Most of our generation will know, or know of, women coerced into giving up their babies years ago. In those days the choices were to either marry (sometimes known as a shotgun wedding) which sometimes proved to be a disaster but occasionally worked, or to 'go up north for a while' to a home for unmarried mothers to have the baby where they'd be well away from their families & friends so that no one would know about the pregnancy.
Sometimes they worked up till the birth, sometimes not but then they were pressured to give the child up. Some places cruelly refused to allow mums to even see their baby on the grounds it would 'make things easier'.

And now decades later those women are speaking out about their experiences.



https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/1302692...nt-apology

  

Lately there've been several news items involving younger kids & crimes of various kinds. I came across this article which mentions human brain development - I'd like to think that all those right wing politicians who are virtually brandishing burning brands & shouting about how they'll 'get tough' would read & comprehend, but that seems unlikely.


https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/1302851...Nx67RM8kHY

I inherited my grandfathers collection when he passed away. Has been a fun hobby but never really got into any real digging for them like he did.
Most of my collection is now stuff ive acquired on trademe over the years.

Police there have fired on mourners, 40 days after the death of Mahsa Amini. 



https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63397159

National says it would immediately scrap the fair pay agreement & several other things, if it becomes the next govt. They just may be shooting themselves in the foot by doing so; there are after all, quite a lot of workers who will benefit from this, & so it smacks of not wanting to give working people a fair go.


And really, their claiming that its 'socialism' reminded me of this: 


ÔÇ£Socialism is a scare word they have hurled at every advance the people have made in the last 20 years.

A couple of wealthy young folk decide to travel the world while building profiles as social media influencers and get taken hostage in the Middle East.

Am I jaded or something when I react by thinking what the fuck were they thinking?

Muttering 'get a real job' might be too harsh perhaps...

You wont hear anything negative about them when they are the ones sponsoring the news will you?
Massive conflict of interest!

Rishi Sunak is apparently very wealthy, or according to the article, "super rich". 

I wonder whether someone living on the streets & constantly in danger of imminent starvation might be said to be "super poor?"

I really can't help thinking that no one who is so very wealthy should be in a position of power over others; how can anyone with such vast wealth have any inkling of the day to day reality for most of those they're supposed to be representing?


https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/uk/3007200...ng-charles

"Earlier this year, Sunak's wife was at the centre of a tax scandal after it emerged that she had been filing in the United Kingdom as a "non-domiciled" resident, which allowed her to avoid paying British taxes on the substantial income she earned abroad.

I sold an item by having my counteroffer accepted.   Immediately the buyer emailed asking to reduce the price by $10.  I rejected the request, then he emailed saying he would give me "snacks and a beer" if i reduced the price.  I said no.   He then said he would pay in cash rather than by the direct credit stipulated in the listing.   I agreed, and we arranged delivery.   When I turned up to deliver the item (to uninhabited industrial premises) the buyer was there, and also some kind of "minder", who slunk around in the background, smoking and staring at me.   It felt intimidating and scary.   The  buyer seemed quite shy, and the exchange of cash for the item was fine, but the overall experience was unsettling and unpleasant.  

I'm wondering if I should mention this in my feedback.   In the end I got the price I wanted, but I feel somehow that his attitude cut against the unspoken TM rules of trust and decent behaviour.

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/an-ode-for-ba...1666462712