scandals of an ITian

Yep that is right people. The network is up for sale. According to the seller:-

One slightly used XT mobile phone network less than one year old, coming available VERY soon.
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Hardly used since initial purchase – still in box, with instruction manual still sealed and unread.
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Includes small English TV presenter who will vouch for this system despite evidence to the contrary.
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Purchaser must pick up as we are increasing discovering that we just cannot deliver.
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Any questions? – call 123 on your landline.

Place your bids here:-

XT Network For Sale for sale – TradeMe.co.nz – New Zealand.

Came across this interesting article on Victoria University(my home once Uni starts) site about the ageing Indian population :

Victoria News Article.

I agree with a lot of the points that have been brought up here such as the language issue, transport problem etc. But a main point that I believe should also be included is the fact that these folks have moved out of their comfort zone.

People tend to bring about this protective barrier or shield when taken out of their comfort zone and placed in a new environment. Examples of this is quite evident in most of our day today life.

I believe any initiative thats launched needs to tackle this issue as well, if not at the very beginning of any approach that is taken.

Indian culture has for years been quite centered around family and the society you live in. Take for example the life of an Indian kid. In most cases he or she is completely funded and looked after till he graduates from their undergrad education. During their 4 -5 years at undergrad most of them study outside of their hometowns and stay in hostels or take up apartments with their mates. But the money for the education, stay, food and other expenses still come from the parents unlike in most western cultures where you end up working your way through University.

Once you are a graduate and depending on the type of job most of them end up taking, it again takes them away from their hometown and sometimes away from their own country.

Years go by and while the parents are still back in their hometown probably reaching or reached retirement age. The generation that is question , have probably never changed jobs are have had been with the same firm for years and years. During this phase the kids go through a stage where they need to do something about their parents and here starts the story in most cases of bringing their parents out of the comfort zone to what the kids reckon ” a better life, peaceful life”.

I was in India for a short holiday after almost 4 years. Its changed a lot and I felt like an outsider, a tourist sometimes. But one thing that hasn’t changed has been the hassle to get anything done. Simple things like paying your electricity bill , phone bill, getting from A to B. The kids who bring their parents over believe it is to get them away from all this. But here they are brining a generation out of this country who have lived all their life doing that. They had a routine, they had a pattern and it JUST WORKED.

My parents were also with me and when I picked up my mom and brother from Auckland Airport on their way back from India, the only thing I kept hearing mom say was ” It is so peaceful here. O my god its so easy to get things done”. But they are different they have lived a majority of their life outside of India and enjoy India during their holidays but still find it difficult to do things that normal Indians in India feel are “part and parcel” of their life.

So my suggestion is that yes you need Government to bring out initiatives and pro-grammes not just for people migrating into the country but also for the population thats already there especially in New Zealand where very soon is going to be a huge population of retired folks, baby bloomers as they are known in economics of a country. Government policies and procedures need to be in such a way that the transition from their comfort zone is smooth and not bumpy.

Cheers

Aben

A few thought below re the ACC increases for bikers.

A rider can only be on one bike at one time therefore the risk profile of any person cannot be raised regardless of the size and number of bikes he or she owns.

The ACC risk profile of bikers apparently includes those who race or who go on one of the many weekend off road races or gatherings and accidents on farms including 4×4s are included. None of these situations require machines to be are registered for the road. Take these out and the statistics begin to improve dramatically. We are currently expected to subsidise the above which is not right.

Add in the number of accidents caused by car drivers (around 60% I believe). If its user pays then car drivers are being subsidised by us not the other way around. This needs to be reversed.

Any ACC levies should be attached to the individual’s licence rather than each machine. We know 10% of the drunks and drug abusers cause 90% of the problems, recidivism is alive an well. Attach levies to those who are breaking the law e.g. 20 demerit points = $200 pro rata up to 95 points =$950 levy before you can register or warrant your car or bike  for road use. This would soon stop the dangerous people hitting us.

Put the levies into driver education and introduce a better graduated system such as in Japan.

Finally its rather obvious what this government is doing, we are not all stupid sheep as they may think.

The minister creates a huge issue by saying ACC is costing mega bucks, he then scares people into thinking they must pay very much more.

Once the higher levies are in place this then becomes attractive to insurance companies and he gets to sell off ACC.

Competition and choice is a catch-phrase or right wing governments without social conscience (like ours).

Hang on… ACC is the best and cheapest system in the world envied by many countries far more litigious than ours where lawyers cream a great living from other peoples loss and grief. Do we want to go there? ACC was set up as a service NOT a business and that’s actually OK.

Look what happened with railways  or power generation, distribution and supply – when it was GVT owned the infrastructure was in place. Introduce the profit motive and things are cheaper for a while then it all changes as profits go offshore and infrastructure is run down through lack of investment .

Come on Kiwis make your protest, put in your submission, see your MP. Lets not roll over and accept the lies and half truths we are being fed.

David Croft

About  the Author

David Croft works for Central TAS as a Programme Manager for the Regional Mental Health and Addiction Services Department. A keen motorbiker who would rather be riding along with his kids on a nice day in Wellington.

If you would like to get in touch with David you could email him @ david_croftATcentraltas.co.nz

Post Update by Aben Samuel

A new Video postsed on Youtube

ACC Shafts the little guy

This blog is sponsored by the Indian Government.