Regrow Qld 23 February Issue 7 Vol 3 (Subscriber)
Win a Chinese EV, the Orange Menace strikes again, Billboard up, Good News, Arthur's Dream Car Blog, and Greg wonders if the LNP really want to win.
Editorial
Anna Hitchcock
My friends,
In amongst the sabre rattling and blaming of unions for everything, I spotted a ray of hope on Channel 9 recently. No, it’s not what I would prefer to watch, but I read the closed captions at the gym while puffing and blowing my way through a mild regime of weights and cycling.
Buried in between ads for Harvey Norman and the latest home gym equipment was an ad for a giveaway - of an Electric Car.
As I’d never heard of the brand before, I did some Googling. It’s a Chinese made car looking to compete in the small SUV market and they are offering a 7 year warranty on the battery. I’m not sure how effective the warranty will be if they only have an online presence. Personally, I am more comfortable with a brand that has a larger presence in Australia, if only for access to spare parts.
You can read up on all the specs of this one here: https://www.drive.com.au/news/2022-byd-atto-3-price-and-specs-electric-suv-here-from-44381-plus-on-road-costs/ - the cost is likely to be closer to $48,000 with all the on-road costs. (The similar MG is around $4,000 cheaper according to the article.)
Still, offering it as a prize shows that even Channel 9 can’t avoid the rapid transition in the vehicle market. High fuel prices will just kick that along a notch.
I blew past the fuel station on my e-scooter this morning with a smile on my dial. As prices climb higher I am substituting more trips than ever. The next challenge is: can I get to Bunnings and back on a single charge? Watch this space.
Meanwhile, there are changes afoot for the e-scooters which are a hazard on footpaths for those with mobility issues. As someone with occasional mobility issues, I figured if you can’t beat them, join them! It’s better than a wheelchair (if you can cope with standing) as you’re up higher and you have a narrow wheelbase.
I think having rules about wearing helmets and slowing down on footpaths are fairly sensible, as is an education campaign about parking e-scooters appropriately. On a recent trip to Brisbane, I was unable to park my e-scooter anywhere that didn’t block the footpath. This was outside a supermarket that was undergoing renovations. Sometimes there’s just not enough room for everyone.
It’s also difficult to move the scooters to a better location as an alarm goes off if you try to put them to the side or move them at all - so people just leave them as is. If the alarm system was changed so that you could wheel them a short distance, I’m sure people would tidy the paths as they went.
These are actually problems of success - the e-scooter revolution is here, with many single person trips in cars being replaced every day. If we can work through these teething problems, we should have cleaner air and healthier cities.
Anna
GCC Project Update
Check out our new Billboard which is now up - on Glenlyon Road near the railway bridge. We think it looks amazing!
GOOD NEWS
You can check out the original article here and sign up for the Good News newsletter by Future Crunch - we highly recommend it.
One thing COVID taught us is that infrastructure can be built quickly when the will is there. While much of the world stopped at plexi-glass shields in retail shops, the Philippines undertook the largest bike line construction program in its history, building 500 km of bike paths to replace public transport in under a year - and there was Australian expertise in amongst the worldwide consortium that helped with this project. World Bank
A historic ruling in Ecuador has given the country's 14 indigenous groups the power to veto mining and oil projects on their lands. Indigenous communities must now be consulted and give consent before any extractive projects can commence on or near their territory. Mongabay
Iceland will officially end all commercial whaling in 2024. Only one license holder remains in the country after a two year suspension on hunts, and even they doubt there is 'any economic advantage' to continuing beyond 2024 when the current quotas expire. Maritime Executive
Tesla Dream Car blog #22 - March 2021
Arthur Hunt
We have received a number of software updates since the last blog. These have included further refinements of the autopilot, a rearrangement of the icons and options on the visual display unit and some more games and entertainment options. New games are always popular with our grandson and add to holiday fun. Even more cerebral games such as Solitaire and Chess are of interest to him. Just as with a mobile phone, he tends to be first to find a new feature in the car. Recently he demonstrated that destination addresses can be entered in the GPS by voice, which was news to me as it has not been mentioned by any of the experts on Youtube. He also discovered that he could play Solitaire from the passenger seat while I am driving which might help on long trips.
Editor’s Note - since this article was written, games can no longer be played while the car is in motion. The US Transport Dept stepped in as it was regarded as a distraction and there was a software update to effect the change.
We still await the Full Self Driving update which is being trialled in North America. I don’t believe the trial was meant to include a Canadian driver who was stopped by police after appearing to be asleep in a reclined seat while his car travelled at 150 km/h on a highway. [Editor’s Note - https://techxplore.com/news/2020-09-asleep-self-driving-car-canada.html]
We hope to make a trip to Tasmania soon. We have been perusing maps and lists showing the location of charge points on our route. There are 42 Tesla superchargers along the highways plus many fast chargers installed by state governments, local government, motoring organisations and commercial organisations. In addition, there are over 700 slower 22 kW Tesla destination chargers installed in motels and shopping centres throughout Australia so that drivers can charge overnight or during extended shopping sessions. Naturally the motels with chargers will be top of our list when making bookings. So, we do not anticipate any problem charging our car during the trip down south.
The installation of chargers must come before widespread adoption of electric vehicles. The anticipated growth of the electric vehicle market is indicated by the installation of 54 chargers at one shopping centre in California, followed recently by the installation of 76 chargers in one location in Shanghai.
More in a fortnight.
Arthur
Opinion
Greg Bray
Do the LNP Want to Win the Election?
Folks, here in the vast, hallowed halls of Regrow CQ HQ, the fierce debate continues to rage whenever we gather round the tinkling, marble fountain and luau bar for post-lunch drinkies, chiefly:
Do the LNP really want to be re-elected?
The people in the NO camp point to the silly photos and interviews put together by the Prime Minister’s 40+ strong media team of late.
Surely these jokers are having a lend of Scooter, as each day their pranks get more outrageous.
“Hey! Let’s see if we can get Scott to creepily wash some poor chick’s hair?”
“Better yet, put a welder in his hands!”
“No! Wait! Get him to play a song about commies on ukulele!”
“How about we get a shot of him at an airport Departure Lounge!”
Snigger! Chortle! Giggle! Snicker!
The NO camp also point out that the PM and his stooges have overstepped the mark a bit when it comes to punching down on the voiceless, powerless and defenceless aka: refugees, the unemployed, the sick, the disabled, the indigenous, all marginal groups etc. (frankly, I suspect this is the reason many bullies are so eager to join the LNP in the first place).
Emboldened by their success in kicking the custard out of the vulnerable, which largely goes unreported thanks to Rupert, they thought they’d go after a few of the more uppity people who really annoy them, e.g.: Grace Tame, women in general, the Twitterati, unions, Grace Tame, pensioners, Labor State leaders, essential workers, all workers, truth tellers, alfoil hat wearers, Laura Tingle, small business owners, Grace Tame and now, the Chinese.
Oh, Xi must be quivering in his shiny, little shoes!
BTW: I haven’t spoken to a single person who thinks Oz’s gallant DEFENCE (as opposed to Attack) Forces can take down the might of the Chinese PLA. And anyone who thinks the US will come steaming to our aid in a timely fashion if we do toss a few punches at the dragon, are dreaming.
The NO camp believes that alienating all these groups of voters (and so many more) are clearly acts of self-sabotage and not the sane actions of someone who wants to win an election any time soon.
They make a good point, but I’m still digging in with the YES camp.
I firmly believe the LNP are desperate to win the next election and will do so by the foulest means at their disposal (naturally).
There will be no lie, smear, dog whistle, cat call, slur, insult or slanderous claim off limits.
Hey, it worked last time.
In spite of the LNP not having a single good policy, or anything resembling a grand vision for the future of our nation other than to give themselves, fossil fuel corporations, Hillsong, weapons manufacturers and their billionaire buddies a hefty swag of taxpayer loot.
Actually, I’m fairly certain that’s still their only policy.
So, why do I believe they want to be re-elected, in spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary?
Two words.
Two words which strike bed-wetting, knee-trembling, terror into the hearts of our PM and his Merry Band:
Federal ICAC
M’Lud, Laaays, and Genmen! I rest my case.