Hard News: On the Waterfront
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Ah! The main people we met -aside from in the eateries, museums, and walking about- were academics (all of European origin except for 2, self-dexcribed, Metis people.) But we did encounter -mutterings, only slightly in Vanbcouver, but further to the west, they werent muted.
Canadians are couth & polite people with whom we felt at ease (something we definitely didnt in parts of the USA.)
You may know the scenario in Oamaru and other parts of Otago as regards to Chinese New Zealanders? The first 2 generations were market gardeners, and small entrepreneurs. Ever after, their descendants successfully climb any social ladder they want (I think it is the ethos that appreciates hard work & education) - so, the great market gardens around Oamaru are converted into dairy hellholes...o yes, there are some wonderful cherry & hazelnut farms (Pakeha-run by & large) and organic farms, and still a couple of really good hold-out veg places but...
so it goes
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Peripherally related to the topic of government funding, news that the blighters did cut some special education funding despite the blarney to the contrary at Budget time. The DomPost covers one affected school in Naenae.
The extra funding covered the cost of a qualified conductor one of a handful in New Zealand who have had specialist training, which is available only in Hungary or Scotland. The school provided a $4000 top-up.
[The Principal] was angry that private schools had been awarded a $35m Budget boost by the Government while funding for special schools was cut.
Can't afford $2.5m for disabled students, but finding eight times as much to subsidise a sporting venture is essential.
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Ah fuck...one of my family (grandnephew) is Aspergers: 3 of my family (niece, nephew, grandnephew) are high myopes. Yes., our family will cope (you know, we'll sell off the oldies, their Nanna. me,- ah fuck it! tghe revolution begins now!
O, excuse me.)
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All hope not lost (and all funding not removed). However, a contrast with the trumpeting last month about ORRS increases, and more evidence of where this Government's real priorities lie.
Similarly, City Vision are pretty unhappy today about Auckland City Council approving an $84m spend on "party central". That included over $10m on flash paving when cheaper alternatives were suggested - and with proposed investments in poor suburbs being refused in the name of keeping rates down.
Councillor Leila Boyle said, “C&R’s lack of analysis of the figures for the different parts of the overall project costs is really disappointing and downright lazy. I am sick and tired of C&R spending these huge amounts of money on RWC at the expense of important suburban community projects like the Otahuhu swimming pool and MAGIC (Music and Arts Glen Innes Centre).”
Councillor Cathy Casey said, “A new pandemic has broken out at Auckland City Council called ‘Rugby World Cup-itis’. The symptoms are feverish spending of ratepayers’ money on anything to do with the RWC 2011 and blindness to the real long term needs of Aucklanders living in the suburbs.”
I am not, for the record, opposed to leveraging the World Cup to improve the city, but it should be treated the same as any other applicant if budgets are being cut.
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That's great - but... any old small town could be near forest, beaches, mountain views etc. I agree with what Robyn said earlier: let's not pretend cities aren't cities.
Not near the city, in the city, in Vancouver anyway.But you said (my emphasis): “Vancouver is a very nice place to be (even the CBD) but mostly for things that are not the city at all - forest, beaches, mountain views”.
In as much as those things are in the city, they are part of the city, not “not the city”, if you see what I mean. That photo is beautiful, but the city - all the big buildings etc - is definitely part of the beauty.
By filling up the waterfront with exciting bars, cafes, restaurants, public art and seats, it's definitely acknowledging that this isn't one of those isolated windswept beaches with a craggy pohutukawa; it's an urban harbourside area with concrete and lots and lots of people.
But those urban, harbourside bars, cafes and restaurants are hugely enhanced by green spaces - the public art and seats are best enjoyed if there is some provision made for parks and playgrounds. Keeping children happy in the CBD - plus keeping the inhabitants fit and active - should be two of the main objectives of any urban planner.Agreed.
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The first 2 generations were market gardeners, and small entrepreneurs. Ever after, their descendants successfully climb any social ladder they want (I think it is the ethos that appreciates hard work & education)
These followed the first generation that came for the gold rush and were renown for cleaning every last drop of gold out after the Europeans had moved on to golder mines. 'appreciates' is surely a euphemism for the patriarchal standards imposed generation to generation Islander, personally I find it a little patronizing. There are numerous reports of the opium use in the Chinese communities in the latter half of last century,these descendants you speak of represent but a portion of the initial influx.
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I was referring to ANZers of Chinese descent I know, or know of: a lot of 'the initial influx' didnt have descendants because of the extremely racist immigration laws of the 19th & early 20th centuries. Opiate use was not confined to Chinese migrants of those times - laudanum, anyone?
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A fundraiser for CureKids does have some nice
Auckland scenes -
laudanum, anyone?
I think that would have been first on my shopping list back then :)
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A quote from Chris Petit, UK film-maker/critic:
Most American films come now in one size only: XXL. Dragged down by their own size, they're monster productions, buried under the weight of cast and crew, whose end credits last longer than a short story (Film Comment, May/June 2009)Maybe I am a little jaundiced about the current state of Hollywood, which seems moribund and very short of new ideas. A film based on Monopoly? A film based on Cluedo?? So, the thought of steering the NZFC towards a more commercial (aka mainstream) model makes me uneasy. We don't need XXL New Zealand films; S or M would do nicely.
I do think that there is a conflict of interest in having Jackson in charge of the review (+ an Aussie fropm the film business side), -
Sorry, wrong discussion--it should over The Peter Principle.
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Opiate use was not confined to Chinese migrants of those times
Yes. Chinese migrants had used opium previously and have continued to. Opiate use has never been confined to Chinese migrants. ;)
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Sorry Islander, i couldn't resist.
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Sorry, wrong discussion--it should over The Peter Principle.
I agree with what you said. I was heartened by Peter Jackson's mentioning shifting the emphasis from producers to 'writers and directors', but considering he hasn't directed an original story since I guess 'The Frighteners', almost 15 years ago, I'm far from convinced that he is the man for the job. It's a little like asking Tana to coach Toulon, great player but yet to prove his worth in admin. Word has it that general criticism of Jackson's budget allocations lie in overspending on the special effect.
It shows.
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