Posts by mark taslov
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
Hard News: Why we thought what we thought, in reply to James Littlewood*,
he’s sort of making less and less sense?
Is he ever? I’d have quite liked to hear some coherent discussion on the issue, but John Key’s (argumentum ad absurdum) contribution on raising the minimum wage (Press leaders debate 2014 was Taslovian):
“Make it $50! Make it $50!"<sarc>
He’s an animated masterclass in the art of misdirection.
-
Hard News: Dirty Politics, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,
it’s the PM
Low-hanging fruit that.
-
Description.
The core meaning of refute is ‘prove a statement or theory to be wrong’, as in attempts to refute Einstein’s theory. In the second half of the 20th century a more general sense developed, meaning simply ‘deny’, as in I absolutely refute the charges made against me. Traditionalists object to this newer use as an unacceptable degradation of the language, but it is widely encountered.
mid 16th century : from Latin refutare ‘repel, rebut’.
-
Up Front: Oh, God, in reply to Lucy Telfar Barnard,
I’d be very happy to see comparative religion taught, but not until secondary school social studies – at primary school it’s just too easy to get it wrong.
I think that sounds about right, I did a bit of digging today and uncovered the NCEA Religious Studies and it looks more or less sufficient.
-
Hard News: Sorting out our thinking on drugs, in reply to mark taslov,
-
Hard News: Sorting out our thinking on drugs, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,
Could “time” be the variant. As is with addiction for other drugs. For most drugs it’s over time that dependence occurs.
Whether addiction is inherent in the substances themselves or specific to individual constitutions should most probably feature in this discussion.
In 2011, 4.2 million Americans aged 12 or older (or 1.6 percent) had used heroin at least once in their lives. It is estimated that about 23 percent of individuals who use heroin become dependent on it.
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/heroin
Various findings here and here seem inclined to attribute dependence to subjective and collective misery, poverty and general hopelessness. Issues far beyond the mandate of the Ministry of Health, perhaps taxation could be a contributing factor Ian, perhaps over-regulation*.
Looking objectively at a situation where people are driven en masse to expose our own machinery to unknown and untested substances with flagrant disregard for the consequences/ damage and /or a desire to facilitate these effects: The willingness to apportion blame on the substances or the users themselves rather than working wholeheartedly to change the controlled conditions (society) in which these choices are made, doesn’t seem far removed from the case of the dependent user for whom these chemicals likewise serve as a crutch and means to obfuscate the underlying problem.
-
Hard News: Friday Music: Some Year, in reply to JacksonP,
I think you might be over thinking it. Just a little bit.
Hehe, I was lying in bed unable to nod off, mulling over why the spokesman for a generation is always white and a musician…yeah for sure PJ. Nice pics, cool to see in the deep of winter.
Thank you. hibernation beckons.
-
Hard News: Friday Music: Some Year, in reply to Sacha,
I guess the question there is Sacha do you sincerely believe that I am saying that pop culture and pop music are two facets of Lorde, or would it be more likely that the way she looks and the way she sounds are the two facets of Lorde being referred to?
If it wasn’t clear;p the facets of Lorde I referred to are the way she looks and the way she sounds.
IMHO, the way she sounds fits snuggly within the parameters of both music and culture, the way she looks fits within culture, and as an element in the performance of the music, but ultimately distinct from the (pure) music itself, in that it can’t be detected by the naked ear unless the artist is sporting some close mic-ed taffeta or something. I’m interested in what I can hear. That quote you excerpted above outlined the limitations of my comment and possible contribution.
My reasoning for prefacing my comment in that way was that I do understand that pop music means so much more to most people; the look, the moves, the lighting, costume and hairstyle etc.
The style that Joel and Ella have wrought as Lorde is influential in their industry both in content and production.
Absolutely, no question about it, No 1, And based on what I’ve read here today I’d guess it’s the lyrics that’ll have the biggest influence. And still, the whole package will be light years more influential than the Lightning Twins ;)
-
Hard News: Friday Music: Some Year, in reply to Sacha,
Again?
is absolutely massive, no question about it, both in terms of pop music and western pop culture.
As Russell later said:
She looks different
pop culture
and she sounds different
pop music.
Stevie Wonder gets to appreciate one of these two facets of Lorde, it's the Friday music post, and that's where my interest lies, I feel comfortable commenting on the music.
-
Hard News: Friday Music: Some Year, in reply to Danielle,
Do go on, genuinely. I’m not at all clear on what you’re saying there Danielle. After all, the only reason I responded is that you were quoting directly from my post