World, Writing, Wealth discussion
World & Current Events
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If you're not in the U.S., what's up in your part of the world?
Nik, it is complicated. We had an extensive period where councils started playing around with town planning, and by doing so restricted new sections being made available, with the goal of getting people into higher-rise apartments, but the earthquakes of 2010, although they did no particular damage overall to city apartments, there was one building that collapsed in Christchurch and in the legal mash-up that followed, liability issues suddenly persuaded engineers that new strengthening issues were required, which meant that apartment owners were suddenly faced with bills for about $300,000 each. Big surprise - apartments suddenly became less desirable. So with decades of under building, houses became in very short supply.Then came the double whammy of something like 70,000 kiwis who were living offshore suddenly decided to come home, a number of Aucklanders decided to get out of the city and work somewhere else, thus spreading the problem, and meanwhile the reserve bank has gone into a whole lot of quantitative easing with almost no interest, which means the banks are flush with money. With interest rates horrible, people with bank deposits are cashing out and too many are investing in property. It is almost a case of an economics exam question: think of any economic action that does not cause house price increases here. It should be a bubble, but there are an awful lot of people that can't find a house and are sleeping in cars, garages, etc. It really is a social disaster, and a complete failure of the market, thanks to stupid regulations.
Ian wrote: "It should be a bubble, but there are an awful lot of people that can't find a house and are sleeping in cars, garages, etc. It really is a social disaster, and a complete failure of the market, thanks to stupid regulations...."Careful Ian,
You are starting to sound like an American Republican.....8^)
Oops! But notwithstanding that identity crisis :-) it's basically true.
Ian wrote: "Oops! But notwithstanding that identity crisis :-) it's basically true."You have explained one of the great debates within American society.
Papaphilly, the debate is not just restricted to American society. It is also running well here too.
Ian wrote: "Papaphilly, the debate is not just restricted to American society. It is also running well here too."I have no doubt. The biggest underlying argument is how much government? Simplifying everything to stupidity, Republicans tend to be boot-strappers and go your own way and Democrats tend to want more government involved. Generally speaking, it is not much of a difference, but it is a difference to the core. The problem is that everything is so politicized and cemented, that any discussion becomes a knife fight.
There are two questions that bedevil us: how much should a government do, and how can it be made to do it competently and free of corruption? The debate tends to circle around the question of competence, and unfortunately, governments frequently show themselves not to be competent. One obvious answer to the problem is "fix the competence problem", which then resolves down to, how?
Seeking to make a government competent can only work when the government in question is limited in scope. When you are dealing with a simple system of governance which only acts when required to act, there are only a few areas where said government will be active. Other areas, like drafting legislation dealing with new technologies, can be aided by expert testimony as needed. But as the number of services grows so does the number of areas for which said government requires permanent expertise. Each new job grows the Leviathan and creates new power bases which can be twisted to ends other than the public good.
Nobody, especially me, said it would be easy. My personal experience with government agencies here is that too often they get constipated through people having risen above their level of competence, and then having to take measures to hide this, with unfortunate consequences.
It’s only too often the staffing is about giving jobs to a close circle instead of hiring the best performers. Positions instead of results and achievements
J. wrote: "Seeking to make a government competent can only work when the government in question is limited in scope. When you are dealing with a simple system of governance which only acts when required to ac..."I've long maintained that the co-option of the machinery of the state to private interests is an obvious goal for those with the means to do so.
The challenge for the rest of us is to ensure that does not happen.
Who guards the guardians?
Nik wrote: "It’s only too often the staffing is about giving jobs to a close circle instead of hiring the best performers. Positions instead of results and achievements"Add to that the Peter Principle.
Ian and Leonie, cool news about the Bigfin Squid and the orcas. Interesting case, Ian, against a deceased defendant.Everyone needs to read The Peter Principle, which I read years ago. It still applies.
As for Democrats' propensity for big government, the more free stuff they give away, the more power they have over the people who accept it and come to depend on it. Some Blacks in this country are speaking up about how Welfare has been another means of enslaving them. Keep a close eye on this country in the next four years as government grows.
And how do you keep government free of corruption? Limit campaign contributions from corporations and special interests. But that will take a case coming before the Supreme Court to reverse the Citizens United decision.
Scout - I am in total agreement that campaign contributions is various forms (not just money) from corporations and special interest groups is one of the biggest problems in our political system (and our criminal law system). Sadly, who can afford to lobby for things except those who will financially benefit? And they lobby, a lot, because it benefits them. The private prison industry doesn't care who the president is - they just want government officials who are easily persuaded to put in place that which will benefit their business.
Rocket attacks on the Green zone in Iraq.REF: https://twitter.com/alialshouk/status...
REF: https://twitter.com/thestevennabil/st...
Crown Casinos new casino ($2.2 billion) not going to be allowed to open next month due to probability of money laundering through VIP accounts. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-1...SA going into hard 6 day lockdown after another hotel quarantine issue and 22 new cases.
All hotel quarantine workers will have weekly COVID tests. (Nationwide agreement. National cabinet has agreed to this.)
There will be a potentially 'bombshell' announcement tomorrow about issues with our special forces, when the war crimes inquiry hands down its findings.
Leonie wrote: "There will be a potentially 'bombshell' announcement tomorrow about issues with our special forces, when the war crimes inquiry hands down its findings...."Would like to hear what it's about once it explodes
I don't really follow news, as it is all in Dutch and difficult for me to follow. The only thing I do hear is Corona this and Corona that and as far as Corona irus is concerned The Netherlands is not very strict about their rules. Using masks in supermarket also became a suggestion much later than in other places in Europe and then sort of mandatory a bit after that.To bring some joy though, there is this Dutch pre-Christmas festivity, where Sinterklaas brings gifts to children going on until 5th December.
Nik wrote: "Leonie wrote: "There will be a potentially 'bombshell' announcement tomorrow about issues with our special forces, when the war crimes inquiry hands down its findings...."Would like to hear what ..."
I think it will exploding for some time to go, Nik.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-1...
Leonie wrote: "Nik wrote: "Leonie wrote: "There will be a potentially 'bombshell' announcement tomorrow about issues with our special forces, when the war crimes inquiry hands down its findings...."Would like t..."
Just appalling. Against everything I was taught about battle and command let alone legality. UK forces are not golden and we have had bad issues too - mainly in Iraq and previously in Northern Ireland. In many of these cases not helped by legions of lawyers and dodgy witnesses. The heat of battle is one thing and not best analysed in a court room. But after a battle with prisoners and the faking of evidence is deeply concerning
Philip wrote: "Leonie wrote: "Nik wrote: "Leonie wrote: "There will be a potentially 'bombshell' announcement tomorrow about issues with our special forces, when the war crimes inquiry hands down its findings......."Yes. It's incredibly appalling. There are a number of articles on the ABC, and pretty well every other news outlet in Australia.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-1...
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-1...
NZ had a court case too, but I am pleased to report nothing like this. Our SAS were accused of killing some civilians during a night raid to put an end to a bomb manufacturer. My view here is when bullets are flying, sorry but you cannot guarantee only to hit the guilty when the targets are also guerillas shooting at you and not in any uniform. If governments do not want collateral damage they should not deploy the military. But killing unarmed people after the firefight is over is simply murder.
Ian wrote: "NZ had a court case too, but I am pleased to report nothing like this. Our SAS were accused of killing some civilians during a night raid to put an end to a bomb manufacturer. My view here is when ..."Agreed and it is
Thanks, Victoria, for letting us know about the joy of Sinterklaas.
Am I understanding correctly that SAS soldiers killed non-combatant prisoners on orders from their superiors?
Scout wrote: "Am I understanding correctly that SAS soldiers killed non-combatant prisoners on orders from their superiors?"The gist of the report, is that a few (25 or so) SAS soldiers killed non-combatants/prisoners, most likely on orders/coercion from their NCOs.
I've read a bit of the report (most of the executive summary, actually), and it's at pains to point out that the major instigators appear to be long term NCO level soldiers, many of whom had done multiple rotations in Afghanistan. It talks at length about a culture of 'warrior mentality' in contrast to 'modern professional soldiering.'
They don't completely exonerate the chain of command, but point out that special forces patrols are frequently commanded in the field by said NCOS, with higher level officers frequently at a physical distance due to operational concerns. There was apparently a huge amount of secrecy associated with the actions. Whistleblowers or people who pushed back against the culture were victimised and intimidated. Some left the service.
Most of the actions appear to have occurred between 2006-2013.
Some articles:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-2...
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-1... (includes a link to the redacted report - redacted because of now ongoing criminal investigations)
From NZ - strangely, not much. Having got a record parliamentary majority, we seem to be bogged down with, "Now what?"Overseas relations seem to be put aside. After the "Five Eyes" criticism of China over Hong Kong, China threatens to "put out eyes". Hmmm.
Maybe nothing is happening because we have gone gloomy. Wellington, the capital, is having weird weather - so far over all of November, 1 month from the summer solstice, we are averaging 4 hrs sunshine a day. Doing our bit for climate change :-). Maybe we need to. Sea temperatures around NZ are currently 1.5 degrees C above average.
We are still embroiled in the special forces atrocities, which I think will go on for a long while.Fatal shark attack at Cable Beach in Broome. (Have swum there...many years ago.)
SA seems to have avoided a coronavirus disaster, despite a bloke lying to the contact tracers.
We continue on the edge with China.
Speculation about how our climate change avoiding/denying party in power will deal with things as pretty well all of our close allies have plans and we don't.
Wallabies draw with Argentina. (Husband was rather relieved, as he had previously sent 'Don't cry for me Argentina' to NZ friend after recent All Blacks defeat.)
Leonie, we are not crying, for Argentina or anyone else. But the coach may have to get better results fairly soon if he wants to keep his job :-)
"China threatens to 'put out eyes.'" I've been worried about China for several years, and it seems justified.And, Leonie, I guess Australia was not part of the Paris Agreement?
Scout wrote: ""China threatens to 'put out eyes.'" I've been worried about China for several years, and it seems justified.And, Leonie, I guess Australia was not part of the Paris Agreement?"
We are part of the Paris Agreement, however our government is attempting to weasel out of actual action regarding it (by using carryover credits as per the Kyoto protocol) rather than actually changing anything. https://www.theguardian.com/environme...
The majority of Australians appear to back reducing emissions as per the agreement, in contrast to our governing party's policies. It's a significant divide in our politics.
Leonie wrote: "The majority of Australians appear to back reducing emissions as per the agreement, in contrast to our governing party's policies...."Emissions are reducing naturally. It is the nature of technology. It is already happening. I wonder if those that back reduction would still be willing if only certain countries must and not others of if energy costs soars through the roof. An unenforceable piece of paper is not worth what it is written on.
Sad news of Maradona's death of heart attack will likely capture the headlines for a few hours
Very sad news. No age at all, was he?
Best player of his generation by a country mile. You could make a good case for him being the best of all time too.
Best player of his generation by a country mile. You could make a good case for him being the best of all time too.
From NZ. Politicians want electric vehicles as a solution to emissions. They have not put in the numbers
. Maradonna's death noted. Nobody seems to be noting that early death may be the price of the lifestyle of drugs, etc
. We have a weird courtmartial coming up. Misuse of a computer, and a whole lot of other mind-bogglingly trivial stuff, then, tacked on, espionage. Eh? Probably cannot continue with the courtmartial because espionage requires proper court because of the penalty.
. Touring Pakistani cricket team arrived, together with at least 6 cases of Covid. Now they are quarantined and will not be able to train.
. Major fuss over some Maori children being taken from parents. Maori argue they should all be left to Maori to manage, but we have terrible examples of Maori child abuse. What to do? Be accused of being racist, or leave occasional Maori babies to have their heads bashed in?
Ian wrote: " Major fuss over some Maori children being taken from parents. Maori argue they should all be left to Maori to manage, but we have terrible examples of Maori child abuse. What to do? Be accused of being racist, or leave occasional Maori babies to have their heads bashed in? ..."I suspect much like the U.S. with native Americans, there is a terrible history here and even if the best thing for the children is taking them out, it will be tough because of the history and cries of racism. It is tough stuff and it is not going away. I would bet that if left to themselves, there will be cries about ignoring the elephant in the room as the abuse adds up. I hope it is isolated events and not a wide scale problem. That would help.
Beau wrote: "Very sad news. No age at all, was he?Best player of his generation by a country mile. You could make a good case for him being the best of all time too."
Fake, but maybe evokes a reserved smile: https://www.facebook.com/100044461718...
Papaphilly wrote: "Ian wrote: " Major fuss over some Maori children being taken from parents. Maori argue they should all be left to Maori to manage, but we have terrible examples of Maori child abuse. What to do? Be..."Yes, most Maori are fine, but there is an unfortunate number who are embedded in gangs, drug dealing, etc, and children from them have a horrible start to life. There are not that many such children, but the numbers persist over a long time. These Maori activists say the Maori should be left to sort the problem. If they would actually sort it, there would be great applause all round and supportive money from the government, but unfortunately, when push comes to shove, they don't do anything except talk. I don't think anyone thinks what is going on taking babies away is particularly desirable, but most think it is a lot better than the alternatives. I doubt there is an easy solution.
Maori babies have their heads bashed in? What could be worse than that?And I'm all for the option of electric vehicles, but not to the exclusion of gas vehicles, especially until charging stations are widely available. Is there still an environmental problem with the batteries used in electric vehicles, and is it offset by fewer carbon emissions? I haven't read anything about that lately.
Basically despite all the talk, most of the batteries are not recyclable, and it is not helped by the fact there are at least five different systems. If everyone switched, every eight years or so there would be enough dead batteries to encircle the Earth. The rubbish problems are immense. Worse, there is no evidence there is actually a saving of CO2 emissions when you include the problems of making the batteries. Added to which, take a look at the conditions of Congo miners who dig up the necessary ore to extract cobalt. There is not enough cobalt for everyone to have an ev, and after some time, some of the other components start to become scarce.I should add the caveat: I am in favour of at least some contribution from biofuels, and I do NOT mean alcohol. For example, I calculated that at the turn of the century, if all solid trash was see[arated and the orgrnaic fraction converted to fuel, you would get 8 litres of fuel per person per week, which is 32 l for a four person household. Not a total solution there, but a useful contribution. You get a lot more from sewage treatment plants. Again, not a total solution, but at least a contribution
What do you think about this? Extract CO2 from our air, use it to create synthetic fuelshttps://energypost.eu/extract-co2-fro...
You get much less energy out of the fuel than you put in making it from CO2. Of course you can do it with free solar energy - plants do it, so in a sense biofuels do it. But taking CO2 and reacting it with hydrogen, which you have to make, will require a lot of energy.
Nik wrote: "Beau wrote: "Very sad news. No age at all, was he?
Best player of his generation by a country mile. You could make a good case for him being the best of all time too."
Fake, but maybe evokes a re..."
Nik, I can't seem to get that link without agreeing to all sorts of Facebook cookies. I'm not agreeing to anything they want lol. What does it say?
Ian, certainly a flawed man but still a footballing genius.
On topic, I'm ignoring the news to improve happiness levels but somebody told me there's much controversy over our return to the tiered lockdown approach.
Best player of his generation by a country mile. You could make a good case for him being the best of all time too."
Fake, but maybe evokes a re..."
Nik, I can't seem to get that link without agreeing to all sorts of Facebook cookies. I'm not agreeing to anything they want lol. What does it say?
Ian, certainly a flawed man but still a footballing genius.
On topic, I'm ignoring the news to improve happiness levels but somebody told me there's much controversy over our return to the tiered lockdown approach.
Beau wrote: "... Nik, I can't seem to get that link without agreeing to all sorts of Facebook cookies. I'm not agreeing to anything they want lol. What does it say?..."It pretends to be Donald's tweet (fake though) reading:
"Very sad to hear about the death of Maradona. A great person. Her music was wonderful. I remember listening to her albums in the early 1980's. Rest In Peace!"
Nik wrote: "Beau wrote: "... Nik, I can't seem to get that link without agreeing to all sorts of Facebook cookies. I'm not agreeing to anything they want lol. What does it say?..."
It pretends to be Donald's ..."
You put it perfectly with 'evokes a reserved smile'.
It pretends to be Donald's ..."
You put it perfectly with 'evokes a reserved smile'.
COVID - Tier 3 for London and new strain detectedTier 3 means London Theatres to close just after they reopened
Death of John Le Carré and Liverpool's former manager Gerard Houllier
EU/UK trad....zzzzzzzzzz
Coverage of overseas - storms in Australia, US Election zzzzzz, Google AI Racism, Google service outage, Global hack using SolarWinds (Major issue behind this)
Canada.First covid vaccines taking place today.
Belynda wrote: "Canada.First covid vaccines taking place today."
Saw that and in UAE and USA - no pressure for Aus and NZ to start given very low numbers there.
Storms in QLD and NSWPotential travel bubble between Australia and NZ early in the New Year, but dependent on any COVID transmission
New COVID variant in London
Bikie killing in Perth
World, Writing, Wealth
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Record house prices. ..."
What's the driver behind that? Scores of foreigners fleeing their countries for corona-free NZ (at the onset it was indeed reported that many so..."
I wonder if is it like in the United States. People fleeing urban areas for less dense areas. Working from home looks like it could be a permanent fixture. So if you do not have to stay near the job, then why live a higher tax area?