'In a report just tabled in Parliament, Attorney-General Chris Finlayson says the (proposed welfare) reforms breach the Bill of Rights Act on three grounds by discriminating on the basis of sex and family and marital status.
He finds the breaches cannot be justified under the Act.'
Oh dear.
So we really have reached a point where, 'if you say it you can't address it because in identifying those particular aspects, it discriminates (with all those awful connotations) against them,' ... 'and if you can't say it, you can't address it.'
I guess this is symptomatic of our new found accommodating consciousness, of rainbow clubs, and ... of being truly buggered.
Thank you Attorney-General Chris Finlayson for clarifying this matter.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Reducing Disparity.
"The Greens will not support any package that includes cuts to the top levels of income tax or any increase in GST because these changes would exacerbate the differences between the rich and poor in our society."
Again we have fewer demands/expectations placed on those whose ethic, for whatever reason, is not work/achievement based - indeed we have systems arranged such that their life-styles can be maintained ... so they needn't feel bad about it, and the motivations of those who 'try' will be accordingly reduced.
The application of this 'reducing disparity' adage can be seen as having had considerable impact on our overall educational achievement - where an increasingly 'long tail' of non performance has been created, and quite sucessfully,for these 'non performers' do not feel bad about it.
Again we have fewer demands/expectations placed on those whose ethic, for whatever reason, is not work/achievement based - indeed we have systems arranged such that their life-styles can be maintained ... so they needn't feel bad about it, and the motivations of those who 'try' will be accordingly reduced.
The application of this 'reducing disparity' adage can be seen as having had considerable impact on our overall educational achievement - where an increasingly 'long tail' of non performance has been created, and quite sucessfully,for these 'non performers' do not feel bad about it.
Where Are We Heading Here?
The Greens offer our support for a comprehensive capital gains tax, provided the family home is exempt.
"We offer this support because a capital gains tax is a progressive tax that leads to a better investment balance and broadens the tax base by nearly $4 billion.
"A land tax is not Green Party policy, but we support an open debate on how a comprehensive package, including a land tax, could help us to access the affordable housing we urgently need."
But she warned there could not be a land tax without proper consideration of Maori land issues or land that is "ecologically sensitive".
And ... About 2000 professional and amateur photographers have staged a protest in Trafalgar Square in London against stop and search powers in Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
They say police are intimidating people with cameras in their tactics to target possible terrorists.
Last week, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the entire law was illegal because it was indiscriminate, rather than properly targeted.
Now, one would assume that equity would demand in both instances that the intended rules/laws apply to all and in similar extent.
"We offer this support because a capital gains tax is a progressive tax that leads to a better investment balance and broadens the tax base by nearly $4 billion.
"A land tax is not Green Party policy, but we support an open debate on how a comprehensive package, including a land tax, could help us to access the affordable housing we urgently need."
But she warned there could not be a land tax without proper consideration of Maori land issues or land that is "ecologically sensitive".
And ... About 2000 professional and amateur photographers have staged a protest in Trafalgar Square in London against stop and search powers in Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
They say police are intimidating people with cameras in their tactics to target possible terrorists.
Last week, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the entire law was illegal because it was indiscriminate, rather than properly targeted.
Now, one would assume that equity would demand in both instances that the intended rules/laws apply to all and in similar extent.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
NIWA
Jim Salinger and David Wratt ... not much difference between the two ... so was this issue (Salinger's release) really a matter of 'you can't have two cooks in the kitchen?'
Friday, October 16, 2009
More Opportunistic Scaremongering?
Wellington may just have dodged a devastating earthquake.
Scientists estimate that an average of one magnitude-7 quake will strike New Zealand every 10 years and a magnitude 8 once a century. A 7.8 magnitude quake hit Fiordland in July.
If the same quake had struck in a more populated area such as Wellington, its impact could well have resulted in thousands of deaths.
Interestingly, even though instrumental records have been kept in New Zealand only since 1903, Richter ratings have been given to earthquakes prior to that time.
New Zealand has had a "dream run" for the past five decades, with "a remarkably low number of large damaging quakes for a country that has similar earthquake activity to California".
Characteristically it would appear that earthquakes in California are considerably more shallow than in New Zealand (30 cf. 60 Km depth), consequently are considerably more likely to result in damage ... the parallel drawn has to be somewhat specious.
There seems little basis for magnitude 7 and 8 earthquakes being equitably distributed, nor that 'probabilities' deduced from active areas resulting in damage need relate to the local setting .... certainly there is insufficient New Zealand data to deduce a magnitude 8 earthquake will occur here once a century.
Scientists estimate that an average of one magnitude-7 quake will strike New Zealand every 10 years and a magnitude 8 once a century. A 7.8 magnitude quake hit Fiordland in July.
If the same quake had struck in a more populated area such as Wellington, its impact could well have resulted in thousands of deaths.
Interestingly, even though instrumental records have been kept in New Zealand only since 1903, Richter ratings have been given to earthquakes prior to that time.
New Zealand has had a "dream run" for the past five decades, with "a remarkably low number of large damaging quakes for a country that has similar earthquake activity to California".
Characteristically it would appear that earthquakes in California are considerably more shallow than in New Zealand (30 cf. 60 Km depth), consequently are considerably more likely to result in damage ... the parallel drawn has to be somewhat specious.
There seems little basis for magnitude 7 and 8 earthquakes being equitably distributed, nor that 'probabilities' deduced from active areas resulting in damage need relate to the local setting .... certainly there is insufficient New Zealand data to deduce a magnitude 8 earthquake will occur here once a century.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Alcohol Consumption In Nz.
Now, I would not have believed that the current discussion of the alcohol 'problem' in NZ was simply a replication of the contrived 'obesity epidemic' wherein the scale used to indicate obesity was changed, and this to the extent that those subsequently categorised as within the healthy range were having more health problems than those within the slightly obese range. But then I saw this ...
“… our nation’s appalling drinking statistics” would appear to be almost totally derived from surveys and anecdotal evidence, and from this a rather tenuous leap made to attribute cause.
The survey statistics themselves,(http://www.aphru.ac.nz/projects/alcohol%202000%20results1.htm#_ftn1and http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/pagesmh/5855/File/alcohol-use-in-new-zealand-2004.doc), could very well reflect changed attitudes towards drinking rather than be indicative of increased consumption, let alone ‘bing drinking’ - there does not appear to be available absolute quantities of alcohol sold juxtaposed with reputed consumption. This would proffer some validity to the consumption figures presented as most alcohol purchased is reputedly consumed within 24 hours of purchase. An increase of 2 litres per annum may well be a 21% increase in consumption (1995-2000) but it is not a great deal - two and a half bottles of wine over a year. It may also reflect a change in the definition of a standard drink, from 15 gm absolute alcohol to 10 (2004).I would have thought the postulated relationships with disease entities are simply that, ‘postulated.’Alcohol is an hypnosedative that has both predicable (tiredness, slowness of response) and unpredictable effects (disinhibition or reduced impulse control). Alcohol being associated with an event does not make it causative of that event. Intent is more often than not pre existing, and alcohol or other consumption occurs to expedite that event e.g. burglaries, violence, suicide, etc.I guess with no or minimal corresponding reduction in cancers resulting from the anti tobacco lobby it is easy to attribute their occurrence to anything else that can be seen as a ‘commodity of potential abuse.’ ‘Have you had more than six standard drinks at one sitting? Has this happened more than x times? Have you ever been unable to recall everything that occurred the day after?’ Poorly quantified correlation studies can be overly inclusive and quite specious.The charge of Sir Geoffrey and cohorts I see as quite populist and simplistic … the impact of unemployment, DPB., pretended high numbers in tertiary education and other ‘hidden’ means of taking structure or routine and meaning and value out of peoples lives is more the essence of this issue than what is being addressed.This is simply ‘well-intentioned’ wowserism, fortified by applying different criteria as to what constitutes ‘excess.’
And indeed ... a
Standard drink
In New Zealand, a standard drink is defined as the amount of beverage that contains 10 grams (or 12.67 millilitres) of absolute (pure) alcohol (ALAC 2004).
This definition of a standard drink differs from the definition used in the previous national surveys on alcohol use in New Zealand (Habgood et al 2001; Wyllie et al 1996), where a standard drink referred to 15 grams of absolute alcohol.
So now, drinking the same, we are drinking one third more!
Perhaps it is time that our political scientists returned to their core business, to endeavour to regain considerable of their lost integrity ... for this is simply appears more mirepresentation of information in pursuance of an agenda.
“… our nation’s appalling drinking statistics” would appear to be almost totally derived from surveys and anecdotal evidence, and from this a rather tenuous leap made to attribute cause.
The survey statistics themselves,(http://www.aphru.ac.nz/projects/alcohol%202000%20results1.htm#_ftn1and http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/pagesmh/5855/File/alcohol-use-in-new-zealand-2004.doc), could very well reflect changed attitudes towards drinking rather than be indicative of increased consumption, let alone ‘bing drinking’ - there does not appear to be available absolute quantities of alcohol sold juxtaposed with reputed consumption. This would proffer some validity to the consumption figures presented as most alcohol purchased is reputedly consumed within 24 hours of purchase. An increase of 2 litres per annum may well be a 21% increase in consumption (1995-2000) but it is not a great deal - two and a half bottles of wine over a year. It may also reflect a change in the definition of a standard drink, from 15 gm absolute alcohol to 10 (2004).I would have thought the postulated relationships with disease entities are simply that, ‘postulated.’Alcohol is an hypnosedative that has both predicable (tiredness, slowness of response) and unpredictable effects (disinhibition or reduced impulse control). Alcohol being associated with an event does not make it causative of that event. Intent is more often than not pre existing, and alcohol or other consumption occurs to expedite that event e.g. burglaries, violence, suicide, etc.I guess with no or minimal corresponding reduction in cancers resulting from the anti tobacco lobby it is easy to attribute their occurrence to anything else that can be seen as a ‘commodity of potential abuse.’ ‘Have you had more than six standard drinks at one sitting? Has this happened more than x times? Have you ever been unable to recall everything that occurred the day after?’ Poorly quantified correlation studies can be overly inclusive and quite specious.The charge of Sir Geoffrey and cohorts I see as quite populist and simplistic … the impact of unemployment, DPB., pretended high numbers in tertiary education and other ‘hidden’ means of taking structure or routine and meaning and value out of peoples lives is more the essence of this issue than what is being addressed.This is simply ‘well-intentioned’ wowserism, fortified by applying different criteria as to what constitutes ‘excess.’
And indeed ... a
Standard drink
In New Zealand, a standard drink is defined as the amount of beverage that contains 10 grams (or 12.67 millilitres) of absolute (pure) alcohol (ALAC 2004).
This definition of a standard drink differs from the definition used in the previous national surveys on alcohol use in New Zealand (Habgood et al 2001; Wyllie et al 1996), where a standard drink referred to 15 grams of absolute alcohol.
So now, drinking the same, we are drinking one third more!
Perhaps it is time that our political scientists returned to their core business, to endeavour to regain considerable of their lost integrity ... for this is simply appears more mirepresentation of information in pursuance of an agenda.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
I Thought Salinger Was Toast.
last month was the warmest August New Zealand has seen since temperatures were first recorded 155 years ago.
New Zealanders could thank strong westerly winds coming off Australia for an average temperature almost 2degC warmer than usual, said Auckland climate scientist Jim Salinger.
... and juxtaposed with ...
Niwa's outlook for spring said New Zealanders c ould continue to expect warmer weather than usual throughout September, although there was likely to be a change mid-spring.
So is this scaremongerer, this gorebuller, back with NIWA, or is this simply the Herald misrepresenting the situation?
Incidentally, the amount of snowfall in August and -2 degree temperatures on the way to work would suggest just a little tinkering ... why there is still snow on the surrounding hills.
Update: A scientist sacked by the National Insitute of Water and Atmospheric Research has used its data to show New Zealand had the warmest August on record - two hours before the agency could make public the information.
Auckland climate scientist Jim Salinger issued the figures yesterday ahead of Niwa's official August report.
and, update:Winter is expected to have one last hurrah with snow forecast over much of the country until the weekend.
New Zealanders could thank strong westerly winds coming off Australia for an average temperature almost 2degC warmer than usual, said Auckland climate scientist Jim Salinger.
... and juxtaposed with ...
Niwa's outlook for spring said New Zealanders c ould continue to expect warmer weather than usual throughout September, although there was likely to be a change mid-spring.
So is this scaremongerer, this gorebuller, back with NIWA, or is this simply the Herald misrepresenting the situation?
Incidentally, the amount of snowfall in August and -2 degree temperatures on the way to work would suggest just a little tinkering ... why there is still snow on the surrounding hills.
Update: A scientist sacked by the National Insitute of Water and Atmospheric Research has used its data to show New Zealand had the warmest August on record - two hours before the agency could make public the information.
Auckland climate scientist Jim Salinger issued the figures yesterday ahead of Niwa's official August report.
and, update:Winter is expected to have one last hurrah with snow forecast over much of the country until the weekend.
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