Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The Trophy Hunter

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  • BenWilson,

    I remember that talking about "tramping" in Australia was met with giggles. I think they thought it meant "whoring". They use "Bushwalking" or "Hiking".

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Emma Hart,

    I rather suspect the word "tramp" means something different in today's secondary schools to what it did when I was a lad.

    Briefly so very, very confused.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report Reply

  • BeShakey,

    I'm a bit worried about the idea that the Ryall was "challenged" to sack the board chair. That may have been in effect the result of his actions, but it seems to me that this is more like a meme being used by Ryall to make it easier for him to pull the plug on the guy. In reality Ryall has a number of options (including just shutting up), but the idea that there was some kind of challenge from the chair to Ryall to fire him seems to be fast catching on.

    Since Oct 2008 • 6 posts Report Reply

  • Joe Wylie,

    Also very popular on NZ ON Screen at the moment: the full-length upload of Backyard Visionary, the 1993 John Britten documentary.

    For anyone whose interest is piqued by this film Tim Hanna's excellent John Britten bio is essential reading. There's a whole aspect of the remarkable John Britten's genius that's barely evident in the doco - his singular ability to attract and inspire a remarkable group of exceptionally talented people. Not an entirely flattering portrait, but much more a sense of the whole man, and all the greater for that.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    I remember that talking about "tramping" in Australia was met with giggles. I think they thought it meant "whoring". They use "Bushwalking" or "Hiking".

    Same in America. Tramping apparently refers to street prostitution there.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson,

    Heh, classic taking a lyric out of context. "My president is black, n*g**". You only have to have listened to, like, 2 gangsta rap songs to realize that n*gg* in that context is being used like "brother", and that its referent is the person you are talking to, not about. "My prime minister is white, mate" doesn't mean I'm saying the prime minister is my white mate, or anyone's mate. It means the audience is my mate, and even then, it barely means that. It means 'you'. In gangsta rap, it seems pretty common to call anyone a n*gga, no matter what color their skin is, it's pretty much synonymous with 'people', or 'friends'. Similarly with motherfucker, and it's so obvious from the context it just makes Fox look incredibly stupid to be bringing it up in such Po-faced earnest.

    As for the 'post-racial era', it's hard to take it seriously. I don't think Americans have suddenly become less racist. They just like Barack Obama because he's incredibly likable, especially in light of his predecessor who was incredibly unlikable. Not on account of being white, btw, but on account of being a complete bastard.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Thomson, who still expects to get the chop, has every right to have it happen transparently, and no obligation to roll over to give his minister a trophy -- especially given that he seems to have the very strong support of his own board.

    Meh... am I the only person muttering "a fatal dose of norovirus on both your houses"? Here's where I'm seriously pissed off by Ryall -- allowed another public health manager of dubious judgement or competence to play the richly undeserved role of martyr.

    You're right that Thomson has "no obligation to roll over to give his minister a trophy". But he certainly has one hell of an obligation to the people of the Otago district, and the taxpayers who keep the show on the road, to do a little better than play pass the ticking parcel.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    why was the minister making this private call in search of a resignation anyway? If he truly believed there was a public case for Thomson's departure, why not publicly say so?

    What is the point of having power unless you abuse it? After all, it is the "Right" thing to do eh?
    On a little off topic not. Is anyone else getting that "OMG, conspiracy" feeling about the "Economic Crisis" ? If you look at the resulting effects we have; higher unemployment, lower wages (globally) vast amounts of "Debt" written off etc. A dream result for the New World Order.
    Say it ain't so.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    What is the point of having power unless you abuse it? After all, it is the "Right" thing to do eh?

    Nice cheap shot, Steve. What seems to be getting lost in this is that the $17 million Michael Swann and Kerry Harford stole could have (to go out on a crazy limb here) provided quite a lot of medical care to sick people.

    At least, that's what several million taxpayers -- left, right and center -- think they're paying a fairly substantial chunk of their taxes for. And if you can find any frontline health worker who thinks their patch is over-staffed, over-funded and over-resourced, I'll be very surprised indeed.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    On a little off topic not

    I meant note :-(

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Glenn Pearce,

    The timeline of the ODHB thing is a bit murky but even if Thompson did address it immediately when he "became aware" it had been going on for 5 years under his watch, surely there's a confidence in his governance issue there ?

    Auckland • Since Feb 2007 • 504 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Similarly with motherfucker, and it's so obvious from the context it just makes Fox look incredibly stupid to be bringing it up in such Po-faced earnest.

    I think they were up in arms about the "no more white lies" line (which is actually Jay Z's bit) -- but, of course, when you hear that in context, it comes in the middle of a stretch of clever wordplay around the idea of colours.

    Here's Bill O'Reilly having his turn on it:

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    Craig, do you know nothing of the story? They got those bastards with the help of Thomson. The call for Thomson's resignation is crap political point scoring. You should know better, oh I forgot, you still hold a candle for the right wing ideology, eh.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    … wow. It would have been good to be there …

    No shit! I should have just remortgaged my house and flown to DC, dammit.

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    The timeline of the ODHB thing is a bit murky but even if Thompson did address it immediately when he "became aware" it had been going on for 5 years under his watch, surely there's a confidence in his governance issue there ?

    I think a DHB has a little more on it's plate than to look for fraud in it's IT sector.
    IT is still one of those "mystery" areas that tend to get left to their own devices. Would Thompson have known how much he SHOULD have been spending on technical support?

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Semmens,

    Meanwhile, here at Tolley watch we see our stellar education minister demonstrating her grasp of her portfolio by dismissing not one but two school boards within her first 100 days.

    The fact that these schools are either low decile or alternative and therefore do not conform to her dismally narrow minded provincial view of schools probably has nothing to do with her decisions.

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    here at Tolley watch we see our stellar education minister

    Well the people of NZ voted for "change". We were fed up with competence.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Sue,

    my fav bit
    "this slogan the president is black is very popular among the young generation"

    i mean really?
    i am so shocked
    those young people eh

    also where can i get that shirt?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 527 posts Report Reply

  • Gabor Toth,

    I can't say I recall seeing Such a Stupid Way to Die, but the vibe is familiar -- if loaded up here with proto-Blair Witch dread and wild, spooky music (check out the 'Day in the Life' crescendo at the beginning of part two). NZ On Screen has uploaded this 1971 public heath classic, and it's really worth a look.

    Heh! Good to see that again. Hardly a year went by at my primary school when this thing wasn't screened to us in the "film room". It had a special significance for us as the actor who cops it at the end of the film owned the dairy across the road from our school (K.W.N.S Rulz!). The prog-rock freak-out at the death scene (part 2, c.9 minutes) is pretty wild!

    Wellington • Since Dec 2006 • 137 posts Report Reply

  • Robyn Gallagher,

    But the danger we were warned about most often wasn't river-crossings: it was hypothermia. We were repeatedly told about the symptoms of exposure, and how people might act under its influence.

    Yes, that killer hypothermia! I remember watching "Such a Stupid Way to Die" before 4th form camp (which I didn't even go on - Robyn doesn't do the great outdoors). It was far too old and earnest to be taken seriously. Before long the class was laughing at virtually everything in the film. No one died of hypothermia on the camp.

    I was interested to read recently that scientists have debunked the idea that we lose most body heat through the head.

    The myth is thought to have arisen through a flawed interpretation of a vaguely scientific experiment by the US military in the 1950s. In those studies, volunteers were dressed in Arctic survival suits and exposed to bitterly cold conditions. Because it was the only part of their bodies left uncovered, most of their heat was lost through their heads.

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson,

    I think they were up in arms about the "no more white lies" line

    "no more white lies" is also something that doesn't have to be about race vs race. It's as much a statement about the racism built into language as any kind of statement about white people being liars (although it's possibly deliberately vague on that score). The fact that white lies are considered lesser lies is something that black people are understandably sore about it. This takes only a second to grasp. Again they're getting po-faced about artists celebrating a majorly historic event in language that they have always used, to an audience that understands and appreciates it. I'm looking forward to no more white lies and ma nigga in the, lemme see, the President's House, too, and I don't even like gangsta rap. I just don't expect it to mean that racism will end overnight, or that the President is going to issue an edict that gangstas have to rap in a more politically correct way.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    You're right that Thomson has "no obligation to roll over to give his minister a trophy". But he certainly has one hell of an obligation to the people of the Otago district, and the taxpayers who keep the show on the road, to do a little better than play pass the ticking parcel.

    In what sense is he passing the buck by taking the fraud to the police? The ODT has gone to every board member for comment on this, and what they have to say is worth reading. They're basically shocked by what Ryall has done.

    Worse after making his mess, Ryall has gone to ground and is refusing interviews (the Prime Minister is also refusing comment). If David Cunliffe had behaved even remotely like this, they'd be baying for blood over on Kiwiblog.

    It is pathetic.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Peter Martin,

    But he certainly has one hell of an obligation to the people of the Otago district, and the taxpayers who keep the show on the road, to do a little better than play pass the ticking parcel.

    The people of Otago re-elected him to the hospital board at the last elections, well aware of the fraud that had been perpetuated.

    What ticking parcel? An employee stole, and is now convicted and in prison.

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 187 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson,

    I was interested to read recently that scientists have debunked the idea that we lose most body heat through the head.

    It's always seem like a pretty strange idea to me. It kind of suggests that you could wear a good hat and nothing else, and be 40 - 45% protected from the cold, which you only have to try for about 2 minutes to see is total bs.

    I'm glad to see the debunking of a bunch of claims about the timing of your eating having little relevance to weight gain. The sooner people realize that the only practical way you can lose weight is by not eating so much total, the better.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Don Christie,

    Michelle Malkin...who they say posts on a site called "hot air". no shit.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1645 posts Report Reply

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