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General Debate 20 June 2013
June 20th, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
Tags: General Debate
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
General Debate 19 June 2013
June 19th, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
Tags: General Debate
General Debate 18 June 2013
June 18th, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
Tags: General Debate
Tu
June 17th, 2013 at 7:20 pm by David FarrarTu is an intense drama. A Maori East Coast family is torn apart both emotionally and literally by the shafts of love, strife and war.
The play is based on the novel by Patrica Grace. Old Tu (Tammy Davis) recounts what happened to him and his brothers and family as they went to war in the 1940s.
The three brothers are Philomel, or older brother; Boydie and Tu. They’re played by Jarod Rawiri, Taungaroa Emile and Kimo Houltham respectively. Boydie is the flashy charmer. Philomel is looking forward to life with Jess (Aroha White) and Tu is the typical younger brother. Tina Cook performs wonderfully as their Ma, and Kali Kopae is the at home daughter taking an interest in the US marines stationed in Wellington.
The set is surrounded by audience on both sides of it, making it an unusual viewing experience, as you can see the reactions of those seated opposite.
It’s a hard show to summarise, as so much of it is caught up in the emotional intensity of the scenes. You spend the last 20 minutes almost on the edge of your seat – even though you sort of know the inevitable ending.
A great NZ production, that resonated with the audience.
Also reviewed at Theatreview.
Tags: Circa, Reviews
General Debate 17 June 2013
June 17th, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
Tags: General Debate
General Debate 16 June 2013
June 16th, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
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General Debate 15 June 2013
June 15th, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
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General Debate 14 June 2013
June 14th, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
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General Debate 13 June 2013
June 13th, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
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General Debate 12 June 2013
June 12th, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
Tags: General Debate
General Debate 11 June 2013
June 11th, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
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General Debate 10 June 2013
June 10th, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
Tags: General Debate
The strengthening economy
June 10th, 2013 at 7:00 am by David FarrarMatthew Hooton writes in the NBR on why John Key should call a snap election. Despite my commercial self-interest in having elections occur as frequently as possible, I don’t think there is any probability or reason for an early election. The Government needs 61 votes to govern and has 64.
I don’t believe PMs should do what Helen Clark did and call an early election of a flimsy premise.
What I wanted to focus on though was the reasons Matthew gave for going early, in terms of the economy:
National’s budget was overwhelmingly successful and it now luxuriates in superb economic data. Just this week, there have been announcements of thelargest increase in residential building activity in 10 years and that wholesale trade continues to grow.
These follow other official Statistics New Zealand announcements in recent weeks of improving trade data, the best ever April visitor numbers, building consents hitting a five-year high and of course the big fall in both unemployment and youth unemployment.
For its part, the Treasury reported on Tuesday that the tax take continued to track above forecast in April, with gross company tax revenue up over 40% ahead of forecast.
After the extraordinarily strong GDP growth in the December quarter – the fourth highest in the world among OECD-monitored countries, behind only China, Russia and Luxembourg – all the recent data suggests the government can expect highly positive news when March quarter GDP data is released on June 20.
There’s still a long way to go, but the indicators are generally looking to be improving.
Tags: Economy, Matthew HootonGeneral Debate 9 June 2013
June 9th, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
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General Debate 8 June 2013
June 8th, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
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Friday Photo: 7 June
June 7th, 2013 at 8:59 am by ChthoniidBecause who doesn’t need a hug from time-to-time.
Click for larger, higher res image
Explanatory note: They’re not just cuddling
Tags: cicada, Friday Photo, macroGeneral Debate 7 June 2013
June 7th, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
Tags: General Debate
General Debate 6 June 2013
June 6th, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
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General Debate 5 June 2013
June 5th, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
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Smoking and health insurance
June 4th, 2013 at 12:00 pm by David FarrarOne of the reasons we have an excise tax on tobacco is because as taxpayers we have to fund the healthcare of those who smoke, and the rationale is they should pay for the costs of their choice – not us. And as it happens the level of tobacco excise tax is well above the level needed to cover the estimated costs associated with smoking.
This got me wondering about how the costs are calculated in countries where people generally pay for their own healthcare, such as the US.
So my question is, does anyone know what the difference is in premiums in the US for health insurance for a smoker and non-smoker?
Also does anyone know what the difference is in NZ for life insurance premiums between a smoker and non-smoker of the same age?
Tags: smoking, tobaccoGeneral Debate 4 June 2013
June 4th, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
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General Debate 3 June 2013
June 3rd, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
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General Debate 2 June 2013
June 2nd, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
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General Debate 1 June 2013
June 1st, 2013 at 8:00 am by Kokila Patel
Tags: General Debate
Sorry atheists
May 31st, 2013 at 2:00 pm by David FarrarThings were looking up for atheists, reports the National Post:
The Holy Father is full of surprises, born of true and faithful humility. On Wednesday he declared that all people, not just Catholics, are redeemed through Jesus, even atheists.
However, he did emphasize there was a catch. Those people must still do good. In fact, it is in doing good that they are led to the One who is the Source of all that is good.
Seemed sensible to me. One would hope God would judge you off your deeds, not off your beliefs.
The Vatican retracted Pope Francis’ statement that everyone, “even the atheists,” were saved from sin and redeemed by God and therefore welcome in heaven.
People who know about the Catholic Church “cannot be saved” if they “refuse to enter her or remain in her,” Vatican spokesman the Rev. Thomas Rosica said in an “explanatory note.”
Naughty Pope.
Tags: atheism, Pope Francis