Posts by Angus Robertson

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  • Island Life: Still not over it,

    They are worried that the 'build it and they will come' idea may not apply given history.

    Regarding 'build it and they will come', the same council is dumping $51 million into a bridge across the Viaduct Harbour ($16 million over budget already and highly likely to rise) for the expressed purpose of representing "harbour context and distant views".

    Is a piddling less bridge across the Viaduct more or less likely to provide for "harbour context and distant views" than public access to the Auckland Harbour Bridge? They both cost the same.

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 984 posts Report

  • Island Life: Still not over it,

    There seems to be an attitude amoung Auckland City Council staff/politicians that because the Harbour Bridge is used mostly by North Shore resident commuters it is standard practice to avoid footing the bill for any possible improvements.

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 984 posts Report

  • Island Life: Serving suggestion only,

    Wave goodbye to Air New Zealand
    Sold by lunchtime

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 984 posts Report

  • Hard News: Go Us,

    There's really only one criteria for the electorate when choosing a VP in the US - "can they fill the spot if the President croaks" - she's definitely in Dan Quayle territory there

    Yeah, Barack Obama levels of experience.

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 984 posts Report

  • Field Theory: The Undertaker is Hamlet,

    Art is an order of magnitude less profound than sport. To classify sport as art is to denigrate sport.

    Art is scripted, controlled and predetermined at the behest of the artist. Art is like wall paper, you choose the pattern you want to your preference. Art at its absolute best is can be a catalyst around which human interaction may occur.

    Sport is so much more, sport is the human interaction. Sport is variable, unscripted and always surprising. As such it is profoundly more alive than any mere art.

    If a man runs the 100m in 9.69 seconds is that art?

    Yes. A man running the 100 m in 9.69 seconds is art. A man racing the 100 m against 7 others is sport.

    If in London 2012 the 100 m final were to consist of 8 men performing a 100 m in 9.69 seconds - each knowing that they were to be rising in unison, running together and crossing the line together - this would be art. A very boring performance piece.

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 984 posts Report

  • Island Life: He lied to us all,

    And given I was backing up what you said, this may descend into some torturous logical loop. I'll call Winnie for advice =)

    Don't worry Winnie is already committed to the ETS.

    The heart of the matter for me is achieving a reduction in AGW gas production. The Kyoto based ETS of Europe has facilitated an increase in the carbon footprint of European consumers - it has polluted the planet. It has done this by applying costs to EU producers of AGW gases, whilst not applying equivalent costs consumption of goods produced by AGW gas emissions outside of the EU. The result has been an increase in production and transportation emmissions outside of the EU to provide lowest price goods to EU consumers.

    The EU has begun to realise this flaw and is starting to institute charges on external AGW emissions. NZ (stupidly, inward and backward) is about to adopt the same ETS type scheme that the EU is in the midst of reforming. Our soon to be adopted ETS will contribute to increased AGW.

    We're accruing liabilty for payment right now for every tonne of carbone emitted.

    Our accruing Kyoto liability is insignificant and meeting it is counterproductive.

    This ETS will meet the Kyoto emissions liability. Yet this ETS taxing each tonne of Carbon emitted whilst ignoring our consumer carbon footprint will increase global AGW gas emissions. The cost of our Kyoto liability is (by definition) much less than the longterm costs of AGW. Any act to fulfill our Kyoto liability at the expense of increased AGW is therefore unjustifiable.

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 984 posts Report

  • Field Theory: Disco Tom,

    Willis ran third which is excellent, but could it have been better?

    He was trapped on the inside when the pace went on at 300 m to go. As Ramzi hit the front Willis had to fight his way out and when he had done this was 20 m off the pace. He put on a spurt, caught up to the group of four runners competing for third position, slowed down to that pace and then kicked into third place on the straight. He finished the race the same 20 m behind Ramzi as he was at the 250.

    He ran the same pace as the winner for the last 250 m. If he had not let himself be boxed in at the rear of the bunch...

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 984 posts Report

  • Field Theory: Disco Tom,

    There were only 3 Africans in the final, and one of them got the Silver. It does not make any sense at all. The gold medallist was from Bahrain.

    Rashid Ramzi was born in Morrocco and emigrated to Bahrain for an undisclosed sum.

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 984 posts Report

  • Field Theory: Playing Catch Up,

    I thought that was the definition of Olympic sports, sports that are either too weird or boring for us to care about more than once every four years.

    Indycar open wheel oval racing has just been bumped from ESPN to Versus cable. This move to third teir media palces indycar on a par with other minority sports (ice hockey, athletics, cycling) and must surely qualify as an Olympic Event.

    Scott Dixon for gold in 2012?

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 984 posts Report

  • Hard News: The newest neocon catastrophe,

    And bang, before you know it, you are sitting in Sarajevo, on 28 June, 1914.

    Yes and the Russians certainly know this as well, preventing them and the USA from taking further action.

    I'm sorry Angus but that is completely nuts.

    Except the alternative seems to be sitting in Teplitz on 2 October 1938. When neither precedent is good, take the least bad one.

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 984 posts Report

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