Letter, Dec 16
15/12/2009 3:59:00 p.m.
Leave Kerry out of it
TC Lynch of Berhampore can rest assured that I have indeed “removed myself from the process of allocating funds” in the redevelopment of Cobblestone Park, despite his or her fears to the contrary (Write On, 9 December). Because of my husband’s part-ownership of the nearby Quality Hotel Wellington I declared a conflict of interest early in the project. I have neither voted on it nor taken part in the debate in all the years it has been before the Council. A simple phone call to my office would have established this, if either the writer or Capital Times had been interested in printing the truth rather than a false and malicious urban myth.
Kerry Prendergast, Wellington Mayor
Cobblestone Park
I have just read the article on the Cobblestone Park revamp in the latest Capital Times.
I live opposite the park in Knigges Ave and I agree with the local businessman in the story that revamping the park is a BIG waste of taxpayer money. As I can see directly into the park at any hour, I can tell you firsthand that the park is only used by, and I’m sure will continue to be used by, two groups of people. 1: architecture students, who use it as a place in the summer to sit on the grass and under trees. 2. the local area human trash – hookers and drunks and druggies – that you can hear SCREAMING and fighting several evenings a week. I’m sure neither of these groups wanted the park demolished and turned into a concrete slab for a “playground” and a “ball sports” area.
Kevin McMurray, BNZ Customer Liaison Officer
Global warming
Good on you for printing retired scientist David Currie’s letter on global warming. One of the features of this politically driven fraud is that honest scientists, including the IPCC’s “2500 reviewers”, have been denied any forum by mainstream media in which to make their case; even “letters to the editor” columns. The IPCC Reports have never represented consensus or peer reviewing, reviewers input being ignored. An online wake-up is occurring right now – no thanks at all to the mainstream media. But even Google has been found to be tampering with the results for a search of “Climategate”; so well connected is the evil Al Gore. As politicians posture on the world stage at Copenhagen, and betray their citizens in the process, journalists who ask inconvenient questions at press conferences are being removed from the venue by security. I question whether the mainstream media enablers of all this are capable of feeling any pangs of conscience as the evil consequences unfold in years to come. One small part of these expensive consequences, is the mania that calls for the building of “light rail” lines to help “save the planet”. Of course the proposed line for Wellington will run right past the end of Demetrius Christoforou’s street. But it will be completely useless 99% of the region’s population who will be obliged to pay for it, in steep rates increases. On the international evidence, it would run at a massive operating loss; and furthermore, be worse for the environment than if it had not been built at all. This already is the case for most of our existing public transport services.
Philip G Hayward, Naenae
(abridged)
Courtenay Place crossing
In regards to “See red on Courtenay Place” from mid-November, alas the lights between Reading and St James are now operating. I observed these the other day and thought that they change insanely fast. Average Red was 16 secs to allow people to cross, but two near-misses as motorists decided that because the crossing was no longer there then it was no longer there. Average Green was 19 secs for traffic – enough to that last pedestian to be honked at and for about four cars (or one bus + two light runners) to get through. Maybe some tweaking needed? Better still get rid of private vehicles from Courtenay Place during peak hours.
Phil Drummond, Wellington
Restaurant delays
Recently I enjoyed a meal at a restaurant in the town centre with an associate from Auckland. Whilst the food and wine were of the highest standard, I was disappointed by the experience. There had been a large group of young people eating at a nearby table [who] caused enormous delays at the end of the evening. Instead of dividing their bill evenly among themselves, or better yet have one of the group pay in total and then sort out any calculations in their own time, they proceeded to closely examine the invoice individually to ensure they didn’t pay a cent more than necessary. A real group of Scotsmen if ever I saw one. The restaurant in question should have demanded the group, which must have numbered 20 or so, pay the bill in full, in one transaction. Instead they turned what had, up until that point, been a delightful evening, into a frustrating and disappointing one.
Ronald R Smythe, Mt Cook
(abridged)
Evolution and Darwin
The evidence for biological evolution, as Richard Dawkins famously wrote in the New York Times, is by now so comprehensive that anyone who does not believe it must be either ignorant or stupid. Ignorance at least can be remedied, so I’ll charitably suggest that your correspondent (“Darwin Lies”, 2 Dec 2009) might benefit from reading one of the many books on evolution by the scientists who have spent their lives studying the evidence. Otherwise, he may by all means continue to repeat the same tired old creationist pseudo-arguments that have been refuted a thousand times over by those who actually know what they’re talking about – but it will eventually become clear to all that the problem is not merely ignorance.
H Oliver, Kingston
TC Lynch of Berhampore can rest assured that I have indeed “removed myself from the process of allocating funds” in the redevelopment of Cobblestone Park, despite his or her fears to the contrary (Write On, 9 December). Because of my husband’s part-ownership of the nearby Quality Hotel Wellington I declared a conflict of interest early in the project. I have neither voted on it nor taken part in the debate in all the years it has been before the Council. A simple phone call to my office would have established this, if either the writer or Capital Times had been interested in printing the truth rather than a false and malicious urban myth.
Kerry Prendergast, Wellington Mayor
Cobblestone Park
I have just read the article on the Cobblestone Park revamp in the latest Capital Times.
I live opposite the park in Knigges Ave and I agree with the local businessman in the story that revamping the park is a BIG waste of taxpayer money. As I can see directly into the park at any hour, I can tell you firsthand that the park is only used by, and I’m sure will continue to be used by, two groups of people. 1: architecture students, who use it as a place in the summer to sit on the grass and under trees. 2. the local area human trash – hookers and drunks and druggies – that you can hear SCREAMING and fighting several evenings a week. I’m sure neither of these groups wanted the park demolished and turned into a concrete slab for a “playground” and a “ball sports” area.
Kevin McMurray, BNZ Customer Liaison Officer
Global warming
Good on you for printing retired scientist David Currie’s letter on global warming. One of the features of this politically driven fraud is that honest scientists, including the IPCC’s “2500 reviewers”, have been denied any forum by mainstream media in which to make their case; even “letters to the editor” columns. The IPCC Reports have never represented consensus or peer reviewing, reviewers input being ignored. An online wake-up is occurring right now – no thanks at all to the mainstream media. But even Google has been found to be tampering with the results for a search of “Climategate”; so well connected is the evil Al Gore. As politicians posture on the world stage at Copenhagen, and betray their citizens in the process, journalists who ask inconvenient questions at press conferences are being removed from the venue by security. I question whether the mainstream media enablers of all this are capable of feeling any pangs of conscience as the evil consequences unfold in years to come. One small part of these expensive consequences, is the mania that calls for the building of “light rail” lines to help “save the planet”. Of course the proposed line for Wellington will run right past the end of Demetrius Christoforou’s street. But it will be completely useless 99% of the region’s population who will be obliged to pay for it, in steep rates increases. On the international evidence, it would run at a massive operating loss; and furthermore, be worse for the environment than if it had not been built at all. This already is the case for most of our existing public transport services.
Philip G Hayward, Naenae
(abridged)
Courtenay Place crossing
In regards to “See red on Courtenay Place” from mid-November, alas the lights between Reading and St James are now operating. I observed these the other day and thought that they change insanely fast. Average Red was 16 secs to allow people to cross, but two near-misses as motorists decided that because the crossing was no longer there then it was no longer there. Average Green was 19 secs for traffic – enough to that last pedestian to be honked at and for about four cars (or one bus + two light runners) to get through. Maybe some tweaking needed? Better still get rid of private vehicles from Courtenay Place during peak hours.
Phil Drummond, Wellington
Restaurant delays
Recently I enjoyed a meal at a restaurant in the town centre with an associate from Auckland. Whilst the food and wine were of the highest standard, I was disappointed by the experience. There had been a large group of young people eating at a nearby table [who] caused enormous delays at the end of the evening. Instead of dividing their bill evenly among themselves, or better yet have one of the group pay in total and then sort out any calculations in their own time, they proceeded to closely examine the invoice individually to ensure they didn’t pay a cent more than necessary. A real group of Scotsmen if ever I saw one. The restaurant in question should have demanded the group, which must have numbered 20 or so, pay the bill in full, in one transaction. Instead they turned what had, up until that point, been a delightful evening, into a frustrating and disappointing one.
Ronald R Smythe, Mt Cook
(abridged)
Evolution and Darwin
The evidence for biological evolution, as Richard Dawkins famously wrote in the New York Times, is by now so comprehensive that anyone who does not believe it must be either ignorant or stupid. Ignorance at least can be remedied, so I’ll charitably suggest that your correspondent (“Darwin Lies”, 2 Dec 2009) might benefit from reading one of the many books on evolution by the scientists who have spent their lives studying the evidence. Otherwise, he may by all means continue to repeat the same tired old creationist pseudo-arguments that have been refuted a thousand times over by those who actually know what they’re talking about – but it will eventually become clear to all that the problem is not merely ignorance.
H Oliver, Kingston
