Posts by Steve Barnes
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Related and apt I think...
Kindness Breeds More Kindness, Study Shows
“Cooperative behavior cascades in human social networks.” By James H. Fowler and Nicholas A. Christakis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 107 No. 10, March 9, 2010.According to the the researchers, the explanation lies not in calculations of odds and rewards, but in simple behavioral mimicry: Monkey see, monkey do, human style. When people are irrationally generous, others follow suit…
…However, the findings aren’t just a feel-good story. Selfish behavior spreads easily, too. -
Hard News: Fix up, young men, in reply to Joanna,
How many times can I say this? IT IS NOT JUST THE YOUNGER GENERATION WHO DO NOT RESPECT WOMEN.
Indeed no. We need to look at where this behavior comes from.
The media coverage of seemingly innocent fads, like "Planking" for instance elevates the acceptance of these actions, especially when that fad is played up to by a majour public figure and twittered about the twatosphere. Our Prime Minister would do well to acknowledge his actions toward a young woman working in a cafe sends a message of "abuse is ok if it makes someone laugh". Dj's could do better at spreading the message that being a dick is not OK.
We have, for a long time, had this ridiculous concept of "Mad is Funny", think morning radio shows and their ilk and that leads down a very slippery slope, not to mention denigration of those with mental problems but also gets used as and excuse by youthful and sometimes not so youthful drunks in public. This behavior is self sustaining as the "you don't look like an idiot if we know you are acting" spreads to your mates and they all have a laugh, they try to "Outmad" each other and then the shit hits the fan.
The Police have a responsibility here too. Those two morons that abused the woman doing the "Live Cross" (don't get me started on the "Live Cross", we can do that another time) have been found and named, the police have no excuse not to hold these twats up to public ridicule and punishment.
But then they had no excuse not to act over the "Roast Busters" .
They had no excuse not to act over the failure to go to the aid of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Iraena_Asher .
They had no excuse not to act over the complaint of Louise Nicholas apart from their complicity.
A thought just came to me... Was Max Key playing DJ at Laneway? were these guys representative of the culture that is encouraged by people we should normally respect?
When those that set themselves above others behave badly then what do you expect to happen?. -
Hard News: Fix up, young men, in reply to Dan Salmon,
The Rock’s recent National Crate Day, meant booze companies got free advertising from bozo DJs, and we get young, dumb and full of cum dickheads wandering around the burbs, harrassing women and smashing bottles on the road.
Call them out. Take their photos. Ring their mothers.Do we know the mothers of these so called DJ's?...
I think a better way to send the message is to sack said DJ's, not easy when our "Prime munter" thinks they are so Kool. (see what I did there? cool with a k, really klevar).
Kids today have no empathy, must be a Key thing. -
Here is some good analyses of the TPPA, Expert Papers
The series of expert peer-reviewed papers is supported by a grant from the Law Foundation. Previous papers have examined the Implications for Regulatory Sovereignty (Jane Kelsey) and Investment (Amokura Kawharu), te Tiriti (Carwyn Jones et al), and Environment (Simon Terry). Research on the implications of the TPPA for local government will be released shortly.
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Here's a sad story...
Four former beneficiaries have had their self-esteem boosted after being helped into work.
All four were on unemployment benefits and now work as millhands...
... Single-father Stephen Longshaw, 42, said he had been "between jobs" and had been on a benefit for about five years. "I was looking to get back into the workforce but I had the children," he said.About three years later...
Solo father and mill worker Stephen Longshaw, 45, said the Featherston home he shares with his son, 17, and daughter, 15, was targeted about 11pm...
..."I came out to the sound of rocks being thrown on my roof. I told them to leave but they wouldn't go, and they were screaming abuse at my girl and blaming her for the deaths of those boys."...
...At noon yesterday a group of about 15 teens again appeared at his gate, he said, and were wearing gang colours and "threatening to run me out of town and kill my daughter"."But I've been here for more than a year now.
"I have to stand my ground. I'm not running anywhere," he said.
I really don't know what to say...
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Polity: Protesting too much: responses…, in reply to Sacha,
I have confidence in the Greens to keep coming up with good policy faster than Labour can ever implement it. Good partnership prospects there.
HA! I see what you did there...
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A little history
The birth of student loans…In 1989, the Labour Government introduced university tuition fees for all students. At this stage, the average annual fee was only $129. In 1990, students suffered a steep (mountain-goat steep) 969% increase in their fees, which were bumped up to $1250 per year. The next year, National abolished the “flat rate fee” and allowed universities to set their own fees. The following year saw the birth of the student loan scheme. Unlike our current scheme, however, the initial loans weren’t interest-free.
With the new millennia, a new Labour Government abolished the 7% interest on student loans, and capped tuition fee increase at 5% per year. By 2008, the collective student loan debt exceeded $10 billion, and the public began to stress.
In 2010, National limited student loans to a maximum of seven years of study in one student’s lifetime. Last year, access to living allowances and course related costs was limited for part-time students, and for students over 55 years of age.
There are also a raft of new hurdles being hurled at students this year from our beloved benefactors.
A worth while read.Labour’s policy is, as far as I can see, part of their “Future of Work” package and the necessary retraining that will be needed, It is not an appeasement for the vote of lefty students as some would have it.
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Polity: On tour with The Boss, in reply to Ian Dalziel,
Looking more Elvis Costello than Bossy…
;- )Washing the defective?
A bit more like AC~DC, Highway to Helensville* if you ask me.
* (Possibly a highway to Nationals impotence)
Highway to Hell… 'n' Back…
Personally I would like Helen back… but it is the Little things that matter now. -
AND...
According to US Trade Representative Michael Froman:
“President Obama’s trade agenda is dedicated to expanding economic opportunity for American workers, farmers, ranchers, and businesses. That’s why we are negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 21st century trade agreement that will boost U.S. economic growth, support American jobs, and grow Made-in-America exports to some of the most dynamic and fastest growing countries in the world.
“As the cornerstone of the Obama Administration’s economic policy in the Asia Pacific, the Trans-Pacific Partnership reflects the United States’ economic priorities and values. The TPP not only seeks to provide new and meaningful market access for American goods and services exports, but also set high-standard rules for trade, and address vital 21st-century issues within the global economy.”
When you consider this thing started a Pacific region negotiation, it is quite an eye opener to see how the US hi-jacked it for their own benefit.
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Polity: On tour with The Boss, in reply to Timmy Hayward,
The TPPA was first released on Nov 6th last year.
A heavily censored draft, not a detailed one, so analysis was not finite, a press release from the Labour Party was issued the next day Perhaps you missed that.
Or was there just too much internal disagreement to achieve this timeline? If so then it’s same old.
Interesting sentence. Grown ups can disagree without it causing much concern, uninformed and biased opinion often fails to take into account that things actually happen without everybody knowing. Strangely, the people that don't know what is happening seem to be able to tell us what is happening inside a party that the would have nothing to do with that party if it were the last party on earth.
If this TPP was a Free Trade Agreement it would be labeled as such, it is not, it is an agreement between interested parties negotiated behind closed doors.
What is it that you actually don't understand?.