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D Jukic She/her @dejanajuk.bsky.social · 8h

Repost. NZ pensions are not a problem. They are not unsustainable. That’s a lie. #nzpol

Musical Chairs @musicalchairs.bsky.social · 10d

Looks like a good time in the news cycle to tackle three big myths 🧵
❌ NZ pension costs are an unsustainable burden ❌
Seriously, no, for lots of reasons.
1. Our current Govt spending on pensions is low compared to most other advanced economies. And... [1/n]

Graph of public pension costs as % of GDP for OECD countries in 2021 (latest data). NZ is lower quartile at around 5.1%. OECD average is 7.8%. Plenty of Euro countries are around 10% or above.

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High Pants @lowkeyhazza.bsky.social · 1d

As flies to wanton boys are Shakespeare's quotes to Willis; She kills them for her sport.

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High Pants @lowkeyhazza.bsky.social · 1d

I ask as Winnie is just straight up copying the US far-right's playbook for culture war bs, so it wouldn't surprise me if he leapt to blaming the left for the attack without knowing, or caring, what the vandal's motives were.

High Pants @lowkeyhazza.bsky.social · 1d

TBH this is the first article I've read about the smashed window so if it's not too stupid a question, has it been confirmed that the vandal was part of the protest or do all the articles, like this one, just jump to the conclusion that he was?
#nzpol

Mlb Kiwi 🫵✋😛🤚 @mlbkiwi.bsky.social · 1d

Winston Peters happily caused chaos and death threats for Green MP Benjamin Doyle AND wants to blame the Greens for what happened to his house. It’s all about culture wars so fucking stop it Winnie before someone dies #nzpol www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Green Party condemns vandalism as Winston Peters points the finger

The Green Party says it condemns the vandalism of Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ home, after he linked the attack to activists backed by the party.

www.thepost.co.nz

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Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 1d

I agree with every word Zelda Williams says. And this at the end from OpenAI makes me want to go full Ned Ludd. Creators can’t have a blanket opt-out on copyright infringement of their work and have to fill out a form appealing to OpenAI’s mercy every time? Fuck off into the sun

OpenAI told the Guardian that content owners can flag copyright infringement using a “copyright disputes form” but that individual artists or studios cannot have a blanket opt-out. Varun Shetty, OpenAI’s head of media partnerships, said: “We’ll work with rights holders to block characters from Sora at their request and respond to takedown requests.”

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Foxy @foxylustygrover.bsky.social · 1d

Winston Peters strolled around and anti-vax picnic and spoke with people who had chanted and written threats of hanging on gallows of Jacinda Ardern, Dr Ashley Bloomfield and so on, but this was all OK as it was just harmless opportunistic politicking #NZPol

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Mountain Tui @mountaintui.bsky.social · 3d

RNZ almost never publishes "political opinions" but today they & Stuff/The Post published one defending Nicola Willis's handling of the economy.

The author is Dennis Wesselbaum - from lobby group NZ Initiative, where Luxon/Willis reportedly get economic policies from

RNZ is shot #nzpol #kiwi

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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 3d

A 3,500 year-old Egyptian glass cosmetic jar with two little duck heads!

Glass was a relatively new material at that time, so this jar would have been a precious possession.

From Merit’s beauty case, found inside Theban tomb (TT8) of Merit and her husband Kha in 1906. 📷 Museo Egizio

#Archaeology

Museo Egizio Turin photo showing a small, dark-blue, core-formed, round glass jar which tapers in at the shoulders below the neck. It has yellow, white, and light blue festoon decoration trailed around the main body. There is a single yellow trail just below the neck of the jar. There is a dark-blue circular glass lid, the top of which is adorned with two dark-blue duck heads with yellow bills, a yellow trailed stripe on the top of each duck’s head, and indents for their eyes. The jar is displayed on a perspex (?) stand against a grey background. Glass jar dimensions: 7.6 cm x 9.6 cm.

Core-forming is one of the earliest glassmaking techniques. Glassmakers shaped the body of the vessel around a core, wound colored trails around it. They then let the vessel cool and removed the core.

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Mike Dickison @adzebill.bsky.social · 3d

This thread puts the whole austerity nonsense in perspective. We could throw millions into IRD to reap billions from tax dodgers, but for some reason don't.

Jabberwokiwi🦎 @jabberwokiwi.bsky.social · 3d

Yep, it's the same old "bash a beneficiary" or "lazy youf" rhetoric to gain a couple of votes.

Lazy Luxon chasing 4000 kids to save approx $1.3M year but won't chase Destiny church charitable trust or Gloriavale, with charities estimated to be avoiding $2.0B year in tax avoidance.

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High Pants @lowkeyhazza.bsky.social · 3d

#F1Academy #SingaporeGP #ChloeChambers
Nooooooooo, my homie Chloe screwed by the safety car! Hopefully she'll get back ahead of Lloyd in the championship standings at Las Vegas.
Oh well, at least Weug won so the championship will go down to the wire which will be interesting.

High Pants @lowkeyhazza.bsky.social · 4d

#AbbiPulling #GB3Championship #F1Academy
Holy shit, just watched the 1st GB3 race of this weekend (round 19), Abbi absolutely stormed up the grid from P17 to P7 with some monster overtakes and all round good pace. Great to see her with such confidence in such windy/gusty weather. 👍

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High Pants @lowkeyhazza.bsky.social · 4d

3/ Oh and before I forget, a shout out to Megan Bruce. Although low down the order she looked like she was having some great fights out there 👍

High Pants @lowkeyhazza.bsky.social · 4d

2/ Congrats to Block for the win, didn't crack under pressure from Weug/Chambers which is impressive. Sorry for Billard having a mechanical DNF after such a good qualifying, and for Palmowski who had such a weird crash while storming up the order, maybe something broke so she couldn't turn?

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High Pants @lowkeyhazza.bsky.social · 4d

#F1Academy #SingaporeGP
1/ Well that's race 1 done. As a Chambers fan it was a bit nerve wracking, a bit messy at the beginning which let Weug thru but glad she still made a lot of positions and held off Lloyd then pressuring Weug right to the end...

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High Pants @lowkeyhazza.bsky.social · 5d

#F1Academy #SingaporeGP
Gaaah, Qualifying Queen Chloe looked so set for another pole until close to the end. Oh well, at least she'll be ahead of Weug/Pin for the first race.
Feel sorry for Palmowski, that was a rare mistake from her.
Great result (P5) for Billard the Wild Card.

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furry hater @furry-hater.bsky.social · 7d

TODAY IS THE ONLY DAY YOU CAN REPOST THIS!!!

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High Pants @lowkeyhazza.bsky.social · 6d

Bloody 'ell...

Russel Norman @russelnorman.bsky.social · 7d

Luxon Govt subsidy to fossil fuel companies is 12 TIMES HIGHER per person than Trump's subsidy. Trump subsidy is US$625m to coal - NZ$1070m. Luxon subsidy is (at least) NZ$200m to oil and gas exploration. 5.2m people in NZ and 347m in US. Trump subsidy NZ$3 per person; Luxon NZ$38 per person.

High Pants @lowkeyhazza.bsky.social · 7d

That's giving me some real Aphex Twin music vid vibes.

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Rob🎸 @robdickinson.bsky.social · 7d

Goodbye Jane Goodall, tireless campaigner for a better more compassionate world

youtu.be/d3b6zSpy7P4?...

Jane Goodall: An Inside Look (Full Episode) | National Geographic

YouTube video by National Geographic

youtu.be

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High Pants @lowkeyhazza.bsky.social · 7d

The CoC: resolving conflicts of interest by resolving to remove anything that conflicts with their own self-interest since 2023 👍

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High Pants @lowkeyhazza.bsky.social · 8d

2/ Just like when Luxon repeatedly claimed that tax breaks for landlords would put "downward pressure" on rents which, in a surprise to absolutely no one, continued to rise.

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High Pants @lowkeyhazza.bsky.social · 8d

1/ "Watts argued the changes would put "downward pressure" on prices, but New Zealanders would not see any relief in short-term."

To me this sounds like an admission that their plan won't lower power prices at all while trying to not say it out right as they know it's bollocks...
#nzpol

Foxy @foxylustygrover.bsky.social · 8d

Turn around on RNZ analysis of Nat policy has shortened to same day as announcement, Nats have entered The Fun Zone where they can't just say things unchanged and expect media to PR repeat - let's get ready to rumble! #NZPol 1/2

Analysis - As Nicola Willis unveiled the government's electricity plan, she quipped that the lights in the room had dimmed.

The finance minister framed it as a neat metaphor for New Zealand's energy future if not for the changes being announced.

A less generous reading might see it as a symbol of her party's flickering political fortunes as a result of them.

Certainly, little in Wednesday's hotly anticipated package looks likely to give National a lift in the deadlocked polls.

The headline changes are: a proposal to help with importing gas (but with no detail as to how much or when), a commitment to stump up for electricity projects (but with no detail as to how much or when), and a plea to the sector for any other ideas (which surely could've been issued many months ago).

In preview interviews, Energy Minister Simon Watts foreshadowed "fundamental reform" and "significant but surgical" changes.

He continues to claim the package "in its entirety" fits that billing, but the response from critics suggests otherwise.

The country's largest business association, the EMA, has called it "underwhelming". The Auckland Business Forum, chaired by former National leader Simon Bridges, dubbed it a "missed opportunity".

John Harbord, of the Major Electricity Users' Group, put it starkly on Nine to Noon: "There is nothing in this that's going to make a difference to affordability in the next decade."

That is where the major political risks lies for National.

Polling shows the cost of living remains voters' number one concern - and the power bill is part of that pain. Electricity prices have jumped almost nine percent in the past year.

Watts argued the changes would put "downward pressure" on prices, but New Zealanders would not see any relief in short-term.

To be fair, National was always in a bind, wedged between its two coalition partners, pulling in different directions. ACT favours full privatisation, while NZ First has floated nationalisation.

At Wednesday's media conference, Watts said the former would not fix the underlying problem and the latter was "bumper sticker politics".

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High Pants @lowkeyhazza.bsky.social · 8d

Here I was thinking it's Fig-Jam flavoured, with the yellow representing how gutless he is with Winnie, Rimmer and recognising Palestine!

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Nancy Roth @nrothont.bsky.social · 8d

apnews.com/article/kash...

FBI boss Kash Patel gave New Zealand officials 3D-printed guns illegal to possess under local laws

On a visit to New Zealand, FBI Director Kash Patel gave the country’s police and spy bosses gifts of inoperable pistols that were illegal to possess under local gun laws and had to be destroyed.

apnews.com

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