Posts by Sacha

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  • Hard News: Food and drink,

    And barley-fed, for a taste bonus.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Island Life: There is no alternative,

    And kudos to those interviewers who remember the $35m windfall for needy private schools when Ministers "regret" not being able to afford lesser priorities like said special education funding.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Up Front: Any Port in a Storm,

    I demand a lower-resolution image!

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Island Life: Good on ya, Paula,

    The story does not mention anything about tennis balls.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Island Life: Good on ya, Paula,

    I recommend Tapu Misa's column today about Bennett and the DPB.

    Bennett didn't connect with her Maori side till university. She was the rebellious but indulged only daughter of a comfortable "middle New Zealand" family (dad had owned his own business, mum was a librarian). She didn't lack self-belief; her family wasn't without resources. So being a single mum at 17 was never likely to derail her for long.

    But if she had help from her parents, she doesn't mention it. Yes, there were lucky breaks, supportive friends and flexible employers, and quite a bit of public money (how much is no one's business, apparently), including a handy little thing called the Training Incentive Allowance (TIA) which allowed her to back herself into a university degree. But basically, it was all down to individual pluckiness. Or so the story goes.

    So you can imagine how annoying it must have been to have a couple of DPB mothers complaining that their dreams of being just like Paula had been squashed by the cuts to the TIA.
    ...
    It wasn't a fair fight. Bennett's so-called balancing information didn't give the full story, either.
    ...
    Yes, anyone could have found out that the DPB payment for a parent with two or more children is $272.70, but the amount each parent gets on top of that varies according to her circumstances - and those circumstances can be hugely complicated as well as intensely private.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Up Front: Any Port in a Storm,

    Seems to be a vegetarian, thankfully.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Hard News: Food and drink,

    Fast food is when you're trying to catch the chicken.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Up Front: Any Port in a Storm,

    I'm sure the private sector will step in immediately, freed from the shackles of state that previously inhibited them from providing that valued service.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Up Front: Any Port in a Storm,

    Robert, I have no idea where you got your ideas about men and women, but I do hope you are not inflicting them on any people close to you.

    If the problem of men assaulting women and children was not still a current one in New Zealand, do you seriously think we would need ongoing interventions like the "It's Not OK" campaign and the Womens' Refuge fundraising appeal?

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Hard News: Food and drink,

    Reckon it's just a great lark. If the deathworm even exists, sounds like there's a chance it will be the one doing the disturbing.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

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