Fiordland's GODZone Adventure 2018

Posted 16th March 2018 to the Fiordland Advocate Newspaper Te Anau NZ

It is Interesting to ponder what lasting effects the recent GODZone adventure race have on Fiordland now that it’s all done and dusted.

It’s not clear just how many people have followed it beyond the personalities and Fans involved but they certainly showcased some areas less traveled to the public. Some of their routes will be begging to be revisited.

As for photographic coverage there where some classic snapshots of amazing landscape but quite a few gaps and a fair bit of rural Southland mixed in.

The real star of the race was the amazing Lake Herries between Lakes Manapouri & Te Anau high in the Kepler Mountains that proved to be a hidden Gem.

The Manapouri-Te Anau Cycle trail survey route showed itself to be very handy  and could well be a staple in future events  as well as the Lake2Lake trail.

Also a shame they all missed Mount Titiroa but where so close!

Freedom Camper Blues of New Zealand

Posted 10th March 2018 to the Southland Times Newspaper Invercargill NZ

‘Tis good to read in this paper that our mayors are busy trying to nut out a solution for the freedom camping debate.
I see it as a problem of a great big world trying to squash it’s mass holiday makers in to a small country with limited infrastructure and now limited tolerance.

I see on TV Oprah Winfrey addressed Stephen Colbert’s audience proclaiming EVERYONE SHOULD VISIT  NEW ZEALAND !  Many people treat Oprah like a messiah so let’s hope they don’t take it as a commandment or we literally going to burst!  The only hope is the Government puts a high tariff on cheap airline seats because we ain’t seen nothing yet... Or we could go the way of the Department of Conservation and go all NIMBY on them.

Future Invercargill: to stay or go ?

Posted 3rd March 2018 to the Southland Times Newspaper Invercargill NZ

I read on the front page of this newspaper that old Invercargill may need to be replaced by a stronger city.
I have followed all the past expert opinions  I can find and It is clear that Old Invercargill is simply in the wrong place
for the Anthroposcine era... It would be great to preserve the old city as an open air Museum, perhaps tear the streets up and make canals, heck you even have a Venetian Basilica on Tay Street..   So the question is what would people like a new city centre to be and where should it be placed ? A Shining City on a Hill?

If I recall construction is good for the economy, but not something that one should have to abandon in a short lifespan. 

The Great Gwynne Dyer Tradition

Posted 26th Feb 2018 to the Southland Times Newspaper Invercargill NZ

The Southland Times is lucky to have commentary from the great Gwynne Dyer.
Gwynne has so many achievements under his belt, he is a true heavyweight in the Journalistic World.
And he is one of the group of intellectuals  working on stopping human stupidity from destroying the world,
or at least slowing it’s demises down.

He also appears on podcasts talking about what concerned enlightened citizens can do
To help.

It’s nice to know that behind the current political freak-show info-news bot world that there are real people doing something for our future.

Good on you Mr. Dyer

American Christian Branding 2018

Posted 17th February 2018 to the New York Times Newspaper USA

It is clear in 2018 there are only two truly beloved leaders in US Politics at the moment
One is the Christ-like Senator from Vermont  who is by-far the most loved US Politician in the modern era.
The other is an ex Slum Lord from Queens who appears to be a master of deception and cruelty .
So why are the US Fundamentalists not loving to Christ-like man who offers to set them free from the pains
of this world instead of a character out of the book of Revelations?

I know the first Christians where originally a end of the world cult started by disaffected Jews but I though the had got over that in the last 2000 years.

They have inspired so many with their infused Greek Philosophy, soul searching and questioning in recent times.
Where has it all gone wrong ?

#lovebernie

Gwynne Dyer- Canada's Christopher Hitchens

Posted February 15th to the Southland Times Newspaper Invercargill NZ

Interesting to read Gwynne Dyer in the Paper on American Health Care..
There are a lot of Canadians like Gwynne in the USA trying to talk sense about
what the actual job of Government is. Apparently the Idea is to represent all the people
Without emotional distinction with the understanding that Govt takes tax money to insure that
citizens are protected from bad luck and disadvantage caused through no fault of their own.
Apparently this is the top objective of any healthy civilization.  We could do with a few more
Canadian Ideas in NZ and less American inspired social Darwinism.
Even India is getting onboard with universal health care.
If you put emotion into government, sympathy with reason is the best... Fear and paranoia is the worst. 

Ticket from Donald J Trump to Hitler Station

Posted 13th February 2018 to the Otago Daily Times Newspaper Dunedin NZ

It’s hard to write about the Current US President these days because he has captured the news conversation of the planet for what feels like forever. Many pundits feel like we are on a train to Hitler Station, but there is one thing they rarely touch on, both President #45 and the late German Chancellor both generated a wave of intense infatuation in the population. How is it homely, almost comic, cruel men can tap into unconditional love to cause wide scale death and destruction?

If only they could have used the Love of Bernie Saunders to derail number 45, America would not be split into 2 political Tribes.

Reading between the lines I recon the Trump is addicted to love like crack because of his childhood...  Just like other scary leaders of the past.    

And why are all the normal politicians so un loveable ? Hillary & Al Gore missed the boat there... If they where loved there would be no tolerance for cheating behavior from the other camp.  Love is like Midichlorians from Star Wars. It’s a force!