Cites Dictator’s emphasis on health, education throughout Latin America   Fidel Castro was a “giant” who saved Cuba from revolving door coups and counter coups declares New Zealander Bernard Diederich who was a close friend of Castro’s since his ascent to power. Mr Diederich and his wife were on the invitation list for the 10th anniversary of the Cuba revolution. Had it not been for Castro, emphasises Mr Diederich, Cuba would simply be another “poor and uneducated” Latin nation. Mr Diederich cites Castro’s intense interest in science and religion as additional, and unrecognised, aspects to the personality of the dictator.…

Work dispersal contingency now needs priority over social engineering | Napier, MSCNewsWire, Nov 24, 2016 | -  Earthquake damaged and currently uninhabited government buildings in New Zealand’s capital Wellington indicate a practical reappraisal of implementing a distributed or cottage workforce contingency. This especially applies for the stricken government buildings in the defence and emergency services category. These structures house people who are in information business and who do not need to be in the buildings in the first place, regardless of how safe or unsafe their condition. Most of the staff are in fact candidates for remote working, meaning that…

Workplace flexibility can be a double-edged sword for workers.By Professor Tim Bentley Our workforces are entering a new age of flexibility, driven by new digital technologies, globalisation, environmental pressures, changing demographics and new forms of social interaction and organising. But flexibility is a double-edged sword that can be both good and bad for workers.The good: flexible working Technology has transformed how, when and where work routines and personal activities are conducted. One critical and rapidly growing development in working practices, enabled by digital technology, is the notion of ‘anywhere, anytime working’, also known as flexible working. Studies from several countries…