The Daily Blog Open Mic – Friday – 17th July 2020

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Announce protest actions, general chit chat or give your opinion on issues we haven’t covered for the day.

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EDITORS NOTE: – By the way, here’s a list of shit that will get your comment dumped. Sexist language, homophobic language, racist language, anti-muslim hate, transphobic language, Chemtrails, 9/11 truthers, climate deniers, anti-fluoride fanatics, anti-vaxxer lunatics and ANYONE that links to fucking infowar.

6 COMMENTS

  1. https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2007/S00223/ceac-supports-complaint-of-nationals-regulation-system-of-market-manipulation-in-energy-sector.htm

    Politics

    CEAC Supports Complaint Of National’s Regulation System Of ‘Market Manipulation’ In Energy Sector
    Friday, 17 July 2020, 8:32 am
    Press Release: Citizens Environmental Advocacy Centre
    CEAC Supports Winston Peters Complaint Of National’s Regulation System Of ‘Market Manipulation’ In The Energy Sector
    The Minister fo
    Politics
    CEAC Supports Complaint Of National’s Regulation System Of ‘Market Manipulation’ In Energy Sector
    Friday, 17 July 2020, 8:32 am
    Press Release: Citizens Environmental Advocacy Centre
    CEAC Supports Winston Peters Complaint Of National’s Regulation System Of ‘Market Manipulation’ In The Energy Sector
    The Minister for State-Owned Enterprises Winston Peters, has expressed shock and concern at the recent Electricity Authority Board’s preliminary finding that Meridian Energy was involved in an ‘undesirable trading situation’ during December 2019, Mr Peters added, ‘The John Key Government’s mixed-ownership model in the energy sector was always a recipe for disaster for consumers and so it is proving.
    CEAC has long been concerned about National Party policy of selling of our public assets to private interests, who have long shown no care for the wellbeing of the NZ public who they bought the asset from, without any regulatory systems to control ‘gerrymandered the market for profit’ as stated by Mr Peters.’’
    “Between December 3 and 18 last year Meridian spilled water from their hydro generation stations while simultaneously offering this generation into the spot market at prices above their short-run marginal cost.
    ‘It is utterly unacceptable that Meridian Energy have been found by the Electricity Authority to have, essentially, gerrymandered the market for profit, stated Mr Peters.
    ‘The Meridian Board Chair and Chief Executive have been told to front up to my office and explain themselves before the House rises on August 6.
    ‘It is a damning preliminary finding by the Electricity Authority and there is something very wrong with the regulation of the energy market when it takes a complaint for market manipulations to be investigated and acted upon.
    Mr Peters added, ‘The John Key Government’s mixed-ownership model in the energy sector was always a recipe for disaster for consumers and so it is proving.
    ‘Spilling water while generating below capacity resulted in higher wholesale prices as well as relying on more costly coal-fired generation out of Huntly power station.
    ‘As one complainant put it, the result of Meridian’s action was about 6000 tonnes of additional carbon emissions, the equivalent of about 50,000 Toyota Corollas chugging around our roads during that December period.
    ‘It is unsatisfactory and long-suffering energy consumers deserve better,’ ended Mr Peters.”
    CEAC response; – We now see the naked truth in the many problems encountered with the ‘The John Key Government’s mixed-ownership model’ ownership’ – of our public assets, and return to a former ‘state ownership of our assets is the only answer here.

  2. Can you believe anything coming from the UK or the US these days? Both nomenclatures? are incorrect; the kingdom is a queendom and is not united, and the united states are not either. But the Russians are always good for bad publicity from them. It is so hard to find one’s way to the Temple of Truth through the fog of mistrust and deception.

    The Telegraph says – (in particular Gordon Rayner, Political Editor 16 July 2020 • 9:39pm ) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/07/16/russian-hackers-attempted-steal-covid-19-vaccine-research-
    Russia has been accused by Downing St of launching a “despicable” operation to steal Britain’s coronavirus vaccine secrets in a state-sponsored cyber attack.

    Both Oxford University and Imperial College London, the two British teams trying to develop a vaccine, are understood to have been targeted, with security sources refusing to say whether any of the attempts to steal information had been successful.
    The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said it had the “highest level of confidence” the Kremlin was behind the “ongoing” attack, which was also verified by the US and Canada.downing/

  3. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/421410/christchurch-gas-explosion-grossly-unjust-for-worksafe-to-not-follow-up-sooner-neighbours-say
    Eleven months for Woksafe to contact some people affected by this wide-scale gas explosion.
    It probably wasn’t spelt out in their contracts – and if not why should they do it because ticking boxes is all that is required. What say you got forms for some other task, better than what you had been employed for? Could you just do the set tasks, fill in and send the forms and get paid. Nothing would ever be said when it was exposed eventually because the administration would look even loopier than normal!

  4. They aren’t as clean and mean on tax in the UK as we are! They Did still pay stamp duty!! Good idea, old chap, what!
    This is all I get at the moment but you can join up for a small fee and give us the full gen.
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/buy-to-let/stamp-duty-holiday-second-homes-buy-to-let-purchases/

    Many second home buyers and buy-to-let investors will benefit from a temporary stamp duty cut, which could potentially save them thousands of pounds.
    Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said these buyers will only pay the tax at a rate of 3pc on the first £500,000 of a property’s price. Previously, second home buyers would pay 3pc on the first £125,000, after that they were charged 5pc on the next £125,001 to £250,000, with the rates increasing as the property value did.

    The stamp duty holiday will last until March 31 2021 and applies to homes purchased in England and Northern Ireland. Those buying a main home will not be charged any stamp duty on the first £500,000.
    Jamie Johnson of property investment firm FJP Investment said: “Faced with ongoing changes to the buy-to-let market, there has been a notable increase in the number of landlords exiting the market….

  5. There seems to be a lot of criticism of Prince Harry and wife in the UK lately. Miffed at the tethered goats trying to get away from the vampire bats, they are slinging mud pies at them.
    This is what one superior (don’t know whether she is a mother) is preaching at them.
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/harry-meghan-lacking-awareness-call/
    It’s hard to take a lecture from a prince who has benefitted from unearned privilege since the day he was born

    Travel insurance isn’t my interest at present but see if you like the tram transport they have set up in this
    Portugal town. Very nice.
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/travel-insurance-against-foreign-office-advice/

    The Telegraph has an article that touches on ‘the principle of charity’ which I have never heard mentioned here.
    And they speak up for JK Rowling who has spoken up about something that is taboo, strangely enough in our free speech society.
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/news/jk-rowlings-treatment-grim-sign-twitter-mobs-have-poisoned-cultural/

    And the virus may have been lying dormant in waste water/sewerage facilities long before getting the big day out in China says a UK expert. It had been found in waste water in Brazil in November, Milan and Turin in December…
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/07/05/covid-19-may-not-have-originated-china-elsewhere-emerged-asia/
    And fairly recent? figures for Covid-19 cases in UK 292,552 Deaths in UK 45,119
    And for comparison Sweden – Cases 76,877 Deaths 5,593

    Great chart for populations and deaths per 100,000. Note that Belgium is higher than Sweden similar popn.
    United Kingdom is up top of Europe with Italy and Spain.
    (If want to separate major areas press a square at right hand side)
    https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/total-confirmed-deaths-due-to-covid-19-vs-population

  6. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/421462/digital-transformation-in-pandemic-excluding-those-with-access-needs-advocate
    A blind person trying to cope with inflexible tech systems. Rings a bell followed by the words ‘You shall use these systems or else you can die for all we care’. No kidding.

    I can see a system in place for so many things that used to be simple and manual. Now there is a tech step in place which complicates what would otherwise direct quick behaviour.

    Funny tonight I saw the modern way of walking the dog and taking the toddler out. This chap goes fairly quickly by on an electric bike, toddler behind him, little white poodle with tartan cover running beside. All very cute, and off a page of an expensive magazine that the righteous middle-class would have on whatever surface they are allowed to put reading matter according to the trendy preacher due jour. What the hip generation are doing. What about the old way of going out with a pram, walking with the dog beside you? No must have machine, give me a machine, or you aren’t anyone till you have the latest machine/gadget. How can you be friends with that child down the road if they haven’t got…got…got…. Katherine Mansfield feel alike – ‘The Doll’s House.’

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