Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Auckland, so much enormity to answer for

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  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    Leitch may not be a fantastic choice for a succulent meat cuisine, but he is really only offering what many out South have been given for some time, and that being cheaper cuts of meat. The supermarket chains out that way do exactly the same in their meat departments too, and they will argue they are catering to what is affordable for their demo-graph. A person I know in the medical field discovered this stark reality whilst trying to implement healthy food programmes at Middlemore (hah! geddit? middle more, rather appropriate in this instance) Hospital.

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    No doubt the Mad Butcher, Sir Peter Leich BSE. CJD. will be welcoming the victors back in the Kuru Lounge.
    Reckon the Warriors may just scrapie through to victory, not that I have prion knowledge of such things.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Hello! The editor of the New Zealand Herald, Tim Murphy, has been in touch on the “enormity” issue:

    Hi Russell. Good post. Wonderful days indeed. Toby and you question ‘enormity’. FYI our style guide uses the Concise Oxford, Eleventh Edition, Revised. Its defintion of ‘enormity’ is:

    ‘large scale or extreme seriousness of (something bad); (in neutral use) the great size or scale of. 2. A grave crime or sin. (Usage: in its earliest sense, enormity meant ’a crime’ and some argue that it should therefore continue to be used only of contexts in which a negative moral judgement is implied. Nevertheless, in modern English enormity is often simply used as a synonym for hugeness (the enormity of his intellect) and this is now broadly accepted in standard English).”

    So, for the very conservative among us, prone to ‘negative moral judgement’ ,it was wrong in the paper. But not to our style guide and standard English and common usage.

    To which I replied:

    Thanks for the reply, Tim – and for the compliment! But I’m afraid you’ll never convince me with the “common usage” argument …

    In that case, anyway.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Juha Saarinen, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Pshaw! What next? -ize instead of -ise?

    Since Nov 2006 • 529 posts Report Reply

  • recordari, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    Hobbes

    The enormity of players past and present will all be absorbed in the body of our Rugby Leviathan.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • andin, in reply to Russell Brown,

    So, for the very conservative among us, prone to ‘negative moral judgement’

    Awww c’mon your just saying that to get on our good side.
    You do know that ‘negative moral judgements’ are usually wrong.
    eta. Mr Heraldman I refer too of course not your good self.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    The editor of the New Zealand Herald, Tim Murphy, has been in touch on the "enormity" issue

    That's what he chooses to weigh in on?

    Bizarre.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,

    catering to what is affordable

    Less meat is better than cheap meat, but try telling that to NZers who've been indoctrinated with the idea that meat five times a week is a minimum healthy diet. Often by athletes, who have utterly different nutrition needs from people.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • James W,

    Yeah, Tim Murphy ignores Mediawatch's constant requests to explain the Herald's actions, but makes sure he defends the misuse of "enormity" here. Priorities?

    Perhaps it's because the subs have no control over the headlines, from what I hear, and Mr. Murphy just wanted to defend their honour.

    Since Jul 2008 • 136 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Russell Brown,

    the “common usage” argument

    How does he feel about "begging the question" in that light?

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • John Fouhy,

    -ize originally comes from Greek, -izein (well, the Greek letter equivalents). Thus the OED prefers it over -ise because it is more etymologically pure.

    (-ise comes to us from the "let's be more French!" period of English history)

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 87 posts Report Reply

  • Islander, in reply to Steve Barnes,

    love it!

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report Reply

  • Christopher Dempsey, in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    Mr. Train Driver should actually be getting no thanks, and a pink slip.

    He had phoned his boss who ok'd it. So I should properly say thanks Mr Train Driver's boss!

    Interestingly enough, it was a startling insight into the problems in the current setup: the train manager was from Veolia, the driver and engine from Kiwirail, driving carriages owned by the Council, all on a track owned by Ontrack. No wonder if one of those elements falls over, everything falls over.

    In terms of expediting passports - mine was rushed through in two days in the early 1980s because my father knew the then Minister of Internal Affairs, who was an ex-work colleague of my father. I don't think that there is any favouritism in doing stuff like this - it's more a case of officers being 'glad to help out', rather than something that is a function of the PM's power - officers can legitimately not 'help out' if they choose.

    Parnell / Tamaki-Auckland… • Since Sep 2008 • 659 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Williams, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    I missed this at the time, certainly Northern Hemisphere rugby is "ugly and bruttish"

    Sydney • Since Nov 2006 • 2273 posts Report Reply

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