Archive for February, 2006

• 

  Now this is interesting - by frog

  
  
  
  Aardvark.co.nz has a dilemma for us “greenies” to grapple with today. If, by genetically modifying algae, we could produce hydrogen in a form ready to use as a fuel for transport and to replace fossil fuel, would we want to do it? Here’s the full Aardvark article, this is where they got it from, and [...] read more
  February 27, 2006 4:51 pm - 54 Comments
• 

  Vote frog! - by frog

  
  
  
  Voting has opened for the 2006 NetGuide Web Awards, which will be announced on 6 April. In previous years, the awards have been decided by a panel of judges – first NetGuide staff, then New Zealand experts, then international experts as the Internet grew in popularity. This year, for the first time, the awards are [...] read more
  February 27, 2006 4:35 pm - 5 Comments
• 

  Winston won’t condemn Guantanamo Bay - by frog

  
  
  
  The issue of human rights abuses at Guantanamo Bay is still very much a live one following the release of the UN Human Rights Commission Report into the detention centre highlighting widespread torture practices. Yesterday Keith asked Foreign Minister Winston Peters during Question Time whether New Zealand would step up to the plate and call [...] read more
  February 24, 2006 9:48 am - 11 Comments
• 

  MPs stand with missing Green MP - by frog

  
  
  
  Some of the Green MPs held a short vigil on Parliament lawn today for Ingrid Betancourt, a Colombian Green MP and one of the world’s most high-profile hostages. She was kidnapped by guerrillas in Colombia four years ago today, and the anniversary is being marked internationally as a day of solidarity for hostages around the [...] read more
  February 23, 2006 10:38 am - 1 Comment
• 

  How low can they go? - by frog

  
  
  
  Today Sue B’s Bill to scrap the youth minimum wage gets its first reading in Parliament, secure in the knowledge that it will be supported through to Select Committee by Labour, United Future, the Maori Party and of course the Greens. There’s been lots of debate about the Bill, which is great, and the fact [...] read more
  February 22, 2006 3:29 pm - 17 Comments
• 

  Pro-gun lobbyists descend on Christchurch - by frog

  
  
  
  Gun control isn’t generally a big issue in New Zealand – certainly not like it is in the United States -but that could all be about to change with the news that a Firearms Safety Seminar being held in Christchurch today is featuring five international pro-gun lobbyists as keynote speakers. This release of Keith’s has [...] read more
  February 21, 2006 3:51 pm - 92 Comments
• 

  Photos from Guantanamo Bay protest in Auckland - by frog

  
  
  
  Keith was in Auckland on Friday and protested with Green supporters at the continuing presence of the US detention centre in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. As recently released photos highlight even more of the atrocities that have been going on there, it becomes even more clear that the detainees should be tried or freed, and [...] read more
  February 20, 2006 3:31 pm - 27 Comments
• 

  Who wants to swim in a polluted river? - by frog

  
  
  
  It’s well known that Friday afternoon is dead time when it comes to news. Send a media release after lunch on Friday and you can pretty much guarantee that it won’t be noticed and definitely won’t be picked up by any news outlets. It’s annoying if you’ve got something great you want to share, but [...] read more
  February 20, 2006 3:08 pm - 1 Comment
• 

  Good day, sunshine! - by frog

  
  
  
  It’s a lovely sunny day today, in Wellington at least, which means there’s loads of solar energy out there just begging to be harnessed. And while greater reliance on solar energy is frequently dismissed by “haters and wreckers” as unfeasible, unrealistic, or not technologically advanced enough, it seems that there are people out there who [...] read more
  February 16, 2006 9:25 am - 16 Comments
• 

  Another reason to make child abuse illegal - by frog

  
  
  
  Sue B has been busy on youth wages lately, but her other Bill – the Section 59 Crimes Act Repeal Bill, which aims to remove the legal defence allowing parents to use “reasonable” force to discipline their children – is still on the go. Submissions on the Bill close in 2 weeks, on 28 February, [...] read more
  February 14, 2006 1:11 pm - 40 Comments
• 

  Busy day for a Parliamentary frog - by frog

  
  
  
  It’s a big day at Parliament today – not only is the House in sitting again after the summer break, but two protests of interest to the Greens will take place on its steps. At lunchtime, MPs have been invited to meet a very special visitor – a Great Spotted Kiwi – whose habitat is [...] read more
  February 14, 2006 10:19 am - 2 Comments
• 

  Stupidity - by frog

  
  
  
  Sometimes you have to wonder about humankind and its collective level of stupidity. As a frog, I am sitting here in amazement wondering why it is that people throw away perfectly good money buying something they can get for free. Check out this study by the Earth Policy Institute, that shows that demand for bottled [...] read more
  February 13, 2006 1:50 pm - 36 Comments
• 

  Greens efficiently onto it, again - by frog

  
  
  
  Yet again, an example of the rest of the world cottoning on to what the Green movement has been saying for years: delegates at a UN Environment Programme Forum today have concluded that saving energy at home, work and on the roads will help to tackle the fuel crisis. Apparently this conclusion came after a [...] read more
  February 10, 2006 3:39 pm - 8 Comments
• 

  Nats all in a tizzy - by frog

  
  
  
  Poor old Don Brash just can’t shake those leadership rumours, no matter what he does. Ever since his Orewa III speech last week, which was supposed to put paid to them once and for all, speculation that members of his caucus are seeking to topple him have done nothing but intensify. No sooner does he [...] read more
  February 8, 2006 3:24 pm - 13 Comments
• 

  Beautiful tribute to Rod - by frog

  
  
  
  I thought it would be nice to share this amazing photo with you all. It’s a tribute to Rod by sand artist Peter Donnelly on New Brighton beach, and was photographed by Kerry Donnelly. It’s absolutely incredible, and yet another fitting tribute for Rod. A big thanks to Peter and Kerry for creating and sharing [...] read more
  February 7, 2006 4:51 pm - 4 Comments
• 

  Freedom of the press or free press? - by frog

  
  
  
  Decisions by various media including the Christchurch Press, Dominion Post and TVNZ to publish the controversial Mohammed cartoons have certainly created a lot of debate. Overseas, things certainly are heating up. In New Zealand the publication prompted a quick response from the Prime Minister and others. Today she has raised concerns that Kiwis overseas have [...] read more
  February 7, 2006 11:21 am - 109 Comments
• 

  World Bank and big business acknowledge climate change - by frog

  
  
  
  More on climate change issues, and it seems even the World Bank is prepared to acknowledge what George W Bush and his administration are not – that climate change is a real threat. In a recent report, the World Bank urges that action needs to be taken to protect Pacific nations from increasingly frequent tropical [...] read more
  February 3, 2006 1:10 pm - No Comments
• 

  Fact and Fiction - by frog

  
  
  
  Would somebody please send Act Leader Rodney Hide a dictionary so he can look up the difference between fact and fiction. In a speech today he said: The Green Party will sorely miss Rod Donald. As Jeanette Fitzsimons admitted last week the Green Party has failed to deliver MPs to Parliament capable of leadership. She’s [...] read more
  February 2, 2006 4:28 pm - 8 Comments
• 

  Truly tiresome Trev - by frog

  
  
  
  Rightwing blogger and Act Party devotee Trevor Loudon is scraping the bottom of the barrel in having another go at the Green Party. This time he has set his sights on new Green Party development coordinator Russel Norman. I guess he’s hoping to discredit the Greens and prove his hair-brained theory that the Party is [...] read more
  February 2, 2006 4:01 pm - 51 Comments
• 

  See, it does work! - by frog

  
  
  
  Good news this morning in this Dom Post story, which reports that the Ozone layer is regenerating again after years of deterioration. While it hasn’t been concusively linked, the scientist leading the investigation, who is currently visiting New Zealand from Denmark, says that the improvement is most likely due to a drop in dangerous emissions. [...] read more
  February 2, 2006 9:59 am - 4 Comments