Posts by Matthew Poole
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My younger brother (not the one with the toddler), who's sufficiently visually-impaired that he's a member of RNZFB, will also be thrilled to hear that there are employers falling over themselves to employ an invalid. It'll make a change for him from the history of rejections stemming from the need to accommodate someone who's able to see but just not terribly well. He could legally drive, but is smart enough to know that it's probably not a good idea to try.
Our society is incredibly discriminatory. His work history has been largely volunteer, and one very fortunate stint with a tertiary provider; the kind of place that takes EEO seriously. No other employer wants to know, but it seems that the WWG members are aware of things that people who've been exposed to disability employment just don't see. If you'll pardon the pun.
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Hard News: Again: Is everyone okay?, in reply to Lex Miller,
constructing buildings to withstand earthquakes, but Japan also well knows that this is no guarantee.
They certainly do, which is why their offer of experts in earthquake rescue could be the most useful of all. If we have the wit to accept.
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Hard News: Again: Is everyone okay?, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
unless I’m very much mistaken a state of emergency (and any subsequent extensions) automatically lapses after seven days
You're not mistaken. See my comment above. I can go and hunt the exact section of the CDEM Act if anyone particularly cares.
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Hard News: Again: Is everyone okay?, in reply to George Darroch,
Cause, y’know, when the 2nd city is on its knees, there might because to use civil defence powers outside the boundaries of Canterbury
Exactly. Requisition of heavy machinery, for starters. Being able to compel commercial operators to take their cranes, trucks and diggers somewhere is a very useful power to have. Likewise protections of employment for people who are required by the emergency to leave their ordinary place of work in order to assist. That cannot kick in until a state of emergency covers their workplace.
Plus, a state of emergency only lasts a maximum of seven days. It can be extended, but it's not indefinite and the law doesn't provide for any extension or the original declaration to be more than seven days. Fewer than, but never more than.
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Hard News: Again: Is everyone okay?, in reply to recordari,
You’ve perhaps been reading the same tirade I have
Nope. Just something I noticed after hunting the Herald for confirmation of the outcome of the Cabinet meeting at 0930 this morning. I hadn't realised anyone had been "tirading" about it, though seeing the suggested source in the comment on the next page I can't say I'm surprised. For him, everything is a government conspiracy to expand their powers.
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One thing that's not really getting a lot of coverage is the decision to declare a state of national emergency. It's not unprecedented, but it's a big move. Carter can now call on resources from anywhere in the country and order them to Christchurch.
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Hard News: Again: Is everyone okay?, in reply to Russell Brown,
And before you shout “cancel the damn thing”, do bear in mind that the RWC was shaping up as a factor in the city’s economic recovery from September’s quake. Seven matches, including England games and two quarter-finals.
I just don't see how, in good conscience, matches can be held in Christchurch. It's really unfortunate, but if this is an "aftershock" six months after the event and it's done so much more damage (to people and property) than the original event, who's going to be comfortable going there in another six months' time? At this point, earthquakes in Christchurch are no longer in the realm of "Yeah, it's a risk, but it'll never happen to me" territory. The safety of visitors must be the primary concern, and if, as is suspected, some tourists have died due to the Cathedral steeple's collapse, that angle will be given significant prominence in the media.
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Hard News: Welfare: Back to the Future?, in reply to Steve Barnes,
The group proposes a range of “carrots” to help people back to work.
The benefit clawback rate would be cut from 70c for every dollar earned above $80 a week to 55c for every dollar above $20.
Using calculations of ((income-abatement point)*abatement rate) to determine how much benefit abatement each rate incurs, that doesn't become a "carrot" until the beneficiary's income exceeds $300 per week, which at $13 minimum wage is a shade over 23 hours.
Clearly their calculation is 20 hours a week at $15/hour, which is just not going to happen. And for many beneficiaries who are on less than $300 in benefit income, they're far worse-off under the proposed scheme than the current one.
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Hard News: Again: Is everyone okay?, in reply to Stephen Judd,
Mayor Bob Parker’s comment that he couldn’t declare a state of emergency was met with jeers of derision from the affected.
Having the legal authority to do so doesn't mean that you should. Good on him for not acting reflexively, which is precisely what is needed in a leader. He's only Mayor of Christchurch, not CD Controller for Canterbury. Going off half-cocked is a superb way to ensure that things get fucked up completely.
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For once Granny was useful, and explained that the difference between Key's "65" and this morning's "38" is body identification and notification of next-of-kin. Whilst I'm very dubious about this as a long-term proposition, especially once USAR starts pulling apart PGC and CTV in a big way over the next couple of days, for the short term it makes sense because it absolutely avoids double-counting.
Once there's a proper morgue system established for registering bodies, it becomes more reasonable to report on the number of persons who have passed through the morgue because the unidentified bodies are still tagged with a unique ID.