Raj Patel :flag_tino:

www.phigmov.co.nz
Mostly here for the cats. Mostly.
Live & work in Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara (Wellington).
Interests include general geekery, sci-fi, beer, cats, coffee, chocolate, film, music, photography & bees.
Also, butler to [@solveig](https://toot.cat/@solveig )

Public Key

npub1ac2jgp007603pcsj29r0lc6jx0ne95t7ke33sejrjyne5kh9qedslx3rqh

NIP-05 Address

irix_at_cloudisland.nz@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqswu9fyqhhld8csugf9z3hludfr8euj69ltvcccvepezfu6ttjsvkcpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dst062xe

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

offchain.pub

Author Public Key

npub1ac2jgp007603pcsj29r0lc6jx0ne95t7ke33sejrjyne5kh9qedslx3rqh

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Last Notes

2026-06-05 21:58:03 UTC

Interesting read...
"Triumph of a Spanish city" (via MeFi)
"Spain's cities are unusual. They are much denser, tighter, and more deliberate than other European cities, let alone North American ones. They reject picket fence for apartment block and choose balcony over front lawn. Two thirds of Spaniards live in flats, against 41 percent of Poles, 36 percent of the French, and just 10 percent of the Irish. Of the remaining third, most live in terraced rowhouses."
https://worksinprogress.co/issue/why-spain-has-the-worlds-greatest-cities/

2026-05-31 03:33:49 UTC

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Meanwhile, in NZ
https://youtu.be/h-Lx2ihpGbc

2026-03-04 03:54:55 UTC

Truly the stupidest fucking timeline
"And now Spain actually said that we can't use their bases, and that's alright we don't wanna do. We could use their base if we want. We could just fly in and use it. Nobody's gonna tell us not to use it."

2026-02-14 08:49:43 UTC

I like the clouds streaking across the night-sky. Some stars still visible out there though.
https://files.cloudisland.nz/media_attachments/files/116/068/103/715/002/128/original/3f770161afcd0d40.jpg

2026-01-23 05:38:01 UTC

Oooo. Another Friday musical hashtag...
Hüsker Dü - Indecision Time
https://youtu.be/4I5yXsLTHKY
#FortnightFridayMusic
#Indecision

2026-01-23 03:42:16 UTC

Oooo Department of Conservation have a Kākāpō cam :kakapo:
Kākāpō Cam: Rakiura the kākāpō – 2026 nest
https://www.youtube.com/live/BfGL7A2YgUY

2026-01-15 18:42:49 UTC

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FYI - The gofundme campaign for #1 seems to be unavailable

2025-06-26 06:03:44 UTC

I know there are Living Color fans out there...
" Living Colour: (NPR) Tiny Desk Concert "
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzAI4F_ks5s

2025-06-24 07:07:21 UTC

Via MeFi - an Iranian woman debunks Bibis appeal to Feminists...
"to bomb iran, feminist-ly?"
“ZAN. ZENGEDI. AZADI.” Woman. Life. Freedom.
"The truth is, Netanyahu and the Israeli government's use of the human rights abuses experienced by the Iranian people is a bastardization. Even his invocation of the Persian, not the Kurdish, translation of the Woman Life Freedom slogan is also telling, if you know the history of the movement itself."
https://jadehurley.substack.com/p/to-bomb-iran-feminist-ly

2025-03-14 04:52:52 UTC

A silent planet would be tough to get used to...
Pixies - Planet of Sound
https://youtu.be/ryfNoOgI6bY
#JukeboxFridayNight
#SoundAndVision

2025-02-28 05:00:28 UTC

In atomic physics, the Bohr model or Rutherford–Bohr model was the first successful model of the atom. Developed from 1911 to 1918 by Niels Bohr and building on Ernest Rutherford's nuclear model, it supplanted the plum pudding model of J J Thomson only to be replaced by the quantum atomic model in the 1920s.
Blondie - Atomic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_WLw_0DFQQ
#ScienceAndDiscovery
#JukeboxFridayNight

2025-02-12 03:34:01 UTC

Some #BloomScrolling and miscellaneous critters on #WellyWednesday #PōnekePics
https://files.cloudisland.nz/media_attachments/files/113/988/798/657/205/837/original/3fc9df8f3805797f.jpg
https://files.cloudisland.nz/media_attachments/files/113/988/798/661/309/349/original/a90d1a74efb4d38c.jpg
https://files.cloudisland.nz/media_attachments/files/113/988/798/653/968/027/original/f68783e5fa1e3a7f.jpg
https://files.cloudisland.nz/media_attachments/files/113/988/798/678/506/470/original/92cc9d3c0e61f9d5.jpg

2024-12-20 05:59:55 UTC

Love a good ripper from Kim Gordon....
Sonic Youth - Brother James
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DaTqtNcJuI
#JukeboxFridayNight
#FriendsAndFamily

2024-12-11 04:24:41 UTC

Some Spring #PōnekePics for #WellyWednesday
https://files.cloudisland.nz/media_attachments/files/113/632/270/905/191/506/original/7b5ae03a138b2f9b.jpg
https://files.cloudisland.nz/media_attachments/files/113/632/270/904/942/512/original/eba9eb7bacd7af04.jpg
https://files.cloudisland.nz/media_attachments/files/113/632/270/931/412/149/original/b08639d0f508ceec.jpg
https://files.cloudisland.nz/media_attachments/files/113/632/270/974/473/409/original/2c89c374bd35c1d5.jpg

2024-12-08 21:33:55 UTC

Kind of wonder if journo or opposition politician in NZ has asked outright if the govt plan is to run down public health, education, welfare, with a view towards privatisation? Or maybe that’s actually in their public policy position papers and people genuinely voted for that? #NZPol

2024-11-29 04:48:20 UTC

One of my favourite NIN tracks...
Nine Inch Nails - We're in this Together
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9BfvPjsXXw
#Kotahitanga #Togetherness
#JukeboxFridayNight

2024-11-24 20:00:51 UTC

Didn’t realise there was a little ACT logo in there.
https://files.cloudisland.nz/media_attachments/files/113/539/696/278/124/141/original/8ffd978ca7d735ad.jpeg

2024-11-21 05:42:54 UTC

"The 2023 Global Slavery Index estimates that on any given day in 2021, there were 8,000 individuals living in modern slavery in New Zealand. This equates to a prevalence of 1.6 people in modern slavery for every thousand people in the country.
Despite comparatively low prevalence, several forms of modern slavery are reported in New Zealand, including forced labour, forced sexual exploitation of adults, commercial sexual exploitation of children, and forced marriage."
https://www.walkfree.org/global-slavery-index/country-studies/new-zealand/

2024-11-06 06:14:27 UTC

"A toxic plant, which can temporarily cause blindness and is threatening to take over large areas of New Zealand's coast"
Don't disturb the plants, because that can spread the seeds. The sap is toxic so don't cut or break the stems. 
Call the MPI hotline on 0800 80 99 66, or report it online at https://report.mpi.govt.nz/pest/
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/533036/battle-to-eradicate-toxic-species-silently-established-on-remote-beach

2024-11-06 03:18:58 UTC

Some shots from the garden on a wet Spring day #WellyWednesday #PōnekePics #BloomScrolling
https://files.cloudisland.nz/media_attachments/files/113/433/831/152/839/699/original/209d31459e52aca5.png
https://files.cloudisland.nz/media_attachments/files/113/433/831/161/921/137/original/1fe52de5a343364f.png
https://files.cloudisland.nz/media_attachments/files/113/433/831/184/439/988/original/03ac815577936ef5.png
https://files.cloudisland.nz/media_attachments/files/113/433/832/725/471/390/original/638a720b2d5990fd.jpeg

2024-11-03 08:14:20 UTC

Adoptions are open again...
"Kākāpō adoptions are a special way to support the conservation of this taonga species. You can adopt a kākāpō for yourself or as a gift. "
https://www.doc.govt.nz/our-work/kakapo-recovery/get-involved/adopt-a-kakapo/

2024-10-29 04:16:24 UTC

"A Cartography of Genocide" by the team at Forensic Architecture
https://forensic-architecture.org/investigation/a-cartography-of-genocide

2024-10-12 18:19:49 UTC

BBC burying the lede... have to get down to the fourth para to find out... UN Peacekeepers with mysterious bullet wounds... will Scooby Doo and the gang work out who shot them?
"Fifth peacekeeper wounded in southern Lebanon, UN says"
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy92zjq508o?utm_source=press.coop

2024-08-26 05:24:08 UTC

Neat (for values of 'neat' where my values align...) via MeFi...
"How a small group of nuns in rural Kansas vex big companies with their investment activism"
"Nestled amid rolling farmland, the Benedictine sisters of Mount St. Scholastica have taken on the likes of Google, Target and Citigroup — calling on major companies to do everything from AI oversight to measuring pesticides to respecting the rights of Indigenous people."
https://apnews.com/article/catholic-benedictine-nuns-esg-shareholder-activism-e8d8111e8d2c00ced463db40863ec45b

2024-08-12 05:53:11 UTC

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NZ skill list shortfall is similar. The amusing thing is NZ does train people to do this but Kiwis will leave for better paying jobs. Also, successive governments have crippled higher-ed so students have a double-incentive to leave (you don't need to pay back your loan if you're outside the country) after they are educated. Then we need to bring people in.
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/already-have-a-visa/one-off-residence-visa/2021-resident-visa-scarce-lists/long-term-skill-shortage-list