Terrorist attacks against Muslims in the Western world, like the one that took place in Christchurch, are extremely rare.
Friday’s carnage in two mosques in New Zealand, with the death toll currently at 50, is the first major event of its kind since the Quebec City mosque shooting over two years ago – which killed six persons, conservative writer Srdja Trifkovic states in Chronicles Magazine.
Nonetheless, this terrible incident will dominate the headlines infinitely more than any comparable carnage involving Christians, notably the 2017 Palm Sunday church bombings in Alexandria, which killed 45 people, and was all but ignored by the Western media and politicians.
If we put Friday’s killings in perspective, that perspective should include the fact that some 30 million Muslims reside in the Western world today, which makes the probability of any one of them falling victim to a deplorable attack in any given year roughly one in ten million.
261 persons have been killed and many more injured, in attacks by Muslims on non-Muslims, in less than four years, in only one country, France (pop. 66 million).
With 66 dead a year on average, Frenchmen are exactly ten times more likely to be murdered by a Muslim than a Muslim being killed by a non-Muslim terrorist anywhere in the Western world.
The score is incomparably worse if we look at the situation of Christians in the Muslim world. It is the most egregious example of human right violations in today’s world: according to “Open Doors”, at least 4,305 Christians known by name were murdered by Muslims because of their faith in 2018.
Aid to the Church in Need, in its latest “Religious Freedom Report”, warned that 300 million Christians, overwhelmingly in the majority-Muslim countries, were subjected to violence, making it “the most persecuted religion in the world.”
This makes the odds of a Christian in a majority-Muslim country being murdered by a Muslim – simply for being what he is – approximately one in 70,000.
Which means that a Christian living in a majority Muslim country is 143 times more likely to be killed by a Muslim for being a Christian than a Muslim is likely to be killed by a non-Muslim in a Western country for being what he is.
Hastings Deputy Mayor Tania Kerr says people should try to buy recyclable plastics. Photo / File
Time to start washing and squashing your milk bottles – Hastings District Council has confirmed changes to its kerbside recycling.
From May 1, the only plastics that will be collected within the Hastings district are bottles stamped with the number 1 or 2, lids off, washed and squashed.
Those types of bottles include milk, soft drink, water, sauce and some laundry, kitchen and bathroom bottles.
The changes are due to international clampdowns.
China will no longer take plastics for recycling and the remaining markets are also closing their borders to almost all used plastics.
The majority of the remaining markets, in New Zealand and internationally, are for plastics stamped with the number 1 or 2.
Waste Futures Committee chairwoman Tania Kerr said the council needed the community’s help.
“We are disappointed to be in this position but given the ever-decreasing number of markets for used plastic, at this time we have no choice,” Kerr said.
“We want residents to be assured that we are continuing to look for ways to have our plastics recycled while also backing moves at a national level to reduce problem plastics, and encouraging people to try to buy products in plastics that can be recycled.”
Up until March this year, Hastings’ contractor had not had to send any of its collected plastics to the landfill or stockpile it.
“Hastings’ contractors have a good record of finding markets for our recycling but in order for that to continue there must be changes,” Kerr said.
“To do that, we cannot mix non-recyclable plastics with those that can be recycled.
“Mixing plastics will result in all of the recycling potentially having to go to the landfill which is the worst outcome, both environmentally and financially.”
Kerr said consumers could have an impact by shopping wisely, such as choosing recyclable clear and opaque bottles when shopping, and checking the recycling grade as well.
“Check the bottoms of your containers when you buy. If we all make these small changes, together we can make very big differences.”
The changes also affect drop-off recycling stations.
A Christchurch teenager was charged with sharing the gunman’s Facebook live-stream. Photo / Pool
The NZ Herald has reported on a teenager who has been charged for sharing the Facebook live stream of the terror attack online. quote.
An 18-year-old Christchurch man was also accused of sharing the gunman’s livestream on the day of the attacks and faces two charges and up to 14 years’ behind bars. end quote.
A newspaper
Unbelievably the NZ Herald themselves published CNN’s CCTV video footage of the terror attack.
Not only did they publish it, but they were also 100% aware of the seriousness of what they were making public as they included the following warning before playing the video. At the time that this article was written the video was still accessible to the public although I did not watch it.
This is the same NZ Herald that has forming a deplatforming task force working hand in glove with Canterbury university in order to troll for ” hate speech.”
photoshopped image credit: Pixy
According to journalist Matt Nippert they have dedicated teams trolling through years worth of comments and articles right now. No doubt they will label whatever they find as “hate speech” and “horrific” if previous hyperbole in the media is anything to go by.
If they can’t find anything good then they will just tell us that it was “horrific” and “shocking” and will not bother to provide any evidence of their claims. If they do provide evidence they will fail to provide context or to let us know how old the comments are so that they can agitiate to deplatform the website or cost the commenter their job.
Today may be the day that Nippert releases both his latest hit job and the name of his new Academic spy group who will be hunting conservative people and websites. Like a similar group in America they will seek to deplatform by labelling organisations “Hate groups.”
A member of the public is not happy that there is one rule for the public but another rule for the Media and has made a complaint about the NZ Herald publishing the video to New Zealand’s Digital Safety Group.
Below is the response that they received. We will keep you posted if action is taken against the NZ Herald.
Complaint re New Zealand Herald
Kia ora,
Thank you for your email, we really appreciate your time sending this information to us and your concerns.
The Department of Internal Affairs is currently working with other organisations in New Zealand and Internationally, such as law enforcement agencies and internet service providers, to remove footage related to the attack.
The Department considers that the footage related to the attack is objectionable and therefore an offence under New Zealand law to possess, share or host. We consider this is very serious and we are taking action to have the content removed.
We are aware that people may have unsuspectingly viewed the video on social media platforms thinking it is a media article, so please be vigilant of images that yourself and those around you are viewing, particularly our young people.
If you or someone you know has viewed the video and are struggling with what you have seen please see 1737 ‘Need to talk’ or free call or text 1737.
For further information on how to stay safe online, please see:
Office of Film and Literature Classification – the government body that classifies publications and provides information about decisions and undertakes research about classifications and their affects. https://www.classificationoffice.govt.nz/
Other useful resources – takes you to the Department’s Censorship page which has a selection of useful links to other websites related to Internet safety. https://www.dia.govt.nz/Censorship-Online-Safety
Burnt out career politicians often leave parliament for a cushy job with a local body, and Phil Goff is one of them. He is standing for re-election after his first term as Auckland mayor, and Todd Niall, writing for Stuff, examines Goff’s performance against promises made. Quote.
RATES
The promise: Rate rises will be kept low and affordable at an average of 2.5 per cent per annum or less.
This gets complicated. General rates had risen by an average of 2.6 and 2.5 per cent in the two years before, so Goff was promising what looked like a status quo.” End of quote.
Yes, rates became complicated when Goff introduced new varieties of rates outside of the “general rates” he was referring to in his promise. Bit of a sleight of hand here, Phil, that is actually a rates increase. Quote.
Not mentioned in the campaignwere new targeted rates added in Goff’s first two budgets.
From mid-2017, the accommodation sector picked up a $13 million additional burden, in a Goff-driven policy to make the sector pay half of the city’s tourism marketing costs.” End of quote.
If the mayor’s new fuel tax carries on at the same rate the council would collect just over $158 million in a year, meaning householders are paying over double what they would have under the old Levy. This tallies with independent research. Quote.
While residential ratepayers saved $114 a year from losing the levy, economists Sapere Research estimated the average household would pay $252 a year due to the 11.5 cent-a-litre fuel tax, on average $138 per household more than the levy, each year.” End of quote.
If Auckland rate payers were still lulled by Goff’s promise that rates would not increase more than 2.5% they were in for a further shock. Quote.
More than 1286 private accommodation providers, using online agencies such as Airbnb, were hit with a new rate a year later depending on their level of business, bringing in $570,000 this year.
A year later, all ratepayers began paying two new targeted rates equivalent to an additional 4.6 per cent in general rates, covering an accelerated programme of water quality improvements, and one tackling pests and Kauri Dieback under a Natural Environment rate.
Both allowed much-needed additional work to be done and were backed in public consultation, but their financial burden was over and above Goff’s 2016 promises.” End of quote.
How did Goff fare on his other promises? Quote.
COUNCIL EFFICIENCY
The promise: Each council department will be set an efficiency target, averaging 3-6 per cent across total council expenditure.
Figures supplied to Stuff forecast efficiency savings of $23m in both this year and next, falling to $16m in 2021. These are additional annual savings of 2 per cent twice, and then 1 per cent.
The breakdown of how the savings will be achieved include significant elements that were being worked on before Goff came to office. Separating his influence, from the already-happening savings programme is all-but impossible.
In the six years prior to Goff becoming mayor, the efficiency savings achieved were larger than those proposed in the figures from his office, in all but one year. That is not surprising given the low-hanging fruit available early in the council’s life – $81m in the first year.” End of quote.
Seems Goff inherited efficiency planning that gives him nothing to personally crow about. Quote.
HOUSING
* The promise: Urgent and bold action is needed to stop the worsening housing crisis and restore the affordability and availability of housing.
* Seek to eliminate chronic homelessness
Goff has delivered on his commitment to try to end chronic homelessness, with the creation of the Housing First programme, co-funded by the Government, one of the first policies he championed.
Elsewhere in housing there is little that can be attributed to Goff’s specific ideas, rather than work already underway in council and its development agency Panuku.
In the past year, 13,272 new homes have been consented for building in the future, and 10,475 were officially completed. The numbers have levelled off and remain below the 14,000 estimated to be needed each year for decades, to wipe out a 47,000 home shortage and keep up with demand.
The Government’s Kiwibuild programme has the potential to be the biggest shift in Auckland, in delivering more affordable housing.
Goff swiftly convened a mayoral taskforce on housing after being elected, which has not claimed any significant innovation, other than being a valuable forum for participants to share ideas.” End of quote.
That is a fail, Phil. How are we ever going to get ahead of housing if we can’t even reach the annual target? Quote.
TRANSPORT
* The promise: Improved public transport options providing efficient alternatives are needed to stop Auckland grinding to a halt.
No further comment needed on transport due to lots of talk and no action. And given that gridlock is worsening, the mayor’s latest idea to reduce the around town speed limit from 50 kph to 30 kph will exacerbate it. Another fail.
Goff’s 2016 campaign slogan was “More for less.” Very apt, as it turns out, because ratepayers wound up paying more for existing services. They got less because promised improvements have largely not transpired.
What will Goff’s campaign slogan be for next year? It probably won’t matter, as hopefully he will at last be put out to pasture.
Jacinda Ardern cracking Photoshopped image credit: Luke
The bad news continues for this ramshackle government. Unemployment has risen to 4.3%, from 4% in September.
It may be a small increase and the government will be able to play it down as being close to the margin of error, but it is part of an emerging trend. Growth is slowing, unemployment is increasing. The economy is starting to soften and we need a competent government with strong economic management skills to guide us through the storm.
We don’t have such a government. quote.
Unemployment jumped at the end of 2018, as the number of new jobs being created slowed.
Statistics NZ said on Thursday that unemployment climbed to 4.3 per cent in December, up from a revised 4 per cent in September.
The New Zealand dollar dropped on the latest figures, as the market bets on whether the figures make an interest rate cut from the Reserve Bank more likely. end quote.
Adrian Orr predicted an interest rate cut last year but there was no reason to think it necessary at that stage. After a decade of low interest rates, it seems they are about to get even lower. quote.
Most of the climb in the number of unemployed – which rose by 10,000 to 120,000 – was due to unemployed men. The number of men unemployed rose by 8000 to 65,000, while the number of unemployed women rose by 2000 to 55,000.
Economists had expected a small increase in the unemployment rate, after a sharp drop in September, but not to the degree the household labour force survey revealed.
“It looks like the best that the labour market has to offer is behind us,” ANZ senior economist Liz Kendall said.
end quote.
The bad news, as always, is that the worst affected group is the young people. NEETs, as they are known, with no training, now have less and less chance of finding employment. The government claims that it will target these people, especially Maori youth, but… well, they also said they would build 1,000 houses by July 2019. quote.
On Thursday, Employment Minister Willie Jackson released a statement describing the unemployment rate as “the second lowest in nearly a decade”, focusing on lower unemployment for women and Māori since the coalition Government took office.
“The results released are in keeping with our expectations for this quarter and we are confident that in this strong economy, if we continue to listen to employers and work with industry, many people looking for work will find more opportunities to do so.” end quote.
Sorry, Willie, but you have got this wrong. The economy is not as strong as it was. The growth numbers for the December quarter are not out yet but they are likely to show a significant slowing of growth. You can no longer rely on the excellent economy that you were handed to get you out of trouble. It is downhill all the way from here. quote.
National’s finance spokeswoman Amy Adams said the figures suggest the economy may be slowing and the Government should take it as a “reality check”, with the number unemployed climbing, while those not in employment, education or training (so-called NEETs) rising by 26,000.
“The unemployment rate is still relatively low, however we have now slipped from having the 9th to the 14th lowest unemployment rate in the OECD. At the same time, jobs growth has stalled and the underutilisation rate has increased.
“These weaker labour market numbers follow the third quarter’s slower GDP growth and point to a change of direction for the New Zealand economy.
With gale force winds blowing our way over Brexit and the China-USA trade situation, an economic slowdown looks inevitable. The real question is how well our government is going to be able to deal with it. I have no confidence in their level of economic competency. It looks as if Shane Jones will not be getting his ‘nephs’ of the couch for some time yet.
One in 20 adults in the US is reported to vape, and according to the research carried out by the American Heart Association, vaping could increase their chances of suffering a heart attack by almost 60 percent.
People who smoke e-cigarettes are also 71 percent more likely to have a stroke, the study claims.
This latest piece of research, which surveyed 400,000 people, shows a link between using e-cigarettes and blood clots forming in the body, it is claimed.
The study claims vaping could raise people’s risk of suffering a stroke by 71 percent. Credit: PA
The shocking study also says that 66,795 of respondents who actually vaped were 71 percent more likely to suffer from a stroke, and had a 59 percent higher risk of having a heart attack or angina.
This group were also found to have a 40 percent greater risk of heart disease.
However, despite the fact that 4.2 percent of vapers in the study had suffered a stroke, there was no definitive evidence to show that vaping kills, it has been reported.
According to the Mail Online, Dr Larry Goldstein, chairman of the department of neurology and co-director of the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute, said a ‘wave’ of heart problems could be heading our way.
He said: “It’s obviously quite concerning. This is a potential chip of the spear, of a wave of cardio-vascular disease, that may be coming in the future, especially since this has been so attractive to young users.
“This is the first real data that we’re seeing associating e-cigarette use with hard cardiovascular events.”
He added: “But it’s quite a concern, especially since nationwide now we’ve seen a levelling off in, and in many instances an increase in the risk of stroke-related mortality in the country. It’s hard to know what contribution this has to that, but it doesn’t appear to be safer, or safe right now from the data that’s available.”
The charred remains of the fleeing car, which exploded after crashing in Christchurch, killing the three teenage boys inside. Photo credit NZ Police.
The father of two of the three Christchurch boys, who were aged 16 and 13, blames the police for the deaths of both his sons who died last weekend speeding away from the police in a stolen car. The Otago Daily Times reported the father’s accusation and defence. Quote.
He saidhis sons were good boys but conceded they had been involved in police pursuits and had stolen cars in the past.” End of quote.
Newsflash: habitual stealing is not a characteristic of good boys. By all means give a kid a break for his first offence, but ignoring multiple car thefts? Absolutely not. Quote.
“They were just kids,” he said.
“They were just boys doing what boys do.”
End of quote.
Actually, no! Not one of my dozen nephews reached adulthood with a penchant for stealing other people’s stuff. Their parents did a good job of teaching them to respect other people and their stuff.
Given this father thinks stealing cars is acceptable, he deserves some of the blame for the strife his boys got themselves into. No person has more influence in a child’s life than their parents.
These boys should have been sorted out much earlier – an education that excludes the biff or any other violence. Kids learn more from what they see than what they are told, and this father has no concept of good parenting. As we now know, he might appears to have missed out in decent parenting too. Quote.
“I knew as soon as this happened what was going to happen with me, with my name – that my brother was going to get brought into it.
“It’s not relevant. The police killed my kids.”
End of quote.
Technically, his kids killed themselves because the police pulled out of the chase before the crash.
And as it happens, there is a history of family violence. The father’s brother, Glen Mcallister, died after a murder suicide rampage in Cathedral Square in 1989. The father of the dead boys is very quick to absolve himself and his deceased violent brother of blame for the boys deaths, but is he correct to do that?
I think violence in the family affects all members. History repeating itself points to parental neglect and lessons not learned, if taught at all. ‘It’s not my fault’ from the father is a man simply denying his part in his children’s outcome. Quote.
“It’s not about me.” End of quote.
Actually, it is about you. Your children learned from you and their behaviour is a reflection of your parenting.
This family history of bad behaviour is not unlike what we witnessed this week from the Liverpudlian family who displayed inter-generational insouciance. They thumbed their noses at the environment, restaurants and the general public. Some families really shouldn’t be breeding.
The police get a bad rap each time the media comes out with “police pursuit” and the families of the deceased take the media opportunity to point the finger, blaming the police for the deaths of their loved ones. Not a bad kid, they say. I guess it’s all a matter of degrees, maybe these errant kids are just not bad enough in their parents eyes.
The police are there to keep us safe from idiot minors, and the courts need to come down heavily on youth who persistently flaunt the law.
If these boys had survived the accident would they have learned anything from it? One would hope so, but probably not.
The Independent in the UK shows how Britain is so far ahead of us here in New Zealand. It seems that expressions like ‘bringing home the bacon’ are offensive… yes. You read that right. quote.
You may think phrases like “bringing home the bacon” and “putting all your eggs in one basket” are harmless quirks of the English language, but they could be offending vegans and vegetarians, with one academic claiming they might end up being avoided altogether as a result.
As research shows more people are removing animal products from their diets than ever before, Shareena Hamzah of Swansea University says idioms involving animal products could be rendered obsolete because they are out of touch with the zeitgeist. end quote.
Or offending Muslims, perhaps, Shareena? quote.
Writing for The Conversation, the researcher explains how meat-based metaphors are a popular staple of our everyday vernacular but that an increased awareness in the environmental and ethical issues surrounding meat production “will undoubtedly be reflected in our language and literature” and that this language may no longer be so widely accepted. end quote.
This article is about absolutely nothing. It is saying that people might stop using these expressions because fewer people eat meat. Most of us don’t even think about offending vegetarians, or Muslims, when we use expressions such as ‘bringing home the bacon’, because there is nothing offensive in them. The vegetarians that I know seem to cope quite well with a few expressions here and there. Not all vegetarians are snowflakes. They simply choose not to eat meat, for reasons of their own. quote.
“In today’s reality, meat is repeatedly the subject of much socially and politically charged discussion, including about how the demand for meat is contributing to climate change and environmental degradation,” she continues.
“Given that fiction often reflects on real world events and societal issues, it may very well be that down the line powerful meat metaphors are eschewed. end quote.
Let’s think of some other powerful metaphors still in use, shall we?
‘Money doesn’t grow on trees’ – how offensive to trees
‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do’ – why Romans? Why not Somalis?
‘Never look a gift horse in the mouth’ – offensive to horses. Neigh!
‘You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs’ – offensive to non vegans
‘Beggars cannot be choosers’ – offensive to our homeless people
You can see how stupid this is, can’t you?
Also, I keep thinking of the song ‘Ring a Ring of Roses’. This is not quite the same thing, I know, but it is believed to be a reference to the Great Plague of London in the 17th century. And ‘bring home the bacon’ has a historical reference as well. The Phrase Finder has all the details quote.
The origin of the phrase ‘bring home the bacon’ is sometimes suggested to be the story of the Dunmow Flitch. This tradition, which still continues every four years in Great Dunmow, Essex, is based on the story of a local couple who, in 1104, impressed the Prior of Little Dunmow with their marital devotion to the point that he awarded them a flitch [a side] of bacon. The continuing ritual of couples showing their devotion and winning the prize, to considerable acclamation by the local populace, is certainly old and well authenticated. Geoffrey Chaucer mentions it in The Wife of Bath’s Tale and Prologue, circa 1395.
An additional invented explanation that links ‘bringing home the bacon’ with the culinary habits of medieval English peasantry is given in the nonsense email ‘Life in the 1500s‘. That, and all the other supposed derivations above, ignores the fact that ‘bring home the bacon’ is a 20th century phrase that was coined in the USA.
One field of endeavour in which one’s body, that is, bacon, is the key to one’s fortune is boxing, and it is in that sport that the expression first became widely used.
Joe Gans and ‘Battling’ Oliver Nelson fought for the widely reported world lightweight championship on 3rd September 1906. In coverage of the fight, the New York newspaper The Post-Standard, 4th September 1906, reported that:
Before the fight Gans received a telegram from his mother: “Joe, the eyes of the world are on you. Everybody says you ought to win. Peter Jackson will tell me the news and you bring home the bacon.”
Gans (on the right in the picture) won the fight, and The New York Times printed a story saying that he had replied by telegraph that he “had not only the bacon, but the gravy”, and that he later sent his mother a cheque for $6,000. end quote.
Oh dear. The American origins are one of the few positive references to African Americans in the period before World War 2. Do we really want to dispose of a reference to the history of African Americans?
If it was just yet another piece of European history, it wouldn’t matter in the least of course. We are disposing of those by the day. But who do we support the most? Vegans or African Americans? What a dilemma!
A lot of vegans are white people. The black guys will win out every time.
Which means, as soon as everyone knows the origins of the expression, ‘bringing home the bacon,’ it will be perfectly fine. Even to vegans. They might even start eating it. The plant version, of course.
/arc-anglerfish-syd-prod-nzme.s3.amazonaws.com/public/RDMUEC7O3BGA3BAN4HX3FI5TYE.jpg)
Joe Gans and ‘Battling’ Oliver Nelson fought for the widely reported world lightweight championship on 3rd September 1906. In coverage of the fight, the New York newspaper The Post-Standard, 4th September 1906, reported that: