Posts by Grace Dalley

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  • Up Front: A Word in Your Ear,

    Joe: I know many people working for government departments also have a high level of frustration with the procedures they have to work through. They probably wish they could break umbrellas about it, too. :-)

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2008 • 138 posts Report

  • Up Front: A Word in Your Ear,

    Huh, well there you go, I wrote that before Joe's comment popped up. Nice story, breaking the umbrella and all! :-)

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2008 • 138 posts Report

  • Up Front: A Word in Your Ear,

    I've been informed that being persistent and hopeless or persistent and shouting are also techniques that work well with bureaucracy. The thing is to make it more bother for officials to not sort out your problems.

    I've always been too chicken to try these techniques, myself.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2008 • 138 posts Report

  • Hard News: Alone at Party Central,

    Van's strength isn't his stupidity, it's his all-encompassing emotion - post Aurora, post-Sheree. Hope they don't just play it as just a dumb character for laughs.

    I think the same goes for all the characters, actually. While the story features farcical situations, it doesn't work if we can't take the characters seriously. Van is goofy but also extremely sweet and loyal and well-meaning. We enjoy the goofiness at the same time as worrying about him and hoping he'll be OK. We can laugh at the Wests because we feel we know and like them.

    Given the absurd situations the Wests get themselves into, this is no small acheivement for the writers and actors.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2008 • 138 posts Report

  • Up Front: A Word in Your Ear,

    I think you're right, up to a point. Here on PAS we like to show off our cleverness and our education, but I'd like to think we weren't just finding fancy ways of slagging each other off. I'd like to think that we also have an appetite for discussing facts and interpretation and an openness to changing our views in the light of these.

    To have an intelligent debate, people need to be able to explain why they think the way they do, and what their choices are based on. Sure we need a level of articulacy to do that, but we also need an environment where reasoning and reasonableness is favoured over invective. One thing I enjoy about PAS is that everybody (mostly) plays nice and we can share stuff we know without everybody shouting.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2008 • 138 posts Report

  • Hard News: Alone at Party Central,

    Scoundrels looks OK ( Honest was the UK version, I think), but can it really work without Robyn Malcom? OTOH I love the guy they've got in the Van role, he seems perfect!

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2008 • 138 posts Report

  • Cracker: That's Not My Name,

    "In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were REAL men, women were REAL women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were REAL small furry creatures from Aplha Centauri."

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2008 • 138 posts Report

  • Hard News: Blog About Cat,

    it's open to contestants from other solar systems.

    Indeed! "Take me to your top-model!"
    :-)

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2008 • 138 posts Report

  • Hard News: Blog About Cat,

    Tyra is a *megalomaniac* scary alien.

    Isn't the general scary-alien-ness of ANTM the reason people watch it? Those folks came down in a different spaceship from the rest of us.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2008 • 138 posts Report

  • Hard News: Blog About Cat,

    Eye-smiles" are supposed to be impossible to fake, unlike toothy grins.

    Someone hasn't been watching their America's Next Top Model, or you'd know all about "smizing".

    Yikes, dont go recklessly googling that! OK I've seen the clip or Tyra and Larry King, and I think they look like scary aliens. If someone did that look in my direction, I'd think I was in trouble!

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2008 • 138 posts Report

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