Archive for the ‘Encouragement’ Category
Art. Sometimes it surprises.
‘Lives of Grass’ by Mathilde Roussel Visit this page at www.designboom.com to see more. – P
He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it
That’s a quote from Martin Luther King. One of the themes of this blog (apologies to those who don’t like recurring topics) is whistle blowers (as I write this, 66 posts are so tagged). I believe in supporting and encouraging them. As I have explained, I think the *urge* to tell the truth, despite possible […]
Been on holiday
I’ve just been away for a week with the whanau, hence the lack of posting here. I don’t like to announce trips ahead of time for reasons related to ‘security’. 🙂 We had a great time, not least because we (a) unplugged and enjoyed some good quality recreation and (b) re-connected with our loved ones […]
The dignity of the office
There are roles the political leader of a country plays that are non-political. They are a task of the office rather than the office-holder. A prime minister responding to a national emergency, for instance, or representing our country in times of grief or alarm. John Key does these well, in my opinion. His everyman, guy-next-door […]
Heart warming NYC cabbie story
I like New York. I’ve never felt unsafe there. – P via John Gruber
Good values, positively expressed
I briefly mentioned the challenges someone advocating for ‘better’ can face, with other ‘crabs in the bucket’ pulling them back as ‘sanctimonious and hypocritical’ (see Choking on one’s own sanctimony …) Here’s nice model from Bennetts Bookshops … pointing to their ‘Core Values‘. Bennetts exists to serve students and the campus communities of which they […]
John Banks ‘absolutely’ supports campaign donation law reform. With a straight face!
Following up on Laughing all the way to the Banks …
Can we learn WITHOUT the experience?
A wee media brushfire was sparked by mother-of-one MP Maggie Barry’s silly interjection that MP Jacinda Ardern’s not having children somehow reduced her credibility when discussing laws aimed at supporting parents. The kerfuffle sparked a hilarious twitter trend #maggiebarrystandingorders which merrily mocked the dumb idea that MPs need direct experience of whatever it was they […]
Choking on one’s own sanctimony (I think Juana has ‘issues’ with me)
On harsh criticism “[A]t its worst, the show chokes on its own sanctimony,” Thus wrote a New York Times TV critic, Allesandra Stanley, responding (negatively) to The Newsroom, Aaron Sorkin’s latest TV series. The opening line of her review, ‘So Sayeth the Anchorman‘ reads: It’s not enough to be right; everyone else must be wrong. That’s […]
Attention to detail and credit where it’s due
Apparently some TV commentators made fools of themselves in the eyes of the geek community by not recognizing Tim Berners-Lee (who invented the hypertext transfer protocol, and with it the basis for hypertext markup language, thus the world wide web) when he appeared in the London Olympics opening ceremony. I grinned in recognition (he’s still […]
Loving the Olympics
Like millions of others, I eagerly watched the Olympics opening ceremony and enjoyed the spectacle. I love the Olympics, and revel in the celebration of elite sports men and women — the best in the world in their field — pushing boundaries and ‘going for gold’. Doping scandals and steroids aside, the Olympic spirit encapsulates […]
London Olympics. Of course Banksy will contribute
Subversive graffiti artist, thought-provoker and social commentator Banksy appears to be, erm, making his mark … With this: … and this: So far. via Fast Company.
Margaret Mahy lived the dream. And then some.
What an inspiration she was. Making a living from her wits. And so much more. Haere ra Margaret Mahy. Thank you. – P
