More serious issues than direction of travel in car parks
I agree with this recent reply to this issue. But "start up a thread detailing those important matters", might not be the answer. I think this is not the forum for them.
I tried for a while to introduce some. Also dropped in the occasional URL where 'meaty' topics are discussed and commented on.
I thought this was a serious matter that very few people new about: www.neighbourly.co.nz...
It was read/skimmed/noticed by at least two people, (probably 'Leads') Generated no replies.
It was too long. We have become hooked on the 'Sound bite' and read only the headline. Probably all suffering 'Information Overload' and just don't have the time to read in depth, as we once did. I think this trend is quite dangerous, part of the dumbing down of the populace. If you're going to take over the world, start with the means of communication. That's well in hand. Ignorant = Compliant = Good
I suggest we all review our reading/TV habits. Prune hard. Do you really need to know which famous for being famous celebrity is doing what to whom? A lot of it is 'Clickbait' - some of the stuff I've fallen for wasn't even related to the original bait that caught me. Scam me once - shame on you. Scam me twice - shame on me.
The practice of rich countries dumping their rubbish in poor countries because it's cheaper than doing it at home, brings to mind that phrase of Edward Heath:
"The unacceptable face of capitalism"
There is a good paper about this practice. Paste this whole line into Google:
Decreasing Dirty Dumping - A Reevaluation of Toxic Waste Colonialism and the Global Management of Transboundary Hazardous Waste by Laura A. Pratt
The only thing these people fear but don't get is jail. William K Black a banking regulator at the time of the S&L crisis, said he jailed 1000 bankers as a result. And as a result of these jailings the rules were changed, and prosecutions from the 2008 banking scams were not possible. That's what you get when the public doesn't follow politics. www.democraticunderground.com...
"Apparently modern financial regulators are vastly more sophisticated than we were as financial regulators 25 years ago - because we had never figured out that the key
to financial stability was leaving felons in charge of the largest financial institutions in the world." - William K Black.
The 0.1% know we are too busy working and easily distracted with sport and trivia and probably think we deserve to be screwed at every opportunity.
When they're caught out, they pay the lawyers, pay the PR spin doctors, pay the fine, keep the profits, and move on to their next project.
I think they're right. If we are too lazy/stupid to pay attention to the important goings on, we deserve what ever they dish out. Politics may be dull, but it's important.
I was heartened to hear Theresa May last week: "The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over" But then she added "(except) when it is in our own interests to intervene." We were not informed what these "interests" might be, but can assume they would include business interests. eg "Your country doesn't want to sell us your xxxx? Oh, I'm sorry, we'll have to replace your government with one that will"
I thought President Trump got off to a bad start with most of his appointments. The only good thing I see so far, is it has finally occurred to someone that the world
might be safer if two super powers, Russia & USA, were working closer together, not further apart as Hillary wanted.
But some experts say this is just to isolate China. And a few shrinks have suggested he is a psychopath. He received five Draft Deferments from the Vietnam war. The first was for his feet, the others were for education. Some former class mates at the prestigious collage he attended say they don't remember him at all, let alone as top of the class. He has refused to release his college transcripts. Is this the "Birther" problem he promoted against Obama coming around to him? Karma.
Romney hid behind his religion and cheered on the war from another country.
www.rollingstone.com...
But avoiding the draft was top priority for most politicians and celebrities. What's the point of being rich if you can't arrange the world to how you want it?
Worth reading:
www.wikileaks.com...
www.publicintegrity.org... (very US centric)
www.propublica.org...
www.reddit.com...
werewolf.co.nz...
And plenty more where you can post your opinion. You will be challenged and have to defend it. You'll learn a lot. But it's time consuming, and hard work. I guess thats why trivia is so popular.
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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35.5% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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64.5% 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!
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.
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