If that was sf you'd get ripped to shreds, but, of course, Bourdieu etc.

If you say so.

i do think that the `heheh days of our lives' stuff is basically rather icky snobbery

You know, nobody is being snobby really but sometimes I almost miss it. Somebody found my blog the other day with the search phrase "people who don't watch tv are smug and disconnected from…

So people who watch Days of Our Lives should be watching something more 'edifying' instead of something that they enjoy. Well, I don't accept that argument for my own tasteless (if slightly different genre-wise) TV-watching, and I don't accept it on their behalf either.

Thank you Danielle, and all you…

note also that people bitch about the cancellation of firefly or whatever all the time, and you don't tend to get the angry…

Well, Gio, most television drama is episodic and follows an ongoing narrative and has consistent characters, you know? The line between soap and drama is a bit of a fluid one.

That's precisely my point: I am a great consumer of fictions, I don't take it as a sign that…

Because if it's not soap operas we would be dangerously under-served with just the bold and the beautiful, neighbours, shortland street and coro street on a given day.

You're forgetting the jewel in the crown, Home and Away.

But seriously, to people who follow those shows, that's like saying "So…

Coro Street is only on twice a week, btw. (Which is an ongoing source of annoyance to me because…

I don't watch those shows myself, but if they can put on endless infomercials about Zumba ('spice up your body!'), they can sure as shit show some soaps, even if they change the time.

Do they always have to be the same soaps until we are all dead? But that's…

Isn't that the opposite of what Geoff's correspondent is arguing? And a tad condescending?

a) I don't think so (and would it matter if it was?)

b) I really don't think so (but I could be wrong.)

I'd like to see somebody come here and complain about the cancellation of a show like Two and a Half Men.

Well, me for a start!!

I don't watch those shows myself,…

In fact, I'm not averse to a tax on daytime-soap watching.

Would it be a bit bitchy to start talking about Bourdieu here? Because I doubt if this was `TVNZ cans arts programming' people would be chortling about the sad tossers who stay up till 11:30 just to get a…

Soaps act as a virtual social interaction for people who lack real social interaction.

Isn't that the opposite of what Geoff's correspondent is arguing? And a tad condescending?

We have to have our rugby and Two and a Half Men but it is only silly women who hanker after soap…

Soaps act as a virtual social interaction for people who lack real social interaction. Thus, having these soaps canned is a big deal to these people.

It has the same effect on…

Access to broadband is one. When we do better in providing it – it's a necessity for us all, in my view – then most issues…

I just wanted to support a bunch of fans, as I would hope they would rally to the cause if a favourite programme of mine was being taken to be shot!

Oh well, it must be that we are close minded and ungenerous then. That's the only possible explanation!

So, bugger the old folks in rest homes, the unemployed, shift workers etc?

Oh, come on, as if old folks, the unemployed and shift workers needed soap operas that have been going on since 1975 in order to retain their will to live. Isn't that in fact the stereotype that…

So, bugger the old folks in rest homes, the unemployed, shift workers etc?

Is Days of Our Lives really the best we can do for them? Really? Cos if that's what I've got to look forward to as an oldie then just take me to the vet & have me put…

If the soaps were an important cultural touchstone for a vulnerable section of the community and unavailable through any other reasonable means I'd have a bit of sympathy. But for Days of Our Lives I'm firmly in the user pays camp.

So, bugger the old folks in rest homes, the…

My thoughts on the early media coverage was that all of the NZ media were slow off the mark. I understand that Samoa is small and rarely a news worthy place but it plays a large part of NZs culture and one of the more important countries in the Pacific…

If the soaps were an important cultural touchstone for a vulnerable section of the community and unavailable through any other reasonable means I'd have a bit of sympathy. But for Days of Our Lives I'm firmly in the user pays camp.

In fact, I'm not…

The web presence is perhaps pushing…

I would also agree with Kyle about the lack of South Island coverage – the Stuff/Herald sites I only find useful for national, North Island and some Christchurch issues.

I suspect, particularly in terms of stuff, the fact that the ODT isn't a Fairfax paper probably has something to do…

Scroll right to the bottom of the main page and you also get the respective top 5 headlines from the Dom, Press and Waikato Times whose similarities and differences are always…

It is a balancing act, for sure.

Matthew: Certainly, and I don't want to be unfair. Three and CL did get it right by a gratifyingly large margin. For once, I've got plenty of kudos to dish out to the media because there's a very fine line between reporting on…

As an aside, I thought a lot of Campbell Live's episodes during the week really excelled- good, sober reporting,

To be honest, I felt some of Campbell's reports rather cringe-inducing. I know journalists aren't emotionless Cylons, but I am capable of an emotional response without presenters getting into Judy Bailey…

It's visible here because we've got roughly two papers that cover the entire country – Granny and DomPost.

Whowhat?

You mean they cover national issues right, they don't cover south island news very well from what I've seen.

For what it's worth, on the day the actual news broke, I thought Stuff.co.nz handled it better than the…

Maybe, but they don't have anything like the number of cases where name suppression is granted because the defendant is an All Black / National MP / TV presenter

How do you know? If even reporting the existence of the injunction can be forbidden... More seriously, do you actually follow…

This site is 3 weeks worth of work using PHP and Javascripts. It uses publicly available APIs and forward-facing…

the UK court system apparently cares little for open justice.

Maybe, but they don't have anything like the number of cases where name suppression is granted because the defendant is an All Black / National MP / TV presenter.

And Keith Lockes bill to give us a referendum on whether to become a republic has been drawn from the members ballot.

I'd hope it will get past first reading, but I'd be surprised if it passed into law.

But he just fired Peggy.

Yikes! No rumours of pregnancy?

amount to comtempt of parliament

It would be most excellent if the Speaker were to call C-R's bluff and initiate contempt proceedings. That shit needs to result in a thorough beating, if only to remind lawyers that there is much precedence for Parliamentary sovereignty and that no lesser legal mind…

And then what?

If you've being asked to facilitate conduct that might ultimately (as some have suggested) amount to comtempt of parliament, I don't think the Law Society will take too dim a view of your refusing to act.

Arguably lawyers are also obliged to tell their client they're being a dick.

Not just arguably. But really, a client who is allegedly prepared to dump toxic materials may just decide not take that considered advice on board. And then what?

Regardless, I think all parties have got the message…

Lawyers are obliged to act in their clients' interests so I can't blame Carter Ruck for trying, but I LOVE the response they got. KA-BOOM!

Arguably lawyers are also obliged to tell their client they're being a dick.

Given the negative publicity to Carter-Ruck's business, I'm sure they could have…