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.

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. 

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.

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 . 

Sexual Minefield USA - GUNS

Posted April 8th 2019 to the New York Times Newspaper NY NY USA

One cog overlooked in the US mass shootings debacle is the question of young American male role models and sexuality or lack of it,
Scandinavians have long treated sex frustration as a mental health issue but in America it is a taboo issue.

If you look at all the ways young men can be tormented in the United States from guilt of failure this issue has to rate one of the highest.

Add this to the crumbling faith in our institutions of power to keep them from despair about the future on many different levels and the
Break down of general empathy of the State down to family and friends the young American Male is going to have it rough especially if they are un attractive.

I think it was Sweden that decided that as part of social medicine even the most unattractive people should have access to state funded sex workers
For their mental well being and the well being of the society.

 Probably because the fact is no human asks to be born in to a world of misery and then be humiliated fro not being rich and attractive.
Sadly in America today justice is handed out by over-sexed rich old men of privilege who label and dismiss any malcontents as evil or mad.

Even worse the repeated overuse of helplessness as a political tool is becoming to many, unbearable!
We better use hope and prayers that they never turn on their tormentors instead of kicking downward.

INSELL

50 years of Manapouri Power

Posted 7th August 2019 to the Otago Daily Times Newspaper Dunedin NZ

Sept 14th 2019 will mark half a century of power production from the Manapouri Power station. 
Seems like it may pass without an event to celebrate NZs most ambitious Engineering Project.
I hope that Meridian Energy will at least re open the station to the public again.

But before health and safety halted public interaction meridian was putting together a display of historic equipment in an audit tunnel
That is now under a cloud.
 
To this day no museum has been attempted to showcase the life and times of the people that toiled to build this epic project.
Some of us have tried to keep artefacts for that event but sometimes it feels like its all in vein.

Perhaps there is too much sadness involved with the reckless, needless environmental damage that was narrowly avoided and the painful loss of a NZ Taxpayers money
selling their assets without consultation that wasn’t.

Either way it’s sad the people of Fiordland who are forgotten. 

Maternity Leave Tourism - Germany 2020

Posted 23rd February 2020 to the Otago Daily Times Newspaper Dunedin New Zealand

I find this year a lot more German couples are traveling with babies than before Its nice to see that the country that invented the protestant work ethic really sees the benefits of giving its people a lot of leisure time unlike the poor saps in this country who are driven to burn out by punitive working conditions. It is however not clear why young Germans want to drag crying babies half way around the world to see a country they will never remember. Considering they are well aware and mindful of the environmental damage jet travel causes one has to wonder what is going on. It is also odd how people want to have a long distance holiday when a global pandemic is brewing.
Still, Hats off the a country that takes recreation of its citizens seriously, we could learn something from them.

Tourism Crunch - New Zealand 2020

Posted  15th February 2020 to the Otago Daily Times Newspaper Dunedin N.Z

Apart from the Corona virus effecting our Asian Visitors and Crayfish Exports, the Rivers in the Sky event has changed Tourism in Fiordland drastically this month with many displaced seasonal tourism workers looking for support to live in our high rent resorts and I would like to take a moment to thank those people who are looking out for them.
Also my hat goes off to our promotional agents who try to keep local spirits up with  Keep Calm and Carry On determination.
Sadly this season is not going to function normally till the repairs are done and even then the pattern For Heavy Passenger Vehicles only might be the new normal on the Milford Road. Doubtful Sound has not been future proofed thanks to a decision last century and currently has a 4 to 5 day backlog an allegedly priority goes to Queenstown.
News is now adventuresome tourists are starting to seek out the secret places on Fiordland's Eastern Boundary by car so that may prove interesting especially for the spectacular Borland Saddle Area.
We look forward to next season where Climate Action will be the hot topic. 

CANCEL THE OLYMPICS - CLIMATE EMERGENCY

Posted January 21st to the Dominion Post Newspaper Wellington New Zealand

So the majority of educated people on this planet say we are in a Climate Emergency and Japan is putting on the Olympic Games
saying they will make them GREEN by making Cardboard Beds for their participants.
I have never much liked the Olympic Games after watching the Munich massacre unfold because it became clear they where no longer honest and morally dodgy.
In 2020 The very Idea of the world's elite burning up fossil fuel, displacing urban communities and tones of public money just to feed their egos seems rely out of touch... 
On top of that there is a problem with Japan's bungled Nuclear disaster clean up and Chinese virus concerns...
and now they may have to answer to Greta Thornberg and her friends in the extinction rebellion for misappropriating the label GREEN.

National Cycle Trail - New Zealand

Posted January 10 2020 to the Dominion Post Newspaper Wellington NZ

I read that the media is interested in the Idea of a Trans New Zealand Cycle Trail to get cycles off the main roads
I had mentioned in the past that in Southland at least the National "Te Aroha" Trail could be upgraded to allow Bicycles but instead they went for a half loop around a remote mountain range which is now a financial headache.
Sadly the Route was more about politics and government handouts than cycling.
I think we could enlist a few more creative minds in our decision making about tourism as it is looking a bit like a dogs breakfast.
But this is a young country learning as it goes.

Helping Hands of US Democracy

Posted 16th of December 2019 to the Dominion Post Newspaper Wellington New Zealand.

Just noticed ex pat Americans and friends of world democracy feeling worried about the state of the US electoral system

can now help remotely from any part of the world.
I seems there is now a legitimate way to finance honest election helpers on line
through  votesaveamerica.com/fairfight 
I guess the Idea is what happens in Washington effects us all where ever we reside and that is often a little skewed by bad actors.
daylight it seems is the best antiseptic.