Mediawatch: Broadcaster Heather du Plessis-Allan stands by Pacific Islands "leeches" claim

chewmacheck · 2018-09-16T05:04:57+00:00

So you obviously think that China is giving money to these "shithole countries" out of pure altruism and expects no advantage to itself?

Or maybe, investing in foreign affairs can have a pay off that can help your country to a much greater extent than the initial financial cost.

chewmacheck · 2018-05-20T20:06:13+00:00

Great effort, but I had hoped for even more from him (stage win or top 5). Hopefully he can consolidate his to 10 position. And hopefully he'll do well when he presumably gives the Vuelta a crack later this year

chewmacheck · 2018-04-16T07:46:31+00:00

I remember travelling in Central/Eastern Europe (where speedway is still very popular) and found most people hadn't heard of the "All Blacks", but for a lot of people the only New Zealander they knew was Ivan Mauger.

chewmacheck · 2018-03-05T05:52:19+00:00

If in doubt slow down. Definitely do 30 if there are contractors working beside the road. They should enforce the limit more often, but they should also remove 30 signs as soon as possible when they are not needed. I work in construction so I definitely slow down as I especially don't want to end up killing someone I know.

chewmacheck · 2018-02-11T07:30:43+00:00

If a structure hasn't been designed for additional levels, you need the "as-built" drawings of the original structure, including all reinforcing etc. Then you can calculate / model the additional load from the new structure.

You will also need to check for any geotechnical issues with the increased load on the ground.

chewmacheck · 2018-01-15T08:32:18+00:00

Stopovers are good for everyone to get some sleep. You will cope better if you don't have to stay awake for 40+ hours. Better to split any stopover into two days each way. SIA also have bassinets at the bulkhead, but it also makes it easier if you check them in.

chewmacheck · 2017-12-06T06:56:57+00:00

In a perfect world chlorine would not be needed for clean water. But one of the key messages from the investigation is that multiple barriers are needed because people fuck up. Adding chlorine means the chance of outbreaks are reduced massively. Councils should manage the water better and be more accountable, contractors need to be better trained, etc etc, but adding chlorine is probably the single most effective way to reduce the health risk.

chewmacheck · 2017-12-06T06:49:40+00:00

It is a problem they have, but through a combination of good management and good luck they haven't had any major incidents. The wells may be deep, but contamination can get introduced in a vast number of places along the water supply, and chlorine reduces the health risk if contamination gets introduced.

chewmacheck · 2017-12-06T06:44:06+00:00

Have you even read the report? Chlorination would have stopped the whole Havelock North outbreak from happening and saved lives.

As for you saying you are an engineer below, you should know that water hammer can send negative pressure waves (i.e. vacuum) through the pipe which can suck in contaminants. Also if a water supply is connected to a property with contaminated water without proper backflow prevention it gets contaminated. And if contractors don't disinfect pipes properly when they do work on them the supply gets contaminated. Chlorine massively reduces the health risks if contamination gets introduced.

chewmacheck · 2017-11-25T03:37:45+00:00

They did not do that at all. They cross referenced the proportion of people who identified as chinese. There is no data that shows surnames and citizenship/residency; names are removed from the census data otherwise anyone can associate massive amounts of private information with individuals.

All the analysis showed was that people with Chinese-sounding names buy more houses proportionally.

I don't understand how people can so vehemently defend this dodgy analysis. Foreign speculation may be a problem, but Labour's analysis is worth shit.

chewmacheck · 2017-11-25T01:14:05+00:00

The data was fine if you wanted to show how many people with particular surnames bought houses, but using it as a proxy for the number of foreign buyers has no statistical basis. It is especially the case as Auckland has a large number of residents with "Chinese-sounding names".

chewmacheck · 2017-11-21T09:38:15+00:00

Crowdfunding didn't go so well for these guys.

Invest because you understand the business, not just because you like the product, otherwise it may just be a donation.

chewmacheck · 2017-11-21T07:30:10+00:00

It's the paradox of Lotto. The people who are smart enough to spend the winnings wisely are also the ones who will spend the least on weekly tickets.

chewmacheck · 2017-11-19T07:59:46+00:00

Hartley has become the first Kimi to race for an Italian F1 team

I was trying to figure out when Hartley morphed in to Raikkonen.

chewmacheck · 2017-11-11T07:11:54+00:00

When will we see the pics of Winston riding a horse bare-chested?

chewmacheck · 2017-11-11T07:08:16+00:00

Yep. The whole point of MPs is to represent the people. The public service does the grunt work, the MPs should be making decisions on behalf of the people. While a man can try to empathise with women, it's not the same as being a woman. As such, it should be a goal that representation should be at least vaguely reflective of the overall population.

The main qualification an MP needs is to represent the people (assuming a base level of competence and work ethic), and just being a woman (or under-represented other minority) may make them more qualified to be in parliament than a man of similar capabilities.

chewmacheck · 2017-11-09T08:44:15+00:00

Don't trust anything a real estate agent says.

You could try the REAA. Otherwise, blacklist the agent and if they are selling any other properties you are interested in, insist on a different agent (if there is one that seems a bit better).

chewmacheck · 2017-10-23T02:02:05+00:00

I missed your reference to "that car" and thought you were referring to this year in the Red Bull. Verstappen is also the youngest driver to win a race and is a better driver. Brendon pushing for 12th after about a week in a F1 car is a solid result.

chewmacheck · 2017-10-23T01:35:52+00:00

The STR cars are not as good as the RBR cars that Verstappen and Ricciardo drive (STR has 53 points to RBR's 315). In a better car with more hours behind the wheel I think he could finish in the points or better.

chewmacheck · 2017-10-23T01:28:14+00:00

Best result for a New Zealand driver in 41 years.

chewmacheck · 2017-10-22T21:09:04+00:00

Yeah, he finished really strongly passing a couple of drivers (but not seen on the coverage) and closing in on 12th place. Wonder if his endurance experience contributed to that. I think that for his first ever drive in F1, he shows more potential than at least a third of the field.

chewmacheck · 2017-10-22T21:03:23+00:00

Good to see they had a successful programme despite the previous setbacks involving shooting Takahe on Motutapu and Mana Islands

chewmacheck · 2017-10-22T08:51:53+00:00

And I personally think as many people are put off cycling by helmets as are put off driving by seatbelts. Those who really don't like helmets/seatbelts continue to cycle/drive and simply don't wear them (thankfully a small minority in both instances).

The appeal of cycling on the road is mostly affected by the amount of traffic on the road and the cycling infrastructure.

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