Judging on graft and careening while LOL
Civis is intrigued by ethical dilemmas, such as those faced by Logan Park High School and the "misappropriated" $365,000 (including GST and associated costs).
Sadly, such conundrums are almost always shadowed by loss and misfortune. Behind them likely lie stories of falls from grace, hurt and pain.
But they are informative, offering insights into a world that's neither black nor white. The pros and cons are difficult to balance.
Put simply, Logan Park's quandary is a case of pragmatism versus principle. By not going to the police and instead focusing on recovering all the money, the school plumped for pragmatism.
Who can blame the school's board and senior management? Recovering such a large amount of money serves the school's immediate education focus. It preserves those resources for future use. The matter doesn't drag on, distracting and disrupting school authorities in time and effort.
From a practical standpoint, the school's approach was efficient. Respected law professor Mark Henaghan said retrieving the money was the most important thing for the school. That priority would have been first on their mind before seeking justice.
Prof Henaghan said a trial could be time-consuming and unpredictable. Even the police might have been relieved to avoid the cost and complications in the absence of an official complaint.
Left out, however, are broader public interests. The failure to prosecute weakens deterrence, sending the wrong signals to others who might be similarly tempted. Because public funds are at stake, shouldn't there also be a transparent legal process?
What about punishment? Recovery trumped retribution.
Crucially, the guilty party has avoided public scrutiny. Other organisations could unknowingly employ the same person, potentially suffering the same fate.
Such circumstances have arisen in Dunedin business circles. Companies can avoid hassles, costs and reputational damage by discreetly parting ways with guilty parties.
Also, is there a moral imperative to report such crimes because they are inherently wrong? Are Logan Park and the police setting poor ethical precedents? Are they remaining true to what should be their ethos, their principles? You be the judge.
★★★
Here's another in the changing meaning of words sequence. Alan Edwards, of Dunedin, has noted the Otago Daily Times using "careen" or "careened" when referring to an out-of-control car. But he says his Chambers Dictionary (1998) limits the word to ships or boats, especially when placing them on their sides, usually for cleaning or painting.
Alan suspects the modern "misuse" stems from confusion with "career", which his dictionary defines as "to gallop; to rush wildly; to move or run rapidly", from the Latin carraria — a carriage-road.
A blog on grammarist.com says that "careen" once meant to turn (a ship) on its side for cleaning or repairs, as well as to lurch or sway, especially when in motion. But in modern usage, careen has come to mean to move fast, especially in an uncontrolled way, making it synonymous with career.
"Searching the web, we find much opposition to this change, and the supposed misuse of careen seems to peeve many people. But it's a lost cause. In current news and blog writing that is searchable online, we find zero instances of careen used in the old senses, versus hundreds of examples of the word used in the new way.
"So while each of us is free to preserve the old meanings in our own writing, most of the English-speaking world has moved on (with rare exceptions in nautical contexts)."
★★★
A teenager has warned Civis about the dangers of using emojis in ignorance. One of the "laughing so hard until you cry" emojis was mistakenly sent in an attempt to express empathy after misfortune.
It reminded Civis of someone back in the day who misinterpreted text-speak, using "LOL" to mean "lots of love" instead of "laughing out loud".
civis@odt.co.nz
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Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
Judging on graft and careening while LOL
Civis is intrigued by ethical dilemmas, such as those faced by Logan Park High School and the "misappropriated" $365,000 (including GST and associated costs). Sadly, such conundrums are almost always shadowed by loss and misfortune. Behind them likely lie stories of falls from grace, hurt and pain. But they are informative, offering insights into a world that's neither black nor white. The pros and cons are difficult to balance. Put simply, Logan Park's quandary is a case of pragmatism versus principle. By not going to the police and instead focusing on recovering all the money, the school plumped for pragmatism. Who can blame the school's board and senior management? Recovering such a large amount of money serves the school's immediate education focus. It preserves those resources for future use. The matter doesn't drag on, distracting and disrupting school authorities in time and effort. From a practical standpoint, the school's approach was efficient. Respected law professor Mark Henaghan said retrieving the money was the most important thing for the school. That priority would have been first on their mind before seeking justice. Prof Henaghan said a trial could be time-consuming and unpredictable. Even the police might have been relieved to avoid the cost and complications in the absence of an official complaint. Left out, however, are broader public interests. The failure to prosecute weakens deterrence, sending the wrong signals to others who might be similarly tempted. Because public funds are at stake, shouldn't there also be a transparent legal process? What about punishment? Recovery trumped retribution. Crucially, the guilty party has avoided public scrutiny. Other organisations could unknowingly employ the same person, potentially suffering the same fate. Such circumstances have arisen in Dunedin business circles. Companies can avoid hassles, costs and reputational damage by discreetly parting ways with guilty parties. Also, is there a moral imperative to report such crimes because they are inherently wrong? Are Logan Park and the police setting poor ethical precedents? Are they remaining true to what should be their ethos, their principles? You be the judge. ★★★ Here's another in the changing meaning of words sequence. Alan Edwards, of Dunedin, has noted the Otago Daily Times using "careen" or "careened" when referring to an out-of-control car. But he says his Chambers Dictionary (1998) limits the word to ships or boats, especially when placing them on their sides, usually for cleaning or painting. Alan suspects the modern "misuse" stems from confusion with "career", which his dictionary defines as "to gallop; to rush wildly; to move or run rapidly", from the Latin carraria — a carriage-road. A blog on says that "careen" once meant to turn (a ship) on its side for cleaning or repairs, as well as to lurch or sway, especially when in motion. But in modern usage, careen has come to mean to move fast, especially in an uncontrolled way, making it synonymous with career. "Searching the web, we find much opposition to this change, and the supposed misuse of careen seems to peeve many people. But it's a lost cause. In current news and blog writing that is searchable online, we find zero instances of careen used in the old senses, versus hundreds of examples of the word used in the new way. "So while each of us is free to preserve the old meanings in our own writing, most of the English-speaking world has moved on (with rare exceptions in nautical contexts)." ★★★ A teenager has warned Civis about the dangers of using emojis in ignorance. One of the "laughing so hard until you cry" emojis was mistakenly sent in an attempt to express empathy after misfortune. It reminded Civis of someone back in the day who misinterpreted text-speak, using "LOL" to mean "lots of love" instead of "laughing out loud". civis@
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Bar open four hours a week gets licence
It is open for only four hours a week and last served a meal before the Covid lockdown — is this New Zealand's most peculiar pub? The unusual operating practices of Dunedin's Harbourview Stadium Hotel have been revealed after it applied to renew its liquor licence recently. Pub owner Dr Hu Zhang bought the Ravensbourne premises in 2011 with a view to converting it into accommodation for students and visiting academics, but locals convinced him to keep the bar open so they had a place to meet for a drink. It is split into three parts — a bar, restaurant and upstairs accommodation — and also opened a cafe area in 2018. The bar used to be open between 4pm and 8pm from Tuesday to Sunday. But once it reopened after the pandemic, its opening hours were ultimately reduced to between 4.30pm and 8pm on Wednesdays only. The Dunedin district licensing committee seemed perplexed when Dr Zhang applied for the pub's liquor licence to be renewed. "Because they are open for such a short time on one day of the week, the impression would be that the premises is not trading," district licensing committee secretary Kevin Mechen said. It sometimes adjusted its hours when there were local events or parties, Mr Mechen said. "The locals use text messaging to let each other know they are going for a drink. "Unfortunately, some of their locals can no longer get to the premises because of their ages." Most patrons went to the pub for a soft drink or beer and did not buy food. "When asked when the last meal was prepared at the premises, Dr Zhang said it was before the Covid lockdown. When reporting agencies visited the premises, they found "the barest of food available for sale" and not enough to meet requirements. At a hearing last month, Dr Zhang had "by his own admission" said he did not need the premises, Mr Mechen said. The committee nevertheless decided to renew the licence for a truncated period to February 28 next year. When contacted yesterday, Dr Zhang said he was happy with the committee's decision but declined to comment further. A licensing inspector had indicated they would visit the premises every two months to ensure compliance with the legislation, Mr Mechen said. "We understand the applicant's desire to maintain a place for the locals to socialise but more needs to be done to make it a desirable premises and to ensure compliance with the legislation." The committee reminded Dr Zhang there must be a certified manager working whenever the pub was open for the sale of alcohol and food must be available that met requirements, Mr Mechen said. When the Otago Daily Times visited the premises about 5pm yesterday the front door was locked and the lights in the bar area were turned off.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
The lessons waiting to be learned
One of the cliches of tragedy is the hope that some good will come from it. There is no doubt that the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old schoolboy Enere Taana-McLaren at the Dunedin bus hub last year was a tragedy — for all concerned. A report to be considered by the Otago Regional Council today offers a glimmer of hope that, indeed, something good may come from this sad affair. The council commissioned an independent report, on behalf of the Dunedin Central City Safety Advisory Group, into cities both in New Zealand and abroad that have dealt with disorder issues similar to those which have plagued the bus hub. While it makes no recommendations and councillors need not frame any resolutions based upon it, it sets out a sensible framework for future action. Although Enere's death serves to make such analysis redundant, the report confirms — both through anecdotal accounts of bus hub users and examination of reported crime data — that there is indeed a problem in the area, and that many people feel unsafe in the vicinity. From that starting point the researchers cast their nets far and wide to see how places like Rotorua, Auckland, Wellington, Sydney, Adelaide and Bath have managed safety at their transport hubs and gathering spots. A key finding is that safety measures must not only be done, but that they be clearly seen to have been done. People feel safer if they see obvious moves to protect them in plain sight, be that prominent signage or regular well-trained patrols. Dunedin police have established a beat team to increase foot patrols in the city centre. This is encouraging, but cynicism — whether justifiable or not — remains about other security staff at the bus hub. Restoring faith that people will be around to help if needs be is paramount. The example of Tauranga, which has involved its young people on ways to enhance perceptions of safety in city spaces, will be instructive. CCTV also has its place, but it needs to be in conjunction with a review of the urban design of the bus hub. The report notes that in Wellington's Te Aro Park surveillance cameras were ineffective as the landscape meant there were several known black spots which could not be seen remotely. One universal theme in the other city's safety plans is that this is no one department or agency's problem and that many people will need to work together to effect change. Establishment of the safety advisory group should therefore be seen as a wise move; the ball is now in its court as bus hub users — many of whom are young and/or vulnerable — wait for effective action. The one thing Dunedin cannot have happen is what some of the city's school principals already fear is occurring — that the problems of the bus hub are simply being moved elsewhere in the city. As reported by the Otago Daily Times yesterday, Otago Girls' High School principal Bridget Davidson's submission to the ORC's Draft Regional Public Transport Plan said bus stops elsewhere in the city were now becoming overcrowded and dangerous. Trinity Catholic College principal Kate Nicholson agreed, saying that pupils had told her they were still using the bus service but from other city stops rather than the bus hub. While it is pleasing that reports of incidents at the bus hub are down, that may simply be as a result of the phenomenon that the principals and pupils have recognised — of patrons, and therefore possible trouble, moving on to fresh fields. The report considers this too, noting that when this has occurred in other cities safety teams have been quickly sent to the new trouble spot to provide reassurance. That does run the risk of wardens playing whack-a-mole with trouble-makers, but it is far better to be pro-active than reactive. As the report notes, transport hubs have become hotspots for anti-social behaviour in most areas. As a natural meeting point, they have become high-risk areas for many young people who need to wait for connecting buses. Dunedin is not alone in confronting this, but the city now has many examples from elsewhere of how these issues can be confronted. Lessons are there to be learned so that, indeed, some good may spring from the ghastly events of last year.
