Hard News: What Now?
914 Responses
First ←Older Page 1 … 25 26 27 28 29 … 37 Newer→ Last
-
Islander, in reply to
"Gerry knows about building construction - he was a high school woodwork teacher before entering politics."
Kinda gives a hint about the letter-writer's seriousness eh?
-
Sacha, in reply to
I'm with Matthew - could go either way. Some people do seriously believe that thinking is dangerous in a leader, and they write letters to editors.
-
Matthew Poole, in reply to
“Gerry knows about building construction – he was a high school woodwork teacher before entering politics.”
Kinda gives a hint about the letter-writer’s seriousness eh?
“John Key knows about running an economy. He made millions as a currency trader at one of the largest banks in the world. [ETA:And he knows about making hard decisions, because he had to lay off hundreds of people.]” (paraphrased).
So, no, it really doesn’t.
-
Steve Barnes, in reply to
Kinda gives a hint about the letter-writer’s seriousness eh?
Prozactly
-
Islander, in reply to
High school woodwork teachers are required to know about about basic carpentry & basic tool care & handling -and be able to pass on that knowledge. Building construction isnt on the syllabus.*
My sarcasm reader is alive & kicking.
*Depends on the teacher though - 5thformers at Aranui High School's woodwork class put together 2 p-class yachts in 1962.
-
Kumara Republic, in reply to
I suspect my sarc-o-meter is broken. I cannot tell if the author is serious.
Classic Poe's Law.
-
Matthew Poole, in reply to
My sarcasm reader is alive & kicking.
Maybe I've spent too much time delving the depths of Your Views, where such sentiments about Field Marshal Brownlee would be uttered with absolute sincerity. It definitely throws one's grasp of satirical utterance completely out of whack.
-
Matthew Poole, in reply to
Classic Poe’s Law.
Oh dear. I had to go and look that one up.
-
he was a high school woodwork teacher before entering politics.
He's hit the nail on his head.
-
TV3 reports Brownlee's position.
He said today that many had been severely damaged and were unlikely to be rebuilt, "and I think being realistic about that right up front is important".
"They are becoming community hazards and given the scale of this event I worry a great deal about public health and safety," he said.
"There is a need to move fairly quickly on these things."
Mr Brownlee defended his commitment to heritage in the city, saying he had been chairman of the trust that saved Riccarton House when it was being considered for demolition.
"I understand conservation architecture very well. I know that where you can successfully save a building for heritage purposes then it can be worthwhile, but I question whether 1600 buildings in Christchurch meet that criteria."
But he added that focusing on heritage buildings was "undue and unacceptable in the current circumstances".
"There are thousands of people, tens of thousands of people out in the suburbs who have got very, very disrupted lives, and I'm not interested in getting into some sort of an academic scrap with people over the quality of inner-city buildings when our main focus for quite a time is going to have to be return of infrastructure and the accommodation needs."
-
Steve Barnes, in reply to
Oh dear. I had to go and look that one up.
You disappoint me Matthew, I thought you knew everything.
(invokes Poe's Law by not including smiley) -
Poe's Law. From the original use it could be said to be creating something out of nothing.
-
TVNZ fair-loo story updated to include this:
Civil Defence director John Hamilton today responded to reports of port-a-loos overflowing in the eastern suburbs, saying more will be provided from areas where they're no longer needed.
"I have asked to have a review of where the port-a-loos are currently located and we will redistribute those which are no longer required because water and sewerage have returned to those properties. I suspect port-a-loos in southern and western parts of the city may be able to be relocated to the east," he said.
-
Maybe I've spent too much time delving the depths of Your Views, where such sentiments about Field Marshal Brownlee would be uttered with absolute sincerity. It definitely throws one's grasp of satirical utterance completely out of whack.
Other people watch wildlife documentaries. I read the letters page of The Herald. The common element is the fascination with an almost alien world that runs by rules very different to those of the world I inhabit.
Mining today's letters page produced an outstanding gem from an old lady complaining about giving 'quake traumatised 3-year old children councilling. All this mollycoddling can only lead to mental softness and namby-pambyism, apparently. They'll grow up spineless and molly-coddled. She lived through The Blitz, you see, so she knows what she's talking about. Suffering is good for them. Toughens them up.
-
Matthew Poole, in reply to
I thought you knew everything.
A suggestion oft-levelled, but never self-proclaimed ;)
-
Matthew Poole, in reply to
Mining today’s letters page produced an outstanding gem from an old lady complaining about giving ’quake traumatised 3-year old children councilling. All this mollycoddling can only lead to mental softness and namby-pambyism, apparently. They’ll grow up spineless and molly-coddled. She lived through The Blitz, you see, so she knows what she’s talking about. Suffering is good for them. Toughens them up.
Yes, I saw that one over lunch. I'd never waste good money on it (except possibly to re-line the laundry floor before we put the lino back down), but Granny is provided in the lunch room so I read it while eating. It's good for catching crumbs and drips.
-
I'd never waste good money on it
My copy is provided 'free' through work. Which didn't stop me cancelling my 'free' HoS subscription, even though it took considerably more effort to cancel it than to keep it going.
-
Che Tibby, in reply to
She lived through The Blitz, you see, so she knows what she’s talking about. Suffering is good for them. Toughens them up.
doesn't do too much to foster empathy though, apparently.
-
Matthew Poole, in reply to
doesn’t do too much to foster empathy though, apparently.
Empathy is for softies who need counselling. One had best just toughen up and get over it.
-
Sacha, in reply to
Keep calm and carry on
-
Che Tibby, in reply to
Keep calm and carry on [taking valium like you old biddies did all through the 50s]
-
Architect Ian Athfield and planning consultant Dean Crystal discuss the rebuilding of Christchurch on RNZ Morning Report (streaming, 6 mins).
They mention low rise with quake isolators, and rethinking approaches other than the ground rectification measures proposed after September. Opportunities include shrinking the cbd and bringing parts of the university back into the centre.
-
Scott A, in reply to
He's hit the nail on his head.
Oh. Stop. Please!
(Well, once I stop laughing, please stop. Thanks Ross.)
-
His “Job” is in Christchurch, his office may be in Wellington but when communications are disrupted he should be close to the emergency, within radio range.
I'll disagree with Matthew. There's been a whole system designed to deal with significant disasters such as this, and it's based around a facility under the beehive.
It can be run from elsewhere, but it's run best from Wellington as that's where the staff are that are trained to coordinate it, and where the hardware and communication is specifically set up.
There's very little advantage in taking it to the disaster. It's designed to see the big picture as much as possible, not to get close to the detail. You get too close and you try and help one street, one suburb, you fail everywhere else.
I'm encouraged that the 2nd worst thing to come out of this, after a death toll of 200 people, is not enough toilets to go around. No widespread disease, people not having food, water, violence, looting. Not bad.
-
Che Tibby, in reply to
I’m encouraged that the 2nd worst thing to come out of this, after a death toll of 200 people, is not enough toilets to go around. No widespread disease, people not having food, water, violence, looting. Not bad.
i'd thought this too. we seem to be settling into an old-fashioned squabbling phase.
am finding that pretty reassuring only two weeks out.
Post your response…
This topic is closed.