Posts by NBH
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Field Theory: How's that working out for…, in reply to Megan Wegan,
To me, yachting isn't a sport - and I mean this at America's Cup level - simply because the thing that seems to define it is how much money you spend on your boat. And the skill required to sail said boat is secondary.
But that point - the more resources/better technology you have compared to your opponent the better your outcome - is true of any sport that depends on equipment, and arguably of almost sport. I think you're seriously downplaying the level of skill involved in competitive yachting - possibly because it isn't as immediately obvious as the skill involved in making a successful pass or tackle, hitting a bullseye etc,
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Rather than the umpteenth grumpy conversation about whether people are justified in publicly enjoying or not enjoying the World Cup, I'm genuinely more interested in this emerging threadjack about what defines a sport vs a game vs a competition.
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On the pseudonymity issue, I use a quasi-pseudonym for the reasons Kracklite outlines above. Without that protection, it can be very difficult to participate in online forums if you work as a public servant, are involved in interacting with government officials and Ministers etc. My pseudonym is reasonably obvious to those who know me, but it removes any doubt that my contributions are in a personal capacity, and ensures that my online activities won't hamper the organisations I work/have worked for.
I also tend to think that the concept of a 'real name' is a bit devalued online - after all, I can always choose to post under a handle like "Sarah White" that doesn't seem to be a pseudonym and yet bears no relationship at all to my real name. As Emma said upthread, consistency is far more important in giving context/value to someone's post than whether or not it's someone's actual name.
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Hard News: The witless on the pitiless, in reply to Lucy Stewart,
The overwhelming majority of Maori are Christian, to some degree
That's not quite true Lucy, at least in terms of formal identification. In the 2006 Census around 57% of Māori who gave an answer stated an affiliation with 'Christian' or 'Māori Christian' (primarily Ratana or Ringatu) religions - roughly similar to the population as a whole (though note that those stats are pulled together quickly from Stats NZ's Table Builder, so there's probably a whole heap of caveats to add).
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Legal Beagle: Practical considerations, in reply to Alhambra,
Alhambra, having the Census in 2014 would definitely be problematic if we then continued with the normal timetable of a 2016 Census, but everything I've heard is that the deferrment option will be for 2012. As mentioned upthread, Census data is pretty critical these days for a lot of govt agencies, councils, DHBs, NGOs, education organisations etc., and these organisations really need that information as soon as possible. There were also one or two new/ rephrased questions in this year's that were going to provide some quite valuable information (e.g. getting high-quality data on the number and nature of households that only have mobile phone access, which sounds minor but will be very useful background info for formulating, refining and critiquing research designs).
Furthermore, the Census is always a snapshot in time, and it's at least arguable that we should make an effort to capture the effects of the earthquake in this data - the main problem with the quake is its impact on the logistics of conducting the Census, and by March 2012 things should have calmed down enough for that not to be an issue.
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Given how expensive AGoT must be to make, this news was pretty heartening/ amazing: http://hbowatch.com/game-of-thrones-is-hbos-best-selling-series-abroad-ever/
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There are a few interesting omissions amongst the signatories to the genre fiction petition - particularly Gaiman, Mieville, and Pratchett. I can imagine Mieville being approached and choosing not to take part, but I would've thought that *Sir* Terry Pratchett would have both added a fair bit of weight and been keen on the idea. Neil Gaiman's absence also makes me wonder if there might be a bit of ironic genre-snobbery going on with regard to the comic world, given that neither Alan Moore nor Grant Morrison are on there either.
Very nice to see Dave Langford there though.
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Hard News: What Now?, in reply to Matthew Poole,
I'm really hoping that we're going to see a big injection into trades training
Well, given that last October - i.e. after the previous earthquake - the Government removed $55million from vocational/trades-focused education provision, I suspect you're hoping in vain.
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Hard News: The digital switch-off, in reply to Andre,
If it costs a lot more to buy local then the government should buy overseas
And yet surely by buying products locally the government actually benefits from the increased company tax, as well as associated economic effects (e.g. if a given order is large enough that the company hires more staff it benefits from an increase in both PAYE and GST from the additional buying power from those staff). Even if this doesn't result in an actual increase in revenue, it can mitigate reductions.
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Hard News: The digital switch-off, in reply to Andre,
I understand the reasoning behind your objection to many of these Andre, but why are the following not doable in the current climate? I would've thought that number 17 in particular is highly relevant, as it would provide a stimulus (at least in the short-term) to the NZ economy.
13. Workers, employers and unions all involved in decision-making about the workplace.
14. Workplace democracy and collective organisation are essential to address the inherent potential for inequality of power between employers and employees.
15. Improve rights and protection for casual, seasonal, fixed term and temporary workers.
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17. A government commitment to ‘buy local’.