Posts by Hebe
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Hard News: Local interest, in reply to Rob Stowell,
Hasn’t made my decision any easier but it’s definitely better informed :)
Health Board is easy: start with Aaron Keown at 26, then Michael Hansen at 25…
I found the councillors hard: I had one definite and really wanted to vote for someone I knew would be great but doesn’t have a hope of getting in. Making the choice between the next top two was very hard. I wanted to change my vote the next day, so I posted the form immediately!My ward has two sitting councillors retiring and four could-bes, with two more in-with-a-smaller-chance. I can’t pick the winner because the vote will be so split.
I wish we were able to rank all the council candidates throughout the city like the STV health board system.
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In Christchurch (feel free to delete if this is an Auckland-only piece), Gap Filler has done a pretty little questionnaire that reveals more about candidates and their attitudes in general than they realise: http://www.gapfiller.org.nz/gap-filler-candidate-questionnaire-2013-mayoral-and-council-elections/
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Earthquake recovery: NZ’s second-biggest city is on its knees after a natural disaster. So the recovery spokesperson is unranked, CDEM goes to the bad student who is out of favour and gets the rats and mice. Meanwhile two mid-ranked spokespeople get responsibility for ‘Auckland issues’. Labour don’t understand the damage this will do to them in Christchurch. Combine that with an emerging new demographic and geographical make-up and National will be very, very happy down here.
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Legal Beagle: Council Elections: STV Q&A, in reply to Graeme Edgeler,
It’s Labour and Christchurch East, at least so far as the election is concerned I suspect it doesn’t matter if no-one knows who she is.
Not so. The electorate has undergone huge change in its demographics, many properties and areas don't exist or are uninhabited (red-zoned or too damaged to live in). Then people new to the city seeking rentals have gone out there, attracted by the beach. The effect is uncertain; not so much for the by-election (though that too is no done deal for Labour) but more for the boundary changes coming up for the general election which could make the seat shaky for Labour. The by-election will be an interesting test run.
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Legal Beagle: Council Elections: STV Q&A, in reply to Keir Leslie,
Keir, off topic but still politics: any ideas why Labour's Chch East selection chose Poto Williams? Who may be a great choice, but no-one outside the party knows who she is. It seems odd to pass over at least two strong local candidates in such a hammered-by-earthquakes area in favour of someone who has been living in the city for eight months? What does she bring to the table?
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Hard News: Moving on, in reply to David MacGregor,
Same. Another reason to switch off the TV.
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This seems like the right place to post a notice of the death of a remarkable and lovely man, Master Loo-chi Hu, who was my t’ai chi teacher and who had a profound influence on my life and many other people’s lives. He died last week.
His funeral is at 1pm on Thursday at John Rhind in London Street, but as many people who knew him will be unable to attend, this notice has gone out:
“To all friends and students of Loo-chi Hu,
To honour the memory of Loo, a respected teacher, mentor and friend to many people in New Zealand and around the world, please take a few minutes to appreciate his contribution to your life.
We suggest that at 1pm NZ time on Thursday that you mark the passing of this exceptional man in your own way that reflects his life and work: perhaps doing the T’ai Chi Chuan form as taught by Loo, perhaps a silent reflection and meditation, perhaps speaking well of him, perhaps attending the funeral.
Whatever you choose, honouring our teacher will be appreciated by his family and all those close to him.
Please pass on this message to others who have known Loo.”
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Hard News: Event Season, in reply to Bart Janssen,
In my experience people using that phrase are generally the least willing to have their minds changed by … you know … data.
Depends on the peoples. And data, as we all know, can be framed to fit most any position if the position is determined before the data is gathered.
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Hard News: Event Season, in reply to Sacha,
A thread full of climate-change-denying ninnies? No thanks.
Nah sorry. Distracted by the big black cat having his first serious “now I’ve had enough of your nonsense, whippersnapper” moment with the puppy. (Pup backed down.)
I was more thinking of the “new way of farming/feeding the world” comment by Farmer Green as a start point. I studied organic growing at the BHU, and surprised myself by graduating with a more open view of judicious use of safe chemicals for growing commercial food crops (previously I had been totally against). So I’m interested in different systems and the future direction of food farming.
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Hard News: Event Season, in reply to Sacha,
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