Posts by dc_red
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Graeme said:
And the people who see absolutely no difference between a light smack and a violent beating are kinda out there too (to be contrasted with people who see a difference,but just think both are wrong)
I think I fall into the second camp, but my question is whether the law sees the difference between a light smack and a violent beating? Isn't an assault an assault, beyond some (low) minimum threshold?
I am reminded of some (in)famous case in which placing an arm over a fence was found to be an act of trespass.
BTW, Graeme, appreciated your point elsewhere re: whether smaking children is, or is not, already a crime under current "reasonable force" provisions, etc.
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My partner once had an arguement with her Primary School teacher who used "the number of grains of sand on the beach" as an example of infinite. My partner kept saying "it's not infinite, it's just a big number!". She's got a 1st Class honours degree in maths now.
I think my argument about the number of stars went along the same lines, although I believe I was on the 'infinite' side of the argument. In my defence, human knowledge of stars is a little more uncertain than that re: number of grains of sand at the beach. And I was 12.
Also, your example neatly illustrates the way in which some teachers are morons. I learnt the difference between it's and its fairly early on, and corrected a number of teachers along the way.
Anyway, I will desist now lest I sound like a smug prick!
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Hey, I teach teenagers (sixth form) who don't know what a continent is, think Africa is a country, wonder how come maps aren't blurry because the earth is spinning so fast that it must make the earth blurry for when they are drawn, wonder what is on the back of the world map (as though there is a whole part of the world we don't know about), have no idea whatsoever of how we have day and night, that the earth orbits the sun, and wonder where the moon goes during the day.
Well they share that second misapprehension with George Bush.
I used to wonder the same thing about the moon until I was about 7 and actually inquired about the moon's whereabouts.
I also once argued with a teacher about whether the number of stars was finite or infinite (I was of the latter opinion).
A story from an English teacher in Auckland: only 1 out of 30 fourth-formers knew what the word "balaclava" was, and could use it in a sentence.
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Thanks - I now recall I had successive pairs of black Treks. I was always suspicious of Nomad kids (no offence Che). Upgraded to Docs as soon as I could.
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Re: Treks/Nomads
One of them was flat, broad across the top, ugly and worn by rough kids.
One of them had a ridge down the middle of the upper, looked a bit classier, and was worn by better kids.
Both of them had a gluey-rubber sole that lasted a year if you were lucky.
Now I can't remember which one was which, or indeed whether I was a Nomad or a Trek kid.
I do remember when the Nomad/Trek world was shaken beyond anything ever seen by the arrival of Doc Martens circa 1991.
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Andrew - I agree with what you're saying, but then it appears not a single Parliamentarian is willing to say that parents should be prosecuted for "lightly" (%$#?!) smacking a child, at the same time that 62 or 63 of them are willing to remove the defence that parents currently have against precisely such a charge.
On a more uplifting note, I had a cool siilver/grey bmx, bought from Farmers in the days immediately before the 10% gst was introduced. I can't for the life of me remember what brand it was though. I do vaguely recall wearing bata bullets, and some black school shoes called "Nomads".
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Nobody Important said:
Bushco has spent billions trying to "protect Americans from terrorist attack on American soil", and yet the simple truth is that if Al Quaeda really wanted to they could just send out a dozen martyrs armed with legally purchased and constitutionally protected weapons to inflict a dozen VT's.
Exactly. The fact that they haven't managed this, or even - say - a single suicide bombing in a crowded train station in one of the cities of the northeast during the morning commute, makes me suspect they are not really much of a force to be reckoned with anymore.
I am not entirely sure how easy it is for non-US citizens to purchase guns legally. I suspect you need either a greencard (as in this case) or US citizenship. Assuming not too many terrorist operatives are also "resident aliens" (delightful term) or US citizens, they might not be able to purchase guns in the US legally. All this is rather beside the point though.
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Bombings get plenty of attention, at least when they affect people to which the western media can relate (e.g., the tourists killed in Bali).
That was a rollicking good Top Gear wasn't it ... I think of the show in a slightly different light now. Though clearly what sounded like a great lark in theory turned out to be rather scary in practice. It's all good fun until you're being chased by a pickup full of angry rednecks as the saying goes.
I thought the "Nascar sucks" was particularly clever.
What would be the equivalent in NZ? Driving through Christchurch with "Crusaders Suck"?
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In terms of the BC's chances ...
I predict we would lose against Australia and Sri Lanka, but beat anyone else who comes our way.
I feel about 90% certain we'll lose our next game against Australia, and any future meeting with that team at the WC.
Our only chance for glory is for someone else to knock the Ozis out in the semis.
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"Americas Funniest Home Videos" has taken over my house at 6pm...I can't go back now.
It's re-runs of Who Wants to be a Millionaire (UK) on Prime for us. I resolved (suddenly) to stop watching the 6om news about 2 years ago, after one fluffy kitten story too many. We now tune in only if something particularly dramatic and camera-worthy has happened.
Have reached the conclusion that not enough really happens in NZ to justify even the 20-odd minutes of news (as opposed to sport, weather and celebrity scuttle-butt) one might find in the commercial news hour.