Posts by Hilary Stace
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I really like Deborah's idea for a PA community hatches, matches and despatches.
I went to an interesting funeral today and considering the few degrees of separation in NZ it is probable that others here also knew Baine Huggett (1949-2008) during his colourful, eventful life. He was a screenwriter and documentary maker among an array of other occupations. Back in the 70s my friends and I went to visit him in Paremoremo, which was a bit of a shock for a sheltered middle class girl like me. People at funerals should wear identifying labels, and like school reunions could also indicate decades when they were associated with the deceased. Many people looked vaguely familiar, but it was sometimes hard to reconcile the aging man in a suit with the gorgeous bad boy of the 1970s.
But funerals are a great time for stories, forgiveness and collegiality. There was a lot of all three for Baine.
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Damian
Didn't mean to be so blunt about the prizes earlier but sometime for the sake of tidying up loose ends for your loyal readers can you just mention that some deserving humans got them. Nice that you have awarded them without fanfare (well Russell indicated that) . Did any of them go to the people nominated by the readers? -
Russell - thanks for being such a great catalyst person (that's probably not grammatical but you know what I mean). I will be interested to see what catalysing you do in 2009.
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Philip - thanks for that. It was a bit embarrassing that the tense was wrong as I wrote it before the Act was passed.
Also I would like to second everything says about Grant. He listens. -
It was MediaWatch last Sunday morning.
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I see Diana Wichtel in the Listener has already coined deteri-ate as her word of 2008.
So how about something more optimistic for an Obama-led 2009? Eg inter-country collaboration, global governance or good old Hope. -
Any predictions about the words of 2009?
How about deeterate (it's Keyish) or more likely deeterashun? We'll probably see a lot of that. -
In her valedictory speech a couple of months ago, outgoing MP Marian Hobbs despaired that media analysis of such things as penal policy rarely goes beyond the obligatory picture of prisoners' Xmas dinner.
And so it appeared this morning in the Dompost alongside a report of Judith and Pita's trip to Rimutaka prison with Pita Sharples proclaiming it was better than you would get in many restaurants.
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Graeme and Mark
Unfortunately, that story is only one of many that Ari Ne'eman regularly posts on his Austistic Self Advocacy website in the US. The upside is that this shocking behaviour is being exposed and condemned. However,it is probably the norm for many people with autism and related conditions - who are mostly undiagnosed and misunderstood - around the world. And you could say that at least these kids got to school in the first place. This is also not a reality for most.If it was only as easy as threatening to fine parents to ensure their special needs kids attend school...
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Hello Madeleine
What sort of support are you after? I can put you in touch with some of my contacts in Auckland. There are various groups and activities.
I'm sorry you didn't get the support you needed in Dunedin. There is a branch of Autism NZ there now and an information service provided by a group called Altogether Autism and both are in the phone book and have phones that get answered (although as the support is mostly provided by volunteers it might not be answered straight away).