Posts by Deborah
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Sorry, irrelevant rant, but it gets on my wick. :)
Not really. Not when we're talking about who gets to identify us as what.
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And I got called Joanne seven times on Friday, and man, it makes my blood boil
I've been guilty of that - sorry! I did go "d'oh" a few minutes after I posted, but it was too late then.
Deborah
(Not Debbie! Why the f*ck when I have just introduced myself as "Deborah" would you immediately call me 'Debbie'. Not Debs! Deb is fine. And by the way, it's spelt D-E-B-O-R-A-H, not Debra, not Debrah, and heaven forbid, not Debroah! And absolutely never, ever "Mrs husband's-given-name husband's-family-name".)
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These are the people who go to gigs and plays and support the galleries. Drive them out of central Wellington, and you'd be left with a very different -- and much less interesting -- place.
Yes, but that doesn't mean that the size of the public service shouldn't be reviewed.
I think there are plenty of other good reasons to more-or-less support most of the current core public service structure, but this isn't one of them. It's just a side effect.
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I used to be a faceless bureaucrat too.
We worked long and hard, on complex and technically difficult issues. Every time someone ranted about getting rid of faceless bureaucrats, I wondered if it was me they were after. Every time someone complained about lazy public servants, I thought abut the 40 hours weeks I was working, on a 80% salary. Literally. In theory I had a 0.8 job; in practice, I worked full time, and got to be a little bit flexible around the edges. Every time someone talked about incompetent bureaucrats, I thought about my hard won PhD.
Does John Key actually want to get any votes in Wellington? He might think public servants are an easy target, and they are - because they are not allowed to answer back. But they have votes too.
I have no doubt that they can do some nipping and tucking around the public service, should they be elected. Perhaps if John Key is so keen to cut costs, the public service could stop answering MPs questions.
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Let me put two things together....
Partially because no country is 90% women, partially because most world leaders are male, and partially because of who she is and who she's married to, there won't be so much interest from countries in having Clinton get elected.
And in terms of major issues the USA needs to deal with over the next four years - it's either countries - Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, or it's "the Middle East/Muslim region/religion".
You're right. No country is 90% women, and in the countries listed, women are treated appallingly badly.
Just maybe having a woman as President of the most powerful country in the world might do something for the disenfranchised and savagely oppressed women of some of those countries.
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Daleaway - you are just... so... cool! That was beautifully said.
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Repeat after me: "Preview is my friend. Preview is my friend. Preview is my friend..."
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Adelaide sounds a little too warm.
Yes! We're in the midst of a completely unprecedented heatwave. Previously, since records began, there have been eight spells of eight days worth of very high (over 35.0 degrees) temperatures. We are not at day 11 over very hot days, and it's not due to end until next Wednesday - a record smashing stretch of 16 days of very high temperatures. The 'low' tonight is 28 degrees. My husband has cunningly arranged to be in Sydney tonight.
World famous in Southland, huh? Hopefully it will be a restful, if busy, interlude for all three of you.
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Hey! Where's my gravy cat gone?
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At about five o'clock, we go for another walk, and Bob encourages me to buy a pint of beer.
Clever lad. We have taught our daughters to pour wine, and our eldest lass brings us coffee in bed on Saturdays and Sundays. Just plunger coffee, but made with freshly ground beans. Who says that there's no good reason for having children?
Why Riverton? Aside from the view, and the peace, and the lovely cool climate (the overnight low in Adelaide tonight is predicted to be 28 degrees).