Monthly Archives: February 2011

Book review: “Follow the Money”

Attention Conservation Notice: Upbeat review of the latest Australian private eye novel by veteran writer Peter Corris. “Cliff Hardy” has been around so long that Peter Corris has had to change Cliff’s past. In the earliest books, published in the … Continue reading

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Film Reviews: The Way Back & Inside Job

Peter Weir was, sadly, too in love with all his scenes in “The Way Back” to take the pruning shears to the extraneous stuff. And so this story (word used advisedly) of people walking from Siberia to India to escape … Continue reading

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Goering, Goering, Gone…

Saw “Goering’s Last Stand” yesterday – a one man show set the night before Hermann Goering is to be hanged after his Nuremberg trial. It was fine, nothing particularly wrong with either script or performance or staging. It made me … Continue reading

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Complaint to the ABC: Ire finally finds right home

Having not checked my facts, I have now directed my ire at the right target (the ABC) via their Online Complaints Form Christchurch Earthquake coverage intrusive and insensitive Dear Sir/Madam, I wish to complain in the strongest possible terms about … Continue reading

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Getting your spouse to jump through the hoops

It’s an old (2006) story, but this piece from the New York Times by a woman who used the techniques used to create performing seals/dolphins/elephants on her loveable but e’er-so-slighty-irritating husband is a laff riot. What Shamu taught me about … Continue reading

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Exasperation versus Contempt

Hmm, every so often I use this blog to propound distinctions (possibly hair-splitting ones) that might be the teensy-weensiest bit self-serving/self-exculpating. A while back it was “arrogant is better than smug-discuss” – the former being ok because it was upfront … Continue reading

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Account ability – excellent suggestions from Rhizome

This is why the Tinterwebs is such a brilliant invention. Cos you set up a blog, and you have a great bunch of people reading (and that includes you very occasional commenters, and heck, you lurkers too). And, just when … Continue reading

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Mmm, humble pie… tasty!! Not SBS, but ABC

[UPDATE: Complaint finally sent to right people.] Sigh. You know all these complaints I’ve been making to SBS about their coverage of the Christchurch Earthquake? Here, here and here. I screwed up. The people I should have been complaining to/about … Continue reading

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Group problems: lists and listlessness

Recently Sostenga and CooperativesUK released a “Greener Together” toolkit for people wanting to get an environmental group going (whether it was to get some allotments, help reduce energy bills or whatever). According to the toolkit “Some common problems you might … Continue reading

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SBS on Christchurch Earthquake – wrong and getting wronger

UPDATE 26/2/11: Major embarrassment alert: I’ve been accusing SBS. I was wrong. It was the ABC. For those of you who came in late: SBS’s 10.30pm news programme (“Lateline”, 23rd Feb) ran a recorded segment about the Christchurch earthquake that … Continue reading

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