Daveyboots: I expect the downvotes are for the factually wrong first sentence, not the aspirational second one.˜Boys will be boys' doesn't imply boys shouldn't grow up, and if anything it is used to point out childish behaviour, not to condone it in adults.
From what Ive read, no one was doing that. They were just filming people ârescuingâ people off the coast of Africa just in international waters, then ferrying them to Europe - making the people smugglers job easy and making it likely more people will drown.Either way, nobody is even making it difficult to avoid hearing them, let alone forcing you to hear them.
I always understood it was meth production rather than consumption that poisoned a house. Curious to know whether it's just the government who thought otherwise or did some landlords end up doing a full meth clean when they knew meth was only consumed and not produced? (And also was the testing clearly distinguishing use from production)
Well... I voted NZF to put the brakes on some of the madness that was being proposed pre-election and so far hes delivering (with a few downsides of his own but politics is the art of the possible, not the perfect). And with any luck the shenanigans of this term will ensure a one term government. Short term pain, long term gain.
Given that educated people disagree over many issues that are a matter of opinion rather than fact, maybe you need to be more specific - e.g: âpeople who think like me and wont disturb my bubble with challenging ideasâ.
Nobody is arguing its not her business, only that its not solely her business. An adults body is also their business, but its also the rest of societys business if they do something that costs the rest of society - whether financially, physically, emotionally, or otherwise.
Youve got it rather backwards here. Nobody has a right to any particular platform for their speech, that is correct. However, it is the private platforms that have the greater right to be choosy about access. Taxpayers and ratepayers have equal rights to use public facilities irrespective of the beliefs of the listeners or the speakers. If the government (local or national) decides to only allow certain approved viewpoints they are discriminating on the basis of beliefs.To provide some clear examples with historical basis, lets say instead of blocking a conservative speaker they were blocking any non-Anglicans (i.e. picking religions rather than politics). We would then have a state established religion like we did when NZ was established. If they allow all Protestants rather than all Anglicans then we still have a state established religion of non-Catholicism.Blocking political views is similar, in that by blocking part of the political spectrum you skew the whole conversation, and youre forcing some taxpayers or ratepayers to find a platform thats only available for opponents of their views.
Labour need to learn from Peters experience before they try pushing back and miss the mood of the country. If they pull their collective heads in they can keep their disagreements private, gain some experience, then work out where theyre happy to have public disagreements. Right now they look like theyre being sent to the naughty corner on a regular basis.
People own multiple guns for the same reason they own multiple drill bits or screwdrivers - different tools for different jobs.Meanwhile a register of where criminals can steal guns from doesnt seem like a helpful step.
How many columnists does stuff have who dont understand free speech? Whether you or I dislike a speaker or the things they have to say is totally irrelevant. They have a right to hire public facilities on the same terms as people whose political views you agree with. If they use the venue to break the law (as some fear), then they can be arrested. Refusing hire because you think theyll say something illegal is prejudice. Refusing hire because the Mob threatens violence is no better than caving to organised crime.The free speech coalition hasnt expressed a view on whether they agree with the 2 speakers, they are simply defending their right to speak without government interference.
âHer position is that Im not allowed to speakâ - any evidence for this? And even if that is her position, the difference between her and Goff is that shes not in a position to stop you. If I spout some nonsense about how certain people (e.g. men, JWs, or ACT party members) shouldnt be able to speak/vote/use public facilities, you can refute me. If I was a mayor and used my power to enforce my views Id be breaking the law. Some people seem to think this is fine as long as they agree with the views in question.
In this case I suspect the council would turn down any group that wants 5 months use of the lakefront for something that involves an amplified sound system, or reserving an area and putting in seating etc. No discrimination there.The church applied for a permit, which suggests they want to do more than just meet there with no PA system and talk like you might with a large group picnic.
Well... the sensible response is to streamline what process is due. The current process is a farce, and a better process is to turn people around at the border if they have no proof of a right to enter, and to make it easy to remove those who get past the border.
Capital gains are a source of income. Wages are a source of income. Why should only the latter attract an income tax? You can argue for a different rate to reflect the effort and risk involved, or for offsetting losses (since wages are never negative), but fundamentally if youre going to tax income then you should tax all income as long as its efficient to do so.
To summarise:1. Be polite (fair, but irrelevant to free speech)2. Say stuff I want to hear, not stuff I dont.3. If people arent following 2, ignore 1.4. Self censor.5. Actually free speech isnt important if I disagree.6. Dont be conservative.
The bible has never blessed all that culture believes even if some people have tried to claim it does. If you don't want the bible to challenge culture, it's easier to throw it out rather than edit it into silence.
If two people are religious but don't share the same religious beliefs as the people who use the building they want to perform their religious ceremony in, why should they be given the go ahead?
When Little led the Labour Party, support was about 10% less than when Ardern took over. No policy change, just a fresh face that looks better on TV. That extra 10% is all down to Jacindamania.
This article starts on one premise then assumes the opposite when answering the question. If youve been invited to visit youve got implicit permission to use their driveway unless told otherwise. A driveway is more like an open doorway, not a closed door. But if theres a gate across it then thats like a closed door - dont invite your vehicle in. If the driveway isnt theirs, or isnt solely theirs then you dont have permission to use someone elses driveway so its no longer the same question.Of course if your car leaks fluids then using the driveway is akin to wearing your muddy boots inside...
Yes, in a few years road funding from petrol tax will be borne entirely by those too poor to fund the capital cost of an EV unless the funding model changes. Its bad enough missing out on the lower running costs and lower maintenance costs, but being taxed for not having enough access to capital is pretty rough.
Any anthem becomes a dirge if you sing it slowly enough. The â˜dirge issue is unrelated to lyrics or tune, and if our anthem was sung at the tempo Bracken wrote it to be sung at it would be fine.Also, almost every national anthem has a âforeigners out!â vibe, and many are a call to war. In that regard our anthem is much less xenophobic than most.
The full constitutional rights of foreigners are not the same as those of citizens. Just try exercising 2nd amendment rights as a tourist...The rights of people who enter the country illegally are better compared with the rights of an army entering the country.
If GDP was all that mattered nobody would voluntarily come to NZ - there are plenty of places with a higher GDP. What matters is whether the migrants want to bring the parts of their home culture that NZ doesnt want along with the parts we are positive or indifferent about.
My work introduced agile for most of what we do, but nobody had to sign new contracts as a result. I don't know why spark is trying to say the contracts are required due to the work change.
3 things vegans can do to attract hatred: 1) take a judgemental attitude toward anyone who isnt vegan. 2) Tell people who arent interested why they should become vegan. 3) side with PETA and similar crazies. Avoid those 3 things and you will only have to worry about the people who have had a bad experience with vegans who have done one or more of the above. Unfortunately PETA has already done for vegans what Westboro Baptists have done for Southern Baptists, so there are a lot of people who have had a bad experience.
Clinton won the popular vote because she concentrated more on getting voters out in the states she was always going to win. Trump went hard after the states that were going to be close and largely ignored the ones that were in the bag (after the primary).The reason he won overall is not a single factor - thats always going to be an oversimplification. Clinton was a polarising candidate (and insulted a large swathe of the country on the campaign trail), the US already had 8 years of identity politics, Trump tapped a vein of discontent, Clinton is too â˜establishment, the list goes on.
Its a bit of an odd one... there are many âpastafariansâ who dont actually believe the core teachings of pastafarianism, but as long as there are some who do then it would have to qualify as a religion. However, that still leaves the colander question as a separate issue. Wearing a colander at all times is not a requirement, so its fair to ask that you remove it for ID photos, even if it doesnt actually obscure any key features in the photo.
To summarise: legal immigrants are better for the economy than illegal ones, so the US should look to keep up net immigration while decreasing illegal immigration.
That's a remarkably flat reading of the bible. The death penalty was in ancient Israel. The New Testament has no suggestion of a death penalty but continues to consider homosexual activity sinful. It really doesn't require mental gymnastics to work out what applies to a pre-Christ Jewish government and what continues to be sinful post-Christ.
I think the issue is 5 months of an activity that requires a permit. Open air preaching (aka talking) is allowed in any public space, and gathering in a park is also allowed without a permit. Whatâ's missing from the article is what actually needed a permit. Did they want to put a temporary structure in? Did they want powered speakers? Did they want to reserve a specific spot?
Surely they could've predicted a backlash - if everyone in NZ loved this beer we'd still be outnumbered by the number of Americans who like Trump enough to respond. I'm amazed they managed to claw back as far as they did, which suggests they have their own troll army writing good reviews. Moral of the story: Facebook reviews aren't worth the paper they're not written on.
Most â˜single use plastic bags get more than one use. Cling film is more likely to be single use, as is most food packaging. Ban those first and worry about banning bags if producer/consumer behaviour doesnt address the problem - and its already having a huge impact. Im pretty sure this ban will cause more problems than it solves.
Social media is both faster and more likely to carry a story than traditional media and less likely to thoroughly research it, leading to more stories with a risk of inaccuracies or outright fabrication. Traditional media has responded by publishing faster with less research and now has a similar level of public trust to social media but with a narrower range of coverage. The only solution I see is for news consumers (us) to be more discerning and do our own research.Meanwhile, lying during political campaigns is nothing new, but the lies and truths now travel faster and further.
Some of the congregations have no physical building, and those that do will likely either buy the building, rent it out, or rent another building. In the latter case the diocese will possibly be left with an unused building as a result. The minister will be paid out of the donations of the congregation that will no longer be passed on to the diocese.
That's actually backwards. Commercial rates are higher and as a rule there are more residential properties in a council area than commercial ones, so commercial rates subsidise the rest of us.
Aspro2017: thats obviously not what was suggested. The claim was âdrastically reduceâ, not âtotally eliminateâ, and there was no suggestion it was a womans fault. If anything, it was suggesting that men are rejecting condoms for whatever reason, and trusting women to take contraception for their benefit. Another contraceptive option for men - that doesnt involve a physical barrier - may mean more men take responsibility for their own contraception.
To summarise: The press are not the enemy of the people unless the people think that the press are the enemy of the people, in which case the people are the enemy of the press, and thus the press is the enemy of the people.Can you see how this isnt going to change any minds?
A funeral is primarily to help the living, not to make the deceased feel good. Speaking at a funeral should strike a balance between cherishing the deceased (which indirectly comforts the living), and helping the attendees face the rest of their lives after being confronted by mortality.
Thats high risk. NZF probably wont have a large change in support at this stage, but Labour will lose votes to the Greens on the left and NZF/National on the right. Labour could end up out of government entirely and will almost certainly be weaker after a snap election even if the coalition gets stronger.
Given that many of Folau's defenders don't share his beliefs, and many who do don't like how he expressed them, I imagine they disagree with WBC but support their right to express their opinion.
Did you get all your information from zeitgeist or just most of it? Religion pre-dates the Egyptian empire and they're all different on pretty fundamental issues even if they have external similarities.
How? Legal MSSAs basically arent being used in crime. Knowing where the legal ones are supposed to be doesnt help with tracing illegally imported ones OR stolen legally imported ones.
Trump's tweet about not wasting time isn't necessarily a reversal, the obvious interpretation is that once they have larger numbers they can pass something without having to try so hard to get the numbers to pass it.
Mormons dont believe in the trinity, they cannot assent to the historical creeds of Christianity, they have their own holy book, they dont accept the core teachings of historical Christianity about Jesus and salvation. I dont see how they could be considered Christian by anyone who has looked into it.
If you come across 20 goats youll get far more with a semi-auto than any other alternative, and if the goal is primarily pest control then thats the way to go.
Someone did less than 10 years ago (sorry the name of the book and author escapes me). The conclusion was that over 90% of war was for non-religious reasons, and over 90% of religious war was from Islam. If I can track down the source before comments close I'll try to post it.
The meanings of words change over time. What you call feminism is no longer what is understood by the word, and if thats what you mean you now need to put a lot more words around it to explain what you mean. Its a bit like calling someone in a civil union â˜single because â˜single used to mean â˜not married, rather than â˜not in a relationship.
In 300AD the Church made a ruling on what would or would not be considered scripture based on what was already in common use and acceptance. A key difference between what is and what isn't in the bible is that the writings that were included were all written in the first century. The earliest gnostic writings are much later and outside the realistic lifespan of any eyewitness.
Textbook identity politics. Only women should have a say on abortion, only smokers should have a say on smoking legislation, only criminals should have a say on jail conditions.
Sawn-off shotguns are for killing people, but theyre already illegal. Most other firearms have a wider range of applications. Any firearm that can take down a deer can probably take down a person too, but that doesnt mean thats what its for.
The right to bear arms exists to protect from government abuse. It was codified in the US after a revolutionary war against abusive government. No government is going to voluntarily provide that kind of check on its own power unless the alternative is both worse and likely.
Quite right - we turn them round at the border rather than let them in and hope to be able to find them again when we get around to trying them. Not sure why the US doesn't already do the same.
It seems people are being denied a venue based on the pre-crime of hate speech these days. If youre going to use hate speech as an excuse you should wait till it actually happens, then shut them down and charge them with the crime. Deciding someone is guilty before theyve even committed the act is just nuts.
I dont see any âpro choiceâ activists doing so either. Nor do I see the breast cancer foundation worrying about elder abuse for that matter. Perhaps because they are different issues.People can support more than one issue, but expecting every group to be active in every area is asking a bit much and would mean a loss of focus.
So when women hit âmid-lifeâ, they change a whole bunch of things, and when men hit âmid-lifeâ they dont change much, and from this you conclude that women are better at dealing with a mid-life crisis? You may be right, but you could equally say men are better at dealing with mid-life without it being a crisis.
The superhero pantheon (theres a hint there) is essentially polytheism. Apollo, Isis, Venus etc dont worship the other gods, they court/demand the respect of humans, and occasionally intervene in their lives. Superheroes are little different.
The real lesson from Roseanne is if you're going to say something that could be interpreted as racist, make sure your views align with the mob. Then your job will be safe. Alternatively make sure you aim your possibly racist remarks at people who not only look Caucasian, but also have only Caucasian ancestry.
Equal media and advertising time for the major parties and the crazy parties is madness. If the party doesnt have enough support for their ideas to raise money to advertise their idea, why should our taxes pay for it?
First, that's a ridiculous ad-hominem. Age, sex, and race have no bearing on whether an opinion is worth listening to.Second, did you even read the article? It's satire. You shouldn't take it seriously regardless.
You occasionally see it in the comments, but Ive never yet seen an article against euthanasia that uses religion as an argument. Despite this it keeps coming up in the articles and comments in favour of euthanasia as though it really was being used as an argument, and often as a way to avoid addressing the actual arguments on offer. Its almost like people have a persecution complex.
Every group - religious or not - has the same right of access to public spaces, and it hasnâ't caused any issues yet... The question here is what actually needed a permit? That would be something that could cause issues.
Certainly an interesting contrast to rugby, where verbally abusing the ref can get players, coaches, or fans banned from attending games for long enough to make it hurt.
Im an engineer, but Im not a civil engineer, let alone a structural engineer. If we had a massive jump in the number of engineering graduates without increasing the number of civil engineers the construction sector would be no better off. As is often the case, this article fails to recognise that âengineerâ covers a much wider range of disciplines than just civil engineering.One thing is clear from the article though - NZ engineers are valued overseas far more than here. Perhaps if we paid internationally competitive salaries wed retain more in the country.
NZ voters choose the makeup of parliament. They don't choose the leaders of the parties, they don't choose what coalitions will form or which parties will be in government, they don't choose who is in cabinet, and they don't choose who is PM, deputy PM, etc.
I think the implications of the tape are very clear: Cohen will never work as a lawyer again. What it means for Trump is probably nothing. Theyre such a small piece of the puzzle that a case will never hinge on them.
Whose faith is being tested? Pastafarians and most other religions would be unaffected, and the Abrahamic faiths would either be strengthened or unaffected.
Brilliant! Since referenda are often fairly close, whenever one doesn't go the way you want, just demand another one! I wonder how long you could keep that up?
It goes public on the parliament website so police can just look there - no need to hand it over. It's also not obstruction to fail to report a crime. How often do you report yourself or others for jaywalking?
We do get a say. Thats why there was a debate about funding certain cancer drugs. Thats why groups lobby for more hip replacement surgery. Thats why funding an MPs gastric bypass surgery became news.
The link here between minimum wage or average wage and living wage makes no sense to me. If the living wage is a real measure of how much it costs to live then surely it would be tied to inflation but have no direct tie to other income measures. It doesnt cost more to live just because other people are paid more, it only costs more to live if the things you need cost more.
If tariffs are applied on both sides, European manufacturers will sell more in Europe, and American manufacturers will sell more in the US.Sellers will increase their local market share and decrease their export market share. Whether they win or lose depends on which market is bigger.Buyers lose because they face higher prices, but that may be offset by lower taxes elsewhere and/or more local jobs meaning more income to buy with. In general buyers are more likely to lose (or stop buying and realise they donâ't miss it), but it depends on other factors.
After a hellish month, Jacinda Ardern has cleared the decks
I disagree - Winston has embarrassed Labour as much as anyone else.
'Boys will be boys': Pyjama top pulled after parent complaint
Daveyboots: I expect the downvotes are for the factually wrong first sentence, not the aspirational second one.˜Boys will be boys' doesn't imply boys shouldn't grow up, and if anything it is used to point out childish behaviour, not to condone it in adults.
Let's listen to controversial Canadian, then judge
From what Ive read, no one was doing that. They were just filming people ârescuingâ people off the coast of Africa just in international waters, then ferrying them to Europe - making the people smugglers job easy and making it likely more people will drown.Either way, nobody is even making it difficult to avoid hearing them, let alone forcing you to hear them.
The meth house is a myth: Theres no risk from drug smoking residue, Govt report finds
I always understood it was meth production rather than consumption that poisoned a house. Curious to know whether it's just the government who thought otherwise or did some landlords end up doing a full meth clean when they knew meth was only consumed and not produced? (And also was the testing clearly distinguishing use from production)
After a hellish month, Jacinda Ardern has cleared the decks
Well... I voted NZF to put the brakes on some of the madness that was being proposed pre-election and so far hes delivering (with a few downsides of his own but politics is the art of the possible, not the perfect). And with any luck the shenanigans of this term will ensure a one term government. Short term pain, long term gain.
Dear Jennifer: Can I see an escort and still respect my wife?
This looks like trying to get external validation for a decision you know is wrong.
Why self-proclaimed 'free speech champions' aren't helping the cause
Given that educated people disagree over many issues that are a matter of opinion rather than fact, maybe you need to be more specific - e.g: âpeople who think like me and wont disturb my bubble with challenging ideasâ.
Jeremy Elwood & Michele A'Court: Why all politicians should have small babies or large distractions
Have I been misunderstood or do people actually think its ok for MPs to conduct their business without public scrutiny?
Lynda Hallinan: Men can talk abortion with the woman they impregnated; otherwise its none of their business
Nobody is arguing its not her business, only that its not solely her business. An adults body is also their business, but its also the rest of societys business if they do something that costs the rest of society - whether financially, physically, emotionally, or otherwise.
Let's listen to controversial Canadian, then judge
Youve got it rather backwards here. Nobody has a right to any particular platform for their speech, that is correct. However, it is the private platforms that have the greater right to be choosy about access. Taxpayers and ratepayers have equal rights to use public facilities irrespective of the beliefs of the listeners or the speakers. If the government (local or national) decides to only allow certain approved viewpoints they are discriminating on the basis of beliefs.To provide some clear examples with historical basis, lets say instead of blocking a conservative speaker they were blocking any non-Anglicans (i.e. picking religions rather than politics). We would then have a state established religion like we did when NZ was established. If they allow all Protestants rather than all Anglicans then we still have a state established religion of non-Catholicism.Blocking political views is similar, in that by blocking part of the political spectrum you skew the whole conversation, and youre forcing some taxpayers or ratepayers to find a platform thats only available for opponents of their views.
Did Serena Williams really expect to get away with calling Carlos Ramos a 'liar and a thief'?
Swap the genders. Imagine if a male tennis player was berating and threatening a female umpire, then decide whether the penalty was excessive.
The Winston and Jacinda show - it's time for Ardern to push back
Labour need to learn from Peters experience before they try pushing back and miss the mood of the country. If they pull their collective heads in they can keep their disagreements private, gain some experience, then work out where theyre happy to have public disagreements. Right now they look like theyre being sent to the naughty corner on a regular basis.
Duck for cover: gun laws up for debate
People own multiple guns for the same reason they own multiple drill bits or screwdrivers - different tools for different jobs.Meanwhile a register of where criminals can steal guns from doesnt seem like a helpful step.
Coalition trying to defy history with backing of wind-up merchants
How many columnists does stuff have who dont understand free speech? Whether you or I dislike a speaker or the things they have to say is totally irrelevant. They have a right to hire public facilities on the same terms as people whose political views you agree with. If they use the venue to break the law (as some fear), then they can be arrested. Refusing hire because you think theyll say something illegal is prejudice. Refusing hire because the Mob threatens violence is no better than caving to organised crime.The free speech coalition hasnt expressed a view on whether they agree with the 2 speakers, they are simply defending their right to speak without government interference.
Let's listen to controversial Canadian, then judge
âHer position is that Im not allowed to speakâ - any evidence for this? And even if that is her position, the difference between her and Goff is that shes not in a position to stop you. If I spout some nonsense about how certain people (e.g. men, JWs, or ACT party members) shouldnt be able to speak/vote/use public facilities, you can refute me. If I was a mayor and used my power to enforce my views Id be breaking the law. Some people seem to think this is fine as long as they agree with the views in question.
Evangelical activities not welcome at lakefront park in TaupÅ
In this case I suspect the council would turn down any group that wants 5 months use of the lakefront for something that involves an amplified sound system, or reserving an area and putting in seating etc. No discrimination there.The church applied for a permit, which suggests they want to do more than just meet there with no PA system and talk like you might with a large group picnic.
Trump advocates depriving undocumented immigrants of due-process rights
Well... the sensible response is to streamline what process is due. The current process is a farce, and a better process is to turn people around at the border if they have no proof of a right to enter, and to make it easy to remove those who get past the border.
Capital gains tax punishes hard work
Capital gains are a source of income. Wages are a source of income. Why should only the latter attract an income tax? You can argue for a different rate to reflect the effort and risk involved, or for offsetting losses (since wages are never negative), but fundamentally if youre going to tax income then you should tax all income as long as its efficient to do so.
Why self-proclaimed 'free speech champions' aren't helping the cause
To summarise:1. Be polite (fair, but irrelevant to free speech)2. Say stuff I want to hear, not stuff I dont.3. If people arent following 2, ignore 1.4. Self censor.5. Actually free speech isnt important if I disagree.6. Dont be conservative.
"At least half a million protesters march in London to demand new Brexit vote",
So is the idea of a referendum that you keep asking the same question until you get the answer you want?
Church suffering from same-sex motion sickness
The bible has never blessed all that culture believes even if some people have tried to claim it does. If you don't want the bible to challenge culture, it's easier to throw it out rather than edit it into silence.
Church suffering from same-sex motion sickness
Christianity and Christian marriage has its roots in Judaism, so it also predates Ancient Greece.
David Hall: How Jacinda Ardern embodies the spirit of republicanism
On this definition of republicanism, the US Democratic Party is more republican than the Republican Party.
Church suffering from same-sex motion sickness
If religion was irrelevant the couple wouldn't want to marry in a church.
Church suffering from same-sex motion sickness
If two people are religious but don't share the same religious beliefs as the people who use the building they want to perform their religious ceremony in, why should they be given the go ahead?
David Hall: How Jacinda Ardern embodies the spirit of republicanism
When Little led the Labour Party, support was about 10% less than when Ardern took over. No policy change, just a fresh face that looks better on TV. That extra 10% is all down to Jacindamania.
Silly car question #40: is it the height of rudeness to park in somebody's driveway?
This article starts on one premise then assumes the opposite when answering the question. If youve been invited to visit youve got implicit permission to use their driveway unless told otherwise. A driveway is more like an open doorway, not a closed door. But if theres a gate across it then thats like a closed door - dont invite your vehicle in. If the driveway isnt theirs, or isnt solely theirs then you dont have permission to use someone elses driveway so its no longer the same question.Of course if your car leaks fluids then using the driveway is akin to wearing your muddy boots inside...
Tesla sues Ontario for pulling plug on electric car rebates
Yes, in a few years road funding from petrol tax will be borne entirely by those too poor to fund the capital cost of an EV unless the funding model changes. Its bad enough missing out on the lower running costs and lower maintenance costs, but being taxed for not having enough access to capital is pretty rough.
Our anthem 'God Defend New Zealand' is a radically subversive challenge to tradition
Any anthem becomes a dirge if you sing it slowly enough. The â˜dirge issue is unrelated to lyrics or tune, and if our anthem was sung at the tempo Bracken wrote it to be sung at it would be fine.Also, almost every national anthem has a âforeigners out!â vibe, and many are a call to war. In that regard our anthem is much less xenophobic than most.
Trump advocates depriving undocumented immigrants of due-process rights
The full constitutional rights of foreigners are not the same as those of citizens. Just try exercising 2nd amendment rights as a tourist...The rights of people who enter the country illegally are better compared with the rights of an army entering the country.
Five ways NZ has changed beyond recognition – and changed for the better
If GDP was all that mattered nobody would voluntarily come to NZ - there are plenty of places with a higher GDP. What matters is whether the migrants want to bring the parts of their home culture that NZ doesnt want along with the parts we are positive or indifferent about.
Why self-proclaimed 'free speech champions' aren't helping the cause
Free speech is best defended by saying things you agree with and doing nothing (at best) when speech you disagree with is shackled? Riiight...
Spark gets heavy about Agile
My work introduced agile for most of what we do, but nobody had to sign new contracts as a result. I don't know why spark is trying to say the contracts are required due to the work change.
Why do vegans have such bad reputations?
3 things vegans can do to attract hatred: 1) take a judgemental attitude toward anyone who isnt vegan. 2) Tell people who arent interested why they should become vegan. 3) side with PETA and similar crazies. Avoid those 3 things and you will only have to worry about the people who have had a bad experience with vegans who have done one or more of the above. Unfortunately PETA has already done for vegans what Westboro Baptists have done for Southern Baptists, so there are a lot of people who have had a bad experience.
A fresh look back at 2016 finds America with an identity crisis
Clinton won the popular vote because she concentrated more on getting voters out in the states she was always going to win. Trump went hard after the states that were going to be close and largely ignored the ones that were in the bag (after the primary).The reason he won overall is not a single factor - thats always going to be an oversimplification. Clinton was a polarising candidate (and insulted a large swathe of the country on the campaign trail), the US already had 8 years of identity politics, Trump tapped a vein of discontent, Clinton is too â˜establishment, the list goes on.
Dutch court rules 'Pastafarians' cannot wear colanders for government ID photos
Its a bit of an odd one... there are many âpastafariansâ who dont actually believe the core teachings of pastafarianism, but as long as there are some who do then it would have to qualify as a religion. However, that still leaves the colander question as a separate issue. Wearing a colander at all times is not a requirement, so its fair to ask that you remove it for ID photos, even if it doesnt actually obscure any key features in the photo.
Trump advocates depriving undocumented immigrants of due-process rights
Prospects aren't that limited - they can just move to sanctuary states where the INS gets no cooperation from law enforcement.
Our anthem 'God Defend New Zealand' is a radically subversive challenge to tradition
1) The â˜Maori bit is one verse. Thats not exactly long.2) All it needs to be upbeat is to play it at the march tempo it was written for.
Trump advocates depriving undocumented immigrants of due-process rights
To summarise: legal immigrants are better for the economy than illegal ones, so the US should look to keep up net immigration while decreasing illegal immigration.
Church suffering from same-sex motion sickness
That's a remarkably flat reading of the bible. The death penalty was in ancient Israel. The New Testament has no suggestion of a death penalty but continues to consider homosexual activity sinful. It really doesn't require mental gymnastics to work out what applies to a pre-Christ Jewish government and what continues to be sinful post-Christ.
Evangelical activities not welcome at lakefront park in TaupÅ
I think the issue is 5 months of an activity that requires a permit. Open air preaching (aka talking) is allowed in any public space, and gathering in a park is also allowed without a permit. Whatâ's missing from the article is what actually needed a permit. Did they want to put a temporary structure in? Did they want powered speakers? Did they want to reserve a specific spot?
Donald Trump supporters troll Auckland brewery over Dump the Trump beer
Surely they could've predicted a backlash - if everyone in NZ loved this beer we'd still be outnumbered by the number of Americans who like Trump enough to respond. I'm amazed they managed to claw back as far as they did, which suggests they have their own troll army writing good reviews. Moral of the story: Facebook reviews aren't worth the paper they're not written on.
New Zealand to ban single-use plastic bags
Most â˜single use plastic bags get more than one use. Cling film is more likely to be single use, as is most food packaging. Ban those first and worry about banning bags if producer/consumer behaviour doesnt address the problem - and its already having a huge impact. Im pretty sure this ban will cause more problems than it solves.
Fake, misleading social media posts exploding globally, study finds
Social media is both faster and more likely to carry a story than traditional media and less likely to thoroughly research it, leading to more stories with a risk of inaccuracies or outright fabrication. Traditional media has responded by publishing faster with less research and now has a similar level of public trust to social media but with a narrower range of coverage. The only solution I see is for news consumers (us) to be more discerning and do our own research.Meanwhile, lying during political campaigns is nothing new, but the lies and truths now travel faster and further.
Duck for cover: gun laws up for debate
Pacifica: have you reported these unsafe mentally ill people to police? The existing law would cause them to lose their license and weapons then.
Splinter group splits from Anglican church over same-sex blessings
Some of the congregations have no physical building, and those that do will likely either buy the building, rent it out, or rent another building. In the latter case the diocese will possibly be left with an unused building as a result. The minister will be paid out of the donations of the congregation that will no longer be passed on to the diocese.
Why Airbnb/Bookabach hosts shouldn’t pay commercial rates
That's actually backwards. Commercial rates are higher and as a rule there are more residential properties in a council area than commercial ones, so commercial rates subsidise the rest of us.
Lynda Hallinan: Men can talk abortion with the woman they impregnated; otherwise its none of their business
Aspro2017: thats obviously not what was suggested. The claim was âdrastically reduceâ, not âtotally eliminateâ, and there was no suggestion it was a womans fault. If anything, it was suggesting that men are rejecting condoms for whatever reason, and trusting women to take contraception for their benefit. Another contraceptive option for men - that doesnt involve a physical barrier - may mean more men take responsibility for their own contraception.
Editorial: The media is not the enemy
To summarise: The press are not the enemy of the people unless the people think that the press are the enemy of the people, in which case the people are the enemy of the press, and thus the press is the enemy of the people.Can you see how this isnt going to change any minds?
Aretha Franklin's family says eulogy was offensive
A funeral is primarily to help the living, not to make the deceased feel good. Speaking at a funeral should strike a balance between cherishing the deceased (which indirectly comforts the living), and helping the attendees face the rest of their lives after being confronted by mortality.
The Winston and Jacinda show - it's time for Ardern to push back
Back? He never really left.
The Winston and Jacinda show - it's time for Ardern to push back
Thats high risk. NZF probably wont have a large change in support at this stage, but Labour will lose votes to the Greens on the left and NZF/National on the right. Labour could end up out of government entirely and will almost certainly be weaker after a snap election even if the coalition gets stronger.
Should Israel Folau have been fired?
Given that many of Folau's defenders don't share his beliefs, and many who do don't like how he expressed them, I imagine they disagree with WBC but support their right to express their opinion.
Austria to close seven mosques, expel imams in crackdown on 'political Islam'
Did you get all your information from zeitgeist or just most of it? Religion pre-dates the Egyptian empire and they're all different on pretty fundamental issues even if they have external similarities.
Want to ditch that old Sky TV dish?
Id call them back to fix the damage at their cost. They are meant to be installing an aerial, not destroying an existing service.
Aretha Franklin's family says eulogy was offensive
Thunk (as in thought of) is an old word - unlikely to be used by a millennial, more likely someone over 60 (if were making generalisations).
Milking it: NZs milk price: Whos getting rich?
I dont know if its the same everywhere, but where I live the local bakery or dairy is much cheaper than the supermarket.
Lynda Hallinan: Men can talk abortion with the woman they impregnated; otherwise its none of their business
Abortion is not contraception. Fertility is a different issue.
$50,000 to get electricity down the street is unfair, developer says
Try selling a house with no power connection. The added value for the developer is far more than for the network.
Duck for cover: gun laws up for debate
How? Legal MSSAs basically arent being used in crime. Knowing where the legal ones are supposed to be doesnt help with tracing illegally imported ones OR stolen legally imported ones.
Donald Trump: The illegitimate US president
And a cup of cold sick in the centre. Does anyone want to see President Pence?
Trump advocates depriving undocumented immigrants of due-process rights
Trump's tweet about not wasting time isn't necessarily a reversal, the obvious interpretation is that once they have larger numbers they can pass something without having to try so hard to get the numbers to pass it.
Teenage Mormon basketballer dropped over Sunday morning training
Mormons dont believe in the trinity, they cannot assent to the historical creeds of Christianity, they have their own holy book, they dont accept the core teachings of historical Christianity about Jesus and salvation. I dont see how they could be considered Christian by anyone who has looked into it.
Duck for cover: gun laws up for debate
If you come across 20 goats youll get far more with a semi-auto than any other alternative, and if the goal is primarily pest control then thats the way to go.
Lynda Hallinan: Men can talk abortion with the woman they impregnated; otherwise its none of their business
Having an abortion isnt a crime. Performing one improperly is, and should remain so even if the definition of when it is improper changes
Austria to close seven mosques, expel imams in crackdown on 'political Islam'
Someone did less than 10 years ago (sorry the name of the book and author escapes me). The conclusion was that over 90% of war was for non-religious reasons, and over 90% of religious war was from Islam. If I can track down the source before comments close I'll try to post it.
Verity Johnson: You and my dad are feminists too
The meanings of words change over time. What you call feminism is no longer what is understood by the word, and if thats what you mean you now need to put a lot more words around it to explain what you mean. Its a bit like calling someone in a civil union â˜single because â˜single used to mean â˜not married, rather than â˜not in a relationship.
Church suffering from same-sex motion sickness
In 300AD the Church made a ruling on what would or would not be considered scripture based on what was already in common use and acceptance. A key difference between what is and what isn't in the bible is that the writings that were included were all written in the first century. The earliest gnostic writings are much later and outside the realistic lifespan of any eyewitness.
Bridges and Ardern in battle of the babies
Irony: prefacing a childish comment with âgrow upâ.
Lynda Hallinan: Men can talk abortion with the woman they impregnated; otherwise its none of their business
Textbook identity politics. Only women should have a say on abortion, only smokers should have a say on smoking legislation, only criminals should have a say on jail conditions.
Duck for cover: gun laws up for debate
Sawn-off shotguns are for killing people, but theyre already illegal. Most other firearms have a wider range of applications. Any firearm that can take down a deer can probably take down a person too, but that doesnt mean thats what its for.
Spark gives staff a week to consider new job contracts
Spark is no more essential than Vodafone or 2degrees. It's a glorified ISP and cell company that used to own our key phone infrastructure.
Why it's OK that my current relationship won't be long-term
Getting divorced twice before you retire sounds terrible for your retirement finances.
Duck for cover: gun laws up for debate
The right to bear arms exists to protect from government abuse. It was codified in the US after a revolutionary war against abusive government. No government is going to voluntarily provide that kind of check on its own power unless the alternative is both worse and likely.
Trump advocates depriving undocumented immigrants of due-process rights
Quite right - we turn them round at the border rather than let them in and hope to be able to find them again when we get around to trying them. Not sure why the US doesn't already do the same.
Massey University's suppression of free speech can't go uncontested
It seems people are being denied a venue based on the pre-crime of hate speech these days. If youre going to use hate speech as an excuse you should wait till it actually happens, then shut them down and charge them with the crime. Deciding someone is guilty before theyve even committed the act is just nuts.
Lynda Hallinan: Men can talk abortion with the woman they impregnated; otherwise its none of their business
I dont see any âpro choiceâ activists doing so either. Nor do I see the breast cancer foundation worrying about elder abuse for that matter. Perhaps because they are different issues.People can support more than one issue, but expecting every group to be active in every area is asking a bit much and would mean a loss of focus.
Verity Johnson: Why women are better at dealing with the midlife crisis
So when women hit âmid-lifeâ, they change a whole bunch of things, and when men hit âmid-lifeâ they dont change much, and from this you conclude that women are better at dealing with a mid-life crisis? You may be right, but you could equally say men are better at dealing with mid-life without it being a crisis.
Lynda Hallinan: Men can talk abortion with the woman they impregnated; otherwise its none of their business
So do children - male and female.
Should Israel Folau have been fired?
In other words, in NZ freedom of religion applies to organisations, not individuals. I'll have to fact check that, but it's pretty concerning if 1.
Is Batman an atheist? Why superheroes might not believe in God
The superhero pantheon (theres a hint there) is essentially polytheism. Apollo, Isis, Venus etc dont worship the other gods, they court/demand the respect of humans, and occasionally intervene in their lives. Superheroes are little different.
Roseanne's lessons for Kiwi employers
The real lesson from Roseanne is if you're going to say something that could be interpreted as racist, make sure your views align with the mob. Then your job will be safe. Alternatively make sure you aim your possibly racist remarks at people who not only look Caucasian, but also have only Caucasian ancestry.
"Stamp MPs with a best-before date",
Equal media and advertising time for the major parties and the crazy parties is madness. If the party doesnt have enough support for their ideas to raise money to advertise their idea, why should our taxes pay for it?
My old white male motherhood tips for Jacinda
First, that's a ridiculous ad-hominem. Age, sex, and race have no bearing on whether an opinion is worth listening to.Second, did you even read the article? It's satire. You shouldn't take it seriously regardless.
No dignity in euthanasia? Suffering is not dignified
You occasionally see it in the comments, but Ive never yet seen an article against euthanasia that uses religion as an argument. Despite this it keeps coming up in the articles and comments in favour of euthanasia as though it really was being used as an argument, and often as a way to avoid addressing the actual arguments on offer. Its almost like people have a persecution complex.
Why it's OK that my current relationship won't be long-term
What are you disagreeing with? Friends who sleep together means they do the things friends do (as you said), and they sleep together.
Evangelical activities not welcome at lakefront park in TaupÅ
Every group - religious or not - has the same right of access to public spaces, and it hasnâ't caused any issues yet... The question here is what actually needed a permit? That would be something that could cause issues.
Did Serena Williams really expect to get away with calling Carlos Ramos a 'liar and a thief'?
Certainly an interesting contrast to rugby, where verbally abusing the ref can get players, coaches, or fans banned from attending games for long enough to make it hurt.
Engineer shortage could lead to construction crisis in NZ
Im an engineer, but Im not a civil engineer, let alone a structural engineer. If we had a massive jump in the number of engineering graduates without increasing the number of civil engineers the construction sector would be no better off. As is often the case, this article fails to recognise that âengineerâ covers a much wider range of disciplines than just civil engineering.One thing is clear from the article though - NZ engineers are valued overseas far more than here. Perhaps if we paid internationally competitive salaries wed retain more in the country.
My old white male motherhood tips for Jacinda
NZ voters choose the makeup of parliament. They don't choose the leaders of the parties, they don't choose what coalitions will form or which parties will be in government, they don't choose who is in cabinet, and they don't choose who is PM, deputy PM, etc.
'It's not a smoking gun': Legal implications of secret Trump tape unclear
I think the implications of the tape are very clear: Cohen will never work as a lawyer again. What it means for Trump is probably nothing. Theyre such a small piece of the puzzle that a case will never hinge on them.
A 3000-year-old glass head deepens one of the Bible's oldest mysteries
Whose faith is being tested? Pastafarians and most other religions would be unaffected, and the Abrahamic faiths would either be strengthened or unaffected.
Danielle McLaughlin: Turning on Trump - the beginning of the end?
âIf A, and if B, and if C, then maybe D which might lead to Eâ. It sounds like she hardly believes her own case.
Pro-EU protesters march in London, demand new vote on Brexit
Brilliant! Since referenda are often fairly close, whenever one doesn't go the way you want, just demand another one! I wonder how long you could keep that up?
Health Select committee criticised for handling of medicinal cannabis bill
It goes public on the parliament website so police can just look there - no need to hand it over. It's also not obstruction to fail to report a crime. How often do you report yourself or others for jaywalking?
Lynda Hallinan: Men can talk abortion with the woman they impregnated; otherwise its none of their business
We do get a say. Thats why there was a debate about funding certain cancer drugs. Thats why groups lobby for more hip replacement surgery. Thats why funding an MPs gastric bypass surgery became news.
Damien Grant: Hager has received his apology, perhaps he should say sorry, too
Corngate didn't help the right, but it did help the Greens.
Pay rises coming for workers, as minimum wage nips at heels of living wage
The link here between minimum wage or average wage and living wage makes no sense to me. If the living wage is a real measure of how much it costs to live then surely it would be tied to inflation but have no direct tie to other income measures. It doesnt cost more to live just because other people are paid more, it only costs more to live if the things you need cost more.
Donald Trump got a dose of Dutch bluntness from visiting prime minister
If tariffs are applied on both sides, European manufacturers will sell more in Europe, and American manufacturers will sell more in the US.Sellers will increase their local market share and decrease their export market share. Whether they win or lose depends on which market is bigger.Buyers lose because they face higher prices, but that may be offset by lower taxes elsewhere and/or more local jobs meaning more income to buy with. In general buyers are more likely to lose (or stop buying and realise they donâ't miss it), but it depends on other factors.
Are New Zealand's universities too left wing?
Your first premise is wrong, thats why your argument fails.Your last paragraph is laughable, thats why your application is unconvincing.