Posts by Christopher Dempsey
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Congratulations! And may I point out that while Consumer is private, it is a very august public institution. You're a public servant still, albeit in a different disguise.
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There's nothing real about reality TV.
Charlie Brooker had a very informative report once on the various techniques used by Big Brother et al to create atmosphere and deliver a narrative. He showed how you could make the exact same scene covey a completely different story depending on how it was edited.
And one could, I suppose, in a fittingly existential mood on a Friday afternoon, could say the same thing about reality. There's nothing real about reality. It's all down to the editing.
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Amnesty released its first report on the persecution of gay and lesbian people in 1994, and had a gay chapter before that.
I can see how it might have taken time for the idea that people imprisoned for their sexuality are political prisoners to percolate worldwide, but individual country chapters were working on GLBT issues before that.
Thanks for that Russell. I must be victim of unfortunate timing. 1994 I was in Montreal. 1996 moved back here. 1997 asked the question regarding GLBTT prisoners - got negative answers, which isn't, I suspect, surprising given that the initial report came out in only 3 years prior. I presume that AI in NZ modified their stance sometime after I asked the question in 1997.
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AI started out solely campaigning on political prisoners, and decides which human rights issues to campaign on by international consensus, so it can sometimes be slow to expand its remit.
Slow indeed. I asked the question sometime late 1990s. At that time they didn't support GLBTT political prisoners. AI lost me then and there, and haven't been back since.
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It has shaken my conception of AI as a "good" organisation. For me, it raises some critical questions about whose rights are prioritised, and to what extent some rights may need to be traded. I guess it shows that AI is a utilitarian organisation rather than a Kantian one (i.e. balance of good over bad, rather than sticking to unbreakable principles), and your mileage may vary as to whether that's an issue for you.
Once I found out that AI refused to support gays and lesbians imprisoned simply because they were gay or lesbian, I have never given them any time or money. I asked someone in AI once why that was, and I couldn't get a errr, straight, answer (no irony intended).
Does anyone remember 'Going Straight' where people had to do a number of tasks that involved going in a straight line. That was pure genius whoever came up with that
Or that program a few years ago where you had to do something terrifyingly challenging - which was set by your friends; some poor sod had to become female. Cue makeup classes, wardrobe decisions, dictation lessons and deportment lessons (yes, those are still available these days).
The proof of the pudding was going to meet some blokes and 'passing'. Which he clearly didn't, but that didn't stop the blokes from being gentlemanly for the cameras. Poor sod next day had a breakdown.
Someone really should make a list of all these wacky programs.
And I really like Project Rungay. I'm amazed at what they come up with in 12 hours and only $US100. But the latest series features only one memorable person (Mr Crybaby - is he? isn't he going to cry on the catwalk at the end of the show? It is entertaining to watch).
I'm looking forward to seeing Ru Paul's Drag Race screen at some point. That should be a hoot for one or two seasons.
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Hmmm. The former is, as 3410 said, dull. The latter is well, dull.
There is a NZOA badge at the beginning of the second video.
I'd rather that my tax dollars were spent on NZOA setting up a school where it was compulsory for wannabe's to learn a smidgen of literature, a token of culture (for instance, the first song, 'Music makes the world go around' could be improved with the use of oh, the Samoan word for World being substituted), and a dollop of the quality gene.
Sigh. The silver lining is that dross only makes the gems really really shine.
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I was recently speaking to someone in a similar role in Auckland who was frustrated beyond belief that no matter what they did, he was unable to get Aucklanders to fully appreciate the natural hazards the city faces or to prepare their households for a possible emergency.
What, you mean no milk for the flat whites? I'll lay in some dried milk powder then.
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Christopher, we honestly gave it careful thought
I apologise if I suggested that you hadn't. You would be in the very very small minority of people that actually do give things thought.
I suppose we should start to add a few extra metres in light of global climatic change; all that CO2 and plants go wild.
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I'll echo Raymond here, but excuse my ignorance, but I just don't understand; what prompts people to plant trees in the most inappropriate of places?
For instance, planting one's Christmas pine, the poor wee thing, one metre away from the bedroom window, because, you know, poor wee pine trees stay poor wee pine trees.
Forgive my note of sarcasm here - but it's a cliche that all to often becomes ones worst nightmare. Bam! The poor wee thing becomes a 40 meter pine blocking your sunlight and creaking ever so noisly on windy nights. All for a moment's thinking how big is that thing gunna get??
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Perhaps the law of the sea ought to be applied to land; faster moving vehicles give way to slower moving things (pedestrians or cyclists)?