Well, bugger. We knew delta variant was likely to ‘get in’ to New Zealand, we knew that a rapid lockdown was the almost guaranteed result, but knowing the punch is coming doesn’t seem to mean that your stomach does hurt when fist and gut collide. I’m back to taking comfort from the mountains – luckyContinue reading “The cage gilding fell off”
Tag Archives: coronavirus
Birds in a gilded cage?
This week the New Zealand news headlines featured the IPCC climate change report and the Skegg report on reopening of Fortress New Zealand in a COVID world, together with the government’s related announcement on opening plans. The IPCC report, with its wealth of evidence of extreme climate events throughout the world compared with the 2013Continue reading “Birds in a gilded cage?”
Beating biases
This week my brain has kept on trying to warp my perception of English COVID figures. When Boris threw English doors to COVID wide open on ‘Freedom Day’ (July 19th), he was criticised in many quarters as ‘wildly’irresponsible‘. Projections were made by some epidemiologists that daily COVID cases might rise as high as 100,000 perContinue reading “Beating biases”
Bodies of knowledge
This week the New Zealand academic world has seen a flurry of debate about the intersection between mātauranga Māori – the knowledge base of and created by Māori, past present and future – and the philosophy/method that is science. A group of seven academics from the University of Auckland wrote a letter to the RoyalContinue reading “Bodies of knowledge”
Scales of change
I had a minor light bulb moment yesterday when talking with Chris’s sister, Lindie. I have offered pondered the problem of drivers of change for major issues – how much can or should the government do and how much change should be instigated and driven at the community level. In relation to climate change, IContinue reading “Scales of change”
Inflation & interest rates
It was time to pull out my crystal ball to contemplate the future of interest rates and inflation in New Zealand. I actually pulled it out a few times in the last 2 months, and meant to document my prediction of interest rate rises by the end of the year, but more other interesting thingsContinue reading “Inflation & interest rates”
Productivity
I found myself fuming today when I read about the Ministry for Business, Innovation Employment (MBIE) being a ‘telly offy’, in regard to people using software innovations to book slots in Managed Isolation Facilities (MIQ). A ‘telly offy’ (as defined by our household early in COVID times) is someone who comes from a rules-based perspectiveContinue reading “Productivity”
Third waves
It’s the 7th wave that is supposed to be the big one if you are at sea, or surfing. Let’s hope its not that way with COVID-19. Three waves appear to be more than enough for most countries, and by the seventh wave everyone will be extremely jaded with lockdown procedures. It is quite interestingContinue reading “Third waves”
Reactions and over-reactions
This week saw me variably succeeding and failing in some of those difficult personal conversations that happen all the time in close relationships. The COVID world has taken its toll on all our brains, as well as many bodies, and stress and anxiety are rampant. I was reminded of a first aid class in whichContinue reading “Reactions and over-reactions”
Perverse incentives
Perverse incentives are incentives that have unintended, negative effects that are contrary to the intention of their designers. The ‘cobra effect’ is famous; the British government, concerned about the number of venomous cobras in Delhi, offered a bounty for every dead cobra. Initially, this was a success and large numbers of snakes were killed for the reward. Eventually, however, enterprisingContinue reading “Perverse incentives”