Posts by Rob Stowell

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  • Hard News: Anatomy of a Shambles,

    Are they unionised?

    Of course not, Gio. This is the Brave New World. They have a guild, and a 'blue book' with 'guidelines'.
    Nothing wrong with being a free-lancer if you like the life. Been there, done that. One can take a certain pride in being 'self-empolyed'. But sometimes it looked awfully like casualised labour- with no holiday pay, sick pay, or job security :)

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report

  • Hard News: Anatomy of a Shambles,

    Yeah. NZAE and the CTU do appear to have been on the back foot, slow reacting, or too diplomatic in playing at media warfare. They could use a McCarten...
    But I still don't believe they've been acting in bad faith. And I'm not so sure about some of the other players...
    (disclaimer: I am broadly pro-union, and in a mild, long-ago way know both Jennifer W-L and Robin M. I don't think either is stupid, or naive, or at all interested in grand-standing for its own sake.)

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report

  • Hard News: Joining the conversation,

    If they're under-performing, I think the community needs to know, teachers and management need to know, hell even the ministry needs to know, so they can see how to correct that. If they're over-performing, it may be useful to know how it came about and if those methods can be replicated elsewhere. The standardised tools that are there at the moment are just to piece-meal for that kind of information to be of real use.

    ERO.
    Talk to Dr Stoop about his peicemeal and useless organisation :) In my experience, ERO have a fair swag of integrity.
    So the ministry has a very good idea of what schools are doing well and who is failing. The name "National standards" is a smart piece of branding- like 'no child left behind' :( - but it doesn't describe what is happening. The 'national standards' are a simple mechanism to tie teacher pay and/or school funding to pupil results in a set of tests.
    (edit: ah, sacha beat me to it!)

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report

  • OnPoint: Did you know we're in a recession?,

    Keith, do you read Robert Reich?
    His diagnosis: the US economy suffers from an excessive divide between rich and poor. In a nutshell: too much money in the hands of the uber-wealthy is unproductive and promotes investment bubbles; too little in the pockets of the poor (and middle) constrains the very consumption needed to pull out of recession.
    That is, the widening gap between the richest 1% and poorest 20% is not just morally smelly and socially toxic: it's (yet another way in which the neoliberal model is) bad economics.

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report

  • Southerly: At Last, David Haywood's 2010…,

    You could practice on David... but on your own dime. (edit: or Kyle's clearly. He probably has real money.)
    The actual target would be encrypted

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report

  • Southerly: At Last, David Haywood's 2010…,

    The exchange rate is pretty good right now

    What's the going price?
    And if one didn't want actual death, what about a massive ego-destroying cutting-down-to-size, with a side-dressing of learned irony?

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report

  • Southerly: At Last, David Haywood's 2010…,

    More Laurie Anderson love- and thanks for link to Homeland. I think I know what someone is getting for Christmas.
    Also: how is it Dr Haywood, while completely rushed off his feet, manages to write ten times as much and many times more coherently than I can at leisure?
    Lots of people seem to have a head awash with words, which come out in torrents. Just usually in the wrong order, with no rhythm and range. </ whinge- yeah, Mr Bradstock: that was whinging :) >

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report

  • Southerly: At Last, David Haywood's 2010…,

    I could kill you right now, Haywood -- over the internet.

    We need a special body to regulate this. Or arm the police :)

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report

  • Hard News: Every scene needs its stars,

    Dunno if they are related, but this facebook page is dedicated to flying nun and expressway posters.

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report

  • Southerly: At Last, David Haywood's 2010…,

    Quite how they think they can help, she doesn't know.

    You never know when a pilot might happen to misinterpret Kant.

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report

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