For fellow US politics tragics that are going to spend Wednesday frantically refreshing and doom-scrolling US results, here's a brief summary of how results are expected to shift as more votes are counted in various states.
tl;dr Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and to a lesser extent Minnesota, early results will come from in-person voting on the day, and are expected to be better for the sherbert pervert. Early and mail votes will be counted later and are expected to shift towards Biden.
Florida, North Carolina, and possibly also Ohio, Iowa and Texas, a lot of early and mail votes get processed before election day, and will be announced quickly. These are expected to favour Biden, with a shift towards The Dotard of Doltistan as more on-the-day votes are counted.
Georgia could be all over the place, how they do it varies by county. Arizona, New Hampshire and Maine have taken steps specifically to avoid having substantial shifts during vote counts.
side note, as of yesterday, more early votes have been cast in Texas than were cast in all of 2016. So Texas is likely to provide a burst of early excitement, with a long drawn-out anxiety about whether Biden's lead is big enough to hold through to the end.
Dunno if that apparent late surge is real. If you dig down into the individual results that make up the polling averages, it might just be that Repug-friendly outfits like Rasmussen, Trafalgar, Susquehanna are releasing results more frequently so it's more likely they will be included in the average.
Ossof too. Fuck me, he was brutal to Perdue in their first debate. Calling Perdue a crook to his face was just the beginning. So Perdue bailed out on a second helping.
Unsung heroes of the 2020 Senate contests include Theresa Greenfield (Iowa), Barbara Bollier (Kansas, Republican until recently), Mary Hegar (Texas). All doing solid work with low recognition that might reap the rewards if the blue wave is big enough.
It's a worry, and it's very likely some legitimate early votes will get trashed for illegitimate reasons.
But the balance of power has shifted towards the Dems since 2016 in critical states. For instance, Michigan and Wisconsin now have Dem governors, but were Repugs in 2016. IIRC, the composition of some state supreme courts has shifted as well.
That's certainly entertaining, and will get a rousing "right-on" from those whose world-view is built around blind Dem-hatred. But it ignores all the ideology issues the Dems are in fact campaigning on. The most prominent and salient in this time of covid is healthcare, and relatedly, simple government competence. There's also immigration, inequality and racial and social justice, climate, trade and international policy, and so on.
Anyone with a genuine interest in any particular ideological topic can find a wealth of information on the genuine differences between Dems and Repugs with just a few clicks. Unless their interest is just in falsely whining that there's no difference between them all.
edit
Right on Peter J Pie crystallises columns of discussion, drives right through them and carries the arguments off in pithy, passioned diatribe. I'm in his tribe, when he states that it is all about tribal affiliations with no ideology and no policies that will address the real concerns of the ordinary people being shafted by the Head of States.
The Dems might say they have policies but are they words written, and sounds emitted rather than actual commitments. The people might be aware that things get blocked by the Senate etc. and have given up trying to think rationally.
What have we got to lose they say, nobody in power tries to live up to a high national standard. That now, is just a longer flagpole; seeing the flag flying is the thing. Because all that is cared about is appearance, a showy flag that is a symbol to the world. Of what – who cares? What is it even, they've forgotten. Dunno about that but have to show the flag – it's the done thing.
He's a comedian parodying a journalist, playing for laughs, and that's all he claims to be. He is good at that, so kinda not a vacuous pathetic fool. He is not, and does not claim to be, a serious political pundit.
Our kōwhai trees are having their worst flowering season, just wondering if others are having the same experience,
Yet to also sight any Monarch butterflies.
I could guess that this has something to do with the dry conditions that Auckland is experiencing
Perhaps the spray for killing the marijuana plants drifted to the swan plants that the Monarchs like. Like us they may be having trouble finding a secure home under our continually caring government regime.
We have had brilliant flowering in Westmere. And though the wasps took all the monarchs last year I've seen a couple caterpillars outside recently.
Micro-climatic conditions I'd guess – or maybe species specific? Some kowhai (younger ones) have shed most their leaves. They're the semi-deciduous species but it is a stress response.
Here in Hamilton I have killed about 10 queen paper wasps around my place, but they are still regularly checking my swan plant, so no chance of monarch butterflies..
I have heard of putting frost cover or something over the plants but i think that the edges need to be sewn as any chink lets the b…rs in. One couple were raising them as a business with benefits to us all, and they said one wasp had got in one night and had an orgy and killed hundreds of their lovely caterpillars and I guess chrysalises – they were selling them for release at weddings.
Trip Advisor has tripped up. A determined citizen has managed to get a fake hotel site taken down that has had fake positive reviews on it. TrippingA had 5 star reviews on it. But it doesn't exist.
The unnamed man saw it and knew that the address is a private house currently under renovation. He contacted TA who replied that the hotel has a website and is legit. Travellers had attempted to stay there and ended up door-knocking neighbours asking where it was. The site had booking and a credit card facility and used pictures and text from other hotels to illustrate it supposed attractions.
What this responsible man did:
Contacted TA who replied it was OK.
Contacted them again, saying he was a local and confirmed there was no hotel there. And gave them rate info search instructions for Auckland to establish its status. More emails from TA repeating assurances about hotel.
The email address for the hotel 'Emira Plams' didn't work, and the phone number didn't connect, when Stuff called.
Then the man tried to get the website taken down in NZ. He didn't succeed through the Domain Name Commissioner and CertNZ which said they had no 'powers to block or remove content', but can work with police and the DNC to 'remove the web address'
Finally on Thursday last the DNC said after investigation 'the domain name has been suspended'. And on Friday it had been taken down.
CertNZ said to watch out for false sites looking for bad spelling and grammar!
Trip Advisor said they had been investigating behind the scenes. They had told the complainant that they needed more proof.
He says that people need to be aware that some information offered online may be false. (It appears that a customer should try to phone, don't know about trying to email as if you get on a fake email list it is a nuisance).
This man gets my thanks for going through the time-consuming follow-up on this problem, and Stuff for also investigating it. Having done this once, and knowing how to go about it, it is likely to be tried again. And we, the virtual small animals transfixed in the headlights of looming all-powerful technology, need to watch out for our safety, and to support other humans so we don't get squashed.
What is Labour going to do? 100,000 houses? No, can't be done. 10,000 houses? Who knows? Not a wealth tax, not a cgt, no plastic bags, subside Southland again and what? Just enough oil on any squeaky wheels, but what is their intellectual momentum and heft?
The takeaway should be Labour's unprecedented victory. But that is as pandemic wardens. They have made little argument for anything else, and dampened down momentum they had in their first term.
The surging political force this week seems to be ACT. They're currently the one's with a record of the public buying into their ideas- and a 60 percent vote.
Sad isn't it. I have yet to hear anything that identifies some sort of idea that converts into manageable reality for actual people, not just an academic exercise on a spreadsheet.
The pro cannabis people seem to believe it would be happy ever after and it would solve all their issues if it was to be legalised. Just as alcohol is only a short term fix for people, cannabis is presumably similar.
Just as 18 year olds regard it as a right of passage they can buy alcohol the day they turn 18, 20 year olds being able to buy cannabis would be the same. But apparently young brains until 25 should not be indulging. The pro cannabis lobby gave all the reasons for, but did not highlight risks. They also came over as pretty rabid and extreme, a turn off for many.
On the other hand, I agree medicinal cannabis should be readily available for those in pain.
The end of life debate was much better publicised and debated, both for and against. Neither side came over as wild-eyed and over-wrought.
Reality
That marijuana is criminalised means that people with some in their possession are criminals for doing nothing beyond having some plant material that is hallucinatory. It's entry level into the Court system. It is not right to dismiss the affect of marijuana being illegal. And as for brain development, people shouldn't be playing rugby, the head contact is bad for the players. This worrying about people not having optimum development is a lot of hoo-ha. Normally society doesn't care two hoots about others, they just go all cautious when there is an attempt to smarten the law up – ooh change, all the mights come out to play, I'm so worried about everything, change stresses me so and I'm so important that everything should stop till my head stops spinning.
" Here's how high earners might avoid new top tax rate"
My thoughts to these are that all those well to do people have the audacity to prescribe what the ordinary person on a min to average income is to do to get by on an ever lower income, whilst they already sceaming how to continue fleecing everybody on all ends. The worst part is that there seem to be a certain pride attached to this so as to say everybody who isn't doing the same is a sucker.
Well, we shouldn't be surprised that we end up with a lawless society having no respect or inclination to contribute and build communities if we so "admire" the scum. In a world of exposure, clicks and likes is the fact to being heralded in the media as something that is "cool" that shapes behaviour.
So if A/NZ is actually moving toward becoming a republic, what should our head of state's title be? Surely not "President", who [….snore….] presides over an administration [….yawn….] which, in any case, has been devalued to the point of ridiculum.
I propose a Māori term. As the only country with NZM as an official language, naturally it ought to be.
Kawana is taken; Rangatira isn't quite right, as it's not really the PM's job to 'bring people together' (or is it?); Kingi and Kuini – no, for obvious colonial reasons; something with a bit more mana:
Kaitiaki: Guardian, ie of the people/democracy/country/enviro?
Imagine the whole world, the UN and everyone referring to our head of state in our own language! That's sovereignty, baby. How do we get it happening?
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The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
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 The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
For fellow US politics tragics that are going to spend Wednesday frantically refreshing and doom-scrolling US results, here's a brief summary of how results are expected to shift as more votes are counted in various states.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/30/politics/red-blue-mirage-election-results/index.html
tl;dr Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and to a lesser extent Minnesota, early results will come from in-person voting on the day, and are expected to be better for the sherbert pervert. Early and mail votes will be counted later and are expected to shift towards Biden.
Florida, North Carolina, and possibly also Ohio, Iowa and Texas, a lot of early and mail votes get processed before election day, and will be announced quickly. These are expected to favour Biden, with a shift towards The Dotard of Doltistan as more on-the-day votes are counted.
Georgia could be all over the place, how they do it varies by county. Arizona, New Hampshire and Maine have taken steps specifically to avoid having substantial shifts during vote counts.
side note, as of yesterday, more early votes have been cast in Texas than were cast in all of 2016. So Texas is likely to provide a burst of early excitement, with a long drawn-out anxiety about whether Biden's lead is big enough to hold through to the end.
Trump is getting a good late surge in key states, but with the majority of votes cast already its just too late.
Looks better than 2016 in multiple respects.
Dunno if that apparent late surge is real. If you dig down into the individual results that make up the polling averages, it might just be that Repug-friendly outfits like Rasmussen, Trafalgar, Susquehanna are releasing results more frequently so it's more likely they will be included in the average.
C'mon Harrison!
Ossof too. Fuck me, he was brutal to Perdue in their first debate. Calling Perdue a crook to his face was just the beginning. So Perdue bailed out on a second helping.
Unsung heroes of the 2020 Senate contests include Theresa Greenfield (Iowa), Barbara Bollier (Kansas, Republican until recently), Mary Hegar (Texas). All doing solid work with low recognition that might reap the rewards if the blue wave is big enough.
Or not.
It's a worry, and it's very likely some legitimate early votes will get trashed for illegitimate reasons.
But the balance of power has shifted towards the Dems since 2016 in critical states. For instance, Michigan and Wisconsin now have Dem governors, but were Repugs in 2016. IIRC, the composition of some state supreme courts has shifted as well.
If you have any links for the day, let me know and I will put up a discussion post.
I haven't got any URLs for any live update sites yet.
I'll be cycling through fivethirtyeight, cnn, huffpost, realclearpolitics, 270towin, probably thegreenpapers.
Any post should include this excellent link Peter Haynes has just pointed me to over on his excellent US Election guest post.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/election-results-timing/
Come with me to the Dem party in Auckland
But, but, that could involve interacting with actual people.
Where is it and when does it start?
If there are still tickets for the Auckland event you will find them here:
https://www.democratsabroad.org/nz
An English view:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdnHfYbr1cQ
That's certainly entertaining, and will get a rousing "right-on" from those whose world-view is built around blind Dem-hatred. But it ignores all the ideology issues the Dems are in fact campaigning on. The most prominent and salient in this time of covid is healthcare, and relatedly, simple government competence. There's also immigration, inequality and racial and social justice, climate, trade and international policy, and so on.
Anyone with a genuine interest in any particular ideological topic can find a wealth of information on the genuine differences between Dems and Repugs with just a few clicks. Unless their interest is just in falsely whining that there's no difference between them all.
edit
Right on Peter J Pie crystallises columns of discussion, drives right through them and carries the arguments off in pithy, passioned diatribe. I'm in his tribe, when he states that it is all about tribal affiliations with no ideology and no policies that will address the real concerns of the ordinary people being shafted by the Head of States.
The Dems might say they have policies but are they words written, and sounds emitted rather than actual commitments. The people might be aware that things get blocked by the Senate etc. and have given up trying to think rationally.
What have we got to lose they say, nobody in power tries to live up to a high national standard. That now, is just a longer flagpole; seeing the flag flying is the thing. Because all that is cared about is appearance, a showy flag that is a symbol to the world. Of what – who cares? What is it even, they've forgotten. Dunno about that but have to show the flag – it's the done thing.
He's a vacuous pathetic fool.
He's a comedian parodying a journalist, playing for laughs, and that's all he claims to be. He is good at that, so kinda not a vacuous pathetic fool. He is not, and does not claim to be, a serious political pundit.
https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/comedy/tom-walker-aka-jonathan-pie-has-a-lot-to-say-20180517-h1067j.html
Our kōwhai trees are having their worst flowering season, just wondering if others are having the same experience,
Yet to also sight any Monarch butterflies.
I could guess that this has something to do with the dry conditions that Auckland is experiencing
All good in Wellington. Kowhai were brilliantly flowering the past few weeks. Have seen multiple monarchs fluttering about.
Perhaps the spray for killing the marijuana plants drifted to the swan plants that the Monarchs like. Like us they may be having trouble finding a secure home under our continually caring government regime.
We have had brilliant flowering in Westmere. And though the wasps took all the monarchs last year I've seen a couple caterpillars outside recently.
Micro-climatic conditions I'd guess – or maybe species specific? Some kowhai (younger ones) have shed most their leaves. They're the semi-deciduous species but it is a stress response.
Here in Hamilton I have killed about 10 queen paper wasps around my place, but they are still regularly checking my swan plant, so no chance of monarch butterflies..
I have heard of putting frost cover or something over the plants but i think that the edges need to be sewn as any chink lets the b…rs in. One couple were raising them as a business with benefits to us all, and they said one wasp had got in one night and had an orgy and killed hundreds of their lovely caterpillars and I guess chrysalises – they were selling them for release at weddings.
We had the most prolific flowering in our Kowhai this year, and the Kereru, Tui, and Korimako loved it. 🙂
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/123218944/the-auckland-hotel-that-doesnt-exist
Trip Advisor has tripped up. A determined citizen has managed to get a fake hotel site taken down that has had fake positive reviews on it. TrippingA had 5 star reviews on it. But it doesn't exist.
The unnamed man saw it and knew that the address is a private house currently under renovation. He contacted TA who replied that the hotel has a website and is legit. Travellers had attempted to stay there and ended up door-knocking neighbours asking where it was. The site had booking and a credit card facility and used pictures and text from other hotels to illustrate it supposed attractions.
CertNZ said to watch out for false sites looking for bad spelling and grammar!
Trip Advisor said they had been investigating behind the scenes. They had told the complainant that they needed more proof.
He says that people need to be aware that some information offered online may be false. (It appears that a customer should try to phone, don't know about trying to email as if you get on a fake email list it is a nuisance).
This man gets my thanks for going through the time-consuming follow-up on this problem, and Stuff for also investigating it. Having done this once, and knowing how to go about it, it is likely to be tried again. And we, the virtual small animals transfixed in the headlights of looming all-powerful technology, need to watch out for our safety, and to support other humans so we don't get squashed.
So net result of Labour timidity is that ACT are now the dominant intellectual force of social change in New Zealand?
That is what steals the headline from the landslide?
For evil to triumph it suffices that the good do nothing.
Philosophers with guns.
if so how were labour timid?
The news of the referendum was yesterday’s head line.
What is Labour going to do? 100,000 houses? No, can't be done. 10,000 houses? Who knows? Not a wealth tax, not a cgt, no plastic bags, subside Southland again and what? Just enough oil on any squeaky wheels, but what is their intellectual momentum and heft?
The takeaway should be Labour's unprecedented victory. But that is as pandemic wardens. They have made little argument for anything else, and dampened down momentum they had in their first term.
The surging political force this week seems to be ACT. They're currently the one's with a record of the public buying into their ideas- and a 60 percent vote.
Sad isn't it. I have yet to hear anything that identifies some sort of idea that converts into manageable reality for actual people, not just an academic exercise on a spreadsheet.
Votes all coming from National right wingers who couldn't stomach Nationals meltdown
The pro cannabis people seem to believe it would be happy ever after and it would solve all their issues if it was to be legalised. Just as alcohol is only a short term fix for people, cannabis is presumably similar.
Just as 18 year olds regard it as a right of passage they can buy alcohol the day they turn 18, 20 year olds being able to buy cannabis would be the same. But apparently young brains until 25 should not be indulging. The pro cannabis lobby gave all the reasons for, but did not highlight risks. They also came over as pretty rabid and extreme, a turn off for many.
On the other hand, I agree medicinal cannabis should be readily available for those in pain.
The end of life debate was much better publicised and debated, both for and against. Neither side came over as wild-eyed and over-wrought.
You never drink alcohol?
Reality
That marijuana is criminalised means that people with some in their possession are criminals for doing nothing beyond having some plant material that is hallucinatory. It's entry level into the Court system. It is not right to dismiss the affect of marijuana being illegal. And as for brain development, people shouldn't be playing rugby, the head contact is bad for the players. This worrying about people not having optimum development is a lot of hoo-ha. Normally society doesn't care two hoots about others, they just go all cautious when there is an attempt to smarten the law up – ooh change, all the mights come out to play, I'm so worried about everything, change stresses me so and I'm so important that everything should stop till my head stops spinning.
Two headlines today stand out:
"Landlords racing to beat return of LVR" and
" Here's how high earners might avoid new top tax rate"
My thoughts to these are that all those well to do people have the audacity to prescribe what the ordinary person on a min to average income is to do to get by on an ever lower income, whilst they already sceaming how to continue fleecing everybody on all ends. The worst part is that there seem to be a certain pride attached to this so as to say everybody who isn't doing the same is a sucker.
Well, we shouldn't be surprised that we end up with a lawless society having no respect or inclination to contribute and build communities if we so "admire" the scum. In a world of exposure, clicks and likes is the fact to being heralded in the media as something that is "cool" that shapes behaviour.
So if A/NZ is actually moving toward becoming a republic, what should our head of state's title be? Surely not "President", who [….snore….] presides over an administration [….yawn….] which, in any case, has been devalued to the point of ridiculum.
I propose a Māori term. As the only country with NZM as an official language, naturally it ought to be.
Kawana is taken; Rangatira isn't quite right, as it's not really the PM's job to 'bring people together' (or is it?); Kingi and Kuini – no, for obvious colonial reasons; something with a bit more mana:
Kaitiaki: Guardian, ie of the people/democracy/country/enviro?
Imagine the whole world, the UN and everyone referring to our head of state in our own language! That's sovereignty, baby. How do we get it happening?
Now this is a number plate that one could really relate too.
So, we can now get drunk 7 days a week, and then elect to have ourselves euthanised, but we can't get stoned even once?
You would have to go to Saudi Arabia.
Touche' Tricledrown.
Why?
If you need palliative care you can get doped up 24/7 until you die. Is that what you want?
yes please.
Just to make it clear, I was referring to pain management specifically.
Polls close in Queensland in about 40 minutes after a typically brutal Aussie election campaign.