The Daily Blog Open Mic – Friday – 28th August 2020

1. https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2008/S00332/ceac-calls-govt-on-cancer-day-to-lower-residential-truck-traffic-air-pollution.htm

   Politics
   CEAC Calls Gov’t On Cancer Day To Lower Residential Truck Traffic Air Pollution
   Friday, 28 August 2020, 9:01 am
   Press Release: Citizens Environmental Advocacy Centre
   CEAC was encouraged by NIWA scientist findings here, of lowered traffic air pollution that is linked to cancer because in our CEAC monitoring of the air quality during lockdown we observed the same result in Napier and Gisborne during the low truck freight export activities in residential locations.
   Living within 50 metres of a major road can increase the risk of lung cancer by up to 10 per cent, according to new research on air pollution.
   The study, released by a coalition of 15 health and environment organisations, also showed that proximity to busy highways can stunt children’s lung development by up to 14 per cent.
   It suggests that that air pollution contributes to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, heart failure and bronchitis.
   The coalition, which includes the British Lung Foundation and the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change, said the findings should prompt all political parties to commit to meeting the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) air quality guidelines by 2030.
   CEAC has experienced over 20 yrs higher levels of air quality degradation as we were sampling air quality in several suburban regions when complaints of high levels of air pollution were voiced in residential communities.
   Generally we were told by residents near truck routes they were experiencing high levels of black soot settling on their homes that are linked to cancer..
   This first came about on Napier’s’ Marine Parade in 2001 when truck freight to Napier port increased significantly and was reported in the press widely then.
   Several years later when the trucks were re-routed off the Marine Parade and sent around to Napier’s western suburbs the same result occurred there with black soot from heavy truck traffic activities were elevated.
   Now high air pollution is a major problem for the health and wellbeing of the thousands of westside Napier residents that threaten the health of residents with cancer and other symptoms.
   NIWA is 100% correct: “This gain could have been extended to a few hundred thousand more people if diesel trucks and buses had been removed from the city centre. This is due to the disproportionately high influence diesel vehicles in downtown areas can have on air pollution exposure,” Dr Longley said.
   In Napier’s case it was “move the trucks-move the pollution problem”
   Now on our National Cancer Day we request Government to lower truck freight activities through our residential Napier suburbs and balance the movement of freight by rail which is a far lower emitter of air pollution than road freight, while saving residents lives from cancer, as we are yet to learn from our mistakes; we strongly urge the Government to get rail moving freight to save the ‘health and wellbeing’ of our citizens.

2. Anyone who feels like a donkey now and then, join the audience.
   This is a nice rendition of city of new orleans. COSMO’S FACTORY/ FOGERTY’S FACTORY
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zmNs6sWTD8

3. Bonus Bonds are a unique instrument. They have good security, because you don’t need to do stuff online,
   and when you look at what’s happened to the stock exchange, nothing online is safe. Plus they don’t send out a balance statement, which is good if someone else gets hold of your mail. And on top of that, they are tax paid, and you also used to be able to gift them. There’s nothing quite like them. If there is, can someone please post what that is?

   The reason being given for dumping bonus bonds, which the ANZ originally inherited from postbank,
   is that payouts for customers are decreasing, but its obvious that the main concern is the profit to the bank. Chainsaw JK and his bean counters fingerprints are all over this decision. Preserving their profits at the expense of services.

   Instead of dumping them, why not see if a nonprofit such as the cooperative bank, would take them on.
   But this could give a few customers to the competition, and a massively profitable bank just couldn’t bear to do that, could they? I remember the pre-neoliberal days when bonus bonds were established in 1970, when it wasn’t uncommon for firms such as banks, to offer study scholarships, simply to give something back.
   But now the bottom line is all that matters. I guess that’s progress.

   • “The giant managed fund that was set up to be like a lottery was in later years a lucrative cash cow for the ANZ bank but looked out of step with planned law changes to require banks and insurers to treat customers fairly.”

     https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/122566018/why-nobody-should-mourn-the-end-of-bonus-bonds

     ANZ isn’t known for its fairness as a number of articles in the last couple of years have highlighted.

     Co-operative managing bonus bonds is a lost opportunity for sure.

4. Robertson provides cover for hairy ambassador

   Finance Minister Grant Robertson had a go at the Covid briefings today. For some reason he mentioned a half dozen cases of people in this country testing positive for Coronavirus but he said nothing of the 4,999,994 citizens who did not. Really, what is the point of this? Also confirmed in the briefing was the government’s decision to allow Scott Brown to sidestep Covid quarantine protocols. Brown, ambassador for American interests, flew into New Zealand today from the US, currently the world’s most dangerous Covid hotspot. Instead of isolating like the rest of the new arrivals in a three star hotel with pretty decent amenities AND a modest exercise yard with Cory from security to keep you company, Brown was whisked away to the Ambassador’s residence for a self directed home detention. Even as billions and billions of dead and dying Americans dropped around him as he left the States, Brown has managed to make a complete mockery of the health orders of this country. Robertson clarified the situation saying that Scottie will be tested periodically, while Brown said in his defence that he was locked in like a prisoner at his residence (doesn’t sound too inviting for the next ambassador) plus he will be saving the NZ taxpayer if he does it his way, with his guitar and his wine cave.

   Enough already, either we have a health risk which is dangerous to all regardless of background or status, and which requires us all to be treated equally under the law, or we don’t.

5. Wonder what your local council is up to. Helen Ritchie a past Wellington councillor found a commissioned report on a bit of loved local infrastructure that had been out of sight out of mind and tells us what it was and that it was a shock.
   http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=130613 Hidden and ignored: the 2013 report on the Central Library
   Aug.28/20

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