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.