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Many of you are probably already subscribers/members of the NZ Free Speech Union, if not, can I point you in the direction of their revelatory 'Academic Freedom Report 2023'.  · As Professor Elizabeth Rata who has been at the pointy end of academic censorship points out ;  · "A well-functioning university is the product of an inquisitive society that is open to change. Our society faces challenges on so many fronts today: economic,…

Many years ago, I fell across a chap called Clif High, a man with huge intelligence who in the early days of the rise of the Interweb, created a computer program to pull in all search engine traffic, he coined the term 'predictive linguistics' to describe his method of extracting information, which was programmed in 'Prolog (AI computer language), our word/phrase centered process extracts naturally occurring 'leaks' from the psychic parts of…

Researchers have used a nonviral method to increase the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing tech and provide a new way to repair DNA · Modified viruses have proven a handy way to get CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing materials into the nucleus of cells – but they're expensive, difficult to scale and potentially toxic. Now, researchers have found a non-viral approach that does the job better. · Most have heard of CRISPR/Cas9, the gene-editing…

A few weeks ago, the New Zealand media gave some coverage to the spectacle of the US President and the Prime Ministers of Australia and the UK signing an agreement whereby Australia will buy eight nuclear-powered submarines over the next two decades at a cost of some $400 billion, confirmation of the so-called AUKUS treaty between the three countries. · Reactions in Australia were varied, though there was no push-back from the Opposition…

Nellie Bly became a star journalist by going undercover as a patient at a New York City mental health asylum in 1887 and exposing its terrible conditions in the New York World. Nellie Bly became a star journalist by going undercover as a patient at a New York City mental health asylum in 1887 and exposing its terrible conditions in the New York World. Her reporting not only raised awareness about mental health treatment and led to improvements…

Unfortunately, welfare spending is addictive. And addictive in two ways. First, once government has committed to a particular level of benefit, it is exceedingly difficult to reduce that level. And second, the benefit itself changes behaviour: many people who might otherwise have tried harder to find employment choose to go on, or stay on, a benefit, something strongly encouraged by the very high effective marginal tax rate faced by those…

The wreck of one of the most famous exploration ships in history has been located. Using a robotic submersible, the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust has found Sir Ernest Shackleton's Endurance, which was crushed in the Antarctic pack ice in 1915. In the wake of Roald Amundsen's 1911 expedition that became the first to successfully reach the South Pole, Sir Ernest Shackleton mounted his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition in 1914, which was…

Local MP Andrew Bayly and his youngest son George recently spent time living with the Dukha people of Mongolia. In this, the second of two articles, George recalls their experience of living and travelling with the Dukha family around their grazing lands. We finally arrived in the Khövsgöl region where our Dukha family were located after five days of travelling overland in 4WD vehicles. Mongolia was once controlled by Russia, so we saw several…

A friend mentioned to me that other day that if everyone lived by the basics of the Ten Commandments, then we would live in paradise and it got me thinking… Would it really? The 10 Commandments are one of the cornerstones in Christianity having been given to Moses by God to share with all the Israelites after they left captivity in Egypt. Carved in stone, they were confined to physical oblivion when Moses smashed them, however a slab, probably…

It was early March when the sixth annual model a day was held in Oratia in West Auckland. Hosted by Chris Hornblow and Shane Adlington this great day is a casual afternoon to celebrate all things Model A. · Just on 50 Model A cars were in attendance including one Model T powered by Model A. The furtherest travelled was Kev Topham from Masterton with his Model A coupe which he drove all the way up within seven hours. · The casual afternoon is…