Unbelievable.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024...ryo-ruling

"Alabama Fertility halts new procedures ÔÇÿdue to the legal riskÔÇÖ after state supreme court says embryos are ÔÇÿextrauterine childrenÔÇÖ
A second Alabama provider announced that it will┬ápause its in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments┬áon Thursday, just days after the┬ástate supreme court ruled┬áin a first-of-its-kind decision that embryos are ÔÇ£extrauterine childrenÔÇØ.

ÔÇ£We have made the impossibly difficult decision to hold new IVF treatments due to the legal risk to our clinic and our embryologists,ÔÇØ Alabama Fertility said in a┬ápost to its Instagram account. ÔÇ£We are contacting patients that will be affected today to find solutions for them and we are working as hard as we can to alert our legislators as to the far-reaching negative impact of this ruling on the women of Alabama.ÔÇØ

The Alabama supreme court ruling stemmed from two wrongful death lawsuits brought against an┬áIVF┬áclinic after several peopleÔÇÖs frozen embryos were accidentally destroyed. The clinic pushed back against the lawsuits, arguing that AlabamaÔÇÖs Wrongful Death of a Minor Act did not apply to frozen embryos, but the state supreme court ruled that the act does indeed apply.

ÔÇ£The central question presented in these consolidated appeals, which involve the death of embryos kept in a cryogenic nursery, is whether the act contains an unwritten exception to that rule for extrauterine children ÔÇô that is, unborn children who are located outside of a biological uterus at the time they are killed,ÔÇØ the Alabama supreme court justice Jay Mitchell wrote. ÔÇ£Under existing black-letter law, the answer to that question is no: the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act applies to all unborn children, regardless of their location.ÔÇØ
A concurring opinion, written by the Alabama state supreme court chief justice, Tom Parker, repeatedly invoked the Bible. ÔÇ£The principle itself ÔÇô that human life is fundamentally distinct from other forms of life and cannot be taken intentionally without justification ÔÇô has deep roots that reach back to the creation of man ÔÇÿin the image of GodÔÇÖ,ÔÇØ Parker wrote, before citing Genesis 1:27 of the King James edition.

The Alabama ruling has rocked the country. IVF patients and advocates have vigorously opposed the ruling, which they say did not deal with the vast practical implications of legally recognizing frozen embryos as people. Doctors at Alabama Fertility said earlier this week that the ruling threatened to upend several steps of the IVF process.
The decision also cements tenets of so-called ÔÇ£fetal personhoodÔÇØ into Alabama law. Establishing that embryos and fetuses are people, complete with full legal rights and protections, is a long-term goal of many within the anti-abortion movement. Abortion foes are also often opposed to IVF."

A friend thinks when he runs CCleaner it deletes his Solitaire result history.
Is this so?
How can he keep his result history intact, but continue to run CCleaner to clear Cookies etc?
He is on Win-11.
TIA, Peter.

According to this, its a possibility. And a very concerning one,at that. If this lot could find a way to make us all pay to breathe, they would.


https://thestandard.org.nz/get-ready-for...rivatised/

"This week National has passed legislation through Parliament dismantling Three Waters.
I have always struggled to understand its opposition.ÔÇéThe countryÔÇÖs water systems are in very poor shape.ÔÇéFar too many people have been poisoned.ÔÇéThe infrastructure is crumbling before our eyes.ÔÇéIn our major cities water and sewerage pipes that should have been replaced years ago have succumbed to old age and are collapsing at a remarkable rate.ÔÇéAnd there is currently not the faintest hope that the various water systems will be improved to make them resilient to climate change.

But somehow National and its partners persuaded many Kiwis that dealing with these existential threats was a bad thing.
The biggest source of angst and the driver of the anti 3 waters campaign was the possibility that Māori  would be given too many rights over water.
Which ignores the fact that Māori has a significant interest in water.


Even National acknowledges Iwi rights to and interests in water.
But the dogwhistle┬ápossibly Atlas funded campaigns┬áagainst Three Waters worked.ÔÇéIt was assisted by some┬árather expensive litigation┬áby the Water Users Group which was fronted by Stephen Franks and Brigitte Moreton.
ÔÇéI still cannot understand why she was permitted as the lawyer involved to┬ácomment repeatedly on the issue on state owned Radio New Zealand.ÔÇéUltimately the litigation┬áfailed┬ábut politically the damage was done.


The GovernmentÔÇÖs reversal of three waters is the latest example of its activity in cancelling something but having nothing to replace it with.
Simeon BrownÔÇÖs and NationalÔÇÖs alternative proposal is to let Councils sort it out themselves.ÔÇéEssentially sink or swim and some of the smaller local authorities may be doing more sinking than swimming".

Where the hell that time went I've no clue. No mention of the ugliness of some of the buildings, or the tumbleweeds blowing through the almost deserted square...


https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/35018...led-claims


'ItÔÇÖs been 12 years since lawyer Grant Shand first took action against the┬áToka T┼½ Ake Earthquake Commission (EQC)┬áon behalf of Christchurch residents with quake-damaged homes, but heÔÇÖs still frustrated by the process in 2024.

Shand - who is currently working on two class action cases against the EQC - believes the organisation is ÔÇ£back to being very difficult to deal with settled claims.ÔÇØ
He has described a delay in processing all cases 13 years after the quakes as ÔÇ£terribleÔÇØ.
The EQC has refuted that description, pointing out that no homeowners have been waiting 13 years to resolve claims from its scheme and that when old claims are re-opened, the organisation makes it a priority to resolve them ÔÇ£quickly and efficiently.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£There are still original earthquake claims from 2010/2011 against EQC and insurers. EQC continues to reopen claims,ÔÇØ said Shand.
ÔÇ£EQC is dragging out the claims. There are hundreds of people in┬áthe EQC on-sold programme┬áthat are not yet settled.ÔÇØ


https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/35018...e#cxrecs_s

"Central Christchurch is like a beloved pet recovering from severe fur loss - itÔÇÖs grown back new and glossy, but stubborn bald patches remain.

On the 13th earthquake anniversary, the cityÔÇÖs recovery has delivered fancy new precincts and buildings, walking and cycling paths and play areas, redesigned streets, and a parade of new apartments and townhouses.

Alongside sit vacant sections with weeds, damaged buildings awaiting rescue, and construction projects that seem to drag on."

Just when social justice is sorely needed a man who had helped many died, while the likes of Trump & Putin who have done very much the opposite continue to live.
This was someone who wasn't afraid to change his mind on things when he learned more about  them.


https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/3501880...al-justice

"FaÔÇÿan─ün─ü Efeso Collins was a quiet, softly spoken and thoughtful man, whose own journey and education had made him keenly aware of the prejudices he could face as a tall, powerful Samoan man from ┼îtara.
Collins, who┬ádied suddenly on Wednesday at the age of 49, became a public figure as an Auckland mayoral candidate and latterly, a Green Party MP. But earlier, while a relatively-obscure local councillor he wrote blogs about the micro-aggressions he faced: on one occasion, it was being quizzed in an Auckland Town Hall lift as to why he was ascending to the councillorsÔÇÖ floor.
His solution was to moderate the way he presented himself to the world: while in private he preferred basketball singlets, league gear and hoodies, in public he was careful to be suited and clean-shaven. ÔÇ£I am a big guy, and I know that. I am very aware of it. YouÔÇÖve got to get in the door and if that means youÔÇÖve got to dress a certain way for people to feel okay, and have a conversation, thatÔÇÖs the reality of it,ÔÇØ he told┬áStuff┬áin a 2022 interview.



That was part of CollinsÔÇÖ personal approach; as an advocate for the communities he represented, first on his local board, then on council, then in Parliament, he knew he had to find a way to get the ear of people who didnÔÇÖt look like him
He chaired the student union, making his first media appearance in 1999 when he questioned why the university was sponsoring television programmes when the student union was forced to run a foodbank."

I usually record Seven Sharp but for some reason last night's episode wasn't recorded.   Did anyone watch it?   I was wondering if they would acknowledge the death of Efeso Collins given that on Tuesday they ran a long and flippant piece about the fundraiser that he died participating in.

Or did they maybe cancel the whole episode out of respect?

From Reddit:

Proper way to show the world how WE feel about Russia and Putin, irregardless of Trump's views.

https://i.redd.it/syuca8lsmkjc1.jpeg

Full link for comments as well:

https://old.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1...eel_about/

Looks like it will now be called "Core ultra"

Perhaps there's hope for America after all...


https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/35018...lden-shoes

"Donald Trump was booed during a surprise appearance to unveil a new line of $399 (NZ$651) shoes on Saturday ÔÇô a day after he┬áwas fined $355 million for fraud.
The crowd at the┬áSneaker Con┬áin Philadelphia jeered the former president as he launched his ÔÇ£Never Surrender high-topsÔÇØ, using the platform as another campaign stop between court and primary elections.
Holding his golden sneakers, Trump said ÔÇ£wow, thereÔÇÖs a lot of emotionÔÇØ as he responded to the crowd, some of whom were also cheering.
The shoes, with an American flag detail on the back, are being sold for US$399┬áon a new website┬áthat also sells other Trump-branded shoes and ÔÇ£Victory47ÔÇØ cologne and perfume for US$99 a bottle.



A standard style trainer is also offered in either ÔÇ£T-RedÔÇØ or ÔÇ£POTUSÔÇØ white, both with a golden ÔÇ£45ÔÇØ, representing Mr TrumpÔÇÖs time as the 45th president, on the side. These shoes sell for US$199.
Mr Trump revealed his new trainer line just a day after a New York judge ruled he must pay $354.9 million in penalties for fraudulently overstating his net worth to dupe lenders. Judge Arthur Engoron also banned him from serving as a company director or taking out loans from banks in New York for three years.
The judge said of Mr Trump and his co-defendants: ÔÇ£Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological.ÔÇØ