Our NZ politicians are just the finest people alive: ‘Minister seeking tougher accommodation supplement criteria claims $1000 a week housing allowance’ www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360...

The NZ government making people in social housing pay more rent will not be about saving money and creating better ‘efficiency’. It would be the result of polling that showed those in social housing wouldn’t vote National anyway, but those who WOULD like the idea the poor should be punished.

The wallaby: a wannabe kangaroo

NZ National government: ‘we’re going to train hundreds of new cops to make a real difference to crime’. News today: hundreds of NZ cops move to Australia for better pay …

Bregman (paraphrasing): It’s time to stop directing your energy to shock at what’s happening, to accept what’s happening, so you can direct your energy to resisting.

Is the United States of America becoming fascist? Yes. www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDf2...

Trump about to launch Mission Epic Humiliation part 2 ….

“Antisemitism is real and has nothing to do with legitimate criticism of the state of Israel.” Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur sanctioned by US and Israel for her charges that Israel’s attacks on Gaza amount to a genocide: www.reuters.com/lifestyle/cu...

And another zinger from Verity: “Christ. Winnie has been a better leader of the opposition than Chris Hipkins - and he’s in the goddamn government.” Lol, so true!

Can’t help loving this comment by Verity Johnson in Stuff about the NZ Labour party: “And this is precisely where their previous two years of playing the Invisible Man comes back to bite them in the invisible ass.” www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360...

Trump says Iran war has been 'terminated' while keeping option open to 'blast the hell out of them' … when you brag about ending wars (Ukraine ‘in one day: 24 hours’ etc) and it’s clearly going very, very badly, just start a war, coz then you can end it any time you like and claim ‘peacemaker’!

‘Trump says he'll place 25% tariff on autos from EU, accusing bloc of not complying with trade deal’ … Americans, this is why most countries don’t elect babies.

US Defence Secretary Hegseth changed the name of his department to the Ministry of War. Well, you got what you wanted, buddy boy. Shame no one told you that when you attack someone, they might fight back.

On the Correspondents’ Dinner Trump attended: ““The only thing more insulting for the press than Trump not coming is Trump coming,” Kelly McBride, NPR ombudsman and head of the Poynter Institute's ethics and leadership center, wrote last week.

There were 42 documented assassination attempts on Hitler; there may have been others, but not documented. The successful assassination of Hitler was by Hitler himself, in 1945. Stalin had 4 verified attempts, and died of a stroke. Trump has had 3 actual attempts to date, but many threats.

Shots fired, supposedly, at Trump. For goodness sake, is there a charity we can support to improve left wing shooting accuracy? That all said, it’s better Donnie Boy stays in office, flagellating his followers while being emasculated by (hopefully) Mid Term failures than get Hillbilly Effigy Vance

Sometimes a headline just gladdens your heart, right? 'Millionaire big game hunter trampled to death by elephants’ www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/3...

1941: Oct 3 Adolf Hitler says Russia is "already broken and will never rise again" in a broadcast to the German people…

The current NZ National ‘led’ government has failed at everything it promised as well as having its short-sighted policies prove exactly that: tax cuts for the wealthy achieved what? Stopping transition to sustainable transport. More fossil-based extraction. Threatening the sanctity of Te Tiriti.

NZ soldier, November 1943, Italy: “There was a bloke standing in it so I said 'Gidday, how are you getting on?' and I looked at him and I could see a German roundel on his forearm. I yelled at him 'Surrender, Kamarad' but nothing happened. Fortunately, I had my pistol out, and I donged him.”

Well, it sounds like NZ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon definitely has the support of someone called ‘Mike Auckus’.

Can you believe this stuff? JD Vance this week declared ‘it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.” Yeah, coz what would a pope know about theology?

Trump says he asked China’s Xi not to give Iran weapons. Yeah, that’ll work. What a statesman! You know, like he asked Iran not to develop a nuclear program and like he asked NATO to sort out the mess he made in the strait of Hormuz. Ask away, buddy boy. The world is at your feet.

Speaking from Yad Vashem, the official memorial to the six million victims of the Shoah, [Netanyahu] said the continent [of Europe] was afflicted by a “deep moral weakness” and that it had “forgotten so much” about the Nazi atrocity. Which Netanyahu definitively has not, having emulated it in Gaza.

Maybe there is a god? The 16-year reign of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is at an end after a crushing election loss on Sunday that will send political shockwaves from Washington to Moscow. www.politico.eu/article/hung...

JD Vance after 21 hours of fruitless talks with Iran considers changing his name to ‘Jaded Vance’…

How is something you didn’t gain a ‘loss’?

One of the most nauseating aspects of Trump’s attack on Iran, to me, is all those traders making fortunes on speculating on the rises and falls in oil prices, often seemingly tipped off by someone.

JD Vance accused the European Union of election interference as he tried to interfere in Hungary’s elections.

Trump called the extraction of a downed US airman from Iran “one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US history”. For the cost of two planes and four helicopters plus additional ordnance. Millions worth. Sounds like a win for Iran if you ask me.

‘Trump issues expletive-laden threat against ‘crazy’ Iran over Strait of Hormuz closure’ Aw, isn’t baby getting what he wanted when he unleashed devastating force against a very minor power? That must be very annoying. America so pleased having this very presidential, lucid figure at the helm.

A pro-Iranian group hacked FBI Director Kash Patel’s emails & posted photos they found. Several show him wearing a Handala t-shirt. Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali created this symbol in 1969 as a symbol of the Palestinian struggle & resistance to occupation. www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/3...

Stuff headline: ‘Melania Trump arrives at White House with a robot’. Well, how is anyone supposed to tell the difference?

Joseph Conrad called Capitalism ‘piracy with good pr’ and imperialism ‘a grandiose front for old-school rape and pillage’.

Anne Applebaum in The Atlantic: [Trump] raised tariffs on Switzerland because he didn’t like the Swiss president, then lowered them after a Swiss business delegation brought him presents, including a gold bar and a Rolex watch…

Fonterra … will it soon change its name to FrenchTerra?

Hey MAGA I bet you really admire your genius president now: he slowed down and/or stopped the transition away from an oil-based economy, and then created the biggest oil shock the world has ever known by invading Iran. Despite that, I guarantee you this: he will be personally profiting from it.

Anyone else sick of the sci-fi trope where they put lights inside the helmets? Looks really cool cinematically, but how the hell would you be able to see if there was a light right there in your face?

Headline on Stuff: ‘Hegseth says Strait of Hormuz is 'open for transit' – if only Iran stops 'shooting at shipping' Wow, you can tell he learnt a lot in the military, right? If only they could find a nicer picture of him … Ooh, he’s so manly. www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/3...

Trump: Today we won the Iran war! And tomorrow. We’ll keep winning it every day! They started the war after we fired missiles at them. There’s no telling what this warlike nation will do. Now leave me alone. I need to buy ill-fitting shoes for my staff. I’m so powerful they’ll wear them anyway.

Trump: this epic attack on Iran the biggest ever attack on Iran in the galaxy will be over in a day, just 24 hours. Or in a few months. Maybe a year if Iranian keeps stealing our missiles to attack their own girls’ schools. We will not be putting boots on the ground. (Hegseth, order some sandals.)

AI promises to make everyday tasks easy. Everyday tasks ARE easy! Perhaps the biggest threat to us posed by AI is that people are so damn lazy, and it panders to that?

Trump rejects settling Iran war, raises prospect of killing all its potential leaders in new mission called Giant Out Of Control Petulant Ego …

Saudi Arabia has warned Iran that if they attack, Saudi will possibly retaliate. Shouldn’t Luxon make the same bold statement? (Joking.)

“The American people are ​not interested in repeating the mistakes of Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Brian Darling, a Republican strategist. This despite all evidence to the contrary. Does anyone believe this crap?

Gosh, I bet the Nobel committee is glad they didn’t give Trump the Peace Prize. ‘I stopped 8 imaginary wars, then torched the Middle East and starved Cuba!’

I actually agree with Trump on something. I agree he is the master of the ‘Dim Sum’. www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/3...

Stuff, on Luxon: ‘He is known to shirk advice from staff and even political veterans seeking to help him out, so sure he is in his own direction and management-style.’ www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3609...

I realised today why I’ve never tried skiing: Slippery slope …

The US was very late to World War One and pretty late to World War Two. Are they trying to get ahead now by starting World War Three?