tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67677871367270186662024-09-02T20:14:29.443+12:00What's happening? <br><small>My opinion on the country, the world, life, and anything else I feel is worth a comment.</small>Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00484243389651191571noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-80891815152093650552022-11-29T09:43:00.005+13:002022-11-29T10:18:15.859+13:00

France and I hear Germany have banned Google &amp; Microsoft on-line office suites from schools, admittedly over privacy concerns but there are other reasons to move away from them&nbsp; which raises the question of what will replace them?There are open source office alternatives, more on them below but first a bit of history.Visicalc, the first microcomputer based spreadsheet, ran on an Apple II

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04927558272790269433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-85374075733757236412019-03-17T23:29:00.001+13:002019-03-17T23:29:57.088+13:00

Following the Christchurch Mosque shootings politicians are calling for banning private ownership of semi-automatic weapons. I agree that they should be banned but believe we need much much more. Simply banning semi-automatics without ending the underlying causes of the shootings is just saying "It's OK to murder 25 Muslims but not 50" I'm writing this two days after the Christchurch Mosques

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04927558272790269433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-55694973037393697362018-11-22T12:38:00.000+13:002018-11-22T13:06:58.292+13:00

Here’s why I will be voting to retain the existing Auckland Pride board at the SGM called to pass a motion of no confidence in it. The surface background is that the police have been banned&nbsp; from marching as a group in uniform at the 2019 Pride parade. Problems with the involvement of Corrections, the Police, and those corporates who just want the pink dollar but don’t really support us

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04927558272790269433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-26380256944254349432018-11-20T21:35:00.000+13:002018-11-20T21:37:51.683+13:00

This is the script for the talk I gave at the Transgender Day of Remembrance service at St Matthews-in-the-city tonight. It's not exactly what I delivered but is pretty close. Hi. I’m Julia Clement and I’m a transgender woman. Before starting, I’d like to acknowledge Zena C[5], a 21 year old transgender woman from Wellington who was strangled in February, allegedly by her boyfriend. She has

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04927558272790269433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-82019916920941578902018-11-10T09:57:00.001+13:002018-11-10T10:02:07.827+13:00

The Auckland Pride Festival Parade has banned the Police and Corrections department marching in uniform in the 2019 parade. The problem raised with the NZ police marching in Auckland in 2019 is not what happened at Stonewall 50 years ago or even the raid on the Wellington gay sauna 35 year ago but that while the top level of NZ police are currently making all the right noises, this is not

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04927558272790269433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-91241719334885815822018-10-07T19:27:00.000+13:002018-10-07T19:30:44.501+13:00

Bloomberg has reported&nbsp;that secret "spy chips" have been detected on Chinese made server motherboards. Naturally the affected server manufacturer have issued denials that you can accept or think "Of course they would&nbsp;say that" as you like. &nbsp;Remember a few years back when the Americans were frothing at the mouth about Chinese routers? I was cynically thinking that it was because

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04927558272790269433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-81794133354147118272018-09-01T21:14:00.000+12:002018-09-01T21:14:14.319+12:00

Once again I've seen people complaining that children aren't being taught to read analogue clocks. The technology is largely obsolete. Go to K-mart and have a look at the clocks on display. Digital is cheap and reliable. Nobody has a sundial except as a decorative measure. Sundials worked straight off the sun and as the length of the day changes from season to season needs a mental adjustment to

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04927558272790269433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-52555670405512839982018-08-31T21:04:00.001+12:002018-10-07T19:35:17.336+13:00

80 years ago Fascists &amp; Anti-fascists were fighting on the streets of Europe. Here's a take on it from an independent socialist of the day. "We have reached a stage when the very word 'Socialism' calls up, on the one hand, a picture of aeroplanes, tractors, and huge glittering factories of glass and concrete; on the other, a picture of vegetarians with wilting beards, of Bolshevik

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04927558272790269433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-90755065455361190512018-05-24T10:22:00.000+12:002018-05-24T10:22:07.341+12:00

There's been some interesting research reported providing additional evidence that the brains of transgender adolescents are more like the gender they identify with than their birth gender. I'm always a bit conflicted when hearing about research like this. There's a huge plus in that it creates tests that can be developed into a diagnostic tool used to confirm that an individual has strong

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04927558272790269433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-22392888704784632112018-04-15T11:38:00.000+12:002018-10-04T22:12:51.862+13:00

"Question Authority" Timothy Leary, possibly after Socrates. Wikipedia says "It is intended to encourage people to avoid fallacious appeals to authority" The popular media seems to like finding people who they then claim are somehow spokespeople for the groups that they identify as being part of. Among other things I'm a computer programmer, occasional commentator on internet accessibility and

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04927558272790269433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-16985555179766810832017-11-16T15:13:00.000+13:002018-10-04T22:12:51.854+13:00

Middle class white male gays &amp; lesbians are celebrating a victory in Australia's postal survey on same sex marriage, but what does it mean for the rest of us? I'm writing this the day after the results of Australian postal survey on same sex marriages was released. I'm glad for Australians that they will soon be able to marry the person they love regardless of gender but forgive me if my

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04927558272790269433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-34961559387070509262017-10-21T22:00:00.000+13:002017-10-21T22:59:50.486+13:00

Labour, NZ First &amp; The Green Party have reached agreements that will give them a majority in parliament for the current parliamentary term. This means that Jacinda Arden will be the prime minister of New Zealand. We all need to accept, whichever way we voted, that the electoral system is set up the way it is. There was a free and fair election and between them (Left to Right)

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04927558272790269433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-30167275067602552622017-02-20T13:46:00.002+13:002017-02-20T13:47:53.208+13:00

I got caught out by a "friend" with a fake Facebook account the other day. Normally I avoid this because I look at friend requests to decide if the person seems believable. Does the information seem consistent? Someone from Australia who went to a Pakistani university and lives as an Iraqi goat herder raises questions Do they have a history? A lot of fake accounts only go back a few days Why

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00484243389651191571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-76131767982089855172015-07-05T10:30:00.000+12:002018-04-15T12:06:12.334+12:00

A high profile Aussie rules coach has been killed, apparently by his son. Local papers are suggesting that the son was a methamphetamine addict, and this may have caused the murder. Less invested social commentators such as Stephen Lord "Lordy" on Google+ have asked: "Why is it that illegal drugs are an excuse for a crime? ... Before blaming the drug, try blaming the incredible arrogance or

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00484243389651191571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-38700532581754882982015-04-28T13:15:00.001+12:002015-04-28T13:15:09.690+12:00

Three men with links to Auckland Transport and Rodney District Council have been charged in relation to allegations of bribery and corruption worth more than $1 million between 2005 and 2013. The SFO said it believed George and an associate, while in various engineering and management roles either at Auckland Transport or Rodney District Council, received undisclosed payments or gratuities

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00484243389651191571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-29721101189369589542015-04-19T10:32:00.001+12:002015-04-19T12:15:07.909+12:00

Another stuff up,&nbsp; several months after it was announced, Stuff.co.nz reports that Pascall have changed the formula of one of their sweets: Prepare for another Creme Eggs furore - because Milk Bottle lollies have a new taste, and no-one seems to like it. Rather ironically, given the name of the product, Pascall have changed the recipe to milk-free ingredients. "As milk is an allergen,

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00484243389651191571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-43563855893194325472015-04-17T19:23:00.000+12:002015-04-19T10:37:14.558+12:00

With the centenary of the landings at the start of the Gallipoli campaign in just a few days time it seems everyone is leaping on the bandwagon. Big media is as always attempting to make as large an audience boost as possible from its "coverage" of set-piece events while the RSA is doing its best to stop the worst commercial exploitation. It seems that the RSA is allowing some limited use, e.g

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00484243389651191571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-85182440054110493732015-04-14T21:50:00.001+12:002015-04-14T21:50:09.125+12:00

We're getting TV adverts extolling the benefits of using our phones to pay for baby sitters or lawn mowing services. In Zimbabwe, they seem to have haven it to the next level. &nbsp;Sex workers in Harare are now demanding that clients pay for services through mobile platforms to avoid being duped with most now moving around with at least two mobile phones to facilitate transactions. Full

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00484243389651191571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-43253570680549175002015-04-11T18:15:00.001+12:002015-04-19T10:37:14.555+12:00

¿Que? knows New Zealand has an arrogance problem by road users and while cyclists(*) and young children are notorious for making risky turns, or darting onto pedestrian crossings this one really takes the biscuit. An 88 year old elderly man injured when a light truck struck a mobility scooter in Otago has died. he was struck by a truck while using a pedestrian crossing on his mobility scooter.

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00484243389651191571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-54536981064990215132014-11-21T20:29:00.001+13:002014-11-21T20:29:14.255+13:00

I work in Newmarket. I often walk up Alma St, alongside the Maori TV building. It really disgusts me how they come out the side entrance, smoke in this small street and then just throw their butts in the gutter. Even at my worst as a smoker I would try to find somewhere better. There are usually a huge number of butts on display. You'd think as a principle sponsor of Quit-line that they

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00484243389651191571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-28433954597810672452014-10-17T22:35:00.000+13:002014-10-17T22:35:00.846+13:00

Islamophobia or just downright stupidity? According to TVNZ news, New Zealand businesses with names like Isis or Issis are getting resistence from customers and having to change their names. There are dozens of New Zealand businesses operating under the name Isis or Issis, which is the name of an ancient Egyptian goddess. TVNZ This reminds me of a tale I heard 30 years ago about a company

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00484243389651191571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-56922447482510796222014-10-15T19:34:00.000+13:002015-04-19T10:37:14.561+12:00

What's wrong with this picture? A Salvation Army&nbsp; worker and a 15 year old woman allegedly had a sexual relationship. According to Stuff: "Salvation Army's central division commander, Lieutenant Colonel Ian Hutson, said it had received a complaint several months ago. It immediately stood down the employee and told police. Police said their investigation was still at an early stage and

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00484243389651191571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-17963645575232540862014-10-13T20:13:00.001+13:002014-10-13T20:13:29.368+13:00

I've heard news reports that the government is thinking of removing passports from people that are likely to go and be foreign fighters for "terrorist" groups. What are they thinking? Where do I want to start on this? What do they mean by terrorist?&nbsp; If they were talking Pre Good Friday agreement IRA, post 11/9 Al Qaeda, or Tama Iti's "Not terrorist at all" training camps&nbsp; we could

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00484243389651191571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-88649069154384593342013-12-11T14:26:00.001+13:002013-12-20T23:01:23.471+13:00

While the world remembers Nelson Mandela, one man was taking the mickey at his memorial. Something didn’t seem quite right about the sign language interpreter who stood to the side of the various speakers, ‘interpreting’ what they were saying for the benefit of South Africa’s Deaf population. The ‘interpreter’ signed in a strange repetitive rhythm – his signs appearing to come in threes or

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00484243389651191571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767787136727018666.post-76309053673756861812013-06-13T16:54:00.001+12:002013-12-20T23:03:24.576+13:00

For the last 15 years (approx) I've used the on-line White Pages whenever I wanted to find a phone number. During that time I've come to regard looking up listings in the phone books that appeared at my home every year or so as a quaint anachronism. This year no White Pages appeared and I wasn't worried at all but I was happy to hear that you could still request them. In this article the NBR

Julia Clementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00484243389651191571noreply@blogger.com0