Busytown: Sons for the Return Home
258 Responses
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Wow, you paint such an emotive picture, Jolisa. You capture the pull back south so well. Many Kiwis may be the descendants of straight-talking, pragmatic pioneers, but we remember our homeland with the passion and poetry of Renaissance painters...
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recordari, in reply to
many students would still need a great deal of assistance in the first few months as they learn how to live in English, not just read, write and speak the language in test situations.
Snap-ish! Took me too long to write my post.
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BenWilson, in reply to
Depends how 'custom' (and therefore emotinally attached) it is.
Yes, indeed. If it's got serious sentimental attachment, that would make it worth the bother. But don't do it for the money savings...chances are there won't be any and it's a bunch of hassle for nothing. If you've sunk hundreds or even thousands of hours of your life into making it choice, then it's a hobby, and it's almost certainly worth transplanting that. Doing up vehicles is an expensive hobby, very seldom is it done for the purposes of making money. Most of the cool cars I've owned over the years have belonged to down-on-their-luck hobbyists. That sounds a bit mean, but practically, they're almost always super stoked if you buy their car, because they get the money they need, AND it's one last chance to show someone all the work they did, to a person that's very likely to appreciate it.
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If I owned this, I'd be bringing it home. Just sayin'.
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As for schools not being overly enthusiastic about adopting the standards, the one our three go to in Sandringham is holding out pretty well. But, there is news of considerable pressure being applied to recalcitrant schools. There does seem to be a number of principals willing to stretch the limits of the offside line to the maximum though.
You can sense that there's a battle going on quietly between about 20% of schools who have decided that this is worth dying in a ditch over, and the Ministry/Minister, which is just sometimes spilling out into the public sphere.
My impression is that they're all being crushed slowly.
I expect that James Butler’s guess that Pacific nations might be right up there is right, just as a numbers game.
Samoa, Niue would be well up above 15% in NZ, let alone overseas. Half at least?
We spend a high proportion on students (allowances, interest free loans), at the cost of institutional support.
Actually we spend quite low on both. And as a university staff member, students have been helping fund my reasonable pay increases for a few years now.
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Brent Jackson, in reply to
When we were trekking in the Andes with various Spanish, Dutch, English and French people, without realising it, our speech had modified to be slower and clearer. We shared a meal with another group which also had a kiwi in it and got to talking. The Europeans couldn't follow our conversation - it was too fast, with too many missing sounds. They were very surprised. One of the Dutch women (who spoke excellent English), initially thought we were speaking a different language.
For Asians even with moderately good English, this must be very hard.
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Carol Stewart, in reply to
initially thought we were speaking a different language.
I guess we are, in a sense.
We went to see The Guard last night and I think a good proportion of the dialogue passed me by.. -
Rich Lock, in reply to
I'd be bringing it home.
I'd be flying it home. It does fly, right?
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Carol Stewart, in reply to
Actually we spend quite low on both. And as a university staff member, students have been helping fund my reasonable pay increases for a few years now.
What did you make of Virginia Larson's editorial in the latest North and South?
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BenWilson, in reply to
Heh, the perfect example a vehicle that would end up costing a fortune. You wouldn't be able to get a WOF for it without substantial modifications, and probably wouldn't actually want to drive it anywhere in NZ, in case you hit a bump. But who would be crass enough to drive such a beauty?
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Steve Barnes, in reply to
If I owned this, I’d be bringing it home. Just sayin’.
That is the sort of car that someone not bothered by inflation would admire.
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Lilith __, in reply to
If I owned this, I’d be bringing it home. Just sayin’.
I think someone on its planet of origin would miss it. Sayin. ;-)
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Simon Grigg, in reply to
For Asians even with moderately good English, this must be very hard.
In Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, where English is a first language to many, I find it very hard to make myself understood at times, especially away from the urban centres.
And the West Pacific English dialect they speak day to day, which I guess is spoken by far more people than our variety, sounds very stilted, almost staccato, to my ears.
could be the results of American TV too
An American a wee while back insisted to me that folk in Hong Kong had such a reasonable grasp of English because they'd picked it up from US movies and TV.
He was immovable even when the history was explained.
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Rich of Observationz, in reply to
who would be crass enough to drive such a beauty?
But that's the point of a car - you've got to drive it, even if only under controlled conditions, to demonstrate it's reality. Otherwise it's just a car-like sculpture - it could have an engine that doesn't work and wheels that don't turn.
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recordari, in reply to
That is the sort of car that someone not bothered by inflation would admire.
But it's green. That must count for something.
And Ben, do you have to be so practical? In fact it's the kind of car the Southward Museum would love, so just get them to look after it.
But, alas, I don't actually own it. I'm clearly not 'TUFENUFF'.
Beam me up, Scotty!
ETA:
But that's the point of a car - you've got to drive it, even if only under controlled conditions, to demonstrate it's reality.
I'd totally drive it. Cause that's how I roll. Anti-inflationary anarchist that I am.
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If I owned this, I’d be bringing it home. Just sayin’.
So an alternate universe based on the drawings of
Robert Crumb and Bruce McCall does exist... -
recordari, in reply to
So an alternate universe based on the drawings of
Robert Crumb and Bruce McCall does exist...From your links, I think this is possibly the best car photo in the history of cars or photos.
Whoops, car jacked another thread. My bad.
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umm - I suspect that's just been flung off a merry-go-round
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Sacha, in reply to
possibly the best car photo in the history of cars or photos
Marvellous
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Sacha, in reply to
sounds very stilted, almost staccato, to my ears
is that just retaining the rhythm of their own more intonation-based languages?
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BenWilson, in reply to
That's how I see it, but tell it to a car collector! Every mile it does lowers the value. It's enough for most to simply get in and turn the engine over, and then sighingly caress the flanks of the beast, and imagine days gone by.
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Rich Lock, in reply to
Whoops, car jacked another thread. My bad.
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"We attempted to go to a rugby game together, but we didn't because it was too cold and rainy, and we wanted noodles instead."
I understand this, completely. Although I like rugby, I like noodles more. I should say something intelligent or witty, but I'm just happy to leave this here.
A review of 'The First Asian AB'.
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Jackie Clark, in reply to
I obviously have a very vulgar mind. When I looked at that, I thought I was seeing a hedge orgy. And then, I saw the title. Ooops.
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Sacha, in reply to
how on earth did you find that? #respec
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