Posts by Bart Janssen

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  • Legal Beagle: The law may be that stupid,

    So legally he might be right but morally he is pretty obviously corrupt, because he would have to work quite hard to avoid legally knowing.

    In short "is this the kind of person we want representing the citizens of the country?"

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Southerly: Liveblog: Moving House (Literally),

    It all looks great David and Jen.

    So when does the roof go back on? And do you have a big tarp?

    Did I read the tweet correct, 80 kph house?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Southerly: Liveblog: Moving House (Literally), in reply to Islander,

    just be really selective about who you follow

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Field Theory: Talkin' Softball, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Can you remind me about this next summer?

    Heh I can try, but since a frequently forget why I went down the corridor ...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Field Theory: Talkin' Softball, in reply to JacksonP,

    These must be some robust rules. Do you have on-field arbitration?

    That's one reason why I like second division, less issue with 40 yr olds arguing rules as if they were olympic class athletes instead of old folks out having fun.

    Not that I haven't been guilty of being "that guy" in the past.

    BTW Brent and I play in the same team :).

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Field Theory: Talkin' Softball, in reply to Russell Brown,

    If you throw it really hard, with the right wrist action

    ... you can throw it right over the head of first base and over the dead ball line :(

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Field Theory: Talkin' Softball,

    A group of my friends and I have played slowpitch softball for the last 15 years as part of the central slowpitch softball league. The league has been run for all that time by Jerry who is also a rocketeer hence the name of his team the public missiles.

    Over the years we've been competitive at times, but pregnancies (last year we noted the one of the team had had her first game in utero) and injuries and just plain getting old has had it's toll on the team.

    Slowpitch is nice because most folks can actually hit the ball, unlike fastpitch and there a few rule changes that are designed to avoid having overly competitive 40 yr olds collide with each other.

    I play centre field and I love it. As much as hitting the ball really well is fun there is absolutely nothing like the pleasure you get from sprinting (yeah right) at full speed to make a catch that nobody thought you would ever get close to. That moment when the ball slaps into the glove at full stretch, the moment just after as you mentally check to make sure all the tendons and ligaments are still in place ... magic.

    As I said at times our team has been competitive, but now we are much happier in the second division. We made a real effort to avoid playing in the top division because frankly none of us need that shit anymore. Our aim for each game is to avoid injury and hopefully to avoid throwing a tantrum and spoiling our chances at the sportsmanship trophy.

    Sadly this may have been our last year. Over the years the roster has changed and some of the close friends have stopped playing and some of the new folks just aren't as much fun to have a beer with after the game. And yes it might just be a bit too hard to run around the bases any more.

    But for those wanting something to do on a mild Monday evening in summer I strongly recommend the slowpitch league.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Hard News: War, now and then,

    My father was in the Dutch army at the outbreak of WWII. He fought, was a PoW, escaped (apparently not that hard), was part of the resistance, was captured, escaped ...

    I know almost nothing about his experiences let alone his feelings associated with those experiences. He simply couldn't and wouldn't talk about them.

    I think one thing New Zealanders forget is that there is a not insignificant part of our community who had a different experience of WWII in particular. The large Dutch community almost all experienced invasion and occupation. I think for my father one part of the reason for coming to New Zealand was the desire to go somewhere where war was not likely to ever occur.

    For those New Zealanders, because that is what they became, there was no resonance with the kiwi war experience. The RSA was not attractive. At least thats the way it seemed to me based on what I observed of my father and the few dutch friends with which they kept in contact.

    One thing that did stand out for me from my father was his utter contempt for the media's portrayal of war and the propaganda associated. I never once saw him watch a representation of war and say "yes it was like that".

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Up Front: Towards a Sex-Positive Utopia, in reply to Emma Hart,

    Just... you... shush.

    Yeah this isn't Trade chat! Next you'll be suggesting Chuck Norris jokes.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Up Front: Towards a Sex-Positive Utopia,

    I think the "CEOs are closet masochists" theme comes from the strong desire that most folks have to see their CEO whipped and humiliated. That might have led to some more frequent portrayal of that stereotype in the media.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

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