Posts by Kyle Matthews

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  • Hard News: How much speech does it take?,

    I think it's often talked about because it's such a significant change to move so far along the spectrum, rather than anything else being significant about it (numbers etc).

    I can't remember the names of the people that did "switch", if I can remember where I saw their story I'll post it.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Hard News: An open thread while I'm down…,

    According to the blue squad member who lived over the back fence back then, “Those people should never have come here, but we’ve got a job to do.”

    I turned six during the Springbok tour. My father was a police sergeant in Auckland at the time and commanded a squad during the protests. My parents were both anti-tour but remained passive about it because of the difficult position that would put my father in (my mother and older sister went on one protest up Queen Street that was family friendly to express their opposition).

    My only memory of the tour is the night of the Eden Park test Dad came home and he was covered with paint and dirt. He stood in the corner of our lounge and was shaking. I remember finding it incredibly funny. Years later when (ironically) I was hit by police officers during a protest on campus, I suspect I probably had the same feelings that he was at the time.

    I did a high school history project on my family and the Springbok Tour. Dad talked about a bottle of acid that hit one of his men standing next to him. Mum talked about how their friends (most of whom were anti-tour) didn't know how to talk to them about it.

    Police officers outside of the Red Squad are the unwritten story of the Springbok Tour. They were put in an incredibly difficult position by the government and some senior police and protesters. Their responses varied greatly.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Hard News: Science: it's complicated,

    but it seems to me that there’s a big big cultural factor to depression

    Also in asthma I understand, which you would think is a physiological problem.

    Cheers to Bart for all his posts in this thread which I've just read through tonight. Interesting and convincing about a number of things.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Hard News: How much speech does it take?,

    Do you plan to keep saying that until it becomes magically true?

    There are a couple of significant neo-cons who were involved with both the Reagan administration, who also had some involvement with Bush Snr and Jnr, who were in the depths of the New Left some 20 years before. Their names escape me, but you wouldn't have called them Marxists - certainly not in the narrow sense of the word. Most of the hard core socialists in the American New Left were Leninists or Maoists, the names and exact details of these two guys escape me at present.

    Not particularly surprising, the New Left had a significant libertarian component to it, and many of its advocates were breaking down traditional left-right linear perspectives and finding themselves closer to New Right activists in most things that they were concerned about than moderates.

    [been away from PAS for a couple of weeks - catching up]

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Hard News: London's Burning,

    But I’m serious. It seems to me that Western capitalism is in crisis, because the logical outcome of it is finally coming to fruition, that the means of production have mostly moved out, and it’s now mostly uncompetitive and stagnant.

    I suspect Western capitalism is probably less in crisis at the moment, than it was just before/at the beginning of the Great Depression. Sandwiched between two world wars we may never see such a darkness over western society. Perhaps if our current economic recession goes into full blown decade long depression, into which flows the first serious impacts of peak oil and climate change for 'ordinary western' folks.

    And culturally, I don't think anything happening at present is anywhere near the challenge of the late 1960s and early 1970s. In the context of the cold war, the continuing death of colonialism, rise of new imperialism, counter culture, sexual and drug liberalism, civil rights, anti-Vietnam, and at stages, the collapse of the education system under revolting students makes London look like only the first step.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Field Theory: All Blacks v South Africa…,

    99.99% sure that Muliaina played centre that day with McAlister at 2nd 5.

    Hmm you're right. Must have blanked that out in my memory.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Muse: A Friday Kind of Linky Love,

    I heartily endorse John Scalzi’s case for an Oscar for Andy Serkis.

    +1. It would be a crime if the work of that man over the past 12 years isn't recognised by the academy in some way. King Kong was average, but he was the best character in LOTR, and I hear he's fantastic in POTA.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Southerly: Tower Insurance Have Some Bad…,

    It’s not just science, there are a lot of emotional and scared engineers out there. Not to mention Fletchers er I mean Cera who are paid on tonnage and time.

    Then those are the problems to fix, not allowing some sort of false "signed a waiver so can put myself in danger" option in.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Hard News: Media7: A new censor -- and a…,

    Really, guys? I’d say censorship is one area where value judgements around concepts like injury to “the public good” are unavoidable, but it really doesn’t help public dialogue if we pretend they’re not going on.

    It wasn't covered in the show, but don't the censors do a regular survey of community values and adjust how they apply their rules depending on the results. Asking people who they feel about certain swear words, images etc?

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Field Theory: All Blacks v South Africa…,

    I’m sure we can find a fullback to play centre in a key game for the 4th world cup in a row.

    McAlister was the 13 in the quarterfinal in 2007 - certainly not a fullback.

    See the theme?

    It's not a very useful analysis though is it? What would you do different? Do we think that the team aren't going to turn over every stone to ensure that no one beats them? Do we want them not to pound every opposition before the World Cup? It's really a lesson that pre-WC games don't mean anything, and I think they already know that.

    Anyone else a bit frustrated at how long Piri Weepu was taking to get the ball out of some of those rucks?

    +1. The pick and go is looking very ineffectual as any forwards they're dragging into the ruck have time to get out of it and set in the line. The forwards and Weepu need to take a leaf from Mils - every time he got tackled he reached right back and placed the ball a metre behind him while the forwards rolled over the top. Fantastic quick ball.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

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