Posts by Rob Stowell
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Yeah. Rather felt someone needed to say that. Thanks Peter and Holly.
What it comes down to is collective bargaining for actors. That's been fairly clearly, consistently and concisely what NZAE say they want.
We're a little out of step on this. NZ was the darling of the 'new right' in the 80s, simply because we took the 'economic experiment' further than anyone else. Now most unions have fairly low membership, and thus are pretty weak. NZEA included.
And surprise surprise: the gap between rich and poor has grown immensely. -
We find the trickier ones are what to call the wider family, eg, his mum is my...what? "Mother-in-fact"?
"Mother-out-law" works very well.
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The pine-nuts in Hagley Park used to suffer a similar fate. Very tasty, though devils to crack and shell. Watched a family gather bags of cones one year.
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It does guarantee that a candidate must have been the choice of at least 50% of the voting public (single vacancy) at some point down the chain.
Yeah, I get that.
Just that if it got toooo far down the ol' chain, it might be dragging one's vote through a fair bit of muck on the way to the magical "50%"
And even more complicated with multiple candidates. -
Why is voting for District Health Boards silly?
Hope you didn't think I meant that. While I take Rich's point too, I don't want, y'know, segregated communities with 6 deckchairs each, while the rest of us sit on the deck :)
I just feel doubtful STV is best way to do it, if one feels obliged to rank 28 people in a long descending line from 'great' to 'disasterous'.
Though in practice, numbering the candidates you like and leaving the rest blank should be enough in most cases. -
MEAA has actually issued a directive to actors to boycott the production.
Any union that does this without balloting their members first deserves a ballocking. And since it's an NZ issue, that should be their NZ members- not Australian or SAG.
Isn't that in the constitution of most unions? -
In Christchurch there are 28 candidates for the DHB. It's hard enough finding 7 I can happily endorse- let alone ranking the rest in descending order according to subtle nuances in their nuttiness rating (you need to see this to believe it!) and my political intolerance.
This doesn't seem the best system for Health Boards. (And I don't see how it can fairly be called 'proportional'- wouldn't that depend on, y'know, there being political parties involved?) The only advantage it seems to offer over first past the post is that it could favour people who spend a lot of time pondering it, and fill in at least 27 boxes. Although I imagine it coming down to final preferences would be a very rare case.
And... I wanted to spoil my ballot, by writing on the back who I'd likely have voted for as regional councillors, had Mssrs Key, Smith, Carter and Hide not decided I'm not worthy of making that decision.
Still. Rankles. Bastards! -
Now we've learnt a little more about it, let's all resolve NOT to back STV against MMP. It's more complicated, especially if there are a lot of candidates... as well as being less democratic. :)
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hopefully someone will archive the existing Google Earth Street View for Christchurch -
Yes!
Was thinking the same thing meself, while looking for a cobbler in Chch (they've been hard- hit) and after locating "Paragon Shoe Repairs" on google earth, drove past its ruins...
They should also do another run-past fast, before the restoration begins in earnest. A 'before, during and after' set would be fascinating.
There are many 'ghost buildings' in Chch; buildings still there in their absence. (The "Victorian" is one of my personal spooks, when in the vicinity.) This new crop is dismaying: a pictorial remembrance would be great.
Funny thought, though: how does one 'talk to google'? -
Of course, a great number of books are on the floor but the majority of the shelving is still standing.
The issue is really: that shelving is now known to be vulnerable in a major quake. So simply putting the books back isn't an option. And most-if not all- of the same sort of shelving- even if it didn't come down- will probably need to be replaced.
UC Commerce buildings fire escape failed (east side) in the Earth Quake?
I think 'failed' isn't exactly right: but the whole building was off-limits for 3 or 4 days after the quake, because of some structural problem with the east stairways.