Posts by Mikaere Curtis
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Hard News: The crybaby philosopher, in reply to Jim Cathcart,
So…without wading through all 79 responses, I have a legal question. Which laws, specifically, are in question?
One law he referenced is the Electoral Act 1993, specifically the provisions for Maori seats. One way to address Whyte's concerns would be to allow anyone who feels Maori (regardless of whakapapa) to be allowed to enrol on the Maori roll. This would enable Pakeha who feel Maori to be on the roll. Ergo, the Maori seats are no longer race-based. Job done, and Whyte can get back to proper classical liberal issues like drug decriminalisation. -
The Treaty of Waitangi gave Maori property rights over the land they occupied.
Incorrect. Maori already had property rights that had nothing to do with tauiwi law. Even if we take Whyte's assertion that property rights were only extant on colonisation by Europeans, it is still wrong because aboriginal title existed regardless of Te Tiriti.So, Whyte is not only philosophically challenged, but also misrepresents history.
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I was a solution architect for a short time on the Herald paywall project. The porous paywall model (where you get a certain number of free articles per month) is perhaps the most technically difficult to deliver. Page requests need to be intercepted and free articles/subscriptions/entitlements confirmed, all within a reasonable time period.
Integration with existing billing and subscription systems will be key, and if these are legacy systems then the technical challenges (and risks) increase. Perhaps Fairfax have decided their legacy systems are too arcane to easily integrate with a paywall layer ?
My guess is that the Herald will offer some innovative subscription models that don't cost too much and give people what they want (i.e. access to the site via their phone, tablet or PC). Personally, I dropped our subscription to the Herald because I simply didn't have time to read the paper every day. If, however, there was an inexpensive option that gave me Saturday and Sunday editions delivered to my letterbox, and e-access the rest of the time, I'd probably buy that even though I could get similar news for free via Stuff.
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I cycle through this intersection frequently. It's a 'mare, and whenever I am travelling away from town I always mount the kerb and cycle under the threatened trees before crossing the bridge (still on the kerb), joining the road again at lights the end of the St Lukes Rd offramp.
Going the other way is easier, but the merging after making the right-hand turn at the lights can be tricky - there is a lot happening and lots of cars changing lanes. A cycle lane along here would ease things.
I've long thought that the issue with the bridge is not it's mild gradient, it is that it needs two extra lanes. I think this is an example of the designers seeing a use-it-or-lose-it opportunity to reduce the gradient and get the bridge closer to best practice (i.e. flat). If they could do it without affecting the trees, I'd be fine with it. Given that in all my time living not far from the bridge (16 years), I have yet to see an issue to do with the gradient of the bridge, I think the cost (losing or damaging the trees) is simply not worth it.
I agree with Brent around the pedestrian crossings. Things are not ideal at present, and I'd certainly feel safer with light-controlled crossings. And being able to cross the bridge on both sides is a good development too, and will reduce pedestrian congestion, especially when there is major event on at the stadium or the park.
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Meanwhile, John Armstrong's POV is seemingly on another planet:
Buoyed by the release of Ministry of Foreign Affairs documents which give some credence to Collins' version of events during her fateful trip to China last October, Key is punting on the Opposition attack running out of steam by the time Collins goes on leave. That is not a safe bet.
Exactly how he squares that with the stated objective of Collin's promoting Oravida, I have no idea.
I'm with Rob Salmond - it's a smoking gun. A public commenter on Morning Report suggested that perhaps Key is still shielding Collin's because he instructed her to help out a New Zealand company (who happens to be a major National Party donor). Given the sometimes breathtaking arrogance of this government, it does seem possible that their hubris has gotten the better of them this time.
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Hard News: Jones: The contender leaves, in reply to ,
There was no threshold then all but one of the MMP elections would have provided us an ALCP MP, and Bill would have got in from the Bill & Ben party. McGillicuddy would be fun, Great Leap Backwards and all that. Not with the Wizard though, he's aligned with Alf's Imperial Army, the perennial enemy of the McGillicudys.
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Hard News: Jones: The contender leaves, in reply to Euan Mason,
And why aren't they running this line: "National is so bereft of talent that they have to steal ours." ?
Another attack vector is, as Gordon Campbell points out, whether McCully has applied any process at all to the establishment of this putative role.
I was really hoping Matt McCarten would introduce some much-needed talent into the Labour communications capability, but it appears they just really are not very good at this "politics" thing. Sigh.
I was never a great fan of Shane Jones, but I am still struck by the sheer self-absorption on display here.
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One option is to set the increase to a function of the economy e.g. the median % wage/benefit increase of all workers/work seekers. This would provide for incentives to raise actual wages and benefits, rather than pursue (untaxed) capital gains-affirmative policies.
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Hard News: Moving right along?, in reply to James Butler,
Inanimate representation of a horse!
Doh! I just googled for him and copied the first name that came up - which, it turns out, was from a satire site.
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Hard News: Moving right along?, in reply to Alan Moore,
Maybe Len's mistake was to think he could get away with it, which is consonant with how Key, IMO, prefers to operate relevant to his ministers: delegate, dissemble and deflect until it's clear the media have caught one of his ministers out; only then will he actually step up and do anything.
No matter what you think (or even care) about Len Brown's behaviour, I think most people are going to view the Slater/Palomino camp as being on a continuum that begins with desperate and ends with vile. I personally have them pegged towards the latter end.