whitherdrift

i just generated an image in the style of a Monet painting using AI please describe, in as much detail as possible, what makes this inferior to a real Monet painting

Ōrākei has to win the award for most useless train station close to a major CBD ever. Beautiful though.

By tying the new infrastructure fund to meaningful statewide planning and construction reform, the Feds are upping the stakes for states to do what’s right and make housing legal and easy to build where people want to live. This marks the Comm’s first major housing leadership.

it’s actually crazy that tokyo is both the largest city in the world and is plainly the most civilized. there is no crime, it’s perfectly clean, transit is incredible, i’ve yet to see a single person doing anything remotely disorderly. most world class cities are western and it’s really cool to get a radically different aesthetic while still getting top tier amenities. i’m kind of obsessed with this place. hard to explain, but the feeling of being here is incredibly distinctive and kind of dreamlike.

I've heard land acknowledgment statements before (not as often as Twitter would make it seem, maybe like once?) But I have never seen a land acknowledgment *button*

NZ First Campaign Announcement: Funding for Christ Church Cathedral Rebuild New Zealand First has today announced a campaign commitment to fund an extra $15 million for the Christ Church Cathedral to get the rebuild moving. This is a rebuild project that has been waiting for 15 years now, and the time has come to ensure this vitally iconic symbol of Christchurch City is completed. There have been a number of plans over the last decade or more to get this done, but now there is a board in charge of the rebuild who have the backing of the Anglican Church, local council, key businesses, community leaders, and the people of Christchurch. This is more than just a Church, it is a part of the city’s heritage. It is a symbol of the long road of the Christchurch earthquake recovery. Rebuilding the cathedral will catalyse further development around the area and boost important tourism numbers in the city. The original plan was reviewed by Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Ltd, and in September they unveiled a new affordable, common sense, staged pathway forward – and just need the government to assist with funding. The rebuild project has been mothballed since 2024 because of lack of funds. Around $90 million had been invested already, with $38 million funded by the Anglican Church, $25 million by the Government, $24 million coming from donors, and $3 million from Christchurch council. There is still $40 to $45 million shortfall. The project managers are now seeking more from the Church, which has been agreed to, and a bigger contribution from the Christchurch City Council. The additional government funding would help complete the first stage of the new rebuild project which will finally re-open the Cathedral and remove the hoardings from the square on its way to full revitalisation. When last in government in 2018 we ensured a government commitment of $25 million towards the project, made up of $10 million with an additional $15 million interest free loan. The additional funding commitment from government would see the new, more affordable, and workable project finally get moving. Today, we are making the commitment, that we will give them the tools so they can finish the job.

If because 80% of Americans say they'd like to live in a single family house, we should therefore build more SF homes, then what should we do about even higher percentages wanting wilderness preserved, farmland continuing to be farmed, and housing to become more affordable?