Posts by Joe Wylie

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  • Hard News: From soundbite to policy,

    I'm building a numerically controlled plasma cutting machine. I have no background in electrical engineering or computer programing.

    I'm guessing that you'd have some precision engineering skills. In my humble experience of precision engineers, they're an interestingly "different" bunch.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report

  • Hard News: From soundbite to policy,

    Kerry Packer, built a media empire, and he was profoundly illiterate.

    Not exactly - Packer was the third generation of an existing media empire, which was already pretty substantial by the time his dad Sir Frank - also rumoured to be somewhat cognitively challenged - popped off and left him in charge.
    Doesn't detract from your point, though. One thing about cognitive/behavioural disabilities, they certainly highlight the importance of personality.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report

  • Hard News: From soundbite to policy,

    Exactly Roger Douglas's tactics in the late 80s. I think he may the Jiminy cricket sitting on Key's shoulder. A Natty sort of conscience.

    You may have nailed it there. I recall a story from the production of Pinocchio , about the difficulty of creating an insect character. The solution was "a little guy with no ears".
    Whatever his strengths, fount-of-all-wisdom Roger has never given the impression of being a good listener.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report

  • Hard News: From soundbite to policy,

    Everyone here seems to me to be missing the politics of these education changes, as if they think these changes are being done with primarily educational outcomes in mind.

    Every bloody one of us, eh? What a singularly perceptive chap and a rare jewel of nature you are. If you hadn't pointed it out I might never have noticed.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report

  • Hard News: From soundbite to policy,

    Key grew up in a nice area with a mix of state housing and a good private housing stock, and went to one of the best state schools in the country.

    Key and his mum benefited from earlier policies of building pockets of state houses in more affluent suburbs. It happened in Remuera too. In the late 90s much of the state housing stock in Christchurch's Burnside/Fendalton area was hocked off to developers, thanks largely to Shipley's "market rentals" driving tenants out.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report

  • Hard News: From soundbite to policy,

    Jolisa - Do what is right for your child rather than what is politically correct for your political views and circle of friends.

    And they say Labour blew it because they thought they knew better than parents what was ""right for" their children.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report

  • Hard News: From soundbite to policy,

    But the bit that makes him really flip out is when, after asking the same stupid comprehension question several times from several different angles, the final question is always: "What was the most important thing you learned from reading this article? And why is it important?"

    He routinely answers "Nothing" and "It's not, really." Because he doesn't like to lie. I've nudged him towards "[Totally random fact]" and "Because I didn't know that," just to halfway meet expectations. (He's going to have to answer dumbly phrased questions in his life, and I sort of want him to get used to that, depressing as it is.)

    Ow gawd. Would kids be rewarded for answers such as "I learned to get in touch with my inner" . . . whatever?

    Disney cranked out TV series in the 90s, mostly knockoffs of their features such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, that always concluded with that sort of scenario. The cast of "teens" would gather around some amiable authority figure, who'd ask what they'd learned from their "adventure". As they were largely a boringly morally upright bunch it always fell to the token good-hearted screwball to be the patsy, usually fessing up to having turned from temptation in the nick of time.

    Horrible to hear of such crap being played out in real life.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report

  • Hard News: Birth of the Nasty,

    My god, I'd forgotten that one.
    Quite successfully.

    Sorry :(

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report

  • Hard News: Birth of the Nasty,


    Clydesdales with afterburners (fire mares), from the early-80s B-flick Krull.

    Seriously, thanks to ancient organic video technology, the knowledge of which has long been suppressed (boo hiss), this is NZ before those ill-mannered polynesians showed up and ate everyone. All "natural" rock formations shown are lovingly hand crafted by ancient white folks. So.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report

  • Hard News: From soundbite to policy,

    am I the only person who, whenever he hears of reads the word "sophistry", conjures up the image of an upholstery shop?

    Not until you mentioned it.
    Then again, I'd never associated Judas Iscariot with carrots until someone mentioned that they'd always made that connection. Since then I've thought of him as a bit of a ginga.

    What a wonderful thing it is to have one's language enriched through discourse eh?

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report

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