Uriah Heap

That's a fair point you make there Crusty. But it's the way of the world isn't it.
For instance I don't know about you, but when I get together with old rugby mates we happily recall our old hedonistic, risk taking days full of binge drinking, damaging pubs, driving in unwarranted cars, etc. All the things we lecture our kids against today.

The Minister tried to go wide and gas it around the outside of security, when everyone knows he should have taken the Fat Man's Track.

Black Caps have a big win in a series away form home, against a half decent team. On the same day Lou Vincent decides to purge his soul to the media and grabs the headline.
Ahhh Lou, one bad decision after another. Can't you get anything right?

The new Principal comes on board and wants to "exert his authority". Wants to be seen as a "hard task master".
No doubt that is true - exactly what a new Principal at a traditional all boys school would want to do and what the majority of parents would be wanting him to do.
"The kid is rightly miffed".
I'll bet he was, as were the others who got told to get their hair cut shorter. There are many rules at many schools, especially the traditional all boys schools, strictly enforced by Principals, that make kids "miffed". Do we want to challenge them all?
 
Where does this leave our new Principal now. Somewhat emasculated I'd say, having been seen to have been put in his place by the "miffed" kid, his father and the High Court. Is this what the majority of parents wanted for St Johns College and their new Principal - I'll bet it's not.
A short sighted victory.

Someone now needs to go to the High Court and challenge Bars that won't let you in if you wearing $250. trainers, but will (let you in) if you're wearing $30 black school shoes from the No.1 Shoe Wharehouse.
It's another arbitrary rule, made by the person in charge, wanting to show that they are in charge. It's just waiting for some zealot to get all worked up over.

No, A "smart arse" runs on the field, prancing and smiling, waving to his mates and forgetting to run and sidestep (Streaker 101).
He gets blindsided. Isn't that just karma?

No! That would be Phil Kearns when he commentates the Warratahs vs any other team.

Is it my one eyed bias, or did a frustrated Steve Walsh just decide that the Hurricanes were not going to win HIS game last Saturday night v The Warratahs. One penalty for "mucking around", a Hurricanes "forward pass" that even the Aussie commentators disagreed with and then Perinara penalised for back chat. How often does a player get penalised for "back chat" these days? Fair go!

Ahhh a Kiwi wish list. How appropriate at Xmas time SS.
I will start this open discussion.
 
I see NZ utopia as beginning with NZ being a Republic, with a left leaning Govt, led by a Maori Prime Minister (fluent in Te Reo), with a NZ'r of Samoan decent as Deputy, and a NZ'r of Chinese decent as Finance Minister. Maori seats retained, but the 
Greens wither and die, because their trendy, comfortable, middle class ideals ultimately impact most on the NZ working class.

Woah! That's a serious anger outburst you've had there AAB.
Now calm down and apologise. There's a good lad.

Yep, 20/1 to 15/1 is not a huge move percentage wise, but I'll bet the stable hands had a piece of it.
But isn't this what we love about Aussie racing.
That shady, deceitful, untrustworthy, on the take, underhand, rip off your own grandmother side of things.
 
Actually that sums up what we love about Australians in general.

I like these old recounts from Authors around the time (late 1800's) as opposed to modern historians looking through "modern thinking eye glasses".
For instance the book "Old Manawatu" is good read for anyone interested in NZ history.
 
I think this recount is by an large accurate, with Te Heuheu concerned that the mountains would be divied up.
Mr Grace (a missionaries son - could their be a less trustworthy person) makes the suggestion - "Sign the mountains over to the Crown Te HH and you will die a contented man". So that's what the old fellow does.
 
These modern notions of "joint ownership" in all likliehood a crock of old rubbish, but the fact is Mr Grace clearly had a vested interest in securing those mountains for the Crown and took advantage of THH's fears.
What is the problem of their now being joint Guardianship? Joint decision making from here on in.
However, please don't tell me there is going to be reparation for the intervening 120 odd years. I'm a bit sick and tired of all those payments.

The first part of the solution would be to have the same Test and 50,over team.
So you might have Guptill, Rutherford, Williamson, Taylor, McCullum, Anderson, Watling, Vetori, Bracewell, Wagner and Boult.
Add Ryder, The big hitting bowler and Munro and that's your 14 for the entire year. Tests and 50 overs.
People might disagree on the names, but you get the idea.
 
 
20-20 can just be a bunch of no-name sloggers, allowing the above 14 to rest up for the serious stuff.

You're on the right track here Eljay. While I appreciate what Nek Minute is saying, the fact is the leisure activities that take up many hours are currently struggling to hold their numbers. That's golf, cricket, bowls, horse racing, etc. It's all fast action, for little effort, that people are after in these modern times. There's no point complaining that it's such a rush for workers. You swim with the tide, or you sink into obscurity.
 
In regard to facilities I'd pump the money into Ellerslie (especially), Te Rapa, Wellington (maybe) and Riccaton, to have these as top class venues. I'd close a dozen tracks, maintain Hastings, Awapuni, New Plymouth, Tauranga, etc as they are and have the rest as "midweek no crowd - only for TAB" venues apart from two or three, highly promoted big family days.

You're on the right track here Eljay. While I appreciate what Nek Minute is saying, the fact is the leisure activities that take up many hours are currently struggling to hold their numbers. That's golf, cricket, bowls, horse racing, etc. It's all fast action, for little effort, that people are after in these modern times. There's no point complaining that it's such a rush for workers. You swim with the tide, or you sink into obscurity.
 
In regard to facilities I'd pump the money into Ellerslie (especially), Te Rapa, Wellington (maybe) and Riccaton, to have these as top class venues. I'd close a dozen tracks, maintain Hastings, Awapuni, New Plymouth, Tauranga, etc as they are and have the rest as "midweek no crowd - only for TAB" venues apart from two or three, highly promoted big family days.

The first part of the solution would be to have the same Test and 50,over team.
So you might have Guptill, Rutherford, Williamson, Taylor, McCullum, Anderson, Watling, Vetori, Bracewell, Wagner and Boult.
Add Ryder, The big hitting bowler and Munro and that's your 14 for the entire year. Tests and 50 overs.
People might disagree on the names, but you get the idea.
 
 
20-20 can just be a bunch of no-name sloggers, allowing the above 14 to rest up for the serious stuff.

This and similar programmes are highly addictive.
You watch the first one and then you feel compelled to watch every episode through until the finish, often at the expense of far superior programmes on other channels.
Soon the whole family are watching. Sitting like zombies, with dinner is going uneaten and dishes not washed.
Then you start posting on line encouraging others to join you in your nasty little habit.
 
The only way to break the cycle is to commence therapy and swear off all Reality TV, 100%.

I asked my College age NZ Euro son about this.
He said he'd never been teased for being white, either by Maori/Islander mates or those he did not know.
He said he felt no guilt about the past and had never even considered what happened in the past, but he was a bit frustrated that he could not hip hop as good as his Maori mates.
He thought the questions might have been answered by "Year 13, nerdy, swats". 

I asked my College age NZ Euro son about this.
He said he'd never been teased for being white, either by Maori/Islander mates or those he did not know.
He said he felt no guilt about the past and had never even considered what happened in the past, but he was a bit frustrated that he could not hip hop as good as his Maori mates.
He thought the questions might have been answered by "Year 13, nerdy, swats". 

Not at all keen on The Sweet, but loved Slade.
Saw them live at the Music Machine somewhere in Inner Nth London (maybe Camberwell) in 1980.
Me the girlfriend and a mate.Three Kiwi's in a crowd of drunken bover boys. Not many girls.
 
They came on at midnight and the place heaved.
One of the best concerts I ever attended.

i saw this guy walk on water the other day. in the thames or some such dirty old english river.
i noticed he was struggling to maintain his balance and thought to myself "is it that difficult to walk on water?".
the the police turned up in a boat and took him off. i'm not sure if they were arresting him.
maybe it's illegal to walk on water in england.

If everyone accepted that the NZ Racing Retro was merely about providing a review of the Saturday racing plus trainers/jockeys thoughts then it might fly again. The problem was that many wanted it to be a forum for analysing the issues within NZ racing. As a result it was viewed as being "soft", as toeing the company line, as having drab panellists who would not ask the hard questions. It was compared unfavourably to Aus Racing Retro in most respects.
 
I'd love to see it again along the lines suggested by Aknowler, because I'm often tied up on Sat arvo and don't get to hear those trainers comments following races. 

If everyone accepted that the NZ Racing Retro was merely about providing a review of the Saturday racing plus trainers/jockeys thoughts then it might fly again. The problem was that many wanted it to be a forum for analysing the issues within NZ racing. As a result it was viewed as being "soft", as toeing the company line, as having drab panellists who would not ask the hard questions. It was compared unfavourably to Aus Racing Retro in most respects.
 
I'd love to see it again along the lines suggested by Aknowler, because I'm often tied up on Sat arvo and don't get to hear those trainers comments following races. 

Not only Maori. Straight Strike has made derogatory comments about other ethnicities that don't have white skin. 
Straight Strike is a white supremist.