I recently wrote an article addressing two significant concerns: 1. The bloating of the Te Whetu Ora HR Department, during its establishment (since then additional roles have been advertised!) 2. The visible promotion of Cultural Marxism, aided by this expansion. For instance, positions like “Group Manager, Organisational Culture Programme” or
Previously on “The Palestinian and Israeli Conflict”, in “What the Quran Says About Israel Will Surprise You” (22 November 2023), I described how the Israeli nation, particularly the Jews, have a spiritual and possessive connection with the land that goes back over 3000 years. They will never surrender their gains
In September 2008 during the year of the last financial collapse, Peter Cappelli authored an article titled The Trouble with HR in the Harvard Business Review. In it, he argued that HR departments had lost their relevance and credibility in many organisations, asserting the need for them to reinvent themselves.
We all have a responsibility to inform ourselves as far as practical and, especially if we are politicians, to verse ourselves in “Realpolitik”. * Realpolitik refers to a pragmatic approach to politics, focusing on practical and realistic considerations rather than on ideological or moral principles. Regarding being ideologically driven and ill-informed,
The pivotal issue in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict revolves around the profound significance of religion concerning the lands of Israel. Within this framework, three pertinent questions arise: 1. Does the Torah (or Tanakh) state that God granted the land of Israel to the Jews? 2. Does the Bible mention God
We do not need to imagine free speech as a line or as a circle. There has already been enough consideration of ‘what is free speech’, and reassessing it is a trap. The history of free speech has woven its way through centuries of societal evolution. It finds its roots
Intransigent Policies In April 2018, the New Zealand Government announced that it would no longer issue new offshore oil and gas exploration permits in order to “transition toward a low-carbon economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions”. I have just finished reading the Greens’ 2023 election policies which affirm a continued
Summer can be a bit perplexing. According to NIWA, “meteorological summer” begins on 1 December. But “astronomical summer”, marked by the summer solstice, falls on 22 December. Usually, natural summer, determined by weather patterns and the warmest 90-day period of the year, starts around 14 December. Yet, it can kick
Archaeological evidence suggests that tobacco was discovered in the Americas and was being cultivated and used by the indigenous culture as early as 5000 BC. It was introduced to Europe in the 16th century and became popular as smoking was often associated with a certain level of status or sophistication.
Taking a short break from my series of articles about “Methane, and Hot Air”, which could have a lengthier title, e.g. “Who says that the Greens and Labour can’t multi-task? They are ruining NZ’s energy sector and farmers’ livelihoods, both at the same time!” I thought I
Blade Runner, released in 1982, is cinematographically one of the most beautiful science fiction movies. Its sequel Blade Runner 2049 had big shoes to fill. In the opening scene, the sky is illuminated by gas flares erupting from industry. The Blade Runner is “Deckard”, played by Harrison Ford in one
In 1996 I arrived in Hong Kong. There I worked in various capacities including factory inspections within a territory ranging from Japan across to India and down to New Zealand. Over a decade I probably performed over 300 factory inspections: checking all sorts of things – health, safety, employee age, remuneration,
The word absurd first cropped up in about 1557 as a derivative of the French absurde, based on the Latin absurdus (incongruous, dissonant, out of tune). Nowadays the adjective of the word is commonly meant to mean wildly unreasonable, unsound or incongruous or extremely silly or ridiculous. Absurdity seems to
Global Theatre and a Thousand Words Henrik Ibsen is one of the founders of modernism in the theatre, e.g. Peer Gynt. He is regarded as the “father of realism”, and if you have read many of my columns, you can understand why I am such a fan. Another playwright
Warning Long read. 1378 words. I see Justin Trudeau as something of a ‘Big Brother’ figure to Jacinda in more ways than one. Not only is he older (50 years old, born 25 December 1971) than Jacinda (41 years old, born 26 July 1981) but he is also taller (1.
Warning Long Read. 1452 words. On April 24 1990 the Hubble Space Telescope was launched. If instead of looking into space, one had turned its gaze toward Earth, one could have clearly distinguished those countries based on a capitalist democratic philosophy and those based on socialist principles… by how many
