Hard News: Deriving satisfaction from the misfortune of others
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Can we at least concur that Tamaki is a scary so and so?
Yes, but he doesn't scare me as much as the brown-neck bigots (both with and without dog collars) who actually have real influence - and waching theuniversal post-mortem whitewash applied to Whakahuihui Vercoe's often vile bigotry was just depressing.
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You don't need to tap into the flax roots to see that there might be more than meets the eye here. Marry out of your area and culture and leave town? It'd be surprising if there wasn't a lot of family friction as a result.
Anyway, sure the guy should have made funeral instructions and warned his wife. But he didn't, and now he's dead, the question is who deserves to suffer for that mistake? I don't think it's obvious that it's his wife.
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If they get to keep Israel powerful, maybe it's not such a big price to pay. Only the Jews that don't want Israel (or at least not at the cost it currently incurs) get annoyed.
What people don't realise is that there are actually Israelis who hold progressive left-wing views and at the same time believe in their country and the Zionist project. I met a few people like that on my holidays. It's to be remembered that some of the original founders of Israel were in fact socialists (e.g. the kibbutz movement).
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He gives the 10 Commandments plenty of air-time, without of course acknowledging there is no single, agreed-upon set of 10 Commandments.
We should be thankful, I suppose, about Moses' fit of pique that destroyed a whole load of other commandments (carelessness with God's words, or what?).
With the full monty intact maybe what God had in mind was something much more totalitarian than Copeland presents.
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BW: Yup, but have a guess which societies moved towards secularism first?
I suspect some of the comments in this thread have been influenced by Dawkins and Hitchens, so to continue in that vein, I think they say the rediscovery of ideas from the Greek philosophers was more important than Christian culture to the birth of the enlightenment and rise of science in Europe. The old works had been destroyed by early Christians but survived in translation elsewhere and re-emerged many centuries later. Christian scholars attempted to head off the competing (and scientifically more powerful) ideas by applying the new logic to their faith, believing both logic and faith would prove (Christian) God's existence, but unwittingly (maybe not in all cases) started a philosophical chain reaction that ultimately proved the opposite.
The Age of Discovery and rise of trade also played an important role as Europeans came into contact with new peoples and ideas that challenged the superiority of their own cultures.
Ironically the Middle East started out more secular than the Christian West but moved in the opposite direction.
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We should be thankful, I suppose, about Moses' fit of pique that destroyed a whole load of other commandments
If God had of wanted Moses to carry more than two Tablets He would have given him four arms. Further proof of Intelligent Design -- as if more were needed.
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I'm a bit dubious about Moses anyway. He took 40 years to go from Egypt to Israel - roughly 450 kms, give or take. This is not a bloke I'd go to for guidance on all that much, really.
Oh, and he reckoned God spoke to him from a burning bush...actually, that makes kind of sense. It's the sort of thing God would do.
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Depends on the kind of bush, mate.
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Russell B: Everyone else can feel free to keep trying for next week's fine whisky from our sponsors.
Alright, wrong end of the week for this, but since no-one else is having a go:
On the All Blacks' side by day
On the Speyside by eveningIf you think a DRAM is about computers
Drink againIf you think a DRAM is about computers
Give yourself two fingersForbidden fruits are best served with
The water of lifeThirsty minds drink
The water of lifeArrgghhh ... drink.
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Off topic
Dr Kate Dewes received a Peace Award & Green Stone Pendant "Hine Roko Nui" (Roko was to my ear & may be Rongo with Kai Tahu dialect variation) tonight in CHCH at the Peace Bell in the Gardens of Hagley Park.
http://www.paradise-press.co.nz/wpb.html
Otago will be offering a Peace Degree next year as well.
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Re changing computer clock ...
Could we also, perhaps, not follow North America's silly little ways and not talk about "daylight savings".
It's always been about saving daylight towards the evening.
"Daylight saving."
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http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306486
If your computer uses New Zealand time, you can make sure your Mac OS X clock displays the correct time during the intervening week (from 30-September-2007 to 07-October-2007) with these steps.
Note: Do not follow these steps until September 30, 2007. Follow them only if you use New Zealand time.
1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
2. From the View menu, choose Date & Time.
3. Deselect (uncheck) "Set Date & Time automatically" if it's enabled.
4. Manually set the correct time.
5. Click Save.
6. On 07-October-2007, reselect "Set Date & Time automatically" or manually set the correct time again.======
Not elegant - but official - fwiw.
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