Can one truly measure the return on investment on communities? I guess the answer is it depends. It depends on what the goals of the community are. This past month I had been tasked with return on investment proof for my community ROI
Eye on Politics & Law Lords: Why women hate politics
When the chips and the toilet seats are down, alpha males still bestride the political stage. Politicians do not come much more nicer or friendly as the late Mrs Anne Symods who liked to share humorous stories about women at the Bear Pit, NSW Parliament. One tale relates to the physical arrangement of the Parliament which prevented equal access to all. A female Country Party Member during my service to Parliament, in the early 1980s, declared that 'all the lavatories in this building are labelled 'members' or 'ladies'. Unless you change it, I will be asserting my rights as a member.' Within weeks, the building manager, S. Bennett, made sure the lavatories were labelled 'ladies' and 'gentlemen.'
No government ever came to power with more commitment to feminising politics than did new Labour in 1997. More than seven years on, Westminster and Whitehall are as masculine in spirit as they ever were and, as research reported this month shows, many female MPs still feel that the Commons resembles a boys' public school or a gentleman's club, with the older male officials at the House among the worst offenders in assuming that a young woman is bound to be someone's secretary or researcher.
• Ladies and Members [Caught jesting: Bob Carr, does not want much for Christmas - just a new state residence. Earlier in the week, Carr had been the butt of a goof tape at the press gallery's party, where he was edited into the TV program Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. As a tanned and upright Carr strode along in a sensible but unfashionable canvas hat, Carson Kressley remarked Ooh, he's got a great body ]
• · He insisted that it was not his function to point the finger, only to serve as midwife to the truth. The mandarin's verdict: No 10 is too hungry for headlines
• · · Monderman is one of the leaders of a new breed of traffic engineer - equal parts urban designer, social scientist, civil engineer, and psychologist. The approach is radically counterintuitive: Build roads that seem dangerous, and they'll be safer Surprise: No street signs. No crosswalks. No accidents. [Lo and Behold, ever since the speed cameras were taken off a stretch of road in Melbourne due to blunders with penalties - No cameras. Less accidents. However, as those of us who have been dealing with public service objective know so well return on investment and quoters rule the day ... Respect or safety is not important any more - bullying and scarying citizens into submission seems to be the goal.]
• · · · Left-handers survive best in violent societies