Posts by Bart Janssen
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Hard News: Fact and fantasy, in reply to Farmer Green,
“But the problem isn’t limited to agriculture.”
Agreed ; a large proportion of the phosphorus entering our waters is coming from the cities and towns via the sewage outfalls to waterways.
You need to supply some data for that assertion. While it is certainly true that urban environments pollute our waterways they generally don't introduce as much phosphorus as fertiliser runoff.
And you are trying to muddy the waters of the discussion. Our farming practices do introduce fertiliser to our waterways and more importantly with relatively simple changes (according to Dr Joy, I personally don't know but I trust his judgement) in practices they could reduce the runoff into waterways.
Instead of constantly attacking the messenger and trying to deflect attention from the problem, perhaps it would be better to sit down and accept there are issues and work out how to minimise the damage while maintaining our most valuable industry.
Having that discussion between knowledgable people is the most important goal.
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Hard News: Fact and fantasy, in reply to Farmer Green,
Agreed , but less export dollars = less imported technology.
Farmer Green’s point is that we have to somehow reach a consensus about how much environmental exploitation we will tolerate in return for modern technological comforts.You are wrong on both counts. Our export earnings have very little correlation with how much we import. You might argue that it should but it doesn't. However many economists would argue with you about that as well. This is also a false argument, you are equating protection of our waterways with a loss of export earnings and there is no data to support that.
You second point is that "we have somehow reached a consensus" which is simply not true. Most people in New Zealand have absolutely no idea what is happening to our waterways. That is precisely what Dr Joy is trying to do ... to actually present that data about the degradation of our water quality. He has also made suggestions as to possible remedies. The Herald and others are busy trying to get him to STFU.
Until people actually know what is happening there can be no consensus about trading pollution for toys, since at the moment people don't know what they are trading.
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Hard News: Fact and fantasy, in reply to Farmer Green,
In this regard it must be noted , as other scientists at Massey have repeatedly pointed out, that we cannot have fertile soils without having some enrichment of the waterways.
At no point has Dr Joy said we should stop using fertiliser or stop making milk. What he has said is that with very little effort we could dramatically reduce the fertiliser runoff (with little or no loss of yield) and prevent shit and piss running into streams (with a small reduction in land usage ie fence the bloody streams).
This is not a discussion about stopping dairying, it is a discussion about what are the things we can reasonably do to protect the waterways while still maintaining the major economic driver in New Zealand. The problem is that FF and the Nats don't even want to talk. Individual farmers do get it and are willing to make reasonable changes.
The word is reasonable and Dr Joy is being reasonable in the things he has suggested.
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Hard News: Fact and fantasy, in reply to Kyle Matthews,
I’d be happy with the PM responding to the original BBC interview by saying “yeah, it’s a marketing thing, obviously we’re not 100% pure, we do have some serious issues
Instead he had the gall to dismiss Dr Joy's data and merely one scientist's opinion and he could find other opinions if he wanted them.
The problem of course is that data is different from opinion.
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Dr Mike Joy has presented the facts about our water quality. Solid peer reviewed data that should in no way be a surprise. If you intensively farm and don't make any effort to protect the waterways then water quality will go down. You will not be in any way "pure" let alone 100%.
He has also presented his expert opinion that intensive dairying is the biggest problem and also said relatively simple (cheap) measures would have significant beneficial impact.
As far as I can tell Dr Joy is fulfilling exactly the role society needs him to fulfill.
Demanding he keep quiet in case he spoils the image that the marketing people are trying to present is kind of moronic.
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There's no way I'd describe Star Wars as great. But it certainly had an impact on me. I have a very strong memory of walking down from Ak uni to the theatre (halfway down Queen st) and watching A New Hope. It was one of the few movies I have ever seen on my own.
That the prequels failed was always a huge sadness for me, but I oddly have a feeling that 789 will be better.
Can a new generation get the experience I had from those movies. Never! They were of their time. We HAD to go to the theatre to watch them, how ridiculous that is now. We HAD to wait months for them to come to New Zealand. But most importantly we had seen NOTHING like them before. The shear novelty of the rumbling of the whole theatre in the opening as the cruiser sails over you.
You can't recreate that experience for someone now. Instead there will be a new experience (I hope).
It isn't my all time favourite movie, that would be Serenity ... no The Fifth Element .... no Serenity/Kinky Boots double feature ... no the New Star Trek ... no The Fifth Element ...
See I can have that drinks discussion all by myself :).
I do like the idea of watching 45236 almost enough to buy a box set of blu rays and watch them. Of course I'll watch them at home with some nice wine and the movies will pause for breaks when I want them to, the way civilised movies should.
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Hard News: Triangulated by Fools, in reply to Kyle Matthews,
I think numbers are important, but the structure that they’re in is more important. NZ cricket just isn’t a very competitive environment. Coaching is part of that, but a good competitive structure utilises coaching well. Your team only comes from the top 100 or so players, so our six cricket regions are probably enough to create a good team
You can get a good team from our pool of cricketers. But you can only do it by picking players that want to play as part of a team. Cricket is an odd sport in that individual skills play a much bigger part than many other sports. The contest between batsman and bowler is quite solitary at times. Yet neither can succeed independant of the other players in the team. Players that function essentially only for their own benefit may look good at times but inevitably lead to poor team performance.
An oddly apt metaphor for the performance of the Labour Party.
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Southerly: Gerry Brownlee: “I Like To…, in reply to David Hood,
Are you starting a public address song?
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Southerly: Gerry Brownlee: “I Like To…, in reply to David Haywood,
The Selwyn District Council here are being pretty good in giving me a bit of leeway
That is awesome. here they are so we can think good things about them.
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Southerly: Gerry Brownlee: “I Like To…, in reply to David Haywood,
if you have TWO Paslodes
Now you're just teasing me!