Posts by Bart Janssen

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  • Hard News: The witless on the pitiless, in reply to Russell Brown,

    So I’m not sure you can go as far as telling people they can’t spell their own language.

    Of course we/they can, we're imperialist overlords after all it's our responsibility to tell other people how to do things

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Hard News: You know what ..., in reply to Islander,

    Thank you, I feel less stupid now :)

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Hard News: You know what ..., in reply to Islander,

    So Utu means "balance of ..." where the unit being balanced could be a range of things?
    That explains its use to describe wars and revenge since what is described as simple revenge is in reality more about balancing perceived loss. Is that right?
    In your example it is balance of mana/status, but could it also be balance of goods or material things? It is ever used to describe a balanced trade eg between tribes or families? Could it be used to describe a dowry or is that outside the meaning?

    Sorry kind of off topic but it's a word that interests me because it doesn't seem to translate well into english. And because it does seem to be an important word in history.

    And tell me if I stray into offensive areas - happy to bugger off :).

    And Rich, I think if you were trying to apply "Utu" to the killing of OBL then you would have to value the symbol of the twin towers, which could be argued to be worth much more than the lives lost. Not that I think trying to "balance" using death is all that noble a proposition.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Hard News: Asking for a Contribution, in reply to Jackie Clark,

    Yeah, nah. And you know that's not what I mean :P. I'm pretty sure the $5 contributions mean as as much to Russell (and the rest of us).

    I just love those thermometers you see as you drive around raising money for a new school pool or a new roof for the community centre. They alway seem to be about two-thirds full. The funniest contrast I saw was one for Epsom Girls asking for several million for a new arts centre, the contrast with $10 000 thermometers in the countryside was priceless.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Hard News: You know what ..., in reply to Islander,

    It specifically means “balance” or “balanced transaction”.

    May I ask a question about that? I've read the definitions online and understand that meaning but I also had the feeling that Utu as a word had nuances beyond what might be viewed as a commercial transaction. I really don't know exactly but seemed to me to be a complex word in actual usage, one that could mean quite different things depending on context. Can someone who actually knows the language explain it to someone who definitely doesn't?

    Oh and +1 for Creon

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Hard News: Asking for a Contribution,

    You are going to have to post a "new pool thermometer" so we can see how much people love this site :).

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Hard News: And we may never meet again ..., in reply to Russell Brown,

    Looking forward to it arriving now ...

    If you're like me you'll spend the first week with it discovering things in your vinyl collection that you'd forgotten. I spent some time going back and forth between vinyl and CD to get a sense of the difference, my ears aren't as good as most folks but there is just something about vinyl, a warmth of tone is what it came down to for me.

    Sadly I also discovered that old scratched up records sound old and scratched :(.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Hard News: Asking for a Contribution, in reply to Jackie Clark,

    A latte glass with nice etched logo would serve both purposes. Of course we could just buy our own:).

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Hard News: And we may never meet again ..., in reply to Christopher Dempsey,

    oh! it did it automatically! Wunderbar!

    Dude that's what we paying for :)

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Hard News: And we may never meet again ..., in reply to 3410,

    So how do I get around it?

    Just fill in your address with a US address. I use a real one of a friend but I've heard of people using fast food outlets as their address

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

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