frogblog

A question for the 86 MPs who voted against the Green Party’s medicinal marijuana bill last night:  will you deny your husband/wife/mother/father/daughter/son effective pain relief if they have the misfortune to suffer a terminal illness or undergo chemotherapy?
A question for the 86 MPs who voted against the Green Party’s medicinal marijuana bill last night: do [...]

Last night TV3’s 60 minute program looked at the issue of food colourings and whether or not they affect children’s behaviour.
While the experiments used in the item were not scientific the research that prompted the kiwi journalists to highlight this issue caused shockwaves when it was released in the United Kingdom in 2007.
The research - [...]

Next Wednesday is Members Day and there are five Green Party bills on the ballot that will be debated. Two are mine, one about Liquor Advertising and finally, our Medicinal Cannabis bill.
Despite keeping it back for some years (!) now because I have wanted it to stay on the political agenda, it is [...]

In a cautionary tale the New Yorker explores the effect of organising health care around making money. “It finds that costlier care is often worse care….”
This article looks at why some towns have much higher health care costs than others. It finds that higher costs are driven by health providers seeking to make a profit [...]

There was a recurring riff behind National’s opposition to two very different Bills on Members’ Day Wednesday. One commonality was that both Bills were voted down by National, Act and United Future, and supported by Greens, Labour, Progressives and Maori Parties.
But the riff I want to highlight is the idea that the problem is so [...]

The Taranaki Marfell Park toxic drums saga is sadly typical of the difficulties communities face getting support in dealing with toxic sites.

In 1993 my partner and I (while working for Greenpeace) toured the country speaking with virtually all the Regional Councils about the contaminated sites in the region. Our main focus was PCP (a timber [...]

Okay, I think I have something to add to this debate. And can I preface my remarks by saying I’m pretty uncomfortable by the “HIV Predator” term. Certainly the sexual behaviour alleged sounds pretty predatory, but the term carries a risk of association, suggesting that people living with HIV are more likely to be seen [...]

The Minister of Education has seen fit to cut money in the Budget for adult and community education funding except for courses related to literacy and numeracy. Programmes offered through secondary schools are set to disappear after an 80% cut. She picked out weaving, salsa dancing and Moroccan courses provided by community education programmes as [...]

Well, it’s happened again. Budget stuff has leaked from Wellington, stealing the thunder of Greens and Tories alike ahead of tomorrow’s announcement. No one is immune, and all sorts of theories can develop about who may gain an advantage by leaking such stuff.
First of all, after a thorough hop around the corridors of power, I [...]

Some people like to paint the Greens as gloom merchants. I have found that Greens are, at their worst; realists, and at their best; optimists. There is a universal undercurrent of optimism and enthusiasm for life at every Green function I attend.
No doubt I’ll see the optimism overflowing this weekend at our annual AGM, when [...]