Friday, March 19, 2004
Fighting the baby "bust"
After World War II we had the baby "boom". Now we are having the baby "bust", as fertility rates drop with a resounding clang all round the Western world (except, perhaps, in the United States). In many countries, deaths are now outstripping births, and the only thing preventing population decline is massive immigration.
Strangely, not all countries are particularly concerned about this. The Ministers of both Immigration and Social Development have resolutely refused to comment, and the government has no official policy, even though Statistics New Zealand has warned that we are very close to the downturn point.
One French-Canadian town in Quebec, Canada, has taken matters into its own hands.
As recently as 1960, Quebec families used to average nearly four children, but today that figure has dropped to 1.4 - a rate well below the rest of North America. But Coaticook, population 9000, is bucking the trend. Its 66-year-old mayor, Andre Langevin, has introduced incentives for couples willing to have more children.
The city writes a $75 cheque to every couple for the birth of their first child, $150 for the second and $750 for every child after that. It offers to reimburse families with three or more children 50 per cent of their costs for cultural and sporting activities, hefty allowances for (cotton only) napkins and, with help from business, a Christmas raffle with prizes of $750 for all families that had babies during the year.
"Family stability, fidelity, lots of children, those are the values I would like to preserve," says Mayor Langevin. Parents say the subsidies for sports and cultural activities help create an exciting atmosphere that encourages young families to stay. Local businessmen say the nurturing of family values has made a difference for them in keeping young workers and that happier, more stable family lives contribute to more productive workers.
After World War II we had the baby "boom". Now we are having the baby "bust", as fertility rates drop with a resounding clang all round the Western world (except, perhaps, in the United States). In many countries, deaths are now outstripping births, and the only thing preventing population decline is massive immigration.
Strangely, not all countries are particularly concerned about this. The Ministers of both Immigration and Social Development have resolutely refused to comment, and the government has no official policy, even though Statistics New Zealand has warned that we are very close to the downturn point.
One French-Canadian town in Quebec, Canada, has taken matters into its own hands.
As recently as 1960, Quebec families used to average nearly four children, but today that figure has dropped to 1.4 - a rate well below the rest of North America. But Coaticook, population 9000, is bucking the trend. Its 66-year-old mayor, Andre Langevin, has introduced incentives for couples willing to have more children.
The city writes a $75 cheque to every couple for the birth of their first child, $150 for the second and $750 for every child after that. It offers to reimburse families with three or more children 50 per cent of their costs for cultural and sporting activities, hefty allowances for (cotton only) napkins and, with help from business, a Christmas raffle with prizes of $750 for all families that had babies during the year.
"Family stability, fidelity, lots of children, those are the values I would like to preserve," says Mayor Langevin. Parents say the subsidies for sports and cultural activities help create an exciting atmosphere that encourages young families to stay. Local businessmen say the nurturing of family values has made a difference for them in keeping young workers and that happier, more stable family lives contribute to more productive workers.
Thursday, March 18, 2004
Peter Jackson going back to the Shire?
The Associated Press has reported that Peter Jackson, the Academy Award winning director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, plans to film The Hobbit, the prequel to the Lord of the Rings stories.
Jackson is currently busy doing a remake of King Kong, but said he'd like to do The Hobbit after that—with filming to begin probably no sooner than 2006. He said he hoped Ian McKellen would return in the role of Gandalf.
If it comes off, I can see a mammoth movie-watching weekend ahead for myself one day. You see, I want to view all three LOTR extended-DVD episodes back-to-back. (Each extended movie is about 5 hours long.) And if I can throw The Hobbit in as well, I'm going to need a big picnic lunch!
The Associated Press has reported that Peter Jackson, the Academy Award winning director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, plans to film The Hobbit, the prequel to the Lord of the Rings stories.
Jackson is currently busy doing a remake of King Kong, but said he'd like to do The Hobbit after that—with filming to begin probably no sooner than 2006. He said he hoped Ian McKellen would return in the role of Gandalf.
If it comes off, I can see a mammoth movie-watching weekend ahead for myself one day. You see, I want to view all three LOTR extended-DVD episodes back-to-back. (Each extended movie is about 5 hours long.) And if I can throw The Hobbit in as well, I'm going to need a big picnic lunch!
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
In PC heaven
If you're strong on being politically correct, you'll love New Zealand. It's a PC heaven. Here are a few recent examples:
A small town has banned children from sitting on Santa's knee because organisers fear liability if anything goes wrong. Instead, children in the South Island town of Mosgiel would be asked to sit next to him, on specially decorated "elf chairs", as they discuss their Christmas wish list.
Marlborough school students are missing out on outdoor activities because of the risk of teachers being sued if a student is injured. College principal Greta Firth said safety in education guidelines had led to the school canning caving, kayaking and white water rafting because she did not want to leave teachers in a position where they might be personally liable.
Progressive MP Matt Robson wants MPs to replace the parliamentary prayer with a statement reflecting the secular status of the House and the "diverse and multicultural" nature of New Zealand. The prayer has been read at the beginning of each sitting since 1854.
Parliamentary staff are permitted to take work time to attend morning karakia and waiata (Maori prayer and song). at Says National MP Judith Collins, "I think it's fine if people want to say prayers and sing songs for stress relief or their own personal development, but it's ridiculous that all staff at parliament can drop tools and go to this in work time. The Parliamentary Service is saying that this is 'part of learning about different cultures' so when do our Indian, Samoan, Scottish or Chinese get their morning prayer or stress session?"
A fine old Kiwi tradition of "bringing a plate" (of food) for afternoon tea is under threat in Horowhenua. The local District Council has been discussing a bylaw that would require all premises where food was prepared to employ someone with a food-handling certificate. That idea has raised the ire of Levin club member Maura Blair. "This is just ridiculous. All we do is provide ... afternoon tea. Now they expect one of us to go to Massey or some bloody place and get a food-handling licence."
Otago University now has to consult with the Ngai Tahu tribe on all research.
A teachers' policy of avoiding physical contact with children is under review after new research found a vicious circle of self-surveillance and anxiety. University of Auckland education lecturer Alison Jones interviewed 55 primary school teachers and principals on their reluctance to touch children because of widespread social anxiety about sexual abuse. The teachers reported wet and naked children wandering out of pool changing rooms looking for help in getting dressed, and girls lying prone on sports fields while male teachers sent children to find a female to help. "In many instances, female teachers have had to be called away from their own groups to assist male colleagues afraid to touch or be alone with a child," Dr Jones said.
If you're strong on being politically correct, you'll love New Zealand. It's a PC heaven. Here are a few recent examples:
A small town has banned children from sitting on Santa's knee because organisers fear liability if anything goes wrong. Instead, children in the South Island town of Mosgiel would be asked to sit next to him, on specially decorated "elf chairs", as they discuss their Christmas wish list.
Marlborough school students are missing out on outdoor activities because of the risk of teachers being sued if a student is injured. College principal Greta Firth said safety in education guidelines had led to the school canning caving, kayaking and white water rafting because she did not want to leave teachers in a position where they might be personally liable.
Progressive MP Matt Robson wants MPs to replace the parliamentary prayer with a statement reflecting the secular status of the House and the "diverse and multicultural" nature of New Zealand. The prayer has been read at the beginning of each sitting since 1854.
Parliamentary staff are permitted to take work time to attend morning karakia and waiata (Maori prayer and song). at Says National MP Judith Collins, "I think it's fine if people want to say prayers and sing songs for stress relief or their own personal development, but it's ridiculous that all staff at parliament can drop tools and go to this in work time. The Parliamentary Service is saying that this is 'part of learning about different cultures' so when do our Indian, Samoan, Scottish or Chinese get their morning prayer or stress session?"
A fine old Kiwi tradition of "bringing a plate" (of food) for afternoon tea is under threat in Horowhenua. The local District Council has been discussing a bylaw that would require all premises where food was prepared to employ someone with a food-handling certificate. That idea has raised the ire of Levin club member Maura Blair. "This is just ridiculous. All we do is provide ... afternoon tea. Now they expect one of us to go to Massey or some bloody place and get a food-handling licence."
Otago University now has to consult with the Ngai Tahu tribe on all research.
A teachers' policy of avoiding physical contact with children is under review after new research found a vicious circle of self-surveillance and anxiety. University of Auckland education lecturer Alison Jones interviewed 55 primary school teachers and principals on their reluctance to touch children because of widespread social anxiety about sexual abuse. The teachers reported wet and naked children wandering out of pool changing rooms looking for help in getting dressed, and girls lying prone on sports fields while male teachers sent children to find a female to help. "In many instances, female teachers have had to be called away from their own groups to assist male colleagues afraid to touch or be alone with a child," Dr Jones said.
Monday, March 15, 2004
The jobs are going west (or rather, east)
When I was in the fifth Form at high school, our geography teacher predicted that automation would one day cause the demise of many jobs. (He also told us that Blenheim - my home town - had a true Mediterranean climate. I wish I had realised the implications of that, as Blenheim later became the sauvignon blanc capital of the world, with consequent skyrocketing land prices. Back then, I could have picked up several acres of stony river bed for a few dollars, and I would now be rich beyond imagining!)
We didn’t understand what our teacher meant about automation – after all, this was back in the early 1960s, and computers were scarcely dreamed of. But he was right, perhaps in ways he didn’t really comprehend himself at the time.
At the beginning of this month, Time Magazine’s cover article documented the huge structural shift that has resulted in 2.3 million jobs vanishing in the United States, with another 3.3 million projected to leave the US by 2015. It’s largely the consequence of “outsourcing� – relocating production and services to low-cost countries. The types of jobs most at risk include telephone call centres, computer operators and data entry, business and financial support, paralegal and legal assistants, diagnostic support services, accounting, book-keeping and payroll services.
It’s a combination of simple economics, the globilisation of the workplace, and modern communications technology. The price of labour is the main driving force. The typical annual salary of a computer programmer in the US is up to $80,000. This compares with a $30-40,000 salary for a similar job in Canada, Ireland or Israel, or about $11,000 for the same job done in India.
Time observes that the latest jobs shift marks a fundamental change in the way companies do business. Intrinsic to outsourcing is the replacement of the employer-employee function with a third party contractor. And without a social contract binding employer and employee, long-term jobs are an illusion. Thanks to technology, more kinds of work can now be spun off into contracts rather than tied to employees. Once a person's labour can be reduced to a contract, it matters little whether the contract is filled in India or Indiana; the only relevant issue is cost.
There are some deep things going on here. The whole dynamic between employer and employee is changing. No longer are the two dependent on each other, and loyalty is greatly diminished on both sides. Employees are reduced to units of production.
Outsourcing also ironically runs counter to the current political imperative in the Western world to encourage immigration, which is needed to offset the population decline which is resulting from lower birth rates in nearly all developed countries. Is this another example of how short-term expediency will hasten the demise of Western culture?
A summary of the Time article can be read at The Jobs Letter.
When I was in the fifth Form at high school, our geography teacher predicted that automation would one day cause the demise of many jobs. (He also told us that Blenheim - my home town - had a true Mediterranean climate. I wish I had realised the implications of that, as Blenheim later became the sauvignon blanc capital of the world, with consequent skyrocketing land prices. Back then, I could have picked up several acres of stony river bed for a few dollars, and I would now be rich beyond imagining!)
We didn’t understand what our teacher meant about automation – after all, this was back in the early 1960s, and computers were scarcely dreamed of. But he was right, perhaps in ways he didn’t really comprehend himself at the time.
At the beginning of this month, Time Magazine’s cover article documented the huge structural shift that has resulted in 2.3 million jobs vanishing in the United States, with another 3.3 million projected to leave the US by 2015. It’s largely the consequence of “outsourcing� – relocating production and services to low-cost countries. The types of jobs most at risk include telephone call centres, computer operators and data entry, business and financial support, paralegal and legal assistants, diagnostic support services, accounting, book-keeping and payroll services.
It’s a combination of simple economics, the globilisation of the workplace, and modern communications technology. The price of labour is the main driving force. The typical annual salary of a computer programmer in the US is up to $80,000. This compares with a $30-40,000 salary for a similar job in Canada, Ireland or Israel, or about $11,000 for the same job done in India.
Time observes that the latest jobs shift marks a fundamental change in the way companies do business. Intrinsic to outsourcing is the replacement of the employer-employee function with a third party contractor. And without a social contract binding employer and employee, long-term jobs are an illusion. Thanks to technology, more kinds of work can now be spun off into contracts rather than tied to employees. Once a person's labour can be reduced to a contract, it matters little whether the contract is filled in India or Indiana; the only relevant issue is cost.
There are some deep things going on here. The whole dynamic between employer and employee is changing. No longer are the two dependent on each other, and loyalty is greatly diminished on both sides. Employees are reduced to units of production.
Outsourcing also ironically runs counter to the current political imperative in the Western world to encourage immigration, which is needed to offset the population decline which is resulting from lower birth rates in nearly all developed countries. Is this another example of how short-term expediency will hasten the demise of Western culture?
A summary of the Time article can be read at The Jobs Letter.
