Island Life by David Slack

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Island Life: Burn fat, not oil

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  • David Slack,

    The about-face you've quoted is necessary for George to make his desired connection between lawless hippies and the spineless and quite possibly Labour-friendly bureaucrats who Let It Come To This. I think he just treats external reality as inspiration for a creative voyage through his own little world.

    Even though he wants me and my fellow dickheads to get a taste of the taser, I feel we should cut poor old Garth some, well, slack.

    Who among us might not eventually acquire a madly contorted perception of the world if we were to shut ourselves indoors and restrict our reading to the Royal NZ Herald and a nicotine-stained copy of the Good Book?

    Devonport • Since Nov 2006 • 599 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock,

    That was the quote I was thinking of - couldn't find it as you'd cunningly hidden it in another thread.

    Yep, every road leads to lawless hippes and spineless bureaucrats in Garthworld.

    Now, if you have any tips for the 3.45 at Ellerslie, I'll take them. I'm guessing the Lotto numbers are beyond your superpowers?

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock,

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • Sam F,

    I did make a point of yelling out "Party on Wayne" as I rode up the bridge, so this is quite a neat little circle. Party on, Garth.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report Reply

  • stephen walker,

    how very charitable of you, David.
    in my own, personal, velour-cushioned op-ed universe, anyone who isn't a hippy or hippy sympathiser would be shot at dawn. or prefarably sent to live nextdoor to you-know-who in Kaiwaka. i'm sure you would cut me some slack too, wouldn't you?

    nagano • Since Nov 2006 • 646 posts Report Reply

  • Sam F,

    Cycle-related thread bump, because it's sure to get somebody's ire up, and I can't believe it wasn't at least an easy gag on the Daily Show last night: Fox News writer rams cyclist in Central Park, carrying him on the bonnet for about 60 metres.

    Dooda was riding his bicycle in the left lane, maintaining a steady pace of 25 mph, when a grey SUV with New York Press plates cut him off within inches of his front tire. At a stop light, Dooda caught up to the driver, and, positioning himself and his bicycle in front of the SUV, explained (according to his account of the incident) that "what (the driver) just did almost cost (Dooda's) life, the speed limit is 25mph in the park and if he doesn't like it to stay out of Central Park."

    The driver responded by accelerating, knocking Dooda and his bicycle to the ground. To prevent him from leaving the scene of a collision, the cyclist once again got in front of the car and alerted passersby to call the police. The driver continued forward, propelling Dooda onto the hood of the vehicle, for approximately 200 feet while he screamed, "You could have killed me. Stop, Please stop. This is my life," according to one witness.

    The vehicle stopped, wherein Dooda fell off the hood, and the SUV drove away. Witnesses approached him with the plate number, and Dooda filed a police report. Gawker tracked down the motorist as Don Broderick first denied knowledge of the incident, then later claimed a "vigilante" bicyclist punched him, though it contradicted witness reports.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report Reply

  • JackElder,

    Blimey. That certainly puts all my road-rage related stories to shame. On the plus side, they got his number, and with a bit of luck he did some damage to the SUV's paintwork (since no-one on either side seems to be seriously hurt).

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report Reply

  • 81stcolumn,

    With two Kiwi's doing an excellent job in the TDF and a beautiful winter ride to Muriwai finished today this seems so timely.

    I can't help thinking that the congestion charge in London helped.

    Nawthshaw • Since Nov 2006 • 790 posts Report Reply

  • Sam F,

    For another timely bump...

    Cycleways are getting a rather bigger than usual airing in the Herald today, including Beth Vass' front-page piece: Cycling: on track for summer. The article itself is an odd fit with the sunny headline and photo, being the story of Beth Vass being gradually scared back into her car after an afternoon riding on the Hauraki Plains.

    Elsewhere there's celebration as the first $9m in funding is confirmed, a mildly optimistic editorial on the subject, and John Armstrong declaring that the project's a total fizzer as far as its initial ambitious goals were concerned.

    Thoughts anyone?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    I was rather touched to hear about how people from Southland towns like Lumsden might be helped by the route from Queenstown to Invercargill. My grandfather grew up in Dipton, but since the removal of the railway it's like a little ghost town. We only ever stopped there to take photos of his childhood house, but perhaps a wee cafe might give it... something. I dunno.

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • David Slack,

    Thoughts anyone?

    Conflicted.

    Delighted to see those routes, planning to ride every one of them. And yet, and yet. This has been lavish praise for so meagre an accomplishment in the context of the overall economic transformation and leadership we're looking for.

    Devonport • Since Nov 2006 • 599 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Semmens,

    Elsewhere there's celebration as the first $9m in funding is confirmed, a mildly optimistic editorial on the subject, and John Armstrong declaring that the project's a total fizzer as far as its initial ambitious goals were concerned.

    Thoughts anyone?

    For some reason, the Heralds coverage reminded me a bit of this

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • Sam F,

    Really? I'm not really sensing that same entirely uniform delusion in the pages of the Herald, unless Armstrong is being set up for a spell of reeducation.

    Amusing link though. Maybe we just need to build a War Memorial Tower to draw Endless Streams of Visitors.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report Reply

  • Hilary Stace,

    My bet is that that $9 will go hardly anywhere - maybe a report or two. Hardly enough to buy any land or employ many people. I expect the local bodies and rate payers will be left with large bills. And what are the implications for land already owned by DoC or Ontrack?

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    This has been lavish praise for so meagre an accomplishment in the context of the overall economic transformation and leadership we're looking for.

    Only if you saw a cycleway/s as some sort of solution to our economic woes imho. Which always seemed nuts to me.

    If you're viewing it from the perspective of development of non-urban cycle routes for tourism/recreation, these seven with $9 million, plus more to come seems pretty good to me.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Joshua Arbury,

    This much good PR for $9 million. Must be the bargain of the century for John Key.

    Auckland • Since May 2009 • 237 posts Report Reply

  • Sam F,

    Having thought a little more, is it a sign of the fiscal times that regional bodies are apparently champing at the bit for just $9 million in cycleway spending?

    But yes, the PR too.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report Reply

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