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

From her new book, this story is straight to the heart...


https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/02/17/short-...90hjrOCme8

https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/3501831...ell-are-ya

Must be exceptionally bad when  Labour's main cheer leader calls them out for poor performance.  Especially unhappy with Hipkins.

Meanwhile 2 polls have National and Act inceasing their election position, including Labour's own polling.   Yet a number here would try to have people believe that support for the coalition is poor - certainly the media attempted to make it that way.  Long may it last that Hipkins continues to struggle.  Fingers crossed Labour will wander in the wasteland with the Greens and TPM for the next 8 plus years.

Hi guys, 

For the last week or so, I've been unable to access the Countdown/Woolworths site thru Chrome. I'll either get a message like "400 BAD REQUEST Request header or Cookie too large' or something equally daft, or just a white page with the Woolworths 'W' logo in the middle, and nothing happening. 

If I use Edge, it'll get me further in but when I try to log in I get "Error: Proxy timeout" with a webpage code to quote to someone or something ...

Google has been no help. I've tried deleting cookies but I've run out of ideas. The only thing that has changed recently is their new loyalty card, but I can't see what this has to be with me not accessing their site.

I've even clicked on links in emails recvd from them, but that doesn't help either.

Any ideas? This is doing my head in.

What a coincidence...again...





https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/35018...tin-critic

"Alexei Navalny: The final weeks and death of RussiaÔÇÖs leading Putin critic



The Russian opposition leader died at a prison inside the Arctic Circle where he was serving a 19-year sentence.


The facility, often called the ÔÇ£Polar WolfÔÇØ jail, is officially known as the IK-3 penal colony and is located at Kharp in the Yamal-Nenets region, about 1900km northeast of Moscow.
His death was announced by RussiaÔÇÖs Federal Penitentiary Service, which said the 47-year-old lost consciousness on Friday after taking a walk in the prison where he was moved last December, and when for several weeks his friends did not know where he was.

After his collapse ÔÇô just one day after he appeared in court and was making jokes ÔÇô an ambulance crew tried to resuscitate him for more than half an hour, officials at Labytnang City Hospital told Russian state-run media RIA Novosti.



ÔÇ£The doctors who arrived at the scene continued the resuscitation measures that the prisonÔÇÖs doctors had already provided,ÔÇØ RIA quoted an official as saying.
ÔÇ£They carried them out for more than half an hour. However, the patient died. The ambulance team reached the prison in less than seven minutes, and doctors reached the patient two minutes later.ÔÇØ
The Russian prison service said Navalny ÔÇ£felt unwell after a walkÔÇØ and ÔÇ£almost immediatelyÔÇØ lost consciousness. It said it was investigating his ÔÇ£sudden deathÔÇØ.

For some time his supporters and family declined to believe the news, pointing out there had been earlier such reports that proved false.
His long-time chief of staff, Leonid Volkov, wrote on Twitter: ÔÇ£We have no reason to believe state propaganda. If this is true, then not ÔÇÿNavalny diedÔÇÖ, but ÔÇÿPutin killed NavalnyÔÇÖ and only that. But I donÔÇÖt trust them one penny.ÔÇØ
The Kremlin said Vladimir Putin had been informed.


It later emerged that he was being held in a place where the temperatures drop as low as -30C.
He was often held in solitary confinement ÔÇô more than 300 days in total, according to his supporters ÔÇô and last month his spokesperson said he had been sent again to a so-called ÔÇ£punishment cellÔÇØ for 10 days for ÔÇ£incorrectly introducing himselfÔÇØ to a guard.
Navalny later said: ÔÇ£The idea that Putin was pleased enough that he had put me in a barracks in the Far North that they would stop throwing me in solitary confinement was ... naive.ÔÇØ