Author Archive
Pe-lonker!
How to show off about your car, but soften the blowhard-ish bit: Hi! My name is B**** Mc***, you may or may not have heard of me before, either way, that’s OK with me. I’ve never been featured in the BRW Rich 200 (nor do I want to), hardly ever wear a suit and tie […]
“it’s no surprise that no one wants to be known as a cult”
A bit of local content… Destiny Church ‘sons’ swear oath of loyalty — NZ Herald Meanwhile in the US: Follow up article on Paul Haggis’ defection from Scientology (politicsdaily.com) When the Haggis letter emerged, Davis responded quickly and strenuously, telling the Associated Press that the church does not mandate “disconnection” for anyone and that such […]
“Silence is consent … I refuse to consent.”
The following just-published news story has a bearing on an episode of hypocrisy that caught my eye … and gave me more food for thought about one of our themes: What is it ‘right’ to do in the face of wrongdoing? Or put another way, How should we then live? Read on… Paul Haggis Renounces […]
The difference between a ‘disc’ and a ‘disk’…
They’re pronounced the same, but, technically speaking, there is a distinct difference between a disc and a disk.
“SHUT UP!”
Re my earlier post on censorship … look at this. Creepy.
Critic — a definition
A critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by good taste. — Whitney Balliett, Jazz critic and book reviewer for the New Yorker magazine 1954-2001. Yep, that about sums it up. Does it for me. (Of course, like beauty, ‘good taste’ is in the eye of the beholder.)
Sacred cows and calls for censorship
“Don’t mention the war” — Basil, Fawlty Towers I took some interest in a recent comment on a discussion forum which attacked a journalist for reporting bankruptcy proceedings being undertaken against a failed property developer — accusing the journalist of improper motives for the story. The critic himself has a somewhat unfortunate track record in business […]
Exodus?
I’ve always thought when facebook and twitter got mainstream the kids would leave for somewhere ‘cooler’… as happened to MySpace. Now Miley Cyrus (1.1 million followers) has [reportedly] bailed on twitter… too trivial, too intrusive, too demanding, too ADHD-inspiring would be my guess. Watch her rap yourself, and observe her own entertaining ‘explanation’… Twitter followers […]
Ripples flow from this brave woman’s stand
There’s a good article on The Independent website about the Liskula Cohen/NYC model case, which I mentioned earlier. The more I read about this gutsy woman and what she’s standing up for the more I like. Having been victimised by someone lobbing slimeballs at her from behind a mask of anonymity, she pursued Google to […]
Domain renewal skulduggery? Or scam?
I got an email out of the blue yesterday reminding me that a domain name we maintain for one of my authors Olly Newland was due to expire and needed renewing. The email looked like this: Note the expiry date: 2009-10-04. Following the conveniently-provided link (“If you wish to continue using your domain name please […]
How to protect yourself from extortion: Er, live a ‘clean’ life
David Letterman Reveals Extortion Attempt Over His Affairs – NYTimes.com By Bill Carter October 1, 2009 David Letterman, the late night talk show host, said on his show on Thursday that he had been the victim of an extortion attempt over charges of sexual affairs with staff members, claims that he conceded were true. Mr. […]
