text:
Letter to the Editor: When Key and Collins can't get their stories straight
It seems that the Nats can't get their official party line straight…
Which elicited this response from me…
FROM: "f.macskasy" SUBJECT: Letters to the editor DATE: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 09:53:28 +1200 TO: "Sunday Star Times" <email@example.com>
The Editor Sunday Star Times . National Minister, Judith Collins, recently stated that "the Government will not be introducing minimum pricing on alcohol as this would hit moderate drinkers in the pocket when there is no compelling evidence that increasing the price of alcohol is the correct approach" (24 April). This breath-taking piece of sophistry flies in the face of policies set by successive governments to reduce tobacco-use by gradually increasing price. The gradual fall in tobacco use has been directly attributed to increased pricing, as John Key himself stated on 2 February 2010, on TV3; "The academic evidence shows that the most effective way to stop people smoking is [to] raise the price and that's because as it gets more expensive, particularly young people can't afford it, [and] eventually people actually stop." The only conclusion that one can draw from this blatant contradiction is that the liquor industry has had it's way with National with secret lobbying, and public health interests have been side-lined. More than one person has made the point that National will be banning "synthetic highs" - which has killed no one - whilst alcohol, responsible for many deaths, injuries, community harm, and billions in ACC claims and lost productivity - is being ignored. People may reflect on National's double standards on election day on 20 September. -Frank Macskasy [address & phone number provided]
Hypocrisy. Sophistry. Double standards. Call it what you will – but it is breath-taking nevertheless.
Judith Collins: Government not introducing minimum pricing on alcohol
TV3: Key – Most smokers want proposed price hikes
Above image acknowledgment: Francis Owen/Lurch Left Memes
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Nationwide rally condemns animal testing for party-drugs (part rua)
Continued from: Nationwide rally condemns animal testing for party-drugs (part tahi)
Image courtesy of HUHANZ
NZ, Wellington, 30 July – Thousands of animal rights campaigners, animal lovers, and other people who oppose testing party drugs and synthetic cannabis on animals protested against the Psychoactive Substances Bill on Tuesday 30 July.
TV3's news crew filming the protesters;
"I don't want to die for someone to get high" – a good point. And one that National ministers and Peter Dunne seem unwilling to address;
Ok, this is right off the Cuteness Scale factor;
(But animal testing on these party pills is still wrong, regardless of cuteness or not.)
The legalise-cannabis lobby were represented by this gentleman;
It has been said that real cannabis is actually safer (in adults) than the synthetic stuff. Plus it's been "consumer-tested" for hundreds (thousands) of years. So wouldn't it make more sense to de-criminalise the natural stuff and ban the synthetic variety?
Or is that too much common sense for politicians to handle?
About half an hour later, the procession moved off,
The procession, at the northern end of Wellington's Cuba Mall – on the right;
… and on the left, waiting to set off across Dixon Street;
And the marchers – four-legged as well as two – were off;
After a brisk march through Wellington's CBD, the rally ended up in Parliament's grounds beneath the stature of Richard Seddon;
Rally Organiser and HUHA founder, Carolyn Press-McKenzie, addressed the rally, surrounded by MPs and media crews;
Epsom MP, John Banks, was the first MP to address the rally;
In a somewhat fervant speech, Banks said,
"I say no to farming animals in China and India for the purposes of drug testing. I say no to putting animals at the alter of drug dealers and importing for the purpose of recreational drugs…"
…I say to my Parliament colleagues testing fun drugs on animals is obscene.It is obscene in a country that prides itself on animal welfare and animal ethics. Britain banned testing; Britain banned testing of fun drugs on animals in 1997. The EU has banned the testing of cosmetrics of on that beautiful rabbit down there some years ago.
… If we want to be leaders; if we want to be leaders in the safety of fun drugs in this country, if it's necessary to have these mind-changing chemicals, then test them on the idiots that want to take them, because there's hundreds that want to do it. There are hundreds and hundreds of idiots up and and down the country that will willingly take fun drugs to test their toxicity.
…And I say to my Parliamentary colleagues, don't test them on animals at all!"
He looked pleased at the crowd's response, obviously enjoying the cheers to his speech. (He probably hasn't received such cheers and applause since he sat down to a nice cuppa tea with the Prime Minister, in November 2011.)
Green MP, Mojo Mathers, was next to address the rally;
"I am angry! I am angry that animals are going to have to suffer. I am angry that animals are going to have to die, for the sake of a legal high. I am angry because the government has not been listening! The government is ignoring public opinion! It ignoring your conscience. Because the the general public has a conscience! The general public cares. The general public does not want to see animals suffering in this way!
The government has ignored the hundreds of people who have put in a huge amount of time and energy to provide detailed information [and] submissions on the Bill, on the issue of animal testing. And what happened? The Select Committee said "no we won't hear you"! That was wrong! The information these people have in their submissions is directly relevant to the issues of the Bill. Because what that information showed was that there are alternatives to animal testing. And that we care about our young people. We can't use these alternatives [background noise] for safety.
The Government ignored the 64,000 people who signed the petition in one month.And this government voted against my amendment that would have ruled out these awful tests. That is apalling and I am angry about that. I am angry that the government covered it's ears and hands over it's eyes and refused to look at the evidence of alternative tests and refused to rule out animal. testing of party pills."
Mojo said,
"And we have to keep up the pressure!"
And I intend to keep up the pressure in Parliament. The Animal Welfare Amendment Bill is another opportunity to keep up the pressure and I will be asking for Party Pill testing on animals to be ruled out of this Bill."
She added,
"What you have done here by coming out en masse today is that you've shown this government that you are not going to forget this issue."
Mojo's speech received an enthisiatic response from protesters and organisers alike;
Labour MP, Iain Lees-Galloway, also took an opportunity to speak to the rally;
"I sat on the Health Committee when we considered to the Psychoactive Substances Bill. And I want to tell you about how the National Party completely refused to listen to any of the discussion around animal welfare.
When we received all the submissions; we received all those hundreds of submissions saying that people wanted to come to the Select Commitee and talk about animal welfare and wanted to make your voices heard and make the animal's voices heard, in front of us, the people who are making the decisions about the Bill…
…The Select Committee had to eventually to have a vote about whether or not we would hear those submissions. And the vote actually went five/five. There's five National Party members on the Select Committee. They voted against hearing your submissions.
The other five members are from Labour, The Greens, and New Zealand First and we voted in favour of hearing your submissions."
Ian Lees Galloway said that the motion to hear submissions was lost, in favour of the status quo. He said,
"That was a decision by the National Party and I think it's a real shame [cheering drowned out speaker] that the National Party is not interested in giving you your democratic right to be heard by Parliament. We have a wonderful transparent system in New Zealand where everybody has the right to be heard about whatever piece of legislation we are putting through Parliament. And you had your democratic right taken away from you by the National Party.
So I want you to know that the Labour Party voted in favour of Mojo's amendement. We did not want to see animal testing… for party pills. And I agree with Mojo's recommendation to you, which is that we have the Animal Welfare Bill coming up next. That is the opportunity to have your voice heard again. Make sure the National Party understands that you want to be heard about this and that you want to get in front of the Select Committee that is considering the Animal Welfare Bill, because you have a democratic right to be heard and Labour will support you all the way on that."
Inexplicably, as Carolyn Press-McKenzie pointed out, no National Ministers, nor Peter Dunne, appeared to present their case to the rally. Perhaps their courage deserted them on this day.
Never mind, I'm sure that there will be many in Mr Dunne's elecorate who, next year at election time, will be only too happy to attend public meetings and ask Mr Dunne a few pertinent questions.
Politicians can run and hide – but eventually they have to surface, to seek our votes again.
We can wait, Mr Dunne, Mr Key, et al.
Expect us.
Near the conclusion of the rally, Ms Press-McKenzie handed new evidence for alternative testing to John Banks, and asked him to present it to the Prime Minister.
Banks accepted the documents and acknowledged that the submission would be passed on to John Key.
Grumpy cat is not happy. Politicians would do well not to annoy Grumpy cat;
One hopes that National listens to public concerns on this issue. Because it seems that their Focus Group polling is not delivering the message that, generally, the public are disgusted with the notion of testing synthetic highs on animals, so that a small minority can enjoy a moment of chemically-induced pleasure.
There is more than a hint of disquiet on this issue – for many it is quite obscene.
So never mind the morality of this issue – evidently morality doesn't factor with National MPs.
Let's talk votes then. How many votes can possibly be in this issue for the Nats?
Bugger all, I suspect.
It could be said that National "gone soft on drugs and animal welfare". How will that play out with animal lovers at the next election, I wonder?
Not very well, I think.
This blogpost was first published on The Daily Blog on 1 August 2013.
Helping You Help Animals (facebook)
Helping You Help Animals (Website)
SAFE (website)
Parliament: Psychoactive Substances Bill
Parliament: Psychoactive Substances Bill – Related Documents
Green Party: Psychoactive Substances Bill could have been great
Copyright (c) Notice
All images are freely available to be used, with following provisos,
- Use must be for non-commercial purposes.
- Where purpose of use is commercial, a donation to Helping You Help Animals is requested.
- At all times, images must be used only in context, and not to denigrate individuals or groups.
- Acknowledgement of source is requested.
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Nationwide rally condemns animal testing for party-drugs (part tahi)
Image courtesy of HUHANZ
NZ, Wellington, 30 July – Thousands of animal rights campaigners, animal lovers, and other people who oppose testing party drugs and synthetic cannabis on animals protested against the Psychoactive Substances Bill on Tuesday 30 July.
The weather was beautiful – warm, sunny, and an almost cloudless sky. Aside from a wintery nip in shadowed areas, it was like a fine spring or summer day. Proof, perhaps, that the deity of your choice is a keen animal lover.
In Wellington,around 500 people assembled at Cuba Mall's landmark bucket fountain;
They were armed with placards expressing their views, and with determined certainty that animal testing was morally, ethically, and humanly just plain wrong;
When animals can't speak for themselves, their human companions must – and do – speak for them;
There was a consistent message through the placards and people's comments; if you want to take party pills and synthetic cannabis, accept responsibility for their dangerous properties – but don't test them on animals. Our pleasure is not to be had at the sake of innocent creatures;
Indeed, their lives are in our hands – which in itself says a lot about ourselves that we have such power of life and death over other species;
This placard asks a very good question;
TV3's film crew interviewing some of the protesters;
As a side note, there was good coverage by both TV1 and TV3 News on the nationwide rallies. Indeed, the reporting was better and fairer than the anti-spy Bill rallies held on Saturday 27 July.
More of our furry companions at the rally;
These were ordinary New Zealanders expressing their opposition to animal testing – not "politically-motivated" activists. Something that National ministers should take into consideration when looking at this Bill;
"We want our voices heard" – but is National listening? Or has their arrogance made them deaf to the concerns of New Zealanders?
National should remember – these people vote;
Can any National Minister answer this question;
The next placard shames the government. Hopefully though, the protester meant "Don't Vote [for National]". Not voting at all is not resistance – it is surrender;
Engaged in street theatre. Note "Cosmic" in the background. "Cosmic" is a known retailer of party pills/synthetic cannabis;
Just before mid-day today (31 July), I phoned Mark Carswell, owner of the "Cosmic"-chain, to ask his views on the animal-rights rallies held around the country.
When asked to comment, Mark's responded;
"I've been way on holiday mate, so I've just sat down on my desk again and I'm just getting…I'm just actually finding out what's going on, but at this stage I've no comment."
Let's hope Mark finds out what is going on soon.
People like this lady will be very keen to know Mark's position on this problem;
And the lives of animals like these will be at risk;
SAFE (Save Animals from Exploitation) were visibly present at the rally;
SAFE Executive Director, Hans Kriek,has said,
It is obvious to most of us that torturing animals to death for the sake of unnecessary recreational drugs is completely unethical.
Animals should not suffer just because drug manufacturers want to get rich by getting people high.
There are plenty of non-animal tests available that can determine the safety of party drugs, so leaving the door open to (possibly cheaper) animal testing methods is deplorable.
It is hard to believe that animal tests could provide reliable results anyway. Testing a psychoactive drug on a rat or dog for a few weeks or even months is hardly going to prove that it is safe for a human who may take the drug for many years.
How many people will suffer brain damage in the future in the mistaken belief that the drugs they use are safe because they have been tested on animals?
Source: Kapiti Independent – Hans Kriek Writes
The following image, showing Key holding a cute kitten, is a well-known image on the 'net. This protester has created a whole new meaning to it;
Sometimes, political photo-ops can end up in unforeseen situations. I'd say this one has bitten our Smile & Wave Prime Minister on his $50 million dollar backside.
Continued at: Nationwide rally condemns animal testing for party-drugs (part rua)
This blogpost was first published on The Daily Blog on 1 August 2013.
Helping You Help Animals (facebook)
Helping You Help Animals (Website)
SAFE (website)
Parliament: Psychoactive Substances Bill
Parliament: Psychoactive Substances Bill – Related Documents
Green Party: Psychoactive Substances Bill could have been great
Copyright (c) Notice
All images are freely available to be used, with following provisos,
- Use must be for non-commercial purposes.
- Where purpose of use is commercial, a donation to Helping You Help Animals is requested.
- At all times, images must be used only in context, and not to denigrate individuals or groups.
- Acknowledgement of source is requested.
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The consequences of the Psychoactive Substances Bill – our shame
On 11 July 2013, the Psychoactive Substances Bill had it's third and final reading passed. It now requires only Royal Assent from the Governor Geneneral to be passed into law.
Green MP, Mojo Mathers, attempted to pass an amendment that would have banned testing of party pills and synthetic cannabis on animals.
This was voted down by National, Peter Dunne, and Brendan Horan. The NZ First caucus abstained.
So, for the pleasure of a bunch of pot heads and party-goers, these drugs will be tested on animals like these,
Are we happy now?
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The "man ban"; animal testing; GCSB Bill; and compulsory miltary training
The "man ban"…
Labour's hierarchy has dumped the so-called "man ban" (hat-tip to right wing bloggers for mental short-hand term which is little more than a knee-jerk emotional response requiring no deep thinking).
As Labour leader David Shearer pointed out,
"The distraction is turning our attention away from the issues that most New Zealanders are concerned about. They don't want to know about what is happening in the Labour Party.
What they want to know is what we are doing on the issues that affect them. That's power prices, home ownership and good jobs."
Acknowledgement: NZ Herald – Labour backs away from man-ban plan
Looking back at the last couple of days, this has become a plaything for right-wing bloggers and the Topic Of The Day for lazy journos who can't be bothered spending half a day researching on issues such as "ministerial release progress reports" which are little more than propaganda puff-pieces for National.
As Andrew Geddis pointed on on The Pundit,
"My first thought is that the coverage of this issue is pretty revealing of the crappy state of political journalism in NZ. The media have essentially taken the narrative spin of a couple of explicitly pro-National blogsites (complete with the manufactured slogan of "man ban") and replicated it verbatim – after searching out a few disaffected Labour-connected voices to underpin it. There's been no attempt to set the issue in context (I've yet to see any discussion about the general issue of the ongoing, static under-representation of women in NZ's Parliament), no attempt to look at overseas precedent (it took me 2 minutes on google to discover that "all-women short lists" are par for the course in the UK) and no attempt to compare Labour's gender-representation record with that of anyone else."
Acknowledgement: The Pundit – Remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors
This was not handled correctly from Day One.
When it first came to my attention, my own response was a head shake; groan of despair; and a face-palm. (see previous blogpost: Facepalm #1: Labour) I could immediatly guess the consequences; the response from the Right; and the frenzied headlines in my minds' eye.
I was not disappointed.
Cameron, David, et al, had their fun. (Which is ironic considering that ACT is a Rich White Man's Club that shafted it's one successful female MP, and National has only 25% female MPs – the worst of the five main multi-MP parties.)
The greatest irony here is that encouraging a 50/50 male/female ration of party candidates is nothing new to New Zealand politics. The old Alliance Party had a strict policy encouraging gender, geographical, race, etc, spread over it's Party List rankings.
There was no grand announcement on this policy.
We Just Did It.
As such it never made headlines and people simply accepted that gender equality was an issue of plain Kiwi fairness and not this nebulous concept of "PC gone mad" – whatever that might be.
This is where Labour mis-calculated. They should simply have proceeded with the policy and not bothered with any media release.
By making a Big Deal about it, they simply fed the lazy mainstream media looking for Shock! Horror! headlines, and voracious right-wing blogs which are always on the look out to deflect attention away from National's problems (and they are legion, believe me).
My suggestion to Labour – Just Do It anyway.
And screw Cameron Slater, David Farrar, et al. Those two National sycophants won't be voting Labour anyway, any time soon.
After Labour achieves 50% women MPs, it will then be up to National to play "catch up" – and right wing bloggers and commentators to explain why the Party of Aspiration can't do better than 25% female representation.
Animal testing…
The Greens have announced an attempt to amend the Psychoactive Substances Bill in Parliament to stop animal testing for party pills.
This heinous aspect to the Bill would permit the exploitation of animals to test party drugs to determine safety for human consumption.
In a recent blogpost, the NZ Herald was taken to task for mis-representing the Green position on animal testing (see: NZ Herald mis-represents Green Party spokesperson on synthetic 'highs'). The journo responsible for that mis-reporting – Kurt Bayer – has never responded to queries from this blogger as to whether the Herald would publish a correction to the errors in the story.
Even right wing, pro-business ACT MP, John Banks, has stated his opposition to using animals to test party drugs (see: Greens leading bid to stop animal testing for party pills).
Let me be totally blunt on this issue;
- If adults are foolish enough to ingest these "party" drugs or smoke synthetic cannabis – that is their decision. Let the consequences fall on their own heads if, after all the publicity, they still decide to use this crap.
- I'm all for testing. Go for it.
- But I see no reason to use animals to test substances that have no practical benefits, and are simply "fun drugs". It is obscene that National is even considering allowing harm to come to animals simply to test these nasty drugs, which are for "recreational" purposes.
- It is an indictment of our society that Parliament could even consider such an abuse of animals.
I hope National sees sense and deletes that part of the Bill.
GCSB Bill – Key, Shearer, Dunne, & Peters
Key is desperate to pass both the Telecommunications (Interception Capability and Security) Amendment Bill and Government Communications Security Bureau and Related Legislation Amendment Bill – both of which extend the powers of the State to access our communications; surveil New Zealanders; and store vast amounts of information on us.
Once upon a time, if the State wanted more powers for the Police or spy agencies, they had to justify it with the public and seek consent.
Now, in 2013AD, it is the public that has to defend it's right to privacy and why the various arms of the State should keep out of our lives.
It is hugely ironic that ACT, right ring bloggers, and other commentators support these two odious pieces of legislation.
Right wing parties such ACT usually advocate vigorously for reducing State involvement in our lives,
To this end the ACT Party upholds the following principles:
that individuals are the rightful owners of their own lives and therefore have inherent rights and responsibilities; and
that the proper purpose of government is to protect such rights and not to assume such responsibilities.
Acknowledgement: ACT Principles
The latest news is that Winston Peters and Peter Dunne – both with an eye on public opinion and the growing unease caused by these two Bills – are reviewing their support.
Peter Dunne
Mr Dunne says the review panel is a good start, but remains unconvinced that the bill in its current form provides enough protections to individuals and their private information. He says he doesn't want to go into too much detail about other changes under negotiation.
Acknowledgement: Radio NZ – GCSB bill needs more changes – Dunne
Winston Peters
Mr Peters was not impressed with the changes Mr Key has agreed to by way of giving the oversight watchdog, the Inspector General of Security and Intelligence, a panel of two to act as a sounding board.
"The surveillance panel was right only if the law was right and the law is not right.
"This bill does not work."
Acknowledgement: NZ Herald –Spy bill hits roadblock as Peters lays into Key's changes
Both men must be considering one simple reality; as the implications of these two Bills grows in the public's consciousness, do they really want to be associated with a growing Surveillance State; loss of privacy; and Big Brother?
These two Bills may be fast becoming National's "shower heads" moment.
The questions that demand answers are;
- Do Winston Peters and Peter Dunne want to be dragged down by National's agenda on this issue?
- Do they want to be tarred with the blackened brush of Big Brother?
- Who stands for the rights of citizens?
- And are Labour and the Greens prepared to turn the tide back?
And compulsory military training
Acknowledgement: NZ Herald – I want to say goodbye – gunman's last wish
This story undermines notions expressed by folk with simplistic views that "a spot of military training" is all that's needed to "buck up the ideas" of alienated young men and women.
Giving military training and putting guns into the hands of angry young men who feel resentful against society, is not a panacea for our social problems.
This blogpost was first published on The Daily Blog on 11 July 2013.
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NZ Herald mis-represents Green Party spokesperson on synthetic 'highs'
Acknowledgment: NZ herald – Legal highs linked to deaths – coroner
In a shocking piece of misleading journalism, the NZ Herald yesterday (14 June) mis-quoted Kevin Hague, the Green spokesperson on Health issues.
Herald journalist Kurt Bayer claimed that the Greens supported using animals for testing "party pills" (also known as synthetic 'highs'). Bayer wrote,
"The SPCA and Greens today finally agreed that some animal testing of party pills was necessary for the sake of keeping young people safe."
Source: Legal highs linked to deaths – coroner
This was shown to be wrong when the Greens posted their actual media release on-line on their website. The release stated,
"The Green Party welcomes the Psychoactive Substances Bill as it is reported back to the House today, and is delighted that an amendment limiting animal testing has finally been included, despite the submissions on animal testing being rejected by the chair of the Select Committee…"
Source: Bill a win for communities and animals
The Green Party statement went on to specifically state their opposition to animal testing,
"However, we will still be putting forward our amendment to rule out the use of data from animal testing being used as proof of safety.
"Our amendment is much simpler and more practical to enforce than the Minister's amendment and doesn't allow any animal testing.
"We have not seen any evidence that we need to allow animal testing of recreational drugs. In fact, the evidence we have seen is that all the proposed animal tests can be replaced with modern and effective non-animal tests," said Ms Mathers."
Source: IBID
The Green Party statement was in stark contrast to the story penned by Bayer and published online at 3:15 PM on Friday Jun 14. The offending portion stated,
The SPCA and Greens today finally agreed that some animal testing of party pills was necessary for the sake of keeping young people safe.
An amendment limiting animal testing has now been included in the Psychoactive Substances Bill.
"This bill is a necessary and practical step to end the harm caused by allowing untested drugs to be the market," said Green Party health spokesman Kevin Hague.
"We support strong regulation for party pills and legal highs – we can't continue to put our communities at risk."
The third and fourth paragraphs appear to indicate Green support for the first paragraph, which is erroneous.
The Green Party position was more accurately reported on Radio NZ's website,
Acknowledgment: Radio NZ – Animal testing must be last resort in legal highs tests
This issue was brought to this bloggers attention by Facebook user Jeanette Wilkinson who, at first, took the Herald story at face-value. Ms Wilkinson wrote on the DiscussioNZ page,
"I am extremely disappointed with the Green Party right now…in fact your credibility has taken a huge dive in my eyes upon reading this article below …especially where it mentions the Green Party finally deciding that SOME animal testing is required on animals for vile dangerous and totally unnecessary evil party pills and substances … I thought the Green Party would have some common sense and not support this at all and be inclined to have unnatural and dangerous chemical highs banned completely!"
When the actual Green Party policy was brought to Ms Wilkinson's attention she accepted that the Green Party's actual position had been mis-represented, and also added,
" I also believe that synthetic highs should be illegal and banned then none of this controversy would be happening and wouldn't that be a much better result for all moreso our young people?"
In a series of tweets by this blogger, I brought Kurt Bayer's attention to the mis-reporting of Green Party policy on animal testing, and asked for his response,
@KurtBayerAPNZ Hi Kurt. Your story "Legal highs linked to deaths-coroner" appears to have misquoted Green policy. http://tinyurl.com/mq6k6gx
@KurtBayerAPNZ Will you be publishing a correction? Note, I am in process of blogging this story.
@KurtBayerAPNZ I can email you my draft blogpost for you to comment on. Would like your response on the record.
As at midnight on Saturday, no response had been received from Bayer.
It will be interesting to see if the Green Party pursues this matter through the Press Council.
This blogpost was first published on The Daily Blog on 16 June 2013.
Green Party: Bill a win for communities and animals (14 June 2013)
NZ Herald: Legal highs linked to deaths – coroner (14 June 2013)
Facebook link: Discussion NZ
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11 June – Issues of Interest
A look at issues that've hit the headlines (or not)…
Hekia Parata – grasping at straws
Acknowledgment: Radio NZ – National standards pass rates rise
So let me get this straight. After only one year of National Standards – which is supposedly nothing more than a means of measurement – Parata is claiming that " new figures show students are doing better at reading, writing and maths"?!?!
Even die-hard National sycophants would look askance at the claim.
Parata is so desperate for good news that she's willing to invent it. Some call it "political spin". In the Real World, we refer to it as bullshitting.
However, the above Radio NZ report is sadly lacking in detail.
The NZ Herald headline was far more realistic and damning; Parata: Concerning trends in National Standards data. In the Herald piece, Parata concedes the reason for a slight increase in increased achievement,
"We have a range of support in place to help children including Reading Recovery, Reading Together and targeted programmes to accelerate progress in reading, writing and mathematics."
Acknowledgment: IBID
So it wasn't 'National Standards' that have increased achievement. It's the hard work of teachers in classrooms slogging their guts out and implementing "Reading Recovery, Reading Together and targeted programmes to accelerate progress in reading, writing and mathematics".
Well, that's nice to know.
Even Parata acknowledgment the role of teachers in raising achievement;
"It's a credit to our teaching profession to see progress being made child by child and school by school."
So, nothing to do with National Standards then, Hekia? As usual, it's the professional's quietly working away in the background, while you trot out unworkable policies and spin bullshit to make it look good?
Got it.
Acknowledgment: IBID
Time for some Frankly Speaking Standards Report Card:
Teachers: A+
Parata's spin: F – fail
Radio NZ's reporting: C – can do better
Winston Peters and those emails
Up until the weekend, Winston Peters has been straight-forward in his responses to media questions on the Dunne-Kitteridge Report-Vance Affair. Peters claims to have possession/access of Peter Dunne's incriminating emails.
Since the weekend, however, his "yes" and "no" answers have given way to evasiveness and obfuscation. No more straight "yes" or "no" answers.
Peters 'performance' on Campbell Live yesterday (10 June) was a frustrating exercise in typical Peters evasiveness to straight forward questions. At one point, John Campbell brought up Peters sharply when the wily old politician tried to pull a 'swiftie',
Acknowledgment: TV3 – Campbell Live 10 June 2013 (at 7.50)
This morning (11 June), Peters was no better on Radio NZ's Morning Report, giving Simon Mercep the royal runaround. Listen: Radion NZ – Morning Report – Winston Peters bats away PM's suggestion of a bluff
Conclusion? Peters does not have the emails in his possession. If he had them;
- His answers would be more decisive (you can tell when Peters is bending the truth)
- He would be drip-feeding them to the media by now
As our American cuzzies so poetically put it, he ain't got nuthin',
Kim Hill on Morning Report
Listening to Kim Hill interviewing political figures on Radio NZ's Morning Report is simply electrifying. The woman has more journalistic talent than those on Q+A, The Nation, Third Degree, et al, combined. She holds nothing back.
Check out her interview with John Key on 10 June on Morning Report; John Key responds to claims from Winston Peters
Powerful stuff. Excellent interviewing.
John Armstrong; the NZ Herald,Greens, and media voice for the Nats
Ever wondered what a state-sponsored media voice would be like?
Check out John Armstrong's pro-National spin on the recent Green Party conference and his petty bagging of Russell Norman. More here, on The Daily Blog; Sparks fly with yet more shocking right wing nuttery…
Armstrong hasn't got a leg to stand on to criticise The Greens, so he focuses on the most trivial, pointless, and childish issues to pick on. This isn't media independence – this is being a mouth-piece for the National Party. It's Soviet-era Pravda and Izveztia, right here in New Zealand.
Demeaning rubbish.
John Key, GCSB, Prism, and denials
As reported in the NZ Herald today, Key denied using the "Prism" system to circumvent New Zealand law to gather information on New Zealanders,
"I can't tell you how the United States gather all of their information, what techniques they use, I just simply don't know. But if the question is do we use the United States or one of our other partners to circumvent New Zealand law then the answer is categorically no."
Acknowledgment: NZ Herald – Key: No GCSB legal loophole
And remind us all, Mr Key, why we should believe you?
Especially when we already know that the GCSB has spied on 88 New Zealanders, despite Section 14 of the Government Communications Security Bureau Act 2003 distinctly prohibiting such activities on New Zealand citizens and permanent residents. (See related blogpost: The GCSB law – Oh FFS!!!)
As well, John Key's reputation for brain-fades, mis-representing facts, and outright lying, is now legendary.
I wouldn't believe a word that comes out of his mouth.
And finishing on a positive note…
Bryan Bruce on his Facebook page, Inside Child Poverty New Zealand, today wrote,
I don't know about you but I 'm getting really tired of people who say "Yes … but." They agree something is a good idea … but find a reason for justifying their inactivity.
Yes.. paid parental leave is a good idea… but we can't afford it.
Yes feeding our kids healthy meals at school is a good idea … but.. it's too expensive….
No it's not. It's about priorities.
Do you want mothers to be able to look after their babies or force them to earn a few dollars so that strangers can look after them?
Do you want Roads of National Significance or Children of National significance?
No more Yes… buts.
If it's YES..if it's morally right… if it's sensible… then let's just do it.
And Yes we can find the money for these things … we could put Company tax back up to 30%, we could make more effort catching tax cheats who rob us of up to 5 Billion dollars a year ( any idea how that happened Mr Dunne?) we could put a tax on all non-personal Bank transactions and get companies run by Charitable Trusts to pay tax on their profits and apply for rebates on the good works the ACTUALLY do.
Just say Yes… no more buts please.
Acknowledgment: Inside Child Poverty New Zealand
= fs =
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text:
Finland to Allocate €600,000 for Mine Clearance in Donbas
Photo from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland
Finland will allocate €600,000 for assistance in the demining operations in Eastern Ukraine, reports the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland.
Foreign Minister of Finland Pekka Haavisto went to Stanytsia Luhanska on November 2, 2019, where he visited the temporary bridge over the Siversky Donets, which was built while the main road bridge was being repaired.
During the visit, the Minister confirmed an additional contribution of €600,000 to humanitarian mine clearance because the mines in remain a problem and complicate agriculture and construction throughout Donbas.
Finland is involved in the development of Ukraine, supporting energy efficiency and education reform, said Haavisto.
|Ukraine and the EU

subset: commoncrawl


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Vast Networks
The NRA's grassroots support network; civic tech's inclusion problem; and more.
The NRA's grassroots support network; civic tech's inclusion problem; and more.
The appearance of potential impropriety; how tech companies directly helped the Trump campaign; and more.
A mapathon for Puerto Rico; why Mark Zuckerberg should have finished college; and more.
Zuckerberg asks for forgiveness; probing Cambridge Analytica's "strange and unsettling" work; and more.
Twitter's turn for Congressional scrutiny; how organizers can protect themselves from doxxing; and more.
The nouveau company town; Jack Dorsey's real character limit; and more.
How Code for Poland combats tree-felling & fake news; what would it take for you to leave Facebook?; and more.
The search for wi-fi and cell phone service in PR; tracking immigrants' social media use; and more.
Men Going Their Own Way; Russia tried to break into election systems in 21 states; and more.
Making interference in elections on Facebook harder; suing the FCC over fake net neutrality comments; and more.


text: On 26 June 2002, the UNESCO World Heritage sites inscribed among the eight cities Late Baroque of Val di Noto: Caltagirone, Catania, Militello Val di Catania, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo Acreide, Ragusa and Scicli. A marvelous land, full of monuments, beaches, nature trails archaeological sites and typical products. The Vendicari Reserve (which covers about 1512 hectares) is particularly important for the existence of the marshes by the high salinity that has contributed to the creation of an ecosystem that is the reference point for the rest of the birds from Africa. The reserve is a coastal wetland of high biological value for the presence of different habitats: rocky, sandy coast, Mediterranean. The Island of the Currents Finally, it is a small area connected to the southernmost tip of Sicily, right at the end of Italy, a strip of stone and earth, and depending on the tide alternates to be its island being peninsula.