Posts by Paul Williams
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FFS Rob, what's compelled you to write this?
Emma's post was pretty staight foward. Abuse of women by their partners is not uncommon, needs attention and readers could assist by donating to Refuge.
I didn't understand it to mean all men are bad, just that a number do some very bad things. I don't understand why you feel the need to defend all mankind against criticism of the violent ones, or to denigrate women and mothers in doing so.
...the forever mediocrity of women...
Fuck off. That's my mother, sister, wife and three kids you're talking about. That's hundreds of remarkable people I know personally. What a ridiculous statement, just ridiculous.
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Sacha, I see where you're coming from. I had a little to do with Jonathan so am perhaps more disposed to recognising his service than that of others. Jonathan's proudest achievement, I believe, was his involvement in amending adoption laws and, possibly not, being Speaker.
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Oh bugger, now I've read the context for some of the discussion... nevermind. Sir/Dame, don't mean nothing to me that you declare your spot on the Queen's dance card... paid up member of the republicans... as you were.
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Isn't the line supposed to be that they recognise service to the community?
Indeed and thanks David. I've supported two honours. Both individuals are remarkable for their commitment to community development. One, a 68 year old man remains one of the most inspring individuals I know.
Sacha, I'm not sure what you're question about Jonathan is, long standing MPs are routinely honoured. I don't think it unfair or unwise. The life of an MP is entirely devoted to civic service (or should be)...
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The fact that he's (I agree Danielle) an arsehole who should be run out of the country by a random selection of people that he's screwed over the years, doesn't mean he's not entitled to be an arsehole in this particular regard.
Does anyone else wonder how this man retains any credibility? His talismanic properties seem immune from his bumbling performance. His occassional parliamentary questions are poorly executed, he seems confused and often ends up on the wrong end of the Speaker. It's all so tragic... I remember the last days of Lange parliamentary career, it wasn't nearly as bad as Douglas's.
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And I supressed all those giggles for so long god dammit.
Back to online learning for a moment, it seems there's meaningful consideration given to what can and should be learned online, not just an faddish, cost-saving approach (and often the cost savings aren't great). People in my line talk about "authentic" learning environments and simulation... it's why there's a resturant at most polytechnics... a lot of the learner support, what I experienced as study groups and tutorials, however is increasingly online... doesn't suit everyone fof course.
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future generations will be stupified by "the postmodern orthodoxy that the body is primarily, if not entirely, a linguistic and discursive construction
No could someone explain what that means... that in the future we'll all be laughing at postmodernists... how long do I have to wait?
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Tony, thanks for that. I'm not so in touch with NZ trends but I do know that curriculum development in NZ is well regarded in Australia.
And perhaps my comments better reflect what's happening in Australia. I've got a kid about to start school, a good public school, but I get a little concerned when the conversation with parents focused too much on the new National Assessment Plan which tests kids at Years 3, 5 and 7. My own is that frequency of national assessment will crowd out the potential for student-centred learning.
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Do you think there will be a substantial move to on-line learning? Seems quite a sensible idea to me (glories of new media etc), but I figure that won't go down too well with those who view schools as glorified holding pens.
The federal Australian government is certainly working towards more use of ICT by giving all Year 9 - 12 students a wireless laptop by 2012. I'd point out all the limitations and caveats if it weren't for my reliance on regular paychecks.
Looks like culling country schools is back on the agenda too - there's eight recommended to close in the Tararua district (Dannevirke to Masterton approx.) reported in the Dom today.
My memory is that NZ has a very high number of small schools... would you mind if I left it at that?
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Oh... it's not all that obvious that you click the link twice but I'm grateful for the explanation. Cheers to you both.