Posts by George Darroch
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Hard News: Lowering the Stakes, in reply to Tom Semmens,
Are you sure, Tom? I'm under the impression that it's not legal to have lights which are so bright they affect the sight of others, and lights must be the appropriate colour. But having a lot of flashing light doesn't seem to contravene any code.
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/factsheets/01/cycles-rules-equipment.html -
I've been big on cyclist visibility for a while. You can't sell a car without working lights, but you can sell a bike in that condition. In New Zealand's changeable weather and shorter winter days, it can get rather dark rather quickly. I personally never ride without rather powerful flashing lights front and rear and a reasonable amount of reflectivity, because I'm convinced that few people who see me will purposefully drive into me.
It may sound a little drastic, and again puts the onus on cyclists/retailers, but I'd like for bikes to all be fitted with lights as mandatory. After reading that article by the RAF pilot, there many be cause to increase the visibility requirements in the day as well.
None of this takes away the need for dedicated cycling lanes and safety through design. The new Google Maps has a nifty cycling feature - that reveals just how little there is in the way of dedicated infrastructure in Auckland. https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m4!1m3!1d21365!2d174.8309225!3d-36.9187633!2m1!1e3!4m2!13m1!1e4&fid=7 (Plenty of designated "trails" though.)
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Who'd be a music promoter? Not me, that's for sure. I also have never really got the vibe of the BDO, but like Russell states, I'm sure there are many for whom it is a highlight of the year.
One other advantage of the BDO is that capacity is sufficiently high that you're unlikely to have tickets sell out immediately, leaving you facing the scalpers.
As for the Stones: wow, so much hair. I do like the look of Fred Dagg and his mate in the bottom left. Possibly the only music gig my Dad has ever gone to purposefully was Bob Marley at the Western Springs in 1979. Good times.
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You learn something every day: a primer on New Zealand soils
However, this is what should be giving us all pause for thought: the massive increases in NZ emissions since 1990.
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If we didn't have the dairy industry, we'd do some thing(s) more or less productive with our rich soils and hospitable climate.
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Hmmm, the edit function has been disabled. I am of course a Green Party member myself, and quite supportive of the mainstream of science regarding GMOs. Indeed, disputing the science makes it harder to have the conversation we really need about ethics and ideals.
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Sadly? I think it's a good thing that there are smart and determined people who are making an effort to address this problem through politics. The pity is that they are not evenly distributed.
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It really does come down to smearing the people who make this science (tens of thousands of them) as hopelessly naive or horrifically deceptive, in some combination. The best film on the subject I've seen is Thin Ice, the work of a New Zealand scientist and amateur filmmaker. Surprisingly hopeful, even given the context.
The basic science is irrefutable, in any practical sense. Carbon warms the atmosphere very effectively. Humans are producing more of it. Humans are warming the atmosphere.
The only reason this is up for debate, unlike plate tectonics or photosynthesis, is that it produces a problem that is upsetting in its implications. I have long found that an emotionally unpleasant fact will be buried and replaced with ones that present less harm.
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Having not ever lost someone properly close to me, I can only imagine what it is to experience.
Sending love your way, Russell, Geoff, Emma, and all who are feeling the loss of a loved one.
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The most important thing for me (as a member of an organisation trying to stop a council body from sending a motorway though heart of my community) is knowing where this leaves us politically.
Brown is in principle a supporter of a range of issues, and that support has often been strong in public. When actual decisions have been made there has been significant divergence. Some call this 'consensual decision making'.
It is clear that public trust in Brown has diminished, and he will need to work to regain it. Does Brown have the energy or inclination to do so?
It's unclear to me whether this forces Brown to take stronger concrete positions on these issues in order to reduced perceived and now highlighted divergence, or instead weakens his political hand and empowers his opponents on these issues.