Posts by Ben Austin
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A \
The sea sparkled in the background as Hank reclined into what he dearly hoped was a beach lounge bed. It was such a long way from former Soviet Central Asia and the live he once lived
Beside him Mavis lay asleep, her slack face untroubled by the demons that haunted the pensive Hank. What would she say if she knew about the guns, the furious late night discussions over the synthesis of Socialism with Islam, over environmentalism and the responsibility, nay culpability of post imperial great powers? Mavis had always been a Moscow hand, never really understanding, nor caring about the subtle aroma and charms of Tashkent. Yet they still loved one each other despite this wide gulf.
B
Presently a large procession of seagulls made their presence known to the inhabitants of the lounge bed. With their squawks and relentless squabbling making sleep, or even the silent contemplation of past terrors a nonsense, Hank and Mavis resolved to enjoy the spectacle, as much as they could.
C
Unwilling participants in the street theatre of nature that was the seagulls on the beach, Hank and Mavis retreated to the dubious charms of the nearby sea. Perhaps from a distance the seagulls would be bearable, like the difference between being on upper vs. lower Cuba Street. Here a small but surprisingly bitter debate began over whether the Kalashnikov AK 47 owed more to the influence of the German Sturmgewehr 44 or to the American M1 Gerand. Mavis was initially of the opinion that the former was indeed the case, with Hank adopting the latter position. Was this argument for the sake of argument, or a more insidious example of hidden cultural preference? In the end it was agreed that perhaps the AK 47 was simply the superb result of a Soviet military/industrial collaboration driven by the desperate needs of war.
D
All this talk of assault rifles instilled within Hank and Mavis a steely resolve to confront the seagulls. Inspired by the desperate creative genius of the wounded soldier inventor, Mikhail Kalashnikov, a plan was formed to reclaim the beach for recreation. No more would the mindless tyranny of the Gull be tolerated, not now, not ever.
E
The joy of holidaying with a loved one is that such arguments can take place, yet in the next moment all the strife and pettiness can be forgotten. When enemies are vanquished then love and recreation seem sweeter, like the last apple of summer.
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I spent 5 years living in North Dunedin, to me, broken glass on the streets and public alcohol consumption were normal.
It was really weird moving to Wellington and no longer living in such a ghetto.
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So how does one RSVP? (Can't see an email address)
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I think perhaps in NZ people are generally more discreet in their racism, or at least, racial prejudices. While it may not be acceptable to talk to these beliefs in public, work, socialising, who knows what is said or thought in the privacy of the family home, or to one's intimate friends?
Perhaps this is the true value of political correctness, that people aspire to being polite and courteous and veil their obnoxious or odd views?
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Funny but also depressing. Hooray for people that think cultural values are more important than not killing people.
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It is an Indian conference about India, with a few international patsies of note along to make for headlines and talk about India. China detracts from that. Besides, its organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry - why on earth would they wish to raise the topic of China when they are really trying to showcase their wares and country?
from Wikipedia's entry on the CII (which btw reads like a CII propoganda piece):
"The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry led and industry managed organisation, playing a proactive role in India’s development process"
Oh and Keith, I'd like you to go along to the Arabian Nights event at 7.30 Wednesday 18 January. Given the time slot it seems like entertainment, but given the host (a UAE based government investment authority) it could be business related. Therefore I am confused and in need of your services.
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If you get bored and want to read more about this conflict between liberal and communal (I simplify) state models, have a look at the constitutional discussions in South Africa up to about the mid 1990s. If I recall correctly there is a fair bit of literature on the topic, and there is the added bonus that both systems were to a certain extent tried out. Although to be fair, the Apartheid version was flawed beyond use so it wasn’t a true competition of ideas.
(they are planning to upload the formal discussions from the Forum and the Assembly onto the internet, as a searchable databse, but that is not online yet)
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The iPhone (Apple version) does look pretty cool, and the buzz amongst my tech literate friends is that they want one. Personally, even though I've been a Apple consumer for some time (used Macs at School/Uni, have an ibook/ipod) I think I'll pass on this.
I'm not convinced that a pure touch screen is something I'd want to use for a phone. Further, the battery life on quite simple colour/camera/multimedia phones is already rather rubbish, and since I've heard of no revolutionary battery advances in the last 5 years that have been commercialised I can safely assume the iPhone will go flat rather quickly.
Until battery technology markedly improves I'll probably stick to simple, focused devices that do their specialised job well and last a long time. I don't need a converged device (although web surfing last night on the Wii was kind of neat...)
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The problem with the Canadian example is that so long as the Supreme Court (or whomever your final arbiter of choice is) is selected by a federal government that is not representative of all the streams of political authority then the rights / authority of the minority streams are in effect really at the gift of the federal government.
Mark, how is Harvard going? (You are the same Mark from Vic law school right?)
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Wait, what?
I didn't realise Shia Iraqis were losing this conflict (is anyone really winnin?). Is it really possible to defeat a group of people that make up 60% of the population? Who dominate the central government (so far as there is one?). Do you have some sources to verify your position Danyl?