Ash
@ashkk.bsky.social
Retired curmudgeon, despairing of our species
Reposted by Ash
🍃🌹🌿#Wellington peeps
Feeling that a $4 billion motorway project for Wellington that NZTA admits will lose money & is proposing to fund through tolls, a levy on our rates and/or a regional fuel tax isn't a great idea?
Meeting: Tues night at St Joseph's:
www.greens.org.nz/wlg_event_0212
Feeling that a $4 billion motorway project for Wellington that NZTA admits will lose money & is proposing to fund through tolls, a levy on our rates and/or a regional fuel tax isn't a great idea?
Meeting: Tues night at St Joseph's:
www.greens.org.nz/wlg_event_0212
Public meeting on the Tunnels plan
We are building a future where we do more, faster, to protect our planet and make sure everyone is treated equally.
www.greens.org.nz
December 1, 2025 at 8:04 PM
🍃🌹🌿#Wellington peeps
Feeling that a $4 billion motorway project for Wellington that NZTA admits will lose money & is proposing to fund through tolls, a levy on our rates and/or a regional fuel tax isn't a great idea?
Meeting: Tues night at St Joseph's:
www.greens.org.nz/wlg_event_0212
Feeling that a $4 billion motorway project for Wellington that NZTA admits will lose money & is proposing to fund through tolls, a levy on our rates and/or a regional fuel tax isn't a great idea?
Meeting: Tues night at St Joseph's:
www.greens.org.nz/wlg_event_0212
Reposted by Ash
Debunking catharsis 👇
"Venting anger might sound like a good idea, but there's not a shred of scientific evidence to support catharsis theory."
Study: Venting Doesn't Reduce Anger www.sciencealert.com/venting-does...
Better: "Calming activities reduced anger in the lab and the field..."
"Venting anger might sound like a good idea, but there's not a shred of scientific evidence to support catharsis theory."
Study: Venting Doesn't Reduce Anger www.sciencealert.com/venting-does...
Better: "Calming activities reduced anger in the lab and the field..."
Venting Doesn't Reduce Anger, But Something Else Does, Study Discovers
Venting when angry seems sensible.
www.sciencealert.com
December 1, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Debunking catharsis 👇
"Venting anger might sound like a good idea, but there's not a shred of scientific evidence to support catharsis theory."
Study: Venting Doesn't Reduce Anger www.sciencealert.com/venting-does...
Better: "Calming activities reduced anger in the lab and the field..."
"Venting anger might sound like a good idea, but there's not a shred of scientific evidence to support catharsis theory."
Study: Venting Doesn't Reduce Anger www.sciencealert.com/venting-does...
Better: "Calming activities reduced anger in the lab and the field..."
Reposted by Ash
The Par Avian series is COMPLETE with the final set of pins up at pepperraccoon.com right now (only 20 banners left, so snag one if you want one!)
ALSO: NZ merino studio-made Fantail Forest pennants and a matching rose gold chainset!
ALSO: NZ merino studio-made Fantail Forest pennants and a matching rose gold chainset!
December 1, 2025 at 7:56 PM
The Par Avian series is COMPLETE with the final set of pins up at pepperraccoon.com right now (only 20 banners left, so snag one if you want one!)
ALSO: NZ merino studio-made Fantail Forest pennants and a matching rose gold chainset!
ALSO: NZ merino studio-made Fantail Forest pennants and a matching rose gold chainset!
Reposted by Ash
Floods have killed at least 604 people in Indonesia, 366 in Sri Lanka, 176 in Thailand and three in Malaysia, with hundreds still missing.
🔗: aje.io/0y8xc4 | #Infograph
🔗: aje.io/0y8xc4 | #Infograph
December 1, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Floods have killed at least 604 people in Indonesia, 366 in Sri Lanka, 176 in Thailand and three in Malaysia, with hundreds still missing.
🔗: aje.io/0y8xc4 | #Infograph
🔗: aje.io/0y8xc4 | #Infograph
Reposted by Ash
Seymour: let's not make "assumptions" that a serious food safety incident is the responsibility of a company with a record of food safety incidents so bad that officials strongly warned against contracting it. Maybe it was the person who reported it! What a prick. www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/christchu...
Seymour labels principal at centre of mouldy school lunches a media 'frequent flyer'
The principal has hit back saying the food is delivered daily and leftovers removed.
www.nzherald.co.nz
December 1, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Seymour: let's not make "assumptions" that a serious food safety incident is the responsibility of a company with a record of food safety incidents so bad that officials strongly warned against contracting it. Maybe it was the person who reported it! What a prick. www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/christchu...
Reposted by Ash
Banks aren't interested in lending more to businesses to invest in anything other than housing (land). Lending to farms/businesses not backed by resi land has fallen $10.8b to $90.3b since Covid, while loans to home owners & landlords rose $110b to $461b. 3/3 thekaka.substack.com/p/luxons-goi...
Luxon's 'going for growth' actually means 'going for debt reduction'
Luxon rejects Auckland's plea for $75m to earn $2b of America's Cup GDP growth, saying Govt must cut debt first; Businesses now see weak economy & Govt's 'culture of no' choking off investment
thekaka.substack.com
April 1, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Banks aren't interested in lending more to businesses to invest in anything other than housing (land). Lending to farms/businesses not backed by resi land has fallen $10.8b to $90.3b since Covid, while loans to home owners & landlords rose $110b to $461b. 3/3 thekaka.substack.com/p/luxons-goi...
Reposted by Ash
Yes that is entirely the point.
Force user-pays on everybody so that the wealthy can have a nice society that the poor aren't able to participate in but have to prop up.
Force user-pays on everybody so that the wealthy can have a nice society that the poor aren't able to participate in but have to prop up.
Rates caps may mean more expensive parking, libraries and pools, mayors say
Councils might consider raising fees for things like pools, recreation centres and other community facilities, Wellington mayor Andrew Little says.
www.rnz.co.nz
December 1, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Yes that is entirely the point.
Force user-pays on everybody so that the wealthy can have a nice society that the poor aren't able to participate in but have to prop up.
Force user-pays on everybody so that the wealthy can have a nice society that the poor aren't able to participate in but have to prop up.
Reposted by Ash
i get the populist appeal of a rates cap, but surely that inevitably leads to user-pays?
#FeelsBumBro
#FeelsBumBro
December 1, 2025 at 9:24 PM
i get the populist appeal of a rates cap, but surely that inevitably leads to user-pays?
#FeelsBumBro
#FeelsBumBro
Reposted by Ash
“Imagine if we truly understand complex whale communication & can extend our term ‘language’ to them. Such breakthroughs would not only rewrite biology textbooks but also fundamentally redefine what it means to be human & pave the way to instituting new protections for whales, the ocean & beyond”🧪
November 30, 2025 at 9:20 PM
“Imagine if we truly understand complex whale communication & can extend our term ‘language’ to them. Such breakthroughs would not only rewrite biology textbooks but also fundamentally redefine what it means to be human & pave the way to instituting new protections for whales, the ocean & beyond”🧪
Reposted by Ash
*Kiwis have until the 6th of December, but the deadline for the rest of the world is today.
December 1, 2025 at 9:00 AM
*Kiwis have until the 6th of December, but the deadline for the rest of the world is today.
Reposted by Ash
The UK has just BANNED wet-wipes containing plastics, but the Luxon Government says it won’t.
Of course not.
They seem allergic to doing anything worthwhile.
Of course not.
They seem allergic to doing anything worthwhile.
December 1, 2025 at 5:47 AM
The UK has just BANNED wet-wipes containing plastics, but the Luxon Government says it won’t.
Of course not.
They seem allergic to doing anything worthwhile.
Of course not.
They seem allergic to doing anything worthwhile.
Reposted by Ash
'The school has its own commercial kitchen and wanted to make its own meals, but the ministry had always argued that was a risk to food security, she said.' #nzpol www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Food poisoning warning after Christchurch students eat contaminated school lunches
The possibility that students may have eaten contaminated lunches "fills me with horror", says a Christchurch school principal.
www.rnz.co.nz
December 1, 2025 at 5:28 AM
'The school has its own commercial kitchen and wanted to make its own meals, but the ministry had always argued that was a risk to food security, she said.' #nzpol www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Reposted by Ash
There's a massive feature in next week's Listener on the global rise of the right and its influence locally. Worth picking up a copy
December 1, 2025 at 5:16 AM
There's a massive feature in next week's Listener on the global rise of the right and its influence locally. Worth picking up a copy
Reposted by Ash
Greetings from Kyiv.
Today I’m at the railway station,
visiting this Christmas beauty.
I want the world to see our marvellous resilience.
Today I’m at the railway station,
visiting this Christmas beauty.
I want the world to see our marvellous resilience.
December 1, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Greetings from Kyiv.
Today I’m at the railway station,
visiting this Christmas beauty.
I want the world to see our marvellous resilience.
Today I’m at the railway station,
visiting this Christmas beauty.
I want the world to see our marvellous resilience.
Reposted by Ash
Dirty Ashtray award to New Zealand by anti vape cult shows how they don’t care about outcomes but really care about ideology ie they hate tobacco companies much more than they hate lung cancer @caphra.bsky.social
“Why New Zealand’s success is an existential threat to the WHO’s abstinence-only doctrine, and why Australia is held up as the obedient alternative.”
@alexwodak.bsky.social @drbfreeman.bsky.social @melissasweetdr.bsky.social @squigglyrick.bsky.social
www.aliveadvocacymovement.com/post/the-fct...
@alexwodak.bsky.social @drbfreeman.bsky.social @melissasweetdr.bsky.social @squigglyrick.bsky.social
www.aliveadvocacymovement.com/post/the-fct...
The FCTC’s Fear of New Zealand: What Happens When Evidence Wins Against Ideology
Why New Zealand’s success is an existential threat to the WHO’s abstinence-only doctrine, and why Australia is held up as the obedient alternative.
www.aliveadvocacymovement.com
December 1, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Dirty Ashtray award to New Zealand by anti vape cult shows how they don’t care about outcomes but really care about ideology ie they hate tobacco companies much more than they hate lung cancer @caphra.bsky.social
Reposted by Ash
“vaping poses only a small fraction of the risks of smoking and switching completely from smoking to vaping conveys substantial health benefits”
@alexwodak.bsky.social @drbfreeman.bsky.social @melissasweetdr.bsky.social
www.gov.uk/government/n...
@alexwodak.bsky.social @drbfreeman.bsky.social @melissasweetdr.bsky.social
www.gov.uk/government/n...
PHE publishes independent expert e-cigarettes evidence review
A new Public Health England (PHE) e-cigarette evidence review, undertaken by leading independent tobacco experts, provides an update on PHE’s 2015 review.
www.gov.uk
December 1, 2025 at 8:21 AM
“vaping poses only a small fraction of the risks of smoking and switching completely from smoking to vaping conveys substantial health benefits”
@alexwodak.bsky.social @drbfreeman.bsky.social @melissasweetdr.bsky.social
www.gov.uk/government/n...
@alexwodak.bsky.social @drbfreeman.bsky.social @melissasweetdr.bsky.social
www.gov.uk/government/n...
Reposted by Ash
Private jets are booming while communities everywhere face climate chaos.
The most polluting way to fly is becoming more accessible for the wealthy and more costly for everyone else.
#BanPrivateJets
The most polluting way to fly is becoming more accessible for the wealthy and more costly for everyone else.
#BanPrivateJets
Flying private jets is no longer just for the ultra-rich – DW – 11/07/2025
Corporate executives and the rich are increasingly heading for the comfort and security of private jets, despite calls to ground their environment-harming business planes. Can anything stop this growi...
www.dw.com
December 1, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Private jets are booming while communities everywhere face climate chaos.
The most polluting way to fly is becoming more accessible for the wealthy and more costly for everyone else.
#BanPrivateJets
The most polluting way to fly is becoming more accessible for the wealthy and more costly for everyone else.
#BanPrivateJets
Reposted by Ash
At the Kyiv railway station –
a sculpture Volya by Oleksii Sai
Made from the damaged letters of a welcome sign in Liubymivka, a frontline village in Kherson region, occupied in March 2022 and liberated that October.
Volya means both freedom and will – a word that perfectly captures 🇺🇦 spirit.
a sculpture Volya by Oleksii Sai
Made from the damaged letters of a welcome sign in Liubymivka, a frontline village in Kherson region, occupied in March 2022 and liberated that October.
Volya means both freedom and will – a word that perfectly captures 🇺🇦 spirit.
December 1, 2025 at 5:42 PM
At the Kyiv railway station –
a sculpture Volya by Oleksii Sai
Made from the damaged letters of a welcome sign in Liubymivka, a frontline village in Kherson region, occupied in March 2022 and liberated that October.
Volya means both freedom and will – a word that perfectly captures 🇺🇦 spirit.
a sculpture Volya by Oleksii Sai
Made from the damaged letters of a welcome sign in Liubymivka, a frontline village in Kherson region, occupied in March 2022 and liberated that October.
Volya means both freedom and will – a word that perfectly captures 🇺🇦 spirit.
Reposted by Ash
Numbers are fun.
427 students at 8 charter schools is an average of 54 students per school.
$10.9 million divided by 8 charter schools is $1.362 million per school.
Or about $25.5k per student.
State schools are 9k per student.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
427 students at 8 charter schools is an average of 54 students per school.
$10.9 million divided by 8 charter schools is $1.362 million per school.
Or about $25.5k per student.
State schools are 9k per student.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Charter School Agency reveals enrolment numbers after telling schools to keep figures under wraps
The number of enrolments had been kept under wraps after the agency told the privately-run, state-funded schools not to reveal their numbers while still setting up.
www.rnz.co.nz
December 1, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Numbers are fun.
427 students at 8 charter schools is an average of 54 students per school.
$10.9 million divided by 8 charter schools is $1.362 million per school.
Or about $25.5k per student.
State schools are 9k per student.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
427 students at 8 charter schools is an average of 54 students per school.
$10.9 million divided by 8 charter schools is $1.362 million per school.
Or about $25.5k per student.
State schools are 9k per student.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Reposted by Ash
Emily Writes is organising a Aotearoa to Gaza Christmas Appeal. Please give what you can or boost.
Help support 60+ families over Christmas chuffed.org/project/1589...
Help support 60+ families over Christmas chuffed.org/project/1589...
Help us support 60+ families over Christmas
As our pōhutukawa bloom, we are asking you to help hope bloom in Gaza for our precious families.
chuffed.org
December 1, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Emily Writes is organising a Aotearoa to Gaza Christmas Appeal. Please give what you can or boost.
Help support 60+ families over Christmas chuffed.org/project/1589...
Help support 60+ families over Christmas chuffed.org/project/1589...
Reposted by Ash
Another one for Labour to remove as Rates Capping has never worked. Just look at Australia
The only way to keep rates down is for Central Government to fully fund services and infrastructure
But that wont suit their donor mates now will it
The only way to keep rates down is for Central Government to fully fund services and infrastructure
But that wont suit their donor mates now will it
December 1, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Another one for Labour to remove as Rates Capping has never worked. Just look at Australia
The only way to keep rates down is for Central Government to fully fund services and infrastructure
But that wont suit their donor mates now will it
The only way to keep rates down is for Central Government to fully fund services and infrastructure
But that wont suit their donor mates now will it
Reposted by Ash
Inflation rises in the presence of hoarding wealth and the absence of adequate taxation. The correction is quite straightforward and barely needs to be said.
December 1, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Inflation rises in the presence of hoarding wealth and the absence of adequate taxation. The correction is quite straightforward and barely needs to be said.
Reposted by Ash
And I relentlessly keep showing you
Ukrainian talents I discover.
🇺🇦 Anastasiia Yaroshevych
Two, 2020
Ukrainian talents I discover.
🇺🇦 Anastasiia Yaroshevych
Two, 2020
December 1, 2025 at 7:24 PM
And I relentlessly keep showing you
Ukrainian talents I discover.
🇺🇦 Anastasiia Yaroshevych
Two, 2020
Ukrainian talents I discover.
🇺🇦 Anastasiia Yaroshevych
Two, 2020
Reposted by Ash
When someone knows two or more languages, all those languages remain active in the brain. The brain must select the right language while keeping others from interfering. This constant mental exercise acts a bit like daily "brain training". #RSNA25
www.sciencealert.com/speaking-mul...
www.sciencealert.com/speaking-mul...
Speaking Multiple Languages May Slow Brain Aging, Study Suggests
People are living longer than ever around the world.
www.sciencealert.com
December 1, 2025 at 3:47 AM
When someone knows two or more languages, all those languages remain active in the brain. The brain must select the right language while keeping others from interfering. This constant mental exercise acts a bit like daily "brain training". #RSNA25
www.sciencealert.com/speaking-mul...
www.sciencealert.com/speaking-mul...