Intolerable NZ Police Speed Tolerance
Politics, posted: 16-Mar-2012 22:40
Regarding speeding tickets at 55 km/h:
The NZ Police will suffer from a severe loss of respect with this policy. Traffic in Auckland generally travels near 60 km/h in 50 km/h zones.
A better approach, if the Police are going to be so pedantic, is to raise the speed limits by 10 km/h, everywhere, and impose a zero tolerance. This would result in (nearly) all of us suddenly becoming law-abiding citizens, and puts the onus on the motorist to know if their speedometer reads high or low.
It might also reduce road rage by encouraging some of the drivers who favour 40 km/h to perhaps manage 50 km/h?
The current policy evokes disrespect: "the law is an ass".
The NZ Police will suffer from a severe loss of respect with this policy. Traffic in Auckland generally travels near 60 km/h in 50 km/h zones.
A better approach, if the Police are going to be so pedantic, is to raise the speed limits by 10 km/h, everywhere, and impose a zero tolerance. This would result in (nearly) all of us suddenly becoming law-abiding citizens, and puts the onus on the motorist to know if their speedometer reads high or low.
It might also reduce road rage by encouraging some of the drivers who favour 40 km/h to perhaps manage 50 km/h?
The current policy evokes disrespect: "the law is an ass".
Referendum on NZ Voting System
Politics, posted: 20-Nov-2011 13:54
No voting system is perfect.
FPP is definitely the worst option. Only swing voters in the "marginal" electorates influence which party governs. Everyone else is effectively disenfranchised.
MMP is better, but suffers from List candidates -- people who have never had the endorsement of the voters.
My recommendation is for STV. There are no List MPs. Instead, there are larger electorates with 3 - 7 MPs. So a typical electorate might end up with 2 National MPs, 2 Labour MPs & 1 minor party MP. Some argue that it is complicated to cast ranking votes. If this dissuades some people who find it too complicated, then I think this is a good thing, as raising the average IQ of voters might raise the average IQ of MPs!
FPP is definitely the worst option. Only swing voters in the "marginal" electorates influence which party governs. Everyone else is effectively disenfranchised.
MMP is better, but suffers from List candidates -- people who have never had the endorsement of the voters.
My recommendation is for STV. There are no List MPs. Instead, there are larger electorates with 3 - 7 MPs. So a typical electorate might end up with 2 National MPs, 2 Labour MPs & 1 minor party MP. Some argue that it is complicated to cast ranking votes. If this dissuades some people who find it too complicated, then I think this is a good thing, as raising the average IQ of voters might raise the average IQ of MPs!
Powershop Marketing promotes mass murderer
Other, posted: 5-Jun-2011 12:13
Che Guevara (born "Ernesto Lynch") was a Stalinist mass-murderer, but only in real life.
Che was a narcissist who boasted that “I have no house, wife, children, parents, or brothers; my friends are friends as long as they think like me, politically.”
Yet, this mercenary is the icon that Powershop uses to promote itself.
Why not go the whole hog and use images of Stalin? Or Hitler?
Or both?
It seems ironic that Powershop, a company presumably in business to make a profit, should use an image associated with anti-capitalism. If Powershop were to go bust, then all that money that I've paid in advance for future power will be squandered, and Powershop's name will be in the mud (with Bridgecorp and Hanover Finance) in the eyes of its customers.
So, what do you stand for, Powershop?
Che was a narcissist who boasted that “I have no house, wife, children, parents, or brothers; my friends are friends as long as they think like me, politically.”
Yet, this mercenary is the icon that Powershop uses to promote itself.
Why not go the whole hog and use images of Stalin? Or Hitler?
Or both?
It seems ironic that Powershop, a company presumably in business to make a profit, should use an image associated with anti-capitalism. If Powershop were to go bust, then all that money that I've paid in advance for future power will be squandered, and Powershop's name will be in the mud (with Bridgecorp and Hanover Finance) in the eyes of its customers.
So, what do you stand for, Powershop?
Police flashing lights make road safety worse
Politics, posted: 4-May-2011 21:41
I'm not anti-Police. Not normally.
But I'd like to know why it is necessary to keep flashing red/blue lights going on a patrol car that has stopped to deal with a motorist on the Harbour Bridge approach, when both cars are completely out of harm's way in the construction zone mostly behind a barrier? What do the Police think that the flashing lights achieve, in that situation?
Allow me to elucidate what signal they send to other road users, travelling home in the dark, rush hour evening:
While this is an unusual case, I'd like the Police to consider their procedures, and ask whether some lateral thinking by the officer involved -- or some direction from the motorway controllers who could see, if they were watching their monitors, the effect on traffic flows in both directions -- might have deduced that switching off the red/blue lights could actually improve the situation.
But I'd like to know why it is necessary to keep flashing red/blue lights going on a patrol car that has stopped to deal with a motorist on the Harbour Bridge approach, when both cars are completely out of harm's way in the construction zone mostly behind a barrier? What do the Police think that the flashing lights achieve, in that situation?
Allow me to elucidate what signal they send to other road users, travelling home in the dark, rush hour evening:
- Police! I must slow down -- even if I am not exceeding the posted speed limit, and there is no danger of hitting any bystanders. (Why?)
- Police! I must REALLY slow down, because I need something interesting to say to others in my household, and want to see if I can see any bodies.
- Police! Oh no, I'd better slow way down to see if my brother/cousin/uncle/workmate has been caught driving while disqualified. Again.
While this is an unusual case, I'd like the Police to consider their procedures, and ask whether some lateral thinking by the officer involved -- or some direction from the motorway controllers who could see, if they were watching their monitors, the effect on traffic flows in both directions -- might have deduced that switching off the red/blue lights could actually improve the situation.
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Earth Day 2011 - Brainstorming Exercise
Politics, posted: 3-Oct-2010 23:24
So, the next Earth Day is April 22, 2011. Our company is going to promote it, and become known as a "green" company. Who would like to brainstorm ideas for how we can best tackle this?
We'd like you all to participate, but we quite understand if it's not your "thing". No pressure.
Legally we're not allowed to discriminate against you based on your skin pigmentation, your choice of deity or bonking partner, how many years you've been on this planet and such like...
But failing to bow to Gaia or say "Heil Gore!" or recite the IPCC creed -- each of those is a capital offence with immediate and explosive repercussions. (That way there is no nasty Employment Court aftermath.)
So we can count on you full cooperation and support? (Remember, we know where you live.)
[For the uninitiated, the above is my attempted satire. If you don't get it, you need to watch this video. Warning: gruesome scenes.]
And the best comment about it is from "Thegavster" at the Daily Telegraph:
If this has done anything for me, its scared me. It warns me that these
people may well advocate this sort of sanction if you don’t support
their cause and as such are no different from any other extremist apart
from the fact that they have strong support in high places. What it
has also done is made me even more determined to do everything I can to
stop them. In short it has actually had the opposite affect that they
had hoped. Come on people, its time we stood up and did something about
this plague!
We'd like you all to participate, but we quite understand if it's not your "thing". No pressure.
Legally we're not allowed to discriminate against you based on your skin pigmentation, your choice of deity or bonking partner, how many years you've been on this planet and such like...
But failing to bow to Gaia or say "Heil Gore!" or recite the IPCC creed -- each of those is a capital offence with immediate and explosive repercussions. (That way there is no nasty Employment Court aftermath.)
So we can count on you full cooperation and support? (Remember, we know where you live.)
[For the uninitiated, the above is my attempted satire. If you don't get it, you need to watch this video. Warning: gruesome scenes.]
And the best comment about it is from "Thegavster" at the Daily Telegraph:
If this has done anything for me, its scared me. It warns me that these
people may well advocate this sort of sanction if you don’t support
their cause and as such are no different from any other extremist apart
from the fact that they have strong support in high places. What it
has also done is made me even more determined to do everything I can to
stop them. In short it has actually had the opposite affect that they
had hoped. Come on people, its time we stood up and did something about
this plague!
