"I love that you've brought this to attention. An extensive database of uncommon but resistant and hardy plants/foods could be developed and organized by climate. Ease of growth and processing should also be taken in to account. I will try to…"
A crash course in changing the world.
GAME1: Local Insight
There is me - I can't get any more local than that.
If I want change, first I must change.
Update for those intent on a more traditional approach.
I come from the biggest city in the small under populated country called New Zealand. We are so small and out of the way that even the spell checker thinks I've spelt it wrong. That is ok 'cos it doesn't like "spelt" either.
We don't have starvation, famine or poverty, although I'm sure I'd get argument from the politically correct on that score.
You can count our fabulously rich on one hand and they end up in some other country because our tax laws are tight and reasonably well enforced. Our fabulously rich look like upper middle class in Europe or North America.
We think corruption is when one of our indigenous politicians buys an expensive pair of undies on a government credit card.
We think we have racial problems when by comparison we have none. Certainly nothing we can't sort out over a couple of beers.
We have all the clean pure water we could ever need. Our biggest city drinks out of our biggest river which pa**** through the most intensively farmed region in our country. We think we have pollution problems.
We have world class essentially free education. We have Government health care we b**** about but is always there when we need it. We have a social welfare safety net that you can live on if you're careful.
We are technologically rich with good (can always be better) internet access. Look at our participation rate per capita on evoke. We are over Australia, Netherlands, United Kingdom to name a few.
We have 70% of our energy produced from renewable resources and potential to make it 100% in the not too distant future. We have geothermal just waiting to be tapped. We are non-nuclear and have no need to change that.
As long as the world needs protein we can produce it like it is going out of fashion. We can produce it cheaper than anyone in the northern hemisphere and kilo for kilo at lower carbon impact landed in any market. Even if we flew it there.
We have security by obscurity down here. Nobody knows where we are. We had a terrorist once, even killed someone bank in the 80's. We are a pretty forgiving nation we sent the terrorist French agent back to France when they apologized.
We are a caring nation, getting a protest ship bombed by the french didn't stop us protesting their nuclear tests even though it was far enough away from us to not effect us personally. We protested against South African apartheid even though it stopped us playing the game we are all passionate about. We give generously.
We can trust our police and are a relatively low crime society.
We have a fabulous climate and predictions on climate change will have relatively minor impact on our lifestyle. We will still have water, we will still have sun, we will still be able to grow things cheaply to feed ourselves and many more besides.
Our scenery is diverse and beautiful. Glaciers and sub-tropical rain forest within walking distance of each other. You can ski in the morning and swim in the ocean in the afternoon. We are the adventure capital of the world and we like to have fun.
In short, It's no wonder we don't look locally for our problems. By comparison, we have bugger all!
If I want change, first I must change.
Update for those intent on a more traditional approach.
I come from the biggest city in the small under populated country called New Zealand. We are so small and out of the way that even the spell checker thinks I've spelt it wrong. That is ok 'cos it doesn't like "spelt" either.
We don't have starvation, famine or poverty, although I'm sure I'd get argument from the politically correct on that score.
You can count our fabulously rich on one hand and they end up in some other country because our tax laws are tight and reasonably well enforced. Our fabulously rich look like upper middle class in Europe or North America.
We think corruption is when one of our indigenous politicians buys an expensive pair of undies on a government credit card.
We think we have racial problems when by comparison we have none. Certainly nothing we can't sort out over a couple of beers.
We have all the clean pure water we could ever need. Our biggest city drinks out of our biggest river which pa**** through the most intensively farmed region in our country. We think we have pollution problems.
We have world class essentially free education. We have Government health care we b**** about but is always there when we need it. We have a social welfare safety net that you can live on if you're careful.
We are technologically rich with good (can always be better) internet access. Look at our participation rate per capita on evoke. We are over Australia, Netherlands, United Kingdom to name a few.
We have 70% of our energy produced from renewable resources and potential to make it 100% in the not too distant future. We have geothermal just waiting to be tapped. We are non-nuclear and have no need to change that.
As long as the world needs protein we can produce it like it is going out of fashion. We can produce it cheaper than anyone in the northern hemisphere and kilo for kilo at lower carbon impact landed in any market. Even if we flew it there.
We have security by obscurity down here. Nobody knows where we are. We had a terrorist once, even killed someone bank in the 80's. We are a pretty forgiving nation we sent the terrorist French agent back to France when they apologized.
We are a caring nation, getting a protest ship bombed by the french didn't stop us protesting their nuclear tests even though it was far enough away from us to not effect us personally. We protested against South African apartheid even though it stopped us playing the game we are all passionate about. We give generously.
We can trust our police and are a relatively low crime society.
We have a fabulous climate and predictions on climate change will have relatively minor impact on our lifestyle. We will still have water, we will still have sun, we will still be able to grow things cheaply to feed ourselves and many more besides.
Our scenery is diverse and beautiful. Glaciers and sub-tropical rain forest within walking distance of each other. You can ski in the morning and swim in the ocean in the afternoon. We are the adventure capital of the world and we like to have fun.
In short, It's no wonder we don't look locally for our problems. By comparison, we have bugger all!
Views: 30
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Comment by Amanda Jeffrey on March 7, 2010 at 1:27am
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I'm not sure local necessarily means just yourself :) And two entries? Interesting. How do you intend to change?
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Comment by Greg Stevenson on March 7, 2010 at 4:14am
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First I have to want change. It is very important to like who you are. I will change how I present my arguments. Find out who I am communicating with, what their passions are, what their ambitions in life are. Only then shall I decide if there is any synergy and push my barrow in a form palatable to the audience. I am not willing to change the essence of what I communicate I only know I must change how I present if I wish to reach rally a call to action.
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Updated for a new audience.
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Comment by Justine Roberts on March 7, 2010 at 6:00am
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Absolutely beautiful piece of writing if I do say so myself.
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Comment by Luci Temple on March 7, 2010 at 7:23am
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Hi Greg, I'm a bit confused...
First line says change must start with you (no problem, fantastic start!) but the rest is about how great NZ is. Well written, with some humour thrown in, but I'm not sure what knowledge you're imparting, unless it's that we should all move to your home town?
We're certainly privileged in our countries (I'm Aussie), but that doesn't mean there aren't issues that still need working on. Racism is a problem in both out countries - and I'm not just talking about kiwi vs aussie ;) It may not involve bombs or mob violence, but it is a raw deal for those who suffer from it. Sexism, poverty, domestic abuse, pollution.. still needs addressing .
Let's face it, if NZ was so amazing, there wouldn't be so many of you living in Australia - lord knows we have our flaws!
However, I note that in the comments it says you have changed your original post. I would like to know what it said.
Cheers :)
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First you need to know what GAME1 is. See Amanda then the rest of it is in response to her comment. You're right every locality has its own set of issues that need putting right. In the overall context of the world New Zealand has few. Kiwis head to Oz, as I have done, in search of the almighty dollar. When you can pull it from the ground and flog it to the Chinese for very little effort it's lure is great. When 75% of Oz's energy comes from dirty coal, where already climate change is having deadly effect, in drought, fire and flood, again I say our problems pale into insignificance.
As for comparison of racism issues, we have an indigenous peoples treaty we are addressing, and the Maori have interbred so much with European we are well on the way to becoming coffee coloured. Look at the Maori All Blacks. We have Ginger haired ones. Here when a Maori was murdered at least they always have had the supposed protection of the law. I think it was only the 1970's that the same can be said across the ditch. The recent take over of indigenous settlements in the Northern Territory by Federal Authorities shows there is considerable work left to do. As for sexism, we have had two women prime ministers so far in our young history, we were the first in the world to give women the vote. Our largest listed company has most recently been headed by a woman. Our universities all have a split in matriculation favoring women. We have a ways to go but again our problems seem trivial in the overall view of the world. Our domestic violence figures here are too high, but recently we have passed laws banning smacking. That too we are having a go at. Give it time we will hopefully have that under control. I am a big picture thinker. I ponder the root of problems and find fixing the symptoms and not the cause, frustrating. That is why I believe I was struggling to get a point for local insight. I was simply trying to remedy that. Thankfully I have and now I can move on. Cheers Luci :-)
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Comment by John D. Boyden on March 19, 2010 at 6:36pm
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LUCKY! Plus 1 local insight.
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Comment by Miaomiao Huang on March 31, 2010 at 5:34am
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Hey, my best friend is studying in New Zealand now. I appreciate your work.
Comment
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