Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: What Now?

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  • Che Tibby, in reply to Hilary Stace,

    An alternative view is that three major disasters in one term is not auspicious.

    the drafting of the budgets hasn't been that bad.

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report Reply

  • Jackie Clark, in reply to giovanni tiso,

    I'll say. Jesus.

    Mt Eden, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 3136 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso, in reply to Jackie Clark,

    Bad word association was entirely unwitting.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Keir Leslie,

    Bob Parker has already alluded to this – clearly he’s thinking in the right direction.

    Can I just say that one reason I am not looking forward to the politics of this is that it will include some very very hard arguments to make, where, basically, we have a group of people who (a) had already started botching the response to the previous quake, and (b) are now hugely popular? I mean, this is Bob `Dave Henderson' `School of Music' Parker and Gerry `sexy coal' Brownlee we're talking about here; I didn't trust them to rebuild the CBD as it was on September 3, let alone February 24. This is going to be a very unfun series of arguments, and I don't want to start yet, basically.

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report Reply

  • Jackie Clark, in reply to Keir Leslie,

    Fair do's.

    Mt Eden, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 3136 posts Report Reply

  • Ross Mason,

    Oh Gawd.

    3.05pm: The Chinese government has announced a $666,000 donation to the Christchurch earthquake appeal.

    Something got lost in translating yen to NZD.........I hope.....

    Upper Hutt • Since Jun 2007 • 1590 posts Report Reply

  • recordari, in reply to Ross Mason,

    Something got lost in translating yen to NZD………I hope…..

    Yuan. About 3.3 million Chinese yuan at today’s rate. 33 would be auspicious in Chinese, if I'm not mistaken.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Ross Mason,

    I have a yen for one.

    Upper Hutt • Since Jun 2007 • 1590 posts Report Reply

  • recordari, in reply to Ross Mason,

    Just saw the post. $500,000 USD. Think we both might be clutching at straws. Sometimes a number is just a number.

    ETA: Is there anywhere that is tabulating the relief effort?

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • andin, in reply to Keir Leslie,

    Can I just say that one reason I am not looking forward to the politics of this is that it will include some very very hard arguments to make, where, basically, we have a group of people who (a) had already started botching the response to the previous quake, and (b) are now hugely popular? I mean, this is Bob `Dave Henderson’ `School of Music’ Parker and Gerry `sexy coal’ Brownlee we’re talking about here

    What if they turn out to be on opposite sides of the debate? I dunno, does anyone? until it starts. And I am in no haste for it to start while searchers are still looking for the dead.
    300+ casualties is pretty horrendous.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • Keir Leslie, in reply to andin,

    What if they turn out to be on opposite sides of the debate? I dunno, does anyone? until it starts.

    Well, one can but live in hope.

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso, in reply to andin,

    300+ casualties is pretty horrendous.

    Without in any way suggesting it's not horrendous, we're looking at a little over 200, aren't we? Are you adding the missing to the bodies that have been recovered?

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to giovanni tiso,

    Without in any way suggesting it’s not horrendous, we’re looking at a little over 200, aren’t we? Are you adding the missing to the bodies that have been recovered?

    147 confirmed dead according to Granny's banner today, and in excess of 200 missing. Even if only 75% of the missing turn out to be dead (and remember that the estimate is > 120 people unaccounted for in CTV alone), that's nudging very close to 300.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    Okay, I may be tragically confused. I thought that most of the 200 missing would in fact be amongst the 147 recovered bodies, all but a handful of which are as yet unnamed. And that's right, isn't it?

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to giovanni tiso,

    I thought that most of the 200 missing would in fact be amongst the 147 recovered bodies,

    I thought I heard someone on this morning's news program saying essentially that. ie final death toll probably around 200 not 300 ... crosses fingers

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to giovanni tiso,

    I thought that most of the 200 missing would in fact be amongst the 147 recovered bodies, all but a handful of which are as yet unnamed.

    As I've understood the process, the Police aren't putting a body against the fatality count until they've identified the victim and notified next-of-kin. So, kinda by definition, the missing cannot be amongst the dead.
    Some of the missing will have been recovered from the rubble, certainly, but that only puts them as missing-but-pending-identification. Once they're identified, the "missing" count decrements by one and the "dead" count increments by one.

    Of course, I may have misunderstood the explanation the Police have given as to how they're doing the counting, but there was a snarky comment in the other thread on Wednesday or Thursday about how we must look to the world after having the fatality count cut in half overnight; a cut attributed entirely to the adoption of what is, I assume, a standard methodology for counting deaths in a mass-casualty incident.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    As I've understood the process, the Police aren't putting a body against the fatality count until they've identified the victim and notified next-of-kin. So, kinda by definition, the missing cannot be amongst the dead.

    But they've officially identified fewer than ten people, the rest of the recovered bodies must be those of missing persons. Somebody please tell me I'm right about this.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Hilary Stace,

    Yes, that's my understanding. More or less.

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report Reply

  • andin, in reply to giovanni tiso,

    Please forgive me if I have overestimated. I have no idea. I'm just waiting and watching.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to Hilary Stace,

    To whom was that directed? We have two conflicting positions.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Megan Wegan,

    The toll the police are giving is how many bodies are in the morgue. The 200 (ish) figure is the people that are missing, and believed to have been somewhere they are likely to have been hurt. The 148 (so far) figure is included in that 200. They've only officially named 8 victims.

    There's another long list of people that are 'missing' but for whom they are not as worried - tourists who were probably in the north island at the time.

    Welly • Since Jul 2008 • 1275 posts Report Reply

  • Christopher Dempsey,

    Abandoning a site damaged in anger and hatred (Nazi Germany was not bombed out of love) comes much easier than abandoning a site damaged by an act that many within the Church will call a random act of nature that carries no particular Godly message.

    Which explains the bombed out church in Liverpool. I understand this dates from the war, and acts as a kind of memorial.

    There can be no room for mediocrity.

    Too late. Mr Key has already said it will take 5 - 10 years to rebuild and around $10b or so. I won't quibble the money, but I seriously suggest Key take a deep breath and ask, what does one get in say 7 years if not mediocrity?

    Christchurch, as a city, took 150 years to be built and it will take another 150 years to be rebuilt. City building isn't an off-the peg exercise as some are wont to think.

    Somebody please tell me I’m right about this.

    Didn't the police this morning revise the numbers of missing to 50? So, that's gone 150 down from 200 to 50, but the body count is 147...

    Parnell / Tamaki-Auckland… • Since Sep 2008 • 659 posts Report Reply

  • SteveH, in reply to giovanni tiso,

    But they’ve officially identified fewer than ten people, the rest of the recovered bodies must be those of missing persons. Somebody please tell me I’m right about this.

    No, they've released the names of 8 people. There are going to be significantly more that have been identified but that have not had their names released.

    Since Sep 2009 • 444 posts Report Reply

  • Dismal Soyanz, in reply to Matthew Poole,

    Hopefully, but given the council caved to building owners’ demands over timeframe to update to 1/3 current standard I wouldn’t hold my breath. If the council looks like it might start getting uppity, expect appeals to the government to blunt the charge.

    Here’s an idea for an economic nudge: The City Council makes it mandatory for building owners to display publicly how far up the scale of the current building standard the building is (using some independent analysis).

    Wellington • Since Nov 2010 • 310 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    300+ casualties is pretty horrendous.

    Not wishing to be picky but…

    Casualty (person), a person who is killed or injured in a war or disaster

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

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