Posts by Craig Ranapia
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Hard News: Staying Alive, in reply to Russell Brown,
Because it’s not what you’re saying. At all. She says in this morning’s paper that Becker “was the fall guy for the infrastructure – [Jane Bishop] was the victim”. And she’s more familiar with what happened than any of us are.
Thank you, Russell. Barb Cuthbert also said on the television last night that there were no winners in that courtroom. Becker certainly didn’t look like some callous petrol head overjoyed at getting away with “dooring” a dirty hippy to death.
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Hard News: Staying Alive, in reply to Bart Janssen,
Oh so it was her fault? […] Don’t pretend it’s Ok for drivers to open doors on bikes.
REDACTED TO READ: OK, Bart, it’s obvious you’ve got incredibly strong feelings on the subject and I’ll leave it there.
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Hard News: Staying Alive, in reply to Bart Janssen,
Having been “doored” I guess I’m less charitable. I don’t for a second doubt there is no legal case to answer and that the judge made the only decision he could. But I don’t feel able to say the same about the driver, drivers simply don’t think about what is behind them when they open their car door and while it is always possible this is the one driver in a hundred who really did look, I’d don’t find myself believing that.
@Bart: And after being knocked into the path of a car by a cyclist who confused the busy footpath with a slalom course, I’m not expressing the milk of human kindness either. “Don’t be a dick” is a sound rule of thumb no matter what your mode of transportation. "two wheels good, four wheels always bad" not so much.
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Hard News: Staying Alive, in reply to bob daktari,
My non legal mind doesn’t understand why the charges were dropped (not angling to see the driver punished) as we’re told to drive to the conditions not the planning that hasn’t been enacted
Well, Bob, because as I understand it the prosecution didn't prove beyond reasonable doubt that Becker actually committed the offense he was charged with.
Is it actually so ludicrous to consider that people might, having parked in a place that's unsafe to exit, make a little extra effort?
Well, Lisa, it is actually unreasonable - as well as incredibly painful - for my partner to climb over the center column to exit the car. He's in pretty good nick for 66 1/4 but his hips aren't what they used to be. I also think it's not unreasonable to assume that local authorities will be more aware that most motorists of dangerous choke point and NOT PUT FRAKING PARKING BAYS THERE. Or is that crazy talk?
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Hard News: Review: Lana Del Rey, 'Born…, in reply to JacksonP,
Whether you like either performer or song, it’s great to see how they should be sung after watching would be x-idol-factor contestants murder them completely to death. Tautology intended.
Well, yes – k.d. lang on (I think) The Graham Norton Show of all places nailed what really bugs me about the X-Idol shows. I’m sure they’re frightfully nice people, but there’s no Autotune setting or PR strategy that will make you an Aretha Franklin or Al Green. ‘Take Me To The River’ and ‘Natural Woman’ – one foot in church and the other in the bedroom – were made out of sheer craft, musicality and emotional intelligence you can’t program or buy. Nor does it hurt earning your licks on the road - nothing schools you faster in the dark arts of stagecraft than a room of people who will express their displeasure in no uncertain terms. :)
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Hard News: Review: Lana Del Rey, 'Born…, in reply to Russell Brown,
I don’t quite understand why they keep sticking her out there in bare-bones live TV settings to perform songs that are bloody difficult to carry off live without a production.
Quite – and if she’d performed to playback she’d still have gotten hosed with hipster douche. I don’t want to bore anyone with my adoration of Janelle Monae, but there’s a very good reason why ‘Tightrope’ live is a somewhat gruntier beast from the album version. And why would I want to go to a gig and listen to a clone of an album track anyway?
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Hard News: Review: Lana Del Rey, 'Born…, in reply to JacksonP,
Yeah, and your point is? This is not limited to LDR.
FFS, Sondheim wrote brain-meltingly clever, formally-perfect lyrics but you try dancing to this. I double dog dare you.
Or this:
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Hard News: Review: Lana Del Rey, 'Born…, in reply to Robyn Gallagher,
Oh, she’s just a pop singer with some good songs. There’s plenty of room in my life for that.
And don’t knock a good three minutes pop opera until you’ve done it yourself a time or two (dozen). There were plenty of people sniffing at the 'Motown Sound’ as black music neutered and bleached out for white ‘pop’ audiences. And there's a point there, but when all's said and done if you can’t (or won't) shake your arse to 'Dancing in the Street’ you have no soul.
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Hard News: Getting to the bottom of…, in reply to nzlemming,
Are you sure you’re not a socialist? ;-)
I’m one of those people who doesn’t accept that “capitalism” and “the anus of the body politic” are the same thing, or that consumers are just powerless drones. It seems to me that happy, well-paid, healthy workers are productive ones. Productive workers are the engine room of profit, growth and innovation. Then again, what do I know?
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Hard News: Getting to the bottom of…, in reply to Simon Grigg,
It’s also a huge jump to assume that because something is cheap it comes from a ‘sweatshop’.
No, fair points very well made. And I’d like to think that as consumers we have ultimate power (and responsibility) to say to retailers and manufacturers that “price” PLUS “decent pay and conditions for workers” PLUS “not turning someone else’s backyard into a toxic waste dump” isn’t only social responsibility but corporate responsibility. No matter where the goods come from.
I’m not willing to spend $30 on a pair of undies. But I am willing to spend a couple of bucks more on a still cheap six pack of gruts from The Warehouse, knowing that the people who made them are getting paid a living wage in reasonable conditions. Putting millions back under the poverty line, and dooming them to stay there, isn’t a solution because they're not the problem. Enforcing meaningful labour and environmental standards is part of it. So are governments and consumers sending a clear message to businesses that worse practice is bad business.
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