Posts by Paul Campbell

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  • Island Life: Symptoms persist,

    surely all you need for bikes on the bridge are some honking big magnets, and some (wooden) boxes to leave them in on each side for cyclists to pick them up and drop them off

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report

  • Island Life: Symptoms persist,

    Part of the problem is that in NZ Pharmacy's main purpose is as a dispensary for free drugs for the government - it's hard to make a profit doing that - on the other hand you have a way to get people in the door for an up-sell.

    It's also why it's hard to buy that really really cheap generic bottle with 400 ibuprofens in the supermarket the way you can in the US

    (I give up - who is the 3rd guy?)

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report

  • Hard News: Stop the Enabling,

    err - that should be:

    "a little bit of violence is normal and OK" is what needs to be nipped in the bud

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report

  • Hard News: Stop the Enabling,

    then I expect boys who fight at school to be prosecuted. Also rugby players who throw a punch - often see by us all on TV. I want them in court too for the sake of fairness.

    Seems quite reasonable to me ... just like you shouldn't be hitting your kids you should be teaching them to not be hitting others too .... this "a little bit of violence" is normal and OK is what needs to be nipped in the bud

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report

  • Up Front: Are We There Yet?,

    Well I walked in late - what can I say - we need more yappy little dogs, let me know next time you need a form pack.

    We got married for a visa, 25 years ago, these days we'd probably CU. Families come in all shapes and sizes, there is no one size fits all (disclosure: one of my kids has 4 mothers, none of them my wife, though it was her idea ....). I'm all for diversity - religion or the state shouldn't be making these choices for people.

    I am in favour of the French system where one goes down to the town hall and gets married by the mayor, then (if you want to) zoom off to the church of your choice to be blessed by your god. Once you make that distinction there's no reason why the word 'marriage' can't be used by everyone since it refers to civil marriage - it's just a word and not allowing everyone to use it creates second class citizens (I'm not running down CUs here - I just see them as marriage with slightly different rules).

    I do think that one way to defuse this issue a little is to explicitly state that churches are allowed to choose who they marry

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report

  • Hard News: Some Week,

    I have to say one thing for NZ scanning of carry on stuff - every single time in NZ I have to explain my harmonicas (apparently they look like something evil and what that is is a state secret) but in the US no airport security (other than Seattle every time) notices them.

    Probably it's just that most American TSA people are so jaded they don't notice anything (attn TSA people in Oakland, I still want my ethernet tools back)

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report

  • Hard News: Some Week,

    An in Guatemala the military police are reputedly hunting down and arresting twitterers - well at least it's not Fiji .....

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report

  • Hard News: Some Week,

    I have to agree - customs/immigration in Auckland (and NZ in general) are some of the best around.

    Auckland airport on the other hand sucks tghe big one - especially the recent change to force incoming passengers to traipse through a duty free shop - it's so tacky, to the point of being embarrassing - and always leaves me arriving at immigration with my eyes streaming from being forced through a cloud of perfume reminiscent of sitting next to that little old lady on the bus who's lost her sense of smell - place needs a well signed "duty free shop bypass" door

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report

  • Hard News: Some Week,

    deepred: agreed - but couldn't be happening to a nicer bunch of bozos

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report

  • OnPoint: How it would work,

    I think that Melissa Lee's idea that criminals don't know how to get off a motorway unless it ends is a wonderful idea - it means our motorways will fill with stolen cars that will eventually run out of petrol dumping the miscreants at random points - thus spreading crime evenly all over Auckland.

    Of course the best part will be the way it helps the police:

    "Police?"
    "How can I help you Sir"
    "My car has been stolen!"
    "Not a problem Sir, borrow a can of petrol and get a friend to drive you around the ring road until you find it"
    "Oh we can't go on there, we don't know how to get off...."
    "What did you say your address was Sir?"
    "click"

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report

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