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The FBI said it had disrupted state-backed Chinese hackers targeting malware at water treatment plants, the electrical grid and transportation systems.
The Washington Post reported “China has repeatedly denounced the US government’s hacking allegations as baseless” and accused the US of hacking its own operations.
So who is telling the truth?
It’s not a President or general in an office directing cyber warfare they’re just uni grads sitting at home playing with state secretes trying to one up each other. Biden can’t even open a mobile phone and Xi’s cave doesn’t have WiFi. It’s not them. They don’t have the brains.
I fear you are right. TV is so real and imaginative I think that many people in power see the programs and games as training modules and just go with what the latest tech presents. If someone knows how to work the latest gizmo, then they become advisors.
(Refer back to earlier OM about Fujitsu Horizon program that ran and ran with inbuilt faults that thew up false figures which were then the fault of ‘dishonest or inefficient’ postmasters, who were victims of the faulty, not fully tested system;* some were jailed, a few committed suicide.) The same thing will reoccur elsewhere like nasty boils, in peace and war, which mistakes or malign systems or provocators, will cause Boils are often a sign of a not well-functioning body. I draw a parallel. *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Post_Office_scandal
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/508359/what-are-the-routes-out-of-this-dangerous-moment-in-middle-east
The BBC with a long report about the ills of the conflict in the Middle East or something. They might have something of value to add to the brouhaha, Hopefully to lessen the brou and leave a hopeful feeling. One can be hopeful still, it’s not been made illegal yet.
The Lord loves a trier – a saying – so should love these people looking to recycle in an innovative way. Good on them. Hope it works. Everyone should have one who wants to show that they give a damn about environment etc.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018924573/chip-packet-thermal-blankets-ramping-up-production
Mitre 10 then provides some pallet topper plastic which the blankets are encased in and when the roller is used, she said.,,,
Chip Packet Project founder Terrena Griffiths said to increase the volume of blankets needed more manpower and machinery was also needed.
“That piece of machinery would be an iron roller so we could change a component of making those blankets that currently takes 90 minutes, if I got an iron roller then I could ramp it up from 90 minutes to 12 – that would be a game changer to get them out the door.”…
It takes four hours to make every blanket and the work is all done by volunteers and by hand, she said.
“Last year we managed to make 500 blankets, that’s just over 27,000 pieces of foil that have been diverted from landfill.”
Every piece of foil takes 80 years to decompose in landfill, she said….
People need to wash and dry their packets and there are then 29 collection points around the country where they can be picked up, she said.
Hey can we do similar with biscuit trays, semi-rigid and perhaps also with clean food, meat-type trays – though they’re due to be phased out I think. They are quite strong and light. and I have heard can be used behind retaining walls to limit land forward movement when soil is wet with some holes drilled through them for seepage I think.
They are light and don’t add to the weight of wet soil pushing against the wall. I understand it can work well, if properly installed. Perhaps this is another innovative idea. Let the gummint get behind the chip bag idea and others, enable councils to, with some sort of incentive perhaps, carrot or stick, to give it a trial.
Report warns human rights are in decline globally as leaders shun their obligations to uphold international law.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/jan/11/human-rights-decline-globally-leaders-fail-uphold-laws-warns-human-rights-watch-annual-report
I’ll try to put up some paras illustrating ideas from Eric Berne’s book The Games that People Play. It may be easier to understand things that are apparently illogical but have become mainstream.
Wikipedia covers it – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Games_People_Play_(book)
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/508367/motorcyclist-hit-by-teen-driver-upset-at-police-handling-of-his-case
Police, Justice, Corrections – seem to be random what they really care about and follow up. Long waiting times for cases and decisions, short police times on dealing with matters like this motor cyclist hit from behind. The Courts – getting like Bleak House?
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2402/S00020/have-your-say-on-the-european-union-free-trade-agreement-legislation-amendment-bill.htm
Most of the obligations in the FTA are already met by New Zealand’s existing domestic law. However, some legislative and regulatory amendments are required to meet certain obligations in the FTA. The bill proposes amendments to several Acts including the Geographical Indications (Wine and Spirits) Registration Act 2006, the Overseas Investment Act 2005, and the Tariff Act 1988.
Tell the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee what you think (BETTER NOT ALL)
Make a submission on the bill by midnight on Friday, 16 February 2024.
For more details about the bill:
Read the full content of the bill
What’s been said in Parliament about the bill?
And what are we giving way on for the dear old European Union that so many NZs died to try and save from a worse fate than just dying then and there? It is possible that fate has caught up with us nevertheless.
https://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=158042 – Wellington Water
What’s wrong, and what needs to change
The ‘key findings’ in the report on Wellington Water released yesterday provide a list of nine problem areas where the the council-owned organisation is operating inefficiently. These include “duplicated effort and poor customer experiences.” The report makes recommendations “to address operational issues and enhance overall service delivery.” Here are the key findings.
Both the Management Service Agreement (MSA) and the Alliance Agreement did not adequately support WCC’s overall objectives due to the lack of clearly defined reporting requirements and performance measures. The “Trusted Advisor Delivery Model” seemed to have replaced a commercially sound delivery contract/agreement with explicit obligations by both parties. This issue extended to the Alliance Contract between WWL and FH, undermining cost control and performance improvement efforts….
YOY complaint. Why did we have to have this private-oriented approach that Councils must use foisted on us? What simpletons or wastrels in the political and trusted advisory and financial circles believed in it to be the best thing for the country?? The time and cost spent in defining the tasks and how they are to be carried out and at what times and for what cost; if parents are trying to get children to do chores exactly right, they might give up and say FGS I’ll do the thing myself. It’s not too far from the way things are between we da peeple and the recalcitrant but willing always – at a price, private enterprises and hand-holding Councils.. And they have entered into our lives and undermined our polity as do slow-moving earthquakes.