Posts by Anne M

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  • Southerly: A Slow Journey and a Quick Arrival,

    Congratulations to all three of you - but particularly to Jennifer.

    Robert's a great name, it'll fit him for anything from All Black to Prime Minister. He owes you a totally worry-and-angst free childhood and teenagerdom now, he's used up all his parental anxiety credits.

    And hooray for the nice man from Vodaphone!

    Since Nov 2006 • 104 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: TVNZ: The Sub's Pencil Strikes,

    SBS is an example of a news service that offers great, informative, non-'mainstream' news. it's snappy, interesting, and wide-ranging.

    Sob, sob, how I miss SBS. If anyone offers that on satellite TV they'd have our business the very next day.

    Freeview is very un-free to hook into at the moment. I'm hoping the cost comes down. Yes, yes, I'm cheap ....

    Since Nov 2006 • 104 posts Report Reply

  • Stories: Employment Lore,

    This requires a lot of boring preamble (sorry).

    When I was a student one of the main research interests of my lab was Mycoplasma They cause various pneumonias and arthritis, we cared about sheep pneumonia. They're touchy little buggers to grow and one of the constituents of their media is serum, from blood. Cow blood in fact.

    So every now and then, we'd go out to the works with a pile of buckets and visit the halal killing chain where at regular intervals a cattlebeast would clang past, upside down and deeply unconscious. A burly gent with a very big knife would step forward and slit its throat, whereupon its entire blood supply would drop out into the floor troughs. Or, since I was the newest person, into my bucket and all over me. Buckets of blood! Blood in my eyes, in my hair, up my nose, running down my arms. Gumboots full of blood. Blood, from top to toe in fact.

    I've had other weird/dull/revolting jobs, but nothing beats the giant yuck factor of everything smelling like cow's blood for several days. Pay was crap too. And I've never been able to fancy blood sausage since.

    Since Nov 2006 • 104 posts Report Reply

  • Island Life: Are you old enough?,

    I know I shouldn't have been allowed to vote at 18 ...

    Since Nov 2006 • 104 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Modern Endeavour,

    Hmmm. Put

    ...that exam cheating is rife at tertiary level.

    and

    ...a successful project to develop an organic fertiliser at one of the local universities.

    together and there may be some very nervous students around.

    Maybe we can licence the technology. I have a few students who would benefit from being recycled into fertiliser.

    Since Nov 2006 • 104 posts Report Reply

  • Island Life: Child's play,

    Anne
    You have as much right as any foriegner to live in NZ - you should also have to jump through the same hoops.

    I'm an NZ citizen by descent actually.

    The yachtsmen are professionals making a living with whoever wants to pay them the most money, just like any professional footballer, rugby player, basketballer etc does.

    Indeed. Do we slag off bankers who work for National Bank or Westpac rather than KiwBank or TSB?

    Since Nov 2006 • 104 posts Report Reply

  • Island Life: Child's play,

    It'd be more fun if they armed the yachts. A swivel gun up front and a couple of cannons.

    Since Nov 2006 • 104 posts Report Reply

  • Island Life: Child's play,

    but based on that one, half the working population of New Zealand are mercenaries.

    Yes. Like the sailors. It's a job for them - why should it be anything different?

    Since Nov 2006 • 104 posts Report Reply

  • Island Life: Child's play,

    If you live overseas - good on you but if you're away too long say 5 yrs - bye bye NZ passport. You don't live in NZ, you don't contribute to NZ, you're therefore not a NZer - so fuck off - oh that's right you already have!

    Oh dear - spent 10 years in Aussie, upskilling at their taxpayers cost, now back in NZ using those skills for public institution. But I guess I'd better be off again, since I'm not wanted.

    How very, very silly.

    And Craig, a mercenary is "A person who works merely for money or other material reward; a hireling.". A mercenary soldier is a killer purely for pay. So those sailors are mercenaries - all of them, I don't imagine anyone is there on a Sports Foundation grant!

    Since Nov 2006 • 104 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Actually, I've always been…,

    25 out of 34 sailors in both yachts were kiwis. We are a sailing nation and should be proud of it.

    Or we're a nation that provides sailors-for-hire.

    Since Nov 2006 • 104 posts Report Reply

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