Open mike 04/01/2020

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, January 4th, 2020 - 28 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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28 comments on “Open mike 04/01/2020 ”

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  1. Formerly Ross 1
    4 January 2020 at 8:17 am

    Yes, standing down will stop the fires from burning. Jumping up and down about ScoMo will achieve nothing.

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

    [I warned you the other day, that the onus is on you to demonstrate that you are not running denialist lines. You appear to be doing the same now, only with more care. But as far as I can tell it still boils down to Australia and small emitters shouldn’t act on CC, reducing GHGs won’t have impact, there’s nothing unusual about these fires. Please stay out of my CC posts for the forseeable future. You are still welcome to clear up any misunderstanding in Open Mike. Putting you in premod for now – weka]

  2. Andre 2
    4 January 2020 at 9:41 am

    Hey peeps, what's been happening while I've been taking a break?

    *checks*

    oh – Billzilla is back …

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6nzmO312iI

    [Do you have a point to make? May I remind you that attacks on Authors, even subtle ones, is not a smart move? Please don’t go there – Incognito]

  3. Sacha 3
    4 January 2020 at 9:42 am

    Thoughtful review of the organised manipulation of climate change science: https://www.noted.co.nz/planet/planet-planet/climate-change-science-manipulation-polluted-the-debate

    This deliberate, strategic denial of scientific evidence is the subject of [Naomi] Oreskes’ ground-breaking 2010 book Merchants of Doubt (co-authored with Erik M Conway), which tells the story of how a relatively small but politically well-connected band of scientists, funded by the fossil-fuel industry and libertarian think tanks, hoodwinked the public by promoting doubt about several environmental and public-health issues, beginning with the health effects of tobacco smoking, the toxicity of DDT and the effect of ozone-destroying chemicals, and how the same tactics of denial (and even the same people) worked to thwart meaningful and timely action on climate change.

    Oreskes has now published a new book, Why Trust Science?, in which she lays out how scientists can help put an end to doubt-mongering and anti-science politics. “Most people still trust science far more than politicians or business leaders, but we have been cynically manipulated to distrust climate science,” she says in an interview from her home.

    • xanthe 3.1
      4 January 2020 at 1:39 pm

      " hoodwinked the public by promoting doubt about several environmental and public-health issues, beginning with the health effects of tobacco smoking, the toxicity of DDT and the effect of ozone-destroying chemicals"

      To this list I would add the dangers of1080 and vaccination.

      • Bazza64 3.1.1
        4 January 2020 at 2:27 pm

        Dangers of vaccination ? I'm sure you wished you lived years ago when smallpox, polio, tetanus & other diseases were not treatable.

        Guess you think the Samoa measles situation is OK ? It's hard to help the conspiracy clowns !

        • xanthe 3.1.1.1
          4 January 2020 at 5:00 pm

          That's a separate issue, I was talking about the perversion of science in both cases. pure science is a dying art nowadays largely due to the end of public funding for tertiary education.

  4. Zuszsa 4
    4 January 2020 at 11:38 am

    The PM has announced more NZ firefighters will be joining those already in Australia.

    Given that the majority of those battling the fires are volunteer members of the Aussie RFS, I have been wondering about the NZers. I know that all of them will have volunteered to go (except maybe the NZDF firefighters), but are they mostly volunteer firefighters or professional?

    ScoMo has behaved disgracefully on many fronts but one of the worst was the way he dragged his feet over paying the volunteer fireys. Are 'our' firefighters being paid?

    A google search and a quick look at the press releases shone no light on this. Anyone here know?

    • Johnr 4.1
      4 January 2020 at 12:53 pm

      This is what I know from my son who is a rural volly firefighter.

      They are paid very well in nz after 8 hours on a job. That means that road accidents (the majority of call outs) and house fires are generally unpaid, but bush/scrub fires often last longer. It helps with the mortgage etc as they often need an extra day off work to recover

  5. Formerly Ross 5
    4 January 2020 at 12:11 pm

    The reason I led with Scomo is because of how his inept leadership is impacting on the people and how this may create more demand for action. But he's also a big part of why the powers in charge are not acting, so I can't see how this is not also about the whys.

    Scomo is just one person, just as Christine Nixon was one person who had a leadership role during the 2009 bushfires. The personal attack on her was reprehensible. As I've noted, voters chose Scomo's party recently – why was that?

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

  6. joe90 6
    4 January 2020 at 3:03 pm

    Russia's VTB bank underwrote the DeutscheBank loan and surprise, surprise, the major shareholder (60.9% ) of VTB is the Russian government.

    https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/1/3/1909205/-Explosive-report-indicates-that-Donald-Trump-s-loans-from-Deutsche-Bank-were-back-by-Russia

  7. Eco maori 7
    6 January 2020 at 11:59 am

    Battery technology is accelerating fast some new battech has stated that the have a five fold increase in energy density and changing cycles longer life battery this + new tech solar solution will make air travel green with in the near future. This gives me faith in a clean and Green environment for Te Mokopuna.

    Rolls-Royce has taken the wraps off its one-seater electric plane. This was a first look that drew global interest from news sites last week, as the big date is set for Spring next year to fly. The plane could become the world's fastest all-electric aircraft; the plane will target a speed of over 300 miles per hour.

    CleanTechnica's Nicolas Zart listed the partners in the undertaking: "The project includes electric motor and controller manufacturer YASA and aviation startup Electroflight, with funding from the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and Innovate UK."

    The team is also using ANSYS Fluent to work on the project. ANSYS is a software company in the business of engineering simulation.

    "If you've ever seen a rocket launch, flown on an airplane, driven a car, used a computer, touched a mobile device, crossed a bridge, or put on wearable technology, chances are you've used a product where ANSYS software played a critical role in its creation," said the company in describing itself. ANSYS tools, for example, are being used to balance the cooling system pre-production, on test.

    Reuters said the first flight would be performed "by an experienced pilot in late Spring 2020 at a location yet to be decided, but possibly in the Welsh countryside."

    Sarah Young reported for Reuters. The article reflected on the reason behind the keen interest: beyond Rolls-Royce, it is a hunger to see some progress on electric flying technology.

    The Reuters article listed ample reasons for such interest in progress: the issue of global greenhouse gas emissions; the issue of climate change; the recent spread of the "flight-shaming" movement on social media. Even the name of the project, ACCEL, hints at a desire to push forward. ACCEL stands for Accelerating the Electrification of Flight.

    Ka kite Ano links below

    https://m.techxplore.com/news/2019-12-rolls-royce-emissions-bird.html

  8. Eco maori 8
    6 January 2020 at 6:26 pm

    Kia Ora Newshub.

    Yes the sad thing is all the beautiful creatures losted in the Bush fires.

    The generosity of people making donations is awesome.

    Cool that Fukushima is being turned into a Eco energy hub.

    Ka kite Ano

  9. Eco maori 9
    6 January 2020 at 6:47 pm

    Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.

    Taken them long enough to look seriously into the disappeance of Jamie Kawai I bet if she was light skined the whole World would know about her missing.

    Nourish everyone is a great cause dishing out food that would end up in the dump business will be wise to donate more of their food to charity's with the price of dump fees sky rocketing.

    Our Troops should be brought back from Iraq ASAP with the mess that's been made there.

    New name for that Wellington Road Wharepaku.

    Ka kite Ano

  10. Eco maori 10
    7 January 2020 at 6:25 pm

    Kia Ora Newshub.

    I worked on a Waka with that name.

    Its supply and demand for the housing stock prices riseing fast pushing people under the bridge.

    Ron still in the Bush your a pro.

    Ka kite Ano.

  11. Eco maori 11
    7 January 2020 at 6:33 pm

    Simon it the Ion age heaps of New electric stuff being invented.

  12. Eco maori 12
    7 January 2020 at 6:52 pm

    Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.

    Condolences to the whanau who lost their Papa

    Yes we must look after our freshwater koura all our fish's must be treasured.

    The tamariki need to be taught to swim and respect Awa and Tangaroa.

    Ka kite Ano.