Posts by Sam F

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  • Island Life: The Guilt of Clayton Weatherston,

    Can anyone advise what the police did before guns for all the thugs with the knives and meat cleavers?

    Good question. I'm pretty sure that back in the (very) old days you just hired another thug to even things out.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report

  • Island Life: Burn fat, not oil,

    For another timely bump...

    Cycleways are getting a rather bigger than usual airing in the Herald today, including Beth Vass' front-page piece: Cycling: on track for summer. The article itself is an odd fit with the sunny headline and photo, being the story of Beth Vass being gradually scared back into her car after an afternoon riding on the Hauraki Plains.

    Elsewhere there's celebration as the first $9m in funding is confirmed, a mildly optimistic editorial on the subject, and John Armstrong declaring that the project's a total fizzer as far as its initial ambitious goals were concerned.

    Thoughts anyone?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report

  • OnPoint: Nick Smith. Spanking. Now.,

    Supremely trivial comment I know, but WTF is up with the photo on that story? I'm thinking "heeeere's Paula"...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report

  • Hard News: The Short and Long of It,

    Mail Goggles

    Enabled.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report

  • Hard News: On Ideas,

    the Frogs running the trains

    If I'm not mistaken, Veolia only operate the trains, and aren't in much of a position to under-invest as MAXX/ARTA owns all of the assets and rolling stock? Correct me if I'm wrong.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report

  • Hard News: The Short and Long of It,

    If you use Firefox as a browser (and why anyone would use IE is beyond me), you increase or decrease text size on web pages (and emails and docs and everything) by holding down control (or apple on a mac) and rolling your scroll wheel. Try it once and you will wonder how you lived without it.

    This works in IE7 as well - not sure about earlier versions.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report

  • Hard News: A New Hope,

    The point was neatly illustrated today with the DomPost publishing a facsimile of the "wrap-around supplement to The Dominion to mark man's greatest achievement"

    16 pages. Content. Oh my, the content. As rich as Whittakers.

    Wow, you weren't kidding. Remarkably broad and informed op-ed pieces, and so much more. Also, did people really once write that much in the average letter to the editor? And what did Taihape Jack mean when he wrote off the landing as "another pool of blood"? So many questions...

    (Astro-pedantry: I noted that their diagram of the rocket labelled the command and service modules the wrong way around, but still, it adds to the charm...)

    But yes, you would never ever see such a thing today. Sad.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report

  • Island Life: The Guilt of Clayton Weatherston,

    Side note: there seem to be a fair few calls on Facebook for various inventive punishments for Weatherston including the usual calls for the death penalty (as applied to "a dog that mawls [sic] someone") and (direct quote):

    a 25 year non parole sentence and torture on a constant basis.

    It really frightens me how quickly people move from horror at brutal, intentional sadistic violence to insistence that it be inflicted upon the perp for a few decades until we feel a bit better.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report

  • Island Life: The Guilt of Clayton Weatherston,

    Ah yes, here it was from the Dominion Post:

    To gasps from the public gallery, Ablett-Kerr told the jury Lesley Elliott's recollection of the day her daughter was killed was less than reliable.

    "With great respect and due deference to her ... what she saw on that day and the trauma she went through must, unfortunately make her a less than reliable witness as far as detail is concerned," Ablett-Kerr said.

    "I don't want to have to say it, but I have to. It was dreadful what she saw, absolutely dreadful."

    Gil Elliott, Sophie Elliott's father, stood up and walked out of the court room in apparent disgust at the comment.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report

  • Island Life: The Guilt of Clayton Weatherston,

    Second most reviled figure - Judith Ablett-Kerr. For going beyond her brief of providing a defence in this farcical case and, despite her mealy-mouthed protestations otherwise, putting the victim on trial.
    Vile, vile, vile.

    I was astonished to hear her assert (via a radio report) that "the impact of terrible events of that day will inevitably have coloured [Sophie Elliott's mother's] testimony", or words to that effect.

    Witnessing a particularly awful crime makes you a less valid witness now? No wonder the family walked out at that point.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report

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