Benmore Dam spilling

[Ocean1]

I do.

You've been drinking with Les agin' haven't you.

RNZ runs many programmes that improve the mind and enrich the social fabric of the nation and wouldn't be touched with a barge pole by commercial broadcasters because the audience isn't easily advertisable-to.

The enrichment isn't working. I don't need or want to be advertised at by anyone who can't anti-up the cost of the ad's.

[Hitcher]

That not-for-profit focus should be strengthened and continued. That's the legitimate role of state-sponsored broadcasting.

That's only one step away from propaganda. Given another term in office, I am sure the Bloody Labour Gummint would have turned its attention to the content of state-owned broadcasters.

TV3 broadcasts informative documentaries like Outrageous Fortune that enrich our social fabric, whereas the state broadcaster stoops to sodomy on Shortland Street to titillate and seduce advertisers.

[jrandom]

That's only one step away from propaganda.

Piffle.

The other weekend (and by 'other weekend', I mean 'quite a while ago', but the point still stands), out for a ride on the pushbike, I switched my MP3 player to National Radio and was pleasantly surprised to find myself listening to an interview with Michael Chabon. (It so happened that I'd just finished reading Kavalier & Clay.)

I can't think of any other NZ radio stations that would ever licence such stuff off the American public broadcasters. 'Propaganda'? Nonsense.

I challenge you to name one single programme on RNZ that counts as 'propaganda'.

[Winston001]

I do.

RNZ runs many programmes that improve the mind and enrich the social fabric of the nation and wouldn't be touched with a barge pole by commercial broadcasters because the audience isn't easily advertisable-to.

That not-for-profit focus should be strengthened and continued. That's the legitimate role of state-sponsored broadcasting.

In the USA, the best television can be seen on Public Broadcast Service (PBS) stations. PBS is a charitable company and only exists through donations and whatever support it can get. Essentially it does what the BBC1 and TVNZ do. We are lucky - although for a while Prime TV were broadcasting much better stuff than TVNZ.

I too support non-profit radio and television. TVNZ needs a separate channel for this stuff so it can legitimately concentrate on profit for its other channels.

[Bullitt]

Libertarians aren't agin' government, dude. That'd be anarchists. Most libertarians would, I reckon, recognise a government's valid roll in funding and planning supply for that sort of infrastructure.

Or the more rational ones would.

Umm not quite. Theres a reason only something like 1,000 people vote for Libiterianz each election. Id say Im in the top 5-10% of right wing people in NZ but I dont go anywhere near their policies.

Libertarians basically believe the only role for the state is in services that will never be provided by the market such as armed forces and um thats about it. No Libertarian would ever go near electricity.

[Ixion]

That's only one step away from propaganda. Given another term in office, I am sure the Bloody Labour Gummint would have turned its attention to the content of state-owned broadcasters.

TV3 broadcasts informative documentaries like Outrageous Fortune that enrich our social fabric, whereas the state broadcaster stoops to sodomy on Shortland Street to titillate and seduce advertisers.

The BBC, in its glory days., was undoubtedly the most respected broadcaster in the world. And government 'controlled'. The only propaganda it put out was during the two world wars .

To say that the state should have no role in broadcasting is as meaningless as to say it should have no role in education.

If a state controlled braodcaster braodcasts government propaganda, how is that any worse than a capitalist controlled braodcaster broadcasting Business Round table propaganda? At least the state must take account of all citizens when formulating its propaganda, whereas the privately operated broadcaster will take account only of the wishes of the rich capitalists who control it.

[Winston001]

Never mind the OT stuff - someone tell me why our transmission lines have been allowed to deteriorate. I've read about this stuff and it's very confusing. One expert says we need a second Cook Strait cable and some clever transformer stuff, another says no worries, there's still years of use in what we have. They go on to claim the generating companies are trying to yield super profits with alarmist statements about the lines. How that works I do not know.

[FJRider]

Stop being so fucking reasonable.

How can a man have a cathartic wee rant if some bastard chucks a bucket of cold facts all over the place.

Don't let a bucket of cold facts stand in the way of a good cathartic wee rant...

[McJim]

Never mind the OT stuff - someone tell me why our transmission lines have been allowed to deteriorate. I've read about this stuff and it's very confusing. One expert says we need a second Cook Strait cable and some clever transformer stuff, another says no worries, there's still years of use in what we have. They go on to claim the generating companies are trying to yield super profits with alarmist statements about the lines. How that works I do not know.

It's not supposed to work. One has a vested interest in an additional power line and transformer thingumy and the other has a vested interest in the status quo. Facts really have no place in NZ politics

[Winston001]

It's not supposed to work. One has a vested interest in an additional power line and transformer thingumy and the other has a vested interest in the status quo. Facts really have no place in NZ politics

This wisdom from ae Scotsman..... You lot are all engineers - why dontcha fix it!!

[98tls]

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[98tls]

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[98tls]

Took a few pics of the spill today,called into Chez Oldrider for camera lessons (thanks John) and received a warm welcome complete with lovely sammies (thanks Pip).

[Zippity]

There used to be a huge island out in the middle of the river, right in the path of the water that was discharged from the spillway - alas, it was washed away several years ago

I often walked across the ledge at the bottom of the spillway in pursuit of the monster trout that lived down below the concrete walls there

[oldrider]

There used to be a huge island out in the middle of the river, right in the path of the water that was discharged from the spillway - alas, it was washed away several years ago

I often walked across the ledge at the bottom of the spillway in pursuit of the monster trout that lived down below the concrete walls there

That rock was blown out when the gates were first tested at full (60,000 cubic feet per second) discharge. John.