Posts by andin

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  • Hard News: When that awful thing happens,

    They are alive because their ancestors ate meat.

    I thought the great advance was cultivating crops thus reducing the negative effect of a bad hunt? But the male of the species insisting on how valuable their contribution was re: hunting, set the trend which continues today of keeping redundant behaviours alive thru institutionalising or culturally codifying them

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report

  • Hard News: Dear Prudence,

    IF ONLY...
    I just cut and pasted this 'cause it cant be said enough. En masse we have placed emphasis in all the wrong places. We pay lipservice to ideals that should be our functioning reality not pie in the sky speech fodder for politicians.
    Thanks Chris

    Now imagine that the mainstream media were as interested in the thoughts of the president’s ecological team—most notably marine biologist Jane Lubchenco, who now leads the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and climate expert John Holdren, the president’s new science advisor—as they are in the opinions of his economic team. Imagine if, in primetime interview after interview, these public servants provided us regular environmental analysis. On an almost daily basis, the American citizenry would be reminded that one in every four mammals now appears to be heading toward extinction. The Gulf Stream, which drives nutrient cycling in our oceans, is starting to get wobbly, while dead zones in the oceans are growing. The oceans, we would be informed, provide half of our planetary oxygen. Shoveling coal into ovens to generate electricity is loading the atmosphere with mercury, which rains down and is transformed by ancient bacteria into the powerful brain poison methylmercury.

    Methylmercury is siphoned up the food chain, concentrating as it goes, so that nearly all freshwater lakes and streams east of the Mississippi are now unfishable, and we must advise women and children against eating tuna salad sandwiches.

    Imagine that all Americans find out, whether they want to or not, that atmospheric loading of carbon dioxide is acidifying the ocean in ways that, if unchecked, will drop pH to the point where calcium carbonate goes into solution, and that will spell the end of anything with a shell—from clams and oysters to coral reefs.

    Suppose that ecological pundits discussed every night on cable TV the ongoing disappearance of bees, bats, and other pollinators and the possibly dire consequences for our food supply. Suppose we received daily reports on the status of our aquifers. Suppose legislators and citizens both agreed that if we don’t take immediate action to bail out our ecological system, something truly terrible will happen. Our ecology will tank.

    The fact that nothing close to this is happening is the difference between economy and ecology, both of which share an etymology: eco, from the Greek oikos, meaning “household.”

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report

  • Hard News: Dear Prudence,

    Giovanni

    It's not as if shouting "everyone completely change the way we live at once" is going to work, or is any less conscience-warping. For one thing, it fosters this ridicolous idea that the change we need can happen from the bottom up, as a consumer movement. It can't and it won't. Politicians and corporations matter a lot more than the sum of the citizens.

    The major problem as I see it, is that its not all about us, who have developed large infrastructure over the last century. Luckily its coming to the end of its life and is now it appears a dying edifice which has attracted an awful lot of parasitic life forms or pseudo corporations. Powershop may not fall into that category, I dont know.
    Plus I think the developed nations, apart from Denmark and Sweden, failed to show some backbone when those first oil shortages occurred, and realise that the nations who sat atop those large oil reserves were run by people who were in thrall to superstitions which would make them increasingly difficult to deal with. (As they thought the reserves were bequeathed to them by their brand of sky fairy so they could spread their mental fanatasies globally by any means they dreamt up). And developing technologies to make us energy independent of them should be a priority.

    We cant change that now its too late. But the technology is now available anyway. And the best way to utilise it, I think, is to build infrastructure in underdeveloped continents which is completely renewable in a massive way. When this is well on the way to turn to looking at how best to upgrade our infrastructure. Tho' the problems may have been partially fixed on the way. E.g. the power system plans for the Sahara.

    But such selfless cooperation on a massive scale..................... Its never likely to happen.

    Liked teh discussion on Media 7 re older viewers.
    One thing that is clear the behaviour nazis are in full flight now and me, being an unrepentant recalcitrant, am continually repulsed by my fellow future members of the senility club flight back to anymanner of conformity. I just hope by the time I have to take my last breath's I can follow Aldous Huxley's example. But these fuckers seem to want to make dying a miserable exercise.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report

  • Hard News: Deconstruct This,

    Yeah it was Russel and his mates!
    What era was it when all Orientals were thought to look the same to to large swathes of the population?
    Well at least he can distinguish (if somewhat loosely) professional groupings.
    As the man said "Ya always get a few nuts"


    And you cant beat a good plate reverb, but its not as much fun when taking the piss.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report

  • Up Front: The Up Front Guides: All…,

    From 't Hand Mirror

    We like inclusive language, and we know we're not perfect at that either - so when we get it wrong we call each other on it gently, as we might a dear friend.

    Doin' it (the Lang-goo-arge) gently and inclusively, I had a flashback just then. And not a pleasant one. Should I harden up?

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report

  • Hard News: The Cullen investment,

    Sorry to keep barging in here, but SuperCity is something I'm really interested in.

    It must make something easier for someone, somewhere ...shurley.
    But who?

    And I dont want John Banks as mayor unless he owns up to having a beard all these years and comes out.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report

  • Hard News: Official Information,

    Cats, Hmm Dont like 'em much.
    If you do follow ups I'd like to know how the PSA & Brenda Pilot get on with their OIA request.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report

  • Hard News: Official Information,

    Yes last nights Media 7 was a very good show. I missed the first part unfortunately.
    The OIA discussion was excellent and the Dick-o-meter worked a treat. I hope PH saw it and was suitably unimpressed.
    Hey P (I like calling him that) GFY.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report

  • Random Play: A gift that keeps on giving,

    What is lacking in Auckland is a courageous vision:

    It may be that this courageous vision thing is not only lacking in city planning around AK circa 2009.
    And it may have been around for a while. Perhaps it a peculiar malady afflicting some members of officialdom in NZ.
    Ah well, the playing the margins/hedge their bets guys have the ball for a few years now, maybe we could all start making plans for when they leave.
    Mebbe by then this courageous vision will be the only option.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report

  • Hard News: Onwards and upwards,

    He's a fairly normal guy in person (for a given range of "normal"), but I do get the impression that you need a particular personality type to be a "light entertainment" host in this country

    Yes, normal hmmmm. Is normal in the eye of the beholder.
    Is normal even something worth aspiring to anymore?
    Are the cultural parameters of normal becoming distorted or does the new normal include a dose of perceived anti PC, a childish poking of teh tongue saying " Ooooh look that person isnt Normal."

    Or maybe hes just

    an indefensible dick and .........
    a helping of ADHD comes into the picture

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report

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