Posts by Joe Wylie
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__The Stuff poll on the matter is currently running 66% in favour, which suggests either that two-thirds of the Stuff website's visitors are small-business owners, or a lot of people have absolutely no clue about what's in their economic best interests.__
Or that political parties stack these polls for their own advantage, in the same way they flood "letters to the editor" with proxy spam.
A Stuff poll prior to the 2005 election had Destiny picking up a couple of seats. For the duration of their limited attention spans, the terminally credulous could barely contain themselves.
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The overwhelming direction of stories and editorial comment has been highly partisan, as partisan as I recall the Sunday Star (Times?) was in 1999 in the few months preceding Labour's win. I don't think it's healthy but I think it's close to established practice now.
In 1969 the Dominion ran a banner front-page link to an editorial entitled The Dominion Votes National. Sometime in the intervening years that kind of blatant partisanship moved beyond the pale. While the Herald appears more than a little nostalgic for those times, there's still a vaguely guilty attempt to appear to be even-handed.
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Shocalypse or shopalypse are a lot easier to say.
And that silly Shakespeare - books in running brooks, sermons in stones - shouldn't it be the other way around?
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What I was trying to say, if ineffectively was that, too.
Effective enough to be memorable - not every day you come across a word like plypse.
BTW verbwrangle was a great nick. -
__Amazing, the things you find funny when you're a kid.__
Hey, still works for me. That was one talented nine year old..True. Laughed till my ribs hurt over plenty that weren't that good when I was nine. What a good school you went to.
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Tune in tomorrow from 9.30am on TV1 for Attitude's look at the award winners . . .
Thanks for the heads-up Sacha. Big respect for all involved in that, particularly those who must have sacrificed something of their precious privacy for such a vital cause.
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For example, I found McCain's repeated claims that by virtue of having a five-month old Down's baby Palin knew more about autism than "almost any American that I know," and that by the same means she was "uniquely qualified" to discover the cause of autism, offensive and opportunist.
Down syndrome people have a history of being exploited by those who wish to be seen as doing far more than they really are in the disability area. Because they present a generally endearing aspect, and are largely gentle and predictable in their behaviour, there's a temptation to use them as poster people for a wider range of disabilities than those they represent. The kindest thing that can be said about McCain's outrageous claims is that they were made in profound ignorance.
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If ever there was a movie that has not aged well....
Pity it wasn't Peter O'Toole, Roeg's first choice for the part of Mr. Newton. Despite its sometimes heavy-handed satire The Ruling Class still holds up.
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As far as sanctuary goes, wouldn't it be grand if there were publically funded Relaxation Lodges where one could have Time Out for a month or two?
Possible use for the Kimberley Centre? It's currently mothballed, and there are far worse places to chill out:
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And sorry Joe. I use the word theory probably because I'm living in the academic world at the moment. I mean opinion or personal reality from observation or lived experience - or whatever you want it to mean.
Words are powerful tools.No problem Hilary, appreciate being able to talk about these things. While I don't believe that changing attitudes will cure all problems, it's heartening to hear of the great things happening. More power to you.