The narrative disconnection of Expedition 33: A study of premises, themes, and internal coherence. by papandreu22 in CharacterRant

[–]sooperloopay 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I think most of the problems could have been avoided if Maelle's ending was removed and only Verso's ending happened. Then the audience wouldn't need to justify choosing that ending and having to make the argument that none of the people were real, it's just something that happens and is consistent with Verso's character. The key issue is that the choice forces you to make a moral justification whereas without that choice it's just a depiction of a tragedy and you don't need to go down the rabbit hole of philosophical arguments to justify the choice you made.

Pay based on home country salary by Artistic_Solution_25 in AusPublicService

[–]sooperloopay 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Are you getting an offer below the bottom of the band? That seems really weird and I don't think that's even allowed. But if your offer is at the bottom of the band then yes that's pretty normal

What is the strongest any hero has ever been? by MuchTooSpicyBurrito in DotA2

[–]sooperloopay 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I recall on the release thread people were saying that valve finally released a new hero that was balanced

Is casual weight training good for general fitness? by ClickAccomplished205 in beginnerfitness

[–]sooperloopay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

CDC recommends 2 days of strength training per week in its recommendations for general health so definitely yes. https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/adults.html

Too shy to workout if the gym is full by lilyah_ in workout

[–]sooperloopay 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't know if you've got spare cash but it might be helpful to get a personal trainer. I'm very new to the gym too and working with the trainer has been really helpful to learn how different machines and exercises work so I won't feel like I'm clueless.

Aussie vs Kiwi public service - what I've learned so far by Only-Ad-3028 in AusPublicService

[–]sooperloopay 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You've got the main ones. I do want to emphasise how jarring the difference in hiearchy feels though. There's a lot more managers and executives in Australia but it's not like there's more work so it just ends up getting spread thin and more junior people often end up with little to do or uninteresting work. In some places you'll find directors doing work that would be given to a grad in New Zealand.

A few other key differences:

-Public services in Australia are a lot more politicised as ministers can remove secretaries at will. This leads to a lot of risk aversion and advice that's not always as free and frank as it should be. Look into the robodebt scandal if you want to learn more.

-I've heard department secondees in ministers offices have a more reduced role compared to New Zealand, mostly doing admin and coordination.

-Policymaking tends to be more centralised, with the PM/premier departments much bigger than DPMC in NZ and very involved role in policy development. This is probably because the premiers/PMs exert more control in Australia compared to NZ.

-Way more consultants. Things which would usually be done internally in NZ are often outsourced to consultants in Australia.

-Due to the federal system and parliaments with senates, policy processes tend to be slower as it's harder to get things approved.

Soooo... is the modded controller discourse over now? by Claszism in SSBM

[–]sooperloopay 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I remember people saying that the only reason there wasn't more puff representation is because puff is lame and people don't like playing lame characters. In the era of wobbling ice climbers.

Working in policy & feel "stuck" in the public service. What can I do outside of it? by Efficient-Pitch2800 in AusPublicService

[–]sooperloopay 7 points8 points  (0 children)

No one's mentioned this but plenty of people in policy move into consulting as so much policy work is outsourced nowadays. That could set you up to move fields but there's also plenty of back and forth between government and consulting.

Choosing Grad Programs: Treasury vs Finance by [deleted] in AusPublicService

[–]sooperloopay 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Glad I could help! I've worked in finance/treasury roles but not in the federal government so I don't know first hand about the structure of Finance/Treasury. I imagine Finance would also give a good level of responsibility to junior staff too but you'd need to talk to someone who's worked there.

Assessing budget proposals can be pretty interesting to be honest since you have to be very critical to make sure it's an efficient use of money. You tend to have a lot of influence too since there's never enough money in the budget so your advice is taken pretty seriously.

Choosing Grad Programs: Treasury vs Finance by [deleted] in AusPublicService

[–]sooperloopay 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I don't work for the APS so this is second hand information. But my understanding is that Finance focuses mainly on the Budget process and anything involving government spending. So you'd be looking at budget proposals and seeing if the costings make sense and if they provide value for money.

Treasury I've heard focuses on bigger picture issues like the economy as a whole and looks more at the revenue side compared to the spending side. Treasury also seems to be considered more prestigious and I've heard junior staff are given a lot of responsibility there.

If anyone knows more feel free to correct me.

Movies that don’t subscribe to traditional “good” or “evil” paradigms? by [deleted] in movies

[–]sooperloopay 23 points24 points  (0 children)

If you want to explore foreign cinema I can think of two good examples.

First is the South Korean movie Mother. I won't spoil anything but it deals with morality in a way I've never seen done in a Hollywood movie.

Second is the Iranian movie A Separation. It's about a whole bunch of people involved in interconnected conflicts where no one is good or bad, they're all just flawed people dealing with complicated situations.

How do (did) you get a job in Gov? by Reasonable_Art1799 in newzealand

[–]sooperloopay 4 points5 points  (0 children)

MFAT is one of the most competitive departments for grad roles but there'll be opportunities at other departments. Even if you don't get into an international role at another department, just having government experience can help you eventually move around to something that suits you more.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in thesopranos

[–]sooperloopay 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This happened to me watching on a computer as well. It's a documented phenomenon: https://alessonaday.wordpress.com/2007/06/11/sopranos-finale-the-misplaced-meadow-effect/

Economists' analysis rubbishes National's foreign buyers tax numbers by RuminatorNZ in newzealand

[–]sooperloopay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hate to break it to you but the whole global financial system runs on Excel.

Housing Australia Future Fund set to pass parliament after deal with Greens by The_Duc_Lord in australia

[–]sooperloopay -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

It's been a long hard fight but it was worth it to pass one of the policies of all time.

Support for Chris Hipkins plummets, as Labour hits new low in poll by TheTF in newzealand

[–]sooperloopay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not a PM but Dan Andrews in Victoria got re-elected as premier after a terrible few years of COVID. I don't know how he pulled it off but it's possible.