They still can't get the roads right in Canberra (or Things they could fix in Canberra #9)

It has been a while since I last wrote about what needed to be fixed in Canberra. This actual topic I initially wrote about back in November 2009 - the poorly constructed Gungahlin Drive Extension (GDE). It comes as no surprise that it is still under construction.

It makes me furious, as an Australia tax payer, that funds are made to build something like the GDE, only to dismantle it, and to rebuild it. And make no mistake, the whole of Canberra is funded by taxpayers. It is not private enterprise. It is not "local government". The "local government" get money from the locals and from the federal government, who themselves are allocated from, yep - you guessed it, the Australian taxpayers.

Why they could not have the vision to get it right in the first place is just symptomatic of the stupidity and short-sightedness of Canberra. And, if you think I have no proof, here are some images I took a few weeks ago, when I last visited Canberra, heading from north to south:












It makes me wonder how much rigging was involved to make Canberra - Australia's second most livable city - according to the Property Council of Australia's recent survey. Either that occurred or the criteria did not really take into account what actually makes a city livable. Stating that, I challenge the survey's results - if Canberra is very livable, why are people not permanently relocating there in the millions?

Canberra - continuing to be a waste of the rest of Australia's money, because they can!

Adidas Woody Toy Story toddler boots

In this case, I did not buy shoes for myself or for Kitty Kat. I bought them for someone who may be joining us in the future. The shoes I am talking about in this case are the Adidas Infant Disney Vulkid Mid CF I - Woody.

These shoes serve to do nothing else than to reinforce brand recognition in children. If you think about it seriously, children do not care what brand labels they wear (possibly up until the age of around 5 or 6, but it could be earlier). The only reason children care is due to their parents, and the others they socialize with. They do not care that they wear clothes from certain manufacturers until they are informed of the differences between brands. Once they reach the playground at school, they may get teased by other children for not wearing the right type of clothing or shoes. They may get bullied for wearing the wrong item.

What is the fuel for this? The parents or the role models. They are the ones buying the children the items, in an attempt to distinguish them from others. I guess this is a reflection of human nature, and why capitalism triumphed over communism. People will always want to have more than their neighbor. It fuels a materialistic view. Annie Leonard mentions this type of mentality in The Story of Stuff. A part of her presentation displays that people are bombarded with advertising to make them feel like they are missing out on things, and then people get onto a vicious cycle to continually accumulate "stuff". She makes sense!

Going back to the main topic of this post, the target audience for the shoe is a toddler's parents. As mentioned previously, this is to reinforce brand recognition, as well as additionally to make the parents happy. The recipient may one day associate Adidas with a childhood memory, and then go out to buy more Adidas products. The "fun" aspect is reinforced with the references to Woody from the Toy Story movie. It plays on the emotions of the buyer, it is sneaky, and I can say that in this case at least, it worked.

I cannot comment on the shoe's comfort or fit, but I can offer images of the shoe:

These toddler boots were purchased at the Adidas Factory Outlet, on Smith Street, Collingwood, in Victoria, Australia. The price was further discounted due to signing up for the Adidas mailing list.

Rondo's Low shoe

In yet another variation of a player exclusive shoe, Nike have released the Nike Zoom Hyperfuse Low Rajon Rondo. If you have read my blog over the past several months, you already know I a few other variations of this shoe being:

• Nike Zoom Hyperfuse Rondo PE
• Nike Zoom Hyperfuse (from 2010 NBA Finals - most similar to the shoes worn by Rondo)

I am going to assume that this low collar shoe is going to be similar to the other ones I have. I have not worn them, as I already have another pair of Hyperfuses that I am wearing (being the 2010 NBA Finals ones).

I have spoken to a few other people on the internet who have commented on the general Hyperfuse line. I have not heard a bad comment about them yet, although many of them share the same view as I do - that the shoe is very light, responsive, and tight, but not too tight. On youtube, I found a video where Jefferrrson has said he does not like the shoes flex (it's around 5:20 on his video). He would suggest to Nike to insert a carbon fibre shank in the shoe (see the shoe terminology page for what a shank is), but I have no problem with the way the shoe feels, flexes, or handles. I am much in favour for a shoe that moves with the foot, as opposed to moving against the foot. The legs muscles can provide the stability required, and the angle of the foot can provide the cushioning. I do not use it much for basketball, but I do use it for other hard court sports.

The price of the shoe is one of its biggest advantages - especially if you are purchasing it at around the $100 mark. While not as cheap as some other shoes on the market (and I am thinking of the Dunlop Volleys in this instance - being around the $20 mark), I do believe they are an affordable midpoint in sneakers, especially when you compare it to the fact that new Nike Air Force 1s retail around the $160 mark, and new Air Jordans can go for around $260. From memory, these shoes (the Hyperfuse) retail for around the $150 mark - but as mentioned previously, you can always find them cheaper on-line.

In the following images below, I have tried to capture different angles of the shoe, as well as comparing them to the other models I also have:

The following images are the Hyperfuse Rondo Lows in comparison to the original shoe Rondo wore during the NBA 2010 Finals (without the "9" on the collar):

The following images are the Hyperfuse Rondo Lows in comparison to the first true player exclusive shoe to be branded with Rondo's "9":

The following images are the three Hyperfuses side by side:

In the past, the two high-top Hyperfuses were sent to me by the guys at crazyforsneaker, but the low-top Hyperfuses were purchased from Footlocker's unofficial House Of Hoops on Swanston Street, Melbourne City. They are in limited supply (being Australia, but it may not be the case in the US or other countries), and I was lucky enough to be visiting the day they had more.

Lastly, and in a separate mention from this article, I would like to mention the fact that Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics has surpassed the record of the most 3 point shots made, while during a game with the Lakers yesterday, he shot his 2561st 3 point basket. Well done to Ray (team mate of Rajon Rondo), and I hope he extends the record in the next few years to come.

GO CELTICS!!