Posts by st ephen
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..radio jock voice...
Gotta say - my student radio listening started with RadioActive and Radio U in the 1980s, and even then it seemed that Auckland student radio was everything that was wrong with Auckland and Radio. For me it was always about great music (old and new), a bit of randomness, and a rejection of everything that smacked of commercial radio, whereas BFM seemed to be all about Formats, Egos and Radio Jocks auditioning for a role in commercial broadcasting. I always found that to be a big part of the culture shock on visits to Auckland as an angsty young'un - in my mellower old age I'll gladly take it over mumbling amateurism.
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Gross-Net accounting isn't going to help NZ this time, because the existing Kyoto-compliant forests will probably be a net source by 2030 (and possibly a very large one). So unlike the 2020 target, we'll find it hard to sleep-walk our way anywhere close to meeting this one, as derisively tiny as it may be. Unless the government is planning to expose agriculture to the ETS (unlikely) or impose draconian regulations on forest management (would surprise no-one in the forest industry), it really does all seem to come down to a massive gamble on the magic methane pill and the future price of carbon credits.
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I liked the idea of the nautical flag for Z that was posted above: "Someone needs a hug". That says Unzud to me. Or maybe Whiskey: "Requires medicinal assistance".
I can't understand why people want their flag to be drawn by children. We've already dumbed down politics and TV - surely everyone can see that Italy's flag is completely lacking an eagle attacking a snake above a cactus? -
Up Front: Stand for... Something, in reply to Joe Wylie,
You mean they didn't just use Poland's flag upside down?
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Up Front: Stand for... Something, in reply to Russell Brown,
That such a conversation could simply be accepted in the spirit in which it was uttered is something to be bloody proud of.
Unfortunately it's the sort of thing that the Dirty Politics crew file away for later use. And if you're a public health, climate change or environmental researcher you can eventually expect your employer to be hit with a formal complaint and you may even be on the receiving end of an official reprimand. But sure - if you're already considered an outlier by National's Black Ops standards you have nothing further to worry about.
We can be proud of how we were - not so much of what we've become. -
Envirologue: Multi-no-choice –…, in reply to Sacha,
places like the EU will be able to use our foot-dragging to block our exports
Sure, they'll use that as an excuse, while they continue to subsidise their own agriculture regardless of its greenhouse gas efficiency. Whereas if we were part of the EU they'd be right beside us pleading our special circumstances, and accepting that our Agriculture sector emissions are going to be high on a per capita basis because we're not just growing food for our own domestic population.
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I agree that the Consultation document is a bit of a joke, presumably designed to generate a public mandate for the current government's do-nothing policy.
And yet... There is still some truth in what the document says, and perhaps we shouldn't beat ourselves up too much in comparisons with the EU. We do have a relatively high proportion of renewable energy already, high population growth, high agriculture emissions, and low population density. If we were to join the EU all our stats would just merge into the background (and we'd benefit from modernisation in the former-Eastern bloc countries without having to buy dodgy credits). -
Envirologue: Too Big to Fail – Why…, in reply to Alfie,
Those with an interest in public transport in Auckland might like to use this opportunity to make a submission, given that the transport sector is responsible for a big chunk of the increase in NZ's emissions. Building more roads is not the answer to Auckland transport issues and is certainly not the answer to mitigating emissions. From the consultation document it appears that the plan is to keep on building roads as Auckland spreads until...electric cars!
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Hard News: Dirty Politics, in reply to Alfie,
..we’re stuck with a National embarrassment.
If it's any consolation, he's just as embarrassed about us. He used to work in Singapore and London - now he's stuck in some dump at the end of the world. He escapes to his condo in Hawaii at every opportunity so he can play golf with his American banker buddies - people on his level. Like Letterman, they mock his position as the head of some third-rate film set and he can only agree. If only Queenstown had a 5-star Four Seasons Hotel to go with the golf courses...
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Envirologue: What has Neoliberalism Done…, in reply to Rich of Observationz,
I believe the NZ Forest Research Institute is working on solutions to non-human logging ("all the weed you can smoke" is currently zero given the extent of drug testing in the industry). And if we flood forests to create more hydro power, there are already unmanned loggng submarines ready to go.