154 replies to this topic

[Set and Meet Goals]

Australia confirmed to be having its biggest economic recession since the great depression

 

https://www.smh.com....902-p55rk4.html

[Erowind]

https://morningstaro...ging-scientists

Australian government accused of climate change cover-up and gagging scientists

[wjfox]

NZ prime minister on course for election victory - poll

September 27, 20208:07 AMUpdated 3 hours ago

SYDNEY (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is poised to retain power at next month’s election, a widely watched poll showed on Sunday, although it said a recent COVID-19 outbreak has dented her support slightly.

A Newshub-Reid Research Poll released on Sunday showed support for Ardern’s Labour Party at to 50.1%, though this is down from the record 60.9% recorded earlier this year when New Zealand was widely lauded as a world leader in battling COVID-19.

Support for the main opposition National Party was at 29.6%, up 4.5 percentage points.

Should the poll findings materialise, Ardern would govern without relying on any coalition partners.

New Zealand was COVID-free for 102 days until a second wave hit Auckland last month.

 

https://www.reuters....n-idUSKBN26I070

 

 

[wjfox]

[caltrek]

Study Warns Radicalized Right-Wingers Uniting Online—Many Inspired by Trump—Threaten Australian Democracy

 

https://www.commondr...-trump-threaten

 

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) Australian researchers published a study this week mapping the online activity of right-wing extremists in New South Wales, concluding such individuals—many of them inspired by U.S. President Donald Trump—pose an "insidious" threat to the country's democracy.

 

The study, Mapping Networks and Narratives of Online Right-Wing Extremists in New South Wales, was conducted by researchers at Macquarie University and Victoria University, who analyzed the Facebook pages of 30 extreme right-wing groups and tens of thousands of tweets from over 3,300 users in the southeastern state.

 

The researchers found that on numerous social media platforms—including Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Gab, 4chan, and 8chan/kun—communities of mostly young men are uniting over "the theme of white identity under threat."

 

Anti-semitism, Islamophobia, and far-right conspiracy theories like QAnon are common narratives used to engage and recruit young men into extremist groups, the study found. Trump plays a significant role in the conversation, according to Macquarie University researcher Julian Droogan.

 

"Trump is really held up as an example of a defender of white identity by many in this extreme subculture," Droogan told The Guardian. "However, we also see it being presented in a distinctly Australian way."

[Futurist]

Sad to hear!

[Futurist]

NZ prime minister on course for election victory - poll

September 27, 20208:07 AMUpdated 3 hours ago

SYDNEY (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is poised to retain power at next month’s election, a widely watched poll showed on Sunday, although it said a recent COVID-19 outbreak has dented her support slightly.

A Newshub-Reid Research Poll released on Sunday showed support for Ardern’s Labour Party at to 50.1%, though this is down from the record 60.9% recorded earlier this year when New Zealand was widely lauded as a world leader in battling COVID-19.

Support for the main opposition National Party was at 29.6%, up 4.5 percentage points.

Should the poll findings materialise, Ardern would govern without relying on any coalition partners.

New Zealand was COVID-free for 102 days until a second wave hit Auckland last month.

 

https://www.reuters....n-idUSKBN26I070

 

 

Good; she seems both competent and compassionate and appears to have done an excellent job handling the coronavirus in her country!

[wjfox]

David Paisley
@DavidPaisley

 

Wow, this is leadership.

 

https://twitter.com/...858371540037634

[wjfox]

Jacinda Ardern has won a second term in office.

 

https://www.theguard...th-collins-news

[wjfox]

Bluewaters coal-fired power station written off as worthless as renewables rise

Posted Yesterday at 9:43pm

The owners of Australia's newest coal-fired power station have written down the value of the asset to zero, wiping out a $1.2 billion investment in the face of an onslaught of renewable energy.

https://www.abc.net....-books/12990532

 

 

[wjfox]

Fireworks in New Zealand and Australia for 2021

New Zealand and Australia have welcomed 2021 with firework displays.

Strict lockdown and border closures in New Zealand have all but eliminated Covid, so New Year's Eve plans were held as usual.

The Sydney fireworks display went ahead, but crowds were not allowed to gather on the city's harbour to enjoy it.

https://www.bbc.co.u.../world-55498922

 

 

[caltrek]

While I have a very high overall opinion of New Zealand, this article demonstrates that even that country has its problems.

 

 

Waikeria uprising: Families urge prisoners to surrender but 'they're willing to die in there'

 

https://www.nzherald...CBBTQOIBEOB4OI/

 

(New Zealand Herald) Desperate family members are urging rioting Waikeria Prison inmates to give themselves up, but warn their loved ones are "willing to die" if their demands for basic needs are not met.

 

A group of 16 inmates are still evading capture on the jail's roof after starting a riot and lighting fires in the prison yard on Tuesday afternoon.

 

One woman, who asked not to be named, told the Herald that inmates had been making short phone calls to relatives to update them on the unfolding situation.

Flames leap from the roof of Waikeria Prison on Friday night.

Photo / NEWSHUB

[wjfox]

Brisbane is the 'preferred host' for 2032 Olympics, IOC announces

Updated 0607 GMT (1407 HKT) February 25, 2021

(CNN) – The Australian city of Brisbane is the "preferred host" for the 2032 Summer Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Wednesday, in a move which officials said was designed to bring "stability" to the Games after the delay of the Tokyo 2020 edition.

IOC President Thomas Bach announced at a news conference Wednesday that the Olympic governing body will enter a "targeted dialogue" with the Brisbane 2032 Committee and the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) over their potential to host the 2032 Games.

Under a new selection process for the Games approved in 2019, a candidate city is designated as "preferred host" following the start of "targeted dialogue." The city's bid must still be approved by an IOC vote.

The announcement was met with excitement in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland state and Australia's third-largest city. State Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said this was the beginning of "a new golden age for Queensland."
IOC President Bach said that the decision to advance the process for the selection of the 2032 Games had been made "given the uncertainty the world is facing right now."

https://edition.cnn....-hnk/index.html

[Yuli Ban]

While I have a very high overall opinion of New Zealand, this article demonstrates that even that country has its problems.

 

 

Waikeria uprising: Families urge prisoners to surrender but 'they're willing to die in there'

 

https://www.nzherald...CBBTQOIBEOB4OI/

 

(New Zealand Herald) Desperate family members are urging rioting Waikeria Prison inmates to give themselves up, but warn their loved ones are "willing to die" if their demands for basic needs are not met.

 

A group of 16 inmates are still evading capture on the jail's roof after starting a riot and lighting fires in the prison yard on Tuesday afternoon.

 

One woman, who asked not to be named, told the Herald that inmates had been making short phone calls to relatives to update them on the unfolding situation.

Flames leap from the roof of Waikeria Prison on Friday night.

Photo / NEWSHUB

It's the difference between a utopia and a eutopia. 

 

A eutopia need not be perfect (indeed, it's impossible to be perfect); only preferable and pleasant.

[wjfox]