Shane Te Pou: Why what Judith Collins said to me matters
21 Dec, 2020 04:00 PM
5 minutes to read
NZ Herald
OPINION: You re lucky I m a Christian, Judith Collins said to me, like a bolt from the blue, in a radio studio the other day.
I was incredulous. Why s that, Judith? That way, I can forgive you, she replied. Forgive me for what? I m not seeking your forgiveness.
Instead of elaborating, she turned to the other panellists to tell them what kind of person I was. Much awkward shuffling ensued.
Usually, I would observe the unspoken kaupapa that what happens off-air stays off-air. But the truth is, this kind of unpleasant interaction is a rarity - in fact, I d go as far as to say it was a first for me. Despite what you see and hear in the media, those of us who participate in the New Zealand political discourse are almost always respectful, friendly even, to one another when nobody s watching. We might disagree fiercely on issues but rarely does th
Facebook and lies are killing us
Opinion: You hear lies and conspiracy theories on the street, in the laundromat and from your grocer who shows you the proof on his phone while corporations eyeing profits are slow to remove content that is harmful to public health
Nadav Eyal |
Published: 12.19.20 , 14:06
These are challenging and dangerous times. A coronavirus vaccine has been approved and will soon be distributed, but at the same time, a new surge of COVID-19 cases is upon us.
The false sense of security as people feel a vaccine would soon be available to all, may be their demise. Hebrew University experts estimate that hundreds will become seriously ill and further hundreds will die by February.
Howard Dean, former Vermont governor and presidential hopeful, says it plain.
However, for the past year, nothing much went to, let alone through, our public schools.
At least half of B40 students the dominant segment had a Covid-19 enforced gap year.
How much of their future’s compromised, only time will tell.
Our ministry technocrats will likely hide their incompetency using the adjusted bell curve, to insist all is well; however it’s the most vulnerable who pay the price.
While schools worldwide were challenged, and everyone lost a degree of quality by their adjustments, here in Malaysia where public schools in urban poor and rural localities already suffer due to a steady divide growth, it was calamitous.