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- So: Beneficiary Bashing is “back in season” in NZ yet again?
Sunday night brought out the dogs again from the National Party. National’s Deputy Leader, our former Deputy PM in fact under the last Government, Paula Bennett, was in her usual form when it came to issues of welfare: spading low-rent, ...59 mins ago - Time for redistribution
Oxfam released a report yesterday pointing out that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Its the usual story, with the twist that New Zealand's two richest men increased their wealth by only slightly less than ...4 hours ago - This isn’t justiceRobert Roper is a rapist and child abuser. In addition to raping his own children, he raped and harassed women at his workplace, RNZAF Whenuapai, crimes which the air force effectively covered up. After his conviction, one of his victims ...5 hours ago
- Why Carmageddon never comes
The fear associated with even temporary reductions in road capacity in Auckland is often so extreme that this report from Joe Cortright in City Observatory, Why Carmaggedon never comes (Seattle edition), is worth drawing to everyone’s attention. It takes the ...9 hours ago - 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #3
Story of the Week... Analysis of the Week... Toon of the Week... SkS in the News... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Reviews... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... Climate Forecast: World ...1 day ago - A Fare Comparison
Last week I wrote about free fares and as expected, it generated plenty of discussion. The issue of fares is one that comes up quite often and while I think there are more important things we need to address, such ...1 day ago - Media release: Scrap the minimum wage and replace it with the living wage
For Immediate Release Tuesday, 8 January 2019 Scrap the minimum wage and replace it with the living wage If New Zealand wants a society in which workers can live on what they earn, it’s time to scrap the ‘minimum wage’ ...2 days ago - Unions – reclaiming the best of our past
( Third of a series, see also Unions need “ much larger systematic change” and Three suggestions for the NZ Council of trade unions) by Don Franks A recent union survey found workers incomes falling behind the cost of living and ...2 days ago - 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #3
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Jan 13 through Sat, Jan 19, 2019 Editor's Pick ‘It’s like hell here’: Australia bakes as record temperatures nudge 50C Fears ...2 days ago - New research, January 7-13, 2019
A selection of new climate related research articles is shown below. Climate change impacts Mankind Mortality risk from heat stress expected to hit poorest nations the hardest Migration as a human affair: Integrating individual stress thresholds into quantitative models of ...3 days ago - Limiting Lime Scooters to 10kph
A couple of days ago Stuff reported that the government was considering limiting the speed of Lime scooters on footpaths to 10 kph, as part of a broader suite of changes. Work is under way on law changes that will impose a ...4 days ago - Places to go, people to beNothing from me today - I'm off to Wellington to participate in KapCon, Wellington's annual rpg convention. Monday is a public holiday,so normal bloggage should resume Tuesday. ...4 days ago
- Silence Of The Lambs: Why Is The CTU Saying So Little About The Resident Doctors’ Struggle?
4 days ago - The Politics Of Distraction.
4 days ago - Moving more cars
It’s mid-January and many of us probably wish we could still be out enjoying the sun rather than sitting in an office (for those of us who work in offices). With people back at work, also back is Auckland’s traffic, ...4 days ago - Why resident doctors are striking
RDA picket, Auckland Hospital; Pic by Abigail Dougherty/Stuff by Peggy Stewart Junior doctors who are members of the Residents Doctors Association (RDA) have been striking ...5 days ago- Speak Up for Women launches campaign
On January 14 the Speak Up for Women Campaign was launched. This campaign is to oppose the current state of the Birth, Deaths, Marriages and Relationship Registrations bill and its proposals for sex self-identification. ...5 days ago- A threat to democracy
People have also suspected that New Zealand's spy agencies saw people who wished to limit their powers, cut their budgets, or disestablish them as a "threat" to "national security". And it turns out they were right. According to former Green ...5 days ago- Well, that blew up.
The Gillette ad reaction is really demonstrating why some men think the phrase "toxic masculinity" means "all masculinity is toxic": because they can't imagine a masculinity which isn't. Dream better things for yourselves, guys. — Stephanie Rodgers 🌹 (@bootstheory) January ...5 days ago- The causes and economic consequences of rising regional housing prices (part 3)
This is a post from Peter Nunns. See Part 1 here and Part 2 here. In the first two posts in this series I introduced the postgraduate research project I’ve been working on, which looks at the causes and economic consequences of ...5 days ago- Book Review: Saudi America
Before I read the book, I had already read a few articles about it, saw a youtube video, and listened to two podcasts. It was the last podcast, on NPR's new Stateimpact Pennsylvania Energy Explained, that triggered me to actually ...6 days ago- 432-202
So, that worked out well for Theresa May. I wonder if she is anticipating a discrete visit from some men in gray suits? The woman has more lives than a cat. She should have gone after the 2017 election disaster. ...6 days ago- Why is NZ business opposed to behaving ethically?
In the wake of several high-profile cases of being bitten by the immoral behaviour of companies it has outsourced to, the New Zealand government is planning to impose a code of conduct requiring its suppliers to behave lawfully and ethically ...6 days ago- Brexit Explained
For most New Zealanders, Brexit remains an impenetrable mystery – and, as the saga lurches from one crisis to the next, (most recently, with the rejection of Theresa May’s “exit deal” by the House of Commons) – the British are ...6 days ago- What happens now?
This morning the UK parliament voted on Theresa may's Brexit deal - and as expected voted it down in the biggest defeat for a UK government in the democratic era. So what happens now? The problem is that no-one can ...6 days ago- New Albert St video, same design problem
The most contentious issue with the City Rail Link these days is how Albert St will be reinstated following all of the construction works. It’s important we get it right and time is short given the trench is already starting ...6 days ago- Hard News: Cannabis reform is a serious matter – so be serious about it
I've wondered here several times where an organised "no" campaign in next year's cannabis referendum might come from. Outside of Family First, it's still hard to tell where the opposition emerges. But I think what we are starting to hear ...7 days ago- The Art of the Deal
Back in 1987, Donald Trump published a book that was part autobiography and part extended essay on how to become a winning negotiator. The Art of the Deal became a number one bestseller, and it was one of the things ...7 days ago- 100 years ago today: Rosa Luxemburg, murdered January 15, 1919
Pic: Der Spiegel Today, January 15, 2019, marks the 100th anniversary of the murder of one of the finest revolutionaries of all, Rosa Luxemburg. She ...7 days ago- The Meaning of Inequality
When I stepped down as Vice-Chancellor of Waikato University in 2004, I was fortunate enough to spend a few months in Oxford as a Visiting Fellow of Nuffield College. The Warden of the College at that time was Professor A.B. ...1 week ago- Fiji: Criminalising the opposition again
The Fijian government has introduced a Code of Conduct Bill, ostensibly setting standards for politicians and public servants and a body to receive complaints about them. But when you read the fine print, it turns out that its just a ...1 week ago- Twelve fun facts about National’s failed housing policies for Parmjeet Parmar to consider
. . A recent story by Daily Blogger, Martyn Bradbury, raises serious questions about National’s questionable track record around state housing. National’s List MP, Dr Parmjeet Parmar, has launched a scathing attack on Housing NZ on social media and in a ...1 week ago- Thinking about free fares
Usually about once a year, often around this time, the issue of public transport fares comes up, often in relation to Auckland Transport’s annual fare review. Sometimes the discussion revolves around whether we should have fares at all. That debate ...1 week ago- “Generals gathered in their masses…”: The Expansion of Empire continues unabated
There are deeply troubling things afoot… and nobody seems to have quite the spine to call it what it is these days. The few who do, relegated to the confines of the alternative media, or when in Office, told to ...1 week ago- The police keep on killing
The police killed three people in a pursuit in Christchurch last night:Police said they began the pursuit after a vehicle was seen speeding in the city centre at about 11.13pm. They said it is believed the car continued to drive ...1 week ago- Name and Shame Time
I get pretty sick of faceless organisations whose senior people fail to stand up and face the music when they make blunders or outrageous claims. Despite unleashing its obscene affront to New Zealand’s native heritage a week ago and inciting ...1 week ago- 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #2
Story of the Week... Analysis of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Once derided, ways of adapting to climate change are gaining steam Recognition ...1 week ago- Is Auckland Council going to ruin the Drury growth area?
The largest of the three new greenfield growth areas on the edge of Auckland is to the south and most of that will occur around Drury – both to the east and the west of the Southern Motorway. This has ...1 week ago- Just remember, Caligula toyed with the idea of his horse as Consul…
We’re in such safe hands are we not? Every day the balls-to-the-wall musings of Hunter S. Thompson and his read on the politics of his day makes more and more sense… certainly more sense than some of the ramblings we ...1 week ago- Playing us for suckers.
Huawei NZ has offered to only use NZ citizens to install its 5G equipment as part of the national broadband upgrade. It does so because of concerns about Chinese constitutional reforms that require all Chinese citizens to serve the interests ...1 week ago- Wine, capitalism and your health
by Don Franks According to Benjamin Franklin, “Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance”. Ben never drove through Marlborough – New Zealand’s ...1 week ago- 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #2
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Jan 6 through Sat, Jan 12, 2019 Editor's Pick World's Oceans Are Warming Faster, Studies Show, Fueling Storms and Sea Rise ...1 week ago- The ocean is not enough, Mr Wilson
Auckland's One Big Thing. It's something I've long argued the city needs, as have many others. Something to act as an anchor, focal point and symbol in this city that so lacks identity.read more ...1 week ago- Resisting the US government shutdown
Pic: NDTV by The Spark As the US government shutdown enters its third week, almost a million workers have been sent home or are ...1 week ago- New research, January 1-6, 2019
A selection of new climate related research articles is shown below. Climate change Temperature, precipitation, wind Spatial modelling of summer climate indices based on local climate zones: expected changes in the future climate of Brno, Czech Republic Comparison of the ...1 week ago- Flashback Saturday – Is less congestion actually a good thing?
Every weekend we dig into the archives. This post by Matt was originally published in July 2014. It almost goes without saying that congestion is a terrible thing, so bad that it justifies the spending of massive amounts of public ...1 week ago- People of the same trade seldom meet together … but the conversation ends in a conspiracy
[Ed's note: In December of 2018, this Stuff article appeared. Due to a mix of technical glitches and summer slackness, we're only just now posting Prof Ahdar's wry and satirical take on it.read more ...2 weeks ago- Fanning The Flames.
F.Anning Discontent: Far-Right politicians like Fraser Anning (above right) are highly-skilled at exploiting racially charged narratives, such as Melbourne's "African Gangs" controversy, to broaden the appeal of Conservative Australia’s anti-immigrant crusade.FRASER ANNING is one of those political figures who populate ...2 weeks ago- David Farrar – fomenting happy mischief at other people’s expense
. . A recent ‘tweet’ on social media from right-wing blogger, David Farrar, caught my eye and raised an eye-brow to make a Vulcan proud; . . The ‘tweet’ linked back to a short blogpost on Farrar’s “Kiwiblog“; ...2 weeks ago- Lime trial extended
Good news yesterday with Auckland Council announcing they would extend Lime’s e-scooter trial till the end of March – it had been due to expire this coming Monday. Along with the extension, Lime will also be implementing some changes, such ...2 weeks ago- How Neoliberal is the Government?
The awarding of a knighthood to accountant Rob McLeod raises some interesting questions about the attitude of the government to Rogernomics. I am not competent to judge McLeod’s worthiness for the award; I am a republican and do not approve ...2 weeks ago- Access: The long road to real space
About a year ago, my younger son asked me if I'd like to play a video game. I'm really not a gamer, but he wanted me to see it and he was happy to make it easy for me by ...2 weeks ago- New Fisk
2 weeks ago- Taking back control
Brexit day is fast approaching, and the UK government seems to have no plan. Their deal is so despised that it will not pass the required parliamentary vote, while their contingency plans seem to rely on wishful thinking and ferries ...2 weeks ago- Something to be proud of
New Zealand is the world's 4th most democratic country, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit:New Zealand remains the world's fourth most democratic country, while the United States remains a "flawed democracy", the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) says. According to the ...2 weeks ago- The causes and economic consequences of rising regional housing prices (part 2)
This is a post from Peter Nunns. See Part 1 here. Last week I gave an overview of the postgraduate research project I’ve been working on this year. It looks at the causes and economic consequences of rising regional housing prices ...2 weeks ago- Do the right thing Minister, support Taratahi students and staff
Following the news yesterday that people working at the Taratahi Institute of Agriculture could be forced to go without pay, the Tertiary Education Union (TEU) called on the Minister to step in immediately to support those affected and their families. ...2 weeks ago- Hard News: Music: Telling Stories
Amid the calm of the holidays, in the blessed present between the race to wrap up 2018 and the need to envision the year ahead, a series of stories have flipped me way back up the river, into my own ...2 weeks ago- More government spying
The Herald has disturbing news this morning: MBIE has recently signed a contract to train its staff in using fake social media profiles to spy on people: The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has hired a security firm to ...2 weeks ago- Why is the SPCA in New Zealand such a sick outfit?
If it only kept to its core business of preventing wanton cruelty to animals by those who get their jollies from such activity, the NZ SPCA would be worthy of respect. But it hasn’t done that for years. The leadership ...2 weeks ago- Rural highway conundrums
Transport spending, like everything else, is all about trade-offs. There are a lot of improvements to be made and only a limited pot of funding from which do them and so those improvements need to be prioritised. One of the ...2 weeks ago- Holy Crap!
I've been doing this for almost 12 years! Highlights?Probably blogging about Louis Rawnsley, which - in a tiny, tiny way - contributed to him getting a payout from TVNZ.Ranting about Mohammed Haneef, which probably made no difference to him, but ...2 weeks ago- Unions need “much larger systematic change”
by Don Franks It’s summer time, but the living’s not easy. A New Zealand Council of trade unions cost of living and income survey done last week uncovered distress. Of the 1195 respondents, 70% reported their incomes weren’t keeping up with the ...2 weeks ago- MP mobbed by thugs
2 weeks ago- Republicans call for ‘innovation’ to tackle climate change, but it’s not magic
Limiting global warming to less than the Paris Climate Agreement target of 2°C (3.6°F) hotter than pre-industrial temperatures will require a rapid global transition away from fossil fuels. That’s a point on which the scientific community strongly agrees. If we ...2 weeks ago- Another “labour shortage”
Hawke's Bay apple growers are whining about a seasonal "labour shortage" and demanding they be subsidised by immigrant labour again. But the "labour shortage" is illusory - its not that there is a shortage of people to do the work, ...2 weeks ago- The US is actually unique for not valuing life!
"...that’s what sets America apart from every other country; we value life. That is what makes us unique.” - Sarah SandersThere is a high level of delusion operating in the White House. The stream of mistruths that come out of ...2 weeks ago- Ongoing New Year’s Eve debacles symptom of a bigger problem
Despite some very small and (seemingly) reluctant steps by Auckland Transport to close off parts of the city centre to traffic on New Year’s Eve, there was still a dangerous and very messy situation with cars mingling with thousands of ...2 weeks ago- Skeptical Science takes the Pro-Truth-Pledge
Skeptical Science has been fighting misinformation about human-caused climate change since the website was launched in 2007. But with the rise in prevalence of fake news over the last few years, protecting truth and facts has become more important than ever. ...2 weeks ago- 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #1
Story of the Week... Editorial of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Katharine Hayhoe: 'A thermometer is not liberal or conservative' ...2 weeks ago- We need higher pay for local councillors
Everyone hates politicians. But sensible people recognise that they need to be paid - firstly, because they work hard for us, secondly, to prevent corruption, and thirdly, so that politics isn't the exclusive domain of the independently wealthy who can ...2 weeks ago- It can’t happen here
Over in the US, they're in the second week of a government shutdown - an event so regular in their dysfunctional, ramshackle "democracy" that it has a name and a list on Wikipedia. And in NZ, curious people are asking ...2 weeks ago- 2019 – The year ahead
With 2019 now underway, and following my wrap up of 2018 last week, I thought it would be good to look at some of the things we can expect from the year ahead. In no particular order. City Rail Link ...2 weeks ago- 2018 – the year that weirdly was (2)
. . Continued from part one… In many respects, 2018 was a strange year in politics. From weird gender-focused terminology to ongoing subterranean machinations within the National Party as it came to grips with being in Opposition – 2018 ...2 weeks ago- 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #1
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Dec 31, 2018 through Sat, Jan 5, 2019 Editor's Pick A Terrifying Sea-Level Prediction Now Looks Far Less Likely But experts ...2 weeks ago2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #1A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Dec 31, 2018 through Sat, Jan 5, 2019 Editor's Pick A Terrifying Sea-Level Prediction Now Looks Far Less Likely But experts ...2 weeks ago2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #1A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Dec 31, 2018 through Sat, Jan 5, 2019 Editor's Pick A Terrifying Sea-Level Prediction Now Looks Far Less Likely But experts ...2 weeks ago2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #1A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Dec 31, 2018 through Sat, Jan 5, 2019 Editor's Pick A Terrifying Sea-Level Prediction Now Looks Far Less Likely But experts ...2 weeks ago - Speak Up for Women launches campaign
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