Posts by Robert Harvey
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XKCD adds some humour to the situation...
http://xkcd.com/314/ -
I mean it that it is part of the public service with all that entails. Shouldn't be working against the rights of citizens. This is a general comment about the legal system. It is not something above us all.
I may be wrong, but I think Hilary has made a very profound point here. Perhaps someone trained in the philosophy of law(?) could comment? The three-way separation of powers (police, judiciary, parliament) are all meant to be working for the common good, aren't they? Which fairly clearly makes them part of the "public service". Yet this aspect seems to be ignored in much of their operation, especially the contention-based activities of the legal system, in which advantage is sought absent of any reference to the public good.
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Hi Russell,
Off topic somewhat. There exists in your suburb a chap whom even a baby boomer like myself would call _elderly_. Eric runs Reef Radio (106.7) a low power FM station, dedicated to those musical genres likely to appeal to his generation (now, sadly, almost invisible): jazz (up till bebop), 50s comedy tracks, musicals, the bland, the beautiful, the rare, the forgotten. Since becoming acquainted I have learnt that he has mates all over the country sending each other mp3s for broadcast to their few but loyal listeners.My point, if there is one, is that so much of our musical (and hence radio) heritage gets so quickly forgotten. Gordon Campbell reaches into the vaults occasionally, and Chris Bourke's _Blue Smoke_ series was a delight. But it's Eric and his ilk who play old Goon Shows every week. Hence this shout out.
Bob. -
Right on Russell!
How far would $26 million go towards helping people into what is in fact a wealthy, lightly populated country, ours? -
A bit off topic, but can I bring to your attention, "Cider With Roadies", Stuart Maconie's account of his time writing for NME from around 1987, preceded by his contact with pop music since his mum took him to see the Beatles at the age of three. Wonderfully well written and hilarious. Amazon UK listing.
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Russell,
Generally I have no idea what you're talking about in this music column, mainly because my musical taste was formed in 1970s London, per Charlie Gillett, Kenny Everett, et al, so I missed the whole seminal NZ scene. However I rely on both your and Gordon Campbell's efforts to extend my experience, so thank you for your efforts.
What I wish to mention is that this Saturday Music in Parks (no relation) has put together a cracker programme of three bands at Coyle Park (aha!). A blend of Motown+soul+RnB+jazz -- should be great!
Cheers and thanks again, Bob. -
Dark Horse, for me.
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Thank you Craig. And though it's not about my personal experience, it is about that of so many who have been and still get abused, those who aren't able to 'toughen up and get over it', but who carry the hidden scars for so very long. People I know who find themselves reflexively pulling back from potential intimacy, even of merely friendship, because that's the lesson they have learnt -- it's not safe to connect. I am not putting this well, but I strongly support your point of view and thank you for it.
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G: and H:
I guess people would consider me to be not disabled nor impaired, though frequently irritating. I identify with some aspects of the Aspergers spectrum. I found ‘Look Me In The Eye’ by John Elder Robison liberating, in the sense of getting permission to be who I am, warts and all. And I have come to suspect that most people are somewhere on various capability spectra -- that an awareness of disability in general can help me be aware of people more for who they are, rather than who they feel they ought to be. I don’t want to make too much of this; it’s simply my way of grappling with socialisation, and I am not very good at it. However thinking of all people as variously disabled rather than creating a ghetto of ‘the disabled’ seems to me a better approach to organising a community.Many thanks for this column, Russell and all.
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Apropos and coincidentally, here's a link:
https://medium.com/matter/22979c8ec9d6
"The silencing of the Deaf : How high-tech implants are being blamed for killing an entire subculture."
Best wishes, Bob.