Posts by Rob Stowell
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Well, actually, in Norway, the authorities do. Apparently, in some locations at least, there is an approved range of paint colours for house exteriors.
And in parts of Banks Peninsula and the Bay of Islands, I believe.
Though the BP district plan has been through so many variations and drawn-out negotiations (over a ten-year period, during which the BPDC ceased to exist :)) it's been difficult to keep up.
Even for planning staff. -
Nice simple explanation of the meltdown process from Al Jazeera.
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Hard News: Welfare: Back to the Future?, in reply to Kumara Republic,
I'm picking the latter, because the content was so thin and the feeling of being intellectually patronised so searing. But until they have the courage to put a name next to it, they are all equally guilty :)
[apology for ranting. tried to stop myself. bad for blood-pressure and those nearby. must not read listener again, despite good arts/books/tv pages.] -
Just picked up a listener, and was reminded what a shallow self-serving rag it has become. The editorial "'the country's pain' starts out pontificating about the chch quake, and very quickly moves on to the 'welfare working group's excellent report... meticulously thorough, thoughtful and persuasive...' and ad nauseum.
There's not a shred of argument or thoughtfulness in the article, just the bland self-righteousness of statements like: "One of the group's achievements is to make clear that it is not punitive to expect able-bodied people to work. In fact a good kick up the pants is just what the lazy bludgers need [edited for clarity of intent]" before supporting the conclusion we should get rid of the invalid and sickness benefits, replacing them with a single benefit 'based on the assumption that most people are able to work."
Gutless, frankly, that the smug @$#%$$$$ who write this tosh don't put their names to it. Glad we cancelled the listener, but still able to be shocked at what it's become.
Tying this drivel in with 'let's all work together' and 'we feel your pain, Canterbury' is a kick in the teeth. If we knew who wrote this drivel, I'd like to suggest we nickname THEM 'The Country's Pain'. -
I did wonder about the bullet trains. Japan is about as prepared as any nation has ever been- and this has hit sooo hard. Buildings swept away.
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Hard News: Again: Is everyone okay?, in reply to Rob Stowell,
Big tsunamis. More than one. Towns that are devastated.
And we are warned of tsunami reaching NZ about high tide at 9am tomorrow. While it's a long way away and unlikely to be any real danger, this was a HUGE quake, possibly 8.9
I'd say: be careful, stay away from near the sea. -
Good to hear yr ok. I am hating on earthquakes at the moment. North looks so sad. And coastal communities. Feels very emotional watching from Chch. All the best, Stephen.
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Sad sad story.
Hard to be disappointed in Lhaws or Collins when one’s expectation is so, so low. But it’s sad for us as a nation that the minister of police sees herself as the leader of a lynch mob; and the powers-that-be in radio and print give Lhaws evermore scope to spread his twisted, petty, ignorant, self-righteous hatred.
Publicity of this is good. How else do we hold them to account? -
Because our land is cheap and plentiful.
Jeez, when did you last buy a dairy farm? :)
But it's a good point. There are dreadful subsidies that benefit no-one, damage the land, ruin economies. There are subsidies that clearly benefit one group, nation, region over others. And there are subsidies, I'd wager (without being able to name one, sorry!), that help the sane, efficient and economical allocation of resources.
Ideology itself can be the enemy sometimes. -
Gawd. The bloody wreckers.
That’s the problem with neolib we-don’t-really-believe-in-government governments: it’s so much faster and easier to wreck and dismantle than it is to build up something worthwhile.
But maybe some of this remarkably rubbish thinking has its origins further back: two digital platforms in NZ might be too much. We let Sky get one all of its own, first- rather than opting for a sort of ‘platform neutral’ approach. (It’s kind’ve the same with telecom and vodaphone’s cellular coverage). Now it looks like Sky is going to be running the only platform.
Which also feels like a two-fingered salute to those of us who’ve bought uhf freeview boxes. If TVNZ are talking of new channels that are sky only, doesn’t it look like that game is over?
Here’s hoping some of the shows will find new homes. I’m also gonna miss the 8 o’clock no-ads news.
(and ps: nz lemming, you seem to miss the point (or maybe I just disagree :)) A 'quality media environment' isn't optional if you want a stable healthy democracy. And that's not a question of niches; of everyone having their own flavour of pie. Personally I think it's crucially about public broadcasting. US is big, sure- but that's only part of the picture. Unless you also think it's marvelously well-served by its major broadcasters?)