Posts by Tom Beard
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Up Front: Hitting That, in reply to Emma Hart,
just in time to be accused of being a BUG.
That's not a BUG, it's a feature.
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There have been times in my life when I'd have been tempted to answer "anything with guitars", but that would rule out New Order. What I really can't stand is rawk, especially grunge: sweaty AND angsty is a particularly grating combination.
That said, there's a whole circle of hell that I'd reserve for just about every Top 40 pop hit of the 80s and 90s (with the exception of synth pop). My idea of torture is one of those bars aimed at hen's nights and singalong office parties that plays endless Whitney Houston, Kenny Loggins, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Foreigner, Wham!, Huey Lewis, Simply Red, U2....
Excuse me, I'm just going to shoot myself.
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Up Front: Safety Net, in reply to Hilary Stace,
Went to hear the theoretically intimidating trio of Germaine Greer, Sandra Coney and Marilyn Waring speak this morning
Did you see the Germaine Greer glitterbombing? I have very mixed feelings about that.
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Up Front: Safety Net, in reply to Bart Janssen,
How can a GP be certain that Emma is not being abused and so cowed by her abuser that she makes up a story about being a sub.
And there are those who believe that subs don't exist, and that no-one could consent to being hurt. Bruises from other recreational activities (i.e. sport) are seen as somewhere between a necessary evil and a badge of honour, but as soon as you mix up sex and recreation ... ew.
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Up Front: Safety Net, in reply to Rob Stowell,
Is this legal? Or against the oath, or something?
IANAL and IANAME (I am not a medical ethicist - doubt that'll catch on), but I'd say that if not against the law, it's certainly a massively strikeoffable offence.
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Hard News: Getting to the bottom of…, in reply to Keir Leslie,
And possibly the people there do. But the post I was responding to seemed to evince a kind of visceral revulsion to assembly line work per se, one which I and most others who are lucky to have the option of less repetitive work would probably share. I was just trying to say that this aspect is not unique to China. Other aspects, such as human rights and environmental protection, may be different and can be argued over, but there are some aspects of the job itself which do not change from country to country.
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Hard News: Getting to the bottom of…, in reply to andrew r,
And those that are on the assembly line? They sound particularly delightful. I dunno, the things that we seem to find acceptable from a far. Hmmm.
Would the assembly lines be appreciably more delightful to work on if they were in Wiri or Detroit? Most of us here are privileged enough that we've had plenty of career options beyond being cogs in the Fordist machine, so that being trapped in such a tedious job would seem degrading and mind-numbing. But for most of the people making most of our stuff, that has been a reality since well before the Chinese boom.
I'm still a stickler for buying clothes and shoes that are made either locally or in Europe, but I have to admit that it's as much a sign of snobbery on my part as it is a concern for the environment or labour standards. There is something nice about knowing exactly where your purchases are coming from, and even being able to talk to the people who make them, and for people with good disposable income in New Zealand that's still an option. Being able to do the same with someone building a phone or computer from raw materials? Not so much.
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Hard News: The Mega Conspiracy, in reply to Juha Saarinen,
I’ve been told that it was 76 – seventy-six – police
Any word yet on the number of trombones?
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Up Front: The Aunties, in reply to Jackie Clark,
Yes, the best friends always give good succour.
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Now you have me wondering whether I missed out. Until the age of seven, my extended family were in different cities and we only saw them a few times a year. After the age of seven, they were in a different hemisphere, and I saw them at most twice more. I don't know the names of my aunts and uncles, nor even how many cousins I have.
I don't have a feeling of having lacked anything, which may have something to do with not forming the intense for-better-or-worse relationships that seem to be more common with biological family. And I'm trying to think, but I don't recall having any other adults or slightly older children with whom I had that sort of quasi-whanau relationship. I can remember teachers and friends-of-the-family who provided a warm mentoring role, but none of the "get drunk and tell bawdy stories" role that many of you mention.
Which of course explains how I grew up so prudish and well-behaved.