Weekend Social 10/11/2017
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5:19 pm, November 10th, 2017 - 31 comments
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Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever.
No politics, no aggro, why can’t we all just get along?
31 comments on “Weekend Social 10/11/2017 ”
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Returning to the model that was failing for most polytechnics and Institutes of Technology is not the answer. ...2 days ago
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Itâs been revealed that National has cancelled 60 percent of its housing projects planned before mid-2025 amidst housing woes. ...3 days ago
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The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...3 days ago
- Release: Why not both? Luxon shuns Waitangi celebrations
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is running away from problems of his own creation, with his decision not to go to Waitangi. ...3 days ago
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The Governmentâs planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...3 days ago - Release: Nicola Willis spirals country deeper into recession
The economy shrank 1% this quarter and New Zealand has tumbled into the depths of a recession of Nicola Willisâ making. ...3 days ago
- Release: Hikes for company directors but not ordinary Kiwis
Working people are going backwards while company directors are being given huge pay hikes. ...4 days ago
- ECE no place to cut corners
The Ministry of Regulationâs report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whÄnau, and kaiako. ...4 days ago
- Release: Strengthening Justice Services for New Zealanders
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...5 days ago
- Release: Labour will continue fight against destructive projects
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under Nationalâs Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...5 days ago
- Green Government will revoke dodgy fast-track projects
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...5 days ago
- Government for the wealthy keeps pushing austerity
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...5 days ago
- Release: Visa changes let migrant workers be paid less
The Governmentâs latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...5 days ago
- Release: Nightmare before Christmas for Nicola Willis
With more debt and a larger deficit, Nicola Willisâ reputation is in tatters after her failure to return the Governmentâs books to surplus. ...5 days ago
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Te PÄti MÄori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te PÄti MÄori government. This warning comes ahead of todayâs third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...5 days ago
- Release: Govt cuts wages for lowest paid NZers⊠again
For the second year running, the government has effectively cut wages for the lowest paid workers in New Zealand. ...6 days ago
- Govtâs miserly 1.5% minimum wage will take workers backwards
The Governmentâs announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning itâs a real terms pay reduction for many. ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt shirking responsibility for rate hikes
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...6 days ago
- Luxonâs âlocalismâ strikes again
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing.   ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt breaks promise on EV chargers
The Government has failed to keep its promise to âsuper chargeâ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...6 days ago
- Greens call for end to subsidies for Methanex
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the countryâs gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-nationalâs disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...6 days ago
- Govt child poverty targets allow for increase in poverty
The Green Party is appalled with the Governmentâs new child poverty targets that are based on a new âpersistent povertyâ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...1 week ago
- Release: Four weeks annual leave under threat
The Governmentâs attack on workers continues with news it is scrapping work on the Holidays Act. ...1 week ago
- Govtâs emissions plan for measly 1% reduction
New independent analysis has revealed that the Governmentâs Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets.  ...1 week ago
- Greens stand in solidarity with Whakaata MÄori on sad day
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata MÄori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for MÄori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...1 week ago
- Sanctions regime to create more hardship for families
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...1 week ago
- Govt gifts renters housing anxiety for Christmas
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Billâwhich allows landlords to end tenancies with no reasonâignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...1 week ago
- Release: National Party urged to support modern slavery legislation
Labour is urging the Prime Minister to walk the talk and support legislation combating modern slavery. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour has lost confidence in the Speaker
The Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament made an unprecedented decision on the government amendment to the Fast Track Approvals Bill last night. ...2 weeks ago
- One year on, still no progress on new ferries
Todayâs announcement from the Government on its plan for new ferries throws more uncertainty on the future of the countryâs rail network. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Nicola Willisâ smaller ferries will cost more
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...2 weeks ago
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Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Memberâs Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...2 weeks ago
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The Government has done the right thing in moving to ban greyhound racing. ...2 weeks ago
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Just finished Milford Track yesterday.
In a group of 40, just 5 Kiwis.
Te Anau is humming.
How were the sandflies?
Rained too hard on last day to be too much bother even at Sandfly Point.
Wish I was fit enough to keep up Ad. Everyone should do it while it is still there.
With half a metre of snow over McKinnon Pass, Doc helicoptered us all over. Free.
Your taxes, working for youđ
5 out of 40, that’s one eighth Kiwis, that’s 12 half percent for us and the rest to aid the tourists and the companies hosting them. We are so kind to these strangers. Pity we can’t give some life and human caring to the Manus Islanders, we would if the whim of the Australians fell that way. Perhaps we could get some Australian politicians to visit us and climb some high peaks and need our help. Well we want you to call to your Minister in charge of being beastly. We can’t see our way to proceeding without an agreement for immediate action that is published to all the major world newspapers.
It is a nice daydream, what can be done to take it into the realm of fact?
Sorry it seems political. But it is just a daydream about not feeling disengaged, can be disregarded.
Milford is a ppp hybrid.
Maybe we can send aid to the refugees on Manus. For example, medical care, food and tents/accommodation.
Preferably on an armed frigate.
Have to be soon. They should be getting the frigging frigate and med supplies, personnel ready now.
Nice one!
Try the Routeburn next, then the Kepler…
Routeburn was awesome both times.
Heaphy next.
Then Rakiura just for Gog, Magog, and the Jewelled Skink there.
Just ordered my Leafcutter Bee Cocoons having made my own bee house. Said to be great pollinators. 10 times better than honey bees. Buzzz
What’s a leaf cutter bee?
A leaf cutter is a very gentle non stinging bee. Not social so no hive to protect. Hairy body collects the pollen. lays an egg inside a hole, rolls a leaf to cover the hole and feeds the emergent nectar. Goes to any flower. May take over from diminishing honey bees for pollenation. But no honey. Smaller than a honey bee. I drilled untreated wood with 50 plus 10 mil holes and a roof to keep the rain off. Fun eh?
that’s very cool. Big fan of actively building habitat for insects.
We have bees for Africa around our orange trees which are in full bloom at present – just hope the oranges are as plentiful as this season to make heaps of marmalade!! I would love to set up a hive in our backyard, but my lovely husband is not at all keen and he doesn’t like honey though I’ve got through to him that we must preserve and look after our bees, they are just so important to our overall wellbeing.
A friend won an auction for a hive for her back yard. Loves it. Bee keeper visits to maintain it and they get half the honey. 17kg I think. Wish our place was big enough for a hive. I read somewhere that city hives were being set up on high rise rooftops.
Here’s a link…
https://creativewoodcraft.co.nz/collections/leafcutter-bees
But do you get honey?
Huge, huge family pressure has me planting both globe and Jerusalem artichokes. Had problems obtaining the yam type –root cutting, but a greeny type–long hair, beard, dirty fingernails type had some, so small beginings as greenery surfacing for both types. globe type need lot of room and I am limited somewhat, so hope I will still be gnawing away on my crop this cold winter. “ARTICHOKES RULE”
cooking a globe artichoke as we speak đ
Taste test please weka. I’ve never tasted either. With so many new varieties of seeds /plants available now there was artichoke under A in my old, old yates book. not gm for sure
Globe artichokes are pretty yummy but a bit fiddly. Google some instructions on best ways to prepare.
Not a great fan of sun chokes, but that’s just a personal thing, lots of people love them.
Some people will get this. I don’t lose my Biscuit unless I want to Kia kaha
For those who cannot walk the Milford and other great tracks of this country I have just finished reading Conn Iggulden’s four novels on the War of the Roses now onto his second novel about Genghis Khan. I don’t normally recommend books as we all have our different tastes, but Conn Iggulden has done a lot of research in writing these novels which include plenty of explanatory notes at the end of each novel.
Snap! I am on book 2 of the War of the Roses – great stuff. I read the Genghis Khan ones a few years ago and was amazed at how CI brought the era to life. The Julius Cesar set was well done also. What do you call a set of four books, a quadiolgy?
Tetralogy. 5 books is a pentalogy. Unless you’re Douglas Adams, in which case it’s a trilogy.
Thanks Andre, always nice to learn something new, now I just have to get my fading memory to remember – it’s getting harder.
Thanks for the heads up on the Julius Caesar novels Janice, but will get later as after I have read the Genghis Khan novels it will be time for a bit of escapism so I will be reading the latest Honor Harrington and her treecat novel.
” No politics, no aggro, why canât we all just get along? ”
OK then.
Brandy and dry ginger ale ,- called a Horse Neck in the USA…
Looking Glass – Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) [audio] – YouTube
This made me feel good about us, thanks Megan.