Posts by Kyle Matthews

  • Legal Beagle: Asserting ancient rights,

    "Two things you never want to see being made: laws, and sausages."

    (West Wing, season 1 I think)

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Up Front: The Holland Diaries, Pt 1,

    Do's this mean that New Zealand psychologists are less cash remuneration driven than there Australian counterparts? or are there other efficiencies available.

    I can't comment on the pay rate, but there are a lot more psychologists available over there, and a lot more specialist services that you can get referred to. So more in quantity. Which improves quality, in terms of outcomes, because more people who need the services get them, and more specialists are available to deal with the various problems.

    And they are also much better funded. As an example, my mother began part time work at a child and family unit in the Wellington region, and they didn't have a budget for her to have a computer for herself, she had to share one of the rest of her team. Psychologists had to bring in their own personal computers in to type up client notes.

    My daughter has just come back from Australia having finished her Masters in Art Therapy which means she is a qualified as a child and adolescent psychotherapist with a specialty in art (very useful for kids with behavioural issues, trauma, grief etc, also autism, ADHD). She would like to work in the public system but there are virtually no jobs for such people here.

    I think Hilary, you could count the number of art therapists in the public employ, actually doing art therapy, without needing both hands!

    My sister did her art therapy training in Australia as well, and got a job at Starship as a Play Specialist. It wasn't 100% art therapy, but she did a lot of art work with the kids. She's now raising a kid in Wellington, but did work full time as an actual art therapist at the local hospice (with kids and grandkids of the patients).

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Field Theory: Cricket isn't Rock,

    You all seem to have gotten too distracted by musical comparisons to note the fact that Brendon McCullum steered the ship home after some serious late innings wobbles. Last four 20/20 innings have been half centuries.

    I wish people would stop raving on about how he's wasted at the top of the order and should be coming in at 7.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Up Front: The Holland Diaries, Pt 1,

    The lack of a genuine, professional presence in NZ is not just a "gap" it's a cold-hearted, ignorant decision to with-hold essential health care from children and their families.

    My mother is a child and adolescent psychologist who's worked on both sides of the Tasman (Wellington and Perth).

    Yes, these services in Australia are much more available, more well funded, and if you need specialist help there, typically you can get it.

    But she would also say that their services are twice as well funded, but no where near twice as much is on offer. NZ would offer as much with a moderate increase in the funding, they are well used to stretching on the 'smell of an oily rag' here.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Hard News: Mediocrity Watch,

    I think the arthritis thing is supposed to be bee stings, not wasp bites.

    BTW while extracting the stuff from the combs can get a bit messy on a small scale, inner western suburban Auckland honey can be pretty good.

    My uncle (still I think) has some hives on his balcony in Grey Lynn I think. Great honey, I get a big jar of it most years.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Up Front: Absence of Malice,

    I'm astounded that they'd use lollipops as a reward system. Lots of children are allergic, or not allowed to have various foods. Particularly sugar and food colouring.

    I'd be tempted to suggest going the other way, and if you know any of the other parents in the class gang together and all demand that your children not be given lollipops like that.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • OnPoint: Two wallops of wonk, with a…,

    If Lovelock's even half right, there won't be much of a damned world to trade with.

    Man, you're a party pooper!

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Field Theory: Cricket isn't Rock,

    And unfortunately there's no world-wide regulatory body for the performance enhancing drugs that rock stars and actors take, otherwise we might be blessed enough to have Tom Cruise banned from making movies for two years following a positive test for whatever the fuck he must be on.

    A couch I believe.

    Randy Moller's game calls for Florida Panthers annoy me immensely. OK, it's kind of cute, he gets the fans to send in these random lines that he calls out after a goal is scored, well done.

    But it's also just stupid, it's difficult enough in ice hockey to figure out what just happened and how the puck got in the back of the net without the commentator shouting out some random nonsense.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • OnPoint: Two wallops of wonk, with a…,

    So if your aim is to try and prevent damaging job losses in the short term, it does make sense to target the sectors where the jobs are at risk, even if they're not where there might be the most compelling public good arguments.

    Well yes. But there are some sectors which will be less affected than others by the downturn. Hospitals - much of their 'business' is going to keep on needing to be done, and unless the government makes a serious budget cut, they're not going to lose a lot of their staff. Universities likewise - in fact the general theory around here is that universities do better in recessions as more unemployed means more retraining, and student loans remain available.

    So I think you'd struggle to build an argument that we should put more money into hospitals otherwise we're going to lose qualified staff. There probably are business sectors that will apply to more - manufacturing etc. And those are areas where you also get that multiplier 'bank for buck' effect from private business.

    Here's the dirty little secret, Kyle - nobody is.

    And if you put three experts on economic stimulus in a room, you'll get three totally different solutions to the problem, all of which will contradict. How many people are at the summit?

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Island Life: There is no depression in…,

    Thanks to Google

    No that's cheating!

    You probably used scrabblesolver.co.uk when playing online scrabble as well.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

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