OK, so Banksie is obviously bat-shit crazy. Maybe he doesn’t remember flying his helicopter to Dotcoms house. If he was in politics in the U.S. he’d be a contender for the job of looking after the big red “nuke” button.
Banksie’s personal opinions do not affect his duties as a minister. On the other hand, the requirement that we give due consideration to taniwha’s et al, saturates all levels of government. Waiting for The Standard to get outraged about this.
Waiting
[lprent: For fucks sake. Another moron who thinks that computer programs think. You obviously didn’t see me performing brain surgery on a program this afternoon.
What other mindless drivel do you believe ? ummm CCD. Umm you really are a cartoon figure. Please attempt to read the policy. I know that the words are long and it has no one on a pulpit telling you how to think about the words, but I’m sure you can understand the section about self-matyrdom…]
Banksie’s personal opinions do not affect his duties as a minister.
Yes they do. His personal opinion that increasing minimum wage reduces employment, which has been proven wrong, is supposedly the reason why he voted down David Clark’s bill to lift the minimum wage.
Waiting for you to give some evidence for your claim. Feel free to be less vague about what ‘taniwha’s et al’ means. Or are you just being a bigot troll of the kind seen on the net for many years?
You are joking, right? Are you unaware of the legal requirement to give consideration to Maori superstitious beliefs in the management of public resources?
No Steve, your ridiculous claim was that all levels of government are saturated with this requirement. So I asked for some evidence. I got none.
I don’t see how a ‘legal requirement to give consideration’ equates to ‘saturation’, nor how ‘all levels of government’ equates to ‘the management of public resources’. Maybe you’ve been to a John Key ‘How to shift goalposts’ seminar lately?
Also some examples of the consideration of Maori superstitious beliefs interfering at all levels of government might help me understand what you are talking about.
Likewise I assume you would say a GP’s belief that the body is comprised of four humors that need to be kept in balance and that disease is a punishment from God do not affect his duties as a medical practitioner.
Likewise I assume you would be quite content to take a seat on a long-distance flight with a pilot who declares a belief that the world is flat, as mere opinions do not affect navigation.
I very much doubt Banks has any such belief in Creationism, but seems to me that John Banks thinks, says and does exactly what John Banks believes is best for John Banks in the particular moment or for a particular audience, which is very much the mark of the psychopath.
“I very much doubt Banks has any such belief in Creationism, but seems to me that John Banks thinks, says and does exactly what John Banks believes is best for John Banks in the particular moment or for a particular audience, which is very much the mark of the psychopath.”
Yep. Although I’m leaning more towards narcissistic personality disorder for Banks. Though it’s a fine line between that and psychopathy, and people can be both.
“While the majority of people will have learned that not only that lying brings about devastation and destruction, it ultimately leads to total isolation and loneliness. This is, it hinders any sincere communication and hence the narcissist will find her/himself increasingly on the outside and excluded.
However, as much as the narcissist notices this isolation and reacts with increasing panic, it does not bring about a modification of the narcissist’s coping strategy.
The attitude of the narcissist towards lying is very childish and simple: If the narcissist lies and gets away with it, (s)he interprets this as being clever and superior to others. In this sense, while common sense clearly sees lying as a social ill, the narcissist views lying as an excellent tool to obtain what (s)he wants and as a means to demonstrate how stupid others are.
A person now, who wishes to engage in real communication and shows openness will be viewed by the narcissist as an utter fool who deserves to be exploited. Willingness to communicate and to show openness will be seen be the narcissist as weakness and stupidity.
While a normal person will be embarrassed when found out lying, not so the narcissist. The narcissist will see this as a threat to her/his superiority and will straight away think of ways of how to overcome this threat and this is by forming new lies.
To say it in one sentence: For the narcissist lying is fun and a tool, and anybody who doesn’t lie is a fool in the eyes of the narcissist. Trying to communicate with a narcissist is therefore pointless.
No. I think it’s just a low IQ with financial success. Bit like many Remuera voters…..Sad really to think that he has the slightest influence on our education system.
By The Standard I of course meant the standard contributors.
And yes I certainly believe in the CCD- very useful for image analysis.
[lprent: Wording is important on some things. There is a particular reason for enforcing a ban against that kind of language. The authors and commentators are hardly a cohesive and coherent force with a united purpose. However it behoves some people to behave as if they are because it makes it easier to demonize groups rather than having to deal with the diversity of individuals. It irritates the hell out of most people and annoys me because of the resulting flames. Plus it is simply stupid. We have whole bodies of knowledge about how to get people to act in groups (like armies or companies) and the results are mostly noticeable because of how seldom it works well.
Offenses tend to get a grumpy sysop making damn sure that offenders are verbally stuffed in as many groups as possible by name or implication and them demonizing them as an example of how it feels. Always amazes me how some people handing it out get offended by thinking that they are just another number in the fatuous factions to others. You did pretty well…. ]
1. He is a Christian who believes lying and cheating is o.k
2. He is a liar and cheater who is saying he is Christian in order to get the type of benefits that US politicians do for pretending they are Christian.
I note that Banks should probably have a criminal conviction but doesn’t due to being protected by stupid laws. He should also be out of parliament but is being protected by the PM.
Nobody is claiming that Dotcom is a good guy. It is not necessary for either of them to be a good guy. It is quite plausible that they are both ratbags.
But only one of them is lying through his teeth. But then he may not be able to help it, as one commentator beautifully put it, he perpetually looks as if he has wandered away from his caregiver.
Well it just proves one thing one does not have to be intelligent to make money .Banks is a good example of the weird and bigoted who make money.What scares me about this lunatic is that he is an assistant education minister who is in charge of our schools. So are our young going to be taught creation. Also how is he going to help Charter schools .Our fine educatioon is in danger with this man in charge.
WEll put PP.. It shouldn’t be forgotten(but seems to have been) that john banks was police minister during tha worst period in history for the police force in nz.. Anyone remember the decimation of police morale resulting from the merger of police and traffic departments? I remember well the wild west feel around the Auckland roads at that time… You could do doughnuts in front of a police car, and they would start whistling as they looked the other way…..
We lost the bulk of the “good” cops at that time as well…..You know… the ones that actually did the job because they cared about their communities…..They’ve been largely replaced with overseas imports more used to authoritarian governments, and young puppies that have grown up in what amounts to a social clusterfuck brought about by nationals sponsors getting open access to our youth to profit from….
Thanks john…. joseph goebbels would have been delighted with your performance….
To be sheltering such a dangerous lowlife, one would have to be seriously craven onesself…. So how long has johnny sparkles been sheltering little john now?
This is a follow-up letter to check whether the ‘Open Letter’ hand-delivered to your Electorate Office (27 Gillies Ave) on Tuesday 18 September 2012, has been brought to your attention?
You will note that I also emailed the following correspondence to you on the same day.
I do understand that your memory is sometimes not as reliable as members of the voting public might expect of someone holding a Ministerial warrant, such as yourself, but I am keen to get a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to my request, that YOU please be the Member of Parliament to present the following petition to the House, at your earliest available opportunity:
“That the House conduct an urgent inquiry into the findings of the Police investigation into the allegations that the Hon. John Archibald Banks, CNZM QSO, submitted a false donation return in respect to the Auckland Council Mayoral election 2010 – that it was not unlawful for the Hon. John Archibald Banks, CNZM QSO to sign and transmit his candidate’s declaration of expenses without first personally checking and verifying that the information provided (by another party) was accurate.”
You must admit that it does seem rather extraordinary for it apparently to be lawful for a candidate to be able to sign off a declaration of expenses without first double-checking its accuracy?
Can you please confirm whether you are prepared to present this petition – YES or NO?
If YES, I will organise how best get the signed copies to you without breaching the two year trespass notice from 27 Gillies Ave Newmarket which I incurred, arising from my arrest for wilful trespass at your electorate office on 18 June 2012.
If NO – I will continue to seek the assistance of other MPs from other parties.
Perhaps Prime Minister John Key, the MP for Helensville, may be prepared to assist on this matter – if you can’t /won’t?
Well done G!! You’ve just made any comment with a passing reference to john banks look credible…Excellent work…..
Defending what is quite blatant corrupt practice gives anyone who chooses to, the right to assume the same attitudes, and traits to yourself…..an important step towards total irrelevancy in any serious discussion….
Little johnny has been playing the brown bag game for decades…. I well remember wondering why the “sheriff of Whangarei” needed high walls, and a fortress like security system around his house there…. We were all told repeatedly (by the herald, among others) what a “popular” guy he was in that electorate…..!!?
That was back in the mid/late seventies, when homophobia, anti auckland sentiment, and curruption within police/government was resurgent….
So, are we to assume that, despite little johnny’s long….long, track record of “insider” dealing, dodgy policy implementation purely to suit whichever sponsor he, or the government(s) he was a noisy part of were beholden to, we can excuse his latest bit of giggery pokery because someone else, totally unrelated to this issue, may, or may not, have done something remotely similar, or not, as the case may be…..hmmmmm..”indeed”….
There must be many, many examples of this kind of thing perpetrated by other people….many….
And how does that excuse little johnny? Oh right…. He was just following orders…..
The final Atlas Network playbook puzzle piece is here, and it slipped in to Aotearoa New Zealand with little fan fare or attention. The implications are stark.Today, writes Dr Bex, the submission for the Crimes (Countering Foreign Interference) Amendment Bill closes: 11:59pm January 16, 2025.As usual, the language of the ...
Excitement in the seaside village! Look what might be coming! 400 million dollars worth of investment! In the very beating heart of the village! Are we excited and eager to see this happen, what with every last bank branch gone and shops sitting forlornly quiet awaiting a customer?Yes please, apply ...
Much discussion has been held over the Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB), the latest in a series of rightwing attempts to enshrine into law pro-market precepts such as the primacy of private property ownership. Underneath the good governance and economic efficiency gobbledegook language of the Bill is an interest to strip ...
We are concerned that the Amendment Bill, as proposed, could impair the operations and legitimate interests of the NZ Trade Union movement. It is also likely to negatively impact the ability of other civil society actors to conduct their affairs without the threat of criminal sanctions. We ask that ...
I can't take itHow could I fake it?How could I fake it?And I can't take itHow could I fake it?How could I fake it?Song: The Lonely Biscuits.“A bit nippy”, I thought when I woke this morning, and then, soon after that, I wondered whether hell had frozen over. Dear friends, ...
Early reports indicate that the temporary Israel/Hamas ceasefire deal (due to take effect on Sunday) will allow for the gradual release of groups of Israeli hostages, the release of an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails (likely only a fraction of the total incarcerated population), and the withdrawal ...
My daily news diet is not what it once was.It was the TV news that lost me first. Too infantilising, too breathless, too frustrating.The Herald was next. You could look past the reactionary framing while it was being a decent newspaper of record, but once Shayne Currie began unleashing all ...
Hit the road Jack and don't you come backNo more, no more, no more, no moreHit the road Jack and don't you come back no moreWhat you say?Songwriters: Percy MayfieldMorena,I keep many of my posts, like this one, paywall-free so that everyone can read them.However, please consider supporting me as ...
This might be the longest delay between reading (or in this case re-reading) a work, and actually writing a review of it I have ever managed. Indeed, when I last read these books in December 2022, I was not planning on writing anything about them… but as A Phuulish Fellow ...
Kia Ora,I try to keep most my posts without a paywall for public interest journalism purposes. However, if you can afford to, please consider supporting me as a paid subscriber and/or supporting over at Ko-Fi. That will help me to continue, and to keep spending time on the work. Embarrassingly, ...
There was a time when Google was the best thing in my world. I was an early adopter of their AdWords program and boy did I like what it did for my business. It put rocket fuel in it, is what it did. For every dollar I spent, those ads ...
A while back I was engaged in an unpleasant exchange with a leader of the most well-known NZ anti-vax group and several like-minded trolls. I had responded to a racist meme on social media in which a rightwing podcaster in the US interviewed one of the leaders of the Proud ...
Hi,If you’ve been reading Webworm for a while, you’ll be familiar with Anna Wilding. Between 2020 and 2021 I looked at how the New Zealander had managed to weasel her way into countless news stories over the years, often with very little proof any of it had actually happened. When ...
It's a long white cloud for you, baby; staying together alwaysSummertime in AotearoaWhere the sunshine kisses the water, we will find it alwaysSummertime in AotearoaYeah, it′s SummertimeIt's SummertimeWriters: Codi Wehi Ngatai, Moresby Kainuku, Pipiwharauroa Campbell, Taulutoa Michael Schuster, Rebekah Jane Brady, Te Naawe Jordan Muturangi Tupe, Thomas Edward Scrase.Many of ...
Last year, 292 people died unnecessarily on our roads. That is the lowest result in over a decade and only the fourth time in the last 70 years we’ve seen fewer than 300 deaths in a calendar year. Yet, while it is 292 people too many, with each death being ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob HensonFlames from the Palisades Fire burn a building at Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The fast-moving wildfire had destroyed thousands of structures and ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.The Regulatory Standards Bill, as I understand it, seeks to bind parliament to a specific range of law-making.For example, it seems to ensure primacy of individual rights over that of community, environment, te Tiriti ...
Happy New Year!I had a lovely break, thanks very much for asking: friends, family, sunshine, books, podcasts, refreshing swims, barbecues, bike rides. So good to step away from the firehose for a while, to have less Trump and Seymour in your day. Who needs the Luxons in their risible PJs ...
Patrick Reynolds is deputy chair of the Auckland City Centre Advisory Panel and a director of Greater Auckland In 2003, after much argument, including the election of a Mayor in 2001 who ran on stopping it, Britomart train station in downtown Auckland opened. A mere 1km twin track terminating branch ...
For the first time in a decade, a New Zealand Prime Minister is heading to the Middle East. The trip is more than just a courtesy call. New Zealand PMs frequently change planes in Dubai en route to destinations elsewhere. But Christopher Luxon’s visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 5, 2025 thru Sat, January 11, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
The decade between 1952 and the early 1960s was the peak period for the style of music we now call doo wop, after which it got dissolved into soul music, girl groups, and within pop music in general. Basically, doo wop was a form of small group harmonising with a ...
The future teaches you to be aloneThe present to be afraid and coldSo if I can shoot rabbits, then I can shoot fascists…And if you tolerate thisThen your children will be nextSongwriters: James Dean Bradfield / Sean Anthony Moore / Nicholas Allen Jones.Do you remember at school, studying the rise ...
When National won the New Zealand election in 2023, one of the first to congratulate Luxon was tech-billionaire and entrepreneur extraordinaire Elon Musk.And last year, after Luxon posted a video about a trip to Malaysia, Musk came forward again to heap praise on Christopher:So it was perhaps par for the ...
Hi,Today’s Webworm features a new short film from documentary maker Giorgio Angelini. It’s about Luigi Mangione — but it’s also, really, about everything in America right now.Bear with me.Shortly after I sent out my last missive from the fires on Wednesday, one broke out a little too close to home ...
So soon just after you've goneMy senses sharpenBut it always takes so damn longBefore I feel how much my eyes have darkenedFear hangs in a plane of gun smokeDrifting in our roomSo easy to disturb, with a thought, with a whisperWith a careless memorySongwriters: Andy Taylor / John Taylor / ...
Can we trust the Trump cabinet to act in the public interest?Nine of Trump’s closest advisers are billionaires. Their total net worth is in excess of $US375b (providing there is not a share-market crash). In contrast, the total net worth of Trump’s first Cabinet was about $6b. (Joe Biden’s Cabinet ...
Welcome back to our weekly roundup. We hope you had a good break (if you had one). Here’s a few of the stories that caught our attention over the last few weeks. This holiday period on Greater Auckland Since our last roundup we’ve: Taken a look back at ...
Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partnerSometimes I feel like my only friendIs the city I live in, The City of AngelsLonely as I am together we crySong: Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith, Flea, John Frusciante.A home is engulfed in flames during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area. ...
Open access notablesLarge emissions of CO2 and CH4 due to active-layer warming in Arctic tundra, Torn et al., Nature Communications:Climate warming may accelerate decomposition of Arctic soil carbon, but few controlled experiments have manipulated the entire active layer. To determine surface-atmosphere fluxes of carbon dioxide and ...
It's election year for Wellington City Council and for the Regional Council. What have the progressive councillors achieved over the last couple of years. What were the blocks and failures? What's with the targeting of the mayor and city council by the Post and by central government? Why does the ...
Over the holidays, there was a rising tide of calls for people to submit on National's repulsive, white supremacist Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill, along with a wave of advice and examples of what to say. And it looks like people rose to the occasion, with over 300,000 ...
The lie is my expenseThe scope of my desireThe Party blessed me with its futureAnd I protect it with fireI am the Nina The Pinta The Santa MariaThe noose and the rapistAnd the fields overseerThe agents of orangeThe priests of HiroshimaThe cost of my desire…Sleep now in the fireSongwriters: Brad ...
This is a re-post from the Climate BrinkGlobal surface temperatures have risen around 1.3C since the preindustrial (1850-1900) period as a result of human activity.1 However, this aggregate number masks a lot of underlying factors that contribute to global surface temperature changes over time.These include CO2, which is the primary ...
There are times when movement around us seems to slow down. And the faster things get, the slower it all appears.And so it is with the whirlwind of early year political activity.They are harbingers for what is to come:Video: Wayne Wright Jnr, funder of Sean Plunket, talk growing power and ...
Hi,Right now the power is out, so I’m just relying on the laptop battery and tethering to my phone’s 5G which is dropping in and out. We’ll see how we go.First up — I’m fine. I can’t see any flames out the window. I live in the greater Hollywood area ...
2024 was a tough year for working Kiwis. But together we’ve been able to fight back for a just and fair New Zealand and in 2025 we need to keep standing up for what’s right and having our voices heard. That starts with our Mood of the Workforce Survey. It’s your ...
Time is never time at allYou can never ever leaveWithout leaving a piece of youthAnd our lives are forever changedWe will never be the sameThe more you change, the less you feelSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan.Babinden - Baba’s DayToday, January 8th, 2025, is Babinden, “The Day of the baba” or “The ...
..I/We wish to make the following comments:I oppose the Treaty Principles Bill."5. Act binds the CrownThis Act binds the Crown."How does this Act "bind the Crown" when Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which the Act refers to, has been violated by the Crown on numerous occassions, resulting in massive loss of ...
Everything is good and brownI'm here againWith a sunshine smile upon my faceMy friends are close at handAnd all my inhibitions have disappeared without a traceI'm glad, oh, that I found oohSomebody who I can rely onSongwriter: Jay KayGood morning, all you lovely people. Today, I’ve got nothing except a ...
Welcome to 2025. After wrapping up 2024, here’s a look at some of the things we can expect to see this year along with a few predictions. Council and Elections Elections One of the biggest things this year will be local body elections in October. Will Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Canadians can take a while to get angry – but when they finally do, watch out. Canada has been falling out of love with Justin Trudeau for years, and his exit has to be the least surprising news event of the New Year. On recent polling, Trudeau’s Liberal party has ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Much like 2023, many climate and energy records were broken in 2024. It was Earth’s hottest year on record by a wide margin, breaking the previous record that was set just last year by an even larger margin. Human-caused climate-warming pollution and ...
Submissions on National's racist, white supremacist Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill are due tomorrow! So today, after a good long holiday from all that bullshit, I finally got my shit together to submit on it. As I noted here, people should write their own submissions in their own ...
Ooh, baby (ooh, baby)It's making me crazy (it's making me crazy)Every time I look around (look around)Every time I look around (every time I look around)Every time I look aroundIt's in my faceSongwriters: Alan Leo Jansson / Paul Lawrence L. Fuemana.Today, I’ll be talking about rich, middle-aged men who’ve made ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 29, 2024 thru Sat, January 4, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Hi,The thing that stood out at me while shopping for Christmas presents in New Zealand was how hard it was to avoid Zuru products. Toy manufacturer Zuru is a bit like Netflix, in that it has so much data on what people want they can flood the market with so ...
And when a child is born into this worldIt has no conceptOf the tone of skin it's living inAnd there's a million voicesAnd there's a million voicesTo tell you what you should be thinkingSong by Neneh Cherry and Youssou N'Dour.The moment you see that face, you can hear her voice; ...
While we may not always have quality political leadership, a couple of recently published autobiographies indicate sometimes we strike it lucky. When ranking our prime ministers, retired professor of history Erik Olssen commented that ‘neither Holland nor Nash was especially effective as prime minister – even his private secretary thought ...
Baby, be the class clownI'll be the beauty queen in tearsIt's a new art form, showin' people how little we care (yeah)We're so happy, even when we're smilin' out of fearLet's go down to the tennis court and talk it up like, yeah (yeah)Songwriters: Joel Little / Ella Yelich O ...
Open access notables Why Misinformation Must Not Be Ignored, Ecker et al., American Psychologist:Recent academic debate has seen the emergence of the claim that misinformation is not a significant societal problem. We argue that the arguments used to support this minimizing position are flawed, particularly if interpreted (e.g., by policymakers or the public) as suggesting ...
What I’ve Been Doing: I buried a close family member.What I’ve Been Watching: Andor, Jack Reacher, Xmas movies.What I’ve Been Reflecting On: The Usefulness of Writing and the Worthiness of Doing So — especially as things become more transparent on their own.I also hate competing on any day, and if ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by John Wihbey. A version of this article first appeared on Yale Climate Connections on Nov. 11, 2008. (Image credits: The White House, Jonathan Cutrer / CC BY 2.0; President Jimmy Carter, Trikosko/Library of Congress; Solar dedication, Bill Fitz-Patrick / Jimmy Carter Library; Solar ...
Morena folks,We’re having a good break, recharging the batteries. Hope you’re enjoying the holiday period. I’m not feeling terribly inspired by much at the moment, I’m afraid—not from a writing point of view, anyway.So, today, we’re travelling back in time. You’ll have to imagine the wavy lines and sci-fi sound ...
Completed reads for 2024: Oration on the Dignity of Man, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola A Platonic Discourse Upon Love, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola Of Being and Unity, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola The Life of Pico della Mirandola, by Giovanni Francesco Pico Three Letters Written by Pico ...
Welcome to 2025, Aotearoa. Well… what can one really say? 2024 was a story of a bad beginning, an infernal middle and an indescribably farcical end. But to chart a course for a real future, it does pay to know where we’ve been… so we know where we need ...
Welcome to the official half-way point of the 2020s. Anyway, as per my New Years tradition, here’s where A Phuulish Fellow’s blog traffic came from in 2024: United States United Kingdom New Zealand Canada Sweden Australia Germany Spain Brazil Finland The top four are the same as 2023, ...
Completed reads for December: Be A Wolf!, by Brian Strickland The Magic Flute [libretto], by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Emanuel Schikaneder The Invisible Eye, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Owl’s Ear, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Waters of Death, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Spider, by Hanns Heinz Ewers Who Knows?, by Guy de Maupassant ...
Well, it’s the last day of the year, so it’s time for a quick wrap-up of the most important things that happened in 2024 for urbanism and transport in our city. A huge thank you to everyone who has visited the blog and supported us in our mission to make ...
Leave your office, run past your funeralLeave your home, car, leave your pulpitJoin us in the streets where weJoin us in the streets where weDon't belong, don't belongHere under the starsThrowing light…Song: Jeffery BuckleyToday, I’ll discuss the standout politicians of the last 12 months. Each party will receive three awards, ...
Hi,A lot’s happened this year in the world of Webworm, and as 2024 comes to an end I thought I’d look back at a few of the things that popped. Maybe you missed them, or you might want to revisit some of these essay and podcast episodes over your break ...
Hi,I wanted to share this piece by film editor Dan Kircher about what cinema has been up to in 2024.Dan edited my documentary Mister Organ, as well as this year’s excellent crowd-pleasing Bookworm.Dan adores movies. He gets the language of cinema, he knows what he loves, and writes accordingly. And ...
Without delving into personal details but in order to give readers a sense of the year that was, I thought I would offer the study in contrasts that are Xmas 2023 and Xmas 2024: Xmas 2023 in Starship Children’s Hospital (after third of four surgeries). Even opening presents was an ...
Heavy disclaimer: Alpha/beta/omega dynamics is a popular trope that’s used in a wide range of stories and my thoughts on it do not apply to all cases. I’m most familiar with it through the lens of male-focused fanfic, typically m/m but sometimes also featuring m/f and that’s the situation I’m ...
Hi,Webworm has been pretty heavy this year — mainly because the world is pretty heavy. But as we sprint (or limp, you choose) through the final days of 2024, I wanted to keep Webworm a little lighter.So today I wanted to look at one of the biggest and weirdest elements ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 22, 2024 thru Sat, December 28, 2024. This week's roundup is the second one published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, ...
We’ll have a climate change ChristmasFrom now until foreverWarming our hearts and mindsAnd planet all togetherSpirits high and oceans higherChestnuts roast on wildfiresIf coal is on your wishlistMerry Climate Change ChristmasSong by Ian McConnellReindeer emissions are not something I’d thought about in terms of climate change. I guess some significant ...
KP continues to putt-putt along as a tiny niche blog that offers a NZ perspective on international affairs with a few observations about NZ domestic politics thrown in. In 2024 there was also some personal posts given that my son was in the last four months of a nine month ...
I can see very wellThere's a boat on the reef with a broken backAnd I can see it very wellThere's a joke and I know it very wellIt's one of those that I told you long agoTake my word I'm a madman, don't you knowSongwriters: Bernie Taupin / Elton JohnIt ...
.Acknowledgement: Tim PrebbleThanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work..With each passing day of bad headlines, squandering tax revenue to enrich the rich, deep cuts to our social services and a government struggling to keep the lipstick on its neo-liberal pig ...
The Green Party has welcomed the provisional ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and reiterated its call for New Zealand to push for an end to the unlawful occupation of Palestine. ...
The Green Party welcomes the extension of the deadline for Treaty Principles Bill submissions but continues to call on the Government to abandon the Bill. ...
Complaints about disruptive behaviour now handled in around 13 days (down from around 60 days a year ago) 553 Section 55A notices issued by Kāinga Ora since July 2024, up from 41 issued during the same period in the previous year. Of that 553, first notices made up around 83 ...
The time it takes to process building determinations has improved significantly over the last year which means fewer delays in homes being built, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “New Zealand has a persistent shortage of houses. Making it easier and quicker for new homes to be built will ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is pleased to announce the annual list of New Zealand’s most popular baby names for 2024. “For the second consecutive year, Noah has claimed the top spot for boys with 250 babies sharing the name, while Isla has returned to the most popular ...
Work is set to get underway on a new bus station at Westgate this week. A contract has been awarded to HEB Construction to start a package of enabling works to get the site ready in advance of main construction beginning in mid-2025, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“A new Westgate ...
Minister for Children and for Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour is encouraging people to use the resources available to them to get help, and to report instances of family and sexual violence amongst their friends, families, and loved ones who are in need. “The death of a ...
Uia te pō, rangahaua te pō, whakamāramatia mai he aha tō tango, he aha tō kāwhaki? Whitirere ki te ao, tirotiro kau au, kei hea taku rātā whakamarumaru i te au o te pakanga mo te mana motuhake? Au te pō, ngū te pō, ue hā! E te kahurangi māreikura, ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says people with diabetes and other painful conditions will benefit from a significant new qualification to boost training in foot care. “It sounds simple, but quality and regular foot and nail care is vital in preventing potentially serious complications from diabetes, like blisters or sores, which can take a long time to heal ...
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour is pleased to see Pharmac continue to increase availability of medicines for Kiwis with the government’s largest ever investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the government,” says Mr Seymour. “When this government assumed ...
Mā mua ka kite a muri, mā muri ka ora e mua - Those who lead give sight to those who follow, those who follow give life to those who lead. Māori recipients in the New Year 2025 Honours list show comprehensive dedication to improving communities across the motu that ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is wishing all New Zealanders a great holiday season as Kiwis prepare for gatherings with friends and families to see in the New Year. It is a great time of year to remind everyone to stay fire safe over the summer. “I know ...
From 1 January 2025, first-time tertiary learners will have access to a new Fees Free entitlement of up to $12,000 for their final year of provider-based study or final two years of work-based learning, Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Targeting funding to the final year of study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Parmeter, Research scholar, Middle East studies, Australian National University The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, to come into effect on Sunday, has understandably been welcomed by the overwhelming majority of Israelis and Palestinians. Israelis are relieved that a process for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Carson, Senior Research Fellow, School of Medicine, The University of Western Australia Over the past several days, the world has watched on in shock as wildfires have devastated large parts of Los Angeles. Beyond the obvious destruction – to landscapes, homes, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rose Cairns, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, University of Sydney AtlasStudio/Shutterstock TikTok and Instagram influencers have been peddling the “Barbie drug” to help you tan. But melanotan-II, as it’s called officially, is a solution that’s too good to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paula Jarzabkowski, Professor in Strategic Management, The University of Queensland A series of wildfires in Los Angeles County have caused widespread devastation in California, including at least 24 deaths and the destruction of more than 12,000 homes and structures. Thousands of residents ...
COMMENTARY:By Monika Singh The lack of women representation in parliaments across the world remains a vexed and contentious issue. In Fiji, this problem has again surfaced for debate in response to Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica’s call for a quota system to increase women’s representation in Parliament. Kamikamica was ...
What compels someone of significant status in society to break the law, repeatedly, might be the same reason I did as a poor teenager. Former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman, who left parliament a year ago today following revelations of shoplifting, is now at the centre of another shoplifting complaint. As ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kath Albury, Professor of Media and Communication and Associate Investigator, ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making + Society, Swinburne University of Technology natamrli/Shutterstock Last week, social media giant Meta announced major changes to its content moderation practices. This includes an ...
"Gisborne has suffered from housing underdevelopment and a lack of supply, coupled with damage from severe weather events," Minister Tama Potaka says. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marta Andhov, Associate Professor, Law School, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Iconic Bestiary/Shutterstock They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But in the world of legal contracts, pictures can be worth even more by making complicated concepts more ...
Asia Pacific Report The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Egyptian, Palestinian and Israeli authorities to allow foreign journalists into Gaza in the wake of the three-phase ceasefire agreement set to to begin on Sunday. The New York-based global media watchdog urged the international community “to independently investigate ...
The agreement will ease Palestinians’ suffering, but international agencies will struggle to meet the massive need for humanitarian relief. This is an excerpt from The World Bulletin, our weekly global current affairs newsletter exclusively for Spinoff Members. Sign up here. We start the World Bulletin’s year with a rare piece of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marika Sosnowski, Postdoctoral research fellow, The University of Melbourne After 467 days of violence, a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel has been reached and will come into effect on Sunday, pending Israeli government approval. This agreement will not end the ...
We love to suffer through tramps to enjoy natural beauty… except when we don’t.It can feel a bit shitty to stay inside and wallow all day when it’s nice out. Hot sunlight hits your window and your mum’s voice rings around in your head: get outside and enjoy the ...
Requests for official information involving potentially damning correspondence are totally legitimate – but have been put in the ‘too hard basket' by officials refusing to properly follow the Local Government Official Information and Meetings ...
With the local body elections in October, a long-awaited upgrade of Courtenay Place, and big changes for water, housing and the economy, it’s set to be another dramatic year for the capital city. The Golden Mile Conservative city councillors made a last-minute attempt in November to scrap the Golden Mile ...
I’ve already broken most of my resolutions, and it’s only January. How do I salvage my clean slate? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz Dear Hera,It’s only 6 days into the new year, and I’m already ready for 2026. I made five resolutions and have already broken ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samuel Cornell, PhD Candidate, UNSW Beach Safety Research Group + School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney byvalet/Shutterstock Australia is considered a nation of beach lovers. But with all this water surrounding us, drownings remain tragically common. At least 55 people have ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Uri Gal, Professor in Business Information Systems, University of Sydney Sergii Gnatiuk/Shutterstock Over the past two years, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has captivated public attention. This year signals the beginning of a new phase: the rise of AI agents. AI ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dorina Pojani, Associate Professor in Urban Planning, The University of Queensland shisu_ka/Shutterstock A wide range of voices in the Australian media have been sounding the alarm about the phenomenon of “forever-renting”. This describes a situation in which individuals or families ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liz Giuffre, Senior Lecturer in Communication, University of Technology Sydney Originally known as 2JJ, or Double Jay, when it launched in Sydney at 11am on January 19 1975, Triple J has since become the national youth network. The station now encompasses broadcast ...
Currently, under 18s are legally allowed to buy Lotto tickets. That’s about to change, explains The Bulletin’s Stewart Sowman-Lund. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The anonymised database is crucial to the government's social investment approach to funding programmes - but was incapable of doing so without extra investment. ...
Opinion: 2025 is a critical year for Aotearoa New Zealand’s natural world. With the entire environmental management system slated for reform, it’s the most important year in decades. If the hot-headed excesses of last year’s law-making continue, it will lead to terrible long-term outcomes. But if sense prevails, we could ...
Opinion: As I reflect on the tumultuous year that has passed and look forward to the year ahead, I wonder what it will hold.For me I can’t look past the middle of February right now as that is when my dissertation must be submitted, hopefully completing my master’s degree. It ...
An anticipated move to tax charities’ business operations would reduce charitable activity and may cause businesses to leave New Zealand, a lawyer warns. In a push to find new sources of revenue the Government is looking at implementing a charity tax, which would see the business arm of companies such as ...
As parliamentary staff start to read through thousands of submissions on the Treaty principles bill, Shanti Mathias explores how submitting became the go-to way to engage with politics – and asks whether it makes a difference. While the exact number is currently being confirmed, it seems almost certain that submissions ...
A plan about ferries, highly anticipated select committee hearings and a new deputy prime minister are all on the cards for Aotearoa in the 2025 political year. Here’s a rundown of what to expect and when to expect it. The ‘brace for impact, it’s coming soon’ bitsThe political calendar ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 16 January appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Summer reissue: Six months on from the tale of a homeless man making street coffee, Lyric Waiwiri-Smith reflects on the story that became a hit, and then a punchline. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read ...
Summer reissue: Over 10,000 school students in New Zealand learn outside of school, but that doesn’t mean they’re always learning at home. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Manisha Caleb, Senior Lecturer in Astrophysics, University of Sydney Artist’s impression of ASKAP J1839-0756.James Josephides When some of the biggest stars reach the end of their lives, they explode in spectacular supernovas and leave behind incredibly dense cores called neutron stars. ...
OK, so Banksie is obviously bat-shit crazy. Maybe he doesn’t remember flying his helicopter to Dotcoms house. If he was in politics in the U.S. he’d be a contender for the job of looking after the big red “nuke” button.
Shoulda put on his blind fold, wanted to fly it himself maybe
Well, it’s hard to remember back to the Pleistocene Epoch.
Oh joy!
Is he on the record as a young-Earther?
Where?
In the media recently.
If you do a search on one of the on-line papers you’ll find his views on creation.
Try this link, Richard – an interview from Radio Rhema recently:
http://www.rhema.co.nz/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=5338:john-banks-on-partnership-schools&Itemid=16
Banks believes in Bible’s account of creation
For what it’s worth I have never seen him state he was a young earth creationist.
There also old earth creationists who believe the world was created in 6 days but billions of years ago.
Banksie’s personal opinions do not affect his duties as a minister. On the other hand, the requirement that we give due consideration to taniwha’s et al, saturates all levels of government. Waiting for The Standard to get outraged about this.
Waiting
[lprent: For fucks sake. Another moron who thinks that computer programs think. You obviously didn’t see me performing brain surgery on a program this afternoon.
What other mindless drivel do you believe ? ummm CCD. Umm you really are a cartoon figure. Please attempt to read the policy. I know that the words are long and it has no one on a pulpit telling you how to think about the words, but I’m sure you can understand the section about self-matyrdom…]
I’m waiting for a mod to point out that computer servers don’t get outraged.
[lprent: I was busy tearing the guts out of the onclick event source in webkit. It is almost as slow as Steve. ]
wasnt it prescient of me to prompt Lyn to close off that little loophole the other day.
fuck me but this steve wrathall has some hilariously dipshit views
🙂
Infinity is a long time, but not long enough.
Define “taniwha’s” bud, Some crazy person trying to scare me maybe?
Yes they do. His personal opinion that increasing minimum wage reduces employment, which has been proven wrong, is supposedly the reason why he voted down David Clark’s bill to lift the minimum wage.
Waiting for you to give some evidence for your claim. Feel free to be less vague about what ‘taniwha’s et al’ means. Or are you just being a bigot troll of the kind seen on the net for many years?
You are joking, right? Are you unaware of the legal requirement to give consideration to Maori superstitious beliefs in the management of public resources?
No Steve, your ridiculous claim was that all levels of government are saturated with this requirement. So I asked for some evidence. I got none.
I don’t see how a ‘legal requirement to give consideration’ equates to ‘saturation’, nor how ‘all levels of government’ equates to ‘the management of public resources’. Maybe you’ve been to a John Key ‘How to shift goalposts’ seminar lately?
Also some examples of the consideration of Maori superstitious beliefs interfering at all levels of government might help me understand what you are talking about.
Likewise I assume you would say a GP’s belief that the body is comprised of four humors that need to be kept in balance and that disease is a punishment from God do not affect his duties as a medical practitioner.
Likewise I assume you would be quite content to take a seat on a long-distance flight with a pilot who declares a belief that the world is flat, as mere opinions do not affect navigation.
I very much doubt Banks has any such belief in Creationism, but seems to me that John Banks thinks, says and does exactly what John Banks believes is best for John Banks in the particular moment or for a particular audience, which is very much the mark of the psychopath.
“I very much doubt Banks has any such belief in Creationism, but seems to me that John Banks thinks, says and does exactly what John Banks believes is best for John Banks in the particular moment or for a particular audience, which is very much the mark of the psychopath.”
Yep. Although I’m leaning more towards narcissistic personality disorder for Banks. Though it’s a fine line between that and psychopathy, and people can be both.
“While the majority of people will have learned that not only that lying brings about devastation and destruction, it ultimately leads to total isolation and loneliness. This is, it hinders any sincere communication and hence the narcissist will find her/himself increasingly on the outside and excluded.
However, as much as the narcissist notices this isolation and reacts with increasing panic, it does not bring about a modification of the narcissist’s coping strategy.
The attitude of the narcissist towards lying is very childish and simple: If the narcissist lies and gets away with it, (s)he interprets this as being clever and superior to others. In this sense, while common sense clearly sees lying as a social ill, the narcissist views lying as an excellent tool to obtain what (s)he wants and as a means to demonstrate how stupid others are.
A person now, who wishes to engage in real communication and shows openness will be viewed by the narcissist as an utter fool who deserves to be exploited. Willingness to communicate and to show openness will be seen be the narcissist as weakness and stupidity.
While a normal person will be embarrassed when found out lying, not so the narcissist. The narcissist will see this as a threat to her/his superiority and will straight away think of ways of how to overcome this threat and this is by forming new lies.
To say it in one sentence: For the narcissist lying is fun and a tool, and anybody who doesn’t lie is a fool in the eyes of the narcissist. Trying to communicate with a narcissist is therefore pointless.
Dr. Ludger Hofmann-Engl”
http://www.chameleongroup.org.uk/npd/lies.html
No. I think it’s just a low IQ with financial success. Bit like many Remuera voters…..Sad really to think that he has the slightest influence on our education system.
By The Standard I of course meant the standard contributors.
And yes I certainly believe in the CCD- very useful for image analysis.
[lprent: Wording is important on some things. There is a particular reason for enforcing a ban against that kind of language. The authors and commentators are hardly a cohesive and coherent force with a united purpose. However it behoves some people to behave as if they are because it makes it easier to demonize groups rather than having to deal with the diversity of individuals. It irritates the hell out of most people and annoys me because of the resulting flames. Plus it is simply stupid. We have whole bodies of knowledge about how to get people to act in groups (like armies or companies) and the results are mostly noticeable because of how seldom it works well.
Offenses tend to get a grumpy sysop making damn sure that offenders are verbally stuffed in as many groups as possible by name or implication and them demonizing them as an example of how it feels. Always amazes me how some people handing it out get offended by thinking that they are just another number in the fatuous factions to others. You did pretty well…. ]
That would include yourself silly wanker
Due to his memory losses he forgot to mention billion.
1. He is a Christian who believes lying and cheating is o.k
2. He is a liar and cheater who is saying he is Christian in order to get the type of benefits that US politicians do for pretending they are Christian.
Only one of these two points is credible to me.
I note that Banks does not have a criminal conviction, yet, but Dotcom (Schmidt) has several.
I note that Schmidt isn’t the subject of the OP.
I note that Banks should probably have a criminal conviction but doesn’t due to being protected by stupid laws. He should also be out of parliament but is being protected by the PM.
Nobody is claiming that Dotcom is a good guy. It is not necessary for either of them to be a good guy. It is quite plausible that they are both ratbags.
But only one of them is lying through his teeth. But then he may not be able to help it, as one commentator beautifully put it, he perpetually looks as if he has wandered away from his caregiver.
Well it just proves one thing one does not have to be intelligent to make money .Banks is a good example of the weird and bigoted who make money.What scares me about this lunatic is that he is an assistant education minister who is in charge of our schools. So are our young going to be taught creation. Also how is he going to help Charter schools .Our fine educatioon is in danger with this man in charge.
WEll put PP.. It shouldn’t be forgotten(but seems to have been) that john banks was police minister during tha worst period in history for the police force in nz.. Anyone remember the decimation of police morale resulting from the merger of police and traffic departments? I remember well the wild west feel around the Auckland roads at that time… You could do doughnuts in front of a police car, and they would start whistling as they looked the other way…..
We lost the bulk of the “good” cops at that time as well…..You know… the ones that actually did the job because they cared about their communities…..They’ve been largely replaced with overseas imports more used to authoritarian governments, and young puppies that have grown up in what amounts to a social clusterfuck brought about by nationals sponsors getting open access to our youth to profit from….
Thanks john…. joseph goebbels would have been delighted with your performance….
To be sheltering such a dangerous lowlife, one would have to be seriously craven onesself…. So how long has johnny sparkles been sheltering little john now?
Banks like Key sent sons to King’s College.
King’s College is the kind of school they like.
The boys did not get in on scholarships, Banks and Key paid up.
TIME TO CALL THE POOL DOCTOR.
FYI – the latest ‘Open Letter’ to the Not-So-Honourable John Banks – ACT MP for Epsom.
________________________________________________________________________________
20 September 2012
To the ‘Honourable’ John Banks
MP for Epsom
Dear John,
This is a follow-up letter to check whether the ‘Open Letter’ hand-delivered to your Electorate Office (27 Gillies Ave) on Tuesday 18 September 2012, has been brought to your attention?
You will note that I also emailed the following correspondence to you on the same day.
I do understand that your memory is sometimes not as reliable as members of the voting public might expect of someone holding a Ministerial warrant, such as yourself, but I am keen to get a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to my request, that YOU please be the Member of Parliament to present the following petition to the House, at your earliest available opportunity:
“That the House conduct an urgent inquiry into the findings of the Police investigation into the allegations that the Hon. John Archibald Banks, CNZM QSO, submitted a false donation return in respect to the Auckland Council Mayoral election 2010 – that it was not unlawful for the Hon. John Archibald Banks, CNZM QSO to sign and transmit his candidate’s declaration of expenses without first personally checking and verifying that the information provided (by another party) was accurate.”
You must admit that it does seem rather extraordinary for it apparently to be lawful for a candidate to be able to sign off a declaration of expenses without first double-checking its accuracy?
Can you please confirm whether you are prepared to present this petition – YES or NO?
If YES, I will organise how best get the signed copies to you without breaching the two year trespass notice from 27 Gillies Ave Newmarket which I incurred, arising from my arrest for wilful trespass at your electorate office on 18 June 2012.
If NO – I will continue to seek the assistance of other MPs from other parties.
Perhaps Prime Minister John Key, the MP for Helensville, may be prepared to assist on this matter – if you can’t /won’t?
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
_________________________________________________________________________
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
Nothing to fear, nothing to hide, nothing to say:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CvRSZxqk_I
Never ending story!
Mierda Senor Banks:
Well, everyone can’t have a great memory like Chris Fa’afoi…………..
Well done G!! You’ve just made any comment with a passing reference to john banks look credible…Excellent work…..
Defending what is quite blatant corrupt practice gives anyone who chooses to, the right to assume the same attitudes, and traits to yourself…..an important step towards total irrelevancy in any serious discussion….
Little johnny has been playing the brown bag game for decades…. I well remember wondering why the “sheriff of Whangarei” needed high walls, and a fortress like security system around his house there…. We were all told repeatedly (by the herald, among others) what a “popular” guy he was in that electorate…..!!?
That was back in the mid/late seventies, when homophobia, anti auckland sentiment, and curruption within police/government was resurgent….
So, are we to assume that, despite little johnny’s long….long, track record of “insider” dealing, dodgy policy implementation purely to suit whichever sponsor he, or the government(s) he was a noisy part of were beholden to, we can excuse his latest bit of giggery pokery because someone else, totally unrelated to this issue, may, or may not, have done something remotely similar, or not, as the case may be…..hmmmmm..”indeed”….
There must be many, many examples of this kind of thing perpetrated by other people….many….
And how does that excuse little johnny? Oh right…. He was just following orders…..