Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: McVicar and the media

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  • philipmatthews,

    When did people forget how to say the plural of "woman"?

    It's a particularly NZ accent problem, I think. Hence the preference for sheilas or ladies -- obvious plurals.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2007 • 656 posts Report

  • Martin Lindberg,

    When did people forget how to say the plural of "woman"?

    At about the the same time should have became should of

    Stockholm • Since Jul 2009 • 802 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    Wasn't he just? I thought the incoming editor of the HoS said interesting things too. Well, revealing at least, if nothing else.

    I have a lot of time for Bryce and I'll watch with interest once he starts at the HoS -- which, depending on lawyering, could be as late as August.

    (I screeched inwardly when he made the point that if they didn't sell enough papers than there would be *less* journalists. The HoS' ongoing War on Grammar is going to be in good hands.)

    Yeah, we looked at each other too ...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • bronwyn,

    Running OS X10.6, Firefox, with adblocker and noscript- but all the scripts on tvnz website are allowed. Youtube runs fine. The adobe player initialises - then just sits there loading. Forever.

    Tim - I found I have to disable adblocker completely on TVNZ and TV3 to get anything to play, not just allow some items. But I know almost nothing how these things work so there's no doubt a more elegant solution out there.

    tamaki makaurau • Since Nov 2006 • 86 posts Report

  • Rich Lock,

    being called "Shakespeare" by ignorant youths, just for speaking normal proper English.

    Who you talking about, Grandad?

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report

  • giovanni tiso,

    It's a particularly NZ accent problem, I think.

    I wondered about that. But then a good half of my (second year film) students used to write "woman" for the plural.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report

  • giovanni tiso,

    being called "Shakespeare"

    I used to (justifiably) be laughed at for saying things like "thrice". It's not that I was actively trying to be pompous, it's just what happens when you learn a language on books.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report

  • Islander,

    People who regularly use 'fortnight' laughed at you for saying 'thrice'??

    Nobody has yet laughed at me for using 'forfend' (tho' some look quite puzzled.)

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report

  • Lyndon Hood,

    There's a bit of dialogue in the Simpsons somewhere where Mr Burns is considering running for office and Smithers suggests people think he's out of touch...

    Burns: Me? Out of touch? Heaven forfend!

    Present company, etc etc...

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1115 posts Report

  • Sacha,

    Verily

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Islander,

    I'd add forsooth, except I've never really found occaision to use that word-

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report

  • 81stcolumn,

    Brush up your Shakespeare start quoting him now....

    Nawthshaw • Since Nov 2006 • 790 posts Report

  • Islander,

    Heh!
    81stcolumn, we do it so often - sometimes unwitting, oft not -

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report

  • ChrisW,

    When did people forget how to say the plural of "woman"?

    It's a particularly NZ accent problem, I think. Hence the preference for sheilas or ladies -- obvious plurals.

    I wondered about that. But then a good half of my (second year film) students used to write "woman" for the plural.

    Timing - a little before the NZ Woman's Weekly was at the peak of its readership. And I suggest there was a causal relationship (rather than a casual one) in the initiation of this trend.

    Gisborne • Since Apr 2009 • 851 posts Report

  • Geoff Lealand,

    But then a good half of my (second year film) students used to write "woman" for the plural.

    Mine have problems with there and their, and are completely bewildered by they're

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report

  • Geoff Lealand,

    Excellent interview with McVicar, Russell. Perhaps you could have thrown him the line ...common sense is just what we call our prejudices...

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report

  • Just thinking,

    Common sense was missing here.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3570271/Man-throws-petrol-at-cops-after-rampage

    Police had to taser a man yesterday after he brought mayhem to his street and then tried to soak police in petrol.

    Have you noticed how cell phones are banned at petrol stations?

    Electrical charge + petrol = Bang.

    So good to see the taser was used (?).
    Pepperspray, batons, dogs would have all been safer options, but it didn't blow up, so it was a success, right?

    Putaringamotu • Since Apr 2009 • 1158 posts Report

  • Kumara Republic,

    McVicar came across surprisingly composed, no Walker-Muldoon moments there. Still, it illustrates a wider fundamental problem - demagogic causes are too easily compressed onto a bumper sticker. To put counter-arguments on the same space is easier said than done. And we can't just wait for another David Dougherty, or even something worse.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Matthew Poole,

    Have you noticed how cell phones are banned at petrol stations?

    Electrical charge + petrol = Bang.

    The "ban" on using cellphones at petrol stations is unsupportable by any amount of evidence and testing. This extends right up to dousing the inside of a caravan in petrol, tossing in a bunch of cellphones, and then ringing them to try and cause a fire. No result.

    The Taser thing, on the other hand, is just bloody stupid. Western Australian police last year put out an operational instruction not to use Tasers on people who had poured petrol over themselves after an Aboriginal man combusted in similar circumstances. It's inconclusive if it was the Taser or the cigarette lighter in his hand that caused the fire, but the result was the same and the SOP change is logical. You certainly won't find any fire fighters who can be convinced that the discharge of 10s-of-000s of volts of electricity can be considered to be intrinsically safe.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report

  • Sacha,

    So you're saying it's up there with "may interfere with our navigation systems"?

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Glenn Pearce,

    So good to see the taser was used (?).
    Pepperspray, batons, dogs would have all been safer options, but it didn't blow up, so it was a success, right?

    This report says he was clear of petrol before they tasered him.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10637669

    Auckland • Since Feb 2007 • 504 posts Report

  • Matthew Poole,

    So you're saying it's up there with "may interfere with our navigation systems"?

    Given that I haven't seen discussion of systematic testing to prove that cellphones can't interfere with aircraft nav systems, I'd say it's even less reliable.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report

  • Kyle Matthews,

    So you're saying it's up there with "may interfere with our navigation systems"?

    I think Toby Ziegler shot this down within about 2 minutes of the first episode of the West Wing.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Ian Dalziel,

    ask for directions at the McVicarage...
    a helpful map of the unspanked world ...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report

  • Steve Barnes,

    The "ban" on using cellphones at petrol stations is unsupportable by any amount of evidence and testing.

    There is anecdatal evidence of cars blowing up at petrol stations because women stick the nozzle in the tank, get back in the car to do make-up, make phone calls and generally wriggle about in their sheer nylon get-ups on valure seats making megawatts of static. They then trot off to remove the nozzle and.. BOOM...
    Girlz eh?.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

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