Posts by Rob Stowell
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
Legal Beagle: Think it possible that you…, in reply to Russell Brown,
This seems a very odd way to begin, given that no boycott of any advertiser was undertaken or, so far as I’m aware, even proposed.
I'm not so sure. Maybe no formal organisation pushing a consumer boycott, but large numbers of individuals contacting advertisers- via twitter, facebook pages, email etc) along these lines.
-
Legal Beagle: Think it possible that you…, in reply to Emma Hart,
Free speech is not a level playing field.
This :)
If WJ and JT chose to freely express their opinions today, it'd be news, and they'd be widely published and broadcast. They wouldn't get paid, and it might affect their future employment, but it'd definitely get heard.
What we have seen in this affair is widespread discussion of rape culture in the MSM. That's something I can't recall ever seeing before. And it's involved a considerable widening of the public discourse, and a large number of previously unheard voices being heard.
Overall, it looks to me like a big win for freedom of expression of all the the diversity of views on the subject. (Because it would be rather disingenuous to claim that the views expressed by these Radio Live hosts hadn't been been given a decent chance in the marketplace of ideas. ) -
Hard News: Housing: the Feudal Model, in reply to Maui Smith,
I’m not sure about the NZ Initiative.
Quite reliably neo-lib, with the occasional mild twist.
Formed in a merger between the Business Round Table (feudal capitalism :)) and The NZ Institute (milder; more liberal) it’s tempting to think of it as the BRT in drag. It’s a little more interesting, but (I reckon) far too prone to oracle like pronouncements, which it insists are based on 'The Evidence' with no comment or discussion. -
Hard News: Housing: the Feudal Model, in reply to Russell Brown,
Schools are also built and funded via bonds and repaid via the same taxes on the homeowner.
Hmmmm …
That's Texas for ya. Can't see it going that far in the Waitakeres.
-
As Ross describes it, MUDs look a bit like local governments ... without some of the regulation, but saddled with debt. (And the need for the development to cough up profits- some of the debt/bonds must be borrowing to give the developers a guaranteed profit?)
Here’s a break-down of how the MUD system works:
Utilities are installed and maintained by the companies (electricity, telephone etc) since they receive the revenue.
The developer has to install the roads.
Large subdivisions are allocated areas for parks and schools.
The developer installs the sewerage and water and gets it back from the Municipal Utility District.
MUD is a special-purpose district that provides public utilities (such as electricity, natural gas, sewage treatment, water, and waste collection/management) to the residents of that district.
MUDs are formed by a vote of the area, and represented by board of directors who are voted on by the local people.
The MUD borrows money via the bond market to pay for building (via the developer) and operating (via the MUD) these services. The MUD bonds are then repaid via taxes on the home owners of around 1% of the home values per year.
Schools are also built and funded via bonds and repaid via the same taxes on the homeowner. -
Capture: Two Tales of a City, in reply to Hebe,
ducks, who don’t know their place
A puppy soon fixes that :-)
They waddle as a threesome, scattering chickens, and the border collie is too wimpy to take them on. Or maybe we've trained him too well not to eat the poultry.
This enclave at Church Corner is a surprising area of Asian shops and arcades
There's a small part of Chch where you could happily shop in Chinese, if you knew not a word of English.
-
Capture: Two Tales of a City, in reply to Hebe,
a reliable source of takeaway Peking – Beijing? – Duck
Mmmm. A good find. I've half a mind to take them our ducks, who don't know their place (it's NOT in the house.)
-
Esp for Geoff Lealand :)
This is a 32-minute recruitment film, made by the National Film Unit for the University of Canterbury in 1964. As well as show-casing the university, it's a stroll through the Christchurch of the day. You'll encounter streets and buildings that no longer exist, a way of life that's both foreign and familiar, and quaint, old-fashioned notions like free tertiary education for all who are able and willing.
Recently restored and scanned by Dvideo in Wellington, for UC. -
Hard News: Cannabis: The Experiment is Real, in reply to Shulgin,
This story alone warrants attendance at IDPS. Hope you can make it :)
-
Hard News: Narcissists and bullies, in reply to BenWilson,
when you need it you really need it
The same could be said for empathy. 'Grip' is not a substitute.