Archive for July, 2008

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  Russel’s entry into US politics - by frog

  
  
  
  Occasionally you actually learn something at question time. Not often, but occasionally.  Today it was mostly farce (particularly this exchange between Rodney Hide and Winston Peters.) But we did learn today that While US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did not have time to discuss with our Foreign Minister his views on Islam, New Zealanders’ [...] read more
  July 31, 2008 6:05 pm - 47 Comments
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  Tuhoe and Crown talk about te Urewera - by frog

  
  
  
  It’s interesting to hear that Tuhoe are now entering treaty negotiations with the Crown.  This will, I imagine, be a very different set of negotiations to previous large negotiations such as Ngai Tahu and Waikato. Tuhoe’s engagement with the crown is stereotypically characterised as more confrontational than for many other iwi, which will add an [...] read more
  July 31, 2008 4:18 pm - 82 Comments
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  Transit’s chainsaw massacre - by frog

  
  
  
  Following on from yesterday’s post about the matai trees in Haast that were going to be cut down because they were old and rotten, Metiria has just released some photos proving that they are healthy, or at least, they were healthy: Metiria is worried abut the precedent this sets: Yet these unique trees, supposedly so [...] read more
  July 31, 2008 2:11 pm - 11 Comments
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  “A victory for supermarket consumers and competition in markets” - by frog

  
  
  
  That’s how the Commerce Commission is describing the Court of Appeal’s decision to block Woolworths and Foodstuffs from buying out their competitor the Warehouse. Commerce Commission Chair Paula Rebstock says New Zealand consumers know that more competition is needed in the supermarket sector: “The Commission declined clearance in mid-2007 for acquisition by either Foodstuffs or [...] read more
  July 31, 2008 1:19 pm - 3 Comments
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  Cycling hints - by frog

  
  
  
  There’s some helpful cycling advice from Treehugger this week on making sure you claim back tax deductions for extra food as fuel expenses incurred while working – this might be particularly relevant to those many cycle couriers who burn extra calories whizzing about town all day long: And there’s also ten tips to ugly your [...] read more
  July 31, 2008 12:14 pm - 7 Comments
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  Favourite peak oil quote of the week - by frog

  
  
  
  This letter in the print edition of Straight Furrow this week from John of Pukekohe has a new challenge for the peak oil-ologists here at the Green Party to answer: “A Russian professor”?… “basically said”?… “second law of thermodynamics”.  Well that clinches it then.  Nothing says convincing science like the second law of thermodynamics.  Well, [...] read more
  July 31, 2008 11:38 am - 8 Comments
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  “Good police officers are going to get hurt” - by frog

  
  
  
  A good shorthand way to tell if Parliament is voting to remove people’s civil liberties is to look for those bills that the Greens, Act and the Maori Party oppose but Labour, National, United Future and New Zealand First support.  Such is the case with Chester Burrows’ Wanganui District Council (Prohibition of Gang Insignia) Bill. [...] read more
  July 31, 2008 9:34 am - 205 Comments
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  Old matai make way for campervans - by frog

  
  
  
  When the Haast highway builders passed through ancient Matai forest forty years ago, the trees were left standing close to the road. After all, some of them had already been there for 1000 years or more. So that’s why Metiria is trying to find out why Transit currently felling 250 ancient podocarps along this scenic [...] read more
  July 30, 2008 4:54 pm - 6 Comments
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  Fragile planet - by frog

  
  
  
  This video should get right up some people’s noses – it’s got the United Nations, Sting and polar bears! read more
  July 30, 2008 4:47 pm - 1 Comment
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  A big Friday night - by frog

  
  
  
  This Friday at the Wellington Opera House, young Green activist and candidate number 11 on our party list, Gareth Hughes, is joining Metiria and Russel to launch the Green Party youth policy and the Green Party youth election campaign. But after that, it is Friday night after all, he’ll be joining the Phoenix Foundation, Little [...] read more
  July 30, 2008 2:46 pm - 7 Comments
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  A nasal interpretation of a Bee Gee - by frog

  
  
  
  Always helpful, I’ve found a new defence for Winston from the media’s attacks.  He just needs to copy Peter Madsen who is threatening to sue a Manawatu journalist for saying his performance on Stars in Their Eyes was like ” rooster on nitrous oxide”.  Madsen’s argument is that ‘he is a professional impersonator and the [...] read more
  July 30, 2008 2:21 pm - 2 Comments
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  I’m glad you asked - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  I’m glad to see my post on the issue of vehicle fuel efficiency standards has provoked such interest. Here are a few answers to a few questions: Kevyn, – my briefing on the $148m saved on power bills since the MEPs came in was an oral one but you could write to EECA and ask [...] read more
  July 30, 2008 12:16 pm - 11 Comments
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  The BBC bee vs the National Geographic spider - by frog

  
  
  
  If you’re a fan of nature docos you’ll enjoy these video clips on The Ranger’s Blog, highlighting the cultural differences between America’s National Geographic and Britain’s BBC both discussing the same topic; a spider lying in wait to catch a bee for dinner. The “unashamedly anthropomorphic” National Geographic: The jumping spider packs a ton of [...] read more
  July 30, 2008 11:10 am - 9 Comments
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  Doha collapses (the trade round, not the city) - by frog

  
  
  
  “There is no use beating around the bush, this meeting has collapsed, members have simply not been able to bridge their differences,” the World Trade Organization’s Director-General Pascal Lamy told journalists. And the reason being given for the collapse of this seven year long set of trade negotiaions is India and the USA’s failure to [...] read more
  July 30, 2008 8:58 am - 7 Comments
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  Predicting the perfect food storm - by frog

  
  
  
  If you have read Stuffed and Starved, the book that predicted current food crisis before it began, you’ll enjoy this Guardian interview with it’s author Raj Patel. His analysis shows how communities around the planet have been disempowered by a system that appears to offer an abundance of cheap food, but in reality dictates unhealthy [...] read more
  July 30, 2008 6:45 am - 43 Comments
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  Mandatory country of origin labelling - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  Tomorrow I will present my 37 thousand signature petition calling for mandatory country of origin labelling of all fresh and single component food to the Health Select Committee. It’s hard to believe that both the Labour and National parties oppose something as basic as our right to know where our food comes from. We have [...] read more
  July 29, 2008 3:20 pm - 40 Comments
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  I want to know what love is? - by frog

  
  
  
  08wire is getting impatient for the Greens to say before the election, as we have promised to do, which political parties we can and cannot work with after the election.  (08wire is not showing any impatience with Labour’s plan to not say who it will want to work with until after the election.) Anyway 08,  [...] read more
  July 29, 2008 11:36 am - 20 Comments
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  The real Tibet - by frog

  
  
  
  It seems, according to a Chinese delegation here in NZ this week, that we were mistaken about state violence in Tibet earlier this year: Delegation leader Shes-rab-nyi-ma, vice-president of Beijing’s Central University for Nationalities, said they wanted to correct erroneous reports of a violent crackdown on Tibet. The delegates wanted to show “the real picture” [...] read more
  July 29, 2008 10:39 am - 16 Comments
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  gblog - by frog

  
  
  
  I had been watching gblog waiting for it to get it’s stable of writers  into action, but it seems No Right Turn and Beehive Buzz have already discovered it so I may as well point out it’s existence too. gblog is a community for all Green Party members to share their thoughts with the New [...] read more
  July 29, 2008 10:18 am - 5 Comments
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  Bailey Kurariki – restoration is the priority - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Much was made yesterday of the arrest of Bailey Junior Kurariki for breach of bail. Apparently the state machinery used a helicopter and 30 police officers to go to his house and take him away. Apparently the cops didn’t even bother to search the house, which is odd given the breach was reportedly for smoking [...] read more
  July 29, 2008 10:02 am - 56 Comments