I was renewing with Tower and it's gone up a lot, even though I haven't made a claim and nothing has changed. Same old car. I just thought stuff it, and I downgraded to third party only with no theft or fire cover (I have one of the best alarms)

On the phone they explained that part of the reason was that the value of my car had been adjusted (about $1,000 higher) but when they used the calculator to figure out the premium cost for a lower agreed value, it didn't change to the price I expected.

Prices must have gone up due to inflation or corporate greed.

I'd still trust Tower over AMI. Once I used AMI and my renewal package got lost in the post, and my insurance expired, but they didn't even text or email me. With Tower it automatically renews. So while AMI might be cheaper, they are really bad with communication, and won't even spend 2 cents to send an SMS to your phone.

Open the URL, I self-hosted a zip file with 9 photos so you don't have to visit a website that's filled with ads.

http://rentingcrisis.nz/forum/images/chalk/activism.zip

I wrote in 20 locations around riccarton and ilam. Most of my chalk was on riccarton road or perhaps 50 metres into a side street.

Please share this file.

I didn't watch this start to finish but I agree with everything he's saying.

1. The election won't change anything. I believe we'll still be stuck in the same situation for another 5 years.

2. Too much immigration. Do we need to let people into the country just to stack shelves at Countdown and Chemist Warehouse? This isn't a skills shortage.

3. Community solutions, instead of relying on Parliament

On that last point - I will be doing a mailbox drop this summer to spice things up a little. Voting in the election is a waste of time for me. I want to see more houses being built and it's not going to happen from the government. We need the council to **** off and stop pandering to boomers and rich property buyers. It's the council's fault that there is no private property available for purchase or rent, at a reasonable price. They used zoning regulations to scam my generation out of a good quality life.

David Palmer if you read this, I went to Northlands Mall last week and I saw a huge empty section near the main bus stop. This looks promising, but so far it's just grass growing there. As soon as the zoning changes and they allow high density near the malls, it's probably going to be a 6 storey apartment. At least that's my hope.

More realistically though,

Press TV's Telegram comments on claims by Israeli media: "All surrounding areas of Gaza retaken, no clashes now taking place with Hamas"

Maybe Hamas will wait with the hostages, knowing that the most hawkish Israelis will advocate further violence. At this point Hezbollah might join.

edit: t.me is a shortened URL for Telegram links, some posts are visible without the need to install telegram.

Vince shows the numbers on how much a person must earn in order to buy a house in New Zealand

I was driving out of a quiet street in Christchurch around noon today when two SUVs approached from the right-hand side. I waiting for them because I thought they would go pass, but they had a different idea. Both SUVs pulled into the street which I was coming out of, and they were using it to compensate for their poor turning-circle, instead of attempting a 3-point-turn which would've been safer.

So there I was trying to turn right, with the first SUV sneaking up behind me, waiting for me to go, then there was a second SUV that also wanted to use the side-street to swing around, but they were waiting for me, and I was hesitant, because they were blocking my view from my right and I couldn't see oncoming traffic.

I paused in confusion and then crept forward, saw it was clear, and moved along.

It was a stupid situation to be in, it made me wonder why they don't do a 3-point-turn, or just go one vehicle at a time, instead of blocking the road with their SUV convoy. I call these women soccer moms because they are exactly the same as their American counter-part. They drive their SUVs together to go to the local park with their family. There is no other word for it besides soccer mom.

This is what happens when Karen from accounts makes friends with Becky from HR, and they discover that they both have sons, and both live in the same suburb. They drive their SUVs for an outing down to the local park.

When they swung around and went to the park, they were still there half an hour later. They didn't seem to have any sports gear with them. We are becoming more like America with each passing day.

When I browse Reddit I always open it in a private window, because that website is cancer and I like to keep it contained. I have no interest in revisiting ironic "shit posts" or run-of-the-mill opinions from Reddit-dwelling incels. I was writing about Reddit on another website, commenting on the perverted mindset of basement dwelling degenerates on Reddit:

"Redditors are all ******. They talk about circle-jerks, hate-boners, and ass-holes. They are obsessed with erect penises and anuses. Truly warped people."

reply:

reddit causes brain damage. (I can list them if interested) And as a result all nz reddit users that don't get censored are extreme leftwing, porn addicted, losers. Angry and bitter but determined to ruin once new zealand.

I didn't even mention pornography yet someone made the connection between Reddit users and pornography 😆 There are probably Reddit communities based around VR porn and there's probably a whole community with thousands of active members, just to talk about what to do when a matchbox car gets parked where the sun don't shine. And how to find an "open minded" doctor. Just normal heterosexual stuff you do with the normal wife, you know?

I'm trying not to complain about Reddit too hard, in all honesty, it's pretty funny how screwed in the head people on Reddit are. I sometimes visit just to see what dumb opinions people have. Last time I checked /r/chch someone posted about Kyle Chapman's arrest, and someone in the comments wrote that Kyle is an "angry incel" which is ironic because that's the perfect description of these redditors. A bunch of craft beer, soy latte drinking, porn addicted virgins who will never get a woman pregnant. On the other hand, Kyle has 5 children (presumably to at least 3 different women) which is sick too, but still better than a lot of these redditors.

Kyle is a run-of-the-mill boomer as far as I'm concerned. Reddit says he's a fascist but I don't think Kyle has cared about politics or ideology for at least 12 years. Of course, on Reddit you get upvotes if you say that Christchurch is a Nazi city with a big "nationalist community". I saw someone farming karma just 2 days ago.

The same 'redditors' believe that The Rob Gray Life Centre is some kind of secret fascist training centre. But if you go to (I think) the Barbadoes Steet intersection with Cashel, then walk east down Cashel, you'll see the sign outside which says "Rob Gray Life Centre open today - everyone welcome".

It's not just the invisible fascist boogey-man that Reddit obsesses over, it's also the secret Christian nationalists in Parliament. Apparently Christopher Luxon is a secret Christian nationalist who wants to bring in extreme religious laws, or something.

If I go on reddit and disagree with the secret Christian (or fascist) threat, then it's guaranteed that the mods have a secret porn group on Discord where they hashtag my username and make secret notes about me, that I'm stirring up trouble, and causing offence (by disagreeing and providing information which contradicts the hive mind)

I have a problem with Reddit, because it's bastion of weirdos where they are not exposed to anyone with different view points, and it's been an echo-chamber for years now. There's much talk about the 'danger' of X and what Musk has done to it, but it seems like his WEF adviser has come out against anti-semitism, and Musk is going to met Benjamin Netanyahu. I really doubt that Elon truly supports free speech. He's a tricky guy who will change his mind on things and toy with the media and public figures. The scrutiny should be on Reddit. I think even if there was a child porn scandal involving /r/newzealand moderators, it probably wouldn't cause an exodus of users. If a Reddit moderator was caught with thousands of images of naked 6 year old girls on their hard drive, the /r/newzealand community would probably raise money to defend them in court. I believe it's that cohesive, basically like a cult where the moderators are highly venerated figures.

This is the best thing for Christchurch. It should've happened 15 years ago.

I saw a couple of short clips and ended up watching the whole thing one evening, while trying not to fall asleep. The last question that Tucker asks, is "will there be a civil war". Trump comments on Jan. 6 and says he's never seen such an out-pouring of love, but equally, he's never seen such an out-pouring of hatred.

I know most of you don't care about these figures all that much, but what Trump said is quite revealing. America is probably screwed now. If Trump doesn't get elected, his supports might go crazy. Likewise, if he does get elected, it might embolden his supporters anyway. I don't think that anyone will fix the problems in America. It's too late now. If they'd hadn't spent billions of dollars trying to rule the world, they could have paid reparations to blacks and possibly avoided the ugliest parts of the current political environment. They'd need jobs and manufacturing too of course.

There is a risk posed by people who misdirect their anger, like that 21 year old kid who shot random black people, painted swastikas on the wall of a supermarket or something, and then shot himself. Of course he's 21. If he'd made it to 24 or 25 without deleting himself, he would've realised that there's more to life, even if the economy is in the toilet.

2024 is gonna be a war I reckon. There's no reconciling the differences with most people. If they can't get justice and a fair standard of living for all people, then things won't improve (conflict, division).

I suggest that victory in the war be defined by who docks their ships at Sevastopol. Most people just focus on who is killing the most, which isn't a useful measure. It's worth considering the waste of life though.

The other day I met a guy from Chengdu, so I looked it up on YouTube. I also follow a modest YouTuber who uploads videos of Saint Petersburg when he goes for walks with his wife and granddaughter.

I'm not suggesting that Christchurch should look like one of these big cities with 10 or 20 million people, but could we please knock down that derelict building that's next to the bus exchange? It has walls falling down, and graffiti everywhere. Then there's the case of shipping containers on the side of the road.

These inner-city features give third world vibes. I don't care what these buildings are, please destroy them.

We also need a city-wide land tax to encourage development. There are empty sections all around Christchurch that aren't being used for anything (or they are just for parking a jetboat). I saw two properties in Sumner that are used for parking a jet boat, and there are places in Riccarton like Kirkwood Ave and Leslie Street, each have an empty section which has been empty for 20+ years. The central and local governments aren't doing anything to solve these problems.

Am I just dumb or does this happen for other people?

Catching the bus is my main way to get into the city centre, though on rare occasions I drive or e-scooter. I found that catching the bus is sometimes useful on short trips, such as going to the bakery (if the bus is every 10 minutes). Really great for me since I don't have a job right now, but if I get a job again I'll need a car, because employers insist.

I don't like owning a car because other tenants can suddenly move in and block me off with their car, which they expect to park on the driveway too. All the nearby streets have problems with parking. An e-scooter would suit me most of the time. I could sell my car, buy an e-scooter, motorcycle helmet, rain-repelling pants and gumboots. ** Just a couple of problems:**

1. safety - a guy I know recently had an accident in the Opawa/Sydenham area and broke his shoulder + other bones. I was told that he wasn't hit by a car, apparently he lost traction and fell off. Maybe he was going 30 km/ph if not 40 km/ph, but I don't know. Based on the injuries he wouldn't have been going under 20 km/ph.

2. winter - traction problems and visibility at their worst, potentially for months. So far, this winter has been mild. Most times 11am - 5pm are good temperature for an e-scooter, without too much moisture on the road. Next winter might be colder and less suitable for an e-scooter.

I could use the bus in winter, borrow a car from family, or rent a Zilch vehicle for 4 hours every 1-2 weeks. Everything else should be possible on a scooter, most days. Part of the trick is to buy a large enough backpack from the Army & Outdoors store!

Transport in Christchurch is troublesome, because of the city's one storey high design. Employers expect me to pay for fuel and then drive several kilometres to get to work, because there's no way I can find a rental that's near a job, or which has a suitable bus route for getting to a job. With the increases to rent, fuel and food, I think I'll give up driving before I give up anything else. To hell with what employers expect.

So I guess the reason I made this thread is to speculate that I'll be one of the test subjects for e-scooter ownership in Christchurch. I'm not a competitive, angry person who tries to flex on other road users. I used to speed constantly in a Mazda mx5 without giving a damn but now I drive a more modest vehicle, and I notice how many people overtake me even when I'm driving slightly above the limit. Sometimes I like to drive 30 or 40 km/ph on narrow streets because I don't want to kill a cat or someone's child. It may be legal to drive at 50km/ph but that's not always safe. Luckily, motorists are surprisingly courteous on narrow roads when they are forced to yield or get through a small gap.

Affordable apartments (complete with bikesheds) are still 5 or 10 years away, so I expect that public transport won't get more routes or become much more popular. E-scooters may be the fix we require. I'd rather ride my bike but I can't store that in my bedroom. Most boarding houses are just a bedroom and nothing else, so I think an e-scooter is the way to go.

If it makes me unemployable to some employers that's just too bad. In the current situation I doubt I'll save up enough money to buy a car again (cue for someone to suggest I buy a piece of shit for $1,000)

We have to move with the times and accept that not everybody can own a car and afford a place to park it, where it won't be blocked off by new tenants moving in, who also wish to use the driveway. We've been warned since last year that 91 fuel could reach $3 a litre and we're only a few months away from that. If I give up my car this spring-summer-autumn it will save me at least $1,000 on insurance and fuel. Not even that much, but I think the lifestyle change will be the selling point. I just hope I don't get killed lol

Back in 1935 the first Labour government came to power and faced a severe housing crisis. It didn’t fiddle and tinker – it rolled its sleeves up. By the late 1930s it was building 3500 state houses per year for a population of around 1.5 million.

Sounds good to me Nelson, can we please get this in Christchurch as well?

When

Monday, the 28th of August, 6pm onward

Where

Christchurch WEA, 59 Gloucester Street (near the Art Gallery)

https://www.cwea.org.nz/

What to expect

Since this is 3 weeks away I haven't confirmed any speakers yet.

If the meeting receives enough interest, then it will grow. There are other groups such as Save Passenger Rail and a Living Wage group, the overlapping interests can help to boost this new group.

I've been looking for some old films to watch online and I'm looking at

• On The Beach (1959)
• Patton (1970)
• The Great Escape (1963)
• The Guns of Navarone (1961)

Those last two inspired parts of the video game series, Metal Gear Solid. In Metal Gear Solid 3, a lot of films get mentioned by characters throughout the game.

On The Beach is one I heard about because Alex Jones was talking about nuclear war earlier this year, and he showed a scene from that particular film. There's a newer version of On The Beach but I'd always go for the original, or better, read the novel it's based on.

Recently I watched 2 old Soviet films

• Amphibian Man (1961)
• Only 'Old Men' Are Going To Battle (1973)

Some links

Patton

The Guns Of Navarone (this one costs $ on YouTube)

Amphibian Man

Only 'Old Men' Are Going To Battle, black and white version

Only 'Old Men' Are Going To Battle, colourised in 2009

It's disappointing that many films are 48 hour DRM'd and cost $4 or $6 despite not being restored

but...

https://www.aliceinvideoland.co.nz/

w00t!

Got to get me some novels too.

Hey everyone, I registered a domain name and installed phpBB forum software, but I will also be:

• hosting meetings at Spagalimi's Pizzeria in Christchurch
• hosting meetings at the WEA (59 Gloucester)
• advertising through the Christchurch Progressive Network mail list
• knocking on doors to promote the forum
• setting up a table and chairs in town for some real life promo

The website is www.rentingcrisis.nz and that's where I'll be organising events in the near future.

I had some trouble with password resets on Lemmy so I just created a new account. I want to reply to https://lemmy.nz/u/kiwikruizer regarding this thread: https://lemmy.nz/post/26847

I complained about the crowded boarding house where I live and kiwikruizer replied: "Theres a few places around that have ensuites in the ~$230 range". This isn't the response that I expected. I pay slightly more than $230 a week (going up to $300 a week soon) and the problem isn't the lack of an ensuite bathroom. I didn't understand where kiwikruizer was coming from, because I never mentioned anything about an ensuite, I just said the place was crowded.

To clarify, a boarding house is not a house where you have 6 or 8 bedrooms and only 2 communal bathrooms. A boarding house will, in nearly all cases, be a modern building with 6 or 8 bedrooms that all have ensuites, but which share a kitchen (and optionally, a lounge, but it isn't required). I think most rentals are under a boarding house contract these days, unless for some reason it's a fixed contract (which I would recommend avoiding unless a person is well-off)

This confusion of terms is another reason why I want to host public meetings. People don't understand renting and have misconceptions about how it works, what it costs, and how convenient it is.

The $230 a week boarding houses that kiwikruizer mention generally have very thin walls and doors, so you can hear people coughing from down the hall, or singing in their bathroom in the morning. The median rent price is much higher than $230 a week, and even these $230 a week properties are more likely $245 or $250 by now. The prices will keep going up and up until we do something about it.

I'll keep you all updated on my progress. It will be a difficult road to build an active group but I'm determined to do this, because the alternative is doing nothing and having nothing change.