Friday, September 02, 2005
The worst has happened in New Orleans and not everyone is surprised. For years, specialists warned that the city, built partly below sea level in an area of radically depleted wetlands, was a disaster waiting to happen. When it did, they said, we could only blame ourselves. That the Crescent City is where it is does not make sense in the first place. But the first European settlers, in 1718, made the same calculation that generations have made ever since - the site was right for commerce, and money. What has happened in recent decades has made matters worse. Not just in New Orleans but all along the Gulf Coast, human encroachment has accelerated without pause. This has meant taming natural water flows - including the gradual straightening of the Mississippi itself - and draining wetlands.
As the victims of Hurricane Katrina struggle to meet basic needs like food, water and shelter, Planned Parenthood has announced its contribution to the disaster relief: Free birth control and free Plan B kits -- also known as the "morning-after" pill, LifeNews.com reported. Wendy Wright of Concerned Women for America said Planned Parenthood's latest effort is another example of just how much the abortion industry is out of touch with the needs of women and families. "The world sees people in the ravaged areas desperate for food, bedding and shelter," Wright said. "Planned Parenthood only sees a publicity opportunity to push its latest political football -- the morning-after pill."
By international standards New Zealand is still near the "work" extreme of the "work-life" scale; we work more than in any other developed country except Iceland. Those in paid work (full-time or part-time) in New Zealand work an average of 35 hours a week, including holidays, compared with the developed country average of 31 hours. Most European countries have four to six weeks of annual leave, compared to New Zealand's three - due to become four from April 2007 if Labour is re-elected. An online EEO Trust survey of 1200 fathers in 2003 found that 80 per cent would like to spend more time with their children.
Young New Zealanders are rapidly losing touch with the great outdoors due largely to lack of time by parents and over heightened concerns about safety. Outward Bound School Director – Anakiwa, Steve Hall, said as demand for Outward Bound courses continues to accelerate, the organisation had observed a decline in the number of young New Zealanders who have an understanding of and confidence in tackling the outdoors environment. “We’ve become increasingly aware over the years that young people no longer have the right clothing these days to tackle the elements because they don’t own it and don’t know what’s required. Years ago this rarely ever happened because people owned the right apparel and, if they didn’t, they simply borrowed it from a relative or friend.” Outward Bound has also noticed a general trend towards parents sending their children on Outward Bound courses as their ‘once in a lifetime’ outdoors experience.
In a follow-up to yesterday's Daily Briefing item about the importance of family structure in considering child poverty, Lindsay Mitchell points out that New Zealand's own Ministry of Social Development has done a study which clearly showed that family structure, when both families were "poor", had an effect. They compared families on a similar income level and discovered that those children whose income came from the market instead of govt transfers had better outcomes. Those with a market income often had two parents with a working father. The study is called "Children in Poor Families: Does the Source of Family Income Change the Picture?"
New Zealand needs to bring back mothers-in-law to help with the raising of families, Social Development Minister Steve Maharey said yesterday. The 52-year-old father of two grown-up stepsons lamented the huge number of families who did not know how to raise kids and did not have a mother-in-law or grandmother to turn to for advice. "Bring back mothers-in-law is what I say ... It reflects our concern that there are a lot of families - whether it is a health issue, an education issue or a parenting issue - who are struggling." [Maharey is at odds with himself here. If we are to have mothers-in-law, we have to have marriage. But the government has done everything it can to kill traditional marriage, and the Minister himself has said that marriage has "gone the way of red telephone boxes".]
Pope Benedict XVI has told Catholics to have more babies "for the good of society," saying that some countries were being sapped of energy because of low birth rates. "Having children is a gift that brings life and well-being to society," he told about 15,000 people at his weekly audience in the Vatican. He said the decline in the number of births "deprives some nations of freshness and energy and of hopes for the future incarnate in children." The pope also spoke of "the security, the stability and the force of a numerous family." [Once upon a time, people mocked Catholics about the number of children they had. Now they may be the saviours of population decline. Except that Catholic countries of Europe have some of the lowest fertility rates!!! Help, I'm confused.]
Deborah Coddington points out that more forced school closures are in the pipeline after the election if Labour wins. In preparation, the Ministry of Education placed an ad in the Dominion Post last Saturday for a “Network Facilitator” for the Nelson region.
Canadians Bill Dalrymple, 56, and best friend Bryan Pinn, 65, have decided to take the plunge and try out the country's new same-sex marriage legislation with a twist -- they're straight men. "I think it's a hoot," Pinn said. The proposal came last Monday on the patio of a Toronto bar amid shock and laughter from their friends. But the two -- both of whom were previously married and both of whom are still looking for a good woman to love -- insist that after the humour subsided, a real issue lies at the heart of it all. "There are significant tax implications that we don't think the government has thought through," Pinn said.
Companies that hire workplace chaplains are finding that besides helping employees, they may help their bottom line, too. It's not that businesses are trying to take on a religious role. Corporate chaplains serve people of any or no faith, and the use of their services is voluntary. But business leaders increasingly recognize that employees who face crises often can't help bringing their personal difficulties to work, and job performance can suffer. Making provision to care for their workforce becomes a part of good business practice.
As the victims of Hurricane Katrina struggle to meet basic needs like food, water and shelter, Planned Parenthood has announced its contribution to the disaster relief: Free birth control and free Plan B kits -- also known as the "morning-after" pill, LifeNews.com reported. Wendy Wright of Concerned Women for America said Planned Parenthood's latest effort is another example of just how much the abortion industry is out of touch with the needs of women and families. "The world sees people in the ravaged areas desperate for food, bedding and shelter," Wright said. "Planned Parenthood only sees a publicity opportunity to push its latest political football -- the morning-after pill."
By international standards New Zealand is still near the "work" extreme of the "work-life" scale; we work more than in any other developed country except Iceland. Those in paid work (full-time or part-time) in New Zealand work an average of 35 hours a week, including holidays, compared with the developed country average of 31 hours. Most European countries have four to six weeks of annual leave, compared to New Zealand's three - due to become four from April 2007 if Labour is re-elected. An online EEO Trust survey of 1200 fathers in 2003 found that 80 per cent would like to spend more time with their children.
Young New Zealanders are rapidly losing touch with the great outdoors due largely to lack of time by parents and over heightened concerns about safety. Outward Bound School Director – Anakiwa, Steve Hall, said as demand for Outward Bound courses continues to accelerate, the organisation had observed a decline in the number of young New Zealanders who have an understanding of and confidence in tackling the outdoors environment. “We’ve become increasingly aware over the years that young people no longer have the right clothing these days to tackle the elements because they don’t own it and don’t know what’s required. Years ago this rarely ever happened because people owned the right apparel and, if they didn’t, they simply borrowed it from a relative or friend.” Outward Bound has also noticed a general trend towards parents sending their children on Outward Bound courses as their ‘once in a lifetime’ outdoors experience.
In a follow-up to yesterday's Daily Briefing item about the importance of family structure in considering child poverty, Lindsay Mitchell points out that New Zealand's own Ministry of Social Development has done a study which clearly showed that family structure, when both families were "poor", had an effect. They compared families on a similar income level and discovered that those children whose income came from the market instead of govt transfers had better outcomes. Those with a market income often had two parents with a working father. The study is called "Children in Poor Families: Does the Source of Family Income Change the Picture?"
New Zealand needs to bring back mothers-in-law to help with the raising of families, Social Development Minister Steve Maharey said yesterday. The 52-year-old father of two grown-up stepsons lamented the huge number of families who did not know how to raise kids and did not have a mother-in-law or grandmother to turn to for advice. "Bring back mothers-in-law is what I say ... It reflects our concern that there are a lot of families - whether it is a health issue, an education issue or a parenting issue - who are struggling." [Maharey is at odds with himself here. If we are to have mothers-in-law, we have to have marriage. But the government has done everything it can to kill traditional marriage, and the Minister himself has said that marriage has "gone the way of red telephone boxes".]
Pope Benedict XVI has told Catholics to have more babies "for the good of society," saying that some countries were being sapped of energy because of low birth rates. "Having children is a gift that brings life and well-being to society," he told about 15,000 people at his weekly audience in the Vatican. He said the decline in the number of births "deprives some nations of freshness and energy and of hopes for the future incarnate in children." The pope also spoke of "the security, the stability and the force of a numerous family." [Once upon a time, people mocked Catholics about the number of children they had. Now they may be the saviours of population decline. Except that Catholic countries of Europe have some of the lowest fertility rates!!! Help, I'm confused.]
Deborah Coddington points out that more forced school closures are in the pipeline after the election if Labour wins. In preparation, the Ministry of Education placed an ad in the Dominion Post last Saturday for a “Network Facilitator” for the Nelson region.
Canadians Bill Dalrymple, 56, and best friend Bryan Pinn, 65, have decided to take the plunge and try out the country's new same-sex marriage legislation with a twist -- they're straight men. "I think it's a hoot," Pinn said. The proposal came last Monday on the patio of a Toronto bar amid shock and laughter from their friends. But the two -- both of whom were previously married and both of whom are still looking for a good woman to love -- insist that after the humour subsided, a real issue lies at the heart of it all. "There are significant tax implications that we don't think the government has thought through," Pinn said.
Companies that hire workplace chaplains are finding that besides helping employees, they may help their bottom line, too. It's not that businesses are trying to take on a religious role. Corporate chaplains serve people of any or no faith, and the use of their services is voluntary. But business leaders increasingly recognize that employees who face crises often can't help bringing their personal difficulties to work, and job performance can suffer. Making provision to care for their workforce becomes a part of good business practice.
