Posts by Russell Brown

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  • Island Life: In another league,

    The interview on Morning Report today was pretty bizarre.

    Sean Plunket rounded on the police sergeant and softballed Gotlieb. He actually asked Gotlieb whether he thought there should be a law change as a result of the case.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Island Life: In another league,

    The interview with His lawyer, Gary Gottleib and the police this evening on Close Up was pretty interesting.

    Gottleib's a good defence lawyer. I agreed to write a letter of support for a client of his once, and was promptly provided with a letter to sign that, let's say, somewhat overstated the subject's virtues.

    I can't remember exactly what he said, but it was something like the complainant may simply have been too wasted to recall that she had given consent.

    Which will have been enough to provide doubt. It was still worth trying, and I still think the whole thing was sordid.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Herself's Turn,

    Damn, sorry everyone for spluttering into my cocoa like this.

    More please. That was extremely bracing.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Island Life: In another league,

    The dubious qualities of the mad butcher aside ... what I've heard in the press suggests this prosecution was a complete farce.

    I completely disagree. I thought there would be a not-guilty verdict -- although I'm a little surprised there wasn't a conviction on the assault captured on the indoor security camera. There were problems with the complainant (juries do tend to distrust the evidence of drunk and drugged people), conflicting evidence from witnesses, conflicting medical opinions on the genital injuries, etc.

    But I've no doubt there was a case to answer, and that the police had to bring it . His family members who screamed abuse at the police can fuck off.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Herself's Turn,

    would pay quite a lot of money to see Bjork covering 'Crazy Horses'.

    Actually, I've been looking for an MP3 of her cover of Tina Charles' 'I Love to Love', which began her career when it was played on Icelandic public radio. I've found a couple of dead links but no cigar.

    Can anybody hook me up?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Herself's Turn,

    Beyoence

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Another nail in the coffin of…,

    I also think that not every musician worries about these things. Chris Knox does most of his recording in a bedroom with a dodgy 4 track.

    He's a ProTools guy now ...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Herself's Turn,

    Juha sez that the vowel isn't the main event in the pronunciation of "Bjork" -- it's the "r".

    It's hard to convey here, but you "land on the r" when you say it. David Slack got better at it with every additional beer at the BDO.

    Also, not many people know that Bjork invented the umlaut in 1970.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Herself's Turn,

    Somewhere along the way I noted that we'd survived many National governments in the past ...

    I believe I even had the odd good night out.

    & that Key was highly unlikely to affect the fall of Western Civilisation.

    Did you mean "effect" -- or is there something you're not telling us?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Herself's Turn,

    And getting back on topic ...

    As to keeping kids in school till 18 - let's have the substance. Are schools going to get ever-larger? As they aim to bring down teacher student ratios as well, where are all the extras going to be housed? Will there be meaningful, properly-resourced, alternative programmes for ADHD, Asperger's, autistic kids? Will there at last be full-on literacy programmes for those who still can't read & comprehend well at 3rd form level? Will the load fall on teachers or are there going to be more specialists - mentors, youth workers, tradespeople?

    One day we might actually give students what they need rather than what we think they should have, no matter how ill-fitting the garment.

    Cruel but fair, Kerry. There's obvious mileage for Labour in getting positive notices from the EMA for funding more industry training, and for Key appeal to concern about youth crime, but there was nothing of the above in either speech. Just more of the same ... only better. I think I should have been more pissed-off in tone this morning.

    There's an ample empirical case to be made for this. People on the autistic spectrum wind up disproportionately in prison, or dependent on the health and welfare systems. We know that intervention in childhood and adolescence pays off richly. A good deal is known about the problems faced by AS kids in schools; almost nothing has been done here to address them.

    For diagnosed AS alone, we're talking about as many as 1 in 100 kids. It's not trivial.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

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