#nz fringe

[soloh]

Less than an hour until gates open, and then about 5 hours until I see Gerard Way on stage and my little emo heart explodes

[rotturn]

every day on this trip is worse

[dorianmathay]

Grunt Machine - SoundCloud

Listen to Grunt Machine by The Dead C on #SoundCloud

After a wee sabbatical spree of nonsensicalness, the mighty Dead C rises from its ashtray like snipes and Rizla+'s, flame included!

[panelshowsource]

helloooo everyone happy tuesday (barely)!

first, some recent uploads on googledrive:

all of guy mont spelling be, nz and au (new eps!)

new audiobooks by bob mortimer and rhys nicholson

john kearns – the varnishing days

jessie cave – an ecstatic display (recorded at the fringe 2024)

note that you can find the last leg in paris here, plus taskmaster nz here and here, and i want to mention again that the googledrive i share on my main account has some beautiful rips of great british comedy/-adjacent films i highly recommend: withnail and i, boiling point, gosford park, monty python and the holy grail, the personal history of david copperfield, the full monty, and more

second, i'm moving this week!!! i'm still an nyc girlie of courseee, but now i'll be in park slope 🥹 if anyone is nearby, give us a shout!! i may be a little slow uploading this week, but i should have wifi every day and be able to make sure the new gmsb and tut episodes are up within a day or so~ and i'll be back to posting gifs shortly!

third, thank you so much to everyone who sent me a tip on my new kofi page 🥹😭 they were very generous, not to mention they paid for half of the googledrive for this month! so thoughtful, thank u again ❤️

[sea-salted-wolverine]

a while back i went on a super niche semi technical rant (rant in question) about the evolving science of scuba diving and it must have popped out of someones queue because it just suddenly it got a whole bunch of notes and there are lots of people attempting to tag it in some sort of coherent manner.

and while i appreciate the effort, i regret to inform you that rambles about the ADHD catnip sport will be defying classification for the foreseeable future, not in the least because we're beefing with a disney character. we got ethical conundrums, we're pushing the envelope of hyperbaric medicine, we're stealing road signs in the name of science, we're all bitching about non-renewable resources but not one you've ever had to think about.

imagine throwing shit at a wall to see what sticks and somehow that involves turning a homemade spacesuit into a bomb and then wearing the bomb/spacesuit and hoping for the best. also, the structural layout of that spacesuit is based on that stolen stop sign from earlier. yes, it did happen in florida. the stop sign part, not the bomb part. that was in NZ.

i feel like the fringe edges of every pursuit must be like this. but also.

[historia-vitae-magistras]

Jack has brighid, kiwi does too probably, Matthew has Alistair and kinda not really Francis but does Alfred have anyone he'd consider a second parental figure? Or is his one and only parent high-strung and dubiously affectionate Lord Father? Boy was fucked from the start if that's the case lol

Brighid is very much in his life. She lived with him for years and years across the 19th and 20th century. Alasdair also has a very strong relationship with him and tbh I probably exaggerate Alasdair's attachment to Matt because I've got to give the boy something. Considering the Scottish influence in Australia, NZ and the US amounting to about as much importance.

But man, I've undersung Rhys! I haven't written much of it recently because I got a bit gunshy after I got into it with a Welsh guy at a discussion once who was very angry when I wrote about Cornish and Welsh influence on the British Empire because the whole double edged sword of empire for the Celtic fringe but y'know what, Welsh Methodists and other nonconformists really influenced especially American protestantism. And my favourite flavour and the thing holding Alfred's sanity together are Quakers.

So Rhys has this huge influence on Alfred and a supremely stabilizing one. If Alfred has normal opinions on anything, it's because the Quakers got to him before the evangelicals did. His batshit high literacy rate and idealism largely stems from that puritan and quaker need to fuck shit up. I'm not sure Alfred would consider Rhys as much of a parental figure as an adult considering how he stepped right into the hegemony Arthur vacated but there are occasions where Alfred whips out an ungodly accurate Welsh pronunciation. When questioned he just shrugs like "what? Like it's hard? Even Thomas Jefferson managed."

[leo-fie]

News from the Twilight Zone

And it's about Greta Thunberg again. I think she's a good example as she is an international figure and the news about her can be compared and contrasted.

So you all saw the video where some dude took away Thunbers's mic when she was speaking on behalf of the palestinian people. He said he was here for a climate protest, not for politics. Irony is dead.

Now, what was the reaction to this on the German left?

Volksverpetzer is a non-profit whose bread and butter is debunking covid conspiracies. They don't call themselves explicitly political, but their dedication to the truth and to rigorous research automatically places them on the left. Also they sell merch saying "FCK NZS" (Fuck Nazis) and "Lebe jeden Tag so, dass die AfD was dagegen hätte" (Live every day in a way alt-right party AfD would hate). They are based, as the kids say. I donated to them in the past.

Now they say the climate movement should get rid of Thunberg for her "antisemitism".

The text says "take away Greta's mic"

Wearing a kufiya, which until 5 minutes ago was just a normal fashion item in Germany worn and sold everywhere, is antisemitic apparently. Saying "No climate justice on occupied land" is "glorification of Hamas terror".

This view is shared in every news outlet, from the alt-right Welt to the public broadcast Tagesschau to the oh so radical taz.

Politicians are calling for her to be removed. There is no difference between critique of Israel and Antisemitism and not a word about how popular the pro-palestinian position is worldwide.

This is a microcosm of what I see everywhere. I'm just some person, I don't know how to research or analyze this. But I am active in both English and German speaking internet discourse and the difference is driving me insane.

It's not that our leaders and main stream media aren't staunchly zionist, of course they are. But as far as I can see, the anti-zionist, pro-palestinian opinion exists in your news coverage. There is a discussion happening in the wider public. Piers fucking Morgan had Bassem Youssef on multiple times.

Here it's as if questioning Israel is such a fringe and obviously stupid opionion that it does not have to be taken seriously. No normal person would think that.

It's kinda similar to how we talked about Neo-Nazis until a few years ago. They exist, they have opinions and symbols and stuff, but they are so obviously evil that none of their talking points are worth debunking in polite society.

Germans calling themselves antifa are supporting Israel as if it's the most normal thing in the world. This is a different reality.

[deargodsno]

Controversial activist Kellie-Jay Keen, also known as Posie Parker, has been escorted away by police from a rally she was set to speak at after she was met by an angry crowd.

Crowds, mainly consisting of trans-rights supporters, had gathered in Auckland’s Albert Park ahead of Parker’s appearance, with a reporter at the scene saying the crowds appeared volatile as Parker arrived. “It’s chaos.”

Seven security guards were near Parker, and small pockets of police were on the fringe of the groups.

A small fight broke out as Parker made her way through the barricade to speak to the crowds. She was escorted out again shortly before 11.30am, as crowds booed at her. She appeared to have been pelted by paint [it turned out to be soup].

A Stuff reporter at Albert Park said from the moment Parker entered the barricade, tension between the groups, separated by a ring of barricades, started to boil over.

It took just 3-4 minutes before every side of the barricade had collapsed and counter-protesters had made their way through to surround Parker.

It took only a few more minutes before crowds managed to climb over and Parker was surrounded on all sides.

A group of four security guards formed a human shield around her for 10 minutes as the crowd slowly pressed forward.

Parker asked the officer if she could be taken to the police station.

"Do you think it'll be worse in Wellington? Maybe it's time to say we can't do it."

There was a moderately sized pro-Posie mob led by Brian Tamaki and Destiny Church. The Tamakis and Destiny are not quite neo-nazis, but they have a lot of ideas and friends in common.

So proud of my fellow Kiwis, and of the NZ Police who have their flaws, but, unlike in Australia, did not shove protestors aside in order to allow the nazis to parade.

And for anyone who claims this woman is campaigning for other women, or that she's a feminist, she's made recent statements against easy access to birth control.

[sydneysageivashkov]

Kia Ora, Nz had a one nation group too. They were variously called one nation or one law 4 all, they were the left/hippy branch of the antimāori stream of nz politics. When covid came along they all became vff antivaxxers and created the nzloyal,outdoors,democracynz etc anti reality parties so the idea of them running off to join a wizard cult and him hating them but having to accept how they dominate fringe spaces, fits. Also where jod calls them nutbars.

thank you for the context! I looked up whether nz had its own one nation when nona came out and all I found at the time was the one new zealand party, which didn't have one nation as a name down on anything I read so I assumed it was the australian one nation cookers that john/tazmuir was referring to.

[petrovna-zamo]

What does it mean if Katya is putting up her costumes on depop already, new costumes? Their tour ain't even finished yet.. admittedly it's only the leotard/skirt from NY and the final number.. but im too emotionally attached to this tour that I don't want any of it sold 🥺

Well, if you want to commiserate about the fact that Katya will literally touch a piece of fabric for one second and then immediately sell it on her Depop… You’ve come to the right place! It makes me so sad too. I know she loves to immediately clean out her closet to make space for the new and she’s always done this but still it stings a little. Normally I’d say get the bag sis go ahead and overcharge for the privilege to smell your smoke and sweat soaked garments but in this case (and actually all cases because I’m sad every time she’s does this) I’m like… is nothing scared?! Katya you don’t need the money please save something! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again but in 10 years time Trixie will have a whole museum dedicated to everything she ever wore and Katya will be living in the woods without a trace to remember her by.

But if it means anything? Besides the fact that she’s definitely not as attached as us lol… No I don’t think so. She’s selling the previous versions of costumes she’s since updated and she’s done that before. Also I don’t think there will be a lot of new changes or updates for the last couple of shows since there’s only 11 left. You never know though! But it is sad that she’ll sell stuff she and Andrew/Astor Yang have made as well as pieces from drag and costume designers like Marco Marco/Dallas Coulter/Amie Sarazan… these are all very talked people and I want their work appreciated by all… but I don’t necessarily believe that means a resale is needed. The only perk is that we now know more about the clothes like the fact that she has at least two leotard versions (makes sense it’s good to have a backup). But all of this does give me an excuse to talk about the changes in the costumes she’s sold so far…

During the first leg of T&K live for the NY/NY number their dresses/leotards were a brighter pink/red sequined fabric but more high cut around the legs and they complained about it during the live pod in Austin (you can see their shapewear and after the skirt reveals they were always adjusting their outfits like it was uncomfortable) so it makes sense they updated those. The newer versions are more full coverage around the legs and are lined around the neckline. I will say I don’t like the almost silvery sheen to the sequin fabric they used this time because the dress colors look more muted? But maybe it was just what they had available. Just in my opinion the originals captured the light better in photos.

For the closing Chicago number they added the fringe to the bodysuit and gloves. 10/10 improvement. Turned cute leotards into flapper fringe mini dresses perfect for dancing. No notes.

Now for the robes they went from sequins to shiny and I think they look sleeker and more distinctive from all the other shades of red and pink they’ve previously used in the show. A+++.

The iconic Cекси outfit… loved the upgrade from the first leg to what she wore in AUS/NZ but this final version is the perfect combo of the original outfit and the more sexy update. Plus it fits better and she can move around in it more. All excellent choices here but they settled on the best for sure.

So while I’m sad about all of these original costumes being sold I don’t thing there’s anything deeper going on here besides it’s definitely ending and she’s definitely not saving anything despite all of us definitely wishing that was not the case!

If anyone has their eye on anything, especially the updated versions of the costumes, save up now and turn those notifications on because there’s a 99% chance she’ll sell them one day. Honestly there’s a lot I would be tempted to buy because I love literally everything she wears but I’d rather shes hang onto it in the off chance she wears it again. Maybe once this tour is all said and done I’ll do a full T&K Live costume retrospective and then a follow up with an in memoriam post once she inevitably sells everything…

[xclowniex]

Homeland in zionism refers to the land in which jews as an ethnicity originated from, and its not just solely a right that we should be able to live there, it's mainly that we have self determination. That is the idea behind zionism.

Zionism put into practice is where things start to split off. 80% of jews worldwide are self identified zionists. The majority of zionist jews want either a two state solution or land for all solution (different to a one state solution of Israel and Palestine). Khanism is the branch of zionism which wants Palestinians dead and for there to be no Palestine ever. Khanism is a alt right fringe ideology amongst jews.

Under all types of zionism besides khanism, there is room for the belief that both Palestinians and jews are both indigenous and both deserve self determination. A lot of jews also do believe this like myself.

Southern Levant, the region where Palestine and Israel sits, is a region and multiple groups can be indigenous to a region. Here in NZ, both Māori and Moriori are indigenous to New Zealand, just an an example of where it is possible.

Circling back to homeland, a jew homeland does not inherently exclude others from living

I'm going to do a thought experiment with you. Think of any indigenous group, for this example I will use Māori as they are the group indigenous to where I live, but you can use any group you want. If European colonizers expelled Māori from New Zealand, and were not allowed to return easily, after a couple of centuries, would you still consider them to be indigenous to New Zealand and New Zealand to be their homeland aka where they came from, and do you think they deserve to return?

To me and a lot of Māori and indigenous rights activists, the answer is yes. There is no timer on indigenousness and in this thought experiment, Māori are still indigenous to NZ, so the same should be the case with jews.

A Jewish homeland does not exclude other groups from living in the land. New Zealand is the homeland of Māori, yet other groups also live here. The idea of homeland being "only x group can live here" is not at all apart of zionism.

I would also like to add that the idea that khanism is the entirely of zionism or even the majority, stems from modern day blood libel, that jews are inherently blood thirsty. Don't get me wrong, khanism does exist and is believed by some, but it's a fringe ideology, the majority of zionists want peace.

“Being anti Zionist is inherently antisemitism because all Zionism says is that Jews have a right to live in their homeland.”

Do other groups all have the right to live in their homeland? What is “a right” in this context?

If I have “a right” to go live in Greece, as it is my homeland, what exactly is owed to me by the Greek government?

Every time I try to figure out what the other side is saying this concept of “rights” to “homelands” pops up and is discussed as if it’s obvious and I can’t even decode it.

I believe refugees from the Holocaust should absolutely have been given asylum somewhere safe for them, but I have no idea how that parses as “a right to live in their homeland.”

Im open to the idea that there exists a version of Zionism that does not include slaughtering the other people who also want to live in their homeland, but i don’t get how it looks when none of these terms are defined.

[brodiestreetmusic]

New Zealand Festival Dates 2024

Brodie Street will be playing the following New Zealand Festival Shows in 2024: Lake Karapiro, NZ: January 26-29, FestivalOne Palmerston North, NZ: February 23, Neverlands Festival Tauranga, NZ: March 9, Tauranga Fringe Festival Tickets are available from https://brodiestreetmusic.wixsite.com/brodiestreetmusic

[ailtrahq]

The days when crypto was regarded as a fringe interest at best and a joke at worst have long since passed. We are now at the stage of acceptance, as more and more industries begin to allow people to make and receive payments using currencies like Bitcoin. One of those leading the charge in bringing crypto to the mainstream is the gaming industry. We should not be surprised by that, as it is a tech-based sector that thrives on innovation at all levels.  This embracing of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies would seem to be helpful to both the gaming providers and the players. Just how popular is it becoming as a way of transacting money though? Keep reading to reveal some interesting facts. The Rise of Bitcoin in the Gaming Sector The rising acceptance of Bitcoin in the gaming sector is playing out in two different ways: the inclusion of it as a further payment method at existing sites and the emergence of new ones that deal solely in crypto. Both represent a significant step forward in it becoming a mainstream concern. At the moment, new gaming sites specialize in Bitcoin transactions and accept payments in many new crypto assets. There are some major established gaming sites that have added it to their methods of payment, but there is still some real resistance to doing so. It is the online gambling part of the sector – particularly casinos – that potentially has the most to gain. Bitcoin is just one of the payment options available though and each has its benefits and drawbacks. These are the main options Bank transfer E-wallet Crypto wallet Bank Transfer It is a method that involves sending and receiving money by having it transferred directly into or out of your bank account. Casinos usually differ by the currency they trade in, so if you’re playing at a New Zealand online casino you’ll play with the NZ dollar. It is an option that is typically used for traditional currencies, like Euros or a particular national currency. It is still probably the most common way that people deposit money and receive winnings when playing at online casinos. The primary benefit is that it is very fast, but the fact that standard currencies are being used also provides people with a comeback against theft or fraud, due to regulation.  Despite remaining the first choice for a lot of gaming industry customers, it does have definite drawbacks. The biggest drawback is that players have to submit their bank details to the site they are playing at when they set up an account. They also have to provide other personal information. All of that puts users at risk of falling victim to hacking, identity theft, and other cyber-crimes.  E-Wallet It means companies like PayPal and Neteller. As a payment method, it is nearly as common at online casinos and other gaming sites as bank transfers now and is offered by virtually all sites. It is a highly efficient method and instead of providing bank data to the gaming site, it is given to the e-wallet operator. PayPal is extremely security conscious, but the same hacking threat still exists. Crypto Wallet Storing any crypto coins like Bitcoin in a crypto wallet and making gaming payments using them is the third method. The biggest benefit of it is that absolutely no personal or banking details are needed. It gives the user a feeling of greater security and trust. Bitcoin transactions are not vulnerable to fraud either as they are stored on blockchain registers that cannot be altered. However, the lack of regulatory oversight means that if a gaming site fails to pay in full or on time, the customer does not have much protection.  Are Bitcoin Payments for Online Games on the Rise? That absence of the regulatory framework governing standard currency transactions is something that an increasing number of gamers seem unconcerned by. Given that Bitcoin payments mainly apply to the online casino sub-sector, perhaps it can be easily explained. People are attracted to the idea of playing online casino games due to the thrill and entertainment.

The non-existent regulation is therefore seen as just another acceptable level of risk that is counterbalanced by the security that Bitcoin anonymity provides. Users have also identified the regulation issue as one that is preventing more established casinos and gaming sites from embracing crypto payments. It is not just the providers either. Many countries have made online casino Bitcoin transactions illegal, precisely because of the complete lack of regulation. While that remains the case, it will probably struggle to rise any further in popularity. Bitcoin payments for online games are more popular than they were a few years ago, but barriers are still there. Disclaimer Source

[centrestagereviews]

Actor of the Week: Luke Connor Hall

Luke is currently performing in The Choir of Man at the Arts Theatre, London Luke trained at The Arts Educational Schools Theatre: Bat Out of Hell (International Tour, AUS/NZ, London Peacock Theatre), QUEENZ: The Show With Balls! (Coventry, Edinburgh Fringe, UK Tour), Priscilla: Queen of The Desert (NCL Epic), Kinky Boots (NCL Encore), Jesus Christ Superstar (Barbican) and Mamma Mia! (Novello…

[appbazar]

Tom latham

Latham backs NZ fringe bowlers to fill 'massive hole' in Southee and Boult's absence

[so-much-for-subtlety]

I don’t have any references to back it up, but I think private healthcare must also be incredibly wasteful in terms of overhead.

In NZ when I needed various vaccinations before coming to the United States I went to my local doctors office, was checked in my receptionist, and then saw the doctor (two people).

In NYC I recently got a vaccine and I was checked in by receptionist, brought to a waiting area by a nurse, saw another nurse for my vitals and health screener, saw another nurse for my actual vaccine. Behind the scenes I’m sure that the practice has a billing and coding person who enters info for insurance, and then someone on insurance side who approves claim etc. at least 6 people involved in that visit (maybe more).

Private health insurance in the United States is also a relatively new development (less than 100 years) after the U.S. joined WW2 there were wage freezes, and it was determined that fringe benefits like private health insurance were not part of the wage freeze so companies started offering it to be more attractive for hiring employees.

In 1954 Truman proposed universal healthcare for all Americans and initially it had very popular public support. The American Medical Association freaked out (it would lower healthcare costs and therefore their profit) and and hired the first political advertising firm which used the red scare of the Cold War which successfully spun it as a threat to American democracy.

it’s worth noting that it was congress that blocked even voting on this bill for universal healthcare, and during Truman’s two terms he had six years where there was a democratic majority in both the house and the senate.

btw, this is what electoral maps looked like for Truman in 1944 and 1948 (Roosevelt died in 1945)

absolutely bananas to me that with such popular support for his policies congress could be influenced (manipulated) to trash public healthcare.

The thing that gets me so worked up about universal healthcare is how people say that it will be so expensive for the tax payer.

This is long rant warning so I added a break lol.

The TLDR is that even in a low tax state like Florida, someone making 50k a year will have an effective rate of of 32% (for taxes, healthcare, costs for an undergraduate degree).

Someone making 50k a year in a 'high tax' country like New Zealand has an effective rate of 21% (for taxes, healthcare, costs for an undergraduate degree).

For an American and a Kiwi with the same salary of $50k, if they have the same disposable income, the Kiwi will be able to save an extra $75,000 over 10 years that they can use for a downpayment on a home to further build wealth.

Low tax states just have the costs shuffled to other places, you end up paying a LOT more for the same services.

Here's a comparison of someone who makes $50,000 a year in New Zealand and Florida (I chose Florida as an extreme example because they have 0% state tax rate) and each person makes $15,000 worth of purchases that are taxable.

New Zealand

$7,658 in combined income taxes and levies

$2,250 in taxes on $15k of purchases (15% sales tax)

Total of $9,908 - an effective total rate of 19.8% paid to taxes and purchases and healthcare

Florida

$7,945 in combined taxes (federal taxes, social security, medicaid etc)

$1,050 in taxes on $15k of purchases (7% sales tax)

$1,700 average annual health insurance premium for Florida

$2,060 average annual health insurance deductible for Florida

Total of $12,755 - an effective total rate of 25.5% paid to taxes and purchases and healthcare

Even in a low tax state, you're already have less take-home income than someone with the same salary in New Zealand.

But

... in New Zealand with your taxes you're also getting public education. It's not completely free, but costs are fixed, and you get one year of your undergraduate free, so for example a Bachelor of Arts would cost a total of $13,548 (USD $8,347)

If you can't pay that upfront, you can get a 0% loan from the government, which you don't need to start paying off until you earn at least $23k per year. For someone making $50k that would be an extra 6.5% deducted from your income ($270/month) until the loan is paid off (which would be 2 years and 8 months).

In Florida the average student loan debt is 25k and if you're making the same payments as someone in NZ ($270/month) then you'll be paying that off for 11 years. [Note: I believe that some private loan interest rates go as high as 15%].

Bachelor of Arts in NZ $13,548, paid off over ~2.7 years.

Bachelor of Arts in Florida $35,539, paid off over ~11 years.

So lets look at effective payments over 11 years (for simplicity salary stays at 50k).

New Zealand works out to be 21% effective rate over 11 years (including taxes, healthcare, and undergraduate degree).

Florida works out to be 32% effective rate over 11 years (including taxes, healthcare, and an undergraduate degree) - you're paying 52% more!

That means someone with the same income will effectively be able to save an additional $5,000 per year over 11 years, if they invest that extra amount and get a 5% return, the New Zealander will have savings of about $75k which they can use for downpayment for a home etc.

In conclusion, even though it may seem like you're getting a good deal in a low tax state like Florida, you end up paying soooo much more in healthcare and education costs compared to a country where taxes are a little higher, but you get public healthcare and education.

Why is the U.S. so expensive? Well once place to look is defense, intelligence, and police. In the United States this costs on average $3,700 per person. New Zealand spends $1,600 per person (USD ~1,000).