Posted 8th May 2021 to The New York Times Newspaper NY USA
I have an electronic message to pass on from Odentroll to Codemonkey Z :
"Well Played Young Monkey! Q-Dos to you!
Now let us see what numbers my side has to roll" .
Saturday, May 22, 2021
To Q it may concern...
Green Covid Jobs - New Zealand
Posted 2nd May 2021 to the Southland Times Newspaper Invercargill New Zealand NZ
I must comment on the Jobs for Nature scheme in Saturdays paper.
I have been working on jobs for nature in Fiordland for decades now I wanted to use cycle trails as a dual delivery system for pest & weed control but also for public appreciation of our pristine wilderness so far our Government has not been of much help.
It is almost insane that our last proper park review was in 2007 in some countries that would be considered neglect.
I have to say... As an old school big picture conservationist I have to roll my eyes at the green-washing that has been going on in our area and the lack of transparency of public spending and benefits in this area.
People need jobs BUT they need to feel useful and appreciated least we forget we are living the the Anthropocene Era and we just have to live with it... Yes we can help but only nature can fix what has been done because nature is not run as a business or political position. Sorry to tell you the worst of it is not in the bounds of our National Parks either.
Building a basic car for the times RNZ
Posted 13th of April 2021 to Nine to Nine Radio New Zealand Wellington New Zealand
There are a couple of things that bother me about Automobiles of the 21st century..
Firstly they are WAY to complex I would still be driving my Morris Minor because it had a lot less to break down alas
the rust regulations meant that a single blemish on the bodywork on a 60 year old car means you cant drive it on the road.
Despite the benefits to the environment of making a car last a life
time. It is also sad that all the creative mind power in the automobile
industry is focused on unnecessary electronics and not on durability...
Cars can be designed to withstand a 40kmph crash with out major panel
damage what we have now is metal eggshells on wheels.
The other thing is our national passion for Classic Cars. Why do we not have a deal like Australia and treat these cars as heritage items to be preserved with a special registration and more relaxed registration and rules ?
In the future cars may only be used for special occasions not as mass transport so this makes perfect sense.
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
The Health of New Zealand
Posted August 30th 2019 to the Southland Times Newspaper Invercargill NZ
After reading the paper today it is interesting to reflect on how health has become a huge political issue in the USA with over 65 percent of the population putting on the heat for government assistance with healthcare, arguing their tax dollars are meant to be a kind of heath insurance seems to be a political no-brainer.
In NZ politically speaking the idea of maintaining the Nation’s Health is not such an urgent issue.
Yet all the indicators are that we are slipping not just in physical health but mental well being.
I don’t know about the current politicians but in the past we had the Values Party who pretty much put such things on the top of the list.
Since the 1980s when the USA encouraged us to ditch our Kiwi socialist ideals we have been overworked underpaid and exploited, now I think our
minds & bodies are paying the price... But worse yet we no longer care as much for each other as we once did and sadly overseas there is precious little hope at all in that direction.
Life on Earth can be tricky, still, on the bright side, we are not literally on fire.
After reading the paper today it is interesting to reflect on how health has become a huge political issue in the USA with over 65 percent of the population putting on the heat for government assistance with healthcare, arguing their tax dollars are meant to be a kind of heath insurance seems to be a political no-brainer.
In NZ politically speaking the idea of maintaining the Nation’s Health is not such an urgent issue.
Yet all the indicators are that we are slipping not just in physical health but mental well being.
I don’t know about the current politicians but in the past we had the Values Party who pretty much put such things on the top of the list.
Since the 1980s when the USA encouraged us to ditch our Kiwi socialist ideals we have been overworked underpaid and exploited, now I think our
minds & bodies are paying the price... But worse yet we no longer care as much for each other as we once did and sadly overseas there is precious little hope at all in that direction.
Life on Earth can be tricky, still, on the bright side, we are not literally on fire.
The Honour in Failure
Posted 23rd of August 2019 to the Southland Times Newspaper Invercargill NZ
I was just thinking a great part of a vibrant society is due to the rare human desire to try the unusual and face down failure.
Maybe one day a year we should take time to celebrate the noble failures that happened in our region that would otherwise go un-sung and forgotten.
People are quick to scoff at crazy endeavors when they fail but when they succeed they can often change our society and our communities.
History is full of examples of near failures that took off and Southland has it’s share as well as some that didn’t.
So here is to the unsung dreamers of Southland who push boundaries against the odds and don’t quite make it a conservative, sparsely populated region.
It has been noted the only difference between Invercargill and Silicon Valley is San Jose has a huge pile of money to throw at crazy stuff like Travis Kalanick’s UBER or Rob Rhinehart’s SOYLENT (food replacement) and inflict painfully unfeasible bad ideas on the world, Oh and let’s not forget to mention Joe Gebba and Brian Chesky founders of Air B&B who are literally causing an economic refugee crises around the world. then there was the Guy selling vote cancelling software in Florida.
So yes failure could indeed be a positive thing in some cases.
I was just thinking a great part of a vibrant society is due to the rare human desire to try the unusual and face down failure.
Maybe one day a year we should take time to celebrate the noble failures that happened in our region that would otherwise go un-sung and forgotten.
People are quick to scoff at crazy endeavors when they fail but when they succeed they can often change our society and our communities.
History is full of examples of near failures that took off and Southland has it’s share as well as some that didn’t.
So here is to the unsung dreamers of Southland who push boundaries against the odds and don’t quite make it a conservative, sparsely populated region.
It has been noted the only difference between Invercargill and Silicon Valley is San Jose has a huge pile of money to throw at crazy stuff like Travis Kalanick’s UBER or Rob Rhinehart’s SOYLENT (food replacement) and inflict painfully unfeasible bad ideas on the world, Oh and let’s not forget to mention Joe Gebba and Brian Chesky founders of Air B&B who are literally causing an economic refugee crises around the world. then there was the Guy selling vote cancelling software in Florida.
So yes failure could indeed be a positive thing in some cases.
Malcolm Gladwell - Lateral Thinking
Posted 20th August 2019 to the New York Times Newspaper NY NY USA
Canada's Malcolm Gladwell pointed out recently the historic problems of getting a large number of people to work together
It really has to be done by precedent to be workable.
However the problem is our leaders have to be able to break the rules when faced with new problems such as compromised power structures and blackmailed justice corrupting the interpretation of precedent.
I think what Malcolm was saying is that the United States is overdue for leaders who have the strength and wisdom to use their seats of power to effect urgent society corrections, not just keep those seats as Butt Warmers and default like sheep to precedent like it is scripture.
When Bernie Sanders says the US can have health care for all what he means is humans can do anything if they are open to change.
Precedent is like the glue to hold us together but it gums up everyone when it gets in the gears of judgment.
To our representatives, take the risk of thinking for your self, it may feel uncomfortable at first but it will open a rewarding world that will be a place of truth, beauty and unknown possibilities.
Canada's Malcolm Gladwell pointed out recently the historic problems of getting a large number of people to work together
It really has to be done by precedent to be workable.
However the problem is our leaders have to be able to break the rules when faced with new problems such as compromised power structures and blackmailed justice corrupting the interpretation of precedent.
I think what Malcolm was saying is that the United States is overdue for leaders who have the strength and wisdom to use their seats of power to effect urgent society corrections, not just keep those seats as Butt Warmers and default like sheep to precedent like it is scripture.
When Bernie Sanders says the US can have health care for all what he means is humans can do anything if they are open to change.
Precedent is like the glue to hold us together but it gums up everyone when it gets in the gears of judgment.
To our representatives, take the risk of thinking for your self, it may feel uncomfortable at first but it will open a rewarding world that will be a place of truth, beauty and unknown possibilities.
The Young Turks - NZ Challenge
Posted August 9th 2019 to the Dominion Post Newspaper Wellington NZ
According to Radio NZs Te Radar our MPs are not generating much material to keep keep a healthy news cycle going compared to the news bite bonanza across the pacific in the USA.
It can make it a hungry time for our critics and comedians .
It’s the old don’t rock the boat and be comfortable strategy at play again but maybe there is a way to liven things up to keep our leaders in the news and the polls...
In the US one on-line news media outfit asks progressive politicians to sign a pledge that they stand for not only climate action but more importantly, justice.
This gives the political movers and shakers a united voice not only to the media but also to recruit more justice candidates.
In a NZ Context this could cross party lines as well.
Who knows National might even be up for it, after all it is known as THE YOUNG TURKS Challenge .
According to Radio NZs Te Radar our MPs are not generating much material to keep keep a healthy news cycle going compared to the news bite bonanza across the pacific in the USA.
It can make it a hungry time for our critics and comedians .
It’s the old don’t rock the boat and be comfortable strategy at play again but maybe there is a way to liven things up to keep our leaders in the news and the polls...
In the US one on-line news media outfit asks progressive politicians to sign a pledge that they stand for not only climate action but more importantly, justice.
This gives the political movers and shakers a united voice not only to the media but also to recruit more justice candidates.
In a NZ Context this could cross party lines as well.
Who knows National might even be up for it, after all it is known as THE YOUNG TURKS Challenge .
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