Ouch!
Saturday, 28 August 2010
Friday, 27 August 2010
A Long Road to Progress
His book "A Long Road to Progress: Dispatches from a Kiwi Commander in Afghanistan" has been very well received by the New Zealand public and chronicles his tour of duty and the observations he made along the way.
As the promptional blurb says " As Commander of the New Zealand troops in the Bamiyan Province of Afghanistan, Colonel Richard Hall gained a unique insight into the lives of Kiwi soldiers serving in a harsh climate amid daily threats, as well as into the lives of the locals - from the female governor trying to establish order in a patriarchal society, to the farmer scratching a living from an inhospitable land, to the orphaned girls destined to be sold into marriage at a young age.He vividly and movingly recalls his experiences, but also explains the vision he tried to implement there on behalf of this country. He tackles the complex issues involved in an army that seeks to bring both aid and a Western way of doing things in a deeply Islamic country. He offers an astute perspective on working with New Zealand troops, American soldiers, corrupt Afghani officials, intransigent aid organisations, while tackling crippling poverty, insurgents attacks, impossible terrain and severe weather. This is an important and fascinating view of New Zealand's role in Afghanistan".
In an interview he gave in the last fortnight he indicated that any proceeds from the book will be going to provide further support to an Orphanage that he has sponsored in Bamiyan province.
Well done that man!
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
Of Mice and Council Men
I cannot imagine for a moment that the government of Singapore would spend thousands of dollars constructing a bridge for mice.MICE maybe, but certainly not the rodent variety. However other authorities are not so reticent and news today that a British Council have spent £190,000 for a dormouse bridge over a road.
The Council (which is reportedly cash strapped) constructed the three high-wire walkways to keep the tiny rodents safe as they cross a new bypass. Not surprsisingly the local residents think the money could have been better spent of fixing potholes and street lighting.
Any passing falcon will view the procession of high wire mice much as we would view a sushi conveyor belt in one of Singapore's Japanese style restaurants.
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
An Old Croc
I had resisted the temptation to buy a pair of plastic sandals, known by their more common brand name of Crocs.Embedded in my memory banks was my late mother's advice to always buy leather; plastic was in those times regarded as a substitute that only the poor should contemplate.
In Singapore most of the shoe stores are festooned with Crocs in a dazzling array of colours, always highly priced and rarely discounted.
They are in fact a modern form of galoshes or goloshes, to use the pre-1920 British spelling. First references to this type of overshoe came in the Middle Ages from the Gaulish shoe or gallicae.
Back in New Zealand we frequent the Number One Shoe Warehouse to buy our cheaper footwear. Yesterday we discovered quite by chance their outlet store in the suburb of Glenn Innes.
The place of full of cheap Chinese clones of better known brands and I brought a pair of red plastic sandals for $10. They look identical to the aforementioned Crocs and were probably made in the same factory, but they are completely devoid of any branding.
I intend using them for garage shoes but will not be taking them on the streets for fear that their bright ruby red colour will stop cars in their tracks.
Now I discover that this same footwear exposes the wearer to other hazards as the Singapore video below shows.
Sunday, 22 August 2010
Everyone Wants The Kiwi Dream?
The is a report on the New Zealand Herald Online this morning entitled "Everyone wants the Kiwi dream".Apparently New Zealand is rated as the second most desired countries for potential migrants. Who I wondered was number one?
It came as no surprise to discover that first place, based on the Gallup Potential Net Migration Index, was occupied by Singapore. This no doubt will delight the Singapore government but be of concern to its citizenry who are very sensitive about a further mass migration of new arrivals.
In New Zealand a researcher, Dr Elsie Ho, has diplomatically stated "New Zealanders may be more accepting of immigrants who come from similar backgrounds, such as Britain and America, but not so with migrants from Asia, Africa and the Middle East for example"
With this she has touched upon the insular underbelly of racism in New Zealand. Those Asian migrants bewitched by the clean green image of the country often become quickly disillusioned by the insidious undercurrent of racism they discover here.
They suffer worse than other migrant groups and this is born our by a second study on the barriers Asians face to equality in New Zealand.
The Herald also reports a study being resented to he Human Rights Commission today in which one of its authors reports " Asians were the most discriminated against and earned the least income, despite barely featuring in social welfare statistics. Migrants felt most discriminated against in public places, employment and while shopping, according to a Department of Labour immigration survey".
I have met Asian migrants driven to the verge of suicide by their inability to find employment or set up a business in this country.
As a PR in Singapore I experienced no such feelings. In the main this Ang Mo felt very welcome at all times and as a result made close friendships with a number of Singaporeans of all races that will always be treasured.
Singapore is a cosmopolitan republic and the government goes to great pains top promote racial and social harmony, even dictating the racial ratios within housing estates to promote integration.
In New Zealand our approach to immigration is piecemeal at best and it is the non European migrants who suffer most from this apathy and antagonism.
The Kiwi abroad is often regard as a warm and friendly bird. In their home roost however things are markedly different and it shames me to have to say so.
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