Thanks David. As I age I seem to have less & less patience for the likes of Q&A. I observed my father give up on tv as he aged, though he never gave up on RNZ. Would love to know if he would now, as I have, Concert the exception. I think I live in fear of being disappointed with, say, LUxon..Packer would send me to the liquor cabinet early! Then there's the shouting at the tv...lol.
These days I find the volume of info overwhelming.
Kim Hill once said she was a speed reader. Back in the day I hung on every word...another disappointment in these times.
I'm reminded of the 1972 Stanford marshmellow experiment where young children were offered a marshmellow now (sitting in front of them) or 2 if they were able to resist for a certain length of time. I can't remember the outcome but I think most modern children would grab the one instantly.
I try to avoid descending to ad hominem comments but Jack Tame typifies the worst of modern journalism, and dare I say it, gets by on his boyish good looks. Just about the only time I've watched Q & A was his interview with Lord Jonathan Sumption and I think he was so in awe of the man he asked very few actual questions and did not try for any Gotchas!
Not sure how you find the time to digest and re-parcel the amount of information (historical & current) that you do, but it’s certainly impressive in all regards. This piece took a wee bit to get the entitled ‘point’, but the ride was a most enjoyable one. Actually, I’m struggling to find the right adjective as I didn’t really ‘enjoy’ it that much at all. I certainly agreed with everything you wrote, but repeatedly affirming my own views on these matters, whilst somewhat satisfying, does little to assuage my fury. MSM, here TVNZ, appears to have no shame, nor standards. Simply woeful & woke. Tame has potential, a smart young chap, but appears to think it’s all about him. And Luxon, again one with potential, is proving to be a massive disappointment. ‘Let me just say this’, he is a spineless, gutless coward. Packer is simply a moron. Seymour speaks such truths and exhibits the kind of integrity that Luxon appears to have misplaced somewhere.
Thanks for the comment Boris and the observations.
As to "digest and reparcel" I am fortunate that I learned to speed read when I was about 13 (another of my Dad's suggestions).
I collect information in the same way that a magpie collects shiny objects and although there is often a sense of relief when an article is finished and posted to Substack or the Listener or Law News there is inevitably another light on the horizon that needs to be investigated.
I have a very structured way of working and developing an article. In my younger and more foolish days I considered the first draft to be the final draft - no more. I start with an outline and write to the topic headings - often not in order - and then rearrange the material into a coherent form. A word processor is a Gift from God (Luther said the same about the printing press!)
Although my principal discipline is law my incliniation is towards history and literature. My PhD was in legal history.
Alongside that, given that lawyers engage with precedent, that in itself is an historical analysis of an idea or a principle.
I understand the "enjoy" issue that you feel. The way I would like to put it, should it be of any assistance, is that you may be "informed" and if that is the end result I consider the writing to be worthwhile.
I think we are about the same age and you may well have learned to speed read, as did I, in a programme that came out in the late 50s called Reading Lab. I motored through it so fast I was accused of cheating but easy to prove I didn't. Plus I have an eidetic memory and that helps when it comes to digesting the written word.
All I recall from Dad's suggestion was a large soft-cover book (blue and light gray designs on the cover) filled with readings and comprehension tests which were not easy. It wasn't enough to read quickly. Retaining the info was the objective.
Lucky you with an eidetic memory. I hadn't heard of that until I started reading a series of thrillers by Steve Berry featuring a bookseller (and former Government agent) named Cotton Malone. Great stories and high-powered pace. And Cotton has an eidetic memory. Waddaya know.
Thanks David. As I age I seem to have less & less patience for the likes of Q&A. I observed my father give up on tv as he aged, though he never gave up on RNZ. Would love to know if he would now, as I have, Concert the exception. I think I live in fear of being disappointed with, say, LUxon..Packer would send me to the liquor cabinet early! Then there's the shouting at the tv...lol.
These days I find the volume of info overwhelming.
Kim Hill once said she was a speed reader. Back in the day I hung on every word...another disappointment in these times.
I share many of those frustrations too, I feel starved of good analysis on what is happening in NZ.
I'm reminded of the 1972 Stanford marshmellow experiment where young children were offered a marshmellow now (sitting in front of them) or 2 if they were able to resist for a certain length of time. I can't remember the outcome but I think most modern children would grab the one instantly.
I try to avoid descending to ad hominem comments but Jack Tame typifies the worst of modern journalism, and dare I say it, gets by on his boyish good looks. Just about the only time I've watched Q & A was his interview with Lord Jonathan Sumption and I think he was so in awe of the man he asked very few actual questions and did not try for any Gotchas!
Not sure how you find the time to digest and re-parcel the amount of information (historical & current) that you do, but it’s certainly impressive in all regards. This piece took a wee bit to get the entitled ‘point’, but the ride was a most enjoyable one. Actually, I’m struggling to find the right adjective as I didn’t really ‘enjoy’ it that much at all. I certainly agreed with everything you wrote, but repeatedly affirming my own views on these matters, whilst somewhat satisfying, does little to assuage my fury. MSM, here TVNZ, appears to have no shame, nor standards. Simply woeful & woke. Tame has potential, a smart young chap, but appears to think it’s all about him. And Luxon, again one with potential, is proving to be a massive disappointment. ‘Let me just say this’, he is a spineless, gutless coward. Packer is simply a moron. Seymour speaks such truths and exhibits the kind of integrity that Luxon appears to have misplaced somewhere.
Thanks for the comment Boris and the observations.
As to "digest and reparcel" I am fortunate that I learned to speed read when I was about 13 (another of my Dad's suggestions).
I collect information in the same way that a magpie collects shiny objects and although there is often a sense of relief when an article is finished and posted to Substack or the Listener or Law News there is inevitably another light on the horizon that needs to be investigated.
I have a very structured way of working and developing an article. In my younger and more foolish days I considered the first draft to be the final draft - no more. I start with an outline and write to the topic headings - often not in order - and then rearrange the material into a coherent form. A word processor is a Gift from God (Luther said the same about the printing press!)
Although my principal discipline is law my incliniation is towards history and literature. My PhD was in legal history.
Alongside that, given that lawyers engage with precedent, that in itself is an historical analysis of an idea or a principle.
I understand the "enjoy" issue that you feel. The way I would like to put it, should it be of any assistance, is that you may be "informed" and if that is the end result I consider the writing to be worthwhile.
Thanks for your continued support.
I think we are about the same age and you may well have learned to speed read, as did I, in a programme that came out in the late 50s called Reading Lab. I motored through it so fast I was accused of cheating but easy to prove I didn't. Plus I have an eidetic memory and that helps when it comes to digesting the written word.
All I recall from Dad's suggestion was a large soft-cover book (blue and light gray designs on the cover) filled with readings and comprehension tests which were not easy. It wasn't enough to read quickly. Retaining the info was the objective.
Lucky you with an eidetic memory. I hadn't heard of that until I started reading a series of thrillers by Steve Berry featuring a bookseller (and former Government agent) named Cotton Malone. Great stories and high-powered pace. And Cotton has an eidetic memory. Waddaya know.
Oh yes, the modern need for instant gratification? Indeed. Point well made.
Great writing, many thanks.