Posts by Rob Stowell
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aw, c'mon Danielle- you're sounding a little like a grapefruit :)
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Thanks, David!
Great songs, and performance, too.
Ah, the banjo, it takes me back.
And a thought-provoking manifesto, as we watched "No Direction Home" last night. A remarkable, deeply satiisfying film- -
Listening to Rob Pope talk to Mary Wilson (I think) about the new police agency to investigate our massive organised crime problem was interesting.
<paraphrase> "We don't know if there's a big, scary problem with organised crime, but we're delighted to go looking for one, and odds on, if we spend enough money and do the right PR, we'll find something ... " </paraphrase>
~ Brought to you by the Star of the Civic Creche Investigation (and the team claiming NZ's annual black-market in methamphetamines is 'somewhere' between NZ$1.2 and 5 billion. Clearly a Treasury extrapolation based on how much they've been smoking? ) ~ -
Thanks Solo Jogging. I've been biting my lip.
It's very odd how everyone else in the country knows the city much better than those of us who live here.
Or, since we are all violent bogan racists from spoon-fed old-boys-club schools, perhaps not so odd ;) -
Ouch, Jackie. I'm having similar thoughts about others run over by Teh Tolleybus.
In Canterbury, as well as primary advisors not in the numeracy and literacy (and there's been a HUGE push in numeracy via 'the numeracy programme' over the last 6 years) losing thieir jobs, our very good early childhood advisors- the whole team- have been axed.
The ministry isn't funding the service for the first six months of next year, and the university is unwilling to keep them on in the meantime.
In the absence of a clear rationale, it's easy to believe that the signal being sent is: we want to see a bunch of competitive (private-provider) bids for this service- if we offer it back up for tender.
It's a real shame for early childhood education in Chch. They are an ace team. -
What is broken?
... like Winston Peters or loathe him ...
Yeah. Winston has been MMP's biggest flaw.
Other than that, brilliant.
Worth fighting for. -
I blame the death of WWII vets. They came back as victims of foreign policy decisions and the welfare state was born. When they started to retire the welfare state was destroyed.
Everyone gets away with everything: Noelle McCarthy, Lockwood Smith, Cheeky Darky, Tony Veitch (but not Clint whathisname) , Clint Rickards, Doug Howlett smashing cars, etc.
Not you, this time. Social Welfare in NZ.
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A month seems grandiose. How 'bout an afternoon... ?
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Best of luck. And courage. It's hard.
And- having also spent a little time in Chch Public, for something relatively trivial: thanks, "socialised medicine" you were great. And gratitude due for informed consent, even when we might not want to know. -
are there places or societies around the world where you're less likely to be harassed if you're a woman or where you're safer?
The Muslim countries I've experienced have varied widely. But when The Law says you have to be covered, on the street, head to toe... or potentially be caned- not a joke. Not ok to be drunk in Dubai- but a drunken woman on the street? You're not safe from the law.
In Morrocco, my partner and I had very different experiences- not so much of safety, but qualitatively different. Alcohol was legal, but frowned on (drunken Morrocans tended to have a chip on both shoulders. Hashish was illegal, but socially acceptable- odd, really) and apart from my partner, I never saw a woman in a bar. Maybe different now, or in the big cities.