Oh wow, that’s still a thing?

Weirdly, I know the answer to this.

I can’t find the article now, but back in 2016ish, there was an article (in Variety maybe?) in which a journalist did an investigation on this.

Back in the days of the Apprentice when trump was regularly made up by a pro for television, he was very happy with how they did his makeup and asked what made his skin look so much better. The makeup artist was using a high-end Swedish concealer and told him that was the secret.

Unfortunately he’s an idiot, so he misunderstood the point of it, and ever since, he imports that concealer and uses it alone as an all-over makeup.

I can’t explain why he thinks using it this way looks good, though.

I don’t know about other commenters, but I’m absolutely not uninformed, and this was in no way out of line given the context.

Hakas have evolved from traditional war dances and are often performed at sports events, that’s true, but the Ka Mate is also performed in many other contexts (including at funerals and after separation of families) and should not be boiled down to simple intimidation – it’s more a show of resolve. Do you think groups of people meeting after a long absence are trying to threaten one another or that mourners are trying to intimidate the deceased? The meaning has nuance and is not a simple threat; it’s about the will to overcome adversity, and is basically the national anthem of the Māori’s iwi, which was fought for in this very Parliament, and which resulted in the Haka (Ka Mate) Attribution Act after colonisation. I honestly cannot think of a more fitting time and place to perform it than in this context.

If you’ve only seen it in a sports context, I can see how you might think it’s simply a modernised war dance meant to intimidate an opposing group, but that’s a very reductionist view of it.

From newzealand.com:

Ka Mate is the haka often performed by the All Blacks. It begins with ‘Ka mate, ka mate, ka ora, ka ora’, which translates to ‘I die, I die, I live, I live.’

One can only imagine how Ngati Toa Chief Te Rauparaha felt when he first chanted these words 200 years ago. He had just evaded capture by a rival iwi (tribe) and was given shelter by another iwi, who hid him underground in a kūmara (sweet potato) pit. Ka mate tells this story, describing how Te Rauparaha shook off adversity to emerge from the darkness of the kūmara pit into the light.

Te Rauparaha went on to evade capture a few more times and to become a great Māori chief and warrior, helping to expand Ngāti Toa’s territory across the lower North Island.

You can read the origin of the Ka Mate from New Zealand Geographic – this is not a story of war and intimidation, but of perseverence and the will to overcome.

And here’s a fantastic breakdown on the meaning and how to perform it from the Australian International School (AIS).

Ka Mate shouldn’t be viewed as an intimidation tactic that’s morphed from war to sports, but as a deeply cultural story that absolutely has a place in New Zealand Parliament, and some overstuffed colonists being offended is disdainful at best.

e: oh, I also meant to mention that, even long ago, haka weren’t meant to be simply war dances to intimidate and threaten in preparation for battle but, ideally, to head off the need for battle in the first place. A well-performed haka was in stead of battle, not just in preparation for one. The point was to not have to fight, but to impress and come to agreement. That’s nearly the opposite of what many people think these dances were for.

e: I replied to the wrong comment, sorry. Moved my reply to your parent.

Nice! It’s great to bump into other authors in random places. I’ll keep my eye out for your other 2 books!

Wow thanks!

I’ve just picked up yours on kindle (I’ll get the hardback soon, I just can’t afford to atm). Also followed.

I’m sleepless due to a thunderstorm with tornadoes, so your book can calm my nerves tonight, thanks!

The Speaker sure looked like he wanted to.

Wider angle video showing the whole scope of it plus his reaction, which was priceless.

Thank you, I’ll look into that, that’s quite helpful. I just found about the cuts, so I’ve not had time to do much but reel. I’ll start making some calls.
Thanks for the suggestions!

It’s been cut now for Medicare patients in my area; not sure whether it’s my state or at the fed level, but my doctor has been warned more changes are coming soon. They already can’t log on to the teledoc system, so it’s just gone, apparently.

Thanks so much! I’d love to know what you think if you read it. Let me know if you’d like me to read something, too!

I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t be facing these cuts on top of everything else. I hope you can find some relief soon.

John Kellogg, known for cork flakes, calamari, and an unhealthy obsession with children’s junk.

deleted by creator

Thank you. There are a LOT of people like me, and many of them are children.

I want you to know me because people are more likely to fight for friends rather than strangers. Please understand that I am trying to manipulate you, and I’m really hoping you’ll manipulate others this same way. A lot of people are about to die, and some are already dying.

Please find and share their names and stories, and get others to do the same.

We need to be honest with each other.

I’m sorry. I wish you didn’t have to go through this. You don’t deserve that.

I’m happy to share my story with anyone.

I have a combination of rheumatological and genetic issues, including RA, Sjögren’s, Ehlers Danlos, severe osteoporosis, and a couple of related issues that have caused severe GI and heart issues. I can’t digest fruits or vegetables (they come out looking exactly how they went in) so my diet is severely limited, and I have seizures.

The drugs they’re saying I can’t have anymore include hydroxychloroquine, pilocarpine, prolia, and a few drugs meant to make my life more livable (tizanadin, gabapentin, mirtazapine, and ondansetron).

e: I can’t travel because of the seizures and that being out and about exacerbates my heart condition (SVT and periodic sinus arrest – I have a loop monitor).

I don’t take any opioids or anything like that, only things to keep GI cramps in check so I can at least eat a bit, plus metoprolol er and more paracetamol than is safe, because nobody is willing to even attempt to manage my pain at this point. I’m better at that through means that won’t ruin me physically or psychologically since I’ve had to for my entire life, since I was too small to have choices.

e2: Let me know if you want to know anything else. (edited to be a bit more specific)

I’ve honestly wondered whether circumcision dulls boys’ empathy?

If the first experience you have in the world is extreme pain in your most vulnerable place, what does that teach you?

Thanks. I appreciate that.

I’m not just talking about myself, but others like me. I’m Lilly Piper, but there are others like me. You can try to save all of us, and I would greatly appreciate your efforts.

Just so these dipshits know, I’m already feeling the cuts to Medicare/Medicaid staffing and services.

I live in the US and rely on Medicare because I’m fully disabled, to the point of being homebound.

Apparently the division that deals with remote visiting technology has been cut, so they can’t legally fill my prescriptions anymore unless I physically travel nearly an hour to their office every 3 months to remain eligible, and my doctor can’t legally renew medications that I’ve been on for 20 years. Within a couple of months I’ll have to stop taking all of my long term maintenance meds because I cannot travel to their office.

This will remove all my quality of life and will kill me slowly. I don’t want to die slowly of neglect, so I’ve got a decision to make, and I’m putting it off because I really don’t want to die yet.

I don’t know what to say except I have a name. I’m Lilly Piper. I’m a very good user experience designer, a pretty good writer, and decent friend.

We’re not faceless or nameless. I just want someone to remember that there are names behind these policies.

I’m good at sewing; I make period correct corsets from the 1800s and before (proof and more proof).

I’m actually great at sewing. I do embroidery and am a great listener. I’m also a good writer and editor. I didn’t need to die like this, but I won’t be homeless again, and I won’t beg in the streets for medicine. I just won’t.

e: links

I wouldn’t change anything except the assumption in the overall medical field that infants can’t feel pain. I don’t know much more about this specific condition, but I have a different condition in which they assumed infants can’t feel pain, and they were wrong enough that I still have trauma from that.

Take any medical knowledge from 20+ years ago that sounds horribly painful with a grain of salt, because that was the assumption relatively recently. Some doctors who learnt medicine more than 20 years ago still think that.

e: Groundbreaking research in 2015 says babies do feel pain. 2015.