Posts by TracyMac
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That's nice that iPredict did better than polls in 2011. And what were all the margins it predicted, then and in the last election? What were the actual results in comparison? Not that a sample size of 2 seems overly meaningful (although I am absolutely not a statistician).
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Hard News: Stories: Home, in reply to George Darroch,
Similar experience with feeling how lush Auckland and most of the country is compared to Oz. If I visit during spring/summer, it seems exactly how it was when I first visited Malaysia in terms of climate (although of course not nearly as warm). But it's very familiar. Places like Hawaii feel very "homelike" to me, for the same reason. And the cultural mix.
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It's funny how a word can elicit so many mixed feelings. We averaged one house per year when I was a kid, mainly due to my feckless stepfather and his inability to hold onto work in the 70s. Then divorce and remarriage.
All within Auckland, so the actual moves weren't that much upheaval, but the new neighborhoods, new schools - 9 of them - and different class profile of the various locations made for mini culture shocks. Going from Epsom, where we were the poor beneficiaries, to GI, where we were relatively ok due to mum having an under-the-table job, was a big one.
I know some people who loved moving as kids - military families who went all over the place. Not me - introversion is not great for those circumstances.
As an adult, I've managed to average a move once every 2-3 years now - I detest it, but circumstances demand, sometimes.
I agree that home is where your people are. While I'm near my partner, most of my people are in NZ. Fortunately I'll be home to see them for a few days at the end of the month. It's like waiting to breathe.
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Unbelievable. We are not permitted to install a poxy $4000 server without a battery backup, where I work. Yes, down to the server that hosts the library catalogue. Nothing critical to life (quality).
I'm amazed that in-home medical equipment actually comes without a battery backup - even if only half an hour's duration. I'm even more amazed that the health authority has no guidelines or provision for recommending/providing additional backup equipment for precisely this scenario.
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At least this discussion of FGS' stance - apparently she's NZ's own MZB, but with professional clout - has helped put paid to the "fact" that all women are intrinsically more protective.
Perhaps there are fewer female perpetrators of child sexual abuse, but CP demonstrates there still are some, and plenty more who are enablers. We all know of women who are utterly in thrall to their appalling partners (it's not gender-exclusive, of course), and they can engage in aiding, minimising, normalizing, participating in and covering up vile acts.
Regarding publication of the work itself, while I heartily dislike "misery porn", I think a thorough and journalistic look at the circumstances that led to this abuse taking place, how it was perpetrated, and dealt with, including the voices of victims and perpetrators, would be a useful thing.
Focussing on the main perpetrator's "origin story" would be looking from the wrong POV, on this occasion. Most of the victims are still alive, for one, and deserve to be heard, if they wish to speak.
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Woo, spinning some classics at Splore! Nice gig, RB!
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Polity: Canada voted, in reply to Matt Crawford,
I had no idea sex slavery was legal in Canada until recently.
Thanks for the laugh. Yes, all those Bad Things are not legal in Canada, I understand, so the actual purpose of the bill was unclear, to say the least. (Well, it was clear, in another way...)
As for Emma's observations, I'm sure we've had at least one person opine or imply in this comment forum that gender equity concerns are not "core Labour". I'm not up on the "core Labour" view on Native (in the Canadian sense) rights, alas. Obviously, with such woolly concerns, they can hardly call themselves True Left.
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I know a little of someone's story who was at Centrepoint in its later years. Not twelve, but not very much older.
I hope their stories will be told, and thank you to you and Anke, for trying to make them heard.
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It's definitely a culture shift, and I'm going to come out and say that I think seeing it in "manly" sport actually is the most significant impetus to the trend.
I don't think I saw pakeha heterosexual men hug until my late 20s. I think it's great they do much more now, and I think it's also great that men can be more physically demonstrative to their boys.
[See, also, feminism, where most women aren't nearly as concerned as they used to be about enforcing stoic buttoned-up emotions in their sons, or partners.]
As for me, I give great hugs, but because of ishoos, I'm selective about who I dole them out to. I don't think I hugged a family member until my 30s, so I never learned the art of the social hug. It's kind of all or nothing, even when it's non-sexual.
Anyway, more hugs across the board are great, and acknowledging they're an opt-in activity is awesome.
I like the "quiet approval" thing as well - not everyone is a demonstrative hugger - but having a full complement of ways to express positive emotions available to us is all good.
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Polity: Political strategy and Canada’s NDP, in reply to Cecelia,
Not to mention working families trotted out daily by Labor on this side of the pond while they were still in.
So, if you can't work, fuck off? If you're not living in a family unit (I don't), ditto?
Yeah, I get appealing to the core subscriber base; the part these parties seem to fail at is the "...not at the cost of alienating chunks of our non-core support" c.f. evil Chinese property owners.
I think it's best to shut up about demographical stereotypes and just focus on actual policies. We don't actually need to be told in so many words that cutting payroll tax on companies with less than 6 employees will benefit small business owners. Saying that the tax change will help small businesses hire additional staff and reduce compliance costs would do nicely.