Posts by Russell Brown
-
Hard News: Friday Music: Better Bit…, in reply to Chris Waugh,
For fans of k-pop and Hong Kong comedy, Stephen Chow’s been Gangnam Style’d. Hope that link works for those outside China who might be interested.
It works very well. Still mystified :-)
-
Hard News: The Advocate, in reply to Geoff Lealand,
This is possibly why journalists refer to their work as ‘news stories’ ie simple, uncomplicated narratives of predicament and resolution.
I, like most working journalists, use not only the word “story” but “yarn” (there is no higher praise for a fellow journalist than “good yarn”). As you imply, we’re using words that might usually describe fiction to refer to non-fiction.
But it’s appropriate. The ability to develop facts into a story is the essence of communication. It’s something more than mere description or listing. A story lets you know why it’s important.
I think one of the big things to happen in journalism recently is the explosion in the volume of real-world data available and the blossoming of tools to analyse and communicate that data. The key to that is structuring a lot of fine-grained information in a way that lets stories emerge.
I find what the Guardian did with the Afghanistan and Iraq leaks fascinating.
-
Hard News: The Advocate, in reply to John Sellwood,
And yet when the first public meeting is held and the school, parents and pupils want their say that is somehow biased?
Good point.
And thanks for coming here and contributing, John.
-
Hard News: Friday Music: Better Bit…, in reply to bob daktari,
have you tried Tuneup (paid for product)?
I used to use this heaps when I was on a mission to sort all my MP3s… not perfect by any means (especially for local fare, obviously)
I'm presuming it's improved since it first came out. I downloaded TuneUp via an ad on Hypem and it was utterly awful.
-
Hard News: The Advocate, in reply to Richard Stewart,
Everything I have ever read by John Roughan has been utter tosh. Everything. Without exception.
You know, I actually used to admire him. He could be pretty good.
But these days his columns are sullen, mean and poorly argued. They're just embarrassing sometimes.
-
Speaker: Key: Concession Not Recession, in reply to Alec Morgan,
ACC has been asked to reassess the bill in line with what Dexter says upthread, not disingenuousness just an early twenties person walking into one of the many traps for younger players. No written contract provided either Russell.
That's shabby, but it's not a result of the law change. I hope ACC sees sense.
-
Speaker: Key: Concession Not Recession, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
And it did bloody go on. Bryson won in the Employment Court, lost in the Court of Appeal and was finally vindicated in the Supreme Court. Very few people are going to want to embark on that.
It does also seem clear that Weta/Three Foot Six operated a lazy, sloppy HR policy that was an accident waiting to happen.
-
Speaker: Key: Concession Not Recession, in reply to Alec Morgan,
A family member of mine has worked on the periphery of the film industry while a student in between breaks, and has been hit with a huge (for him) ACC bill as an independent contractor when he was clearly an employee. Thanks to ShonKey’s “Hobbit Enabling Act” and Cur Richard Taylor and Lord Jackson.
The manner of the making of that law was odious, but I genuinely don't think it changed the employment status of many, if any, people. It's a project-based industry and contracting has been the rule for a long time.
What the law did was reverse the part of the Employment Relations Act 2000 that says that the "real nature" of the employment relationship is ultimately to be determined by the court, rather than by the statements of the parties to the original contract or the text of the contract itself. So Bryson was able to argue that his position was not that of an independent contractor.
After the law change, if your contract says you're an independent contractor, that's what you are.
-
Speaker: Key: Concession Not Recession, in reply to Graham Reid,
Thanks, Graham. I possibly should have expected that the discussion might be rugged, but I think it took everyone by surprise.
-
Speaker: Key: Concession Not Recession, in reply to Yamis,
I actually don’t know what I meant by that post. I’ll work it out later.
Do be sure to let us know when you do :-)