Thursday, January 15, 2009
Cross-subsidization
I wonder why it is cheaper to fly from Edmonton-Las Vegas than from Edmonton-Vancouver?
The distance between Edmonton and Las Vegas is basically double that of Edmonton to Vancouver (2200 vs 1100 km), and the flight time is more than double (a little over 3 hours 10 mins vs 1 hour 20 mins). Methinks that there may be certain hotel/casino chains subsidizing the cost of airfares to and from Vegas ... because Canadian airlines which normally never hesitate to subject the flying public to the most heinous price-gouging consistently offer very reasonable fares. That is, the kind of fares where the taxes are almost as much as the ticket.
Interestingly, google maps tells me I could walk from Edmonton to Las Vegas in 18 days and 21 hours. But given how cheap airfares are I don't think I'll bother.
For next to nothing I can be on Bob Hope's turf. Frank Sinatra's. Spiro Agnew's.
The distance between Edmonton and Las Vegas is basically double that of Edmonton to Vancouver (2200 vs 1100 km), and the flight time is more than double (a little over 3 hours 10 mins vs 1 hour 20 mins). Methinks that there may be certain hotel/casino chains subsidizing the cost of airfares to and from Vegas ... because Canadian airlines which normally never hesitate to subject the flying public to the most heinous price-gouging consistently offer very reasonable fares. That is, the kind of fares where the taxes are almost as much as the ticket.
Interestingly, google maps tells me I could walk from Edmonton to Las Vegas in 18 days and 21 hours. But given how cheap airfares are I don't think I'll bother.
For next to nothing I can be on Bob Hope's turf. Frank Sinatra's. Spiro Agnew's.
Labels: cross-subsidization, fear and loathing, las vegas, travel
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Good grief, New Zealand
The long-awaited Ikea store (which would be an excellent addition to the retail landscape, especially in the currently over-priced furniture department) can't go to Mount Wellington because it might ... um, generate traffic. No shit. After it took me 50 minutes to get to work this morning, instead of the 20 minutes I was enjoying until last week, I suggest the Environment Court refuse resource consent for schools.
Apparently there were just two windows to pick-up pre-paid tickets at Eden Park for the T-20. The organizers of the event blame people not turning up early enough and being unfamiliar with the "intricacies" of Eden Park. Which rather disregards the idea that people generally, um, work on weekdays. Y'know that thing you do until at least 5pm, and quite often 6? As one disgruntled fan put it, "Do they assume that as they already have our money we will accept this?" Yes, that's exactly what they expect.
Right-wing talking point of the week is that Clark was cowardly in not attending all the events at Waitangi while Key looked prime ministerial. Audrey Young notes that previous visits have seen the PM and Labour MPs subjected to (1) accusations of treason, and associated death threats; (2) being shouted down by the usual suspect; (3)jostled by aggressive assholes; (4) perhaps most disgustingly, sprayed with urine. In the face. And add to that (5) Don Brash being pelted with mud, to which he replied rather wittily, "nice shot", but to which he would have been perfectly entitled to reply: "fuck off you little fucking c8nt".
If I'd had similar experiences in a place I wouldn't set foot in it. Quite why those responsible for law and order in New Zealand have let events like that unfold in the past is beyond me.
And for a little Darthwatch, this week he blames primary teachers for not "sorting out the little shits early enough" (although he doesn't deem to provide us with his thoughts on how this might be done); expresses support for more "real men" (read: heterosexuals) in primary school teaching; raises the old right-wing bugbear of performance-based pay for teachers (without suggesting even one criteria by which said performance might be measured); bashes teachers' unions; and prattles on about the government-in-waiting.
Yawn.
Apparently there were just two windows to pick-up pre-paid tickets at Eden Park for the T-20. The organizers of the event blame people not turning up early enough and being unfamiliar with the "intricacies" of Eden Park. Which rather disregards the idea that people generally, um, work on weekdays. Y'know that thing you do until at least 5pm, and quite often 6? As one disgruntled fan put it, "Do they assume that as they already have our money we will accept this?" Yes, that's exactly what they expect.
Right-wing talking point of the week is that Clark was cowardly in not attending all the events at Waitangi while Key looked prime ministerial. Audrey Young notes that previous visits have seen the PM and Labour MPs subjected to (1) accusations of treason, and associated death threats; (2) being shouted down by the usual suspect; (3)jostled by aggressive assholes; (4) perhaps most disgustingly, sprayed with urine. In the face. And add to that (5) Don Brash being pelted with mud, to which he replied rather wittily, "nice shot", but to which he would have been perfectly entitled to reply: "fuck off you little fucking c8nt".
If I'd had similar experiences in a place I wouldn't set foot in it. Quite why those responsible for law and order in New Zealand have let events like that unfold in the past is beyond me.
And for a little Darthwatch, this week he blames primary teachers for not "sorting out the little shits early enough" (although he doesn't deem to provide us with his thoughts on how this might be done); expresses support for more "real men" (read: heterosexuals) in primary school teaching; raises the old right-wing bugbear of performance-based pay for teachers (without suggesting even one criteria by which said performance might be measured); bashes teachers' unions; and prattles on about the government-in-waiting.
Yawn.
Labels: darth george, schools, travel, waitangi
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
You couldn't make this stuff up
Until about 10 minutes ago I had apparently lost the will to blog. But thankfully the venerable New Zealand Herald has reinvigorated me. When pausing to refill my coffee cup in the lunch room I noticed the following two lift out sections in today's edition:
Carbonwise (Byline - Part 3 of 5: Transport)
Super Wheels (Byline - Speeding Up)
I think Homer Simpson said it best when he once asked: "Do I know what irony means?"
The first of these lift outs (over which I have spilled my coffee in an accidental but strangely satisfying manner) is in large part an advertorial, but it does at least include mention of such things as a supposedly forthcoming 660cc i-Car from Mitsubishi. The second is in even larger part an advertorial, promoting such dubious pleasures as a supercharger kit for your Holden V8, so you too can join the "Fast and the Furious" (actual headline - what happened to the first "the"?)
Do two sections of completely opposed intent constitute balance? I am reminded on an ongoing gripe of George Monbiot. This is what he had to say back in October:
Anyway, back to the august Herald, about which I've taken a few swipes lately, along with many of my disposition. A quick browse of Carbonwise revealed at least one howler. On page 12, under "Trends to Watch" it reports that "Oil is here to stay" and that we should "Forget peak oil - the world is not about to run out of the stuff." Which displays a spectacular absence of understanding of what peak oil is about. Running out of "the stuff" is called ... well, "running out of the stuff", or perhaps something like "resource exhaustion". Peak Oil is the point at which oil extraction reaches its maximum rate, after which supply falls, and it becomes progressively more difficult and more expensive to extract oil from the ground.
Anyway, I'm just back from Australia. Tropical North Queensland to be precise. The night before my second boat trip out to the Reef I saw the following headline on the evening news: "Great Barrier Reef may be gone in 10 years: report." In one sense it affirmed my intention to spend a small fortune visiting it the next day. On the other, I couldn't help wonder about another irony: will the carbon emissions associated with my return flight (Auckland-Cairns), my ground transport (including 4 days behind the wheel of a rented Hyundai Getz with spectacularly bad wheel alignment), and my boat trips, contribute to the Reef's demise?
It wasn't helped the next day when a crew member on board the boat proudly announced we would be burning 1000 litres of diesel to get out to the Reef and back to Port Douglas again.
Fuck irony, I say. Port Douglas is a great town though, and reef snorkelling well worth it. I found Nemo, and a large number of his relatives, for example.
Carbonwise (Byline - Part 3 of 5: Transport)
Super Wheels (Byline - Speeding Up)
I think Homer Simpson said it best when he once asked: "Do I know what irony means?"
The first of these lift outs (over which I have spilled my coffee in an accidental but strangely satisfying manner) is in large part an advertorial, but it does at least include mention of such things as a supposedly forthcoming 660cc i-Car from Mitsubishi. The second is in even larger part an advertorial, promoting such dubious pleasures as a supercharger kit for your Holden V8, so you too can join the "Fast and the Furious" (actual headline - what happened to the first "the"?)
Do two sections of completely opposed intent constitute balance? I am reminded on an ongoing gripe of George Monbiot. This is what he had to say back in October:
The BBC drops Planet Relief for fear of breaching its impartiality guidelines: heaven forbid that it should come out against mass death. But it broadcasts a programme - Top Gear - that puts a match to its guidelines every week, and now looks about as pertinent as the Black and White Minstrel Show. The schedules are crammed with shows urging us to travel further, drive faster, build bigger, buy more, yet none of them are deemed to offend the rules, which really means that they don’t offend the interests of business or the pampered sensibilities of the Aga class. The media, driven by fear and advertising, is hopelessly biased towards the consumer economy and against the biosphere.More recently, on the topic of speed cameras, he took another (deserved) swipe:
Nowhere is more nonsense spoken about this issue than on the BBC. Its Top Gear series has become a sort of looking-glass Crimewatch, in which the presenters enlist the public to help criminals foil the police. There are tips on how to avoid prosecution and endless suggestions that speed cameras are useless or counter-productive. The tone was set in 2002, when the team demonstrated that you could beat the cameras by driving past them at 170mph(5).As an aside, should I feel bad about agreeing with Monbiot, but still really enjoying Top Gear? Nah. Will I watch Top Gear on Prime tonight? Probably. If I do, will I find it to a great laugh? Ahh, yes.
Anyway, back to the august Herald, about which I've taken a few swipes lately, along with many of my disposition. A quick browse of Carbonwise revealed at least one howler. On page 12, under "Trends to Watch" it reports that "Oil is here to stay" and that we should "Forget peak oil - the world is not about to run out of the stuff." Which displays a spectacular absence of understanding of what peak oil is about. Running out of "the stuff" is called ... well, "running out of the stuff", or perhaps something like "resource exhaustion". Peak Oil is the point at which oil extraction reaches its maximum rate, after which supply falls, and it becomes progressively more difficult and more expensive to extract oil from the ground.
Anyway, I'm just back from Australia. Tropical North Queensland to be precise. The night before my second boat trip out to the Reef I saw the following headline on the evening news: "Great Barrier Reef may be gone in 10 years: report." In one sense it affirmed my intention to spend a small fortune visiting it the next day. On the other, I couldn't help wonder about another irony: will the carbon emissions associated with my return flight (Auckland-Cairns), my ground transport (including 4 days behind the wheel of a rented Hyundai Getz with spectacularly bad wheel alignment), and my boat trips, contribute to the Reef's demise?
It wasn't helped the next day when a crew member on board the boat proudly announced we would be burning 1000 litres of diesel to get out to the Reef and back to Port Douglas again.
Fuck irony, I say. Port Douglas is a great town though, and reef snorkelling well worth it. I found Nemo, and a large number of his relatives, for example.
Labels: boy racers, driving, environment, herald, peak oil, stupidification, travel, TV news
Sunday, July 08, 2007
How to smoke on a plane ... and get away with it
Well, some bugger just did it on my flight to Singapore. In the toilets close to where I was sitting too. And repeatedly (4-5 occasions I'd estimate). The smoker displayed a fair amount of cunning, and I never worked out who it was, other than narrowing it down to a few guys.
The trick, as far as I can ascertain, is to go in to the toilet, do your business, and then light your smoke and take 1, perhaps 2, drags, before extinguishing it, putting it away, opening the door and returning to your seat at haste. By the time the smoke wafts out to the nearby passengers and/or crew, you're long gone ... possibly sitting in your seat with a smug, nicotine-aided smile.
I was surprised that none of the Singapore Girls seemed too alarmed by it all, despite them commenting on the smoke at least 3 or 4 times. Perhaps they've seen it all before? In the movies (admittedly, the American ones) the plane is always stormed by the FBI or something when someone lights up on board.
Close but no cigar for the Warriors I see (courtesy of the free internet here in Changi International).
The trick, as far as I can ascertain, is to go in to the toilet, do your business, and then light your smoke and take 1, perhaps 2, drags, before extinguishing it, putting it away, opening the door and returning to your seat at haste. By the time the smoke wafts out to the nearby passengers and/or crew, you're long gone ... possibly sitting in your seat with a smug, nicotine-aided smile.
I was surprised that none of the Singapore Girls seemed too alarmed by it all, despite them commenting on the smoke at least 3 or 4 times. Perhaps they've seen it all before? In the movies (admittedly, the American ones) the plane is always stormed by the FBI or something when someone lights up on board.
Close but no cigar for the Warriors I see (courtesy of the free internet here in Changi International).
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Budget
Not too sure what I think so far ... there's not much doubt it will create a savings culture, so if that's what floats your boat.... The introduction of compulsory employer contributions will no doubt cause much whining, but my employer already contributes to my super plan (dollar for dollar up to 5%) and that definitely makes my position more appealing. It will also improve our ability to compete with Australia on that ground.
But removing the tax bracket adjustments scheduled for next year is just mean-spirited. I can't help but wonder that if inflation is such a problem, why not increase taxes to, say, 100%. That would fix it pretty damn smart.
And the regional fuel tax, intended largely (but not exclusively?) to fund trains has its drawbacks, as Yamis has noted. If trains go nowhere near your suburb (which they don't in my case, or in the case of, say, anyone living in the North Shore), you're going to have an uphill battle convincing people to pay for the damn things.
Let's face it, trains are fuck-all use unless you happen to live and work really close to the stations.
But removing the tax bracket adjustments scheduled for next year is just mean-spirited. I can't help but wonder that if inflation is such a problem, why not increase taxes to, say, 100%. That would fix it pretty damn smart.
And the regional fuel tax, intended largely (but not exclusively?) to fund trains has its drawbacks, as Yamis has noted. If trains go nowhere near your suburb (which they don't in my case, or in the case of, say, anyone living in the North Shore), you're going to have an uphill battle convincing people to pay for the damn things.
Let's face it, trains are fuck-all use unless you happen to live and work really close to the stations.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
The smaller the hole, the meaner the rat
I guess the life of a Customs/Immigration official is not necessarily a pleasant one, but they can be assholes sometimes. I've encountered some of the questions also asked in this case. They are annoying fucking dumbass questions too.
1/ Who paid for your ticket / how did you afford your ticket??
Answer you'd like to give: "I did, what the fuck is it to you? I didn't realize international flights were still confined to the aristocracy by virtue of astronomical pricing. Almost anyone with a full-time job in a reasonably developed country can afford an overseas trip provided they're not too financially over-burdened."
2/ Why are you only staying for x days? This is a long way to travel to only spend this amount of time here?
Answer you'd like to give: "Fuck you once again, my portly under-educated instrument of state surveillance. Fuck you hard. This trip for 'only x days' represents a large proportion of my annual leave. How many holidays do you get that you expect people to holiday for longer than this?"
1/ Who paid for your ticket / how did you afford your ticket??
Answer you'd like to give: "I did, what the fuck is it to you? I didn't realize international flights were still confined to the aristocracy by virtue of astronomical pricing. Almost anyone with a full-time job in a reasonably developed country can afford an overseas trip provided they're not too financially over-burdened."
2/ Why are you only staying for x days? This is a long way to travel to only spend this amount of time here?
Answer you'd like to give: "Fuck you once again, my portly under-educated instrument of state surveillance. Fuck you hard. This trip for 'only x days' represents a large proportion of my annual leave. How many holidays do you get that you expect people to holiday for longer than this?"
