn’t have to unlearn all that rubbish when I started life, and I also had nothing to unlearn when I got to uni.
There’s no doubt that Nationals environmentally naïve policy direction will not only be detrimental to our clean and green branding, but our Kiwi way of life as well.
And only you knows what that is, alone against the forces of evil; brave, noble Muzza, sticking it to the man, revealing all the secret plans and weapons. If only they could figure out how to keep you from hacking the innermost working of their minds, but you are too smart for them, with your keyboard in one hand and your tool in the other.
Good, you do understand what being a tool is, self awareness is important!
The other option is that you think the IMF exist for the good of “man kind”, and you can’t be that clueless!
Its not possible to be inside the minds of others (although yours is rather tranparent), but when you pay attention, over a long enough period of time, and spend a little time trying to piece things togther, it is possible to form opinions, many of which might not add up to those who don’t bother!
Does it make me right, no, does it make me more likely to be nearer understanding than those who categorically rule out possibilities that the world has more doing on than can see seen, of course it does!
We built sprawl, sprawl that had no environmental costing because oil was cheap, energy was assumed always to be cheap. We built our tower of ?Babel? inside out, instead of a multitude of different language being the fault, it was the one ruling ring of power, aka neo-liberalists never make mistakes because the market never fails.
Do you think there is any worth in attaching a poll function for article authors to chose to add to their posts?
With the high volume of traffic here, yet fewer number of regular commenters, would this be a way to measure trends of opinion as accurately as any other online polling system, such as MSM news sources? Some visitors may be interested in articles, but may not have the confidence or time to articulate their point of view – or need to repeat comments already made. Since subjects here often amount to a simple either/or/alternative conclusion, would a poll shorten, but increase, wider community participation?
For example, the article on plain packaging on cigarettes has good arguments and eventually a reader is left to ask themselves, do I support this or not? Today, another author asks, does anyone support the mindset of Anyone But Cunliffe anymore? Another author asks, is government intervention the answer to an affordable housing crisis? There are other questions posed in these articles too, which the authors may want to promote instead of the obvious.
It would be as flawed as any other unofficial survey, but the polls, tied to the subjects and perspectives of the authors, would at least create varied poll questions instead of a single point of view from a single editorial office.
From The Standard’s point of view, it wins a collection of collated opinion, framed in it’s own language, from a sympathetic perspective, that could be made into a monthly review/summary of trends. The trends/opinions, of course, reflecting the views of the community, rather than The Standard, its authors or administration. Since TS contributors are often refered to as extremists (to put it politely) would their collated views be a portion of the public opinion market not yet recognised and measured? Reviews need not be strictly scientific. Depending on the manner of the poll question, a conclusion that Minister X is a Genius/Nutbox could be as valid as a report that a specific policy has a certain percentage of support from TS readers.
Could a poll feature combine a bit of fun, a bit of science, an option for silent readers to be heard and possibly become a point of reference and media influence?
I think we’ve talked about polls in the past and decided they were a waste of time because the results are meaningless, even if they weren’t rigged by one side or the other.
Suicide is about loss of control over ones life, the ability to make choices, to gain status, to solve problems, in my opinion, and the prospect that nothing is going to change.
Government is oppressive, it creeps into every aspect of our lives, selecting winners (like those who have money and are given the incentive of free untaxed capital gains). And then government fails to address the problem. Then a utlra conservative leader, John Key, does nothing to change matters. So asking Key about Suicide, is like asking someone who had the choices, who has great status, who feels the need to help the winners not the also rans, and has time after time done nothing to change the status quo.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10842385
It seems that Auckland does not have 18,000
Sections available this is the land that is Zoned is 18,000,there are about 3000 available or being developed the other 15000 have impediments like water care not having in its construction program for 4+ years to deliver water or find for storm water management. Other issues are awaiting for council to construct or improve its road network to service these developments even though council has been receiving contributions and levies for these.
Unfortunately some of Les’s advisors have been misleading him and making him look silly
One final point on land availability is that even if there was adequate zoned land available, there still is a reluctance for those Australian banks to fund the development. I am aware of quite a few large developments (200-1500 lot developments) that are hamstrung by the financial constraints that limits pace of development. As banks are still land adverse and are wanting the debt reduced and any “surplus” can go towards future development and capitalising of interest is not an option so must be financed from existing cash flows or additional capital. I had heard that these banks were wishing to divest out of development in NZ, wishing to use these funds to invest in Australia where the banks hierarchy is better acquainted with and developments like those in Queenstown Nigel McKenna (Kawerau Falls), http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/518956/Queenstown-edgy-as-finance-companies-fail.
It is somewhat a paradoxical the banks are falling over themselves in refueling the property boom but are reluctant to fund the development.
Yet not a mention of this issue in regard to the creation of new residential land.
I was expecting to see David Shearer rip into Kate Wilkinson on the 6pm news about their latest attack on vulnerable workers.
I’ve been waiting all day because everyone knew it was coming.
Did anyone see the news? Was there a response to this? There is nothing on the usual websites.
Please don’t tell me Fozzie Bear was asleep at the wheel again.
In Brazil the newspapers are very closely linked to particular political parties. It doesn’t surprise me at all that the likes of Rede Globo and Editora Abril would put this effort into exposing the corruption of what they see as a socialist government. As a comparison, imagine the lengths our media would go to if we had a Mana/Greens government.
john72 …
Today’s Quote:- 1 Corinthians 13:11 “When I was a child I spoke as a child…”
The limited vocabulary of some authors is sad because, not only does it destroy the author’s credibility, something they deserve, but it lowers the level of “Open Mike” as a whole. It raises the question, “Is it worth reading Open Mike ?” I do not want to waste my time watching people abuse each other.
However, there still seem to be some interesting contributors. It is a pity that the children have such an adverse effect.
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If ever there was an example of complacency about corruption and integrity in New Zealand politics it’s the fact that the Prime Minister’s Office knew back in 2021 that Cabinet Minister Stuart Nash was feeding privileged Cabinet information to business donors but did nothing about it. This is one of ...
Open access notables "Despite the potential for positive methane–climate feedbacks from global wetlands, most Earth System Models (ESMs) and Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) that informed the last Assessment Report of the IPCC do not directly incorporate this process."Publishing in Nature Climate Change, Zheng et al. unpack the implications of this ...
Among its ‘go slow’ on climate measures, the Government chose to delay tighter regulation of vehicle imports for air pollution for six years because it would have increased vehicle purchase costs. Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government continues to backtrack on moves to reduce emissions, with three news items ...
Stuart Nash’s downfall appears to have had its beginnings with one of the players from the “Dirty Politics” scandals of 2014. Simon Lusk, a close associate of Cameron “Whaleoil” Slater, one of the key figures in Nicky Hagar’s “Dirty Politics” expose, has been associated with Stuart Nash. Lusk has ...
Worried if this election will be shellacked by “the culture war”? That arrived ages ago. And, one side is definitely in panic mode, even if that’s not being admitted right now. Because of that, they’re reverting yet again to straight up… culture wars. Yes, fellow traveler, the Party who ...
All About Climate is a Youtube channel dedicated to communicating climate science and combating misinformation about global warming. It is run by Roshan Salgado D'Arcy - or 'Rosh' for short. He is a geology graduate with an MSc in climate change and is currently reading for a PhD in the communication of ...
ChatGPT is an interesting little beastie. I have only really started experimenting with it recently – not because I have any interest in using it for my own writing projects, but because I enjoy pushing and prodding the AI in strange directions. I have spent an inordinate amount of ...
The science of climate change is clear: we need to stop burning fossil fuels as quickly as possible, and we cannot burn even a fraction of those already discovered. So naturally, Labour is offering oil companies more exploration permits: The Government is offering companies another opportunity to search for ...
There are two keyboards in my office. I hammer at one a lot more than the other.But some days — today, for instance, after a few days of steeping myself in toxicity —that other keyboard can really come into its own.I learned to play the piano as a kid, went ...
Is the government imploding? Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has had to sack one of his more effective (and likeable) ministers, while another (from the Green Party) has insulted many of the adult population. For his part, Hipkins had appeared to be shaping up well since he took over the ...
Mobbed! As Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s (Posie Parker’s) opponents surged forward, her only protecters were a handful of burly security guards who surrounded their client and began forcing a path through what was now a howling mob. At least one video recording shows the diminutive Keen-Minshull, a terrified rag-doll, eyes dulled by ...
Buzz from the Beehive It looks like Marama Davidson must revile white sis males – or some other group of our population – three more times before she gets the heave-ho as one of Chris Hipkins’ ministers. That’s the conclusion to be drawn from the PM’s treatment of Stuart Nash, ...
For a serial offender like Stuart Nash, it was inevitable that another skeleton would emerge from his closet, and end his ministerial career. This one though, was a whopper. Previously, Nash had tried to tell the Police how to do their job. He had also tried to tell the courts ...
Cabinet Minister Stuart Nash was sacked last night for violating Cabinet Collective Responsibility rules, when it was revealed he disclosed sensitive Government information to business supporters who had donated money to him. The breach of the Cabinet Manual was enough to land him in trouble, but the fact that it ...
Some good news last week with the Council confirming that Te Hā Noa – Victoria St Linear Park will go ahead and with construction starting on 11 April – though with a few fishhooks. Te Hā Noa, a renewed Victoria Street, is the next big project in Auckland Council’s Midtown ...
Stuart Nash’s assurances to Prime Minister Chris Hipkins that there were no further examples of him breaching the Cabinet Manual became meaningless with the release of emails from Nash sharing Cabinet discussions with business people. The Prime Minister had no choice but to sack Nash as a Minister with immediate ...
Hi,Just a quick online-only update after yesterday’s newsletter, How Michael Organ Weaponised the Family Court... and Sean Plunket. First up — wow. Thanks for all the support, and to all those who shared their own personal stories in the comments. And welcome to any new Webworm readers.I just wanted ...
Let that sink in for a moment - Christopher Luxon, who has spent the last year demonising Māori, wants Marama Davidson to apologise to white men.You will likely have seen the video, or read about it. Marama Davidson rushing along Princes St on Saturday evening, the road that runs between ...
Stuart Nash, the great-grandson of former Prime Minister Sir Walter Nash, has lost his political career. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Stuart Nash was sacked for telling donors what happened in Cabinet. Wellington’s City and Regional Councils are going cold on light rail plans. Wayne Brown is under ...
NZ First Leader Winston Peters is sympathising with Stuart Nash and defending him but dodging questions on whether he would be welcome in New Zealand First. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins last night sacked Nash from the Cabinet after an email he had sent to two of his campaign donors ...
So, after interfering with the police, and then interfering with immigration decisions, Stuart Nash has finally been sacked: Stuart Nash has been sacked as a minister, after Stuff revealed he had emailed business figures, including donors, detailing private Cabinet discussions. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed the people Nash emailed ...
Nearly 25% of mortgages in Auckland are deemed at risk in a 1-in-100 year flood event. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Once a year, every year, from now on, in our not-so-slow-cooking climate crisis, there will be a moment when the most important number in Aotearoa’s own personal, national ...
Item One: About a confected crisis Please bear with me for a moment, readers outside Auckland, I wish to sound the klaxon. Auckland, we have until 11pm today to have our say. About what? About this, as copied and pasted from Pippa Coom’s Facebook page:The "austerity" budget is built on ...
Buzz from the Beehive Yet again, the statement we were looking for could not be found on the Beehive website. Nor was it on the Scoop or Green Party websites. But – come to think of it – we are probably wasting our time by searching. Our quest is for the ...
The following is from a speech given by Arundhati Roy at the Swedish Academy on March 22, 2023, at a conference called Thought and Truth Under Pressure and reprinted from Literary Hub. I thank the Swedish Academy for inviting me to speak at this conference and for affording me the privilege ...
After almost two decades of racism, Australia is finally getting off its "stop the boats" bullshit. But don't worry, racists - Michael Wood has your back!The Government wants to increase the time it can detain without a warrant people seeking asylum en masse from four days to 28 ...
Last year, the Education and Workforce Committee recommended that the government legislate for pay transparency to prevent employers from secretly discriminating. This ought to be a bread and butter issue for Labour - discrimination sees women (and particularly Māori and Pasifika women) paid significantly less than men. But since then ...
Thomas Cranmer writes – ———— An unruly mob in Albert Park has catapulted New Zealand into the global headlines with ugly images that may become iconic in the debate about the dangers of transgenderism. ———— Bravo Kellie-Jay Keen. She did the job that needed to be done. For all the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global warming is melting the Arctic ice cap, and that’s having unforeseen effects on the world’s weather — even thousands of miles away from the North Pole. Some climate scientists have begun to link increasingly common heat waves in Europe to what is ...
Hot on the heels of the demotion of former police Minister Stuart Nash for breaching the Cabinet Manual, Radio New Zealand has revealed the close links between lobbyists and politicians- an area of New Zealand politics that is completely unregulated. The evidence in Guyon Espiner’s series Mate, Comrade, Brother, the ...
Over a million New Zealanders will receive a little extra to help with the cost of living as a result of our 1 April changes. Around the world, inflation is causing costs to rise and we’re feeling it here at home. In tough times, we need to support those who ...
With benefit changes coming into effect tomorrow, the Green Party is calling on the Government to lift benefits to liveable levels to make sure everyone has what they need to thrive. ...
Following decades of work by the Green Party alongside the organics sector, people will finally be able to be confident that products labelled organic have met standards. ...
The Green Party supports immediate Government action to close the pay gap as called for in an open letter released today by the Human Rights Commission and 50 other organisations. ...
The Green Party is today welcoming the release of the Government’s waste strategy, but says it has a big gap without action on the container return scheme for beverage containers. ...
The Government’s decision to introduce ‘mass arrivals’ legislation goes against the values we all share of Aotearoa as a place where all people are treated fairly, the Green Party says. ...
MINISTER DAVIDSON MUST RESIGN AFTER 'VIOLENCE' COMMENTS Marama Davidson should stand down as ‘Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence’ for the clear and outrageous statement she made at the Posie Parker protest that ‘white straight men’ are the cause of violence. Her offensive, racist, and sexist remarks ...
In response to Newshub and Amelia Wade’s obvious and ham-fisted attempt at a typical and predicted political hit job. As any politically aware reporter would know, any Cabinet subcommittee has a duty and obligation as a part of any government to respond to any UN declaration, in this case ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for the invitation to speak with you today and in your busy lives turning up to this meeting. Forty five years ago, in Howick, often described as racist, and where few Maori lived because it had been a ‘Fencible’ settlement at the time of the Anglo-Maori ...
The Green Party has marked the National Party’s new education policy and given it a fail, especially for its failure to address the underlying drivers of school performance. ...
“This is it; 2023 will be the last opportunity New Zealand has to get a government that will confront the climate emergency with the urgency it demands,” says the Green Party’s co-leader and climate change spokesperson, James Shaw. ...
You will never truly understand, from the pictures you’ve seen in the newspapers or on the six o-clock news, the sheer scale of the devastation wrought by Cyclone Gabrielle. ...
Political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised in their State of the Planet speech today. ...
Political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party after the election must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised today. ...
We’re boosting incomes and helping ease cost of living pressures on Kiwis through a range of bread and butter support measures that will see pensioners, students, families, and those on main benefits better off from the start of next month. ...
The error Labour Ministers made by stopping work on a beverage container return scheme will be reversed by the Greens at the earliest opportunity as part of the next Government. ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nanaia Mahuta, departs for Europe today, where she will attend a session of the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting in Brussels and make a short bilateral visit to Sweden. “NATO is a long-standing and likeminded partner for Aotearoa New Zealand. It is valuable to join a session of ...
A secure facility that will house protected information for a broad range of government agencies is being constructed at RNZAF Base Auckland (Whenuapai), Public Service, Defence and GCSB Minister Andrew Little says. The facility will consolidate and expand the government’s current secure storage capacity and capability for at least another ...
From today, 1.8 million flu vaccines are available to help protect New Zealanders from winter illness, Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall has announced. “Vaccination against flu is safe and will be a first line of defence against severe illness this winter,” Dr Verrall said. “We can all play a part ...
Associate Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage Willow-Jean Prime has congratulated Professor Rangi Mātāmua (Ngāi Tūhoe) who was last night named the prestigious Te Pou Whakarae o Aotearoa New Zealander of the Year. Professor Mātāmua, who is the government's Chief Adviser Mātauranga Matariki, was the winner of the New Zealander ...
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta has announced further sanctions on political and military figures from Russia and Belarus as part of the ongoing response to the war in Ukraine. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Alekseevna Lvova-Belova ...
A new public housing development planned for Whangārei will provide 95 warm and dry, modern homes for people in need, Housing Minister Megan Woods says. The Kauika Road development will replace a motel complex in the Avenues with 89 three-level walk up apartments, alongside six homes. “Whangārei has a rapidly ...
New Zealand welcomes the substantial conclusion of negotiations on the United Kingdom’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. “Continuing to grow our export returns is a priority for the Government and part of our plan to ...
Ngā Iwi o Taranaki and the Crown initial Taranaki Maunga collective redress deed Ngā Iwi o Taranaki and the Crown have today initialled the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Deed, named Te Ruruku Pūtakerongo, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little says. “I am pleased to be here for this ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Barbara Edmonds has announced the 2023 Pacific Language week series, highlighting the need to revitalise and sustain languages for future generations. “Pacific languages are a cornerstone of our health, wellbeing and identity as Pacific peoples. When our languages are spoken, heard and celebrated, our communities thrive,” ...
880,000 pensioners to get a boost to Super, including 5000 veterans 52,000 students to see a bump in allowance or loan living costs Approximately 223,000 workers to receive a wage rise as a result of the minimum wage increasing to $22.70 8,000 community nurses to receive pay increase of up ...
Over 8000 community nurses will start receiving well-deserved pay rises of up to 15 percent over the next month as a Government initiative worth $200 million a year kicks in, says Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall. “The Government is committed to ensuring nurses are paid fairly and will receive ...
Tākiri mai ana te ata Ki runga o ngākau mārohirohi Kōrihi ana te manu kaupapa Ka ao, ka ao, ka awatea Tihei mauri ora Let the dawn break On the hearts and minds of those who stand resolute As the bird of action sings, it welcomes the dawn of a ...
The Government is introducing a scheme which will lift incomes for artists, support them beyond the current spike in cost of living and ensure they are properly recognised for their contribution to New Zealand’s economy and culture. “In line with New Zealand’s Free Trade Agreement with the UK, last ...
New Zealand is welcoming a decision by the United Nations General Assembly to ask the International Court of Justice to consider countries’ international legal obligations on climate change. The United Nations has voted unanimously to adopt a resolution led by Vanuatu to ask the ICJ for an advisory opinion on ...
More Police officers are being deployed to the frontline with the graduation of 59 new constables from the Royal New Zealand Police College today. “The graduation for recruit wing 364 was my first since becoming Police Minister last week,” Ginny Andersen said. “It was a real honour. I want to ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta met with Vanuatu Foreign Minister Jotham Napat in Port Vila, today, signing a new Statement of Partnership — Aotearoa New Zealand’s first with Vanuatu. “The Mauri Statement of Partnership is a joint expression of the values, priorities and principles that will guide the Aotearoa New Zealand–Vanuatu relationship into ...
The Government has passed new legislation amending the Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) levy regime, ensuring the best balance between a fair and cost effective funding model. The Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Levy) Amendment Bill makes changes to the existing law to: charge the levy on contracts of ...
The Government has passed the Organic Products and Production Bill through its third reading today in Parliament helping New Zealand’s organic sector to grow and lift export revenue. “The Organic Products and Production Bill will introduce robust and practical regulation to give businesses the certainty they need to continue to ...
The Digital Identity Services Trust Framework Bill, which will make it easier for New Zealanders to safely prove who they are digitally has passed its third and final reading today. “We know New Zealanders want control over their identity information and how it’s used by the companies and services they ...
The full Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery Taskforce has met formally for the first time as work continues to help the regions recover and rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle. The Taskforce, which includes representatives from business, local government, iwi and unions, covers all regions affected by the January and February floods and cyclone. ...
Changes have been made to legislation to give subcontractors the confidence they will be paid the retention money they are owed should the head contractor’s business fail, Minister for Building and Construction Megan Woods announced today. “These changes passed in the Construction Contracts (Retention Money) Amendment Act safeguard subcontractors who ...
Transport Minister Michael Wood has unveiled five scenarios for one of the most significant city-shaping projects for Tāmaki Makaurau in coming decades, the additional Waitematā Harbour crossing. “Aucklanders and businesses have made it clear that the biggest barriers to the success of Auckland is persistent congestion and after years of ...
The Government has passed new legislation that ensures New Zealand’s civil aviation rules are fit for purpose in the 21st century, Associate Transport Minister Kiri Allan says. The Civil Aviation Bill repeals and replaces the Civil Aviation Act 1990 and the Airport Authorities Act 1966 with a single modern law ...
A Bill aimed at helping to reduce delays in the coronial jurisdiction passed its third reading today. The Coroners Amendment Bill, amongst other things, will establish new coronial positions, known as Associate Coroners, who will be able to perform most of the functions, powers, and duties of Coroners. The new ...
The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Secretary to conduct a review into communications between Stuart Nash and his donors. The review will take place over the next two months. The review will look at whether there have been any other breaches of cabinet collective responsibility or confidentiality, or whether ...
The new Recovery Visa to help bring in additional migrant workers to support cyclone and flooding recovery has attracted over 600 successful applicants within its first month. “The Government is moving quickly to support businesses bring in the workers needed to recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland floods,” Michael ...
Bills to ensure non-teaching employees and contractors at schools, and unlicensed childcare services like mall crèches are vetted by police, and provide safeguards for school board appointments have passed their first reading today. The Education and Training Amendment Bill (No. 3) and the Regulatory Systems (Education) Amendment Bill have now ...
Wānanga will gain increased flexibility and autonomy that recognises the unique role they fill in the tertiary education sector, Associate Minister of Education Kelvin Davis has announced. The Education and Training Amendment Bill (No.3), that had its first reading today, proposes a new Wānanga enabling framework for the three current ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will travel to Vanuatu today, announcing that Aotearoa New Zealand will provide further relief and recovery assistance there, following the recent destruction caused by Cyclones Judy and Kevin. While in Vanuatu, Minister Mahuta will meet with Vanuatu Acting Prime Minister Sato Kilman, Foreign Minister Jotham ...
The Government is backing Police and making communities safer with the roll-out of state-of-the-art tools and training to frontline staff, Police Minister Ginny Andersen said today. “Frontline staff face high-risk situations daily as they increasingly respond to sophisticated organised crime, gang-violence and the availability of illegal firearms,” Ginny Andersen said. ...
The Government has provided Police with more tools to crack down on gang offending with the passing of new legislation today which will further improve public safety, Justice Minister Kiri Allan says. The Criminal Activity Intervention Legislation Bill amends existing law to: create new targeted warrant and additional search powers ...
The Government today announced far-reaching changes to the way we make, use, recycle and dispose of waste, ushering in a new era for New Zealand’s waste system. The changes will ensure that where waste is recycled, for instance by households at the kerbside, it is less likely to be contaminated ...
New legislation passed by the Government today will make it harder for gangs and their leaders to benefit financially from crime that causes considerable harm in our communities, Minister of Justice Kiri Allan says. Since the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 came into effect police have been highly successful in ...
This evening I have advised the Governor-General to dismiss Stuart Nash from all his ministerial portfolios. Late this afternoon I was made aware by a news outlet of an email Stuart Nash sent in March 2020 to two contacts regarding a commercial rent relief package that Cabinet had considered. In ...
Legislation to enable more build-to-rent developments has passed its third reading in Parliament, so this type of rental will be able to claim interest deductibility in perpetuity where it meets the requirements. Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods, says the changes will help unlock the potential of the build-to-rent sector and ...
A law passed by Parliament today exempts employers from paying fringe benefit tax on certain low emission commuting options they provide or subsidise for their staff. “Many employers already subsidise the commuting costs of their staff, for instance by providing car parks,” Environment Minister David Parker said. “This move supports ...
Today marks the 40th anniversary of Closer Economic Relations (CER), our gold standard free trade agreement between New Zealand and Australia. “CER was a world-leading agreement in 1983, is still world-renowned today and is emblematic of both our countries’ commitment to free trade. The WTO has called it the world’s ...
The Government is making procedural changes to the Immigration Act to ensure that 2013 amendments operate as Parliament intended. The Government is also introducing a new community management approach for asylum seekers. “While it’s unlikely we’ll experience a mass arrival due to our remote positioning, there is no doubt New ...
The Government welcomes progress on public sector pay adjustment (PSPA) agreements, and the release of the updated public service pay guidance by the Public Service Commission today, Minister for the Public Service Andrew Little says. “More than a dozen collective agreements are now settled in the public service, Crown Agents, ...
The Government has introduced the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill to further support the recovery and rebuild from the recent severe weather events in the North Island. “We know from our experiences following the Canterbury and Kaikōura earthquakes that it will take some time before we completely understand the ...
By Sri Krishnamurthi Highly respected and convivial Koroi Hawkins has become RNZ Pacific’s first Melanesian editor after arriving in New Zealand in 2010 and says he is “truly humbled” after nearly a decade at RNZ. “It is a great honour. I am a Pacific journalist from the school of hardknocks ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joey Moloney, Senior Associate, Grattan Institute Shutterstock Australia’s A$3.3 trillion superannuation system is supposed to boost people’s retirement incomes. The government says as much in its proposed leglislated objective for superannuation. The system is supported by billions of dollars of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Peter Dutton and his demoralised team, shocked beyond belief by their Aston drubbing, say the party has to “rebuild”. But there are no obvious foundation stones for this mammoth task. Ideally, the party ...
Tea drinkers of Aotearoa, your new favourite dunking bikkie is here. There are several things I love about this recipe. The first is that they make a delicious dunking biscuit, the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea shared with friends. The second is that the recipe is ...
Part two of writer Marty Smith’s reporting from her flood-damaged home.Read part one here. Sunday 12 March, 21 days after the floods.Google Maps shows a pale blue line for the flat-lined bridge between Taradale and Waiohiki and sends you instead over the Expressway to Merge Like A Zip, ...
Bard Billot on the booted out broadcasterSpartans, prepare for glory! The hardy army of Today FM Spartans Camps out on the harsh lands of talk radio. The long months of the campaign Have worn down their resolve, For though they have loyally broadcast Their snappy banter and hot ...
The danger of National's policy is that it undoes much of an informal pact with Labour to depoliticise education at a time of real struggleOpinion: The National Party’s recently released education policy narrowly channels nearly every tired and cliched right-wing approach to schooling. If you have been in education for ...
A refurbished, expanded and more earthquake-proof building is a still few years away. Can it live up to the impeccable postmodernist vibes of its predecessor?A long time ago, my non-Wellington then-boyfriend was visiting the windy city and asked the barber what he recommended in town. “Dunno mate,” the barber ...
Doing the cryptic crossword isn’t simply a hobby. It’s a way of life, a love affair – even a full-blown obsession. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.Illustrations by Asia Martusia King. Clue: Mafia boss consumed first dish free of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The rout of the Liberals in Aston is a disaster for Peter Dutton. The party has defied history – in the worst possible way. This is the first time in more than a century ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Morgan Hancock/AAP With 44% of enrolled voters counted in today’s Aston federal byelection, the ABC has Labor expected to win ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Morgan Hancock/AAP With 44% of enrolled voters counted in today’s Aston federal byelection, the ABC has Labor expected to win ...
Analysis - When is a cabinet minister not a cabinet minister? The faulty logic of Stuart Nash has landed him and Labour in a heap of trouble but opened the door to serious reform of the Official Information Act, Tim Watkin writes. ...
Jubi News in Jayapura Indonesia’s Papua police chief Inspector-General Mathius D Fakhiri has called for action to ensure that “security disturbances” in the Puncak Jaya highlands do not widen in the face of escalating attacks by pro-independence militants. “For Puncak, we will take immediate action,” he said. According to General ...
What are you going to be watching this month? We round up everything coming to streaming services this month, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ+. The biggies Party Down (all seasons on TVNZ+ from April 1) Thirteen years is a long time between drinks and ...
Ginny Andersen has landed a hot-potato portfolio and has been in Cabinet less than two months - the opposition will be eager to test her mettle this election year. ...
The executive producer of Modern Family has issued an incendiary claim about New Zealanders cheering and clapping in public. Hayden Donnell gets to the bottom of things.The sitcom Modern Family is remembered as a “warm-hearted story about the unbreakable bonds of family”; a tale of radically different people overcoming ...
As rain kept falling across January, February and into March, all band members cold do was sit at home cancelling festivals and posting sad Facebook messages to fans. The first post landed on January 3. As wild weather began hitting the country, campers around Northland packed up their tents ...
Because pro-social behaviour emerges so often after disaster, community empowerment should be central to disaster mitigation and recoveryOpinion: Cyclone Gabrielle caused major damage across the North Island. This unprecedented climate event created great uncertainty. People are wondering if, or when, they can return to their homes, the extent to ...
"We, women, loving you; you, men, finding new women to love": a Francophile love story in NZ Louis woke up and found out Marine was not lying next to him in bed. He checked his phone – 5:30am. The aurora shone a bright gold on the windows of the detached ...
Every weekday, The Detail makes sense of the big news stories. This week, we looked at how co-governance really works, Labour's record on climate action, what the new AUKUS nuclear submarine deal means for New Zealand, Posie Parker's visit to Auckland and the free speech debate, and the damage processed foods are ...
The radio workers were caught by the unexpected speed of the decline of NZ's consumer economy, since Christmas – and they won't be the last. Jonathan Milne reports. When broadcaster Tova O’Brien uttered the resounding words, "they’ve f***ed us", they resonated beyond the 1 percent audience share of a small talk radio operation ...
A New Zealand Battery Project centred on Lake Onslow in Central Otago is up against a cheaper North Island alternative Studies into whether a massive pumped-hydro scheme at Lake Onslow is New Zealand’s best bet for a secure energy future may have only four more months to run. While the ...
This is The Detail's Long Read - one in-depth story read by us every weekend. This week, it's Jungle Warfare, written by Ellen Rykers and published in New Zealand Geographic's March/April 2023 edition. You can find the full article, with photos by Adrian Malloch, here. Hundreds of pest plant species—many of them garden escapees—run rampant in ...
The Red, White & Brass star talks spectacle, honouring family sacrifices and his debut lead role over a Tongan lunch in Otāhuhu.Name a creative pursuit and 28-year-old Tongan New Zealander John-Paul Foliaki will give it a go. That is, if he hasn’t already. Foliaki plays the lead role, Maka, ...
To mark 100 years since the great short story writer’s death, books editor Claire Mabey marathonned her collected works – these are the top 20.Reader, I did it. I read all of Katherine Mansfield’s short stories. Confession: I haven’t always been a fan. I have tedious memories of ...
In her first season as an ANZ Premiership captain, Ameliaranne Ekenasio was nervous about filling the shoes of the legendary Magic captains before her. But, as Merryn Anderson writes, the quiet leader has the full respect of the side who voted her in. When the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic created history ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Ordway, Associate Professor Sport Management and Sport Integrity Lead, University of Canberra Lawyers for Australian 800-metre star Peter Bol say allegations the runner engaged in doping should be dropped after two independent labs found no evidence he used a banned substance. ...
Vanuatu’s Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Trading Post Ltd, the owner of the VanuatuDaily Post newspaper, BUZZ FM96 and other media outlets, in a case against the government’s refusal to renew the company’s former media director’s work permit. Dan McGarry, who served as a director of the ...
Balclutha-based farmer Stephen Jack has been selected by local party members as National’s candidate in Taieri for the 2023 General Election. “Taieri is my home and I’m incredibly excited to have the opportunity to campaign for a National Government ...
Analysis - The Stuart Nash scandal has the potential to damage Labour's election chances, Marama Davidson creates controversy and Auckland's second harbour crossing to be built earlier than expected. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare JM Burns, Assistant Professor and Non-executive Director, Bond University Shutterstock The story of the Aboriginal Community Benefit Fund, whose name and marketing misled thousands of customers into believing it was Indigenous owned and run, is a stark example of ...
It’s the biannual reminder to tamper with that pesky analogue clock you still have in your kitchen for some reason (or at the least your microwave/car stereo). This Sunday at 3am, we will all gain an hour of sleep as the clocks roll back ahead of winter. Get ready for ...
The chief ombudsman has elected to reopen his investigation into an email from former minister Stuart Nash to a pair of donors back in 2020. The email, which only came to light this week, quickly triggered Nash’s dismissal from cabinet. But in bad news for the prime minister Chris Hipkins, ...
Last week we celebrated The Bulletin’s fifth birthday with Spinoff members and staff at The Spinoff’s offices in Auckland. The Bulletin launched in March 2018 seeking to curate news and great journalism and email that to people for free each weekday morning. That hasn’t changed and it’s still going strong. ...
The biggest increase in the history of the minimum wage will have a huge impact for workers on low wages, says the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions. From tomorrow, the minimum wage will rise to $22.70, up from $21.20. This increase will benefit ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By George Siemens, Co-Director, Professor, Centre for Change and Complexity in Learning, University of South Australia agsandrew/Shutterstock Recent public interest in tools like ChatGPT has raised an old question in the artificial intelligence community: is artificial general intelligence (in this case, ...
Auckland’s wet summer is delivering one final blow just in time for the weekend. The Synthony festival, due to be held on Saturday at Auckland Domain and featuring performances by Shapeshifter, Dave Dobbyn and Kimbra, has been postponed following predictions of heavy rainfall across the day. More than 20,000 people ...
We would like to see a temporary by-pass of the major slip on State Highway 25A built to alleviate the concerns of the residents of the Eastern Side of Coromandel. Cyclone Gabrielle inflicted substantial damage to roading on the Coromandel Peninsula. ...
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Speaking the words might mean – having to address them
Latest report on Hurricane Sandy from stuff.co.nz
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/7875891/Monster-Hurricane-Sandy-gathers-strength
Scattered through the report;
Words like, monster, monstrous, largest, major, rare, hybrid, exceptional, severe, historic, life threatening, not typical, superstorm, megastorm, mass evacuations.
From the president down, not one mention of the two words at the back of everyone’s mind
Talk about self censorship
Weather Modification
Agreed Jenny, its most likely not something they are not too keen to bring attention to, in case people start asking tough questions!
Right on election time, boom, a storm like never seen before, almost like someone was writing a script!
Is this what you mean ?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2009/oct/01/china-cloud-seeding-parade
Nope, he means that the weather is a massive global conspiracy, perpetrated by Bill Gates and the US military.
Sad but true.
Yes weather modification has been a stated goal by the DoD, and military dating back many decades now, and countries around the world make use of “weather control” in various ways.
Sad is not even having the stomach or mental strength to read what has been mainstream information about the subject for many years Bloke. There is plenty of details around, they were at it generations back, so like with all technologies, as time progresses, so do the techniques!
Which means that the storm currently affecting New York has been created deliberately, or that you are delusional.
PS: finding your delusions ridiculous ≠ a measure of my “stomach or mental strength”. That’s simply your ego lashing out 😀
There is every chance that it has been, sure, because the technologies/techniques exist to do so.
Edit: Dude you are an unoriginal parrot! If you think its clever mocking something, which has been written about, published on and happening for decades, then thats your choice!
Just don’t go parroting your weakness back in my direction!
If you think your opinions are a reasonable summation of that “which has been written about, published on and happening for decades”, what does that say about me?
PS: “A reasonable chance”???? ROFLMAO
Oh come one oth, HAARP has obviously been hijacked by aliens in revenge for their spaceship that was shot down in 1947 outside Roswell…
Shit! I’d forgotten them. Where do you suppose the Buzz Aldrin cabal fit in? Will they form an uneasy alliance with HAARP to repel the common enemy?
I think that’s a good possibility. The illuminati have grown too powerful for either to tolerate them after their use of an antimatter bomb to destroy London during the Olympics. Luckily TBTP managed to cover it up as a fireworks display.
“The lunatic is all idée fixe, and whatever he comes across confirms his lunacy. You can tell him by the liberties he takes with common sense, by his flashes of inspiration, and by the fact that sooner or later he brings up the Templars.”
― Umberto Eco, Foucault’s Pendulum
Right on election time, boom, a storm like never seen before, almost like someone was writing a script!
Oh ffs.
What’s the theory here?
I thought you believed that the elections themselves don’t matter, b/c TBTB win either way. So why would they be bothering with engineering a massive storm, in ways unnoticed by everyone, in order to achieve, what?
You’re a parody of yourself muzza.
Who knows why TPTB do these things, Pb. The other day we had a massive downpour just as I was about to paint the shed, as if someone was writing a script. It’s amazing, the granular level these plans can get down to.
It’s not all bad, though – I needed to get some washing dry and it was sunny! Thanks TPTB!
I thought I’d lost my wallet, but TPTB had just put it in my other coat. Bastards.
I think you’ll find that was the Underpants Gnomes. Credit where it’s due.
1. Put McFlock’s wallet in other coat.
2. ???
3. Profit!!!
Elections don’t matter PB, not overall in any case, I’m sure you might be able to string that together, and think experimentation, as opposed to theory eh!
My contention is simply that there exists the technology, and the stated desire to “control weather”, “weather modify”, or whatever you prefer to call it, and has been going on a long time.
The fact that the “largest storm in US history” fantastically arrives in time for elections, may simply just be “the storm of a century”, but because technologies and stated desire exist, surely the question has to be asked, just what is this “franken-storm”!
Felix – Shame about your shed, if suns out today, perhaps get some exercise, and put some elbow into it!
Don’t feed the Tar Baby.
The fact that the “largest storm in US history” fantastically arrives in time for elections, may simply just be “the storm of a century”, but because technologies and stated desire exist, surely the question has to be asked, just what is this “franken-storm”!
Maybe because the elections are always the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, and late October / early November is a storm season?
http://www.weather.com/news/fall-expectations-20120915?pageno=8
That explains the timing of the elections: to give TPTB cover for their weaponised storms 😉
It’s a dumb theory anyway. If they wanted to disrupt the elections, it should be arriving next Tuesday, not this Tuesday.
I guess weather modification is more art than science at the moment.
Really? Weather modification?
Every fucking time there is an earthquake or a storm the conspiracy theorists scream:
CHEMTRAILS/HAARP/WEATHERMODIFICATION/TINHFOILHAT/NWO!
Storms and earthquakes can happen without human intervention
This storm probably is the result of human intervention, though, TC, because climate change is going to make/is already making these events a regular occurence.
Totes agree re: the tinfoil hat brigade. Blaming everything on a worldwide conspiracy is a great excuse for both intellectual and physical laziness.
“This storm probably is the result of human intervention, though, TC, because climate change is going to make/is already making these events a regular occurence.”
Storms were already a regular occurence and this one is so dangerous because it is hitting to other fronts and it is hitting at high tide, neither of which have to do with climate change. Climate change probably does have a part to play but in this instance there are other factors which have nothing to do with AWG which make this a very dangerous storm.
I believe you are wrong, TC. The frequency and intensity of these storms are both increasing, as most climate change models predict.
The high tide thing is a red herring. Obviously the storm is going to last through the full daily cycle of tides and its effects will be worse at the high tide, but that’s not significant.
I think the weird thing about this situation is that Obama cannot say ‘sorry folks, if we want to live like pigs, then this is what happens’ because it allows the Republicans to use the climate change stick to hit him with and it changes the dynamic of the election. Obama has chosen to keep quiet on the possible link to climate change and he will ride out this storm, and will be trying to look as Presidential as possible as he tours the damaged suburbs tomorrow.
I am in no way claiming AWG has no place here but what makes this a super storm is meeting two other fronts which are part of a normal weather pattern.
I don’t dispute that AGW makes storms more intense.
High tides are very significant when it comes to storm surges:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/sciencefair/2012/10/29/sandy-full-moon-tide/1666479/
Warmer air holds more moisture, therefore 100% of the weather is affected by AGW.
Moreover, Hansen and Sato’s Climate Dice are increasingly loaded.
Whether or not this particular (“Frankenstorm”) occurrence could not have happened without AGW, it’s clear from actual observations (not models) that extreme outliers are happening with increasing frequency.
Which, funnily enough, is pretty much what the models predicted. Blow me down with a feather.
Yeah I was reading that it is due to AGW that this storm got so far north
Well exactly. It went looking for drowning polar bears.
In this case the problem was a cold jet stream that oscillated further south than usual and hitting a equatorial born hurricane. The reason for that happening is the increased energy in the system – especially the heightened arctic temperatures.
It has been pretty predictable for a few decades that if you increase arctic temperatures you will wind up with increased temperature gradients further south in the Atlantic. Measurements over the last decade have shown that is indeed what has been happening at a statistically significant level. Weather is powered by temperature gradients and moisture. So increasing the gradients by having polar and equatorial weather systems colliding and providing more moisture from warmer equatorial seas is going to give bigger and more powerful storms.
This is what earth scientists mean when they say that increased retention of energy causes an increase in the frequency of ‘extreme’ weather events.
It is hitting on several ‘fronts’ because it is a bloody big storm with a lot of energy (about 1600km’s or so in diameter from what I hear). It is several times bigger than the usual hurricanes because of the temperature gradient. This means that it hits a lot of coastline. Of course high tides happen several times per day and at different times in different locations over a few thousand kms of coastline. The probability of a big storm hitting somewhere at high tide is remarkably high – in fact damn near certain.
Are you really as much of a fool about basic science, geography and stats as you seem?
I’d expect to see several of this level of storm over the next decade and some nasty winter weather up north because of the rate at which the arctic is melting. Especially over the next few years because of el-nino and the solar max pushing more heat around. The north will get an increasing frequency of these types of storms and especially in the narrow Atlantic. The previous storm at this level was in the 30’s and I think you have to look deep into the 19th to see anything similar.
This type of storm and crazy winters will be pretty normal in a few decades in the north america and northern europe.
“Are you really as much of a fool about basic science, geography and stats as you seem?”
you fucking nitwit. It’s good to see moderators laying down totally out of blue insults on others for no apparent reason.
Asshole.
I wasn’t doing it as a moderator. That is usually pretty noticeable because it looks like
[lprent: notes ]
As well as being a moderator I frequently comment. I tend to get quite acidic on people misrepresenting on topics I know well.
I particularly like educating about basic earth sciences (my first degree) in a way that is memorable when people say something quite stupid. It helps to reduce my pain at seeing them mangling simple heat exchanges with meaningless explanations.
But you notice the fulsome explanation that I provided about exactly why you were making particularly idiotic and indefensible assertions?
Perhaps you should read it. It might help you in avoiding my irritation
So what was it I said that was stupid?
I never denied AGW, I never denied AGW had a part to play in this storm, I accepted AGW makes storm more intense, I accepted the AGW caused this storm to move further North, I commented that the two fronts this system is to hit makes it more dangerous than other storms, I commented that both these cold fronts were part of normal weather patterns, I made note of the high tide which increases the danger of storm surges.
Come on, old wolf.
Show me where my misrepresentation is
The bit that caught my eye was the section that I quoted.
The reason why the two “fronts”* were colliding was precisely because of the increased energy from melting in the Arctic is pushing cold jetstreams further south. The tropical hurricanes have probably been getting more energetic (not statistically significant yet) in the water borne heat that drives them from slightly warmer tropical seas. But that just increases the energy available and possibly slightly increases their range.
firstly: The shift in the arctic jetstreams has been proven to a statistically significant level over the last few years. Exceptional storms like this one are therefore increasingly more likely. If they hadn’t collided then all other factors (tides etc) are largely irrelevant because the hurricane would have been pretty normal and largely spent before hitting the US continental shores.
secondly: Large storms hit large amounts of shore over quite a long period of time. Statistically they will have high tides across a lot of those stores. It isn’t a coincidence that high tides coincide with large storms hitting shore. What would be more surprising if they did not.
Your statement was absurdly reductionist and tried to treat factors as seperate and coincidental. They aren’t. They are quite predictable to come together in this combination now that the Arctic jetstreams are moving further south. Read the links.
* Actually it is a high altitude dry cold oscillating jetstream and a lower altitude warm and water laden cyclonic storm extending into the jetstreams altitude causing condensation and a massive release of energy from water. It is not two “fronts”
Lynn is not an asshole.
He is a cunt.
[lprent: I’d hate to think what you are using that analogy. A burst appendix? Something else that is pretty damn pointless and appears to be an evolutionary dead end. ]
I never stated it was a coincidence, I stated that the hurricane is hitting at a high tide which makes the storm surge much greater…not too mention a full moon which is a bad coincidence because high tides are much higher (admittedly this was missed in the original comment but what I was meant to be implying).
Also there are these fronts hitting at same time as this hurricane which is also a bad news and makes the storm worse.
Those are the two points I made.
Neither of which deserved this response:
“Are you really as much of a fool about basic science, geography and stats as you seem?”
I made no denial of AGW or any denial AGW had any effect here but pointed out two factors that can happen outside of AGW therefore it isn’t a purely AGW causing this to be such a hectic storm.
Read my first reply carefully. I didn’t mention AGW at all.
I just talked about the consequences of increased Arctic temperatures. Something that you appear to either be diverting away from or too dumb to follow (in the latter case why are you bothering to speak?).
Your other points are simple trivia. There is nothing exceptional or surprising in any of them. All of them will happen in this combination many times per year and frequently many times per month.
What is exceptional is the energy in this storm, and that the northerners are likely to get more of them because the Arctic is warmer. Now I’m aware that that is caused by AGW, however that wasn’t what I was rapping you over the head for.
You were trying to say that the severity of this storm was exceptional because of trivial effects. That was (to put it mildly) complete crap….
So if you’re quite finished attempting moronic diversions from what is actually interesting to your simplistic and incorrect “explanations”… Just find something that is less able to be demolished.
Otherwise I’d better do some work and finish this transformation matrix.
“Read my first reply carefully. I didn’t mention AGW at all. I just talked about the consequences of increased Arctic temperatures. Something that you appear to either be diverting away from or too dumb to follow (in the latter case why are you bothering to speak?).”
Increased Arctic temperatures are not to do with AGW? Funny, I was sure they were. I am not diverting at all and your “too dumb” remark is just childish.
What a great example for a moderator you are.
“Your other points are simple trivia. There is nothing exceptional or surprising in any of them. All of them combine to happen in this combination many times per year and frequently many times per month.”
Really, a sizable Hurricane hitting a major coastline during a full-moon high-tide before careering into winter front’s from the South happens several times per month?
Fact remains I pointed to things which are making this bad storm worse, neither of which are trivial and nothing of which are factually incorrect.
You haven’t actually demolished anything except for any reason why anyone should hold any respect for you at all.
It isn’t relevant to the effects of elevated Arctic temperatures – which with it’s effect on Atlantic storms is of more immediate interest.
That happens several times per year. You should read up on the frequency of hurricanes from their Caribbean generation points (or are you solely interested in their effects on the US and Canada?). They usually hit other weather fronts and they usually cross high tides on one or more of the islands before dissipating in the Atlantic .
Exceptional tides can happen several times per month depending on orbits. Hurricanes frequently coincide with them.
None of that is exceptional. You can expect combinations like that every year. Whereas what this storm’s energy level is something that occurs normally with many decades between instances.
And none of them in anyway compare to the effects of having a cold jetstream hitting the upper levels of a warm cyclone. They are quite simply trivial by comparison. You do the maths. It is like adding tritium to a fission bomb for its effects.
Relying on “facts” rather than actually understanding what they mean is really kind of stupid. Of course it is how you can construct an argument that sounds good but is spurious and has no substance – as millions of weak essays by schoolchildren and undergrads well demonstrate. Confuses those who don’t know better and usually gets a C or even a B-. But it is a rather weak reed to cling to if you ever have to defend it.
As I said before, diversions when you can’t argue really are kind of stupid.
I have no interest in being ‘respected’, liked, or anything else. I run and maintain the site. When I have time and I’m interested in something I do enjoy debate on subjects with substance – but that seldom happens due to lack of time.
But I also enjoy being a complete arsehole (as HS puts it with bad spelling) when I see someone feeding a line of bullshit on a subject I’m interested in. It allows me to keep in practice while educating the inexperienced about what can happen. I wouldn’t get too upset about it. And you really should look at your personal defenses. Getting that upset about an opinion on your comments really does make you look like easy meat.
Wow, not only an asshole but an arrogant cock too.
Ummm. I’m a science grad, ex-army, ex-factory manager, a Otago MBA, a hell of a hardcore programmer, occasional CTO or lead programmer or team leader when I can’t get out of it, and I’ve been around the net and it’s predecessors since about 1980. Why should I not know exactly where the limits to my knowledge and understanding are?
I’m not some inexperienced poseur – but they are somewhat easy to recognize..
“He is a cunt.”
… You fail basic biology forever.
“Ummm. I’m a science grad, ex-army, ex-factory manager, a Otago MBA, a hell of a hardcore programmer, occasional CTO or lead programmer or team leader when I can’t get out of it, and I’ve been around the net and it’s predecessors since about 1980.”
You’re pretty cool, dude. I surprised you can even stand yourself, what with your complete misrepresentation of others and your seeming indifference to it because, hey. why should you care? After all you’re a ” science grad, ex-army, ex-factory manager, a Otago MBA, a hell of a hardcore programmer, occasional CTO or lead programmer or team leader when I can’t get out of it”
I also like the way you went “ummm” before detailing your inflated sense of authority as if I were to go “Oh shit, I didn’t realise what I was dealing with!”
The fact you even lay this down betrays a giant inferiority complex from someone who despite all this has achieved fuck all apart from being an asshole moderator who completely ignores his own rules while moderating because, in reality, his detailing this supposed experience is completely fucking meaningless to the comment at hand.
“I am ex-army therefore my comment is more important than yours!”
Get over yourself Princess…I’m sorry, Prentice. You’re a nobody. You’re a science grad? Big deal man, that doesn’t mean dick. John Key is a commerce grad, if he came here and said “Hey I am a commerce grad!” mean you’d give him credence? No, it wouldn’t. So your credential bashing is meaningless. Particularly when nothing I said was scientifically invalid and the circumstances of this storm including the fullmoon/high tides and coalescence with other storms have been roucdly considered as rather an extraordinary circumstances leading to the dubbing of Sandy as a “frankenstorm”.
Explain to me again how hurricane induced storm surges at the height of a highest tide during a full moon before hitting cold fronts happens several times a month?
Diversion. Boring – no new arguments. Reread my comments..
I thought these Right Wingers were all about achievement and taking personal responsibility in life.
Turns out they’re actually just a bunch of envious pull’m down, uh, cherubs.
I know what you mean CV, all I do is mention, like most of the weathermen and media were doing, that the full-moon high-tide and the convergence of winter cold fronts hitting this storm make it particularly dangerous and suddenly Prentice starts calling me names, questioning my intelligence, before asserting these conditions happen several times a month (without any evidence) and trying to bully me with his credentials all while telling me I am ‘easy meat’ for him to attack me based up something I said that was scientifically valid and something that, you know actually happened.
Just another right-winger trying to pull someone down
… before asserting these conditions happen several times a month (without any evidence)
You really are lacking in attention to detail. Reread what I wrote and what I was responding to rather than bawling your hurt…
What you said was
What I said was that those conditions
High tides happen several times per day – read a chart of tides. Close moons* can happen several days per month – these give the peak tides you were trying to articulate about – look on the chart of tides for expected tide levels. In hurricane season there may be quite a few hurricanes per month – look at the list of hurricanes for the caribbean. You also mentioned cold fronts – which again are not uncommon during hurricane season – read any weather chart.
If you put it all together you will find that in most years there are hurricanes somewhere that get all those effects in some location. The combination you were specifying isn’t anything special. It is likely to happen several times during hurricane season – often in the same month. Just read ANY book about weather patterns in the Caribbean and eastern US seaboard.
* Full moons are not relevant – that is just reflection of light of the sun and really has little effect. However I suspected that with your usual level of inaccuracy, you were trying to articulate something about the effect on tides of the precession of the lunar orbit, or if you were somewhat more sophisticated (unlikely) and understood about solar tides.
The interesting things about Sandy were that it got pinned by a arctic jetstream and pushed into the New Jersey coast instead of dissipating out in the Atlantic. It had exceptional levels of rain/energy (in hurricanes they are somewhat synonymous) because of the warmer water conditions off the US coast and the interaction with the cold jetstream, and that it went so far north because of those exceptional energy levels.
My real point was that you have no real idea of what you were talking about. Consequently you were waffling about a whole pile of irrelevancies with regard to the storm that was Sandy and ignoring all of the exceptional bits. And you are somewhat sensitive about being called an idiot because you were being such a superficial waffler.
Get over it and do better.
“Full moons are not relevant – that is just reflection of light of the sun and really has little effect.”
Not relevant? Just a reflection? Little effect?
Orly, science guy?
“When the moon is full or new, the gravitational pull of the moon and sun are combined. At these times, the high tides are very high and the low tides are very low. This is known as a spring high tide. Spring tides are especially strong tides (they do not have anything to do with the season Spring). They occur when the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon are in a line. The gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun both contribute to the tides. Spring tides occur during the full moon and the new moon.”
http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/moontides/
“In hurricane season there may be quite a few hurricanes per month – look at the list of hurricanes for the caribbean.”
Orly?
http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/E17.html
So, any stats on how many hit cold front’s while making land fall in the mid-Atlantic states?
It is an additive effect (and also happens on a new moon) and the solar tide is a LOT smaller than the lunar tide. Same site further down in the section on Proxigean Spring Tide :-
The lunar inclination is also out of plane relative to the sun and the earth which also affects the tide levels more than the solar tide. And then of course there are the precession effects. – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbit_of_the_Moon
They haven’t pointed out the relative levels of the effects, but it is pretty obvious if you ever look at the equations for gravitional attraction that he is referring to. While the sun is has immensely higher mass than the moon (and therefore has a much higher gravitational attraction), it is also immensely further away (so the tidal influence is only a fraction of the moon). So it’s tidal effects are only a fraction of those caused by the moon’s orbit or for that matter by something even more local like windspeed or shore geography.
Of course the solar tide can pull things higher. But it is a small additional effect compared to those from the moon’s orbit.
Better let National Geographic know it isn’t really relevant
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/10/121029-hurricane-sandy-path-storm-surge-full-moon-nation-weather-science/
and these guys:
http://www.ouramazingplanet.com/3690-hurricane-sandy-full-moon-storm-surge.html
Can I clarify, are you questioning it’s existence
I only ask because it does:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=controlling-hurricanes
1) it is currently only simulated science theory
2) what possible reason would you have for creating a frankenstorm this size where the central path diverts around New York? Surely based on that theory you’d be looking for the biggest damage inducer.
I’d go as far to say that even if the ability to effect hurricanes existed today it is far more likely that it could only be used divert weather.
But regardless weather modification doesn’t really belong in that list above unless weaponised which is against the UN Charter, which tends to suggest it’s not so hocus-pocus that the UN saw fit to outlaw it in the 70’s.
Whereas chemtrails/haarp/nwo are pretty far-out theories not based in reality.
You need a subscription to Scientific American to read that. The full version is here.
It deals with theoretical computer simulations of “hurricane intervention” using as-yet non-existent technology and notes that “if meteorological control does turn out to work at some point in the future, it would raise serious political problems.”
My emphasis.
I suggest you go and calculate how much energy it would take to create that storm.
the flapping of a butterfly’s wings 🙂
Heh.
that’s correct 😉
😛
Yeh most of the energy required was naturally stored in warm water around the Caribbean.
Indeed quite a few “A” bombs required for that one
It irks me that on one hand many commentators on here will complain about the lack of truthful reporting in media regarding politics, climate change, police reports. And then act like there is no possibility of technologies that exist in theory and the lab being tested.
Not to say there’s any correlation in this event as far as I would expect/hope/believe.
But I can atleast fathom the idea.
Why would you expect them to mention that in media but then expect the lies where Domestic politics is involved.
Let me remind you that geo-engineering was a “conspiracy” not more than a few years ago. Now canada is charging someone with seeding the coastline with iron (or what ever the compound was).
Weather modification would have huge benefits where food supply and agriculture was involved and in a peak oil century ofcourse it’ll be looked at. Look at the national geographic issue lately on colonising mars. We have people thinking of weather modification on completely foreign planets, but we wouldn’t be looking at it on our own??
In my mind I fully expect Military and big business to be looking at it. The tech has existed since the 70’s. It would be prudent security and business sense to experiment with it. I remember reading that one kind of modification was trialled in asia to divert radiation from Fukishima.
And I abhor people closing the book on scienctific theory. People like you thought it was impossible to put a man on the moon at one time.
Given that teleportation and wormholes also “exist in theory and the lab being tested”, should we then discuss the possibility that the military are also using those in some way?
They’re actively conducting such experiments in attempts to create “un-interceptable” communications systems, and who knows what else.
Indeed. But there’s a major leap between the theory and putting forward as a rational suggestion that they have it up and running and are using it for nefarious purposes.
But no words like Climate change, Global Warming, These storms need warm water to breed.
The two words are CLIMATE CHANGE
Nice misdirection though, muzza
Damn you for getting in first and making have to spell it out, like an idiot. This deliberate obfuscation it is enough to make me want to scratch my eyes out with frustration.
Can’t you get it?
We are in a fight for the survival of our civilisation and probably for a good part of humanity as well, And you make a stupid tinfoil hat claim of a conspiracy to upset the US election.
Get a life.
Jenny, civilizations come and go, thats just the way it is. Humanity has been under attack much longer than those of you on the CC bandwagon have been banging on about, and planet earth will most likely continue on, despite the best efforts of those to try and control our little part of the universe.
Interesting to read some comments go from mocking, to conceding that there technologies have existed for decades to modify weather, but oh its a big leap to go from theory to practicle, as if those running such experiementation are going to broadcast it to the world, more than they already do!
Perhaps instead of trying to cover so many bases, and not making the best case in most of them, try focussing on something, e.g the PoAL situation, which you put some really good comments and information up on!
Edit: If you think I’m right wing, it only serves to show how your compass, while morally well set, it pointing you in the wrong direction!
Don’t fall into the the trap others here do by closing off yourself too much, as in this world, there is so much which we can’t/won’t see, and don’t understanding. Letting don’t understand become won’t/can’t understand, is to admit defeat!
Right wing? What else do you call someone who thinks he’s entitled to his own facts?
If the cap fits…
Don’t try and give him to us. You can keep him and Travellerev. We’ll keep Redbaiter and the other nutty Birthers.
Sorry Gossie: he’s all yours.
Who is alex jones, and what is info wars?
More over, how long have you spent looking sites which I have never referenced?
Seems like you’re trying very hard to convince yourself, into, or out of something!
Well, if you must know, I noticed it listed by Alternet as one of the “Five Crazy Right Wing Conspiracy Theories About Hurricane Sandy”. The timing seemed perfect, almost as though someone were working to a script.
What a patronising. ignorant git you are, muzza. Jenny has a proud history of activism, a lifetime of learning and has pretty direct experience of how the world really works. You, on the other hand, appear to be channelling Rick from the Young Ones.
I don’t know anything about Jennys background, and made no comment about it.
Looks like you were not able to avoid that school boy error!
Edit: Gosman, it sounds like the real you is back today.
And yes the weather can/has been controlled, engineered, and modified, long ago, the fact the UN “outlawed” it as not to be weaponised” was frankly laughable whoever made that statement. The UN says cluster bombs and DU are illegal too!
Yup, but overall the universe will ultimately do what it wants, spot on!
muzza,
I get very frustrated by these arguments. On one hand Gosman and TRP annoy the crap out of me with their obdurate refusal to even think the conventional, mocking anything that isn’t within their view of the world.
At the same time you piss me by failing to apply some elementary logic and sceptical reasoning to your ideas. Like you I’m pretty clear that there is lot going on ‘behind the curtain’ as it were that us ordinary people are not privvy to. It’s good to be aware of that.
But at the same time we are NOT privvy to the details or the evidence. Just because something is possible does NOT make it certain. You only make a fool of yourself and discredit the fundamental case you are making by pretending otherwise. You don’t have to uncover the wizard’s trick in order to know he is magician, and trying to outsmart the magician on his own turf is always a blunder.
Otherwise you fall into the elementary trap that Shearer did a few weeks ago when he claimed there was a video of John Key talking to the GCSB about Dotcom. Now everyone knows that the video was almost certainly made …. but Shearer’s inability to produce it when challenged to do so allowed Key to turn a potential win into a loss.
Why do you get emotional about it Red? Can you elaborate where you feel I fail to apply logic and sceptical reasoning to, what are not my ideas at all, they are only my opinions based on readings, and personal experiences!
Did you read my posts RL? – Where is it I have categorically pretended that I know otherwise?
Your comparison to Shearer is poorly used!
Brave, noble, wise, intelligent and infallible.
What rubbish, Muzza. Your comprehension problems are probably what leads you to make such weird comments here. Garbage in, garbage out. The point I was making is that Jenny walks the walk. You talk the talk, but when you move your lips, all we hear is gibberish. Maybe when you leave your teenage years behind, you’ll start making sense. But I have my doubts.
You really keep falling in the same holes you do!
Why on earth would you pretend to know what I do, its just assumption error after school-boy error with you, followed by transferance of “comprehension problems”, which given how this conversation is headed again, seems to be a repeated failing of yours!
Assumption Lesson 101: If you don’t know someone personally, never assume you know what that person, does, or does not do!
Simple enough for you!
In this case, assumption just made an ass out of you, Muzza. You’re all mouth, no trousers. Live a little, empty vessel, you stand to learn a lot.
“…despite the best efforts of those to try and control our little part of the universe.”
But apparently they can control the weather. Go figure.
‘
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=is-global-warming-happening-faster-than-expected
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/08/03/senators-fiddle-while-deep-ocean-temperatures-rise/
No doubt further evidence of this unfolding climate disaster will be greeted with deafening silence by both the leading political parties in this country as well, and even the Greens will mute their response so as not to appear to radical.
Am I bitter?
As our world is flushed down the toilet.
Yes I am.
The only hope for this country is if the public turn away from NACT and Labour in droves, otherwise the same old crooks will do the same old thing.
+1
At least be bitter in the right direction Jenny – Like with the Syria situation, you are again, on the wrong track.
This planet will continue on, with or without the human experiment..
There is little to nothing which will alter that fact, the universe will do, exactly what it wants!
…exactly what it wants, except where the weather is concerned. Bill Gates decides on that. Wheeee!
More misdirection, dressed up in misanthropic drivel.
If this is really your opinion. I don’t buy it.
This world won’t be the same place without human beings to admire it.
muzza, no amount of mass murder from the air will save the Assad regime. In the eyes of the people it’s legitimacy is gone.
http://kiaoragaza.wordpress.com/2012/10/30/syrian-air-raids-end-truce-that-never-was/
Hey muzza, give up the misdirection, drop the left humanist pose, I can see through your act. You are just another cynical, run of the mill, right wing misanthrope.
http://kiaoragaza.wordpress.com/2012/10/30/syrian-air-raids-end-truce-that-never-was/
Best of luck to all the foreign Saudi, Bahrani, Iraqi and Qatari fighters participating in the Libyan “civil war”!!!
More misdirection. Getting a little cautious in praising your bloodthirsty dictator Bashar Assad. Eh CV.
As I warned you, your whole credibility is at stake.
Ah shit you’re right I meant to say Syrian civil war, sorry.
Oh look, yet another news article saying that the Syrian rebels are accepting help from foreign fighters and foreign Al Qaeda, even though they know that some of them are religious extremists.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/foreign-fighters-worry-boost-syrian-rebels-17557191
Hurray a great and fair outcome from the employment court.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/7879174/Employment-pay-out-after-telling-boss-to-stick-job
If they insist on freeing up land for housing,
just don’t give it to property developers, because they will not produce “low cost” housing at all. (Take a look at Hobsonville).
Exactly. Should consider freeing it up to families. At least then it wouldn’t have an extra hundred thousand on top of each section.
I wonder if US election turnout is even going to make it to 50% this time around.
Their ‘democracy’ is on it’s last legs.
Apparently people have to vote at the election booth closest to their home. Changing that in itself could lift turnout quite a bit.
Sandy is an argument for continual voting where you can change your vote every say three months, and if for three months the governing party doesn’t have a majority it loses power to those who do.
Hey, isn’t sandy a Squirrel?
Continual voting…holy shit I have never heard of that concept before…and I like it!
You’d have to take voting online to make it viable. Now, I’m in favour of that but you’re not.
The problem with manual systems is that they’re too damn clunky for near real time voting.
No, I don’t think you have to do it online. People register their car by post every 6-12 months for instance.
But not all at once. In fact, as I recall, that’s why the registration system was changed from cars having the same registration date to a floating date. There was, quite simply, far too much administration taking place on one day of the year for no appreciable gain.
It sounds terrible. It means everything the government does must be absolutely populist or they’ll be voted out and replaced. With such short time frames it’d be impossible to implement new policies.
Now, continual voting whereby come election day the votes are crystalised, that’d be fine. But I don’t think that’s what aero is suggesting.
In the US they almost have continuous voting with the cycles of senate and representative elections. In the presidential elections they have been voting in some places for over a month – 15m votes already – but the results are not allowed to be reported. http://elections.gmu.edu/early_vote_2012.html
“With such short time frames it’d be impossible to implement new policies that weren’t supported by a majority of voters.”
FIFY.
See: populist.
And if the voters are voting from having the full information and months of open discussion before hand would it still be populist?
Lanth, your definition of “populist” applies equally well to all democratic representation and renders our entire system of government essentially meaningless.
Nothing wrong with holding that point of view, but don’t pretend it only applies to this one specific idea of how representative democracy might be practised.
You mean like partial sale of state assets would never have been…
The government’s announcements on improving housing affordability are useless….
1. Freeing up a widdle bit more land will do nothing to relevant land values in Auckland. ha ha ha.
2. Improving resource consent timeframes will do nothing. You don’t even need a resource consent to build a house ffs. And if you cannot get a resource consent through in 6 months for a subdivision then the applicant has done a useless job.
3. What was the other thing?
That has to be the most useless package I have ever seen.
Yes but allows them to get their greedy hands on such areas as the Waitakere ranges which Hide tried and failed in his hamfisted supershity acts.
Not so useless if you’re a developer with mates.
Watched “that girl’ on TV last night, seems anywhere by NZ you can live in a renovated warehouse in the inner city, not in NZ. National predilection for more sprawl isn’t the answer.
“2. Improving resource consent timeframes will do nothing. You don’t even need a resource consent to build a house ffs. And if you cannot get a resource consent through in 6 months for a subdivision then the applicant has done a useless job.”
They had a developer on the news saying that basically when you’re doing a subdivision, you end up waiting for the consents etc. This means you end up borrowing money from the bank to cover this downtime and keep the project afloat, which results in more interest costs that are passed on to the final sale price. Also it just makes the whole exercise more difficult and costly trying to deal with shifting time frames.
Well I guess that would be an expected response. My time on the planet has taken me into this sphere many many times and there has never been any serious problem with Council timeframes. And that is in over 20 years.
The problems arise when a poorly structured application is put to Council. This industry attracts cowboys and secondhand car dealers. They put in bad applications that are incomplete and cause the Council grief. Good operators do not have this particular problem. It is a myth that English is playing politics with.
As for holding costs while going through consent – those operators need to factor it in. What do they expect? That they can fill out an A4-sized form and get consent the next day? Or some such similarity? They need to do their research and do the job properly.
Seriously, this problem is a myth.
It’s not that the problem is a myth but the source of the problem that’s the myth. It’s not council but useless developers.
Really, wonder where you get that from
The real issues to me at these:
Banks and their liberal loaning policies.
Extremely poor town planners who prepare crap plan changes that do not reflect the nature of the land, developers operate under council guidelines.
Immigration that central govt allows then walks away from the issues that this increase in pop. causes.
Poor planning in linking work, home, school, recreation etc
(Apologies for the length – but don’t yet have this anywhere where you could click on a link.)
WELLINGTON! LEARN FROM THE AUCKLAND $UPERCITY!
“CORRUPTION AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS”!
This presentation was filmed, and can be viewed, (after registering – costs nothing to register) at http://www.allaboutauckland.com/
“CORRUPTION AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS” 25 October 2012
________________________________________________________________________________
AUCKLAND COUNCIL GOVERNING BODY
25 OCTOBER 2012 PUBLIC FORUM
– “CORRUPTION AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS”
Penny Bright (Transcript)
“I hate to be the one to pop the hot air balloon, but New Zealand is actually a corrupt, polluted tax haven.
Although we are ‘perceived’ to be the ‘least corrupt country in the world’, the Transparency International ‘Corruption Perception Index’ is actually based upon the subjective opinions of anonymous business people.
If NZ is ‘the least corrupt country in the world’ – arguably we should be the most transparent.
So – how come the ‘books’ of Auckland Council and Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) are NOT open?
How come we are not given the ‘devilish detail’ – the NAMES of the consultants/contractors; the SCOPE, the TERM and VALUE of the contracts?
As of 21 November last year, there were 5000 contracts to 12,500 suppliers.
Please be reminded Councillors, of your statutory duties under the Local Government Act :
s.14 Principles relating to local authorities
(1 )In performing its role, a local authority must act in accordance with the following principles:
(a)a local authority should—
(i) conduct its business in an open, transparent, and democratically accountable manner; and
(g)a local authority should ensure prudent stewardship and the efficient and effective use of its resources in the interests of its district or region;
You swear an Oath to the public:
“I, declare that I will faithfully and impartially, and according to the best of my skill and judgment, execute and perform, in the best interests of Auckland, the powers, authorities, and duties vested in or imposed upon me as a member of the Auckland Council by virtue of the Local Government Act 2002, the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, or any other Act.”
So, how come you are not carrying out your statutory duties?
How come you are not enforcing s.42 of the Local Government Act which makes it encumbent upon the CEO to ensure:
(2)A chief executive appointed under subsection (1) is responsible to his or her local authority for—
(e)maintaining systems to enable effective planning and accurate reporting of the financial and service performance of the local authority;
This is not the first time that I’ve raised these issues with you.
What channel that I could have gone down, have I not gone down?
I have made a formal complaint to the National Archives Office because under s.17 of the Public Records Act 2005:
17 Requirement to create and maintain records
(1)Every public office and local authority must create and maintain full and accurate records of its affairs, in accordance with normal, prudent business practice, including the records of any matter that is contracted out to an independent contractor.
You are not doing that.
And – who is holding you to account?
That’s why a formal complaint has been lodged with the Office of the Auditor-General and they ‘look at it before they look at it’ – but what this complaint is requesting is to investigate allegedly corrupt ‘conflicts of interest’ of Auckland Council CEO Doug McKay who is also a member of the extremely powerful private lobby group – the Committee for Auckland.
How many contracts have been awarded by Auckland Council and any of the following CCOs to member companies of the Committee for Auckland?
Watercare Services Ltd
Auckland Transport
ATEED (Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development Ltd)
ACIL (Auckland Council Investment Ltd)
AWDA (Auckland Waterfront Development Agency Ltd)
RFA (Regional Facilities Auckland)
ACPL (Auckland Council Property Ltd)
Also – we want an investigation – why has Auckland Council not ensured CEO Doug McKay has carried out his statutory duties?
Since 2006 – people such as myself organized opposition to the ‘Supercity’ because we said
the ‘Supercity’ was not to benefit the majority of citizens and ratepayers.
The purpose of the ‘Supercity’ was to set up a bigger public trough, for fewer, but bigger private snouts.
Now we have the evidence to support this.
The fact of the matter is that the ‘Supercity’ was a corrupt corporate coup – the organizational mechanism for the corporate takeover being the CCO model, which has never been subject to any ‘cost-benefit’ analysis by the Office of the Auditor-General; the Department of Internal Affairs; Treasury or any Council.
To finish – I believe there should be NO TAXATION without TRANSPARENCY or ACCOUNTABILITY. That’s why I have not paid my rates since 2008, and I refuse to do so.
I believe that the people of Auckland must make a stand to take back our region from corporate control, and I call on people to take that action. NO SAY – NO PAY!
QUESTION FROM COUNCILLOR CATHY CASEY:
“What response have you had from Council when you have asked for the list of contractors that you named – the 5000 and 12,500 suppliers.
What reason have you been given for withholding this information?”
MY REPLY:
Reasons given on 21 November 2011 from Darrell Griffin (Manager for Democracy Services):
When I asked:
” 1) Is the Auckland Council, in a truly ‘open, transparent and democratically-accountable’ way,
going to ensure that citizens and ratepayers of the Auckland region are going to be given the ‘devilish’ detail,
so we can see exactly where our rates monies are being spent on private sector consultants and contractors?
a) Are the names of the consultants/ contractors; the scope, term and value of these contracts going to be
published in the Auckland Council annual Report so that they are available for public scrutiny?
b) If not – why not?
(ANSWER) Not at this stage. there are 500 contracts related to 12,500 suppliers. To collate and publish these
would be a major exercise logistically and cost-wise. ”
That is the answer – the books are not open – they are still not open.
I checked on the website this morning in the forlorn hope that there might have been some development.
You put ‘contracts’ in the Council website – you find nothing.
But – on the front page of the Auckland Council website – ‘Investment in Auckland’.
If you are an investor – Auckland Council is very keen to help you and give you information.
If you are a ratepayer wanting to know where your monies are being spent – sorry – BAD LUCK.
Just one final point.
This book to which I was referring contains ten new ‘Items of Evidence’ that High Court Judge Ellis allowed
me to adduce in the Occupy Auckland vs Auckland Council case at which I was an Appellant.
So – it’s not only the Office of the Auditor-General looking at these issues – also a High Court Judge.
________________________________________________________________________________
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
The SIS told the Immigration NZ in October last year that Kim Dotcom posed no threat to the security of NZ.
So, why the Hollywood style raid at his Coatesville residence in January of this year? If he was no security risk then all they needed to do was knock on his front door.
And that leads to another question. Why was John Key happy for them to carry out the raid on Dotcom’s property? Yes, we know he claims he never knew about it, but we all know now that he did – from October of last year!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10843731
Yep. Two constables turning up in a Holden would have done the trick.
They arrested 4-5 people. Would need more than 2 cops and 1 car to handle that.
Bit of tongue in cheek humour from CV. That’s the way I see it Lanthanide.
National security is a different concept to personal. The SIS deal with the former, the police more with the latter.
Anne in Hollywood, woops I mean America, if you put on a huge production when arresting someone for say, running/owning a raw foods store, or arrest the armish for selling raw foods/ milk, or arrest someone who is growing fresh produce in their own garden, then you set the stage for the public to assume guilt, because hey, if they sent in SWAT/FBI so that person must have done something really bad right!
Its all for show, there is no other reason for it!
Addendum to 8.1
And Key claims he never knew anything? Just how gullible does he think we are?
Cambridge exam system under microscope
So, the students that go through the ‘better’ system are struggling…
Right, that would indicate that it’s not actually the better system.
Cambridge suits cramming and practising exams as Auckland Grammar prides itself.
But it does not result in absence of planning/research skills/independent study/ and thus struggling at University level. This is the same problem faced by students at traditional private schools who are highly organised but ignoring self motivation self organisation.
Oops “But it does not result in absence of planning/research skills/independent study…..”
“But it does result in absence of planning/research skills/independent study……
Exactly. My experience with “gifted” kids from the “elite” schools at the university level is that many of them do not know how to self-motivate. They also think in a very linear fashion and are hopeless at open ended problems. Where they excel is at paint by numbers type stuff.
On the other hand, kids from normal schools who make it to university are often glad to have the opportunity to learn and make the most of it. They do not suffer from any sense of entitlement concerning the degree or diploma they think they deserve once a few tasks have been completed.
Note that this is a total generalisation from my own experiences and I have not done any scientific study of the matter. Somebody probably has.
Bodes well for charter school and national standards then.
I disagree. Its your job, you are the expert educationist, and sure people from different backgrounds come incumbered with different problems. But worse, its not your job to turn out work ready, hungry capitalists, or any particular type. It is certainly true though that people desperate for success are likely to be fawning over themselves to feed narcissists. If a student is not engaging in your course, then it could be your course is boring, you teaching style doesn’t work for them, or the student is depressed for some personal reason, etc, etc, i.e. its an opportunity to learn, which is why you work in a learning establishment. The concern I have is how saturated our society has become with the needs of business, like every good idea, ideal, social good, can only come about if someone is profiting from their exploitation.
One point – it is talking about students who are going to university straight from year 12, so they should be having another year at school. It does not say that students who complete year 13 are having any issues.
Sounds like the major issue is it is too easy to get UE in year 12 for Cambridge rather than either system being better.
EXACTLY RIGHT !!!
The good thing about Cambridge is it gets you out of FUCKING SCHOOL and into life a year before the losers.
There’s nothing wrong with school, I had a great time…played sport, ate my lunch, fired a few spit balls.
Although, I was lucky in that I didn’t bother doing any school work. That meant that I didn’t have to unlearn all that rubbish when I started life, and I also had nothing to unlearn when I got to uni.
National ignores democracy
There’s no doubt that Nationals environmentally naïve policy direction will not only be detrimental to our clean and green branding, but our Kiwi way of life as well.
IMF study: Peak oil could do serious damage to the global economy
Gee, the IMF might be starting to wake up to the fact that the present economic system isn’t actually economic.
What, because they care, or because they are a tool used to roll out “stuff” , as needed!
No, silly, because their minds are controlled.
Just like yoursNothing to see here, move alongI really get under your skirt eh!
The IMF are a tool, who only publish what suits the agenda of themselves/others. Do you undertand what being a tool is?
“…what suits the agenda of themselves/others….”
And only you knows what that is, alone against the forces of evil; brave, noble Muzza, sticking it to the man, revealing all the secret plans and weapons. If only they could figure out how to keep you from hacking the innermost working of their minds, but you are too smart for them, with your keyboard in one hand and your tool in the other.
Good, you do understand what being a tool is, self awareness is important!
The other option is that you think the IMF exist for the good of “man kind”, and you can’t be that clueless!
Its not possible to be inside the minds of others (although yours is rather tranparent), but when you pay attention, over a long enough period of time, and spend a little time trying to piece things togther, it is possible to form opinions, many of which might not add up to those who don’t bother!
Does it make me right, no, does it make me more likely to be nearer understanding than those who categorically rule out possibilities that the world has more doing on than can see seen, of course it does!
Brave, noble, wise, insightful, an example to us all. What a fuckwit.
Plus what TRP said.
We built sprawl, sprawl that had no environmental costing because oil was cheap, energy was assumed always to be cheap. We built our tower of ?Babel? inside out, instead of a multitude of different language being the fault, it was the one ruling ring of power, aka neo-liberalists never make mistakes because the market never fails.
Question for Administration:
Do you think there is any worth in attaching a poll function for article authors to chose to add to their posts?
With the high volume of traffic here, yet fewer number of regular commenters, would this be a way to measure trends of opinion as accurately as any other online polling system, such as MSM news sources? Some visitors may be interested in articles, but may not have the confidence or time to articulate their point of view – or need to repeat comments already made. Since subjects here often amount to a simple either/or/alternative conclusion, would a poll shorten, but increase, wider community participation?
For example, the article on plain packaging on cigarettes has good arguments and eventually a reader is left to ask themselves, do I support this or not? Today, another author asks, does anyone support the mindset of Anyone But Cunliffe anymore? Another author asks, is government intervention the answer to an affordable housing crisis? There are other questions posed in these articles too, which the authors may want to promote instead of the obvious.
It would be as flawed as any other unofficial survey, but the polls, tied to the subjects and perspectives of the authors, would at least create varied poll questions instead of a single point of view from a single editorial office.
From The Standard’s point of view, it wins a collection of collated opinion, framed in it’s own language, from a sympathetic perspective, that could be made into a monthly review/summary of trends. The trends/opinions, of course, reflecting the views of the community, rather than The Standard, its authors or administration. Since TS contributors are often refered to as extremists (to put it politely) would their collated views be a portion of the public opinion market not yet recognised and measured? Reviews need not be strictly scientific. Depending on the manner of the poll question, a conclusion that Minister X is a Genius/Nutbox could be as valid as a report that a specific policy has a certain percentage of support from TS readers.
Could a poll feature combine a bit of fun, a bit of science, an option for silent readers to be heard and possibly become a point of reference and media influence?
I think we’ve talked about polls in the past and decided they were a waste of time because the results are meaningless, even if they weren’t rigged by one side or the other.
Sadness
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10843785
True, 🙁
Suicide is about loss of control over ones life, the ability to make choices, to gain status, to solve problems, in my opinion, and the prospect that nothing is going to change.
Government is oppressive, it creeps into every aspect of our lives, selecting winners (like those who have money and are given the incentive of free untaxed capital gains). And then government fails to address the problem. Then a utlra conservative leader, John Key, does nothing to change matters. So asking Key about Suicide, is like asking someone who had the choices, who has great status, who feels the need to help the winners not the also rans, and has time after time done nothing to change the status quo.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=1084238
Huh???
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10842385
It seems that Auckland does not have 18,000
Sections available this is the land that is Zoned is 18,000,there are about 3000 available or being developed the other 15000 have impediments like water care not having in its construction program for 4+ years to deliver water or find for storm water management. Other issues are awaiting for council to construct or improve its road network to service these developments even though council has been receiving contributions and levies for these.
Unfortunately some of Les’s advisors have been misleading him and making him look silly
Yeah, that would be the part of that makes more sprawl uneconomic.
WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM/ GET OWNERSHIP OF / ACCESS TO / ‘SURPLUS’ CHRISTCHURCH MINISTRY OF EDUCATION LAND?
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/parata-tries-head-revolting-masses-ch-131459#comment-591888
MY COMMENT – YET TO BE PUBLISHED
What is being planned for the Ministry of Education LAND upon which these ‘redundant’ schools have been built?
Is it true that Ministry of Education land is a major source of land for iwi settlements?
Is THIS the real reason behind the forced ‘amalgamation’ of these Christchurch schools?
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
One final point on land availability is that even if there was adequate zoned land available, there still is a reluctance for those Australian banks to fund the development. I am aware of quite a few large developments (200-1500 lot developments) that are hamstrung by the financial constraints that limits pace of development. As banks are still land adverse and are wanting the debt reduced and any “surplus” can go towards future development and capitalising of interest is not an option so must be financed from existing cash flows or additional capital. I had heard that these banks were wishing to divest out of development in NZ, wishing to use these funds to invest in Australia where the banks hierarchy is better acquainted with and developments like those in Queenstown Nigel McKenna (Kawerau Falls),
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/518956/Queenstown-edgy-as-finance-companies-fail.
It is somewhat a paradoxical the banks are falling over themselves in refueling the property boom but are reluctant to fund the development.
Yet not a mention of this issue in regard to the creation of new residential land.
I was expecting to see David Shearer rip into Kate Wilkinson on the 6pm news about their latest attack on vulnerable workers.
I’ve been waiting all day because everyone knew it was coming.
Did anyone see the news? Was there a response to this? There is nothing on the usual websites.
Please don’t tell me Fozzie Bear was asleep at the wheel again.
Chances that our MSM would do this?
Considering how much lies and misinformation they parrot from this government – about zero.
Can’t see John Armstrong putting in this much effort – maybe a blogger would
In Brazil the newspapers are very closely linked to particular political parties. It doesn’t surprise me at all that the likes of Rede Globo and Editora Abril would put this effort into exposing the corruption of what they see as a socialist government. As a comparison, imagine the lengths our media would go to if we had a Mana/Greens government.
Well, yeah, that is always the other problem with a captured MSM.
john72 …
Today’s Quote:- 1 Corinthians 13:11 “When I was a child I spoke as a child…”
The limited vocabulary of some authors is sad because, not only does it destroy the author’s credibility, something they deserve, but it lowers the level of “Open Mike” as a whole. It raises the question, “Is it worth reading Open Mike ?” I do not want to waste my time watching people abuse each other.
However, there still seem to be some interesting contributors. It is a pity that the children have such an adverse effect.
Gods peace be with you all.
Gods’ peace be with you too Babe 🙂
Bless ya.