Archive for April, 2006

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  Chain mail (email, not armour) - by frog

  
  
  
  I got a chain email this morning urging me to boycott Mobil in an effort to bring petrol prices down. It’s very similar to other chain emails which have circulated in the past. Here’s a sample: This makes MUCH MORE SENSE than the “don’t buy gas on a certain day” campaign that was going around [...] read more
  April 28, 2006 11:20 am - 6 Comments
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  Katrina caused by global warming? - by frog

  
  
  
  Here’s an exchange from Question Time back on 21 March: Jeanette Fitzsimons: When the Prime Minister said that New Zealand needed coal-fired power plants because the weather did not always come to the party, was she meaning the recent droughts in Canterbury and yesterday’s Cyclone Larry in Queensland; and will she be advising her new [...] read more
  April 27, 2006 11:35 am - 9 Comments
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  Colbert on global warming - by frog

  
  
  
  C4 recently started screening the Daily Show, albeit weekly. Another Comedy Central gem that won’t make it this far is the Colbert Report (for the uninitiated, the ‘t’s are silent), in which Stephen Colbert masterfully parodies the American right. Helpfully for those of us in the antipodes, onegoodmove regularly uploads video from both shows, as [...] read more
  April 26, 2006 3:04 pm - 5 Comments
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  Way to go Tesco - by frog

  
  
  
  There might be lots wrong with huge supermarket chains, but here’s one good thing: Tesco is planning to build the ‘World’s Greenest Supermarket’. They have announced a 100 million pound fund to increase their energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, and will install wind turbines and solar panels at some new stores. Sure, their motivations [...] read more
  April 26, 2006 12:24 pm - 14 Comments
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  Earth Day round-up - by frog

  
  
  
  Sunday was Earth Day, and the Greens took the opportunity to reinforce the Turn Down the Heat message with a number of events nationwide highlighting the possibility of rising sea levels as a consequence of climate change. Wellington Greens got dressed up and had a beach party in Cuba Mall: While those crazy Dunedinites (including [...] read more
  April 26, 2006 10:02 am - 19 Comments
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  Some reading for the public holiday - by frog

  
  
  
  The American Prospect (which will set you back $10 or so from a magazine shop as it’s air freighted, but which is thankfully available online) has an excellent special report on the Green Economy in its April Edition. The lead article on the so-called “carbohydrate economy” is a little dense, but presents a comprehensive case [...] read more
  April 24, 2006 12:00 pm - 8 Comments
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  Sad about the Solomons - by frog

  
  
  
  It’s a real shame that the situation in the Solomons has deteriorated so markedly since the election, as the feeling immediately after the vote was so positive. Metiria and the other international observers left feeling positive about the process and likely outcome, but it seems that while the vote itself may have run smoothly, picking [...] read more
  April 21, 2006 11:21 am - 7 Comments
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  Petrol prices rise again. Wheeee! - by frog

  
  
  
  $1.68 and counting… Meanwhile public transport use is up, putting pressure on providers, who nevertheless say that major upgrades are years away. Fun times ahead… read more
  April 18, 2006 4:07 pm - 46 Comments
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  Japan and those whaling votes - by frog

  
  
  
  I hope everyone had a relaxing and pleasant Easter break. It was interesting to come back from the break this morning to speculation about numbers at the International Whaling Commission, and whether Japan has *ahem* garnered enough support for a 51% majority. While they would need at least 75% support from member countries to lift [...] read more
  April 18, 2006 2:30 pm - 14 Comments
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  More about McKesson - by frog

  
  
  
  Some interesting information about McKesson, the company awarded the contract to provide PlunketLine’s service, has come to light in this press release of Sue Kedgley’s. It seems that the parent company of McKesson New Zealand, McKesson Corporation, has been accused of fraud on more than one occasion. It is also one of the top 100 [...] read more
  April 12, 2006 1:46 pm - 15 Comments
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  The polluted hand of the market - by frog

  
  
  
  Well, petrol is at a record high today, as I’m sure you are all aware, but one person welcoming the news is hybrid car dealer Stephen Pollard, who is featured in this Herald story. David Farrar is holding this up as an example of how the invisible hand of the market always works. I’m glad [...] read more
  April 12, 2006 1:06 pm - 16 Comments
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  Metiria in the Solomons - by frog

  
  
  
  Metiria has just returned from ten days in the Solomon Islands as part of the New Zealand contingent of international election observers. As yet no party has an outright majority, with a few seats remaining to be officially declared, so the exact shape of the new Government is still unclear, but election ran smoothly, with [...] read more
  April 10, 2006 4:33 pm - No Comments
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  Greens silently protest arrival of Wen Jiabao - by frog

  
  
  
  Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived at Parliament this morning for talks with the Prime Minister and a fancy luncheon. Three Green MPs – Keith, Sue K, and Jeanette – took the opportunity to stand on the forecourt with a Tibetan flag as he arrived. They were joined by contingents of both Chinese Government supporters and [...] read more
  April 6, 2006 11:04 am - 14 Comments
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  Listening for the weather - by frog

  
  
  
  Wouldn’t it be great if the nightly TV weather report discussed weather events with reference to global warming and climate change, and reported on human impacts on the weather? It would be a change from the three minutes of cushy feel-good reporting and inane banter with the newsreaders, imagine if the weather report was meaningful, [...] read more
  April 5, 2006 12:31 pm - 9 Comments
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  Lotto tickets not a better bet - by frog

  
  
  
  The front page of the Dominion Post this morning featured a story about Lotto’s new tickets, suggesting that the move from the iconic yellow paper to new white tickets that look like supermarket receipts and fade in the sun may have been a bad one. The Greens agree – but not just because the new [...] read more
  April 5, 2006 10:00 am - 7 Comments
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  Timely release of special report - by frog

  
  
  
  It’s a timely coincidence that the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people in New Zealand has been released this week – the same week that the Maori electoral option opened, greeted by claims of “state-sanctioned separatism” by the National Party. The report makes for [...] read more
  April 4, 2006 1:12 pm - 13 Comments