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- “Putting America First” Will Not “Make America Great Again”.
In his successful 2016 election campaign, Donald Trump used a number of slogans which he and his supporters repeated ad nauseam. They memorably included “lock her up” and “build the wall” – but the one that seemed to resonate most ...39 mins ago - A breach of faith
A further thought on Labour's two-faced attempt to roll back the offshore oil exploration ban by stealth. I've already said that this is where the Greens should put their foot down and threaten to topple the government, but there's another ...1 hour ago - This is where the Greens should put their foot downYesterday we learned that the government was undermining its own climate change policy, trying to extend oil exploration permits by stealth so polluters could effectively circumvent the offshore drilling ban. As for why, Stuff's Hamish Rutherfod links it to a ...4 hours ago
- …and on rape victimsAnd speaking of bulk communications and personal data, it turns out that the UK also spies on rape victims, requiring "consent" for total access to their personal information if they want their complaint progressed:Police are demanding almost unfettered access to ...4 hours ago
- Britain spies on human rights groupsTwo weeks ago the European Court of Human Rights ruled that GCHQ's mass interception regime violated human rights. But it gets worse - because a case before the Investigatory Powers Tribunal has discovered that they were spying on human rights ...4 hours ago
- Virginia Crawford’s Duty To Offend.
4 hours ago - ATs Student Travel Survey
While browsing the Auckland Transport website recently looking for some information, I stumbled across the results of a survey by Gravitas Research and Strategy on how students travel to and from university campuses It consists of a report (2.6MB) and a giant ...9 hours ago - Proctor struggles to explain why he also took two cans of beans, a beer, 60 dollars, and a bath
Despite his name and appearance, Dave Scott insists he is just “a human” and not “some kind of proctorbot.” Otago University proctor Dave Scott has landed himself in hot water this week after entering a student flat without permission and ...18 hours ago - Media statement: Response to Interim report from the Tax Working group
Response to Interim Report from the Tax Working Group The Equality Network* welcomes the Tax Working Group’s interim report. Reducing income and wealth inequality in New Zealand is critical. The research is unequivocal – addressing inequality is fundamental to a ...19 hours ago - Retraction of Florides et al. (2013)
19 hours ago - Australian fruit brands promise items found in strawberries will be ‘more fun’ from now on
Strawberries have traditionally contained more strawberry. Australian fruit brands affected by the recent spate of needles found in their strawberries are attempting to win back customers by promising that items found in their fruit will be “much more fun” from ...19 hours ago - Hard News: Drugs and the road forward
Radio New Zealand asked me this morning to write an opinion piece on whether Jacinda Ardern and her government did the right thing by declining to sign up to President Donald Trump's Global Call to Action on the World Drug ...1 day ago - Proctor steals bongs from houses in Leith Street
A Dunedin Proctor was recently found to have obtained a large quantity of bongs from houses in Leith Street, near Otago University. The Proctor in question, Mr Scott David, was distributing a New Zealand Fire Service pamphlet, which warns the ...1 day ago - Abolishing urgency?Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard has suggested an effective abolition of parliamentary urgency:Speaker Trevor Mallard has suggested sweeping changes to the use of Parliamentary urgency, effectively abolishing the practice in all but the most extreme circumstances. Currently, the Government ...1 day ago
- Climate change: Two-facedBack in April, the government put a bold stake in the ground for decarbonising New Zealand, by announcing that they would end offshore oil exploration. Now, they seem to be trying to roll that back:Energy Minister Megan Woods has opened ...1 day ago
- North Shore New Network from Sunday
On Sunday Auckland Transport roll out the new bus network for the North Shore which is the final major implementation of the network. It’s been a long and windy bus ride to get to this point with the first discussions ...1 day ago - New narratives for discussing child poverty in New Zealand
There is great enthusiasm these days for using research and science to inform policy across the political spectrum. However, this has not always translated into how we talk about the solutions that are most likely to influence key policy actors. ...1 day ago 
...2 days ago- New study reconciles a dispute about how fast global warming will happen
We’re currently on pace to double the carbon dioxide-equivalent (including other greenhouse gases) in the atmosphere by around mid-century. Since the late 1800s scientists have been trying to answer the question, how much global warming will that cause? In 1979, top climate ...2 days ago - Wireless Docs: Suspended Generation
Suspended between a home they love and a world they are only beginning to understand, the kids of Kiribati face the harsh realities of climate change – rising sea levels, and changing weather patterns that threaten everything from safe food ...2 days ago - Climate change: Toned downNorth Carolina is flooded with animal corpses, pigshit, and toxic coal ash after a hurricane. A hundred people have died in the Philippines due to Typhoon Mangkhut. Extreme wildfires have ravaged California. And the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is ...2 days ago
- NZDF’s contempt for democracyThe government's "inquiry" into SAS war crimes in Afghanistan is to be heard almost entirely in secret:Almost the entire inquiry into allegations of a deadly "revenge" raid in Afghanistan by the NZSAS is to be held in secret, with evidence ...2 days ago
- Making America Great Again?In his successful 2016 election campaign, Donald Trump used a number of slogans which he and his supporters repeated ad nauseam. They memorably included “lock her up” and “build the wall” – but the one that seemed to resonate most ...2 days ago
- A burglaryWhat is it with Otago University's proctor? First, they steal and destroy hundreds of copies of Critic because they didn't like the cover. And now, they're committing theft and burglary:A Leith Street flat says University Proctor Dave Scott trespassed and ...2 days ago
- Let’s Get Welly Moving – tough choices ahead
It’s been a while since there were any major updates on the Let’s Get Welly Moving project, so I had a look at their website to see whether there had been any major progress since the options that were announced ...2 days ago - Has Neoliberalism Colonised Our Minds?
3 days ago - Is this the week we lose the US climate battle?
By Rob Taylor By a 5-4 vote in 2007, the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) said that greenhouse gas emissions should be regulated by the EPA under the Clean Air Act; this decision was the legal basis for Obama’s actions on ...3 days ago - Legal Beagle: The Ray Avery case; or just because you don’t like a law doesn’t mean it w...Businessman Ray Avery recently invoked the Harmful Digital Communication Act to make a complaint to Netsafe arising from a series of investigative pieces about him appearing on the website Newsroom.It is important to note that Avery didn’t complain that Newsroom ...3 days ago
- 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #38
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week. Editor's Pick Solar Energy Largely Unscathed by Hurricane Florence’s Wind and Rain North Carolina gets nearly 5 percent of its electricity from ...3 days ago - Behind Trump’s lies about Puerto Rico death tollby The Spark September 20 marked one year since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. President Trump referred back to that storm, and the death count on the island, when he was warning people in North and South Carolina to flee ...4 days ago
- New research, September 10-16, 2018A selection of new climate related research articles is shown below. Climate change Historicizing climate change—engaging new approaches to climate and history (open access) State of the Climate in 2017 (open access) Temperature, precipitation, wind The strengthening of Amazonian precipitation during the ...4 days ago
- Flashback Saturday: The demographics of travel to work
Every weekend we dig into the archives. This by post Matt was originally published in March 2015. The last census was two years ago and there’s already been a lot of analysis of the results of it. In terms of ...4 days ago - Media Statement: Fonterra, home of the poor-performance bonusFor Immediate Release Sunday 16th September 2018 FONTERRA, HOME OF THE POOR-PERFORMANCE BONUS The directors of Fonterra have set a dangerous precedent in rewarding the departing chief executive a $3.85m performance bonus for the 2017 financial year when the co-operative ...5 days ago
- Victory!Back in 2017, Greenpeace activists Russel Norman and Sara Howell protested against a foreign seismic survey ship as it explored for oil. The protest violated National's "Anadarko amendment", a law specifically outlawing protest against the oil industry at sea. But ...5 days ago
- Open Government: Business as usualThe SSC has released its draft Third National Action Plan for the Open Government Partnership. The idea of the OGP is that countries make concrete commitments of policies which advance the OGP's values of transparency, participation, and accountability, but New ...5 days ago
- If you missed connecting NZ’s Meth Hysteria with National’s broader Privatisation Agenda, you re...
It seems bizarre that the idea the State under the then National-led Government wouldn’t use meth hysteria to further line their “moral stance” towards the poor, and the use of that in terms of their ongoing policy of offloading at ...5 days ago - An Authoritarian Tumour In New Zealand’s Democratic Brain.
5 days ago - No Substance To Her Stardust: Has Jacinda Lost The Magic?
5 days ago - Fuck tax cutsThe government's Tax Working Group released its interim report yesterday, which supported some form of capital gains tax. But Finance Minister Grant Robertson today wouldn't commit to taxing capital gains, with the usuual "not ruling it out, not rulign it ...5 days ago
- Hard News: Friday Music: Popping offI've said before that I think we're living in a rich era for New Zealand music, one in which the ambition and creativity of the artists is bulwarked with skills in the technical and commercial parts of the music business ...5 days ago
- The housing crisis: NZers deliver their verdict
. . New Zealanders appear to have rejected National’s on-going carping at the Coalition government’s ‘Kiwibuild’ programme. In a recent Ipsos Survey, 50% of respondants chose housing as the country’s most pressing problem facing New Zealand. (A similar question put ...5 days ago - Free Light Rail in the city?
The Herald ran a couple of interesting pieces on the weekend looking at Queen St and its future. The main piece is relatively good – although annoyingly gets my name wrong – but importantly shows the growing support for improving ...5 days ago - Trade War or Financial Crash?
A senior and respected economist recently remarked that he thought that there was a danger of an economic crisis precipitating a financial crisis rather than the other way around. He was reflecting on the current trade war which Trump is ...6 days ago - You’re not the boss of me now6 days ago
- Hard News: A painful reflectionThe report outlining Housing New Zealand's response to the harm caused by its misguided policies around supposed methamphetamine contamination of its properties is long and thorough.It puts a number on the tenants harmed by evictions which were very largely unwarranted ...6 days ago
- Better than expectedWhen the news emerged two weeks ago that the Tax Working Group had backed away from recommending a capital gains tax, I was angry. After all, producing such a recommendation was the purpose of the group, and imposing such a ...6 days ago
- Doing the right thingBack in May, the Prime Minister's Chief Science Adviser revealed that the meth-testing industry was a scam, and that hundreds of Housing NZ tenants had been evicted from their homes under false pretences. Now, Housing NZ will be compensating its ...6 days ago
- NZ First’s Radical Conservatism Must Triumph Before Labour-Greens’ Radical Progressivism Can Suc...
6 days ago - Flight MH17 tragedy in Ukraine – new evidence
New evidence presented at Russian Ministry of Defence press conference, 17 September 2018. In July 2014 the Malaysian Airline Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine. All 283 passengers and 15 crew died. A Dutch-led international Joint Investigation Team ...6 days ago - Council chooses parking over housing
In June and July a series of guest posts ran on Greater Auckland about Co-housing, and the proposed Co-housing development in Grey Lynn. In summary these posts: Introduced the concept of co-housing Explained the proposed co-housing development on Surrey Crescent ...6 days ago - A New Monetary Policy NeededPositive Money New Zealand is a voluntary organisation that campaigns for monetary reform. It is affiliated to other similar organisations across the globe and in particular to Positive Money in the UK. I have the honour to be its patron. ...7 days ago
- In support of urban representation
Summary slides My story is the story of many Ngāpuhi who grew up in urban environments. We were raised away from our hapū and iwi. We do not always know the tikanga and kawa of our marae. We do not ...7 days ago - The Kopako1 Protest: A View from the Inside
7 days ago - Shell and Exxon’s secret 1980s climate change warningsOne day in 1961, an American economist named Daniel Ellsberg stumbled across a piece of paper with apocalyptic implications. Ellsberg, who was advising the US government on its secret nuclear war plans, had discovered a document that contained an official estimate of ...7 days ago
- An open and shut caseWhen Massey University Vice-Chancellor Professor Jan Thomas vetoed a speech by Don Brash on the Massey campus, she claimed it was due to "security". Now, an OIA request from David Farrar has revealed that she lied:Thomas started discussing Brash's speech ...1 week ago
- Grudging progressAfter months of back-pedalling, the government has finally agreed to keep its promise and raise the refugee quota to 1500. But not until 2020:New Zealand will lift the refugee quota from 1000 to 1500 within this political term, Prime Minister ...1 week ago
- Britain: Corbyn spineless in face of Zionist onslaughtby Robert Clough As the Zionist campaign against Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and alleged anti-Semitism in the Labour Party reached fever pitch in July, the passage of the racist Nation-State of the Jewish People Bill through the Israeli Knesset exposes ...1 week ago
- Member’s DayToday is a Member's day. First up there is a local bill: the Muldoonist Tasman District Council (Waimea Water Augmentation Scheme) Bill to enable the Waimea dam. This has the support of everyone by the Greens, so unless it is ...1 week ago
- Another OIA reviewYesterday's announcement that the government would be proactively releasing Cabinet papers had a buried lead: the government may be planning another review of the Official Information Act:The documents revealed the existence of a Cabinet business committee paper produced last month ...1 week ago
- 125 years
1 week ago - Jul & Aug-18 Ridership
Auckland Transport have published the ridership data for July and August and they both look positive. Here is a quick breakdown of the two months. July The numbers for July look impressive, particularly with non-busway buses which saw double digit growth, ...1 week ago - Future for two ITPs lies in commissioner connecting to staff and communities
Press release 18 September 2018 Future for two ITPs lies in commissioner connecting to staff and communities Staff at Whitireia and Weltec polytechnics are resigned to the fact that the Minister of Education will be appointing a commissioner to replace ...1 week ago - Netsafe defends freedome of the pressLast week, rich prick Ray Avery tried to use the Harmful Digital Communicatins Act to suppress media coverage about him. But approved agency Netsafe has rejected his complaint:Internet regulator Netsafe has declined to pursue a complaint by entrepreneur Sir Ray ...1 week ago
- Belgium stands up for freedom of speech in SpainBack in February, Spain sentenced rapper Valtonyc to three and a half years in prison for insulting the monarch. He promptly fled the country. Now, a Belgian court has refused to extradite him:A Belgian court on Monday ruled that Spanish ...1 week ago
- Freyberg Place to become a pedestrian mall
Some good news yesterday with Auckland Transport announcing that Freyberg Square will be changed to a pedestrian mall following their consultation a few months ago. It’s a simple but important change that will see the retractable bollards defaulted to being ...1 week ago - Proactive releaseIn a major victory for transparency, the government will start proactively releasing Cabinet papers:Cabinet papers will be proactively released, Minister of State Services Chris Hipkins announced today. The move is part of the Government’s wider plan to improve openness and ...1 week ago
- HealthCarePlus Newsletter Spring 2018HealthCarePlus is a not-for-profit incorporated society that assists participating union members and their families access to competitive health cover. Read the latest HealthCarePlus newsletter here ...1 week ago
- Novichock detection and the Salisbury touristsImage credit: EU Today. The Salisbury novichok poisonings are a real can of worms. Media coverage is obviously politically, rather than scientifically, driven. Social and mass media reporting is highly partisan and the scientific components and reports (which are ...1 week ago
- Council add expectations to Auckland Transport
Every year Auckland Transport publishes a Statement of Intent (SOI) which sets out what they plan to achieve for the next three years, how they’ll monitor their performance and how they will contribute to the longer-term outcomes Auckland Council aims ...1 week ago - Doctoral theses in Māori: Advice for universitiesIntroduction – writing in te reo Māori at university Standard university policies in Aotearoa-New Zealand allow for any essay or dissertation to be submitted in te reo Māori as an official language, given suitable assessment arrangements are made. Alongside other ...1 week ago
- California plans to show the world how to meet the Paris climate targetLast week, California Governor Jerry Brown signed State Senator and US Senate candidate Kevin de León’s SB 100, which mandates that the state obtain all of its electricity from zero-carbon sources by 2045. That in itself was a big deal, but ...1 week ago
- Bring them homeIn 2016, Labour promised that they would withdraw kiwi troops from Iraq if elected. They lied:New Zealand will extend its military presence in Iraq until June 2019, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced. Cabinet signed off on five military deployments on ...1 week ago
- Predator-free Waiheke?Over the weekend the government announced an ambitious plan to make Waiheke Island predator-free:Waiheke Island is set to become the world's largest predator-free urban island under a bold new $11 million plan to rid the Hauraki Gulf Island of rats ...1 week ago
- No more charter schoolsNational's charter schools are now officially dead:All 12 of New Zealand's charter schools have been approved for transition to state integrated schools. It marks the end to a rather short era. [...] "We have worked with the charter schools to ...1 week ago
- The police owe us some answers on Thompson & ClarkBack in March, the State Services Commission began an inquiry into government departments' use of Stasi-as-a-service firm Thompson & Clark. But there's one significant group which appears to have a deep and disturbing collaboration with TCIL which isn't covered by ...1 week ago
The police owe us some answers on Thompson & Clark
Back in March, the State Services Commission began an inquiry into government departments' use of Stasi-as-a-service firm Thompson & Clark. But there's one significant group which appears to have a deep and disturbing collaboration with TCIL which isn't covered by ...
1 week ago
The police owe us some answers on Thompson & Clark
Back in March, the State Services Commission began an inquiry into government departments' use of Stasi-as-a-service firm Thompson & Clark. But there's one significant group which appears to have a deep and disturbing collaboration with TCIL which isn't covered by ...
1 week ago
The police owe us some answers on Thompson & Clark
Back in March, the State Services Commission began an inquiry into government departments' use of Stasi-as-a-service firm Thompson & Clark. But there's one significant group which appears to have a deep and disturbing collaboration with TCIL which isn't covered by ...
1 week ago
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