The Daily Blog Open Mic – Tuesday – 21st January 2020

1. Kiwis not so sustainable when it comes to seafood – Ministry of Primary Industries survey

   https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12298871&fbclid=IwAR29GfcWwNKMbADNAp-ikcjC1QS5Xn4kMD3Js3eFoMkxITbtWVX0EOtGa3E

   (Personally feels this article makes the usual mistake of thinking that consumers should be the ones controlling the fishing industry.. aka personal responsibility vs government regulation (government reguation seems absent as shown by lack of responsiveness on this and the over fishing scams continuing and trawlers wrecking the seas) and business responsibility aka chefs/supermarkets/fish shops taking the lead on supporting sustainability in their industry on food rather than expecting the diner, to have the knowledge and time to analyse it!)

   Thatcher thinking still going strong and even the left seems to be mimicking it!

   Look at bans for plastic bags, no big outrage of banning the bag, they should have done it 20 years ago and the seas and world would have been a better place! The government are too scared/ignorant to do what needs to be done, quickly when it comes to pollution.

2. Bees – really important – insects in decline so bees especially important.
   https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018730587/tongan-farmers-get-bee-keeping-boost
   David Cramp is an expert on bees and bee science and has pioneered the use of drones and digital mapping technology in aspects of bee research.
   He’s now set to share his gift in Tonga as a beekeeping advisor for the government. He has also written a number of books on bees.
   His latest, The Honey Bee, is a definitive guide to the insect and its exploits. In it, he breaks down the mysteries of life in the hive: how a Queen is formed, the role and rank of different bees in the colony, the relationship between bees and flowers, why bees swarm, and the importance of pollination.

   A really interesting interview. This bloke has written a number of books about bees. It would be a boost to anyone trying hard to pass on helpful info that will help raise us out of the mess we are in, and give us tips for keeping our heads above water, or whatever is threatening to wipe our civilisation and all species.

   And this from Scoop about insect decline.
   https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC2001/S00013/its-time-to-care-about-the-insects.htm
   The evidence so far shows that insect species are suffering from multiple human-induced stress factors including habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, invasive species, climate change and overharvesting.

   Some of the immediate ‘no-regret’ solutions put forward include reducing light, water and noise pollution, phasing out pesticide use and replace that with ecological measures, enhancing restoration and conservation programmes and educating for awareness among the general world population.

   …The German government is currently leading the way in insect conservation, committing funds to the tune of $167 million to combat and reverse declining insect numbers, and the paper recognises this approach as a good example for other governments….

   Perhaps we could start little groups around ‘Adopt the Whatever’ and take interest and provide care for them. We have in Nelson Monarch butterfly supporters and one business that sends Monarch butterflies to venues for release, ie weddings. However their ‘flock’ in the special tunnel house was decimated a while back – 300 odd Monarchs and ONE Asian paper wasp, I think. It got in and overnight stung and killed the majority of the butterflies.
   Personally I have taken to the green Praying Mantis with blue dot on each upper leg – that is the one that is the known NZ one but which has been decimated by newcomers, a wasp and the South African one in varying colours that is a stronger breeder.

3. Fog has affected Wellington airport for three days. I looked on google and came up with some info.

   Turbo-prop aircraft don’t have the right equipment to cope with fog. This would affect both international and domestic travellers, as internationals could be using the simpler planes as feeder aircraft to the international jets. As NZ is a long-distance flight for most international visitors, and an island, so land transport to get home is not an option, we will have to pull finger to get better systems at Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. This would come at a cost, but hey we are a rock-star economy with people scrambling to invest money. Let’s sell some tourist bonds and let the punters get into a real business, instead of making high-risk returns on low-risk housing that rips our domestic infrastructure from us for the benefit of Mr and Mrs Moneybags and the Asperashunal World-wide Clan.

   2017 – https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/travel-troubles/93834371/how-fog-causes-flight-delays-and-cancellations
   …It is possible for aircraft to take off and land with a lower cloud ceiling and reduced visibility if the right ground infrastructure is in place, they have the right equipment on-board and crew are trained to handle such situations, King explained. The issue is, such things come at (huge) cost. …
   The high-tech equipment in most modern jets enables pilots to land them in challenging conditions, including thick fog. The turboprop aircraft that service many regional destinations, however, are not, meaning that when the fog descends, they will inevitably be delayed.
   But once on the tarmac, even the pilots in well-equipped international airliners need to be able see through the windscreen clearly to steer passengers to safety…
   (Why can’t we have waiting guide vehicles well lit and beaming out good visible light so the pilots can be oriented and guided?? Like tug boats for large vessels are part of the sea berthing and sailing system.)

   2017 Auckland NZ – https://www.airways.co.nz/blog/how-does-fog-affect-my-flight/

   July 2019 Auckland Airport and fog flight woes: What you need to know
   https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12248220

   2019 – Fog there are different sorts.
   https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Fog

   2017 – Jersey Airport in the Channel Islands near UK
   https://www.jerseyairport.com/flight/Pages/InclementWeather.aspx

   What cathay pacific have to say about it.
   discovery.cathaypacific.com › planes-land-safely-thick-fog
   How planes land safely in thick fog – Discovery
   http://discovery.cathaypacific.com/
   Jan 9, 2019 – Not being able to see where you’re flying is – believe it or not – perfectly safe. Aircraft have radars to ‘see’, while movements are digitally …

4. Sack Shane Jones
   Late last year, NZ First was caught trying to enrich itself from public office, with a dodgy forestry company linked to a number of NZ First figures sticking its hand out repeatedly for government money. Regional Economic Development Minister shane Jones’ “explanations” were patently unconvincing, and his recusal from deciding on the issue came only after people had started asking questions about it. All throughout this, Jones maintained he didn’t know anything about the company and had never met them. But now the company says he was lying:
   A forestry company with close links to New Zealand First says it gave a presentation to Shane Jones about a project it was seeking a $15 million government loan for – months before Jones says he first heard of it.

   When NZ Future Forest Products (NZFFP) applied for Provincial Growth Fund money on 8 April, 2019, the company was asked whether the project had been “previously discussed” with the government.

   The application form shows NZFFP ticked the ‘yes’ box and said it had made a “presentation to the Minister” about its forestry and wood processing plans “including descriptions of the applicant”.

   […]

   [I]n an interview with RNZ, David Henry, who is [NZ First lawyer] Brian Henry’s son and the NZFFP director who signed the application form, said the presentation was a 15-minute meeting he and Jones had in Wellington.

   “We had a discussion with Shane. I think it was about a 15-minute chat. Whether you want to call it a briefing or a presentation – it was a short discussion generally about the New Zealand wood supply chain and what we personally believed.”

   Jones has denied that there was any meeting, but who has the incentive to lie here? Hint: its not NZ Future Forest Products’ arse which is on the line.

   But it gets worse. Because the documentary record obtained by RNZ clearly shows that Jones was briefed fully about the application and its NZ First connections in mid-June, and repeatedly received documents about it between then and October 14 – the date on which he told parliament he was informed about it and recused himself. In other words, he lied to Parliament, and repeatedly failed to recuse himself from an issue where any reasonable person would conclude he had a conflict of interest.

   This is unacceptable. It is dishonest. And it looks corrupt. The Prime Minister needs to sack Shane Jones now, to prevent this disease from spreading.
   Posted by Idiot/Savant at 1/21/2020 12:54:00 PM Links to this post

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