zhasper.com

dictionary.com:

sor·ry [sor-ee, sawr-ee] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective, -ri·er, -ri·est.
6. (used interjectionally as a conventional apology or expression of regret): Sorry, you're misinformed. Did I bump you? Sorry

John Howard:

(John Howard) said he was sorry the rise happened but was not apologising for it.
"I said I was sorry they occurred. I don't think I used the word apology,"

Right. Sorry, but not apologising. Can anyone explain that to me?

Later in the article, J-Ho claims to be "proud" of the interest rate rises. Is that a bit the same as "the recession we had to have"?

Then there's this gem:

The latest unemployment rate is a stunning figure, Prime Minister John Howard says.

Mr Howard said there had been sustained low unemployment for 20 months, and the human dividend of full employment was more important than anything else.

Full employment? Unemployment figures say nothing about "full employment". If you work 65 minutes a week for $15/hour, you're considered employed. If 100% of the population did that, we'd have 0% unemployment, but we'd be a long way form "full employment".

People who are not employed, are seeking work, but not available to commence a job on the date the survey was taken *because they are sick with a minor cold that day, but could start tomorrow* are not considered unemployed. People temporarily stood down from their job because of insufficient work, even if they're seeking other work to tide them over, are considered employed, even though they're receiving no pay and would like to be employed more.

There's a lot of information about the definitions of unemployed, long-term unemployed, and so on, at http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/featurearticlesbyCatalogue/C9268... - including graphs and charts detailing how changes that were made to the definitions of "unemployed" and "long-term unemployed" in '01 reduced the numbers in both categories, without actually finding anyone new work.

Australia:

The Australian Government Consultation Blog Discussion Paper is, as the name implies, an invitation to public discussion about the potential value for government and the community in having a government “consultation blog”, what such a blog might contain, how it would be managed and so on.

New Zealand

NZ Police were reviewing the old Policing Act, from 1958, which had become "anachronistic" and was "written for a completely different age, not policing of today", Superintendent McCardle said.

But drafting new legislation "shouldn't just be the sole reserve of politicians", he said, so the wiki was created to invite input from members of the public.

So I've figured out what wasn't quite right in that last sentence. What bothers me about the tazing has nothing to do with free speech. As they say, "Freedom of the press does not mean freedom of *my* press". If he'd co-operated, he'd have been removed from that venue - but that's not the same as preventing free speech.

What bothers me is that, at the time he was apparently tased, he was on the ground, with two (three?) police officers on top of him.

If he was violent, threatening police, attempting to escape - I can understand why a taser would be considered in those circumstances. Given the circumstances under which he was tased though, I don't think it was justified.

Hrm. It's scary how easy it is to find videos of inappropriate taserings, even when you're barely looking.

"Stand up or you'll get tased again". *sigh*

So what's my point? None, really, just clarifying what disturbed me. It's nothing to do with free speech, and everything to do with abuse of power by poorly trained and/or power-hungry thugs in uniform.

Not that I'm saying that all police are thugs in uniforms, just the ones who tase people who aren't a threat to them.

Wow.

Good thing he lives in a country where free speech is protected in the constitution.

Hang on, something about that last sentence wasn't quite right... but I can't figure out what.

This makes me proud.

If only I'd gotten around to fixing that 10-word minimum by now, I wouldn't have to write this sentence.