There's some new traffic tech in town
A few days ago Plugshare notified me that there was a new electric vehicle (EV) charger at the recently opened Pohe Island Car Park. So I decided to check it out, and there it was - a Schneider EVlink charger with a D-shaped type 2 (Mennekes) outlet. Fellow EV owners - please bring your own type 2 charging cable or adapter, just like for the one at The Warehouse. Many thanks to WDC, or Northpower, or whoever put that charger there (the Rock & Roll Club? ;-) - it's very much appreciated, and great to see that chargers are becoming a standard feature for new car parks.
And then I noticed, while walking around in the CBD (I know, I know... don't say it!) that the pedestrian traffic lights at the Rathbone St / Robert St intersection had been upgraded to modern LED ones, which are larger, brighter and easier to see (at least to me), and also include a display counting down the seconds left while it is still safe for pedestrians to cross the intersection. I think this is a great safety improvement, as long as we still have cars, cars, cars petroling and dieseling and blaring and thumping through the CBD, often in an aggressive and dangerous way around intersections and pedestrian crossings. So again, thank you for that, WDC.
It's those little improvements and changes for the better that seldom get any attention, news coverage or positive feedback. We love to complain about everything that's wrong under the sun but rarely appreciate the little things and steady progress and continuous improvements being made.
Something we all seem to have forgotten
An Obituary to Common Sense printed in the London Times
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.
No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated valuable lessons like:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- And maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge)
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher
fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death;
-by his parents, Truth and Trust,
-by his wife, Discretion,
-by his daughter, Responsibility,
-and by his son, Reason
He is survived by his 5 stepbrothers;
- I Know My Rights,
- I Want It Now,
- Someone Else Is To Blame,
- I'm A Victim,
- Pay me for Doing Nothing
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing…
This is a modified version of a text that is originally attributed to Lori Borgman. However, it is more true today than it was when first written. It is not the version I remember, but it still gets the point across. Enjoy and remember.
Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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34% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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66% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
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