Month: September 2024

Tour of the Solar System: Titania

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Science

When reading this particular blog post, imagine if you could hear a soundtrack. So the obvious question is what would it be? John Williams’ Imperial March, of course! Why? What better example of badarsery to accompany the return of the tour nobody asked for. Get ready ladies and gentlemen, because the Solar System’s worst tour of the Solar System is back!

To allow yourself time to catch up on some literary madness, the previous entries on the tour have included:

1.) Meet the Family

2.) The Sun

3.) Planets vs. Dwarf planets

4.) Mercury

5.) Venus

6.) Earth

7.) The Moon

8.) Mars

9.) The Asteroid Belt

10.) Ceres

11.) Jupiter

12.) The Galilean moons

13.) Saturn

14.) Titan

15.) The Moons of Saturn

16.) Uranus

Since January 2023, I have roughly created one rant per month about the crazy, but beautiful things in our Solar System. Because this is a slow and complicated path, we have arrived at another moon. And since our last tour stop was Uranus, it’s not a leap of reasoning to discover that today’s rant is about Uranus’ largest moon, Titania.

This high-resolution colour composite of Titania was made from Voyager 2 images taken Jan. 24, 1986, as the spacecraft neared its closest approach to Uranus.
Credit: NASA/JPL

If I say the name, Titania, our society’s current understanding of the name would be, “It’s that lady from She-Hulk, right?” Yes, Titania is a Marvel character; a particularly misguided super strong woman, but for today’s rant, this is not the Titania we’re looking for.

Titania is the largest of Uranus’ 28 moons, the eighth-largest moon in the Solar System, and the 20th-largest object in the Solar System overall. Titania has a diameter of 1,578 km and a surface area similar to that of Australia. It was discovered by William Herschel on 11th January, 1787. As a reminder, Herschel was the astronomer who discovered Uranus in 1781.

Titania and her moon siblings are special because their names are not based on Roman or Greek mythology like other moons. Oh no, these moons are named after characters from the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. Titania is named after Titania, Queen of the Fairies, in Shakespeare’s rom-com, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

A fun fact is that on the same day Titania was discovered, Herschel also discovered another of Uranus’ moons, Oberon. And if you know your Shakespeare, you’ll know that Oberon was the Fairy King and husband to Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Titania orbits Uranus at about 436,000 km, which puts it roughly over 2 billion km from the Sun. At this distance, it takes the Sun’s light about 2 hours and 45 minutes to reach Titania. It puts things into perspective, so you may stop complaining about your daily commute.

The rotation and orbit of Titania are also quirky. Titania’s orbit of Uranus makes it the second farthest moon from Uranus, among the five major moons, after our old mate, Oberon. The orbital period is about 8.7 days and matches its rotational speed.

Titania is part of a special group of moons that are tidally locked, meaning only one side always faces the planet, similar to our Moon. Additionally, Uranus’ magnetosphere is so large that it extends to where Titania orbits.

Since a “sphere” has been name-dropped into the conversation and can drive Flat Earthers into a frenzy, let’s talk about Titania’s atmosphere and surface, because you know, why not?!

There are three recognised classes of geological features on Titania such as craters, canyons and scarps. Titania has a notable system of fault valleys, with one of them nearly 1,609 km long, named Messina Chasm. These valleys have broken the crust in two directions, which shows the tectonic extension of the crust. Titania also appears to be made from equal parts water ice and rocky materials.

Infrared measurements have also revealed Titania has water ice on the surface, along with traces of carbon dioxide. Like some other similar moons, Titania is believed to have an interior or sub-surface ocean. The ocean could be up to 50 km thick, but more research needs to be done to confirm this.

Titania does have an atmosphere, but it’s quite weak and faint, and mainly consists of carbon dioxide.

Since Titania is so far away, a lot of the first information we have about it was revealed by the Voyager 2 space probe and its flyby in 1986. The images covered about 40% of Titania’s surface, which for 1986, was an amazing feat of engineering. Only 24% of the images were within the precision required for geological mapping.

Voyager 2’s photos helped to usher in a new wave of knowledge and understanding about the moon. Since then, no other space probe has visited Titania, but there are plans to address this problem in the future.

Some other random facts about Titania include:

  • Titania has an almost circular orbit.
  • The average orbital speed of Titania is 3.64 km/second.
  • Due to Titania’s tilt, each of Titania’s poles experiences 42 years in the sun and 42 years in the dark.
  • It’s unclear whether geological processes are still occurring on Titania or not.
  • The Messina Chasm is named after a location in William Shakespeare’s play, “Much Ado About Nothing.”

If Titania does have a sub-surface ocean, the question will then turn to whether life exists there or not. But that is another question for another day. And with that, our Tour of the Solar System must take a well-deserved rest.

What is your favourite fact about Titania? As always, please let me know. I wonder if The New Zealand Sour Cream and Chives Preservation Society will read this blog post?

Thank you for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. I’m also on Twitter and Mastodon, where I write about truly random things.

Before I sign off, I have a favour to ask. If you have a dog, please give them a pat and a hug from me. Dogs are amazing creatures, and we are lucky to have them in our lives. Take care of yourselves, and I’ll catch you next week.

200 posts and counting

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Animals, Social Media

Well, here it is, my 200th blog post! This is not exactly what I had in mind to celebrate the milestone, but you play the cards you’re dealt. This post highlights a Pyrrhic victory for me. Firstly, let’s discuss the 200th blog post of New Zealand’s 5th least favourite website!

I started this project of hubris and vanity in December 2020, writing one blog post each fortnight. Once I found my uncoordinated groove of writing awful posts, I switched to one per week, which created a different level of anxiety.

Creating pressure on yourself to write one blog post per week about something people may find interesting and not getting paid for it? Quick, sign me up, that sounds amazing!

I’ve discussed many different topics and subjects on Some Geek Told Me. These rants have covered the Ukraine-Russia crisis, flags, comics, movies, books, children, 10 Downing St shenanigans, history, music, ANZAC Day, socks, the Rugby World Cup, the Solar System, and so many more absurd things.

Credit: Westside News

There have been times when I’ve been extremely enthusiastic about a topic, while other weeks, I’ve had to stop myself from quitting this whole enterprise.

Added into the equation that I run daily Mastodon and Twitter accounts about random stuff, makes me sometimes feel I need my head examined for all the time and effort put into Some Geek Told Me!

Some weeks I’m very organised, but other weeks, it’s utter chaos. This whole writing experience has been fascinating because my writing probably hasn’t improved, but by doing this; and I’ve said this before, it stops me from going to bars or trading comic books under dark bridges.

I thought I would have failed by the 5th post, so reaching my 200th post is something I didn’t know was possible. Though, to be fair, what defines a successful blog? It is the number of subscribers? It is the number of blogs published each week? It is the amount of money earned for each post?

I have no idea, but I’m not tired of this yet. If people keep reading and subscribing to my stuff, I’ll keep writing my rants. However, none of this could be possible without the support of my family, which includes my wife, UMC1, UMC2 and our dog.

This brings me to the second part of the blog. With Some Geek Told Me, I not only discuss national and international events and topics that interest me, but I also share what’s happening to me in general. Granted, I don’t discuss everything that matters, but today is something I can’t avoid.

As many long-time readers and subscribers to this account know, I have a dog named Indy. He’s a bichon frise cross, and Indy has been the subject of a few posts, namely his eating style.

I’m sorry to say that our beautiful boy died on Friday. We said goodbye to him, and the concept that he’s no longer here with us is heartbreaking. He was my favourite non-human, and he was a fucking good dog. Indy was a part of my life for 12 years, and I’m so grateful for that time.

Indy is displaying his famous muddy paws
Indy waking up and looking handsome

I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about him, mainly for the fact that I don’t know how to write any more about him without crying. I promise I’ll write about him at a later date, just not today.

I’m going to miss and love our beautiful boy forever. To me, Indy was a tōtara.

Sorry, I’ve started crying again, so I need to stop. Anyway, like I said, this blog post is a Pyrrhic victory; Yah, I’ve written 200 blog posts, but I lost my dog.

And with that, I need to go to bed. Thank you for continuing to read, follow, and subscribe to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, be kind to yourself, and I’ll see you next week for the return of the Tour of the Solar System.

Three more Tōtaras have fallen: Tūheitia, James and John

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Comics, Movies, People

I realise that the world is not a perfect place. Wherever you look, there seems to be injustice, war, corruption, and lies. Yet, hope remains in the form of people going about their daily lives and doing the things that they love.

This can take many different forms, as people can help strangers in unexpected and wonderful ways. I respect numerous jobs and careers, as well as particular individuals around my town, country, and the world.

But life can deliver you a googly, and you’re left standing in shock and confusion on the cricket pitch, trying to understand how you missed the ball because it’s taken the middle stump.

Today is one of those days. Depending on the circles you travel in, you may have heard the sad news that Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII, James Earl Jones, and John Cassaday died within days of each other. I’m not a professional writer, which is painfully obvious, but I would still like to acknowledge these three icons because they have helped me.

Image by NoName_13 from Pixabay

For those of you who didn’t recognise his name, Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII was known as Kīngi Tūheitia, the seventh Māori monarch. He was coronated on 21st August 2006, on the last day of the tangi (funeral) of his mother, the Māori Queen, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu.

He reigned until his death on 30th August 2024, aged 69. His successor is his daughter, the eighth monarch and second-only Māori queen, Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VIII.

Tūheitia’s mother was the monarch when I was born, so she was the only Māori monarch I had known. When she died, it was a major event in the country’s history. I remember watching the tangi and Tūheitia’s coronation, and I found it quite profound.

I respected and liked Tūheitia for many different reasons, which included and were not limited to reintroducing the need and concept of the Māori King movement to a new generation; promoting Māori culture around Aotearoa and the world; advocating for justice and prison reform for all people; representing Māori when meeting heads of state; trying to reduce the number of Māori incarcerated; desiring to unite all Māori; helping to lead the protests at national huis (meetings) against the current government’s recent policies towards Māori; and for being a passionate, positive and kind leader.

He will be missed.

Kīngi Tūheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII. Photo supplied by New Zealand Government, Office of the Governor-General

The great American actor, James Earl Jones died at his home in New York, on 9th September 2024, aged 93. James leaves behind a gargantuan body of work in theatre, television and film. He started acting in 1953 and only retired in 2021. James also belongs to the small group of performers who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award. He was an excellent actor and performer.

He overcame a shutter as a child and went on to have one of the world’s most recognised voices. I suppose it depends on the generation that you’re from, where you would identify his most famous roles, which include, but not all of them, Lt. Lothar Zogg (Dr. Strangelove), Jack Jefferson (The Great White Hope), Douglass Dilman (The Man), Thulsa Doom (Conan the Barbarian), King Jaffe Joffer (Coming to America), Terence Mann (Field of Dreams), Admiral James Greer (The Hunt for Red October), Mufasa (The Lion King), Raymond Murdock (A Family Thing), Junius Johnson (Heat Wave), Gabriel Bird (Gabriel’s Fire), many Shakespeare productions, and quite arguably, his most famous role, being the voice of the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader.

He will be missed.

James Earl Jones in NYC talking about his movie “Field of Dreams.” Credit: Robert Deutsch/USA Today

And finally, we need to discuss John Cassady. John died on 9th September 2024, in New York City; he was only 52 years old. John was one of these comic book artists, that you only needed 1-2 seconds to identify his work because it was very recognisable and gorgeous; whether he was the interior or cover artist. Damn, he was good.

This is a strange way to describe his art style, but I always thought his art was very “straight or linear.” At least to me, it seemed very different and unique, so I think that’s why I liked his work. Whether it was Astonishing X-Men, Planetary, Captain America, Star Wars, The Lone Ranger, Uncanny Avengers, or so many others, I feel lucky that I managed to witness his amazing work.

The number of awards that John received, reinforces that he was a very creative and talented man.

He will be missed.

Comics artist John Cassaday at a January 16, 2015 signing for Star Wars #1 at Midtown Comics Downtown in Manhattan. Credit: Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons

I never had the opportunity to meet these three men, but all of them, in their own way, have brought hope and joy to my life.

Thank you, Tūheitia. Thank you, James. Thank you, John.

The list of people I always thought I would get to meet one day, is slowly becoming smaller and shorter.

I’ve said this before, but I’ll repeat it.

In New Zealand, we have some mighty trees called tōtaras. They are symbolically important because they are massive, straight, light, and resistant to rot. Basically, they’re forest giants. Māori would use them to make large wakas (canoes), but also carve the tōtara to decorate maraes.

These are not my words, but they convey my thoughts and feelings:

KUA HINGA TE TOTARA I TE WAO NUI A TANE

THE TOTARA HAS FALLEN IN THE FOREST OF TANE

THE TOTARA IS A HUGE TREE THAT GROWS FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. THE GREATNESS OF THE TOTARA IS A METAPHOR FOR WHEN SOMEONE OF IMPORTANCE PASSES AWAY.

To me, Tūheitia, James and John were tōtaras.

That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, be kind to yourself and I’ll see you next week for my 200th blog post!!

The Final Experiment: Will Flat Earthers cry or care?

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn People, Science

And you’re back in the room. No, not that room, the other room. You know, the cool room, yes, that one. I haven’t talked about the Flat Earth conspiracy batshit crazy theory in a while, though I think the last time was with My questions about the Flat Earth.

Credit: Vector illustration Pro Vector

In saying that, an event is fast approaching us, and for someone like me, I find it truly fascinating. If you’ve heard of the Midnight Sun, then you know it’s not a new STI or a vampire book…oh. Forget about the last one.

During the summer months in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, a phenomenon known as the Midnight Sun occurs, also known as a Polar Day or the 24-hour Sun. Located in places north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle, our local star will stay visible in the sky, even at midnight.

The Arctic Circle, roughly 67° north of the Equator, defines the boundary of the Arctic waters and lands. Credit: CIA World Fact Book

In the Arctic Circle, the Sun will appear to travel from left to right, so in the Antarctic Circle, the opposite is true. If you’ve ever seen Christopher Nolan’s Insomnia, you will get the concept of perpetual daylight. I’ve never experienced it, but I want to.

The Midnight Sun phenomenon exists, so it follows that the opposite might exist as well. This is known as the Polar Night, during which the Sun remains below the horizon throughout the day. For reference, think of 30 Days of Night, either the comics or movie, but mainly the comics.

Map of the Antarctica with the Antarctic Circle in blue. Credit: Thesevenseas.

Ok, thanks Scott, for another useless lecture. So what’s this got do to with the price of milk?

Damn, you ask some great questions! The point is this:

A Midnight Sun in the Southern Hemisphere could only exist on a globe, a Flat Earth model does not allow it. Flat Earthers can’t fully explain how the Sun could remain visible in the sky for 24 hours, so they do the only thing they can do; they deny it exists.

If there is a photo of the Midnight Sun, well, it has to be fake, right? If there is footage of it, well, that’s CGI, isn’t it? Many different proofs destroy the Flat Earth Model, but the Midnight Sun is one of the most difficult to deny.

This brings us to the Final Experiment. It sounds more sinister than it is, though to some Flat Earthers, it’s beyond a nightmare for them. To accurately explain what it is, I’ve sourced the information from the website: https://www.the-final-experiment.com

The Final Experiment is an observational showdown/trip between Team Globe (people who accept and understand we live on a globe) and Team Flat Earth (people who believe that the Earth is flat and deny reality).

It was created by Will Duffy, a pastor in Denver, Colorado, USA. It involves the concept of settling the argument about the shape of our planet, by inviting people to travel to Antarctica, this December, to confirm whether the 24-hour Sun exists or not.

I live in the Southern Hemisphere, and December is the first month of Summer for us. And if you follow that logic, yes, it means our Christmases are hot and never, ever cold. I keep promising to write about that, so I’m going to do this year. Hopefully.

As I mentioned before, the Flat Earth Model does not allow the Midnight Sun to exist in the Southern Hemisphere, because the popular version of the Flat Earth map, turns Antarctica from a continent to an ice wall, that runs around the perimeter of the Flat Earth.

A Midnight Sun in the Northern Hemisphere works on a Flat Earth map but in the Southern Hemisphere? Hell no, because a 24-hour Sun in Antarctica would utterly decimate the Flat Earth Model.

Added to the fact, Flat Earthers have been saying for years that nobody is allowed to go to Antarctica because it’s controlled by the military. Which military I hear you ask? All of them! Portions of the world’s armies are there, protecting the secret of the Flat Earth. Apparently.

The next question is who gets to witness the Midnight Sun in the Final Experiment?

If I understand it correctly, 24 Flat Earthers and 24 Globe Earthers were invited to participate in The Final Experiment. These people are mainly YouTubers, or at least, social influencers, whether they are Team Flat Earth or Team Globe.

Out of these 48 participants, one Flat Earther and one Globe Earther will have their entire trip paid for; so it’s basically winning a free trip to Antarctica to confirm first-hand, the existence of the Southern Midnight Sun.

The other participants will be allowed to go as well, provided they accept the invitation to go and if they pay their own way. Some participants are crowdfunding their trip, which is a smart way to do it, if you ask me.

To the best of my understanding, three Flat Earthers and eight Globe Earthers are going this December to witness the 24-hour Sun.

Please remember, the idea of this event is to settle the argument whether our planet is Flat or a Globe. However, that argument was settled thousands of years ago, yet some people are living in their own versions of reality.

So here’s another question. What happens after the participants from Team Flat Earth and Team Globe witness the Midnight Sun? Because that’s what they’re going to see.

From the Team Globe perspective, I can only imagine the participants will upload the footage and images of the 24-hour Sun, create podcasts and videos about it, and say, “We don’t want to say we told you so, but we told you so. The Earth is a globe and not flat.”

The responses from the Flat Earthers will be different. Make no mistake about this, all of the participants will witness a Midnight Sun in the Antarctic Circle, that’s exactly what is going to happen. But what happens to them after that can be broken down into three different responses.

1.) Some Flat Earther participants will accept what they saw was a Midnight Sun and confirm they witnessed a 24-hour Sun in the Antarctic Circle, which proves the world is a globe and not flat; proving they are wrong. They will either drop out of social media and disappear, or they will transition into Team Globe and start promoting the globe, or at the least, start attacking the Flat Earth Model.

2.) Some Flat Earthers participants will accept what they saw was the Midnight Sun, but they will reject that it proves the world is a globe. It will just prove there was a Midnight Sun and nothing else.

3.) Some Flat Earthers participants will deny they saw a Midnight Sun, thus proving the world is Flat. What they saw was CGI, a hoax, a massive prank to convince them it was a 24-hour Sun. To them, the event was fake, so if it was fake, it must mean people are hiding the truth of a Flat Earth.

The responses from the wider Flat Earth community will be the same:

1.) Some people will believe and accept the images and footage presented to them by fellow Flat Earthers of a Midnight Sun to be real, and accept the truth that the world is a globe and not flat.

2.) Some people will believe and accept the images and footage, presented to them by fellow Flat Earthers of a Midnight Sun to be real, but deny that it proves the shape of the planet, one way or another.

3.) Some people will deny the evidence of the Midnight Sun, and of the Globe. This will be because they weren’t there to confirm the validity of the claims, but images and footage can be changed, so why would they believe anything? The photos are fake, the footage is CGI, and the Flat Earther participants are lying and can’t be trusted.

To this third group, they will believe that the lack of “real” evidence, is actually evidence that the Globe Earthers are lying, so that means the Earth is Flat, and it’s a cover-up.

It’s interesting to note that some of the Flat Earthers who were invited to participate in the Final Experiment and declined to go, are already explaining the results of the Final Experiment will mean nothing and change nothing, and/or explain how NASA and Globe Earthers will fake the entire operation.

I wish the participants in the Final Experiment all the luck in the world. I wish I was going, but I ultimately feel the majority of the Flat Earth community will still deny and reject the results.

Is it because they will not be able to accept reality at all costs?
Is it because they believe they are still correct, and also smarter than all of the world’s scientists combined? Is it because they have spent over 1,000 hours researching Flat Earth on YouTube, so they know the ultimate truth? Is it because they have spent thousands of dollars on Flat Earth, and the idea that they have wasted that money, is too great to accept? Or is it because spreading disinformation about Flat Earth, is how some people earn their living on social media?

Maybe it is one of them, all of them or none of them, but don’t be surprised that after the Final Experiment is finished, hundreds of Flat Earthers will double down on their ideas and philosophy.

However, my admiration and congratulations go to Will Duffy for this enterprise. To quote Vanilla Ice, “Conducted and formed, this is a hell of a concept.”

And that’s another rant for another week. Thanks for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, eat your greens and I’ll see you next week.

The Coalition of Chaos: Episode I: The Cabinet Menace

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Politics

Today’s blog is not about the usual things I discuss, like pop culture, children, science or history. Oh no, today we are covering two other passions of mine: my country and politics. Yes, yes, I can hear the collective groan, but wait, you’ll like it.

Spring is in the air; well for us it is, Autumn for our Northern Hemisphere friends. The birds are chirping, lambs are being born, houses are being cleaned, seeds are being planted, and the conservative coalition government of Aotearoa New Zealand are doing what they do best: incompetency.

When we last shone a microscope on those duly elected smooth-brained politicians, they had hit the milestone of 100 days in power on 8th March. So what have they been up to since then? That is an outstanding question along with, “Would Jedi be good at poker?”

So, I’m not going to be covering everything The Three-Headed Taniwha have done since March, just the crappy things. Granted, they have done some good, but when balanced on the scales of morality, kindness, and decency, their shitty shenanigans outweigh them. Sweet as, let’s do it!

Act leader David Seymour (left), National leader Christopher Luxon and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, looking dapper as professional catwalk fashion models. Photo / Mark Mitchell
  • 19/3/24: Disabilities Minister Penny Simmonds explained that the Government would be terminating respite care funding for families with disabled children, because of budgeting concerns. After Simmonds had added some extra controversial statements, the disabled community of Aotearoa amassed 10,000 signatures in 24 hours as a protest against the statements and new policy. Simmonds was later stripped of her Disability Issues portfolio position.
  • 27/3/24: This was a busy day for the conservatives. They passed legislation restoring interest deductibility for residential investment property; reducing the bright-line test for residential property to two years; eliminating depreciation deductions for commercial and industrial buildings; requiring electric cars and plug-in hybrids to pay road user charges; and halting work on creating a 620,000sqkm ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands.
  • 2/4/24: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon proclaimed new policies concerning reducing wasteful spending, keeping agriculture out of the Emissions Trading Scheme, reversing the ban on offshore gas and oil exploration, restoring three strikes legislation, reviewing the firearms registry, establishing a Youth Serious Offender Category, and taking steps to replace mega polytechnic Te Pūkenga. You know, normal helpful things.
  • 4/4/24: Local Government Minister Simeon Brown explained that local and regional councils that introduced Māori wards and constituencies without polling residents would have to hold referendums to hold or eliminate the wards they had just established.
  • 14/4/24: Landlord-friendly policies were going to be introduced. These included re-introducing 90-day “no-cause” terminations for periodic tenancies. This means landlords can terminate a periodic tenancy without giving any reason. The tenant will only need to be given 42 days’ notice to end a tenancy. Landlords will also be able to terminate fixed-term tenancies, without giving a specific reason.
  • 16/4/24: The Ministry of Education is going to ease the entry qualification requirements for ECE teachers, as well as the government will get to choose the locations for new ECE centres.
  • 23/4/24: The Government revealed it would scrap or amend farming, mining and other industrial regulations as part of its planned overhaul of the Resource Management Act 1991.
  • 2/5/24: Education Minister Erica Stanford announced the Government would install a structured literacy reading approach in all state-run schools, from Term 1 of next year. This means the Reading Recovery programme, which is an early literacy intervention system, will be terminated across public schools because the programme uses a whole language approach, instead of structured literacy.
  • 21/5/24: The Government would be scrapping Kāinga Ora’s NZ$60 million first-home grant programme and redirecting the money towards social housing as part of the 2024 Budget.
  • 7/6/24: The Government discontinued funding for the controversial drug rehabilitation Mongrel Mob programme, Kahukura.
  • 9/6/24: Minister for Resources Shane Jones confirmed that the Government would introduce legislation to reverse the previous Government’s ban on oil and gas exploration in the second half of 2024.
  • 11/6/24: Agricultural Minister Todd McClay explained that the NZ emissions trading scheme (ETS) would exclude agriculture.
  • 14/6/24: Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee confirmed that the Government would introduce new firearms legislation to replace the Arms Act 1983, by 2026.
  • 17/6/24: The Government proclaimed it would begin policy changes to ensure certain housing buildings could be built without resource consent.
  • 23/6/24: The 2024 Government of New Zealand explained they would introduce boot camps for youth offenders aged 14–17.
  • 3/7/24: The Government announced it would introduce standardised testing for primary school students from 2026.
  • 12/7/24: The Government extended the NZ Defence Force’s deployment to US-led efforts to combat Houthi forces in the Red Sea from 31st July 2024 to 31st January 2025.
  • 18/7/24: Associate Health Minister Casey Costello cut the excise rate on Heated tobacco products (HTPs) by 50%, to make them a more attractive option to smoking. The Ministry of Health has disagreed with her assessment. She has been fighting accusations of having ties to the tobacco industry, like claiming, “Nicotine is as harmful as caffeine.”
  • 26/7/24: The Ministry of Education revealed they have stopped 100 school building projects to save NZ$2 billion, as a cost-cutting scheme.
  • 30/7/24: The Government has earmarked NZ$216 million to pay for tax cuts it needs to fund tax cuts for heated tobacco products.
  • 2/8/24: The Attorney-General Judith Collins explained that the Government would not progress eight of the 44 recommendations of the “Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Mosques”, including creating a new national intelligence and security agency, establishing an advisory group on counter-terrorism, instituting mandatory reporting of firearms injuries and amending the Crimes Act 1961 to criminalise inciting religious or racial disharmony.
  • 4/8/24: The Ministry of Education revealed the Maths Action Plan, which includes a new mathematics curriculum from 2025, twice-annual maths assessments, funding for teaching professional development, and raising maths entry requirements for new teachers.
  • 8/8/24: The Ministry of Social Development announced that emergency housing eligibility criteria would be tightened.
  • 15/8/24: The Ministry of Social Development also announced that Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People would be restructured as a policy and advisory department and that its support service delivery functions would be assumed by the Ministry of Social Development.

This list is not a Project 2025 initiative, an episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, or a chapter of 1984. I would be laughing at the insanity of it all if it wasn’t so painfully tragic and real.

After reading this list, I have a question for the 52.8% of the population that voted for the Coalition of Chaos: Do you have buyer’s remorse yet?

The Coalition of Chaos has upset this geek for several reasons:

  • 52.8% of voters elected a Government that doesn’t care about all New Zealanders, only the ones that fit the bill and criteria.
  • 52.8% of voters thought they wanted a change after six years with Labour, so they believed a National-led coalition would be the opposite of a Labour-led coalition; but all of them were deceived.
  • The people making these cruel policies against New Zealanders are not foreigners living in faraway lands. They’re us. New Zealanders hurting New Zealanders. New Zealanders prosecuting New Zealand’s most poor and vulnerable. New Zealand’s most powerful and wealthy politician-landlords are telling the rest of the country, that we are overpaid and must cut back. New Zealanders spreading disorder with racism, conspiracy theories, culture wars, and division against other New Zealanders.

I love my quirky little country, I really do. But this elite club of village idiots couldn’t roll a tyre down a hill, let alone run this country. They’re dragging us back to the 1950s, smashing the progress we have made, and the bastards don’t care or don’t realise. I’m not sure which is worse.

The silver lining in this dumpster fire is that the Coalition of Chaos will be a one-term government because they have to be.

And with that, I’m done. We will check in with the Coalition of Chaos near the end of the year, to see if they have pulled their socks up, or just pulled their pants down to moon us.

Thanks for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, keep watching the Paralympics Games and I’ll see you next week when we talk about The Final Experiment.

3 weeks to go until we hit 200 posts!!!