I read, with a sickening mix of disbelief and recognition, about the mother of a shark attack victim trying to change a flight so that she could cradle her dead son. She encountered an impersonal, inflexible CALL CENTRE. The bereaved woman was left on hold; and finally only offered expensive alternatives. Governed by protocols and Read more
Maori have a difficulty with the current 4G spectrum auction. They cannot accept the notion that they must join a long queue of very wealthy bidders at auction for a piece of the scarce spectrum resource, with the Crown as seller. There will be roaring levels of commercial testosterone at this auction, and the Treaty Read more
Yahoo’s CEO Marissa Mayer caused a furore last year when she said that she didn’t have the ‘militant drive’ and the ‘chip on the shoulder’ that was required of the modern day feminist. It was a statement that seemed directly at odds with her circumstances: the 37-year-old is one of the most powerful women in Read more
“I don’t know that I’ve ever felt the presence of God in prayer,” writes Jess in ‘Love and Salt: A Spiritual Friendship Shared In Letters’, “He seems to show up when we least expect him. But even if we don’t feel that presence, should we pray anyway?” I worry about prayer – my prayer – my seeming inability or Read more
No matter how much my Mum tried to speak softly about the outrageous goings on in the Presbyterian Church with ‘that man Geering’, I could hear her telephone whisperings. One of the great advantages of my childhood bedroom was its proximity to the telephone. A significant cream instrument with braided cord, set upon a clever combination Read more
Yesterday I had the honour to say a few words of farewell to Ralph Hotere as he spent his last few hours in Otago before heading back to his birth home of Mitimiti. Many have already commented on the man, his life and his works and I have read reflections and tributes online that tell Read more
Pope Benedict’s last words and gestures are worth noting. Take four of his last decisions, for example. 1) Nine months after the sacking of the President of the scandal-ridden Vatican bank, he appoints a new President: a lay man and a non-Italian. 2) He appoints a man of promise to a diplomatic post in a Read more
‘Why on earth do people use crosses to mark road deaths,’ asked my friend as we were setting the world to rights over a glass of vino. ‘It seems strange,’ she said, ‘it’s not as though they’d all be believers.’ Her question penetrated. I turned to talk to her but instead found myself looking back Read more
Being about the only professor at a liberal, tolerant, cosmopolitan Western university who is known to be a practicing Catholic — baptized at the age of two weeks — I have been asked frequently in recent times about what I think will happen to the church in the light of Pope Benedict’s resignation. Will it Read more
Whitewash is the only word to describe the deputy auditor-general’s report on the Government’s relationship with SkyCity. The report dumps all the blame on civil servants. But its description of events makes it very clear the prime minister, his office, his Tourism Ministry, and the Ministry of Economic Development spent a year trying to stitch Read more