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Dave @dpdiver.bsky.social · 13h

The interest that the government receives from Chorus for the loan could also help fund schools and hospitals, but not it they sell the debt (asset) to some merchant bank.

Reposted by Dave

Prof Anna Watts @profannawatts.bsky.social · 1d

Lol the Nobels can't even acknowledge women's contribution to discovery. But sure let's acknowledge The Machines.

Headline from an article in Nature this week that states "Prizes must recognize machine contributions to discovery. The future of science will be written by humans and machines together. Awards should reflect that reality."

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Dave @dpdiver.bsky.social · 1d

Not sure how many shares, if any the government holds - it’s NZX listed and was hocked off by the government as part of the 80s Telecom sell off. The valuable thing here is the loan the govt made to fund UFB, which Chorus will pay interest to the govt on. Sell the debt, no more interest income.

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Bernard Hickey @bernardchickey.bsky.social · 1d

A prominent New Zealander has some opinions. www.reuters.com/world/us/pet...

Exclusive: Peter Thiel in talk on 'Antichrist' says he told Elon Musk not to give wealth to charity

Peter Thiel, the billionaire venture capitalist and early supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, has urged long-time associate Elon Musk to quit the Giving Pledge under which signatories leave the majority of their wealth to charity.

www.reuters.com

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Dave @dpdiver.bsky.social · 1d

Certainly makes plenty off me via my fibre connection!

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Dave @dpdiver.bsky.social · 1d

God she's a fool. As the debt-holder, and with the debt being something she is talking about selling off, the Chorus debt *is* a bloody government asset. If someone owes you, it's an asset on your balance sheet! This is ACCY101 stuff. Most inept Minister of Finance ever! #nzpol

RNZ News Feeds @rnzrss.bsky.social · 1d

Selling Chorus securities is 'hocking off' debt not assets, Finance Minister says

The government had invested $1 billion in Chorus' fibre network.

www.rnz.co.nz

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Dave @dpdiver.bsky.social · 1d

I've voted, but I get why people aren't. Central govt criticising and overriding council's like Wellington, and weak candidate lists such as some areas of Auckland, help generate apathy toward local body politics that I think is being reflected in the voting levels.

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Sophia Babai @swingingstorm.bsky.social · 1d

Of fucking course they fucking dropped Marwan Barghouti from the prisoner release list.

Who is Marwan Barghouti? Marwan Barghouti is the most beloved politician in Palestine. He has been in Israeli prison for over 20 years and has continued to advocate for a two-state solution even behind bars.

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Dave @dpdiver.bsky.social · 1d

I'm surprised it's 22%. In my area (Rodney) we had no election for a councillor as Sayers stood unopposed again, the Auckland mayoral list is tepid, and the local board is a joke in terms of influencing anything important. I voted, but only as an anti-Brown vote #nzpol

www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Only one in five Aucklanders have voted in local elections

With two days remaining until polls close, only 21.9 percent of eligible voters had returned their papers.

www.rnz.co.nz

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Dave @dpdiver.bsky.social · 1d

Fuck 'em. While they can be hurtful, bigots just expose their own miserable existences through their inability to stfu and just live and let live.

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David Clegg @delphijunkie.bsky.social · 1d

Looking forward to Winston Peters taking full responsibility for this. That's how this works now, right? #nzpol

The Press @thepress.co.nz · 1d

The 19-year-old will appear in a Gisborne court next week. Doyle stepped down from Parliament in September, citing the intolerable level of abuse.

Teen charged with making death threats against former Green MP Benjamin Doyle

The 19-year-old will appear in a Gisborne court next week. Doyle stepped down from Parliament in September, citing the intolerable level of abuse.

dlvr.it

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Dr Dean Knight @drdeanknight.bsky.social · 1d

Sigh.

selectcommittees.parliament.nz/v/6/02d9e31a...

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Hayden Donnell @haydendonnell.bsky.social · 1d

Step one: engineer a recession and cancel infrastructure projects. Step two: get mad at people for not having a job

thespinoff.co.nz/politics/10-...

The Spinoff: In other words, we did it, folks. Joblessness is up. Inflation is down. Mince is admittedly four trillion dollars. But overall, success! Surely our government should be pulling a George W Bush and unfurling a mission accomplished banner above the rusted deck of the HMNZS Canterbury.

Instead, it called a press conference to say, in essence, wtf. Luxon and social development minister Louise Upston gathered reporters on Sunday to announce too many 18- and 19-year-olds were claiming the benefit, and they’ll be cutting them off if their parents earn more than the princely sum of $65,529 combined. Asked where young people should get a job in a recession, which, again, we deliberately engineered, Luxon pointed to kūmara harvesting in Dargaville or seasonal work in orchards. Orchardists promptly responded that they didn’t need more staff right now.

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Sharon Murdoch @domesticanimal.bsky.social · 1d

Govt to cut #JobSeeker benefit for 18 & 19 year olds who’s parents earn over $65,000, even if the teens have a disability or health condition. With #CostOfLiving & the job shortage they’re cranking up stress levels to 11, all to meet a target.
My #cartoon today about hard-nosed #NZpol

Cartoon. Title: “Job Seeee-e-e-e” Image shows PM Christopher Luxon at the open hatch of a small plane, high above farmland. He’s leaning out, and holding up a parachute pack, labelled “Job Seeker” He’s calling out to someone falling from the plane, “And I’ve kept your parachute because you kids from low-income homes need some motivation” Then he adds, “Don’t let that disability slow you down!”

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Dave @dpdiver.bsky.social · 1d

Anyone who posts or reposts AI slop into my feed, that's an instant block. There seems to be an increasing amount of it in the last few days and I don't care what the message is or who it's about, I'm not interested in seeing it.

peter griffin stands in front of a block button

Alt: peter griffin stands in front of a block button and pushes it

media.tenor.com

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Dave @dpdiver.bsky.social · 1d

www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

AI wellbeing platform launched by Sir John Kirwan, Health NZ

The rugby legend is helping to launch the first AI-powered wellbeing guide for adults, endorsed by Health New Zealand.

www.rnz.co.nz

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The Cathy Wilcox @cathywilcox.bsky.social · 2d

Scale.
My @smh @theage cartoon.

Single frame. Scale. On one side of scale, weighing heavily, a small gold weight marked “OCT 7 2023”. On the other side, much lighter, a huge bag (of sand?) marked “EVERY DAY SINCE.”

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Dave @dpdiver.bsky.social · 1d

Why the fuck is Radio New Zealand promoting an untested, unproven AI app for mental health by uncritically interviewing the CEO of the company who developed the app? This seems highly unethical, so of course Matt Doocey and the Coalition of Chaos is pushing this. #nzpol

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Dave @dpdiver.bsky.social · 2d

Do it! You won’t regret it.

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key-lime pie @keymonster.bsky.social · 2d

isportlandburning.com

Is Portland Burning?

No. See real-time Portland cameras, PulsePoint incidents, and sourced fact checks.

isportlandburning.com

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Dave @dpdiver.bsky.social · 2d

He’ll probably have to, though fuck knows what he’ll do. The corporate sector has realised he’s an empty suit so there won’t be many plum board seat/chair offers for him, and no one’s going to be interested on anything he has to say, so no speaking circuit. A book deal also seems unlikely

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Dave @dpdiver.bsky.social · 2d

Along with haka of protest!

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Dave @dpdiver.bsky.social · 2d

As well as enabling the cops to go back to taking and storing photos of rangatahi without reason, this bit seems like it could further restrict protest rights

‘They would have more powers to "detain and move individuals who refuse to leave closed areas".’

#nzpol

www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Government moves to give police back more information-collecting powers

Police have had to make big changes since 2020 to find and delete thousands of photos they took, especially of young Māori.

www.rnz.co.nz

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Dave @dpdiver.bsky.social · 2d

Nice work!

a man in a suit and tie is clapping his hands with the letter h on his face .

Alt: Leo de Caprio in a suit and tie clapping his hands

media.tenor.com

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Jill Blake @biscuitkitten.bsky.social · 2d

“the girlfriend of one of the founders of antifa”

Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund in Casablanca

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