Tuesday, January 22, 2019

‘Wrong People’ Have All the Money


World’s richest 26 people wealthier than poorest 50%

 

'They have more lawyers, money and firepower': The development that residents are powerless to stop


Should Sydney Harbour retain 24-hour port operations in an area surrounded by high-density residential developments?


LOOTERS GOTTA LOOT: De Blasio Says the ‘Wrong People’ Have All the Money. “The appalling economic ignorance of New York city’s mayor.”


How AI Will Find You In the Crowd, Without Facial Recognition

history of assassination. Firearms and explosives are the most popular methods, but perhaps not the most effective. Sometimes it takes an  ice pick  




Hack job: Gillette tries to teach men Bb‘social justice’, meets massive online backlash “Coming on top of the American Psychological Association officially recognizing toxic masculinity.”



WSJ [paywall] The Big Hangup: Why the Future Is Not Just Your Phone The once-revolutionary smartphone is losing its power to amaze—and maybe its singular hold on our live: “Steve Jobs took to a stage a dozen years ago this week to introduce a revolutionary new product to the world: the first Apple iPhone. That groundbreaking device, and the competitors that followed, changed the way people communicated, ordered dinner and hailed a taxi. The technology world reoriented around the smartphone, supplanting the personal computer, MP3 players, the digital camera and maps. And the mobile economy was born. Today, it looks like the era of smartphone supremacy is starting to wane.




Blurring the lines: when conflicted mandates undermine performance
REGULATION: Being given the task of both regulating and promoting the same industry is a recipe for frustrated staff and poor performance. So what can agencies do about conflicting mandates?


Agencies must tighten belts but no 'savage cuts' for NT
BUDGETING: The Northern Territory government is moving into belt-tightening mode, asking agency heads to justify the programs they run and spend no more than they are given this coming year.


We are a high-tax country, because it works well for us
RESEARCH: On one measure our company tax rate is the third-highest, but we like it that way because it allows us to give big tax refunds to local shareholders, many of them retirees.


How to balance user privacy with user experience
Global experts weigh in as Facebook hosts a debate on the Data Transfer Project, which aims to enable data portability whilst also protecting people's information and encouraging innovation. (Partner link)

Digital ethics is making news around the world but not at home
Like it or not, huge digital transformation is happening across the public sector. Navigating it successfully requires approaching the future with informed optimism. (Promoted article)





‘Worried’ and ‘betrayed’: 60 per cent had to cancel plans after basic income pilot fiasco 



Lindsay Advocate


More than 82 per cent of people who were receiving money through the Ontario Basic Income Pilot said they felt “worried” when they heard it was cancelled.


Disability employment in public service going backwards



Pro Bono Australia


The disability community is being shut out of public sector jobs, disability groups say in light of recent data which shows the employment of people with disability in the public service is trending downward.




OECD: “Governments need to do more to help workers and firms adapt to the fast-changing world of work and drive inclusive growth, according to the new OECD Jobs Strategy. New evidence in the report reveals that countries that promote job quantity, quality and inclusiveness – such as Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – perform better than those which focus predominantly on market flexibility. While flexibility and adaptability are essential to stimulate the creation of high-quality jobs in an ever more dynamic environment, the gains and costs need to be fairly shared between businesses and workers, according to the OECD…

“Countries must step up their efforts to adapt policy and institutions to the challenges of a rapidly changing world of work,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría, launching the report in Paris with France’s Minister for Labour Muriel Pénicaud. “Technological progress, globalisation and demographic change are creating many new opportunities, but not for everyone; policymakers should focus on helping those at risk of being left behind through well-targeted education and training, labour market and social policies as part of inclusive jobs strategies to help everyone get ahead.”

Peter Woolcott on probation: toughen up, it's their best chance to succeed
RECRUITING: Australian Public Service commissioner says the recruitment process continues long after the position is filled.

Making information acccessible — for everyone
RESEARCH: Essential but often complex services need to be accessible for all, including those with cognitive disabilities. Here’s how you do it.

Just what exactly is a smart city?
PARTNER EVENT: Everyone and everything is getting smarter, including cities. Get the inside scoop for buzzwords like IoT, digital transformation, big data at the Smart Cities Summit 2019.

The role of technology in future councils
VIDEO: Using the existing capabilities technology offers us today, local governments and communities can better envision the future of public services. (Promoted article)


Australia's rich keep getting richer, with billionaires' wealth rising $160 Billion ...




QUOTE OF THE WEEK


In my opinion, if you’re in the business of intelligence, defence or international relations; or trade, economic policy or market regulation; or arts, higher education or preserving the integrity of our democratic system - in other words, just about any substantial policy question whatsoever - then you will need a working knowledge of Marxism-Leninism Mao Zedong Thought. And maybe, after the 19th [Chinese Communist] Party Congress, you’ll need 'Xi Jinping Thought' too.
John Garnaut in a speech titled 'Engineers of the Soul: what Australia needs to know about ideology in Xi Jinping's China', shortly after leaving PM&C as Principal Advisor (International) in 2017, but only now made public.


Sugar daddy capitalism: even the world’s oldest profession is being uberised


Close Encounter Comedy