Now, I usually don't go in for the usual Kiwi sledging bit (when you've got Western Australia to play with), but I saw one of the funniest things I have ever seen on a TV in the last couple of hours. I was down the gym and happened to notice there was some red-haired chickie on one of the TVs talking to some Maoris in some very picturesque setting with mountains and stuff (I think it was something to do with the making of Lord of the Rings). I thought this could be entertaining for a bit, and started watching. Now, all the TVs down the gym have the "closed captioning" or subtitles on for those without earphones. Whoever was "translating" what the Maoris were saying for the subtitles nearly made me fall of the treadmill. Those that are familiar with the "New Zuland" accent will readily recognise how "i" sounds like "u" (it sounds like they are saying "ruch" and "thuck" rather than "rich" and "thick").........well, on more than one occasion our little interpreter must have gone into cruise control, because that's exactly what was coming up on the subtitles. The red-head asked one of the Maoris what he thought of NZ being the scene for the movie, and I sh*t you not, the subtitle read.......
"Well, I thunk <> (the subtitle code for typo) think its a great......." I had to stop running on the treadmill in amazement (and fear of falling off and hurting myself. Would it happen again? Sure did.
"Perhaps now some other ruch <> rich Hollywood producers......." Unbelieveable. You can't make this stuff up.
Slight thread drift did anyone catch the kiwi shiela singing the NZ anthem at the tri-nations last night? For a country rich in musicians she was bloody woeful. Probably put the kiwis off their game Big Willy Mason wouldnt have been the prettiest boy in the nightclub after game pissup
1. That is indeed what some of our native brethren are saying.
2. No-one, anywhere, in the world of international sports, in any country, manages to sing any national anthem, without making a completly tasteless and untalented hash of it.
3. No-one of any consequence, anywhere in the known universe, gives a corpulent rodent's posterior about League.
4. Willy Mason was apparently born in NZ. Must have been up North, we don't encourage his sort down here.
But the NZ anthem - and I apologise for offending any Kiwis - is a total crock. Did they select it from "The 10 worst songs from the Eurovision Song Contest" ?
It's this strange thing that some Aussies have about NZ. I don't know why it is so. They're bigger than us. They're bolder than us. They're stronger, brasher, richer, they beat us at sports, they have a real military, their cops have guns, they build their own cars, they have better roads, bigger hospitals, etc etc etc.
And yet, at some deep, unspoken, undeniable level, they just know that they're inferior to us. And so does everyone else. And it grates.
Come off it, Buster, you knew you'd get bites, and so did I. Such is the Tao of PPRuNe.
As to Helen Clark, well, what can I say. There is more to this story, and much of it soon to be revealed, apparently.
I'm not sure exactly why she has been Prime Minister for as long as she has. Realistically, she should have gone last time; but last time was a strange election. MMP makes for some curious bedfellows. Personally, I think the mood of the nation was in favour of change. I think the supporters of NZ First and United Future desired change; their support for this Labour administration has probably signed their party death warrants for 2008 - assuming we get that far without another election. But for all its faults, MMP is a more representative system than was FPP, and I wouldn't swap it back again. In the fullness of time, I'll very happily pull the lever on the gallows, when the very real, very old, and very disturbing truth about Clark finally comes out.
As to that strange poem, tin, none of us know what it means. That's why we don't sing it. I might know as many as a half-dozen words of Maori, four of which are numbers. I can't think what the others are off hand. Probably the ones for "handout" and "whinge".
League is a curious game; an odd mix of touch, sevens, and little girls' football. Almost no-one here, with an above-single-digit IQ, or reflective skin, is known to play it.
A game you get points for when you miss the target????
Aha Ha Ha
At least you have 'International Rules' I suppose where you get modify the rules of your game to play against Ireland and uh......some others aren't there??
Actually there are no rules to modify really. The only thing I can see is that you are not allowed to take any weaponry on to the field, other than that free go mate hurt and maim at will!!
OK - sitting back waiting for bites - but you can't deny it, you get points for missing!
Indeed you do. Much like you get 3 points in Basketball for shooting outside the err, 3 point line, 2 inside & 1 from a free throw. Consider the extra 5 points in Aussie Rules a score "outside" the 3 point line! Us Aussies are very much SNAGS. We like to give a bloke a point for trying. "Well done Mate. Have a point for trying!"
International Rules...hmmm...you've got me there. I can't really get enthusiastic about a hybrid game, derived from a hybrid game, played between hybrid Poms!!! Not much entertainment when professional athletes go on a field & belt the living suitcase out of a team made up of amateurs.
(Woof!)
Not much entertainment when professional athletes go on a field & belt the living suitcase out of a team made up of amateurs.
