Freedom Camping Act 2011 and unintended consequences

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Regarding the Freedom Camping Act 2011 and unintended consequences

An open letter to Rt Hon John Key, Minister of Tourism, New Zealand regarding the freedom camping act 2011 and unintended consequences including high court challenge of Thames Coromandel District Council by the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association

Rt Hon John Key Minister of Tourism New Zealand 10/04/2014

Dear Sir,

Regarding the Freedom Camping Act 2011 and unintended consequences.

The freedom camping act was established largely at the behest of local bodies that found themselves powerless to control overnight camping in their districts. Media reports of unsuitable behaviour (defecation, littering & theft) were becoming more frequent and there was a clear indication from the Tourism Industry, Councils and residents that this new and growing trend was not good for tourism and not good for New Zealand.

The Minister for the environment recognised the need for control to be established and aimed to do so before the Rugby World Cup.

It may be that this timeline led to what has proven to be some unfortunate consequences.

It is important to recognise that there was very little authorised so called freedom camping before the act. Most ratepayers throughout NZ objected to subsidising these visitors, and councils actions and bylaws reflected that attitude, by way of their request for legislation to control so called freedom camping. While some (Gisborne) councils had in place management schemes, in others (Thames) request for service statistics show complaints concerning freedom camping to be the single most frequent reason for the call.

Secondly, proponents of unlimited freedom camping are want to point out that they have always done it and it is our birthright. Sadly, the always done it part is in a way correct, but the real truth of that statement is that it has also always upset those affected. Until the 1970s every summer holiday saw hundreds, if not thousands of holiday makers freedom camping along the coast of the Bay of Plenty from Opotiki to Waihou Bay. This wasnt a birthright as so many claim, this was trespass, pollution and desecration of wahi tapu sites. As soon as these locals found themselves sufficiently empowered, the practice was stopped.

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Freedom Camping Act 2011 and unintended consequences

Freedom and control are why the rich really are charitable

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It's a paradox that seems to reinforce every stereotype about greed and wealth: those with the smallest incomes donate the greatest share of their money, while the rich pinch their pennies. Among taxpayers who claim a deduction for their generosity, the proportion of money given away by low-income earners is 11 times higher than that of wealthy taxpayers.

The disparity, highlighted in a Fairfax analysis of the most recent data available (2010-11) from the Tax Office, shows those who claimed tax-deductible gifts in the lowest taxable income band - less than $6001 - donated an average of 22 per cent of their incomes. By contrast, taxpayers reporting $1 million or more of taxable income donated an average of 1.8 per cent of their income.

"Some people say this proves that low-income earners are more generous than high-income earners," says Myles McGregor-Lowndes, director of the Centre of Philanthropy and Non-profit Studies at Queensland University of Technology. But other factors, including wealthy retirees, may be at play.

"We suspect that it's to do with high net-worth individuals who may not have any income or little income but give away substantial amounts so they don't have to pay income tax."

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The affluent gain more from charitable deductions than low-income earners. In 2010-11, tax-deductible donations returned more than $1 billion to taxpayers, 20 per cent of which went to the wealthiest 1 per cent.

If generosity were measured by who is most likely to donate - not who gives away the bigger proportion - high-income earners would be the winners. The wealthiest Australians are 10 times more likely to claim a tax-deductible gift than those who report the lowest incomes.

But there are pitfalls to equating tax-deductible gifts with generosity.

"People who have tax accountants are more likely to claim deductions than those who don't," Professor McGregor-Lowndes says. Poorer taxpayers might not claim every $2 handed out on Red Shield Day.

But tax breaks are not the end of the story. Even the richest taxpayers end up with a net loss when they give away their money.

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Freedom and control are why the rich really are charitable

Bentley plugs into electric technology.. and prepares to go…

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B ENTLEY is to showcase its first ever hybrid petrol-electric battery which will power its forthcoming SUV and pave the way for much wider use of the eco-friendly technology.

The Crewe luxury car maker will be displaying the system in this Mulsanne concept car later this month at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in China.

It is developing a plug-in hybrid system whereby the car has a battery driven electric motor which is charged both by various energy recovery systems built into the car while it is running, and by leaving it plugged into a recharger system at home, work or one of the rapidly increasing number of publicly available points. And Bentley says the results will be impressive.

A spokesman said: "The plug-in hybrid system will offer a power increase of up to 25 per cent, together with a 70 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions, both without any compromise to the exquisite luxury, timeless design and industry-leading refinement for which Bentley has become renowned.

"Bentley hybrids will also be capable of driving at least 30 miles on electric power alone, allowing for emissions-free city driving with the option of enhanced performance on the open road."

The hybrid system will first be produced for the company's new SUV in 2017, but will rapidly be rolled-out to the rest of the model range.

Dr Wolfgang Schreiber, chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors, said: "There is no doubt that plug-in hybrid technology is true to Bentley's values of outstanding luxury and effortless performance.

"Combining our renowned engines with electric power reinforces and enhances both principles and so we will gradually introduce this powertrain across our model range.

"By the end of the decade, at least 90 per cent of our production will be available as a plug-in hybrid.

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Bentley plugs into electric technology.. and prepares to go...

Adore Me to celebrate grand opening on April 12 with debut of organic clothing line, cupcakes and more in Newtown

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NEWTOWN Homemade cupcakes, refreshments and the debut of an exclusive line of Synergy Organic Clothing will greet visitors to Saturday's grand opening of Adorn Me, Newtown's newest boutique on South Street in the heart of the town's historic shopping district.

Complimentary goodies and new fashion introductions get underway at noon and continue to closing at 7 p.m., said store manager Meghan Cavanaugh, a lifelong Newtown resident.

Adorn Me is the only retailer in the region offering Synergy Eco Chic designs, including the Soul Flower spring summer line, Cavanaugh said. Together with our American-made collection of Alex & Ani necklaces, earrings, rings, bangles and designer jewelry, Adorn Me becomes the lifestyle destination for women of all ages seeking traditional-style clothing with a modern flair while helping to sustain the earth's eco system.

Most Synergy clothing and accessories, Cavanaugh said, are made from organic cotton and low-impact dyes, while all Alex & Ani products are fabricated with eco-friendly materials.

Adorn Me (adornme-eco.com) is located at 32 South Street next to Starbucks and across the street from the Gap, with free parking behind the store. Learn more about Adorn Me clothing and jewelry at synergyclothing.com and alexandani.com.

Note: 300 dpi photos of the Synergy Organic Clothing line of Soul Flower spring summer fashions are attached. Adorn Me is the only retailer in the region offering these designs.

Complimentary goodies and new fashion introductions get underway at noon and continue to closing at 7 p.m., said store manager Meghan Cavanaugh, a lifelong Newtown resident.

Adorn Me is the only retailer in the region offering Synergy Eco Chic designs, including the Soul Flower spring summer line, Cavanaugh said. Together with our American-made collection of Alex & Ani necklaces, earrings, rings, bangles and designer jewelry, Adorn Me becomes the lifestyle destination for women of all ages seeking traditional-style clothing with a modern flair while helping to sustain the earth's eco system.

Most Synergy clothing and accessories, Cavanaugh said, are made from organic cotton and low-impact dyes, while all Alex & Ani products are fabricated with eco-friendly materials.

Adorn Me (adornme-eco.com) is located at 32 South Street next to Starbucks and across the street from the Gap, with free parking behind the store. Learn more about Adorn Me clothing and jewelry at synergyclothing.com and alexandani.com.

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Adore Me to celebrate grand opening on April 12 with debut of organic clothing line, cupcakes and more in Newtown

'Wearable Eyes' Make You Appear Friendly, Social Even When You're Not

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Have you ever had trouble concentrating in the office as people walk by and glance at you? Do you come off as unfriendly or aloof, when you're really just focusing on your work?

Dr. Hirotaka Osawa from Tsukuba University, in Japan, has developed a new wearable device to help us with something called "emotional labor." His idea is that people could adopt cyborg technology to increase the emotional comfort of those around us. In this case, the device is a crazy pair of glasses that display eyeballs on their lenses.

The device's virtual eyes naturally follow people and movement, making itappearas though you're friendly and approachable, even if you're too busy doing something else or too tired to actuallylookfriendly and approachable.

"This emotional support reduces a user's cognitive load for social manners," Osawa says.

Check out his whimsical video below, which won the Best Video award at the 2014 ACM/IEEE Human-Robot Interaction Conference last month:

The device, which Osawa calls AgencyGlass, has several different functions: when you tilt your head back, the animated eyes look upwards to make it look like you're thinking. If you nod or shake your head, the glasses blink. All of this is performed with a gyroscope and accelerometer to detect head movement, and an external camera to detect faces and motion.

Osawa says his idea was recently challenged at a conference in Japan: "Isn't it wrong to deceive the people around you?" he was asked. Osawa argued that those around you know youre wearing the glasses, minimizing any deception.

He also cites sociologist A.R. Hochschild, whose book describes the occupations that require "emotional labor," a veneer of politeness that is necessary for a job, but can be stressful and detrimental to the workers mental health. As the book summarizes:

"Just as we have seldom recognized or understood emotional labor, we have not appreciated its cost to those who do it for a living. Like a physical laborer who becomes estranged from what he or she makes, an emotional laborer, such as a flight attendant, can become estranged not only from her own expressions of feeling (her smile is not her smile), but also from what she actually feels (her managed friendliness). This estrangement, though a valuable defense against stress, is also an important occupational hazard, because it is through our feelings that we are connected with those around us."

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'Wearable Eyes' Make You Appear Friendly, Social Even When You're Not

Federal budget cuts to leave Hatteras beaches unguarded

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Ocracoke, N.C. Because of budget constraints, the National Park Service won't staff the Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches with lifeguards this summer. The move has angered Outer Banks residents and left tourists wondering if they should swim there.

"We need the lifeguards here for this island," said Dylan Bennick, who worked for the Park Service last summer as a lifeguard. "Lifeguards not only create feeling of being safe, but they do provide an environment where people can go to the beach and be safe."

Fifteen lifeguards watched over three beaches in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Ocracoke, Buxton and Coquina last year and were credited with 49 rescues, according to Park Service data. There wasn't a single drowning within the guarded beach areas, which saw more than 31,800 visitors between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

"We got a call on the radio that a dad and his son were caught in a rip current," Bennick said of a July 3 rescue. "When we got to them, it was just their noses above the water."

Park Service spokeswoman Cyndy Holda said four to six people drown on the Outer Banks outside of guarded areas in an average summer.

A lifelong surfer, Bennick said rip currents are the greatest threat along the North Carolina coast. That's why, he said, his value as a lifeguard wasn't in the water as much as it was on the beach.

"Telling people what the scenario is and how to deal with it," he said. "If you don't know what to do, it can kill you."

The Park Service will save $75,000 by cutting the lifeguard staff, Holda said. She said the agency is looking at possibly hiring contract lifeguards, but any decision is weeks away.

Sundae Horn, who has lived on Ocracoke Island for 22 years, said lifeguards are part of the lifeblood of the area and its tourism-based economy.

"As a family beach destination, people want to come here, and they might choose to go somewhere else if they don't have lifeguards," Horn said. "If we have a year without lifeguards, there will be more tragedies."

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Federal budget cuts to leave Hatteras beaches unguarded

Astronomy – Measuring Distance, Size, and Luminosity (12 of 30) Luminosity and Size – Video

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Astronomy - Measuring Distance, Size, and Luminosity (12 of 30) Luminosity and Size
Visit http://ilectureonline.com for more math and science lectures! In this video I will take a closer look at the Stephan-Boltzmann #39;s Law.

By: Michel van Biezen

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Astronomy - Measuring Distance, Size, and Luminosity (12 of 30) Luminosity and Size - Video

Astronomy – Measuring Distance, Size, and Luminosity (25 of 30) Tully-Fisher Relationship – Video

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Astronomy - Measuring Distance, Size, and Luminosity (25 of 30) Tully-Fisher Relationship
Visit http://ilectureonline.com for more math and science lectures! In this video I will explain the Tully-Fisher relationship.

By: Michel van Biezen

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Astronomy - Measuring Distance, Size, and Luminosity (25 of 30) Tully-Fisher Relationship - Video

Astronomy News – Space News, Exploration News, Earth …

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Research group to study interstellar molecules

From April 2014, a new group will study interstellar molecules and use them to explore the entire star and planet formation process at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics. Newly appointed ...

(Phys.org) Titan, Europa, Io and Phobos are just a few members of our solar system's pantheon of moons. Are there are other moons out there, orbiting planets beyond our sun?

(Phys.org) Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers now can precisely measure the distance of stars up to 10,000 light-years away10 times farther than previously possible.

(Phys.org) Astronomers have found a new way of predicting the rate at which a molecular clouda stellar nurserywill form new stars. Using a novel technique to reconstruct a cloud's 3-D structure, ...

(Phys.org) Supernovas are the spectacular ends to the lives of many massive stars. These explosions, which occur on average twice a century in the Milky Way, can produce enormous amounts of energy and ...

(Phys.org) Two of West Virginia's premier research institutions, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Green Bank and West Virginia University (WVU) in Morgantown, have inaugurated a new super ...

(Phys.org) A trio of space researchers studying the galaxy Segue 1 has found that its red giant stars are made mostly of hydrogen and helium, with very few heavy elements, suggesting the galaxy stopped ...

(Phys.org) In this Hubble image, we can see an almost face-on view of the galaxy NGC 1084. At first glance, this galaxy is pretty unoriginal. Like the majority of galaxies that we observe it is a spiral ...

Astronomers using ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile have captured this eye-catching image of planetary nebula PN A66 33usually known as Abell 33. Created when an aging star blew off its outer layers, ...

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Astronomy News - Space News, Exploration News, Earth ...

Stars Form Much More Readily Than Astronomers Thought

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The Pipe Nebula (left) and the Rho Ophiuchi cloud (right) in the Milky Way. Each inset map shows how much the light of background stars is dimmed as it passes through the cloud in question. Credit: Background: ESO/S. Guisard // Column-density maps: J. Kainulainen, MPIA

Understanding stars is fundamental to the science of astronomy: the astro in astronomy means star, after all. And courtesy of a new study researchers have a better understanding of how these things form providing insights not just into the stars themselves, but also into galactic and planetary evolution.

Astronomers werent totally in the dark about star formation. They knew that stars form within giant clouds of molecular gas (mostly hydrogen) and dust. When an area within the cloud becomes too full of molecules, it undergoes gravitational collapse the area attracts more stuff, which makes it denser and more massive, which attracts yet more stuff until enough stuff is there to ignite nuclear fusion, the process that fuels a star.

The problem was figuring out how to know when an area is too full of molecules. Whats the critical density at which gas clouds turn into stars?

Astronomers had long been trying to figure this out, and have devised many models of star formation. The only problem was, its pretty hard to measure how dense a gas cloud is to begin with.

Now astronomers have shown that they can determine a gas clouds density by analyzing how it distorts the light from distant stars behind it. The more a star dims, the more gas its traveling through, and therefore the denser the cloud is at that point.

Armed with a way of calculating a clouds density, the team carried out direct observations of 16 nearby star-forming gas clouds (within about 850 light-years of Earth) to determine a value for the critical density necessary to set off a new star: around 5,000 hydrogen molecules per cubic centimeter. Thats a lot lower than the theories had predicted (a whole order of magnitude lower, in some cases), which is surprising. Its unclear yet why the guesses were so far off. The findings appeared in this weeks Science.

Now that astronomers have this technique at their disposal, theyll be better able to test and refine their theories on star formation. That could mean a solution to one of the greatest challenges of astrophysics: being able to look at a gas cloud and predict how many stars will come out of it, and what kind of stars theyll be.

This gives researchers great predictive power in figuring out how galaxies (including our own) will behave in the future. Its also a boon to researchers who study planet formation, since star birth is the first step in the process of creating a solar system.

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Stars Form Much More Readily Than Astronomers Thought