Chip Felton

Native NZ flora enthusiast. Data wrangler. Cat patron.

[‏ً @omgsidewalks]

SERIOUS QUESTION: Now if capitalism is so great, why do corporations need tax breaks, subsidies, exemptions, grants, bailouts, legal protections, and trade barriers to survive ?? And when ordinary people ask for help, why is it suddenly called socialism ??

[Helen Clark @HelenClarkNZ]

#Conservation Amendment Bill now before Parliament is an outrage. It seeks to make economic use & development of public conservation land a core function of Dept of Conservation & makes it easier to dispose of conservation land. Make a submission! Link 🔗:
https://t.co/FNIwE5A5Bz

[Chip Felton @coevcjf]

Why are similar levels of protest not happening here in NZ? This government, like Albania’s, is selling out the environment for cash.
https://t.co/DAZU0OcVOb

[Maria Drutska 🇺🇦 @maria_drutska]

🔥The Kerch ferry crossing was hit overnight.

A ferry. An oil terminal. Fires at the Kerch port and Port Kavkaz.

Russia keeps pretending Crimea is secure.

[Nick Young @nickofnz]

Public conservation land belongs to Aotearoa – not to foreign mining corporations and billionaires.

But the Luxon government is opening the door to selling off up to 60% of public conservation land.

Once it's dug up, blasted, and mined, we can’t get it back.

Public conservation land – with its mountain peaks, lush rainforests, wild rivers, and unique native birdsong – is what makes Aotearoa unlike anywhere else on Earth. It is a critical refuge for native wildlife like kiwi that are already fighting for their survival.

Fifteen years ago, we came together and stopped John Key's government from opening up our conservation land to mining.

We did it before. We can do it again.

Add your name now and tell the government: our conservation land is not for sale 👇 #oursnotmine

[George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 @gtconway3d]

The great @JonathanPieNews here encapsulates Trump's (and America's) humiliation by Iran like nobody else can.

[Catherine Delahunty @greencatherine]

Govt on defensive over their Conservation Amendment Bill / they say they only want to sell little bits but if you read the actual Bill it’s up to 60% open for disposal and everywhere open for development.

[Chip Felton @coevcjf]

@Suitandtie9999 Well worth $1 billion. If a modern state cannot provide the basics of good health care for all its citizens, what good is it?

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

Russia is carrying out hundreds of strikes against Ukrainian cities and communities, attacking our civilian infrastructure every day. This past week alone, the Russians have launched 1,920 attack drones, 1,790 guided aerial bombs, and 17 missiles of various types against Ukraine. We need to step up our countermeasures against these attacks. We are preparing for meetings with partners to strengthen our defense against this Russian terror. The G7, EU, and NATO summits are ahead. And it is very important that these negotiations result in concrete decisions. We expect meaningful meetings with our partners.

First and foremost, we need support for air defense and our long-range capabilities, an expansion of cooperation in the Drone Deals format, and further strengthening of sanctions pressure on Russia. We must end this war in a dignified way and with guaranteed security. And it is through strength, the unity of partners, and pressure on Russia that this can be achieved in a lasting way. I thank everyone who is helping us!

[Chip Felton @coevcjf]

@satyanadella Sounds like an argument for open source, open weights models.

[Anna_From_Ukraine_Official @AnnaFromUA_YT]

Ukrainian geography update! 🇺🇦 Our drones took control of the land corridor linking Crimea—Russian logistics down by 70%! Now, Russian troops are fleeing from Kinburn Spit. Liberation of Crimea looks more promising! One day, you’ll see its beauty firsthand. Share, subscribe, and watch Putin’s collapse! 🌊🔥

#CrimeaIsUkraine #RussiaIsCollapsing #StandWithUkraine #MakeRussiaSmallAgain

[Rima Med 🇺🇸🇱🇹🇺🇦 @rima_medUA]

While I was briefly back in the US, I was disheartened by how many would say "oh is that still going on?" when referring to the war in Ukraine.

It was incredibly frustrating for me especially as an active duty medic in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At that point its just willful ignorance. Everyone has a cellphone, laptop, tablet, etc. Information is literally at your finger tips. But instead of informing oneself properly, the choice seems to be watching AI slop, mainstream media, and other short attention span apps.

The was is not over, it has not slowed down, we are still working and fighting for freedom in Ukraine, the frontline is still 1000 km long, civilians are still being killed by r*ssia every day. We can only go so far to inform you. The rest is up to you. Up to date sources, @KyivIndependent @KyivPost @saintjavelin @U24_gov_ua

Stay informed and inform others.

[Musical Chairs @MusicalChairs14]

We don't need to grow the economy to get higher wages - we just need workers to get a bigger slice.

[Chip Felton @coevcjf]

@MusicalChairs14 Thanks for your analyses. I’m not always able to follow your arguments completely. Any recommendations for books to get one’s head around macroeconomics productively?

[Musical Chairs @MusicalChairs14]

Commentariat are spotting the difference between the budget words and the data. Treasury appear to be away with fairies, RBNZ are waiting to put the boot in, and Govt has...
🥺 no chance of matching spending & revenue
😖 no clue why or what to do
Let's have a look [🧵1/n]

[Angelica Shalagina🇺🇦 @angelshalagina]

I’m from Ukraine.
My electricity is off.
My water is gone. My street is dark.

And yet we light our phones,
Keep walking, keep living.
That’s survival.

[Chip Felton @coevcjf]

The negligent decision by the current NZ govt to cancel the i-Rex ferries threw away > $700M for nothing other than politics. Inter-island transport will be impacted for decades by the less fit-for-future replacements. https://t.co/8WQ94SHCIh

[Prof. Carl Sagan @ProfCarlSagan]

History is full of people who out of fear, or ignorance, or lust for power have destroyed knowledge of immeasurable value which truly belongs to us all. We must not let that happen again.

[Gandalv @Microinteracti1]

Experts around the world are already saying the quiet part out loud: the strategy of flattering Trump has set us back two full years. We’ve wasted time, leverage and momentum on a political fantasy that never delivered anything real. At this point, the choice isn’t between dignity and losing an ally it’s between moving forward or staying trapped in a cycle built around pleasing a malign narcissist who was never going to help in the first place. With or without the United States, it’s time to recover what was lost and push ahead.

[Gandalv @Microinteracti1]

Why a Break With Ukraine Would Be the Biggest Defeat in US History

If Ukraine walks away, the United States loses more than a partner. It loses the foundation of its power. American strength has never been based on weapons alone. What made the US a superpower was that other nations chose to align with it. Influence came from being the centre of a network of democracies that trusted Washington more than any rival.

A rupture with Ukraine would expose how fragile that network has become. Europe has already begun shifting its long term defense spending away from the US. Losing Ukraine would confirm that the United States is no longer the natural leader of the Western alliance. When partners stop depending on Washington, American power stops scaling. Its military remains large, but its reach shrinks.

The economic consequences follow immediately. Once Europe reorganizes its defense market around its own industry, American suppliers lose access to the richest democratic market in the world. Those contracts do not return. Neither does the leverage that comes from being indispensable.

The strategic cost is even clearer. Ukraine has been the most visible test of American commitment since nineteen forty five. If the US cannot hold that line, allies will conclude that Washington’s guarantees are conditional and unpredictable. They will design their own security strategies without the US at the centre. That is how superpowers lose status: partners stop believing, and the world recalculates.

Ukraine will continue fighting for survival. The United States will be left fighting for relevance. And losing that fight is far more damaging than losing any battlefield.