Dave Lane @lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz

But damn, it took a long time.

Many years ago, I voted to commit my home city at the time (Seattle, WA, USA) to building a light rail system. Today, my friend Mike reviewed the result and released a video of it. Very cool! https://invidious.snopyta.org/watch?v=GdPdTCQNV3k or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdPdTCQNV3k Thanks Mike!

Out of curiosity, do any of the NZ folks on here live in the Fendalton Ward in Christchurch? #nzpol

I think it's a huge mistake for NZ to have allowed itself to become one of the 5 Eyes. It'll be even a bigger mistake if NZ's Gov't creates closer ties with the US militarily https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/472989/geoffrey-miller-threat-to-our-non-nuclear-position-as-aukus-door-held-ajar-for-new-zealand and the gloss has worn off Rocket Lab. It's no longer a kiwi company, and it's completely betrayed its early champions and supporters to whom it pledged it would not work with the US military industrial complex. It's a damn shame.

Amazing discussion. So wide-ranging and thoughtful and frank. https://invidious.snopyta.org/watch?v=2vg3DkeyoUI or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vg3DkeyoUI

Wow, this is an impressive demonstration of truth to one's aesthetic values in the face of media powers that be.
https://invidious.snopyta.org/watch?v=58mE7Vy1Xrc
or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58mE7Vy1Xrc #3minutesshouldbeenoughforanyone

Make the bad drivers pay, I say. Fine the fuck out of them. Fine cyclists allowing themselves to be distracted while riding too. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/472956/snapped-50-000-escape-tickets-after-being-caught-using-phones-not-wearing-seatbelts (I'm a member of both groups, but don't allow myself to be distracted while driving or riding - my wellbeing and that of others depends on me being on the ball).

If Christchurch wants a stadium (for those not from here, the old one was destroyed in 2011's big quake), it should be modestly sized, but capable of being expanded, have *no roof*, and be put *on cheap land at the fringes of the city*.

Stadia are not focal points of commerce. They're boom&bust facilities: 10% of the time they're pushing the infrastructure to the breaking point, 90% of the time, they're completely dead. Putting one in a CBD is beyond idiotic..

That's because I guarantee it's the one where the taxpayer is subsidising private commercial interests. That's just implicit Trickle Down Economics, and it's not a valid thing.

My thinking, when considering controversies in local politics, is that whichever option 'business leaders" prefer is almost certainly the wrong side to support...

Yes, they'll have to be brave and weather the abuse from the entitled elite who think it's in the public interest (ticket prices guarantee it will not be patronised by a uniform cross-section of society, so it's effectively a publicly funded project for the benefit of the wealthy)... but all they need to do is point to the beautiful new (empty) Convention Centre, which should be dubbed the "Albatross Millstone Necklace" as that's what'll be for ratepayer for its lifetime. Why add another one?!

Here in Chch we need a city council smart enough to realise that a covered stadium in the CBD is a colossally idiotic idea that will cost them future elections if they don't nip it in the bud now.

Following up - yum, it's lush. Pleased I had the patience to let them cool.

Listening to RNZ and woman from Gloriavale talking about how she was misled about god... and how she now, having left Gloriavale, has knows the *right* way to understand god. Ugh. That mind virus is tenacious and insipid.

And, in case any of you are puzzled, in my picture caption, that should've been white *strong* flour, not string flour - darn autocorrect.