The Daily Blog Open Mic – Friday 13th January 2017

1. ‘In Praise of Tillerson, Trump’s Secretary Of State Pick’

   http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-12/praise-tillerson-trumps-secretary-state-pick

   …and more on Tillerson?

   Every week Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert look at all the scandal behind the financial news headlines.

   https://www.rt.com/shows/keiser-report/373405-episode-max-keiser-1018/

   “The bull market in corruption is the topic first up for Max and Stacy in this episode.

   In the second half, Max continues his interview with Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen’s Energy Program, about Rex Tillerson, Trump’s pick for secretary of state, and what Trump’s domestic and foreign policy might look like.”

2. The Green Party are currently lobbying,/a> the government to build a $7billion road/rail link under the Waitemata Harbour, or a $3.5billion rail only tunnel. At present the government is committed to building a $5billion road only tunnel.

   Haven’t we learnt anything from Hurricane Sandy?

   In the age of climate change, these sort of fixed, massively expensive, and inflexible infrastructure projects, road or rail, are an environmental disaster just waiting to happen.

   (Especially when there are much more environmentally friendly options.)

   The Britomart Centre and the existing Victoria tunnel for instance, both need continual 24hr 356 energy imputs, as well as ventilation and lighting, both these current below sea level installations have a huge non-stop electric pumping operations that keep them clear of the ingress of seawater.So much so that there has been a measurable increase in the turbibity of the Waitemata’s water.

   Even if this new tunnel was to be rail only, (which is the Greens preference), its construction would inevitably require the removal and dislocation of many North Shore residents homes and business to clear a path for it. And on completion would only serve a relatively narrow corridor. In my opinion the Greens will win no friends on the North Shore for their rail tunnel, and are on a hiding to nowhere.

   In my opinion rather than tieing themselves to the government’s tunnel project, a much better strategy for the Greens would be lead Aucklanders in a grass roots campaign against any sort of tunnel.

   A more sensible and cost effective approach to congestion would be to take two lanes of the Auckland Harbour Bridge and convert them to dedicated bus lanes. This would vastly increasing the numbers of commuters that could be conveyed across the harbour at peak times, as well as having the added benefit of constricting the flow of private cars across the bridge, which would encourage more people to use the busses, this would have a positive flow on effect to traffic congestion right across the city.

   https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/beachheroes/pages/2747/attachments/original/1470701361/TrainsForShore-Q_A.pdf?1470701361

   http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9642268/Sandy-New-York-subway-system-flooded-in-worst-ever-disaster.html

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