Written By:
notices and features - Date published:
2:00 pm, March 22nd, 2013 - 30 comments
Categories: weekend social -
Tags:
The current rise of populism challenges the way we think about people’s relationship to the economy.We seem to be entering an era of populism, in which leadership in a democracy is based on preferences of the population which do not seem entirely rational nor serving their longer interests. ...
The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.
We got the rain despite my appalling attempted at a rain dance. Which means trout, the flows up, the weed gone…hurrah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Moro NR and secularism. Are we a secular nation? Well yeah, I hope so. Secular to me means all the moderate elements of religion and not, all agree on a common practice. Yeah, I know, religious people think they created morality and ethics, well they didn’t. For any civilization to congeal a moral and ethical society is required. It evolved. Evolution, how surprising religious zealots have a hard time understanding that over time, for people to get along, they need a fair and coherent commonsense ethic and moral code. Moral and ethical codes change to technological pressure, and people rightly alter their morals and ethics or ‘see reason’. Religion that is unchangeable, rigid, will essentially fail to continue, oh look, the Catholic church is losing its influence!!! oh what a surprise.
So I was pretty astonished by the extreme religious argument pandering themselves as normal by Moro and his guests on NR, but hey, religious extremes must get some air time in a diverse country.
See an operating Newcomen Steam Engine, 5.5metres tall, this weekend. This engine is an example of the world’s very first steam engine, invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712, and is the first Newcomen Engine to be seen in the Southern Hemisphere:
http://events.nzherald.co.nz/2013/steam-and-vintage-country-festival-2013/auckland/glenbrook
Sounds like a treat jayman. If you’re ever in Wellington do go to the Silverstream Railway Museum. It’s a lot of fun even for someone like me who knows nothing about steam engines. Last time we got to ride in a carriage built in 1912 in Petone. The museum has steam engine days and diesel engine days. Its just the diesels they have on at the moment due to the fire ban.
http://www.silverstreamrailway.org.nz/
Enjoy!
Jayman is onto a treat: wish I could go but its too far. Love old agricultural machinery too, traction engines and threshers….wonderful.
Sounds great. Wish I was there but as a South Islander – too far.
I was asked once to look after 3 young tear-away lads at an AP& I show, so that the rest of the class could look in peace. My 3 lads and I walked into the grounds past the steaming traction engines. I looked away for a second, and when I looked back there were 3 grinning lads up on the engine along with the driver who took them on a 50 metre drive and back. The bit that annoyed me most was that I wasn’t on it too! Those lads will go far.
Paul Kelly for me, trip to the big city
I’ve just finished Neil Gaimin’s “American Gods” and now I’m at a loose end for something (novel) to read next. Suggestions?
most things by Ian McEwan
I am a great fan for any thing by Jamie Lee Burke. I’ve just read “Creole Belle”- a stylist, well defined characters, action, a social crit of his society and a deep look at the dark side of mankind.
The sequel, Anansi Boys.
Eaarth
Catch 22
Have you read The Daemon?
read “The Acts of John”
http://www.plotinus.com/the_daemon_copy%281%29.htm
Thanks all – will add Ian McEwan, Jamie Lee Burke, the Anansi Boys (didn’t know there was a sequel!) and The Daemon to my list.
Catch-22 is one of my all time faves (also God Knows by Heller).
I’ve read Eaarth and reviewed it on The Standard. Our own link to the page seems to have become confused, but the Wayback Machine still has it:
http://web.archive.org/web/20110427221851/http://thestandard.org.nz/eaarth/
ta for the suggestions…
I will have a look at search
Thanks – it’s a real odd one!
Elmore Leonard-City Primeval
James Ellroy-My Dark Places
Milan Kundera
Spencerville-Nelson De Mille
Tough Guys Don’t Dance-Norman Mailer
Try ‘A Fraction of the Whole’. A brilliant read
This photo at the Southland Secondary Schools Surfing comp shows the girl paddling in with a hectors (or mauis) dolphin dropping in alongside. Doesn’t seem to have been mentioned though – perhaps the photog missed it.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/sport/8458134/Wallace-wins-under-16-schools-surf-title
We get loads of these at a part of the coast we enjoy. Pretty much every time you paddle out they come by. Close enough to touch but quick enough to not get touched. Always lifts the session – that combined with no other people around, remote, blue skies and mountains at your back make us feel very fortunate at times…
What a great shot, dolphins are truly one of natures most wonderful creatures.
Almost every time I crew on the coastal classic we see dolphins (usually common dolphins, which are prolific in the hauraki gulf). There’s nothing like dolphins playing in the wake or on the bow to lift the spirits after 8 or 10 hours of hard work.
Huginn –
I moved your comment here to Open mike 23/03/2013. The political content was better suited to the open post than this social one.
Ok, I posted it here because its such a beautiful animation (^=^)
Ahh a happy weekend of computer repairs.
Done those, now I’m on site code fixes and upgrades. Plus I have to find out why there was a frozen database at the site at about 0500 this morning. Pingdom (a service that pings web sites) txted my phone to tell me about it.
If we went back in time to 2008 we would all be waking up this morning to the end of daylight savings and our time restored to normal (whatever “normal” time may be). However due to you know who, who must not be named as its weekend social, being largely responsible for the extension of daylight savings by three weeks, we now need to wait another two weeks for that to happen. Apparently the majority of people love daylight savings and the extension of it. I can understand the reasoning, but for me, when there is an autumnal change in the air it feels so wrong that it is still bright in the evening. And then when daylight savings finally ends its suddenly darker than it should be had we been eased into the change of seasons more gently.
Being one of those very few people who just don’t get excited about summer, I look forward to the end of daylight savings. Its delay seems to mess with my psychological connection to seasonal change.
Apparently this non acceptance of the daylight savings extension is considered weird.Is there anyone else who feels slightly aggrieved at the perceived disruption to the beginning of autumn? Do you not notice or do you enjoy the longer daylight savings time?
Well said Rosie. Couldn’t agree more.
That unnamed person claimed the extension was what the public wanted. Bullshit! The public were not even consulted. It’s the early start I particularly object to. Waking up in the morning and it’s still dark. What’s the use of extra evening daylight when – weather-wise – it’s still bloody winter! My psychological clock goes haywire every Spring because of HIM. Wish I lived in a certain Wellington
electoratesuburb.Thanks Anne. I feel ever so slightly less odd now. He who cannot be named said 45,000 expressed their desire for an extension to daylight saving in a petition. No, I didn’t see such a petition either.
Oh, and I do happen to live in that particular……………….area. Feel glad you don’t.:-)
Agree that the abrupt early start date to daylight savings is also untimely and annoying.
FINALLY made some progress on my Celica. Reconditioned rear brakes are back on. Next week – front hubs and brakes, fluid changes and get her rolling!