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Daily Review 10/09/2018
Ghahraman speaks out about online trolls
Open Mike 11/09/2018
Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:00 am, September 11th, 2018 - 259 comments
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259 comments on "Open Mike 11/09/2018"
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Ed 1
17 years ago this happened.
There is still no plausible explanation.
9/11 changed the world.
It gave the U.S. military industrial complex a reason to wage permanent war.
It gave the U.S. political establishment the excuse to rip up civil rights in the U.S.
It changed the world.
And we are expected to believe a fantasy story.
If you are interested in an independent investigation, this Italian film does a good job.
As it says on IMDB, "ZERO has one central thesis: the official version of the events surrounding 9/11 can not be true.
In the words of the Italian daily newspaper, Il Corriere de da Sera, "What results is a sequence of contradictions, gaps, and omissions of stunning gravity." The importance of this film can not be overstated, if its thesis is correct, the justification for declaring the war on terror is built on a series of outrageous lies."
corodale 1.1.1
Dude, that is a slow bit romantic. I'll have a dig, see if I can find a more info dense version that covers the detail on who and why. I saw a good fresh one just last week, got to at least 1,500,000 views before it was removed from youtube.
New Pearl Harbour is an old one but a good one. 6hours of info dense detail, including corruption of military response.
Dukeofurl 1.1.1.1
Do you know that the number of views of Youtube can be faked, same goes for twitter follower numbers.
Oh this interesting story this morning
"On Monday afternoon, four moderate earthquakes were recorded on Geonet's monitoring website and people throughout New Zealand reported feeling the shaking
'But those four quakes never happened. They were what are known as "ghost quakes".
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/106971879/earthquakes-jolt-central-new-zealand
First rule of evidence , never just rely on what people say they saw/felt/remembered.
AsleepWhileWalking 1.2
Of course the official story is not true.
http://behindthegalleycurtain.com
Join and get intelligent discussion. Lots of ex airline employees in there.
gsays 1.3
Things a bit quiet for you Ed?
Thought you would kick off Tuesday with a stoush?
I agree things don't add up.
Officially soft furnishings ablaze were were the cause of Tower 7 to fall.
A plea folks: if you can't add to the discussion in a civil way (be kind), try ignoring it.
mauī 1.4
Kia ora Ed.
Ed 1.4.1
Again. as ever, than you for your support.
cleangreen 1.4.2
Ed 100%
Yes the explosions were heard and reported by many.
So the CIA had to hide something that was lurking under that building.
So it was blown up during the two towers being attacked by terrorists in case they found some evidence of CIA activities always being hidden under the building..
marty mars 1.5
I've got an uncontrollable urge
gsays 1.5.1
Great restraint thanks Marty.
Just leave us to our devices and walk on by.
marty mars 1.5.1.1
I trying, really trying 🙂
Luckily just finishing work – so home to homeschool now and forget this stuff.
greywarshark 1.5.1.1.1
Has someone come up with a term for the September 2011 Twin Towers event like the one for mentioning Nazis and Hitler – I think they called it Godwins Law? How come it keeps showing up? Is Ed a troll? Or just hyper-active?
Ed 1.5.1.1.1.1
I see critical thinking and questioning is discouraged by you and others.
Dukeofurl 1.6
Oh dear…people believe the most amazing things ..because they are on Youtube.
…and the subject of many movies, grassroots movements and fall into a pattern of false terror events involving the USA before it goes to war.
Gulf of Tonkin, Lusitania sinking….
Weapons of mass destruction ring a bell Duke?
Osama bin laden claimed responsibility didnt he.
Saddam said he didnt have WMD and the UN group backed that up.
Whats there to explain…. yeah right airline employees say buildings dont collapse like that ..or something.
Peter chch 1.6.1.1.1
I wonder if they have added 'Hate and blame everything on the USA' Phobia to DSM-V yet?
gsays 1.6.1.1.2
i have no intention of convincing you of anything duke.
in regards to wmd, the UN's position didn't stop the USA military industrial complex going to 'war'.
almost as if going to war was a fait accompli…
in regards to you tube, it didn't start till 2005, and in 2009 was described as: "Providing a safe home for piano-playing cats, celeb goof-ups, and overzealous lip-synchers since 2005." by entertainment weekly.
not bad to generate an opposition to the official line of the most significant event of the 21st century 8 years after the event.
Dukeofurl 1.6.1.1.2.1
OBL used to release his video cassettes to his followers by courier…
millsy 2
Will National include the outlawing of trade unions membership in their 2020 manifesto, along with at will employment and the removal of paid holidays and sick leave? I think that they are gearing up to do that.
Antoine 2.1
No of course not, that is ridiculous. Know your enemy!
Wayne 2.2
Millsy
Is it April 1 today?
There is not the slightest indication (or inclination) that National is going to do any of those things.
Dukeofurl 2.2.1
National has made a fine art of never indicating most of what it will do.
Their supporters are so guillible, I remember being amazed that some even believe Bill English's 'surpluses were stashed away' like a 12 year old would do with a piggy bank.
On cash basis Bill never borrowed less than $6 bill per year in the good years and left the country with $80-90 bill of debt and no plan to pay it back.
Reminds me national NEVER announced the Big State House sell before the election in 2014 either.
It was only announced in the days after the results came in and they were sure of a win.
Sabine 2.2.2
like No tax increases, but hey GST ain't a tax, right? Right?
or the petrol tax increase of 9c per litre +GST. That was announced 3 days before Xmas in 2012
https://www.interest.co.nz/news/62545/govt-hike-petrol-taxes-and-road-user-charges-9-cents-over-three-years-pay-roads-national
Not a peep in the 2011 election about that one.
And the big tax cuts promised so much they bled just talking about it at 2008 election .
They were passed in Nov 2008 and then cancelled in Budget 2009 before coming into effect. Thats was a classic hide the pea on that one.
Dennis Frank 3
"A new wave of left-leaning Democrats are waging a war on the party's corporate wing" https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/10/trump-neoliberal-democratic-party-america
"Even in deep blue Rhode Island – where Democrats are so dominant the 113 member legislature has only 17 Republicans – then-treasurer Gina Raimondo and her fellow Democrats chose to stake their brand on a plan that eviscerated retirement benefits for teachers, firefighters, cops and other public sector workers."
Dennis Frank 3.1
Democrats are traditionally corrupt. "Here in Colorado, where Democrats have been winning elections, the party machine joined with Republicans in 2016 to help the insurance industry crush a universal healthcare ballot measure. At the same time, the administration of Democratic governor John Hickenlooper – a 2020 presidential hopeful – has threatened to sue local communities that try to regulate fossil fuel development."
"And now in 2018 – as climate-change-intensified wildfires torch the state – top Democrats are breaking with the party's grassroots activists and uniting with Republicans to allow oil and gas companies to frack and drill near schools, hospitals and residential neighborhoods. Democratic leaders have taken up that cause even after a series of deadly explosions near oil and gas sites outside Denver"
The US, in all but name, is a corporatocracy.
A country run for corporations.
Since Douglas sold NZ down the river, we have been keen followers.
Dennis Frank 3.1.1.1
True, but let's hope for a Sandernista revolution in the mid-terms. Good on you for the 9/11 revisit, I'll check it out later (have long seen the official story as total crap).
Ed 3.1.1.1.1
The Zero film is excellent.
If Corbyn can effect real change in the UK, maybe our Labour government will also abandon the neoliberal cult.
Andre 3.1.1.1.2
Dennis, I'll bother with this since you seem to be capable of rational thought.
Since WTC7, there have been at least a couple of other high-rise building collapses due to fire alone, that show the features cited by 9/11 troofers as 'proof' of some nefarious inside job fuckery. There's the Plasco building in Teheran, which was steel-framed, and the Almeida building in Sao Paulo which is concrete framed and therefore inherently more fire resistant than steel. I recommend reviewing information and videos about those two collapses when assessing the credibility of claims about WTC7.
I'm an engineer, and although I haven't worked on buildings, a significant part of my career has dealt with highly loaded multi-member structures, material properties at low, room, and high temperatures. With that background, I find the NIST report dealing with the WTC7 collapse completely credible with its highlighting of oddities in the structural design coupled with the geometric changes from thermal expansions leading to the collapse. In contrast, the scattershot allegations of the troofers completely lack credibility on closer examination.
Dennis Frank 3.1.1.1.2.1
It's important to be dispassionate in any critique, examine the situation from all sides. My scepticism re the official story derived initially from a long interview on one of our current affairs tv shows a couple of years later, with a US buildings demolition professional. He recognised the signature while watching the collapses live. Said so.
I suspect, Andre, that you may not have seen that interview. He was touring the world specifically to provide his expert knowledge of the engineering dimension of controlled building demolition to help everyone see that there's a viable alternative explanation. Plane impact alone is insufficient to explain the collapses. Any engineer involved in building skyscrapers knows that designing to withstand such impacts is part of the plan.
I've seen the written statement by the one who had the job of incorporating that design requirement into his construction of the WTC, recall reading his assurance that it was designed and built to absorb such impacts without collapsing.
Andre …
It would be interesting to get that same expert to comment on the Plasco and Almeida collapses. Which happened in 2017 and 2018 respectively, long after those interviews and statements. And show the features cited as 'evidence' of controlled demolition of the WTC towers.
WTC1 and WTC2 did not collapse due to plane impact alone. They both stood for roughly an hour after the plane impacts, with severe fires. They both therefore had the combination of some structural damage which increases the loading on the surviving structural members, coupled with an intense fire in exactly the same location as that structural damage.
Dennis Frank …
Yes, I understand the weakening & delay aspect. Are you aware of the evidence of thermite found later in the basement?
I'm aware of claims of "nano-thermite" and other weird shit. I have yet to see any credible evidence that doesn't have a much more plausible and mundane explanation. Feel free to link to any such evidence.
Dukeofurl …
Evidence….?
Dont you mean speculation
Nope. Actual evidence found via normal detection methods. Years ago, don't recall which source or other details…
gsays …
footage of pulverised concrete, and tiny fragments of steel is my recollection.
would posting a link serve a purpose?
of course you dont recall Dennis…. it was only a minor detail wasnt it..
Its one thing to think the established view lacks credibility…. its completely different to then create another scenario that has the barely remembered flimsiest details.
Ed …
corodale 3.1.1.1.2.2
Dude, If you watch the video he posted you will see it's for real.
This one a bit old, too long, endless detail: September 11 — The New Pearl Harbor (FULL)
More recent videos show impressive detail on the companies, money transactions and people responsable.., but they have censored, I can't find them at the mo.
Just remember the chemtrails tanks would have been mostly full too. You know how hot that shit burns?
Thanks for a gentle dissenting point of view.
I will look at the buildings you indicated.
Officially the line is soft furnishings for Tower 7's demise.
Until you've had to actually deal with the stresses, strength and stiffness losses, and shape changes caused by big temperature changes, it's hard to appreciate what temperature changes can actually do to a structure. Even though I had been fully aware of what the numbers were for all those changes, it didn't hit home for me how real and big the problems created could be until I was responsible for several cockups (fortunately minor). In my cases, the temperature changes involved were less than 150 degrees, not the 600 degree plus changes in a fire.
Another aspect that's not widely understood is that many structures are not expected to survive extreme events and be in perfect usable condition afterwards. The performance criteria are around the structure surviving long enough for everyone inside to safely evacuate. In the case of WTC 1 and 2, most of the killed were trapped above the impact points by the fires, so arguably they met that expectation.
In the case of WTC7, "soft furnishings" is considerably understating how much fuel was available for the fire.
All cool with "Another aspect that's not widely understood is that many structures are not expected to survive extreme events and be in perfect usable condition afterwards"
..usable condition.. is light years away from slumping into its footprint.
Often statements from either side of this topic are not mutually exclusive.
One of the jarring aspects of this to me is the same manner in which all 3 buildings 'fell'.
When the other odd circumstances around the events are considered, things do not add up.
I don't claim to know what happened and would fall into the LIHOP camp rather than the MIHOP.
"… slumping into its footprint…" – review the Plasco and Almeida building collapses.
"… other odd circumstances around the events … " – if you're referring to intelligence failures around detecting the hijackers, the Bush administration failures to take warnings about al-Qaeda seriously and helping Saudi bigwigs scarper immediately after 9/11, I don't have any special knowledge in those areas. I'll just comment that cock-up and a desire to help some buddies seem much more likely to me than an American executive conspiracy to murder thousands of Americans in a manner that's going to generate intense and highly emotional public scrutiny.
yep, " I'll just comment that cock-up and a desire to help some buddies seem much more likely to me than an American executive conspiracy to murder thousands of Americans in a manner that's going to generate intense and highly emotional public scrutiny."
that, in essence, is the achilles heel in my opinion on this.
in weighing this up, for me, there is too much in the 'cock-up' side of things (the hole in the pentagon and an obliterated jet engine and unreleased security footage) to outweigh what you articulated above.
Yeah, Occam's razor. A reasonable view. I ended up with a more complex one, tipped off by the dancing Israelis: a Mossad takeover of the Saudi operation.
You get that kind of stuff in the real world. Espionage history has featured it for yonks. Like sci-fi stories where the alien removes the brain of the human & replaces it or inserts an executive takeover module as implant. All it takes is a good double agent: someone who can front as Arab while employed by Mossad. Not hard.
You could dismiss the dancing Israelis as an urban legend nowadays but when I read the eyewitness accounts (think it was from NJ shore across the water watching a tower collapse) and found them confirmed by others, I took them seriously.
McFlock …
If it was a USGovt conspiracy, the Saudis wouldn't have needed special passage in the first place – they wouldn't have been in the country.
Michael Moore Backs Call to Re-Open Investigation of 9/11 Attacks
big deal.
With the Pentagon plane, I'm acquainted with someone that claims to have seen the plane coming in low in a very odd place consistent with crashing into the Pentagon, then the smoke shortly thereafter. He's not a close acquaintance, but he never gave me reason to think he was a bullshitter.
Did you ever see a photo of where the plane went into the Pentagon? I vaguely recall it looked wrong – as if the plane had somehow dropped its wings off before reaching the building. No aircraft debris whatsoever in the picture they released. On the left & right sides of the hole in the wall, no evidence of wing impacts. Most peculiar!
@Dennis – apparently eyewitnesses closer than my acquaintance reported the plane hit the ground before hitting the building.
It's hard to find any photos of the immediate aftermath before the part of the building above the main impact zone collapsed, but in the pics taken later with fire appliances and/or clean-up vehicles there still appears to be a mark to the left of the main impact zone consistent with a wing impact.
Remember that the only bits of an aircraft that are significantly substantial are the main landing gear/wing box structure, and to a lesser degree the nose landing gear and engine shafts. The rest of the fuselage, wings, and engines is mostly hollow space with little bits of thin weight-optimized lightweight metal.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hunt-the-boeing/
Excellent, thanks Andre. They've done a comprehensive rebuttal of all the points of scepticism. The extra reinforcing of the exterior wall would have been robust enough to deflect everything other than the body of the plane, and if the wings did fold back after the initial bounce then they could have gone in with the fuselage & burnt up.
marty mars …
mate – kia kaha with this bullshit today
I'm only interested in helping people that might still be rational avoid diving down the rabbit hole. I'm not interested in actually joining the tea party at the bottom. I keep reminding myself, who's the bigger idiot: the ranting kook or the one trying to reason with it?
Guess who shared your bizarre conspiracy views on the 9/11 celebrations Dennis
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/11/23/the_long_strange_history_of_the_9_11_celebrations_meme.html
Donald Trump believes that the media owes him an apology for criticizing his claim that he saw "thousands and thousands of people" on television celebrating the destruction of the World Trade Center in Jersey City on 9/11.
Like all things that didnt happen 'everyone' remembers it differently
For Dennis its Israelis
For Trump it was Muslims
Dennis your official Trumpanzee T shirt is in the mail.
Good luck – you can't reason with this stuff – it really is a waste of time but good fun too. I miss travellerev – she had everything relating to this – epic battles with various over the years – now I just find the whole thing idiotic and boring.
Too lazy to read the text so you bullshit instead? Here you go: " the "dancing Israelis." During the attack, a New Jersey homemaker with a view of the twin towers called the police and the FBI after spotting a group of men who appeared to be filming the attack and exhibiting "puzzling behavior." "They were like happy, you know … They didn't look shocked to me," the unnamed witness later recalled. The men were Israeli employees of a Jersey-based moving company and accounts at the time stated they had been on the roof of their company's building, though it was later reported they were on the roof of their van. Either way, five Israeli men were later arrested and interrogated for several days before being deported back to Israel. As ABC reported the following year, the men were investigated by U.S. authorities for connections to Israeli intelligence, but nothing was ever proven."
So, not "dancing" – just not as shocked by a terrorist attack as a NJ suburbanite would expect .
Like those people who went onto Geonet this morning to 'feel' the earthquakes .
Seems reasonable enough until Geonet finds the next day they were Ghost quakes that didnt exist
( Its an automated system which isnt completely accurate)
Rule of thumb. people think they saw/feel /remember the strangest things.
Even stranger when others take that as gospel and 'proof' of some other event.
Loos like Plasco had explosives.
probably nanothermite again /sarc
Explosions.
Do firefighters lie?
Sometimes. Sometimes they simply get things wrong. Sometimes they speak without precision. Sometimes they get mistranslated or taken out of context.
But 911 truthers will invent and exploit any of the above as pious frauds to support the unsubstantiated.
Yeah but don't mistake me for one. Such generalisations as that don't apply to people who have critical faculties and use them. The `dancing Israelis' is just the tag the thing wears as an urban legend. I checked out the eyewitness accounts. Did you??
I didn't continue with the dialogue at lunchtime because I'm not trying to convince you or the other guy. I'm just explaining the evidence I came across the caused me to doubt the official story. You don't normally swallow any official story from any government, do you? You've got a good bullshit detector. I'm surprised you've swallowed this one. I'm neither a believer nor a non-believer, just someone who's found good reasons to doubt the validity of the US govt line. If they lie about almost everything else, why would you automatically assume they tell the truth about this??
Anyway, another memory came up when I went for a walk down the beach: they were high-fiving each other, one of the eyewitnesses said, as they watched the collapse. Obviously any yank watching would think wtf? Very suspicious. Can you think of any other reason for doing high-fives than to celebrate an achievement?
But how do you know what or who you "checked out"? How do you know their memories were recent or accurate? In case you haven't noticed, what people perceive the "other" group as doing tends to be highly inaccurate.
And what does it even matter if some people even do celebrate something bad happening? That in no way means they actually did it. A few Palestinians also celebrated it – so who was connected, the Israelis and the Palestinians?
My bullshit detector warbles shrilly around youtube clips that spend at least 90% of the time talking about fragmentary clips of interviews and the remainder showing the clip itself. And then interweb folk who say they partially remember things that they don't necessarily have a source for, yeah there's a "bullshit hazard" warning there, too. And when posters in discussions about one topic post irrelevancies – yeah, sounds like bullshit.
Compared to all of that, "20 guys, four planes" is the least bullshit explanation there is. Especially now we know that tall buildings on fire do indeed collapse without toppling sideways like a drunkard falling over, as Ed's link happily demonstrated.
Yeah, I did check out the sourcing to establish that the original date of the eyewitness accounts were fresh. Later memories become increasingly unreliable (as you're implying). You're using Occam's razor which is sensible. We only differ on this because I discovered good reasons to decide that it is insufficient to provide a full accounting of the twin towers collapse because I was curious to see if there were flaws in the conspiracy scenario. It turned out to be way more credible than I expected.
I remember that close-up of GWB's reaction to his staffer whispering the news of the attacks in his ear, the non-reaction and continuance of reading from the picture book to the small children in the class. You can't invent shit like that. I suppose you'll be wanting to suggest that Michael Moore faked it. Yeah, right. Because he's leftist?
"Non-reaction"?
So the deep state plans the attack, advises the president in advance, and decide that the best way for him to officially find out about it is for him to be told and do nothing except act casual?
That to you is more likely than someone unprepared to be a president in a time of crisis being told of a crisis while a bunch of cameras are on him?
I would have expected something closer to this. Some decent crisis acting, there.
Remember we aren't the ones who believe a conspiracy theory.
You are.
We choose to be skeptical about the conspiracy theory.
I also chose to be skeptical about Iraq and WMD.
Were you?
I also chose to be skeptical about Syria and chemical weapons.
The thing is, assuming shenanigans because someone doesn't react the way someone else expects them to react is a fool's errand.
I saw tv footage of planes flying into buildings on the day.
I saw a building collapse after sustained fires resulting from those plane crashes.
I saw shitloads of big chunks of debris flying into nearby buildings after both events.
I've worked iron and steel like butter without actually melting it (you're actually more likely to start it burning over a forge – that's really impressive). I've seen aluminium melt into puddles over a naked flame. I've even watched thermite being used to weld rails.
So that's why I don't have too much problem with the Official Story(tm)
The conspiracy theory you believe in is that the US government, everyone on the 911 commission, and so on all conspired to cover up the true causes of building collapses, and decided to blame 20-odd jerks instead of the true cause (nutbar opinions vary on just who did what and how, however).
As for scepticism, I actually think I'm more sceptical about all the events you mention than you actually are. You hear the US or British version and assume the opposite must be true. I tend to go for the side that spreads the least bullshit. Sometimes it's a narrow competition, admittedly. But while the invasion of Iraq smelled like bullshit at the time, Assad using chemical weapons and terrorists bringing down the twin towers… not so much smell, there. A bit in Syria, but Assad smells more.
We disagree.
well, duh.
You act like you're exposing the man behind the curtain, and I think you're actually just peeking up the dresses of several thousand dead bodies.
Let readers decide whether the abuse you spray strengthens the case for the official story.
You do realise that many many experts question the official story?
Quite a small number compared to the rest of the experts in relevant fields who don't see much of a problem with it.
But if you actually want to debate it, which bit(s) of the Official Story(tm) do you actually have a problem with?
Let's start with the easy one: there were several buildings in New York City that collapsed (for any reason caused by any person or persons) on 9/11, right?
I am only prepared to engage when you guarantee civility.
No, because that's me guaranteeing that you won't get offended by something I say.
And I'm not sure that's possible, let alone likely.
All I'll guarantee is that I'll ask straight, serious questions as long as you answer them directly. And if you do the same, then I'll try to answer those directly.
joe90 …
Sad you resort to insults rather than debate.
Dude, to preserve a fantasy about one tragedy you've latched onto a fantasy about another tragedy.
911 was a conspiracy: 20-odd dudes conspired to hijack four aircraft. It was followed by occasional incompetence and frequent cases of cynical opportunism (like the guy who tried to trademark 9/11 for use on "commemorative" junk on the day it happened), but the events were pretty much described in the cliffnotes. No "explosives", no "free-fall speeds", no "inside its own footprint". Bad shit happened, and the immediate causes of that bad shit died when they flew planes into buildings.
Fucking deal with it.
Sounds like you've got your tinfoil hat on.
The official story is real fantasy stuff.
Have some wine.
https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rgs/alice-VII.html
I'm not the one saying that building collapses that don't suit my story must be caused by independant plots to secretly blow up buildings for no reason.
I am merely questioning the official story.
No, you're questioning a second official story of an unrelated event in the jurisdiction of a completely unrelated regime because it tangentially supports the official story that you've worked so hard to disbelieve all these years.
corodale …
https://www.globalresearch.ca/
These guys just say it the way it is. 911, Ukraine, Syria… Intellectual articles, many of them have well referenced books to back up what they are saying.
These guys give five sides to every story, and have puppies!
Dude, I'm not insulting you.
I'm sneering at your intractable fuckwittery.
totally unnessary joe.
the sneering insulting tone is not needed and contributes nothing.
if you disagree scroll past.
Nah, I'm not going to scroll past internet bedwetters who persist with the fantasy that folk who lost their lives in these tragedies were the victims of their own governments.
I'm going to contribute go fuck yourselves, in my most sneering, insulting tone.
Totally necessary, gsays.
So having an opinion different to you gets that level of abuse.
By the way, all I have said is I don't believe the official narrative. I am an agnostic on 9/11. I think a proper inquiry should be held, not the farce that occurred.
It is you that is the fully fledged believer in a conspiracy. Yes, one told to us by a government.
Haven't recent events made you remotely questioning of what governments tell you?
The US Is Empowering Nazis in Ukraine
Ah, Ukrainian Nazis did 911. It all falls into place!
solkta …
It's so obvious in hindsight.
Sorry you missed the comparison.
Another narrative told to us by our governments that is not true.
The secret US coup in Ukraine.
Never mentioned…..
shhhh. That's because it a secret…
greywarshark …
Thanks joe 90
Crazy sprinkler lady is so great. But seriously, everyone is so suspicious now. Lack of trust, everyone is out to get me. I get that feeling too.
Maybe events like Iraq and 9/11 made us suspicious.
If you trust the media and the establishment, more fool you.
Gabby 3.1.2
Who's the Chairman in Colorado franky?
Is President Trump unimpeachable?
The Israeli Zionists call it, "changing conditions on the ground".
After Donald Trump was elected President, Liberal commentators couldn't understand it. Why was the President Trump still holding election type rallies? Doesn't President Trump realise, that now the elections are over, he doesn't need to hold these rallies anymore?
And recently Liberal commentators have noted that whenever the President feels he is in trouble he calls what they dismissively call "comfort rallies".
But are they missing something?
Is President Trump making himself unimpeachable by "changing conditions on the Ground"?
Is President Trump galvanising his support base against any attempt to unseat him?.
Trump is raising money with these rallies, well the private meetings not shown on TV are the ones for the big donors.
New trans-gender thingy: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2018/09/british-parents-to-swap-genders.html "Louise and Charlie Draven, parents to five-year-old Star Cloud, are believed to be the country's first "gender-fluid" family, the Daily Mail reports."
"Star has been teased at school because he doesn't mind playing with dolls and painting his nails – not activities typically associated with boys. There have also been vicious comments left on social media".
"Some of the written comments were horrendous," Charlie told the Mail. "One person wrote that we should kill Star Cloud, before he became a serial killer, committed suicide or killed us. Unbelievable how people could say such dreadful things about a four-year-old."
why are you putting this up? are you looking to cause people to be hurt? you obviously have issues using the word "thingy" – why not be honest and put your view up rather than this sly posting?
Dennis Frank 5.1.1
Don't be silly. It's extremely interesting news! You haven't heard of parents swapping genders before, have you? I bet it's a first timer. Not nice to try & read nasty motives into people that aren't there. I've never done that to you. They seem well-intentioned folk: "We're just an ordinary family being who we want to be." Dunno about ordinary since others will think they are probably the most unusual family on the face of the earth but I get what she/he means…
I just asked the question as you didn't put any context up. Don't blame me if your intentions get misconstrued.
Sabine 5.1.1.2
honestly who the fuck cares?
how really cares other then the heterosexual who believe they can't be heterosexual if someone else is not.
good fucking grief, let people live as they like too, let them find their sexuality that they like best, let them fuck – with full consent of all involved- as they like.
It is not as if they are fucking up your bedroom.
good fucking grief.
Alex Jones at Infowars called on Trump supporters to mount a civil war against the "Liberal establishment" on July 4, if they tried to topple Trump as President.
Liberals and democrats treated it as a big joke. And Yukked it up with "2nd Civil War letters".
Jul 5, 2018 … Parody letters from a "second civil war" to topple Donald Trump flood Twitter on the Fourth of July….
However lighthearted, the #secondcivilwarletters do carry an extra layer of poignancy given a recent Cards Against Humanity poll that found about one-third of U.S. voters said they believed a second civil war would take place in the next decade….
It should never be forgotten amongst all this guffawing, that Hitler was once considered a joke as well.
Efforts to "topple Trump" are now being actualised, And Trump himself has spoken of violence if Republicans lose the midterms…..
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/28/donald-trump-midterms-private-meeting-church-antifa
Ffloyd 7
I hope Jacinda dosn't spend too much time on Clare Curran's resignation. I can't see what all the fuss is about. Only she knows full circumstances and what can or cannot be revealed about Clares situation and if she doesn't play ball with media it should be shut down as soon as possible. Refusal to keep on engaging in this now old happening should get the Nats rustling their tutus with indignant flouncing. Time to move on to real news.
Ngungukai 7.1
Jacinda should reply with "No Comment" and shut it down asap "DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS IN MSM ?"
Wayne 7.1.1
Prime Ministers can't deal with issues by "no comment".
In any event the Clare Curran issue is basically over. It's the Meka Inquiry next.
BM 7.2
Most open and transparent government ever. 🙄
Draco T Bastard 7.2.1
Certainly more open than the previous government.
cleangreen 7.2.1.1
100% Draco.
SHG 7.3
The fire won't go out while Curran keeps pouring petrol on it:
Chris T 8
Abby Hartley has died in Bali
The stress for this family…heart goes out to them.
AB 8.2
Yes, very sad indeed.
But as you are a right-winger I know you believe (or claim to believe) in "personal responsibility" which would include organising proper travel insurance. I also know that right wingers are concerned (or claim to be concerned) about the "moral hazard" of governments bailing out individuals from the consequences of their "bad decisions".
Or perhaps you don't really believe in these principles at all, but have merely weaponised them as tools to attack the poor and defend privilege., and can quite happily overlook them if it serves your interests to do so?
Chris T 8.2.1
Presuming you can judge my entire political and philosophical leanings from a few posts of mine you have read on here, and then making massive assumptions of my opinions
Do you read palms as well?
AB 8.2.1.1
Nope – but I recognize cardboard cut-outs pretty well.
Perhaps right wingers are getting used to the public doing the right thing and paying up when insurance companies go absent.
Christchurch quakes.
Bailout SCF.
2008 GCF.
Privatise profit, socialise risk.
James 8.2.3
Is this really a subject to be political about?
It's tragic what has happened. Best left alone by all.
gsays 8.2.3.1
yep, you are right james.
i got wound up early this morning, and regretted the comment too late to delete.
my apologies for my insensitivity.
Agreed – which is why I had a go at Chris T. And why you should pass the same sentiment on to Simon Bridges, Duncan Garner et al.
Chris T 8.2.3.2.1
You had a wee tantrum at me over a post I made that had zero opinion in it other than it was sad she had died.
Draco T Bastard 8.2.3.3
Yes because it's an obvious failure of capitalism and the profit drive.
mary_a 8.2.3.4
James (8.2.3) … I agree with you. This tragedy is not an issue to be made political. However David Seymour has already done that, as in the article below, when he says "… Abby was let down by the insurance company and the government."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/106976756/new-zealand-woman-abby-hartley-ill-in-bali-hospital-has-died
Very sad RIP
"Speaking on the AM Show on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was saddened to hear of Hartley's death but stood by the Government's decision.
"I wish I was in a position to have helped, that's fair to say."
Ardern said this was not an isolated case. There are 3000 people seeking MFAT help and 280 medical emergency cases, she said."
I'm sorry but that is a small number of citizens who, no doubt, need help urgently. The Government COULD help easily. There is no precedent, there is no floodgates – it is basic caring for citizens. Shame on this government for sitting on their hands around this issue.
dV 8.3.1
They had travel issuance, but the company refused cause of preexisting conditions.
I for one would like to know the company who refused.
It might of been fair enough, but I like to know more.
Cinny 8.3.1.1
The insurance company should be named and shamed.
Instead seymour would rather point the finger at the government. People like seymour who is politicizing a persons death for their own gain makes me sick.
Gosman 8.3.1.1.1
You mean politicising people's deaths like this?
""This is what this election should be about. This is what we should be debating – do we have a tolerance for kids dying because our houses are in such a bad state? Do we tolerate this?" Ardern said."
Cinny 8.3.1.1.1.1
No Gosman, not like that.
That is multiple deaths in our own country, totally different scenario.
Re the lady dying in Bali….. a shoddy insurance company, which no one wants to name is to blame. Not the government.
Didn't simon brag he had raised the money for her to come home?
Why aren't the media/opposition etc going after the insurance company?
Gosman …
Translation: "It isn't the same because I support the person making the claim and the policies that are being promoted as a result of politicising the deaths".
Chuck …
So an NZer dying in another country is not the same? wow, that is cold.
The family made the decision not to name the insurance company (if you look they have said why).
Cinny …
If the government of the day isn't doing enough, what do chuck and gossy do to help others?
As for me, I've an open home policy, and most of the kids in the neighbourhood come here to play, eat, have fun and be safe. No matter who the government is or who their parents vote for.
Yes it's tragic what has happened, and if we've learnt anything from it, we've discovered to take thorough care when choosing medical insurance for off shore travel.
Deepest sympathies to the family.
Draco T Bastard 8.3.1.1.1.2
Not the same.
Some are politicizing this for their own, personal, gain.
Other are trying to fix things for everyone.
Or at least try and convince themselves they are doing that.
Draco T Bastard …
You're projecting again.
James 8.3.1.1.2
It is in pretty much every article on it – so I'm guessing you aren't reading them.
I really think that this is not a subject we should be political about. A lady has died – it's not a point scoring game (not said necessarily to you cinny)
The owners want it that way- as the advertisers are the people to please, and they let them know it.
years ago I remember some newly retired/redundant ?newspaper guy talking about having to take all the calls every time the Telecom head PR person wasnt happy about 'something they read'
Agree with you there James.
A lady has died – it's not a point scoring game
Obviously some think it is. Others want to find out what went wrong to prevent it happening again.
James Thrace 8.3.1.1.3
Checkpoint named the insurer as covermore.
cleangreen 8.3.1.1.4
100% Cinny,,
I heard it may have been AA travel Insurance.
Kevin 8.3.1.2
Did the company refuse a pre-existing condition, or was it not declared? I have only heard the latter in this case. All the travel insurance I have used in the past has covered pre-existing conditions but for a higher premium.
veutoviper 8.3.1.2.1
I have only heard that the pre-existing condition was not declared, Kevin. This may be wrong, but if it isn't, then … And if you have a pre-existing condition such as previous instances etc of twisted bowel, then you know about it and the risks.
How many ordinary Kiwis could afford a 'Bali 2nd Honeymoon' for the whole family ?
We are all ordinary.
I'm sorry but that is a small number of citizens who, no doubt, need help urgently. The Government COULD help easily.
280 * 200,000 = $56,0000,0000
That's just to bring them home.
Good you agree.
McFlock 8.3.3.2
And using the RNZAF 757 would be cheaper.
ankerawshark 8.3.3.2.1
Just on this issue of this poor woman dying in Bali. My sympathies to the family.
And in line with preventing it happening again, I have wondered about booking insurance, especially travel insurance on-line. It may be that it isn't entirely clear about declaring a pre-existing condition (I seem to remember this being the case). When you are talking to a real person and they ask you the question directly it may clarify for some about pre-existing medical conditions.
On a related note we had to bring our boy (young man) back from Malaysian after he was knocked unconscious and hospitalized. Long story and we did contact MFAT, but it became very clear there was very little they could offer (not a criticism as such). But we did get him home (it took five days to get him on a plane and it was one of the most stressful things I have ever been through). He didn't have insurance. He would not have been counted in MFATs statistics I believe.
greywarshark 8.3.4
FGS NZ can't even afford to help 'ordinary' NZ citizens trying to have a life in NZ and people think we should find money so that people who suffer health problems overseas should get cosseted. Get real. Tourists who come here die because of our carelessness and we have trouble responding to that and have been criticised.
People who can afford to travel overseas are taking a risk, that cannot be denied. There are various diseases to be vaccinated against but septicaemia and the like seems to be devastating. Bad things happen so be well insured. The country can't offer medical treatment to all NZs overseas.
This is very stark.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/100079659/kiwi-recovering-from-flesheating-disease-nightmare
A 2006 study revealed that numbers of Kiwis contracting the disease rose from fewer than 10 cases a year in 1990 to more than 70 cases a year in 2006.
Of the 812 cases studied in that 20 year period, 148 people died – a 21 per cent fatality rate…
Carina said she "cried rivers", but couldn't dwell on the negatives.
She was the driving force being the whole ordeal, organising medical insurance, keeping the family informed, liaising with doctors and organising flights back to New Zealand and cancelling their prepaid trip to Bali during September….
Finally, nearly a month after he arrived in Dubai, Sykes was flown back to New Zealand on a stretcher, hooked up to an IV, accompanied by his wife, a doctor and a nurse.
Then it was straight into Middlemore Hospital in Auckland for another couple of weeks, where he had more surgeries to clean the wounds and multiple skin grafts to cover them.
He is left with massive cosmetic scarring and faces with months, if not years, of rehabilitation.
Lesson. Don't skimp on the insurance!
This is a recent case reported on Radionz. There is a risk of sudden death even in NZ.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018660666/surviving-necrotising-fasciitis-the-flesh-eating-disease
Sanctuary 8.4
I read that headline.
The Herald's Daily Mail style of unrelenting negativity does my head in sometimes.
If Jacinda walked on water the Herald would ask why she thinks she shouldn't swim like the rest of us.
Draco T Bastard 8.5
She had contracted septicaemia, and her hospital bill was well over $100,000. Her insurance company refused to pay the bill, telling her family her illness related to a pre-existing condition.
And there you have proof of the failure of for profit insurance. The profit is more important that a persons life.
McFlock 8.5.1
Insurance companies are fucking arseholes – you take a bet that you might need them, they take a bet that they can weasel out of it if you do.
bwaghorn 8.5.1.1
Funny that some as intelligent as your self can't see that if someone doesn't disclose an illness the insurance companies are well within their writes( fuck I hope that's the write write ) to not cover them .
McFlock 8.5.1.1.1
Wrong right you rote 🙂
Thing about insurance companies though is that their reasons for declining are frequently highly arguable in court. In this case there wasn't that much time to fuck around.
So – good call by the company, they're unlikely to be challenged on that decision now and they saved $160k. I'm not even being sarcastic: that's how private insurance operates.
At least you tried e hoa! Each to their own skills etc. I am good at spelling but probably would be a hopeless shepherd; I suspect you are the opposite.
bwaghorn 8.5.1.1.2.1
I don't mind the pedants to much after 20 years of barely writing a word when I started commenting here 4 years a go I needed a lot of sharpening up .
David Mac 8.5.1.1.3
Yes, if non disclosure is not a reason for an insurance company to waive the cover we will all be paying mega premiums.
Travel insurance is not very expensive for a healthy youthful traveller with no health issues. If it doesn't matter if we do or don't tick the 'I have a heart condition' box the youthful healthy traveller will be subsidising those travelling with an unfortunate cardiac history.
I don't think the 50 year guy that drives a safe modern unmodified car should be paying for the cover for an 18 year old that bolts on turbochargers and doubles the horsepower.
I wouldn't expect cover if I had my house on Bookabach, didn't inform my insurer and a guest burns it down. Otherwise those that don't have their house on Bookabach are subsidising my cover for my business activity.
Abby's situation raises a humanitarian question, I think it has little to do with the insurer she had a contract with. You and I had to do something about it. I feel we did, I'm proud of what we did. As I understand it, a Give a Little' page raised about a quarter of a million dollars to help Abby out…I'm not sure why those $ didn't lubricate a more favourable outcome.
In Vino 8.5.1.1.3.1
Didn't mean to pick upon you personally yesterday, bwaghorn. It was more the guys before you who kept going on about 'righting' in diaries.
You just happened to trigger my comment by repeating their mistake.
If they had not blundered on beforehand, I would never have picked on your comment.
By the way, I usually enjoy reading your comments.
Kat 8.5.2
You are correct, its all about the profit line. Best to bring your accountant, lawyer and doctor along before signing up to any blood sucking health insurance.
Morrissey 9
In 1986 the United States was found guilty in the International Criminal Court of terrorism against tiny Nicaragua. It has never forgiven the world for that. Trump is louder and more obnoxious than any other president, ever, but he's firmly in the tradition of American lawlessness….
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/09/10/trump-administration-threatens-sanctions-against-international/
The US is the worlds largest, most powerful rogue nation. It's been that way ever since it's independence.
Different Court.
That was the International Court of Justice ICJ- which is the principal judicial court of the UN and established by UN Charter
ICC or International Criminal Court is much more recent , since around 2002
"The ICC claims the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. "
Professor Longhair 9.2.1
Whichever court, if there were justice, every single U.S. president, sitting or former, would be in prison.
greywarshark 9.2.1.1
Is that what you profess? It seems to me that you are a stirrer.. If you are going to write here I hope that you are going to have more substance than throwaway lines like that. Save yours for the pub where you can talk with your other learned mates.
Morrissey 9.2.1.1.1
Every U.S. president has presided over, and even instigated, massive crimes all over the world. That's not a controversial statement, my friend, as you will be perfectly aware.
Thats why the US is so rarked about the new ICC.
Its a Criminal court. The other ICJ is more of a 'civil court' and one they could ignore.
Pat 10
"While El Niño events normally occur every five-to-seven years, the recurrence of the event so close to the previous one, suggests that climate change may be having an impact."
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/366159/el-nino-could-be-on-its-way
Dukeofurl 10.1
Predicting an El Nino often doesnt turn out either
"El Niños occur every three to five years but may come as frequently as every two years or as rarely as every seven years…
Their strength can vary considerably between cycles. One of the strongest in recent decades was the El Niño that developed the winter of 1997-98. "Everyone associates the word El Niño with that event, but that was a rare, once-in-a-century event,"
https://www.livescience.com/3650-el-nino.html
Pat 10.1.1
as its related to increased sea temperature and is associated with drought on the east coast (which was considered responsible for NZs last recession) and extremes of weather generally any increase in frequency could hardly be considered a positive.
Dukeofurl 10.1.1.1
There is no predictions of an increase in frequency just the next one may be 1 yr 'sooner than average'
As with anything to do with Climate you need something like the frequency over the last 25 years to say its been 'increasing'
If its just moving back and forwards its the other thing called the weather.
Pat 10.1.1.1.1
a reasonably accurate sample period of around 100 years is responsible for the stated 'increased frequency'….and ocean temp. is the 'climatic' driver of this particular weather event.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Niño
Dukeofurl 10.1.1.1.1.1
No it isnt
'may come as frequently as every two years or as rarely as every seven years…"
Just the normal range. Like I said get the previous 25 years or so.
NIWA says theres no real climate change footprint yet
https://www.niwa.co.nz/our-science/climate/information-and-resources/clivar/elnino
Pat …
"The observed ENSO cycle seems to undergo multi-decadal changes: for example, the El Niño signal in global climate anomalies was quite weak between the World Wars, but strong since 1950 (Allan et al., 1996). Since 1976, El Niño events have also predominated over the opposite cold SST phase of La Niña, including the unprecedented long-running El Niño of 1990-1995. This multi-decadal variability adds another complication to interpreting climate model simulations: are future model changes a consequence of greenhouse forcing, or are they just a manifestation of model internal multi-decadal variability? Trenberth and Hoar (1996) generated long time series of the Southern Oscillation using a simple statistical model, and concluded that the extended El Niño of the early 1990s was so rare that anthropogenic greenhouse changes could be influencing ENSO occurrence. There is some support for this speculation from model experiments by Meehl and Washington (1996) who found that cloud feedbacks resulted in tropical Pacific SST increases that were greater east of the dateline than to the west. There were attendant shifts in large-scale precipitation patterns and mid-latitude circulation anomalies that resembled some aspects of El Niño events. However, Harrison and Larkin (1997) present an opposing viewpoint. Their analysis of the 1876-1996 Darwin sea level pressure record concludes that a long run like the 1990-1995 episode might be expected every 150-200 years at the 95% confidence level, and therefore favours natural variability rather than global warming as an explanation."
https://www.niwa.co.nz/our-science/climate/information-and-resources/clivar/models#interaction
We'll see
Its on one hand , but on the other too. I never like these long run statistical predictions, except when they are properly classified as 'research' rather than predicting physical events.
maybe in 15 years we could say that was the starting point to where they are now or it could be seen as a dead end and someone else made a breakthrough in some as complex as ENSO
Its probably more important to refine the knowledge about the intensity and length of the cycles .
cleangreen 10.1.1.1.2
dukeofurl = climate denier extreme.
Niwa say that climate change isn't yet apparent in Enso varaiability.
Yet cleangreen who runs an AstroTurf public broadcasting group – didn't exist before the election- knows better than niwa.
You will find be wrecking your every post you fraud
Ankerrawshark 11
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/366131/lessons-to-be-learned-from-curran-controversy-ardern
Re Floyd at 7 about Jacinda spending time on Curren…. I watched her press conference yesterday. As the press questioned her about did she regret how she handled Curren, she was imho stunning. Put it back on them "which part of it".
I am really sorry I let myself get hooked into some interchanges with James here yesterday that went nowhere. And I told him I thought he was a troll. James whatever you visit this site for that is up to you. I think there have been times when your contributions have been worthwhile. Quoting mike Hoskins however i find provocative and he is someone's whose opinions I don't respect. He has no special expertise, eg in leadership skills or a host of other topics he freely voices his opinions on. Oh course you are entitled to quote mike Hoskins, but my likely response is mike would say that wouldn't he.
I am really sorry I let myself get hooked into some interchanges with James here yesterday that went nowhere. And I told him I thought he was a troll. James whatever you visit this site for that is up to you. I think there have been times when your contributions have been worthwhile. Quoting mike Hoskins however i find provocative and he is someone's whose opinions I don't respect. He has no special expertise, eg in leadership skills or a host of other topics he freely voices his opinions on. Oh course you are entitled to quote mike Hoskins, but my likely response is what is his expertise in this area? Right none. What he says is only relevant to helping the National party and their rich friends
chris73 12.1
"eg in leadership skills or a host of other topics he freely voices his opinions on. Oh course you are entitled to quote mike Hoskins, but my likely response is what is his expertise in this area?"
Jacinda Ardern doesn't appear to have any leadership skills either but shes still the PM so why shouldn't Mike Hosking even be allowed to talk about it? (Assuming he doesn't have those skills which he may well do)
ankerawshark 12.1.1
Chris 73 "Jacinda has no leadership skills" . I understand that is your opinion.
Mike H is allowed to broadcast his opinion. I just think he is not a credible source.
mikesh 13
I see that idiot savant has been having a go at the government because he believes they will balk at introducing a capital gains tax:
"Which invites the question of Labour: if you're not going to fix this, what is the fucking point of you? This is supposed to be a core issue, what you stand for. But if you're just going to sit there and do nothing about it, people might start to wonder whether there is any point to your being in government, or why they bothered to vote for you in the first place." (No Right Turn 9/9/2018)
One would have to ask "what is the fucking point of" a capital gains tax when the malfunctioning of the housing market is caused by such factors as:
The deductibility of interest for tax purposes
Excessive lending by the banks into the housing market, probably on money created from nothing
The non taxation of imputed rent and
Various supply side issues.
A capital gains tax would address none of these problems, and although it could gain some tax revenue, it seems that this will be a long time coming.
Incidentally, while some on the left have pushed for a capital gains tax, I don't see this as as a "core" issue for labour .
SaveNZ 13.1
I think people have had enough of more taxes… only reason Labour limped over the line last election was because they softened their stance on capital gains plus Jacinda was enough of a distraction for Labour not to alienate everyone with Nat Lite, more construction and welfare for construction is best, housing policy.
If they want to put a micro transaction tax in, I'd be all for it though. Would also be ok with a stamp duty but think it might cost them an election if they wanted it.
I'd also be more interested in a capital gains tax if it was only for business. AKA all those who have their housing/commercial property/farms/businesses in a corporation rather than individual names get to pay capital gains taxes. For a start it would create a reason to go back to transparency and people actually stand behind their assets with individual names and are transparent not hide them away through businesses and trusts.
Draco T Bastard 13.1.1
I think people have had enough of more taxes…
That's because you're listening to National's spin doctors too much. It can be proved, quite conclusively, that we're not actually paying enough taxes.
Why do people think that we can get all government services for nothing?
SaveNZ 13.1.2
I think they need to start to tax business and polluters not the little guy every time because it is easy. Even the debate on carbon taxes, the focus is on taxing the consumers and effects, not at all on a tax on polluters. Guess what, when they tax the polluters the ones who will survive will be those that change their ways, just taxing the consumers will effect nothing because they have little to no choice in many things.
Aka plastic packaging and bags. The consumers ain't the ones buying the packaging and putting the consumer goods together in plastic so just making them pay to dispose of packaging for example will not solve the issue, but banning or taxing the packaging or making the seller or create responsible for the problem will effect change straight away because they are the ones creating it.
Likewise carbon they always talk about how the end user will pay not how business should be taxed to stop polluting. Politicians in NZ are so brainwashed the thought of actually going after business for carbon costs seems beyond them (apart from farmers NOT the farming bodies that should be the first targets aka Fonterra corporate has plenty of money in a slush fund for R&D paid already by the farmers), but don't bother using it to reduce their farmers carbon contribution.
Why would you when our industries expect corporate welfare from government at every turn from getting agricultures emissions down to getting cheap workers in for Burger King or Fu Wah because they don't want to pay local wage rates at the top end because we are in an employment boom (apparently). Many workers may not have noticed…
greywarshark 13.1.2.1
Thanks savenz – targeted taxes wiould be much more difficult to dismiss as unnecessary.
cleangreen 13.1.3
100% SaveNZ.
Labour are 'national lite' for sure; – and not at all the "transformational' Government they promised us at all sadly for us and the country and climate.
Draco T Bastard 13.2
Stopping the private banks from creating money and banning foreign ownership are the two that would make the most difference.
chris73 13.2.1
Look here, if Sir Michael Cullen and his government approved tax group can't work out how to implement CGT or indeed if its even worth it then its a pretty good sign that a CGT is, at the very least, not the answer to anything
If you want a CGT then be honest and say what its really for, an envy tax
Gabby 13.2.1.1
A Catch the cheats tax.
chris73 13.2.1.1.1
Nationals saying, Sir Michael Cullens saying it, CGT doesn't work
Gabby 13.2.1.1.1.1
SirCully got himself some property now has he chrissy?
Stuart Munro 13.2.1.1.1.2
Someone needs to tell all those other countries that have CGTs with no particular problem – guess only NZ slumlords can't work out how to live if they have to pay a bit of tax now and then.
SaveNZ 13.2.1.1.2
That will be financial micro taxes on everything, because there are a lot of large transactions in NZ that we need to make liable for a tiny bit of tax each time. No yearly tax return when by that time the money has turned into a loss, but a tax each time money gets transacted anywhere in NZ for housing, business, wages, sales, commercial, consumer goods etc. Those on minimum wages pay next to nothing because they consume less, those with assets and taking money in and out of NZ have to pay their bit each time so the richer pay proportionally what they are transacting which is clearly a lot more than whats happening at present. Also lead the way to lower taxes and have the first $10,000 or what have you free of tax.
Draco T Bastard 13.2.1.2
We cannot afford the rich.
That's got nothing to do with envy and everything to do with physical reality.
Observer Tokoroa 14
Insurance for Travelers
We all wish no one would ever die – nor even get a prickle in their little finger.
But this Duncan Garner nonsense of every New Zealander being able to claim on the NZ Tax Payer for not having insured themselves – is as ridiculous as a TV3 Media daily colossus Shit.
Next we will hear Simon saying National will save the life of every Capitalist in New Zealand for the next XXXXX Billion years. With the helpless Judith nodding in agreement.
Why on earth do we let media midgets lose on our TV and Radio – and news rags ?
The more you follow the NZ Media – the lower your IQ drops. Day by Day. Kinky Richardson; Stinky Garner; Mike the Buffoon Hosking – they are there to keep lowering the bar into the Auckland slush and incompetence and constant mayhem.
The people in Bali did have insurance, the insurer declined the claim because the illness that occurred was exactly an ongoing pre condition. Twisted bowel isnt something you dont know you have.
pro tip- Holiday in Australia if you have on going medical conditions as you will be covered by the reciprocal emergency hospital agreement
Gosman 14.1.1
A.Ziffel 14.1.2
Begging the question, where was the medivac planned to go to?
Darwin/Perth or Auckland?
Kay 14.1.3
Emergency hospital treatment, but not the $1000 ambulance or being trapped in Oz after discharge but not fit to fly back (either grounded by medics or by the airline) = massive accommodation costs.
General rule, even for Aus, if you can't get pre-existing cover and don't have enough funds for a worst case scenario like above- especially if you don't have free accommodation to go to- seriously consider if it's worth the risk.
(I don't think much of insurance companies right now; not that I can afford to travel anywhere in the near future but I've had my wings clipped for at least the next 12 months, ie priced out of pre-existing cover. I know why they did it, but the premium increase really is extortionate, not fair and reasonable.)
Agreed, on this one Winston Peters was correct. She withheld information on her travel insurance and, unfortunately, the worst case happened but its not up to the government to bail out every tourist in situations like this
Lenore 15
Restructuring of the public sector churn. This article has really resonated with many of my colleagues going through restructuring that commenced under national and has continued to keep that same agenda under our present Government. Most of us are Labour voters so feel disappointed that ministers are taking the advice of the CEs over the feedback of our union given that the CEs are so obviously rightwing. The way they are being done just seems such a waste of taxpayers money while staff are being sidelined and under utilised. Just don't get it so would appreciate some of your intelligent insight.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12118830https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12118830
Gabby 15.1
Is that a hiddlediddle link?
Your link is garbled lenore
joe90 15.3
The role of the Chief Archivist, the custodian of a core part of our national memory, has been humiliatingly reduced to a lowly third tier manager in the Department of Internal Affairs. The current incumbent has a background in information technology, not archives.
IT is primarily archiving. The apps and hardware that people use are all about accessing the archives.
But it has lost a considerable amount of its capacity to think independently and to advise, in a fashion that is not only free and frank but also well-informed.
Our public servants can park the car but have lost the ability to advise us on where we should be driving it.
Which, IMO, has actually been part of the reason why the public service has been restructured to death. Having a public service that has the knowledge to prove the private sector wrong is detrimental to the privatisation agenda of the last few decades that has seen NZ become more expensive while the corporations now administering those government services get a nice, government guaranteed, profit.
Dukeofurl 15.4.1
Its beyond ludicrous
( Hate to just paste slabs but some just make you want to weep)
" the notion that anyone with the basic set of management skills can manage any government body, whether it be an environmental agency, an economic agency, a museum or a hospital. You will find these generic managers anywhere you look in our government departments and agencies."
"For example, the head of the Government's largest economic agency, MBIE, has a background not in economics but in service delivery and human resources. The person running Te Papa, our national museum no less, is not a person trained in museums and heritage, but previously ran a district health board. Not surprisingly, he's currently restructuring." A DHB which was in the news for blatant fiddling the books on its construction projects'
" new person to run the Ministry of Primary Industries, a role which requires advising government on complex policy issues dealing with interactions involving agriculture, science, economics and the environment. His most recent experience is the successful running of a delivery institution which locks up lots of New Zealanders. [Prisons]
Exkiwiforces 16
Has anyone seen this wee beastie of a Hurricane? They are getting stronger every year.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/106976642/us-braces-for-extremely-dangerous-hurricane-florence
The North Atlantic has actually recently been in a long period of 'hurricane drought'
Exkiwiforces 16.1.1
Yes, I've heard the term being mentioned before somewhere else and I'm wondering if it's something to do with the Gulf Steam which appears to have been acting a bit weird of the last couple of years?
Sabine 16.1.1.1
this guy here is quite good at explaining things.
it appears that the water surface temperature in the Atlantic is feeding the storm.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/9/10/1794692/-Now-Category-4-Hurricane-Florence-is-Rapidly-Intensifying-on-Track-to-Carolina-Coast-Thursday-Night#comment_71293791
SHG 16.1.1.1.1
um yes that's how hurricanes are formed
https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/tropical-storms-hurricanes-during-major-us-hurricane-drought
"However, a recent study published in the May 2016 issue of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS) pointed out that this "drought" is just an artifact of the data, not a real thing, per se"
yes . making landfall AND still being hurricane strength is a sort of strange way to do it. Plus the measurements taken while still at sea can be 'estimates' from Satellite data which can be different when they pass over ocean bouys which take detailed observations.
I remember seeing something that said if you take the global numbers of cyclones/hurricanes, the yearly totals are remarkably consistent, rather that this location or that.
SaveNZ 17
Looks like the favoured options lead to the grants going to construction companies….
"The Christchurch City Council is proposing to spend the bulk of a $300 million government fund on a new stadium.
One of Labour's pre-election promises was a $300m fund for Christchurch, to be spent as the city decided. They upheld their commitment in this year's budget.
On Thursday, the council will consider a recommendation to divide the fund as follows:
$220m for funding a stadium
$40m for road and transport projects, largely aimed at repairing earthquake damage
$40m less possible administration costs as a seed fund to speed up development of the Avon River Red Zone's green spine
If the council votes to proceed, business cases will have to be developed and approved for each option before the Government hands over the money. The fund was always intended for projects such as the stadium, red zone and infrastructure repairs."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/106972238/christchurch-stadium-the-big-winner-from-councils-plans-for-government-funding
Don't they have need of homes and other far more important stuff?
Gabby 17.1.1
Hopefully Hee Hanhin will see that as gummint money for the Orblax.
greywarshark 17.1.2
I wondered about doing something over in Brighton, having organic farms there, or something. Different from what is going on elsewhere and not requiring a lot of built infrastructure.
Haven't Christchurch already got a stadium in the Sydenham area? Every city has to have a stadium so they can get rugby matches etc. I guess if Christchurch hasn't any more advanced ideas than rebuild the cathedral just like it was before with extra bracing, then perhaps they need a stadium.
Dennis Frank 18
A summary of the election result in Sweden: The Swedish Greens lost 40% of their vote, dropping from 7% of the electorate down to 4%. The Left Party went up from 6% to 8%, so looks like a tactical switch by pale leftist greens. But the big news is that the third largest party is being frozen out!
SocDems dropped from 31% to 28.4% but remain biggest party in parliament by far. As the colour graphic here shows, the center-left Red-Green bloc & center-right Alliance bloc are now in balance, 40.6% to 40.3%. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/sweden-democrats-election-exit-poll-latest-social-democratic-party-far-right-moderates-a8530581.html
"In May, the government announced plans to cut, almost by half, the number of refugees and migrants entering the country." Too late!! "After a campaign dominated by debates over immigration, 17.6 per cent of the electorate opted for anti-immigrant party the Sweden Democrats, up from 12.9 per cent in the last election."
The Alliance consists of the Moderate party (largest), the Center party, the Liberals & the Christian Democrats. Both they and the Red-Greens "have repeatedly stated that they will not cooperate with the Sweden Democrats in a future government." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_general_election,_2018#Preliminary_results
Radical reform proposed by UK Labour's shadow chancellor. "Labour's programme of workplace reform will restore the balance between employer and worker with a significant extension of trade union rights, modernising corporate governance structures and extending the opportunity for employees to share collectively in the benefits of ownership of their company." https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/workers-rights-labour-party-john-mcdonnell-financial-stake-tug-2018-a8531871.html
Dukeofurl 20
"After warnings of mass murder and catastrophe in Idlib, I prowled the front lines for two days. I didn't find what I'd expected
The only massed forces I came across were vast herds of sheep and, close to Aleppo, a string of camels. War might be coming, but not yet"
– Fisk
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/syria-last-battle-idlib-robert-fisk-latest-a8530796.html
"Thus Trumpian-UN-Merkel-Erdogan warnings of humanitarian catastrophe, mass murder, chemical attack and Armageddon had me prowling along Syrian front line roads for all of two days;…"
Its another one of those situations where the script is prewritten in the West , without regard to actual events…. Like the tale of the two assassins… its has its background as a 'script' or a screenplay
greywarshark 21
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/366161/biggest-insult-vietnam-veterans-angry-after-repatriation-ceremony-snub
New Zealand defence force
8:07 am today
'Biggest insult' – Vietnam veterans angry after repatriation ceremony snub
This demonstrates our culture that often disdains people who serve as functionaries advancing the nation but who are not actually appreciated and honoured with a few getting token recognition and the rest being sidelined and bypassed when the matter is over.
"was restricted to 12 family members of each of the returned men, plus dignitaries, media and some serving military personnel."
Who are these groupies. It wasnt even connected to Vietnam. Some keep repeating 'fallen comrades'
Enough of this glorification of war via the dead. Most died from accidents and werent in combat.
"Three Service personnel from Fiji and American Samoa were returned to New Zealand on 7 May 2018.
26 servicemen and one child from Malaysia and one serviceman from Singapore were returned to New Zealand on 21 August 2018.
Two Service personnel from the United Kingdom will be returned to New Zealand in late-September 2018.
Two Service personnel from the Republic of Korea will be returned to New Zealand in early-October 2018."
Simon Bridges quote "Let us see the gmails".
When in Government National were often talked about – people sauing "Where are the g-males?' And if we had seen them doing something, all those g'males, they might still be in power.
But now they are outside government and just as useless as ever, whining on about false corruption. I await for them to call it a rort that you don't have to put a stamp on a letter to MPs and civil servants? I hope it is still so anyway, it's hard to keep up with the change agents. It's a rort, they will say as at the same time they fade out physical government altogether and have everything in the air – a 'Lullaby of Birdland'.
james 22.1
Do you think the emails should be released under the OIA?
Janice 22.1.1
Like BEnglish released his texts to Todd Barclay's ex secretary or JKey his contacts with the blubber?
Ed 22.1.1.1
James is a troll.
Ngungukai 22.1.1.1.1
Ed have you only just figured that out. PLEASE DO NOT FEED JAMES HE IS ALREADY FOS ?
Ed 22.1.1.1.1.1
FOS?
full of s___
I don't even think you should have been released James from wherever you came from. What about the gmails? There are grown-up concerns to think about. You may have been very successful you and the other mosquitoes whining around as there seem to be less commenters discussing stuff they think important while you dance like a will of the wisp dragging all the commenters behind you taking you seriously. All you trolls must laugh at the TS credulous people.
joe90 23
A helping hand just before landfall.
Hurricane #Florence, now a Category 4, still has the warmest waters ahead of its path.An ominous trajectory. pic.twitter.com/pshAQniJxX— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) September 10, 2018
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DmxXft7X4AAtkGW.jpg
Herodotus 24
Our minister of finance has just commented during question time that wages are expected to grow in excess of 3% p.a over the next 2 years, yet the current offer to primary teachers is 3%. Why is the current offer, inferior to expected nz wage growth ?
https://www.budget.govt.nz/budget/2018/economic-fiscal-outlook/index.htm
3% of average wages is a lot less than 3% of $80,000pa
Herodotus 24.1.1
Many teachers earn less than the top rate you refer to, a large number earn around this rate you refer to, what of them ??
Under national inflation was 16%, teachers pay increases 17%, but the average full time wage increase 26% over the same period
"Teachers at the top of the scale would earn $82,992 a year by 2020.
50% of teachers also receive at least one unit, a $4,000 additional payment on top of their salary rates in recognition of management, leadership and other responsibilities.
So thats $87k per year for those who stick at it.
"Since 2007 average primary teacher remuneration (base salary plus allowances) has increased by 30.6 percent to $72,900-Over the same period the labour cost index, which tracks changes in salary and wage rates, has increased by 22.4 per cent. Over the same 10 year period inflation has increased by 21.4 per cent."
40% of primary teachers are above the top of the scale now ( $73k +allowances)
base currently is $48k ( normally with no allowances)
I would think 80% of teachers currently are above $60k pa
Refers to primary teachers of course.
Herodotus 24.1.1.1.1
This comment with some support to my figures from item (2)
Wayne's our comments don't hold to be 100%
Inflation between oct 08 to Dec 2017 was 15%
https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/monetary-policy/inflation-calculator
For primary teachers step 14 was $66,327 in July 08
In 2017it was $75,949an incease of 14%. Perhaps the infomation was not know to you when you made this uninformed statement of"typically they increased by 2.5%" nothing wrong with mis infomation eh 😜
https://www.education.govt.nz/ministry-of-education/publications/education-circulars/2008-circulars/circular-200803-settlement-of-primary-teachers-and-primary-principals-ca/
Not sure what your 30.6% increase is based on
And those with diplomas max out at $56k
Hope you aren't teaching arithmetic
As you claim teachers would only get 3% per year. Of course all those teachers not on the top scale step will get the 3% PLUS another amount that is the scale increment.
Way to go… Almost all other workers don't get yearly increments on top of cost living increase.
Sweet as.
Herodotus …
As you have returned I await for some links to support your previous comments. But perhaps you are basing your position as standing on thin air
greywarshark 24.1.1.1.2
Probably still works out cheap for the government. They have kept on closing down specialist teaching units which saves money. Now teachers can expect to have a spectrum of learning abilities and have also been having testing under national standards and NCEA and it is all a bit much and they may have to work at home for hours at night when sin such a demanding job they need to be able to relax. Some fudge a bit on the mandatory reporting, and some fudge a lot I believe.
The teaching needs should be looked at from practical needs first and then theory can be brought into it. And having 1quiet work areas, not sprawled round on cushions with machines in their hadnds. Why do we place machines in between the questing human and the information they need? It is a gatekeeper not open entry.
Under national inflation always 16% teachers pay increases 17% but the average full time wage increase 26% over the same period, previous posts of mine have the links to support these numbers.
40% are on more than top rate…..which will be $87k in 3 years. These are not principals but teachers in mid 30s age bracket
Of course, it's a Murdoch rag.
My toon in today's @theheraldsun on #SerenaWilliams @usopen pic.twitter.com/didwtQg1R5— Mark Knight (@Knightcartoons) September 10, 2018
Jim Mora's job on the Panel is to PRETEND to have a debate and discussion of the issues, while avoiding ever talking about the heart of the issue and avoiding the big picture.
His efforts to shut down Julia Whaipooti this afternoon are a case in point.
Ably assisted by Peter Elliott today.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/countrylife/audio/2018661574/honeycrisp-the-large-sweet-south-canterbury-apple-americans-love
Has one NZ investor, the orchard mainly owned by US investors. No wonder we can never get ahead in this country. We are just land and resources to be mined in some way by furriners.
eco moari 27.1
Good morning The Am Show. I know a bit about the forestry industry .
Wood Mill have been closing down for the last 5 year's why because they can not get decent big logs if the logs are small the can not get good timber out of the logs it limits the type of cuts of timber the mills can produce and the logs are soft .
shonky changed the rules & brought fake carbon credits he set it up so big farmers could clear the tree's for farming a lot of these trees were only 18 years old or less what a waste . If the trees were left in the ground for 5 to 8 years growing they would have produce 4x the value for Aotearoa than what they produce at 18 years old .
Drive on the Rotorua to Taupo to Napier and all the trees are gone these forest have were huge and there for at least 40 years . So much for long term planning by shonky he just wanted instant profits his actions have cost Aotearoa $20 billion down the toilet.
What a fool.
I think its good that we know exactly how the price of electricity has gone up for the house hold and down for business that will change people attitude.
What you are not saying is that the poor common person pays the most for power Duncan ????.
That's the way more renewable energy need's to be built solar on houses big wind turbines that's the way plant more trees its called LOOKING AFTER THE MOKOPUNAS FUTURE Duncan and not just your pocket.
3D printing is one technology that has a lot of positive uses for the future and printing human body parts is just one of them ka pai .
That's how the tender process should work for services and products but I know that its the big companies that short the process and get the contract .
Ka kit ano
eco moari 27.1.1
Here you go a technology that is as save as cross breading plants the big companys can not charge us heaps to use there technology GMO scientist say it safe and will help improve our food production one person is still flogging the old horse we need GMO he was a adviser to the NZ government on science matters .
Link is below ka kite ano.
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/gmos-are-not-agricultures-future-biotech-is/
eco moari 28
These sandflys think that Eco Maori is going to sit around doing nothing mean while they have forced me into unemployment they are spreading mulish lies about me and my immediate whano spying on us all contracting people to tell the lies about us they want to fabricate about me they have nothing . They think there intimidating behavior is going to Stop me from using anyway I can to sue there ass off in a court of law .
They are scared now why because they are going to get in the ——- right up to there eyeballs when I get my days in A NZ court .
They played the victim card one can only play that so many times all aggressor play that card when they can they distort my course of justice by intimidating any lawyer I try to get help from .Everything they are doing to Eco Maori and whano is illegal and I will prove it . And when I do the my Waitangi claim will follow straight after ana to kai
Link below
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjk-rqEu7TdAhUCVLwKHcGsAGsQqOcBMAJ6BAgDEAk&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stuff.co.nz%2Fnational%2F107010644%2Fpolice-car-collides-with-school-bus-in-central-dunedin&usg=AOvVaw3Fe1W3huZk0vjdrqVQK6LW
When one does this they look like a tight upper lipped blue coat wearing neo libreal capitalist who is very very upset that Jacinda is Prime minister of Aotearoa LOL
Link is below ka kite ano
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/106986093/what-happens-when-you-hold-in-a-fart
Good evening Newshub There you go when te reo is spoken in shops and in public and no one complains about it that's when Eco Maori will know that everyone respects Te tangata whenua culture .
Thats a big positive pass for Auckland fuel tax we have people driving less we will import less fuel less carbon going into the environment more money to build safe roads .
That Hurricane Florence is going to hit America hard trump will still denie human caused climate change keep safe people .
Most of the British voters don't want a trump fan an look a like Boris as there Prime minister no Loyd hows the OE no more free showers lol.
Olivia hope you beat the cancer 40 years it seem like yesterday watching Grease at the movies . That the way let everyone know that pot is a natural pain suppressor and improves your appetite its a gift from Papatuanuku to be used by te tangata
That's the way teach the mokopunas there reo and culture and this changes there whole out look on life it teaches them to respect all Ka pai.
Newshub Ka pai to the weather man
The Crowd Goes wild Wairangi & James I know what stuffed knees I had a titanium rod hammered through both of mine no kneeling for Eco Maori
Go white ferns all the best .
The new Maori side step A cutting them up on the league field I seen him on Maori TV I had a good step .
You been crook Wai did you get the tripple there was a Pommy searies that I learned that from you mite not get it . Last time I was at the hospital the one time I used there hand sanitizer I got the bot . Ka kite ano
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SciBlogsBy Sarah-Jane O'Connor
National's negative campaigning
Anybody who looked into the Dirty Politics saga knows all too well that honesty is often in short supply within the National Party. You would think that after the exposure the John Key government received over their untruthful attack politics, the National Party would learn from its "mistakes" and leave ...
Ending the government's charade over water
For the past decade, the government has been responding to the obvious Treaty issues raised by water allocation with the mantra that "no-one owns water". But last year, the Waitangi Tribunal ruled that actually, Māori owned it, and that those rights had never been extinguished. They recommended that iwi bring ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
Northern Ireland joins the civilised world
Same-sex marriage has finally become legal in Northern Ireland. But not through any decision of the Northern Irish Executive or Assembly, which has only just reformed after a three year walkout by the DUP; instead, Westminster made that decision for them. I've talked before about the constitutional impropriety of this, ...
I had an intense conversation at work today.
Claire Cohen-Norris volunteers with Citizens Climate Lobby as a chapter founder and leader in rural New York. Her climate advocacy sprung from her drive to provide a secure, joyful and fulfilling life for her two wonderful children. It has become a life's mission, shared with her like-minded husband and partner. Claire ...
French transport workers take on Macron over pension reform
by John Edmundson Starting on December 5th, 2019 workers in the Parisian rail network commenced an open-ended strike in opposition to French President Emmanuel Macron's proposed changes to their pension scheme. Rail workers in the Metro Underground have, for decades, had retirement conditions that compensate them for the low wages, ...
RedlineBy Admin
What a difference the decimal point makes
I'm back at work following a nearly three-week break over Christmas. We were fortunate to be offered a house to stay in for a week over Christmas, which enabled us to have a holiday in Dunedin and see the extended family reasonably cheaply. But the house came with a catch: ...
SciBlogsBy Marcus Wilson
Who's Going To Stop Him?
Blank And Pitiless: Having ordered the assassination of the Iranian General, Qasem Soleimani, President Donald Trump promised to reduce the cultural monuments of Iran's 3,000 year-old civilisation to rubble if a revenge attack was mounted. A breach of international law? Certainly. A war crime? Indisputably. Who's going to stop him? Nobody.WHAT ...
A worker's story
This interview is from Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement (AWSM) and is the first of an ongoing series of interviews they plan to do with workers from various sectors who are having their well being and livelihoods damaged. They begin with an educator in Southland. Due to the attitude and actions ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Jan 5, 2020 through Sat, Jan 11, 2020 Editor's Pick Debunked Australian Bushfire Conspiracy Theories Were Pushed by Alex Jones, Murdoch Media As unusually intense and widespread bushfires have ...
J.K. Rowling, the Seattle Library, and the Issue That Must Not Be Named
This article was submitted to Redline by Seattle-based activist Lucinda Stoan J.K. Rowling recognizes repression when she sees it. That's why the author of the wildly popular Harry Potter books recently tweeted in defense of Maya Forstater. Forstater lost her job for stating that sex is real and immutable. A judge ...
Rules of Empire: Laws simply do not apply and "National Security" excuses all else.
Empires rise and fall, and the American Empire is absolutely no different. But while an Empire, in order to further the footprint, it seems to pay to do one primary thing above all else: project that everything – everything – is "simply for the good of the world" at large, ...
exhALANtBy exhalantblog
Indian lessons for NZ workers – the January 8 general strike
by Phil Duncan On Wednesday (January 8) another massive general strike took place in India. Some 250 million industrial workers, white-collar workers, agricultural labourers struck against the government's economic policies and attacks on the Muslim population through new proposed citizenship rules. This ...
Climate Change: The action that counts
Over on Newsroom, Professor Jacqueline Beggs writes about the action she is taking on climate change. Its the usual list: reduce meat, don't fly, consume less. I'm doing some of this myself, and none of it hurts - but the way our economic system is constructed means the impact of ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk Corporations, special interest groups, and individuals inject billions of dollars into the American political system every year. Much of the financial support in politics is concealed from public view, as some rules – and loopholes – allow "dark money" and ...
Should I ditch my fossil-fueled car?
Yes. Reducing the number of cars in your household, or switching from petrol/diesel to electric, will dramatically reduce your greenhouse gas emissions. It's one of the easiest and highest-impact climate steps you can take. New Zealand is being flooded with cars The New Zealand vehicle fleet is increasing rapidly. In ...
Speaker: Planet History: Taking Tea with Quentin
This interview with Quentin Crisp is part of a series of articles republished from Planet, the independent magazine I edited in the early 90s from a base at 309 Karangahape Road, along with Grant Fell, Rachael Churchward, Fiona Rae, David Teehan, Mere Ngailevu and others.Inevitably, you forget things, and over ...
Supply Side How are we doing with CO2 emissions? It's an important question, increasingly posed to a mixed bag of CO2 contributors who may or may not provide accurate reportage. Liu et al present a new, additional means of measurement based on satellite observations of nitrogen dioxide co-emitted from ...
Is the prostitute the seller or the sold?
Excerpts from Being and Being Bought, by Kajsa Ekis Ekman, Spinifex Press, 2013. Ekman, a Swedish journalist and critic, brings together a Marxist and feminist analysis of prostitution and surrogacy in this groundbreaking book. This is the third part of a synopsis and brief commentary of the book by Daphna Whitmore. Part 1 was ...
The climate crisis is also a biodiversity crisis
Dr Andrea Byrom Like many of us, the summer break has seen me transfixed with horror at the scale and magnitude of the bushfire crisis in Australia. As an ecologist, I can't help but be appalled at the loss of some of Australia's most beautiful ecosystems and landscapes. And ...
Labour opposes leisure
Finland's new Prime Minister has made headlines by pushing for a 4-day week. So what does new Zealand's "centre-left" government think? Nope. They'd rather people kept working themselves into misery and death:The Government does not plan to follow Finland's lead to encourage businesses to offer staff a four-day week. [...] ...
Who's afraid of the non-native accent? Everyone … unless you tell them about it
As someone who learnt English late-ish in life, I was always on the look-out for signs which betray my foreignness, afraid that my clumsy mispronunciation or syntactic misalignment will give away my outsider status. And for once, sadly, my worries were well-founded it seems. It's bad, prejudice is rife! In ...
SciBlogsBy Andreea Calude
Donald Trump's strategic gamble
There's a meme going around the Internet at the moment claiming that Donald Trump is a bit of an idiot. To outside eyes it does seem as though the President of the United States thumbs his nose at his own countries laws and administration far too often to be taken ...
Back in December, the European Court of Justice ruled that jailed Catalan politician Oriol Junqueras was a Member of the European Parliament and therefore had immunity from prosecution. In a democratic state under the rule of law, he would have been immediately released from prison (and compensated for his illegal ...
Doubling down: Researchers investigate compound climate risks
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daniel Grossman It was a grim day in Moscow on July 25, 2010. The English-language Moscow Times reported that the Russian capital had broken the 1936 temperature record for July: 98 degrees Fahrenheit. That month, the city, where air conditioning was (and still is) ...
Everyone, we must be united and work together (now we've got rid of the Corbyn)
Yvette Cooper has written a piece in the Guardian outlinig 'Seven things Labour Must Do To Win The Next Election'.I'll overlook the absurd headline - no-one is talking about Labour winning the next election and I assume that Cooper didn't write the headline (she doesn't mention winning the next election anywhere ...
Left hand palmBy lurgee
"A common interest in war with Iran" say those who will NOT be in the firing line
Well, things have certainly escalated. Brent Crude hits $70 in light of recent geopolitical incidents. There's a British nuclear sub on its way to thump Iran if needed, and Netenyahu says "everyone" is keen on war with Iran. Of course in terms of the oil prices, that'll have downstream ...
2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #1
Story of the Week... Editorial of the Week... El Niño/La Niña Update... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Reviews... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... The signal of human-caused climate change has emerged in everyday weather, study finds ...
New Fisk
Trump is starting a war with Iran – whether it is by accident or design ...
Climate Change: Complementary measures
For the past twenty-five years, climate change policy in New Zealand has been all about emissions pricing. Policy makers thought that all you needed to do was make people pay for their pollution via a carbon tax or emissions trading scheme, and the problem would be solved. This mechanism was ...
Jeremy Clarkson – God is an arsonist
You've really got to wonder if Jeremy Clarkson is worshiping the right deity? I mean thinking that Australia is somehow deserving of the calamity that has befallen it in the form of unprecedented bush fires is one thing, but claiming God intentionally likes to cause people and animals immeasurable pain ...
We are no longer welcome in Iraq
Last Friday, the US murdered a high-ranking Iranian general, ostensibly as retaliation for Iraqi militias attacking US troops in Iraq. It was a stupid move, a mistake as well as a crime (to misquote Talleyrand), and it is already having the expected effects: the Iranian nuclear deal is now completely ...
Miscalculation, escalation and the law of unintended consequences.
Note: I penned a series of tweets on the consultancy page offering my thoughts on the Soleimani assassination. I have decided to gather them together, add some more material, and edit them into a blogpost. Here it is. The US drone strike in Baghdad that killed Iranian Quds force commander ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Dec 29, 2019 through Sat, Jan 4, 2020 Editor's Pick There Is No Safe Global Warming Australia Bushfire - Shutterstock Safety is something we all crave. It's human nature. ...
The strike on Suleimani: a Neocon gambit for rolling the MIC onwards to a new chapter of global dest...
Anyone who thinks this was merely a so-called "precision strike" on "a really bad man!" and doesn't get the wider geopolitical ramifications of this is beyond deluded. Probably those who think Commando comics are actually transcripts from a lost war documentary, and GI Joe was the biography of a real ...
This is good
Still feeling very kicked in the head. Took some time off over Christmas and New Year to think about stuff, contemplating the unthinkable idea that i might have been ... wrong. But, after a thorough deconstruction of my cerebellum and rigorous self examination, I conclude I was not, am not.Okay, ...
A standout example of Right-wing truth inversion: "debating" responsibility for the Aust...
Many people must have seen the copious amounts of emotive, highly charged blame being increasingly passed onto "the bloody environmentalists!" and "the bloody Greenies" for this absolute debacle. This blame has been fomented by the Rightwing press, and the Governing coalition under Scott Morrison, who it must be said never ...
Someone To Follow, Something To Blame.
Poshing The Proletariat: As we enter the third decade of the twenty-first century, the question for New Zealand politicians is a simple one. Will workers' expectations of fair treatment erode faster than their rising political determination to find someone to follow and something to blame? Significant sections of the United ...
Skeptical Science New Research for Week #52, 2019
The other side of the coin Last week's New Research mentioned a New York Times article describing how academic researchers plow straight through holidays with work. On the publishing side: not so much. Argue about priorities but clearly there's a difference in attitudes between the input hopper and the output conveyor. ...
I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is unexpectedly missing or the numbers seem very low please check ...
Open ParachuteBy Ken
2019 in Review: another busy year for the Skeptical Science team
As we wrap up 2019 and prepare for 2020, here is our annual review of what our team was up to during the year. As in previous recaps, this one is divided into several sections: Scholary publications, projects and books Other publications and activities Recorded talks and podcasts Our ...
You thought 2019 was warped? Strap in, 2020 may make you nostalgic…
What a hard year 2019 was on so many fronts. In its wake, not a small amount of victims along the way. Dissembling reality really seems to have been Project #1 as far as can be seen from much of the basis of 2019's ups and downs…Culturally, politically, socially and ...
Seasons Greetings and Happy New Year.
I hope that all readers have had a good festive season and are headed into a healthy, happy and productive New Year. 2019 was a relatively consistent and quiet year at KP, as befits a niche political blog. 39 posts this year, including three by Lew on the gun buy ...
Apathy in the face of disaster
Warning: This article contains topics that might trigger right wing snowflakes!Unless you've had your head buried in a billabong for the last four months you'd of heard about the Australian bushfires. The fires have been unprecedented, with approximately five million hectares (12.35 million acres) of land burned nationwide. More than ...
Two things you can guarantee at this time of the year. Predictions about the coming year, and days at the beach (only lightly polluted, hopefully). Futures thinking is often seen as identifying the "next big thing" – technology and consumer trends. But that's surface level futuring. Wave spotting. As ...
2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #52
Story of the Week... Editorial of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Reviews... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... 2019 in review: Polarised world entering era of climate impacts We look back on CHN's reporting from ...
The Spinoff is pretty shit really
Call me old fashioned, but I like my sport to be played fair and on an even field. In fact there's nothing worse than a game where the ref fails to actually umpire properly and one team is flouting the damn rules.The same goes for politics. If journalists don't do ...
The Coalition Government is delivering this year the changes to Funded Family Care the disability sector has long-asked for, says Associate Minister of Health Jenny Salesa. "Today we are announcing the details of our big changes to Funded Family Care, including an annual average pay boost of $2,246.40 for funded ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
Minister for Māori Development Nanaia Mahuta joins te ao Māori in their sorrow as they learn of the loss of one of the great orators and spokespersons of a generation – Piri Sciascia. "The son of Pōrangahau was a staunch advocate for Māori development and served his people for over ...
Minister opens new ecosanctuary at Cape Farewell
A new ecosanctuary with a predator proof fence on Golden Bay's Cape Farewell, which will restore a safe home for sea birds, rare native plants, giant snails, and geckos, was officially opened today by the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. "There has been a fantastic community effort supported by the ...
Pacific partners work together to provide additional support to Australia
The NZDF continues to support the Australian Defence Force (ADF) as it battles fires in Victoria and New South Wales, including by transporting Republic of Fiji Military engineers from Nadi to Australia, announced Defence Minister Ron Mark. On Saturday morning a NZDF Boeing 757 will depart New Zealand to uplift ...
Kaikōura $10.88 million boost in tourism & business
The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $10.88 million to boost business and tourism opportunities in Kaikōura, Parliamentary Undersecretary for Regional Economic Development, Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. As part of the Kaikōura Marina Development Programme, the following two projects will receive PGF funding: A $9.88 million investment to begin the ...
Govt accounts in surplus, debt remains low
The Government's books are in good shape with the accounts in surplus and expenses close to forecast, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Treasury today released the Crown accounts for the five months to November. The operating balance before gains and losses (OBEGAL) was above forecast by $0.7 billion resulting ...
Auckland focus for first Police graduation of 2020
The number of Police on the Auckland frontline is increasing with the graduation today of a special locally-trained wing of new constables. Police Minister Stuart Nash says the graduation of eighteen officers from Recruit Wing 333-5 means that more than 1900 new Police have been deployed since the Coalition Government ...
Wairarapa gets $7.11m PGF water boost
The Provincial Growth Fund is putting $7.11 million into creating a sustainable water supply for Wairarapa, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. The following two projects will receive Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) funding: A $7 million investment in Wairarapa Water Limited for the pre-construction development of ...
Progress with new Police station in Mahia
Community safety and crime prevention in the East Coast community of Mahia has moved forward with the opening of a new Police station to serve the growing coastal settlement. Police Minister Stuart Nash has officially opened the new station, which was relocated almost 20 kilometres along the coast from the nearby ...
Plans to protect the future of whitebaiting announced
With several native whitebait species in decline the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage has today released proposals to standardise and improve management of whitebait across New Zealand. "The need for action for a healthy whitebait fishery has never been greater," Eugenie Sage said. "Four of the six whitebait species are ...
New resource for schools to increase awareness and understanding of climate change
A new Ministry of Education resource available for schools in 2020 will increase awareness and understanding of climate change, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. "The resource, Climate Change – prepare today, live well tomorrow, will help students understand the effects of climate change at a local, national and global ...
Getting more out of our most productive firms
Finance Minister Grant Robertson has approved the terms of reference for an Inquiry into the economic contribution of New Zealand's frontier firms. Frontier firms are the most productive firms in the domestic economy within their own industry. "These firms are important as they diffuse new technologies and business practices into ...
NZDF sends more support to Australia
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) is sending an Environmental Health Team, a Primary Health Care Team and a Chaplain to Australia, boosting New Zealand support for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) as it battles bush fires in Victoria and New South Wales, Defence Minister Ron Mark announced today. The ...
New Zealand joins partners in calling for full investigation into air crash in Iran
Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Rt Hon Winston Peters says that developments suggesting a surface-to-air missile is responsible for the downing of the Ukrainian International Airlines flight in Iran is disastrous news. "New Zealand offers its deepest sympathies to the families of the 176 victims. It is ...
Staying connected to Australian agriculture
Agriculture Minister, Damien O'Connor, says the Ministry for Primary Industries is continuing to stay connected to federal authorities in Australia as devastating fires affect the country. "The Ministry is using an existing trans-Tasman forum for discussions on the agricultural impact of the fires and the future recovery phase," says Damien ...
Investment in schools – a commitment to communities
Thousands of school-age children, their teachers and wider communities are benefiting from the Government's multi-million dollar investment upgrading and renewing schools, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. "We want New Zealand to be the best place to be a child and that means learning in warm, comfortable and modern classrooms," ...
Minister of Defence Ron Mark today announced New Zealand is sending three Royal New Zealand Air Force NH90 helicopters and crew, and two NZ Army Combat Engineer Sections as well as a command element to support the Australian Defence Force efforts in tackling the Australian fires. The New Zealand Defence Force ...
"Today is World Braille Day and I am delighted to announce that an international treaty giving blind and low vision New Zealanders access to books and literary works comes into force today," Minister for Disability Issues Carmel Sepuloni announced today. "Today the Marrakesh Treaty and the associated amendments to the ...
New Zealand to send further firefighter support to Australia
The New Zealand Government is sending a further 22 firefighters to help fight the Australian fires. "The devastation caused by these fires is taking a substantial toll on our Australian neighbours and we will continue to do what we can to assist as they deal with this extremely dynamic, dangerous ...
Reducing the cost of education
Twenty-two more schools have opted into the Government's policy of providing $150 per child to schools who don't ask parents for donations– bringing the total number of schools in the policy to 1,585. The Ministry of Education has accepted late opt ins past the November 14 deadline from schools that ...
Road deaths lower in 2019, but still more work to do
"As we enter the new decade, my thoughts are with the families, friends and communities of the 353 people who lost their lives in road crashes last year. While the number of deaths is lower than in 2018 (377), this is still a staggering loss of life," Duty Minister Iain ...
PM congratulates New Year 2020 Honours recipients
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has congratulated the diverse group of New Zealanders recognised for their contributions to the country and their communities in the New Year 2020 Honours List. The list of 180 honours recipients includes three Dames and three Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, ...
Justice Minister congratulates first Māori Supreme Court judge on New Year's Honour
Justice Minister Andrew Little has congratulated The Honourable Justice Joe Williams for receiving a knighthood for services to the state. Sir Joe Williams has been appointed as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year 2020 Honours List. "Sir Joe Williams has made an ...
New Year honours for top sportspeople
Twenty-one of New Zealand's top sportspeople, coaches and leaders in the sporting community have been recognised in the New Year 2020 Honours List. The Silver Ferns coach Noeline Taurua has been made a Dame Companion and the former All Blacks Steve Hansen has been made a Knight Companion of the ...
Leading architect of Zero Carbon Bill honoured
It's great to see ordinary New Zealanders doing extraordinary things, Minister for Climate Change James Shaw today said in response to the news that Lisa McLaren is included in the New Year 2020 Honours List for her exceptional work leading the campaign for the Zero Carbon Bill. Lisa McLaren was ...
Social entrepreneurs and innovation leads Pacific contribution
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says the New Year 2020 Honours List highlights the valuable contribution Pacific social entrepreneurs and innovators make to New Zealand, the Pacific region and the world. "The standout common factor that underlines their contribution to Aotearoa is the value they place in their ...
Service to birds and bush recognised in New Year Honours
Decades of dedication to Aotearoa's unique birds, landscapes, and native eels is recognised in the New Year 2020 Honours List said Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. "I'm delighted that the decades of dedication to conservation, and fantastic leadership in giving nature a helping hand is being acknowledged," said Eugenie Sage. ...
Closer Economic Partnership with Singapore comes into force on 1 January
New Zealanders will start to see the benefits of the upgraded Closer Economic Partnership (CEP) with Singapore from 1 January 2020, when the agreement comes into force. Minister for Trade and Export Growth David Parker said the agreement would open more opportunities for New Zealand companies looking to do business with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Ward, PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland More than one billion mammals, birds, and reptiles across eastern Australia are estimated to have been affected by the current fire catastrophe. Many animals and plants have been incinerated or suffocated by smoke and ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
Simon Bridges to raise concerns over killings in Philippines trip
National Party leader Simon Bridges will meet with a number of politicians and officials for talks on trade and other cooperation. ...
Radio NZ – political
Oram: The systems that got us he have failed
What I should focus on for the final five and a half years of my career as a business journalist? ...
Emily Writes and Eddie, 7, review Wellington's best places for swimming
My name is Eddie and I'm seven and my mum said I have to write about my school holidays and I just want to play Minecraft. I love swimming so these are the best places for swimming by me Eddie.Eddie: Kilbirnie pool is new now but the only thing that's ...
The SpinoffBy Emily Writes
A West Coast internship
Between the city and the coast lies an insurmountable gulf, or so they say. Fresh from university, Michael Andrew decided to test that by interning at a local paper in the West Coast and found himself beguiled by the strangeness and the beauty. I had never smelled fresh newsprint coming straight ...
The SpinoffBy Michael Andrew
Death of Professor Piri Sciascia, Government House Kaumatua
The Governor-General, HE Dame Patsy Reddy and Sir David Gascoigne were deeply distressed to receive the news that Government House's Kaumatua, Professor Piri Sciascia died this morning. ...
Scoop politics
By Camille Abiel H. Torres, Charm Ryanne C. Magpali, Laurd Menhard Salen of The Varsitarian in Manila A New Zealand media academic and freedom advocate has warned that shutting down the Philippines' largest and most popular media network would be a move toward dictatorship. Professor David Robie, director of ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
Western Sahara Campaign-NZ enlisted the support of Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) to question and comment on Ravensdown's stated position in its press release of the 11th of December 2019, "Two sides to the Western Sahara story". https://www.ravensdown.co.nz/in-the-community/two-sides-to-the-western-sahara-story ...
So where's Shane Jones, we wondered after the Point of Order Trough Monitor sounded its second alert of the week. Again, the alert was triggered by the sound of taxpayers' money being given away by the Parliamentary Undersecretary for Regional Economic Development, Fletcher Tabuteau. The ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
Short story: Festival on a blanket, by Harley Hern
"Muscled, tattooed guys peel off their shirts...Voluptuous women curl and flex their fingers...Same sex couples smooch and purr": a short story, by writer Harley Hern. ...
On swampy ground: Painter and printmaker Brent Harris returns home
Palmerston North-born Brent Harris's considers himself an Australian artist, but his work is suffused with the unease and melancholia long associated with New Zealand art, cinema and music. Kiran Dass spoke to him about his monsters, and his solo exhibition on now in Christchurch.Brent Harris left New Zealand in 1981; ...
The SpinoffBy Kiran Dass
Please stop offering sober people orange juice
Embrace the many zero-alcohol drink options out there and stop bloody serving OJ.How many times have you been at home, or at work, or at a concert, or at a birthday party, or at a formal event, and thought, "What would go really well with this experience is some orange ...
The SpinoffBy Madeleine Chapman
'Monsters Inc' – Ampatuan massacre justice aftermath with more fear of warlords, corruption
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – [embedded content] The Rappler video feed on the Ampatuan convictions last month. For decades, the feared Ampatuan clan held sway in the impoverished province of Maguindanao in Mindanao in the southern Philippines. Through a ruthless private army and a ...
Evening ReportBy David Robie
Reports that DHB deficits are set to plunge even further this year are yet more proof that underfunding is bringing hospitals to their knees, says the new Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, Sarah Dalton. ...
Before we rush to rebuild after fires, we need to think about where and how
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Maund, PhD Candidate, School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Newcastle A primary school in East Gippsland was burnt down in the current bushfire crisis. While Premier Daniel Andrews immediately committed to rebuilding the school as it was, media reported ...
Australian sea lions are declining. Using drones to check their health can help us understand why
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jarrod Hodgson, PhD Candidate, University of Adelaide Australian sea lions are in trouble. Their population has never recovered from the impact of the commercial sealing that occurred mainly in the 19th century. Low-lying rock islands and outcrops make important breeding sites for ...
With costs approaching $100 billion, the fires are Australia's costliest natural disaster
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Read, Climate Criminologist & Senior Instructor/Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, Monash University It's hard to estimate the eventual economic cost of Australia's 2019-20 megafires, partly because they are still underway, and partly because it is hard to know the cost to attribute ...
Today marks 100 years since America began waging a war on drugs. This war cannot be won; the effects of prohibition have long pointed this out. In fact, young ACT believes drug prohibition causes more harm than the precise drugs it aims to protect ...
What Trump's re-election would mean for us
Bernard Hickey looks at the second big question for 2020: Will Trump get re-elected? ...
Karen Walker's Takapuna store to close after 10 years
An Auckland retail store owned by fashion designer Karen Walker is closing its doors permanently at the end of this month. ...
In cases of cardiac arrest, time is everything. Community responders can save lives
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bill Lord, Adjunct Associate Professor, Monash University Each year more than 24,000 Australians experience a sudden cardiac arrest. This means their heart unexpectedly stops beating. A cardiac arrest leads to loss of consciousness and will result in death if not recognised and ...
Auckland Island pigs: 'It's a big call to eradicate them'
The Department of Conservation's efforts to cull Auckland Island pigs are being labelled a crime against humanity by the Rare Breeds Conservation Society. ...
Children and adolescents detained in the youth justice system experience poor health across a range of complex physical and mental health disorders, according to new research . ...
Make-or-break year for Bridges – he must prove he is PM material without shouting down Ardern
Already it is shaping as the most challenging year for National since it lost the Treasury benches in 2017. For Simon Bridges, it's make-or-break for his leadership. Going head-to-head with the Jacinda phenomenon, he has little chance of monstering her in television broadcasts, and even if he did it could ...
Point of OrderBy tutere44
Westpac centralising 250 jobs in Auckland
Westpac plans to shift 250 jobs from Wellington to Auckland to consolidate its technology and product marketing team. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria O'Sullivan, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, and Deputy Director, Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, Monash University When Australians pay their income tax, they assume the money is going to areas of the community that need it, rather than being used ...
Manufacturing sector index falls
The manufacturing sector is back in the doldrums after a short-lived improvement. ...
Who the hell are the celebs on The X-Factor UK: Celebrity?
Tara Ward breaks down the full line-up for The X-Factor UK: Celebrity and we promise you'll recognise at least a few of them.What makes everything better in this rancid world of ours? Not trees, not cooler temperatures, not an unexpected Briscoes 'Monday Madness Sale'. It's celebrities. Celebrities make the world ...
The SpinoffBy Tara Ward
Kāinga Ora's borrowing limit lifted by $4b
Just quietly, the Government is gearing up to announce in an election year that it will borrow $4 billion more to almost double its plans for state house building. Bernard Hickey reports exclusively. ...
Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending January 17
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books' stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Normal People by Sally Rooney (Faber & Faber, $23)WTAF Auckland2 The Truants by Kate Weinberg (Bloomsbury, $33)Agatha Christie + ...
The SpinoffBy The Spinoff Review of Books
Freight company's sales suffer, in talks with bank
Freight company TIL Logistics has cut its earnings expectations as its sales suffer. ...
Yesterdaze: Logging back in to reality without a password
Haven't been paying attention to the news over the holidays? Fret not, James Elliott has your water-cooler chat covered with his take on the news of the summer. ...
The 41 percent pay hike for West Coast regional councillors will further erode taxpayers' trust in the Remuneration Authority, says the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union . Taxpayers' Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, "Pay rates for councillors should broadly ...
Government welcomes $100m surplus after predicting deficit
A Crown accounts surplus will be welcomed by the government today, given that a deficit had been forecast at the end of last year. ...
$10.98 million of PGF funding announced
Kaikōura's bright future received a $10.98 million endorsement from the Provincial Growth Fund today at Kaikōura District Council. ...
The Friday Poem: Kae and the Tohorā by essa may ranapiri
A new poem by Kirikiriroa poet essa may ranapiri. Kae and the Tohorā did u think of the taste of his blubber even as u sat upon his great mammal form ? think of unmasking the slip of his great flippers that churn the salt troth of the sea to reveal the bones of ...
The SpinoffBy essa may ranapiri
All Take and No Give in the State Mismanagement of Care
Māori Party President Che Wilson is angry that yet another report has detailed "persistent and intergenerational" inequities in the treatment of Māori babies by the state. ...
Review: Netflix's Sex Education keeps it up for a charming second season
Is there a more empathetic show on television than the British teen comedy-drama Sex Education? Unlikely, writes Sam Brooks.If you had a Netflix subscription last January, chances are you're one of the reportedly 40 million people who watched Sex Education, the gentle British show about a teenager who gives sex ...
The SpinoffBy Sam Brooks
The Olympics have always been a platform for protest. Banning hand gestures and kneeling ignores the...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Rowe, Emeritus Professor of Cultural Research, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University It is the year of the Tokyo Olympics, and the International Olympic Committee was quickly out of the blocks with new guidelines regarding athlete protests. The IOC ...
Kaikōura to get $11m injection for tourism and business opportunities
Kaikōura is set to get a multi-million dollar tourism boost from the Provincial Growth Fund. ...
Hell yes it's time for more pictures of New Zealand politicians' dogs
Inspired by Winston Peters' dog and muse, Beau, a range of other dogs have urged their politician owners to get them in the Spinoff gallery. Drool away.For the second time in a week, The Spinoff is bringing together New Zealand's politician and dog communities in celebration. On Tuesday we published ...
The SpinoffBy Toby Manhire
National happy Green Party's call for troop withdrawal not being acted on
The National Party says it's pleased Labour and New Zealand First haven't buckled to pressure from the Green Party over Iraq. ...
Homosexuality may have evolved for social, not sexual reasons
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Barron, Professor, Macquarie University How did homosexuality in humans evolve? Typically, this question is posed as a paradox. The argument is this: gay sex alone can't produce children, and for traits to evolve, they have to be passed onto children, who ...
Beware of bushfire scams: how fraudsters take advantage of those in need
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassandra Cross, Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Law, Cybersecurity Cooperative Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology There's been an overwhelming outpouring of love and support around the world for those impacted by the bushfires, from social-media donation drives to music concerts to ...
To improve firefighters' mental health, we can't wait for them to reach out – we need to 're...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Smith, Associate Professor in Disaster and Emergency Response, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University Many firefighters will by now be exhausted, having been on the front line of Australia's bushfire crisis for weeks or months. This bushfire season ...
Yes, native plants can flourish after bushfire. But there's only so much hardship they can take
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lucy Commander, Adjunct Lecturer, University of Western Australia In a fire-blackened landscape, signs of life are everywhere. A riot of red and green leaves erupt from an otherwise dead-looking tree trunk, and the beginnings of wildflowers and grasses peek from the crunchy ...
'What subjects do I choose for my last years of school?'
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susanne Gannon, Associate Professor, Western Sydney University We are being asked to do work experience this year, in a field we might like to work in. We are being asked to think about choosing electives that are directing us towards our ...
Vital Signs: the end of the checkout signals a dire future for those without the right skills
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW There has already been a fair number of jobs lost to automation over recent decades – from factory workers to bank tellers. In the coming decade we might see radically larger numbers of jobs lost to ...
Take care when examining the economic impact of fires. GDP doesn't tell the full story
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janine Dixon, Economist at Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University Estimates of the economic damage caused by the bushfires are rolling in, some of them big and some unprecedented, as is the scale of the fires themselves. These types of estimates will ...
Hidden women of history: Catherine Hay Thomson, the Australian undercover journalist who went inside...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kerrie Davies, Lecturer, School of the Arts & Media, UNSW In this series, we look at under-acknowledged women through the ages. In 1886, a year before American journalist Nellie Bly feigned insanity to enter an asylum in New York and became a ...
How AI can help the move to a low-carbon future
There's a dire need to speed the planet's shift to clean energy - and the power of Artificial Intelligence can help. ...
Why DHBs should go on the chopping block
When no other nation copies New Zealand's district health board model, a rethink is needed. ...
Changing South: Overtourism
In the latest of our summer video series on the South Island: We've never been so popular. But how much tourism is too much? ...
Climate change adds to frog woes
Frog and lizard scientists add their voices to the call for climate change action to save species from extinction. ...
How to stop getting sunburnt without trashing the oceans
A Wellington startup is tapping into the worldwide move away from ocean-destroying chemical sunscreens with a natural product.Sailing fans got used to seeing helmsman Peter Burling's ghost-like face as he and the Emirates Team New Zealand crew battled to reclaim the America's Cup in 2017. Red-headed Burling clearly felt the ...
The SpinoffBy Maria Slade
Four new year's resolutions for Jacinda Ardern. And four for Simon Bridges
We're half a month into the year, and the political wheels are just beginning to turn. To celebrate, Brigitte Morton proffers some resolutions for the leaders of the two big parties.Like most people, for me the reality of the New Year and those shiny resolutions are starting to wear off. ...
The SpinoffBy Brigitte Morten
The Rappler video feed on the Ampatuan convictions last month. For decades, the feared Ampatuan clan held sway in the impoverished province of Maguindanao in Mindanao in the southern Philippines. Through a ruthless private army and a reported "propensity for beheadings", the clan cultivated a culture of impunity. Now, ...
Borrow, build, hold says Green co-leader
Break the Budget rules and borrow more for housing, Marama Davidson says. ...
Winston Peters defends decision to keep New Zealand troops in Iraq
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has defended the decision to keep New Zealand troops in Iraq, saying New Zealand won't be "cutting and running" in the face of heightening conflict. ...
Russian government resignation: what's just happened and what's in store for Putin beyond 2024?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Graeme Gill, Professor, Department of Government and Public Administration, University of Sydney News came from Moscow overnight that the Russian government had resigned, followed by the announcement that the current prime minister Dmitry Medvedev would be replaced by the head of the ...
How an Aussie invention could soon cut 5% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Blakers, Professor of Engineering, Australian National University In the 1980s, a global race was underway: to find a more efficient way of converting energy from the sun into electricity. Some 30 years ago, our research team at the University of New ...
Black Drop Effect review: infusing the present moment with layers of the past
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amanda Harris, Research fellow, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney Review: Black Drop Effect, directed by Felix Cross for Sydney Festival Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names of deceased people. Nardi Simpson's debut play Black ...
Searching for glimpses of a sustainable future
Battlelines drawn as council backs latest dam project
Greater Wellington Regional Council is heralding a controversial dam project for Wairarapa as necessary protection against the threat of climate change. ...
On creating a great side hustle, with the founder of Thing Industries and Wrappy
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Bridie Picot, founder of Thing Industries and Wrappy. This week's podcast is ...
The SpinoffBy Simon Pound
Youth-led climate advocates School Strike 4 Climate, Generation Zero and WYMO are holding a fun-focused, community organised, collaborative fundraiser towards aid for the Australian Bushfires. ...
Creditor calls for government to step in over Tamarind Taranaki collapse
A New Plymouth business owed hundreds of thousands of dollars by a failed oil and gas company is calling on the government to force the parent company to sell its remaining New Zealand assets. ...
Moving the A-League to the winter would improve the play, but will it attract the fans?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Richards, Lecturer Sport Business Management, Western Sydney University In the past week, the Australian football players union has been pressuring the A-League to make a major change in the sport – shifting to a winter competition, instead of its current spot ...
Frustration over CRL hardship fund: 'They're playing God with our businesses'
Small businesses affected by delays to Auckland's City Rail Link (CRL) project say they have little faith that a hardship fund set up for them will be of much help. ...
Housing market heating up: What can we expect
The housing market is holding on to its renewed strength underpinned by a recovery in Auckland, and a three-year high in the number of house sales. ...
You can shop around for an affordable gluten-free sandwich – but being sure of what's in it is ...
One way to express dismay at the price being asked for the goods and services we want is to shop elsewhere. Another is to cough up, then grumble about being ripped off on social media. Taking the second course of action may well attract the mainstream media and soon an ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
Originair brings back Nelson to Wellington route
A Nelson-based commuter airline is re-introducing a Cook Strait service to its schedule. ...
Curious Kids: why does reading in the back seat make you feel sick?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wayne Wilson, Associate Professor in Audiology, The University of Queensland Why does reading in the back seat make you feel sick? – Jane, aged 10, from Coburg North, Australia. Hi Jane, your question about why reading in the back ...
Black Friday takes bite out of Christmas holiday sales
Black Friday retail sales could be changing the shopping habits of consumers ahead of traditional pre-Christmas and Boxing Day holiday sales. ...
Māori babies five times more likely to end up in state care – stats
Children's Commissioner Judge says the rate of urgent entries into state care for Māori babies had doubled since 2010. ...
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