Letter from Berlin

This is my first visit to Berlin and it is a beautiful city, perhaps one of the best that I have seen. The streets are wide with many heritage buildings and places notwithstanding the destruction that took place in the second world war.

Berlin has the biggest parks and open spaces that I have seen so far. After booking into my Hotel on the sixth floor of a post war building with no lift we caught a tube train to Olympiastadion. I've had life long interest in Berlin of the 1930s and the stadium was a must even though it has been modernised. There is a a fabulous entrance that I remember from the original opening on film archives that I have seen. That hasn't changed and I could still feel the Third Reich reeling from defeat by Jessie Owens. It was a severe blow to Hitler's dream of a super man arch type when the black American won his race.

Berlin is a super city and the mind boggles at the thought that Albert Speer had plans for something bigger and better than what is here now. From the Olympic stadium we made our way to Haus am Checkpoint Charlie. There is no longer any evidence of the wall that once existed and was the cause of such grief for so many people, but the Mauermuseum is a grim reminder with very detailed documentation of the past darkness of a totalitarian nightmare.

Despite what you might think Berlin is not so expensive with good budget price accomodation and reasonably priced food. It has made a restful change from over crowded London, where I had delightful meal with the Vice Chair of London Transport, Dave Wetzel and his wife Heather, before catching the train to Amsterdam. The bicycle has been on the come back in London, since the bombings of last year. Bicycles are still very much favoured in Amsterdam but less so in Berlin. Here the public transport is very good and nowhere as stressed as dirty old London. These big cities are still in denial regarding Peak Oil so when it does dawn on the population at large I'm picking things will be very unpleasant.

cheers
Bryan

Wendy Vink - Island Bay Poet

Wendy Vink at the Deluxe Cafe

You can read Wendy's poem on the
Pepptalk philosophy forum.  

Ron Oliver - Political Activist

Brooklyn resident Ron Oliver

Ron Oliver is a quiet and unpretentious man who
works in the background, occasionally speaking at public
meetings, but tirelessly networking and forging links
on his quest to reform and build a fair and just society.
He is a strong supporter of public enterprise and an advocate
for Council's social responsibility in housing the poor.

It is a pleasure working with Ron Oliver, I have the highest
respect for him.

Pepp

Max Cresswell - Modal Logician

Max Cresswell at Jay Shaw's Book
Launch.

Max Cresswell was in town on Saturday
for Jay Shaw's book launch as a keynote
speaker. I hadn't seen Max for twenty-five
years but strangely he looked younger than I
remembered him. Obviously Max has
found the philosopher's stone. He is a world
class logician. 

Jay Shaw - Cross Cultural Philosopher

Jay Shaw - Philosopher


After 25 years I was back
at the feet of my teacher who launched his
book on Contemporary Indian Philosophy on
Saturday, 6 May 2006.
I have such fond memories of this wonderful
man who taught me philosophy at Victoria.
Jay Shaw is at home teaching all great western
philosophers, from Plato to Kant and Wittgenstein
to Popper. Jay expounded on them all.
He is an unpretentious man with great
humility and ability.
 

The Deluxe Cafe is a terrific place to visit

Cycling past the Deluxe Cafe early on Thursday
morning I heard wonderful music from the
Wellington Ukulele orchestra! What a blast
and the coffee is excellent too- but you
know that.

Poll Tax by another name!

Warwick Tayor talks to Sharon Clair at this
week's Water Forum. Warwick is extremely
concerned about the privatisation of water.
The WCC water charge is a poll tax by another
Name.

Ratepayers, did you know that the Wellington City Council is proposing to double the flat uniform charges that you pay for water and sewerage? At present the charges are $112.50 for sewerage and $112.50 for water (if you don't have a water meter). In its Draft Long Term Community Plan (Budget) the Council proposes to charge $225 for water (for those without a meter) $225 for sewerage for each property

There's More

The Council intends that within a few years residents, not business will pay most of the rates.
This is despite:

- many services provided by the Council (eg., roads, water, sewerage, and assistance to business) benefit business directly;
- services to residents also benefit business because most residents work for these businesses or are members of workers' families;
- over 40,000 people come into Wellington City each weekday from outside the City to work for these businesses.

How Will Residents Be Affected?

- Nearly all residents will pay more rates - rates on a property of average value are proposed
to rise 6.4% this year, nearly double the inflation rate.

- If you own a lower-valued property you will have a higher percentage increase (eg., 17% if your propety is worth $200,000 and it value increased by 10% in the last year).

- If you pay rent, it will no doubt go up.

What You Can Do

Phone, email or write to your local Councillors to tell them that you oppose the Draft Long
Term Community Plan.
Help circulate a petition against the Plan.
Contact the Residents' Coalition - phone Ron 934-2816 or Warwick 9344-626 or
email warwick.weatherman@gmail.com

For more information visit http://www.freewebs.com/wjtnz or http://www.pepptalk.net

Oppose the Council's Draft Long Term Community Plan!

Authorised by Wellington Residents' Coalition Southern Branch, PO Box 6705, Wellington.

Sharon Clair - Water is a Public good

Sharon Clair addressing a public forum on water


Last Wednesday night(3rd May) I joined
Sharon Clair from the CTU as a guest
speaker at a public forum on water.

It was a delight to hears Sharon's views on
water in the context of "The Treaty". She is
an articulate voice for community building
and speaks with a passion about a
"fair and just society" and water as public
property. Here is a strong woman
who needs to be heard more often.

Sharon brings the best of Maori traditions while
embracing the wider community - another
outstanding Wellingtonian.

Robert Atack is a man with a message

 

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

Cr Jack Ruben speaks out

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF


Your biased editorial (Dompost April 29) on the Te Raekaihau Point proposals deliberately omits vitally important information, and leaves other questions unanswered.
Why not state that the $7 million dollar loan is interest free? The interest alone would be more than sufficient to save the mobile library being closed down! - and still leave funds for other more deserving projects.
What is the justification for public funding going into this private tourism venture? - and where do we draw the line? Hotels? Fishing trips? Seaplanes? Why not?..... the precedent has been set.
I believe most New Zealanders wish to preserve our natural heritage - intact. There are other suitable sites for such a venture. What happens to the buildings when it fails because the estimated visitor numbers are ridiculously over-optimistic? - as with the ill-fated V8 Race proposal. Will they be left derelict, or turned into expensive apartments? - or perhaps an oil company head office like the Queens Wharf Shopping Centre.
Where is the similarity in financial terms between this venture with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, (with which I am very familiar), when there are more people in the Monterey area and nearby cities than in the whole of New Zealand?
Not all Wellington City councillors "enthusiastically support" this venture. We are committed to encouraging more tourists into our area, but not at the expense of the environment - or the ratepayer.
Does project manager Grant Macaskill also believe native forests should be cut down, because they are wild, have roads traversing them, and maybe some derelict cars?
As Mandy Rice-Davies commented all those years ago about the late John Profumo "he would say that, wouldn't he"?

Jack Ruben.
Wellington City Councillor,
Onslow-Western Ward.

Ph: 476 5144
8 Pine Terrace,
Karori,
Wellington.

LEAH McBEY'S TOWN PLAN FOR DUNEDIN

An Economic Anti-Depressant











Leah McBey speaking at EECA Forum 2006

Leah McBey understands the significance of a
monolithic fuel based culture that is coming to an
end. She is a Dunedin City Councillor with a
vision of how society could function after Peak Oil.

Leah has written a Town Plan - a manual of how to
cope in the post Peak Oil age or in a time of real economic
hardship and shortage of money.

I recently meet Leah at the EECA
(Energy Efficency and Conservation Authority)
Forum in Nelson and was impressed with
her understanding of the most important issue (Peak
Oil) that faces the world today. She is also measured
in the way she goes about communicating. Its all mixed
up with the consumer society and climate change so
we have to take this very seriously.

Leah is one very articulate and gifted person who is more
than a match for most of the men she is working with, and
occasionally clobbered by, but she survives and continues to
offer her insights into the future that is now.

Copies of LEAH MCBEY'S TOWN PLAN FOR DUNEDIN
can be ordered by sending $10 .00 plus $2.00 postage and
handling to: OTAKOU COMMUNITY ENTERPRISES,
RD2 OTAKOU, DUNEDIN.