Posts by Rob Stowell
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Hard News: Spring Timing, in reply to BenWilson,
In terms of energy efficiency they should probably tackle it in biggest bites first – solar panels aren’t at the top of that list. Better subsidization for heat pumps is probably next
The US has been putting in the panels.
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Hard News: Spring Timing, in reply to ,
s that the same Labor/Greens that denied Maori there legal ownership of the seabed and foreshore.
Pretty sure the Greens didn't vote for that piece of ... dumb. Is 2014's Labour the same Labour as 2004's?
I hope not. -
Hard News: Spring Timing, in reply to BenWilson,
Yeah. But you don’t need history to work out a meltdown between Labour and the Greens in government would be a major betrayal of both’s voters, sink the careers of their leaders, and could make both parties unelectable for a decade.
No guarantee it won’t happen, but very powerful incentives to make it work.
With no idea of the personalities and policies involved in Taz, or how it unfolded, I’m just unable to comment. But it’s a fairly rural state of half a million. In my probably ignorant stereotype, it’s a West Coast sort’ve electorate – with rural elements, miners and foresters, and a good dose of hippies and “alternatives”.
Ie- not the same profile as NZ.
Totally off topic: I’m dead keen to go to Dark MOFO. Anyone been? -
Hard News: Spring Timing, in reply to Phil Wallington,
both parties here seem to express a lot of the same level of emotions and thoughts about similar issues in a proven context. Historically they ultimately tore each other to pieces in Tasmania.
Well that’s handed NZ to National for another 6-9 years.
But … as someone who’s voted both Green and Labour, and will contemplate both this time, I see a much larger set of shared values, esp around ‘social justice’ issues, but expanding to the Treaty the environment and the economy. The similarities seem far more important than the differences, which may be why they both feel an occasional need to snipe and carve out niche positions to differentiate themselves.
Of course they could tear each other to pieces. Families fight, politicians have egos, it can get vicious. The left has a tradition of factional fighting, yada yada.
But if they do, their leaders – Cunliffe, Norman, Turei – know damn well they’ll be on the political scrap-heap doublequick, and no redemption. If they don’t have the sense and maturity to work well together, they don’t deserve to govern. -
Fingers crossed it’s not as bad as predicted, although then it’d be worry wasted, so no winners :(
I blame the Governors Bay Community Assoc for scheduling the community fete on Sunday 16th. They have a track record for picking bad weather, but never this bad.Also: ECan can shove their regulatory powers up their own log-burners. When we get to vote, you get to regulate. Legal power maybe but no moral power. at. all.
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The Roy Morgan numbers look pretty soft when it comes to the small parties. On a 997 person survey, a percentage-point is just ten people. So it’s hard to get much from the bouncing around of Mana, Mäori, Conservative and even NZ First numbers (when you’re on 0-3% you’re always in the margin of error :))
Hard as it is for me to accept, close to 50% of the electorate have liked Key, and been happy with this Govt, for the last 6 years. If their popularity is dipping, even a little* it’s still been a remarkable ride.
*they are very aware their relatively popular govt has a slender majority, and with even a small dip in their vote would struggle to stay in Govt. -
Sounds heart-breaking, Hebe. Hoping for better times ahead.
(Any books you especially miss? I can keep an eye open - will be going through a lot in the next few weeks.) -
Early searches - I found Lycos the best (of a fairly bad lot) but like everyone, abandoned it fast when google arrived (I remember reading a NYer article about it, thinking - what a brilliant idea! - and pretty much never using another search engine.)
Now- like izogi, I'm beginning to move away from chrome towards firefox. It's not as sleek - clunky even - but I'm uncomfortable how much data on us all google is storing. I used to laugh and think 'no- you are!' when the little 'you're missing out' sign appeared in chrome, urging log-in. It doesn't seem so funny now. There's something wrong with my wife and I searching the same term in google and getting different results. It's not wholly removed from the way the (bad-old) search engines sold rankings.
It's hard work doing no evil. -
Remarkable in hindsight that Gibson's Neuromancer came out in 1984. Like most readers I had no idea hyperlinks would so quickly go from fiction to reality to banality.
We joined PlaNet Canterbury in late 1994, which seems almost pioneering, except they'd been around since '93 I think. Browsing in Netscape, it was vital to turn off pictures/gfx, or the speed was glacial.
Email was a big reason to join up. But when we suggested emailing files to a local newspaper, they scoffed and made us buy a fax :) -
The geographers were talking about changes to the rivers- beds uplifted, some narrowing; plus the estuary into which they all drain- it's come up, slowing flow down. And there are constructed stormwater drain problems over and underground. All on top of issues with the myriad smaller creeks, and some areas forming natural basins, some much exacerbated by the quakes.
There are maps with a range of data - including ground elevation and subsidence 2003-2012 (not terribly detailed, but useful) here.