Random Musings about Everything @danielfarrellnzl - Tumblr Blog

The real reason Jacinda Ardern's maternity plans are irrelevant

Dear New Zealand, You're getting a little sidetracked on the whole Jacinda Ardern's child plans thing. Both sides are getting this very wrong. To be clear, I don't think her plans are relevant in any way. But to say it's not relevant because no woman should have to declare that isn't right at all. Not that I'm saying they should have to, but instead that this is a completely different situation. If an employer was to ask that question, they would be looking at the person who potentially would be doing the job and making a decision whether to hire them. That's not what you're doing here. Jacinda Ardern is a spokesperson. You're not voting for her. You're voting (or not) for the Labour Party, not their leader. You're voting for (or not) a set of policies, ideals and beliefs, not a face. We have an Acting Prime Minister in the House whenever the Prime Minister cannot be present. The country is often represented by other Ministers, such as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. And frankly, there's such thing as a phone and a laptop. If there's anything that cannot be done by an Acting Prime Minister, or another Government representative, it can be dealt with remotely. How do you think these things are done when the Prime Minister is on overseas trips? This is where we get to the bit Labour probably doesn't want you to think about though. With the current political climate, that absolutely leaves a possibility that the person representing the country is Winston Peters under a Labour-led Government. Or (and therefore making the questions about Metiria Turei all the more important) one of the Green co-leaders. That is the only thing around this you need to consider, and it's something you need to consider irrespective of whether Ardern wants to have children. Are you comfortable with Peters, Turei and/or Shaw being the top representative of this country, whether it be because Ardern is on maternity leave, on a plane to a summit of world leaders, or otherwise unavailable? Which leads to the next thing I'm sure some people will say - sure the vast majority of the country is voting for a party not a person, but Mount Albert constituents are voting for (or not) Ardern herself! Surely they need to know about whether she is planning on having children! Except they don't. The role of an electorate MP is to represent their constituents. Sure, in Parliament, but also in an advocacy role. This is not something that becomes impossible if you're on maternity leave. Again, phones and laptops are a thing. And, aside from that, particularly when we're talking about Government Ministers, and certainly the Prime Minister, this is done largely by staff in their electorate office. So, let's stop talking about whether an employer can ask that question of potential employees. In this context, that irrelevant. You need to ask whether you need to ask that question of a CEO for a company you're contacting. When you do that, the answer becomes a lot more obvious, even for those who think an employer has the right to know that before hiring. The answer is no, that's absurd.

#Jacinda Ardern #nzpol #labour party #Election2017 #maternity leave

Okay, this is both the greatest and weirdest music video I’ve ever seen.

Beginning’s a bit NSFW, skip to about 50 seconds in if you want to skip that bit.

#nsfw #music video #goat

So, I may have received an email with this gif in last night. And I may have had no choice but to share it, because it’s the greatest thing ever.

#cats #cat gifs #sleepy cat

just-shower-thoughts

I usually read the TL;DR after reading the whole thing just to help summarise everything in my head

danielfarrellnzl

This is a thing. This is absolutely a thing.

So, I spent ten days on a cruise ship. Was a sort of “holy hell, I’ve graduated, like it’s actually happened, I didn’t think this would ever happen” celebration type thing. On the way, I took a few photos. Thought I’d throw some up here. If you want the rest, I’ve posted them on imgur. Feel free to have a look, if you want.

Seriously though, that’s a seriously cool way to check out New Zealand. Ten days travelling around the country was relaxing as hell. I’d absolutely recommend doing that. While the average age was probably 99, there’s plenty of things to do on the boat, or not do if you don’t want to. And realistically, it’s no more expensive than any other long-ish holiday you might arrange.

The pictures on here are from somewhere between Tauranga and Napier, from Napier itself, and in Milford Sound.

#new zealand #cruise #napier #akaroa #stewart island #landscapes

The TPP isn’t dead

Well, sort of. The Trans Pacific Partnership, in it’s current form, almost certainly is dead. I think it would be possible to enter into force if every country within the agreement were to ratify, however that’s unlikely to happen. The drawcard for some of these countries was the United States. Without them, it’s unlikely that some countries would ratify the agreement.

However, given more rounds of negotiations, the TPP can be redrafted. The TPP doesn’t need to be dead, it just needs some plastic surgery. What needs to be acknowledged is that this is a huge opportunity for New Zealand to show leadership in the geopolitics in the Asia-Pacific region.

The reality is that, without the United States having the presence in the region that the TPP would have provided, there is now a void. Without doubt, this void will be filled by China. It may not be immediately, but it will happen. Because New Zealand already has a free trade agreement with China, some might say that New Zealand need not be involved with all this. That would be extremely short sighted.

New Zealand already has a good relationship with China. We have been proven a good trading partner, and the excellent officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade with the previous Labour Government were the first to achieve a free trade deal with China. New Zealand has the ability to bring China into the TPP, which would show New Zealand to be a leader in the Asia-Pacific region. It would also show that our Government and officials understand that if Asia-Pacific economies are boosted by the TPP, the entire region, including New Zealand, benefits.

Long term, New Zealand would be better off with such an agreement, than an agreement with the United States with a “if you ‘misbehave’ we will send you a strongly worded letter” clause. Remember, Trump won’t be President forever. Whoever the 46th US President is will likely be more rational, and therefore be more open to actual free trade.

There is a meeting of the other TPP countries soon where it will be decided where we go from here. Hopefully, we will have some idea as to where this is going after that. Here’s hoping New Zealand officials are going to promote the continuation of the TPP in a beneficial form for everyone.

#trans pacific partnership #TPP #free trade #China #USA #Donald Trump #President Trump

just-shower-thoughts

If you drive off in a stolen Tesla, does it become an Edison?

danielfarrellnzl

Ha. I enjoyed this. I enjoyed this a lot.

#tesla #better than edison

Unpopular opinion: 2016 wasn’t that bad

Time for an unpopular opinion - I think people are being unreasonable when they say about how horrible 2016 has been. Yes, there’s been some horrific things happen this year. But then there’s the things that are extremely subjective that people go to. Do I personally agree that a lot of them are bad? Sure. But that doesn’t make 2016 a bad year. It makes 2016 a year that benefited other people and their beliefs more than mine.

I mean, sure, I would have preferred that Brexit didn’t happen. Trump being elected US President isn’t something I wanted to see either. But that doesn’t make 2016 bad. There are people who did - and still do - want those things to happen. For them, 2016 has been great. For the most part, every world event will benefit someone. To say that they don’t is pathetic and self-serving.

Of course, that’s not the only reason I don’t say 2016 has been horrible. For me, there’s been some great things happen. I graduated university, finishing my degrees after seven years. I started playing golf, something that I’ve enjoyed doing very much. If you really can’t look at your life this year and find at least something good that happened, I feel for you. I really do.

So, here’s to 2016. You weren’t nearly as bad as people like to say you were. Also, here’s to 2017. I’m sure you’ll be swell.

#2016 #year in review #2017

lawschooltrials

Living with your parents after graduating law school and passing the bar on the first try because finding a job is apparently harder than both of those things...

omglegallybrunette-blog

Let’s make that finding a job that pays well*

- the 1st time passer employed as a lawyer full time who still lives with her parents and works a second job on the weekends to pay for her shopping habit.

danielfarrellnzl

Not quite the same, but sort of relevant to my situation. I mean, I haven’t been admitted to the bar yet, and I’m still due to complete some stuff at uni in the new year, but it still feels pretty similar....

#lawblr #gradlife

Lemon, Lime and Bitters

A few years back, when I wasn't doing so well academically, I used to drink lemon, lime and bitters. The line was "well, this is the closest thing to an LLB I'm ever going to get." (For anyone who doesn't know, an LLB is a law degree) This afternoon, I'm heading to Hamilton to graduate with a BMS/LLB. (Bachelor of Management Studies and Bachelor of Laws) It's been the weirdest feeling for the past couple weeks. I half expected to get a phone call from the University saying "actually, we're not letting you graduate, because [insert wildly unreasonable cause for not graduating here]." And yet, that didn't happen. It's been seven years, but it's finally over. Well, sort of, given I have to do a few extra bits of study over the next six months or so. But I'm basically there. It's such a weird feeling. And, honestly, I very nearly gave up on a few occasions. Right now though, I'm seriously glad I didn't.

A win. And a big one at that.

In 2012, I ran for President of the Waikato Students’ Union. As part of that campaign, I said I would push for tertiary student discounts on public transport in Hamilton. While I didn’t get elected as President, I was elected to the Board of Directors. During my two terms on the Board, I worked with the elected President, Aaron Letcher to achieve this goal. In 2014, I wrote two submissions to that effect to the Regional Public Transport Plan - one for the WSU, and another in my personal capacity. I then submitted to my personal submission in early 2015.

Through all those significant parts of the time line, and the other minor discussions that happened over the past four years, I have genuinely believed that students are a significant portion of the population that aren’t being properly catered to. That view has not changed. Or more accurately, it had not changed. Now, however, it has.

Last week, the Hamilton Public Transport Joint Committee met, and approved a proposal to provide tertiary public transport fares to students at the University of Waikato. This is a 30% discount on the adult Busit fare, available to students with valid ID at any time, on any day. There’s also room for expansion to Wintec students, pending discussions with the institution.

While my time being active in student politics is well and truly over, I am proud to have brought the voice of students to the attention of those in power.

In saying all of this, some thank yous are in order.

Firstly, to Paula Southgate, current Chairperson of the Waikato Regional Council. My understanding is she has been quite supportive of this proposal, and has had a major influence in getting it across the line. Without that support, this would almost certainly not have happened. Students owe you a debt of gratitude for your work, as do I.

Secondly, to Aaron Letcher, WSU President 2013-14. Without your pushes for this during your time as President, and since, I’m sure this would not have happened so quickly, if at all.

Thirdly, to another WSU President, Shannon Stewart. I’m glad I saw the good work you did in presenting the WSU’s submission to the RPTP, because it showed me that my submission was in good hands.

Fourthly, the University of Waikato’s people that worked with the Regional Council on this. When I made an OIA request in regard to my submissions, I saw that there certainly was some work being done, and my understanding is that work has continued.

And finally, I should thank the people who voted for me during my WSU election campaigns. Without those people, I wouldn't have had a chance to be involved with getting this done, and it probably would not have happened, certainly not any time soon.

It’s been a long process, but that’s how the democratic process works. Now, I best find my next project.

theodd1sout-deactivated20210101

An anteater’s got to do what an anteater’s got to do

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danielfarrellnzl

This ant is an understanding person. We should all be this ant.

Christchurch, you’re awesome

Ever since the first Christchurch earthquake in 2010, I’ve felt a strong connection to Christchurch. I wasn’t in the city when it happened, but only just. I’d flown out of Christchurch only four days before the earthquake, having spent the best part of five days at a conference. I felt hugely lucky, but if I’m honest, I also felt a little guilty. I’d missed something that friends had not. I’d been able to leave beforehand, but an entire city had not. It’s silly, but that’s how I felt at the time.

In 2014, I finally managed to get back to Christchurch - funnily enough, to attend the same conference. It was so moving to get back to the city, and see some of the devastation. On the bus from the airport into the city, I kept thinking “what earthquake damage?” Suddenly once the bus hit the central city, it became “oooohhhh.... That earthquake damage.”

Anyway, I arrived in Christchurch yesterday morning, and have been here since. I am stunned at how much the city has changed in the past eighteen months or so. As someone who watches Parliament TV a lot, I assumed not much would have changed, given the Opposition’s continual assertions that the Government isn’t doing anything in Christchurch, and Government Ministers don’t really say much to disagree.

Personally, I find that disgraceful. The speed of change in this city is amazing. What this city is managing is brilliant. I believe that we should be congratulating the people of this city for what they’ve done, and how they’ve persevered, rather than to say it’s not happening quickly enough. Of course, I’ve only been in the central city. From what I’ve heard about the progress in the Eastern Suburbs, that’s probably a lot slower than it should be. However, I would have thought rebuilding the city is going to be the priority - without that, where are the jobs for the people living in those suburbs?

On a semi-related note, but not really, when I was in Christchurch in 2014, there weren’t any earthquakes (at least, not any that could be felt). Today, I experienced my first two earthquakes. Was quite the experience. It was also amazing to see that the people from Christchurch around me at the time didn’t even notice it until myself and another guy mentioned it. “Meh, that’s probably just a bus driving past. That was nothing.” That was their reply. I truly am in awe. And just to make the point, it wasn’t a bus, it was this one.

#christchurch #eqnz

So, for a graduate application, I'm supposed to upload a photo, in document format. Document should not include graphics. Lolwut?

The GOP Iowa Caucus, or the two hours I wish I hadn’t spent

Well, I just did a bunch of analysis of the GOP results from the Iowa Caucus. Turns out, it was a little futile, as I would have got the same results if I’d done something that would take about 30 seconds.

To start off, the results of the Iowa Caucus.

We already know all of this. Ted Cruz took a huge win (not necessarily in terms of numbers, but politically, this was big) and Trump almost got pushed into third.

Now, I took the bottom four candidates, Kasich, Huckabee, Christie and Santorum. I chose these candidates based on a few assumptions, most of which are blatantly flawed, because it’s not how politics works. Firstly, I assumed that the bottom candidates would start dropping out now (this is the one assumption that isn’t flawed). Secondly, I assumed that while a candidate had someone below them, they wouldn’t drop out (not how politics works at all, but I had to make assumptions to get here). Thirdly, I assumed that the RNC would try to avoid Fiorina dropping out, as she is the only woman in the field (a reasonable assumption generally, but probably not with the GOP).

So, the bottom four candidates are assumed to be dropping out. I used the exit poll data from MSNBC (they gave the most detail on their website about entrance polling, though for some reason they still called them exit polls - something that wouldn’t make sense with a caucus). This assumes that exit polls are accurate (though, the result and the information from this exit poll were pretty close). Unfortunately, all of the data was rounded to the nearest 1%, so it wasn’t hugely accurate.

Using that information, and assuming that people of certain demographics would make proportionally the same decisions as everyone else of that demographic (again, a flawed assumption), I transferred the votes from the bottom four candidates to the remaining seven. Here’s what I got.

So, the percentages:

Cruz: +2% Trump: +2% Rubio: +2% Carson: +1% Paul: NC Bush: NC Fiorina: NC

Now, yes, in both cases, the percentages add up to 101%. That’s due to rounding errors.

Here’s the problem. These percentages are exactly the same as if I’d just disregarded votes cast for the bottom four candidates. Seriously, there was no difference. At all. Basically, I’ve just spent two hours getting the same result as something that took 30 seconds.

I wish I’d just done some university work.