br3nda

here's the end result of face meets concrete :-(

From my ex-flatmate who know lives in overseas land.

i don't know many people on DW -- can you recommend interesting people for me to "track" ?

_{This was cross posted from coffee.geek.nz. You can comment here, or go to coffee.geek.nz and comment publicly.}

If the government changes something, and causes a corporate to lose income it expected to get, that corporate can sue for that lost income and get the change reversed. That's "Investor state clauses", which are within the Trans Pacific Partnership treaty New Zealand is negotiating.

They're shit. If our government makes a change to discourage smoking, the tobacco companies can get the change reversed, and a pay out for their lost profit. That's exactly the example of what Investor State Clauses are waiting to do in Australia: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/big-tobacco-takes-fight-o...

But it's not just tobacco. Let's say we discover a chemical is killing kiwi birds - we can't do anything about it because the maker of that chemical can get it reversed. For a real world example we need only look at Canada, who signed up for Investor State Clauses in their free trade deal with the USA. Canada banned a toxic additive in petroleum. The makers of the additive sued under Investor State Clauses, got a payout for all their lost profit AND they got the ban lifted.

The possibilities are many. Changes to labour laws, safety regulations, copyright law, patents on software, restrictions on advertising vodka to 12 year olds: any of these changes could cause a corporation to lose profit it expected to get. Could we have ever banned lead paint in children's furniture if we'd had investor state clauses? No, the makers of lead paint can sue.

( more )

found these in japancity

The iconic bucket fountain.

from an irc chat:
* i went on an epic kayak trip with my girl down a flooded river and there were snakes in the trees
* and THOUSANDS of spiders
* the ones that could walk on the water would come at you at great speed when you went by to get in the kayak
* and when you touched a branch you would get covered in literally hundreds
* of them
* as the water rises, the spiders and other insects crawl up the trees
* until they are all eaten by the spiders
* then the spiders start to eat the other spiders

via metservice.... they don't use capitals in every forecast.

SEVERE WEATHER WARNING. Ref: OMS16-81625
SEVERE WEATHER WARNING.
ISSUED BY MetService AT 12:28pm 17-Jan-2011
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST IN: Marlborough, Nelson, Buller,
Westland, Taranaki, Wanganui, Manawatu, Wairarapa, Wellington,
Waikato, Waitomo, Bay Of Plenty Rotorua, Taupo, Taumarunui, Gisborne,
Taihape
MEDIA
PERIOD OF HEAVY RAIN AND NORTH TO NORTHWEST GALES OVER MUCH OF
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW ZEALAND DEVELOPING ON TUESDAY AND LASTING
INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING
A low is forecast to move over the northern South Island on Tuesday
evening. Another low, currently Tropical Cyclone Zelia, south of New
Caledionia at 11am is accelerating. Although the exact track is not
certain it will probably pass west of Northland and Auckland tomorrow
afternoon and evening, move over the southern or central North Island
on Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, and pass west of Chatham
Islands late on Wednesday. It will not be a tropical cyclone by the
time it reaches New Zealand but these lows are forecast to bring very
humid conditions and a period of heavy rain and north to northwest
gales over much of northern and central New Zealand from mid/late
Tuesday morning until Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. The
heaviest falls of 200 to 250mm are expected near the ranges of
Westland, Buller and Nelson north of about Franz Josef Glacier.
Expect 70 to 150mm about the Marlborough Sounds, in the southwest of
the North Island and in a belt from Taranaki to southern Waikato
across the central North Island to eastern Bay of Plenty and the
north of the Gisborne region, but up to 200mm on some ranges. Streams
and rivers are expected to rise quickly and there are likely to be
slips and surface flooding on some roads. The strongest winds will
depend mainly on the track of the second low. At this stage they are
likely to be from Taranaki and Taumarunui to Taihape and inland
Wanganui with gusts aound 130 km/h in exposed places on Tuesday
night. However, note that there is a watch for possible severe gales
in many other exposed North Island areas also Marlborough Sounds and
parts of Nelson. There is the potential for damage to trees,
powerlines and insecure roofs, and driving conditions could be
hazardous.
FOR THE LATEST WEATHER AND FORECAST CHARTS PLEASE GO TO
http://metservice.com
MORE DETAILED INFORMATION FOR EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND TECHNICAL USERS
FOLLOWS.
======================
HEAVY RAIN WARNING
======================
AREA/S AFFECTED: WESTLAND NORTH OF ABOUT FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER, BULLER,
NELSON AND THE MARLBOROUGH SOUNDS
FORECAST:
Rain is forecast to set in tomorrow morning. In the 15 to 18 hours
starting about 9am Tuesday expect 100 to 150mm of rain but 200 to
250mm near the main ranges. Peak intensities could reach 30 to 40mm
per hour in the ranges on Tuesday evening.
AREA/S AFFECTED: TARANAKI, HEADWATERS OF THE WHANGANUI RIVER, TARARUA
RANGES AND ABOUT THE HILLS FROM HOROWHENUA TO WELLINGTON INCLUDING
UPPER HUTT
FORECAST:
Rain is forecast to set in on Tuesday. In the 15 to 18 hours from
about 10am Tuesday expect 70 to 100mm of rain but around 200mm on
upper slopes of the Tararua Ranges and Mt Taranaki where it is likely
to reach 20 to 30mm per hour at times on Tuesday night.
AREA/S AFFECTED: IN A BELT FROM TAUMARUNUI TO SOUTHERN WAIKATO ACROSS
THE CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND TO EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY AND GISBORNE NORTH
OF ABOUT RUATORIA
FORECAST:
Rain is forecast to set in tomorrow. In the 18 hours from about 10am
Tuesday expect 70 to 100mm of rain but around 150mm about the high
ground where peak intensities could reach 20 to 30mm per hour on
Tuesday night.
=======================
STRONG WIND WARNING
=======================
AREA/S AFFECTED: IN EXPOSED AREAS OF TARANAKI, TAUMARUNUI, TAIHAPE
AND INLAND WANGANUI
FORECAST:
Northerly winds are forecast to rise to gale force tomorow evening.
In the 6 hours from about 9pm Tuesday winds could average 75 km/h
gusts 130 km/h at times
NEXT SEVERE WEATHER WARNING WILL BE ISSUED AT OR BEFORE
9:00pm Monday 17-Jan-2011

three real estate agents from three different places rang us last night.

each one said "do you have an offer! be quick! someone else is just about to buy it! it'll probably be sold by tomorrow"

of course. that's a freaky conincidence that all three places, which have been for sale for more than 6 months, have all suddenly got an offer coming tommorrow. All without any changes like banks easing lending criteria or anything.

I think we'll file that under standard real estate trickery.

1) i have coffee. i made it. it's pretty good.
2) I have music -- but not just that, i'm playing it over wireless bluetooth. tech from circa 2003 but it's still good.
3) there's a bug in android. When i press the "next" music track button on my headphones, it continues playing the current song, but also starts the next song. If i press Next again, it's now playing 3 songs. 4.. 5... This is pretty cool i think, as far as bugs go.
4) It's sunny and beautiful outside. and the airon is keeping up inside. And i intend to go outside at lunch time, this is because i'm keeping up with work.
5) i'm keeping up with work. mostly.
6) there's a cross eyed child's photo on the front cover of the spec for the project i'm working on. I really like this too.