.
.... or wait, was it red?

Aw what the hey, take both. See what happens.

Red, Pils

or Blue, Pils

I wouldn't be surprised if Slumdog Millionare takes out the top award,...

I’ll bet you a Monteiths that (unfortunately) Benjamin Button takes out the Oscar for Best Pic.

Oh well.

What'll it be, Matthew: Red, Pils...?

Loved the review, Craig.

Thanks, Emma. It took a while to get the exercise beyond the "I don't care how closely related we are to monkeys — they're creepy" stage.

But did you mourn the missed opportunity to dust off the fake man-boobs and chest toupee? That's the mark of a real nerd!:)

That'd be soooo cool. Then every time you walked into a room everyone could drop to their knees and yell your name.

Loved the review, Craig.

And now, the moment just the other day when I realised I was definitely a massive nerd: a co-worker told me that the theme for her friend's engagement party was going to be "Cannes" – and the first thing that popped into my head was Star Trek.

But did you…

And now, the moment just the other day when I realised I was definitely a massive nerd: a co-worker told me that the theme for her friend's engagement party was going to be "Cannes"…

I'm rather pleased with it, even though the scansion goes a bit skew-whiff in places. But I would say that, wouldn't…

Suppose (for the sake of discussion) that in 2007:

(a) Afghanistan learns exactly where George W. Bush is located in the U.S.;

(b) there is ample evidence that W. (i) illegally detained and tortured its citizens and (ii)…

Shutting down CIA detention is great. Last torture loophole to close would be 'extraordinary rendition'.

near the top of page 9 of this thread, Emma Hart wrote:

It's coming, by the sounds of things

unfortunately, it looks like it's…

The NYT doesn't stand on ceremony, does it: "This is William Kristol’s last column." Surely, the sweetest six words in the English language. But it doesn't say "for this publication". Are they going to make sure he doesn't work for anybody else after this?

Giovanni: I really think the New…

Never has a single person been so wrong so often and so egregiously about so many things.

He's a smarmy git 'n' all.

Krauthammer.

Was right abot Miers and didn't get his porcine fingers in contact with the Project for the New American Century. A close call, but Kristol wins on points.

Never has a single person been so wrong so often and so egregiously about so many things.

Krauthammer.

There was something wrong with it? It seemed a perfectly sensible opinion-piece to me.

Sometimes even Kristol makes sense, the law of averages and all. Are you familiar with your previous work? Never has a single person been so wrong so often and so egregiously about so many things.

The NYT doesn't stand on ceremony, does it: "This is William Kristol’s last column." Surely, the sweetest six words in the English language.

There was something wrong with it? It seemed a perfectly sensible opinion-piece to me.

Good article by Greenwald, but I am a little stunned to learn that Reynolds is actually a law professor.

Yup. It's what makes his style so exquisitely intellectually dishonest. His posts defending the dispatch of Joe the Plumber (no, really) to Israel to "cover" the war on Gaza for Pajamas…

Not letting abject ignorance interfere with opining

Damn – I was planning to quote that story in another context, when the timing were right. Greenwald writes such solid columns, though the comments are pretty much identical for each story.

The NYT doesn't stand on ceremony, does it: "This is William Kristol’s last column." Surely, the sweetest six words in the English language. But it doesn't say "for this publication". Are they going to make sure he doesn't work for anybody else after this?

Word is, they're looking at The…

Frozen HAIR???

In my first winter here, one of the women in my department blithely explained that it was fine to wash your hair in the morning in winter – you just wore a hat, and that kept your head warm; the ends of your hair would freeze but that…

Sorry for being pedantic, but don't you mean 'pedant'? :)

Bayerische Motoren Werke

Apparently...

I've always been bitter, given that my middle name is Matthew, that I never got a cent out of those pretenders, Bonn Motor Works, who have been trading on my initials for years.

I'm pretty sure that's Bayern MW dude...

You should apply for Parliamentary superannuation. What's the worst that could happen?

Well the other Jack Elder used to be besotted with Sue Bradford.
Pre-pre-parli
But thats going back......

I used to have a mate that would toss empty beer cans over the roof of the car from the drivers seat as he meandered to or from anywhere he happened to be.
I anybody and I mean anybody, who dared to attempt to chastise him for this behaviour he…

You should apply for Parliamentary superannuation. What's the worst that could happen?

And in one very odd twist of bad recordkeeping, one of my student loan bills was sent to his office in Parliament. I have no idea how it happened, but i do know he didn't pay it.

Well he clearly was a terrible Minister of Internal Affairs. Refusing to pay…

The former Minister of Internal Affairs, and last great user of Parliament's billiard room?

No, the other one. No relation.

Seriously, when I was a student in the mid '90s, he had an unlisted number but I didn't. I used to get all his crank phone calls. And in one…

@ Jack Elder – aaaaah, you're THAT Jack Elder.

The former Minister of Internal Affairs, and last great user of Parliament's billiard room?

Big cheer for Henry, the one hundred and eleven year old Tuatara. He's a Dad

Ay, congrats.
But did you know that the Tuatars has no penis?

Males do not have a penis; they reproduce by the male lifting the tail of the female and placing his vent over hers.…

Instead I got the 90 something coming at me with the spade.

It's probably bad that story made me think of this shot of my cat – closely followed by me dropping the camera and running.

Another reason – that rare beast, local political satire done well.

See, I got, funny.. haha... amusing... wait! I know him! You can't do that!

Guess it's all perspective.

I'd photograph them but they'd get pissy.

I got a good one of my grandmother one year ( no mean feat. I tell you) I thought lovely shot of her in the garden. Instead I got the 90 something coming at me with the spade. I was informed that she…

‘I usually let John sleep at the foot of the bed,’ a visibly distraught English told reporters at an afternoon press conference. ‘But lately he’s been whining and scratching at the door every ten minutes so last night I…

From memory, I think it ends at Bond St, which isn't all that helpful.

Depends where you are going. Gets you to the corner of Ponsonby/K-Road much more pleasantly and safely than trying to slog up Newton Rd from the off ramp.

You know, I never knew that you could…

One bright spark online noted that you can do a left at the motorway underbridge and follow a cycle path that is much flatter on the other sideof the motorway.

From memory, I think it ends at Bond St, which isn't all that helpful.

Another note which totally eluded me…

Any car driver who tosses bottles out onto the road is
a)a hoon

-all other labels (irresponsible idiot, munter, shitforbrains, fuckwit)
are covered therein-

I used to have a mate that would toss empty beer cans over the roof of the car from the drivers seat as he meandered to or…

I reckon that given enough time I could prove that between making the Lycra from hydrocarbons and washing it to ensure that it isn't unacceptably smelly, Lycra clad cyclists emit more carbon per km than a 50cc scooter.

I suspect it would take about 10 minutes to counter prove that…

But it doesn't really have an uphill and a downhill as such, does it?

It does if you want to get home again.

And doesn't it rather defeat the point of riding an off-road track to be assisted on the slopes? Getting up Chinaman's Hill on the way to work…

Whoops. things=thighs. Bit Freudian there, sorry. Mind you, the point is the same.

Heh heh. "Point". He said "Point". heh heh.

Cyclists in lycra

I reckon that given enough time I could prove that between making the Lycra from hydrocarbons and washing it to ensure that it isn't unacceptably smelly, Lycra clad cyclists emit more carbon per km than a 50cc scooter.

If it comes to that, Jack Elder should be popping in any moment to tell you that he is a responsible lycra-clad citizen...

Yes, I can't believe that there was a post that featured me being mentioned in the original blog entry, an extended discussion on cycling, and reminiscences of…

hmmm...Ben I hope you get a lot of painful spam from people selling saunas.

A poetic fate for someone who appreciates seeing more of women than the tip of their nose? Except for the fact that every sauna I've ever been in is full of mostly naked men.

And who could fail to agree that The Herald on Sundayis a sheltered workshop for the journalistically challenged?

That or the newsroom at TVNZ7, which ruins an otherwise lovely little channel except for some of the reruns from however many years ago.

Note to programmers look at what you program…

The thing I hate the most about extreme cold is women being all rugged up.

hmmm...Ben I hope you get a lot of painful spam from people selling saunas.

And who could fail to agree that The Herald on Sunday is a sheltered workshop for the journalistically challenged?

Temps down to -15 were ok. Past that and you really had to watch what you were wearing. I remember it being 0c, and thinking how…

My curls would snap!

My curls wouldnt like this!

-all other labels (irresponsible idiot, munter, shitforbrains, fuckwit)
are covered therein-

It's amazing how the cold seems to seek out any exposed skin at those temperatures.

I feel for you, Jake. Presumably you have double glazing, hay bales are stacked along the base of your house, and a gas furnace roaring. A famous moment for me was when the-person-is-now-my-wife came to…

With cooling thoughts from Big O where it is 30plus C, and…

I know what you mean about welcoming those days where it's just hovering around zero. "Ha, no scarf or gloves for me today!", 'That strange yellow orb in the sky actually emits heat ...…

Yesterday, though, it…

Steve, could I borrow 30 deg C?

Yeah, forget about carbon credits – we should be trading directly in temperatures.

On a completely unrelated note. I just checked my readouts from my home ventilation system. It is 51.5c in my roof, that's about 125f.

Steve, could I borrow 30 deg C? The high here today has been -21C. It was -28C when I set out this morning. Eight hours of…

Playing at the Obama Staff Ball, Arcade Fire covered Born in the USA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37pX7KCYgDE

Shame the guy holding the camera had to sing along for the first part ...

Oooh, I like that. You could apply it to, almost, any minority taste/fashion. Yes, I dress like a zombie from a Micheal Jackson video but you don't understand because you're just not cool.
;-)

I used to feel that way about swimming in speedos, finding anything else uncomfortably restrictive. My…

The designation of the 1 compromise seems a bit of a stretch. 488 promises to go.

[various words about lycra gear]

Also, I'd guess that the appeal of race-replica lycra gear to some riders is actually increased by the general mockery expressed by non-cyclists.

To be ridiculed for wearing race lycra in traffic is to be reinforced in your self-perception as a serious cyclist, because non-cyclists…

Ha, yes. My line is 'is it longer than The Big Sleep and if so why?'

I believe in one of the extended versions of LOTR the end titles alone might be longer than The Big Sleep.

I don't think anyone, cyclist or motorist, (lots of us are both, of course), can have a productive discussion

So....what I guess (without wishing to sound reductive) we have established is, cyclists can and do have a difficult time on our roads and van drivers can and do have a…

Amy Tauben (I think it was) said of Seven that it wasn't a great film, but it was great filmmaking. I agree with her assessment of the film and Fincher's ability. Fight Club was much better – a flawed classic. Oddly, I feel somehow the flaws make the film better…

However, one thing I do think adds to the danger factor of cycling is tiredness. People who are pushing themselves physically have less attention to spare for…

But it's way too long, and I'll be very cheerful indeed if Hollywood declare a moratorium on any film being longer than 110 minutes.

Ha, yes. My line is 'is it longer than The Big Sleep and if so why?'

Button was a disappointment, but Fincher's lesser films are mostly flawed at a script level.

Yup, and why was I not in the least surprised to find that Button and Forrest Gump were both written by Eric Roth? The funny thing is Scott Fitzgerald's original story (like Winston Groom's novel)…

That's fairly outrageous extrapolation of any information about the shooting so far.

For which I'd dearly love to be proved wrong.

Sadly, the initial impressions are not good.
Offender drove through a police checkpoint while police chatted.
Offender drove past police cars after stealing the second car.
Police bullets strike…

Benjamin Button is worth going to, if only for the ramming-the-submarine sequence.

The movie is okay (kind of intriguing) up to that point. Then the sea battle part itself is good, as you say. Then there's the silly hummingbird bit – and it's all down hill from there.

Danielle,

I…

Most cyclists I see are the commuting-from-A-to-B kind, and they don't generally wear lycra. They wear their work clothes, or a t-shirt and shorts.

If it comes to that, Jack…

That's fairly outrageous extrapolation of any information about the shooting so far.

For which I'd dearly love to be proved wrong.

So I guess the collary of that principle is that 'hurrying is worth the mess and crap it casues'.

It's just a fact of life. People hurry. Watch out.

And the wrong assumption to make when tootling around the fine highways of the South Island currently – cycle tourism is…

There is something ill-formed about De Caprio--it is as if his baby-face features struggle to express adult emotions

Thanks for that description! I've never been able to work out what it was about Dicaprio which stops me from completely warming to him. There's no denying he's an engaging actor, but…

Frost/Nixon was a great surprise (given it was directed by little Ronnie Howard)

I think Ron Howard is pretty good at telling a story. I mean, he's not going to set the world on fire with his mad directorial skillz, but (apart from a few dogs) he generally makes really…

Reason to be cheerful: Revolutionary Road-- not a terribly good film, but it's strangely hypnotic watching Kate Winslett and Leonardo De Caprio rediscover the lost art of performative smoking

Craig: You really need to watch Madmen to see it done with aplomb. I agree that Revolutionary Road is not great…

The victim seems to have been shot either by the fugitive (who tried to hijack a westbound track after crashing) or in error, by police. Yikes.

And there's this dis-quieting thought at the back of my mind that the courier driver that was shot by the police was shot because…

People are in a hurry sometimes. Whilst your advice to slow down is a perfectly good general life principle, another good one is 'teaching people to slow down is not worth dying for'. So being considerate is your best advice of all.

So I guess the collary of that principle…

Hope the crowd got full value for their tickets — unlike the B-list guests at one ball who were pleased that they'd spent hours in line for a security lockdown. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you don't run a party.

Oh me too, I want full value and…

Chomsky is bleak, may be on autopilot, but writes thoughtfully and without malice. I appreciate that both Fisk & Chomsky have stuck it out, when it…

Jon Knox, you will note, is from The Elephant and Castle, that charming part of South London at the top end of the Old Kent Road. There, being carved up can mean one of two events: that you had encountered one of the picturesque knife-weilding locals at Closing Time;…

Might be partly re-learning economical styles of driving in light of petrol prices, and I wonder if the 70s were more relaxed for similar reasons.

Or I could just be wrong, and what is mellower is me. Still hard to shake the feeling though.

Islander, I think 'carved up'…

I can't help but feel something is broken when we spend more time on attention seeking from Ralston, than Chomsky on autopilot.

Well, as Russell said twelve pages back the frustrating thing about Ralston is that he's entirely capable of doing better — and a little tough love might just…

A word-use collector seeks your meaning-

I've noticed Auckland traffic is mellower

Might be partly re-learning economical styles of driving in light of petrol prices, and I wonder if the 70s were more relaxed for similar reasons.

I've seen some astonishingly cavalier cyclist behaviour here (including, but not limited to, riding the wrong way down the road) and it's just not good for anyone – cyclists, pedestrians, or drivers.

Auckland cycle couriers in particular seem to be over-represented in the stupid road manoeuvre ranks (based on my…

Agreed on Boyle – interesting director. I’m wary of Slumdog Millionaire for some reason, but I will check it out.

Yeah, it has the potential to be either be absolutely dazzling or utterly infuriating, but fortunately the critical reception suggests it's more likely to be the latter. Boyle's an interesting…

And the gushing of emotions that I see streaming from the audience borders on the toxic. But hey maybe than whats just me.

Hey, I was weeping tears of gratitude that Beyonce wasn't doing the split-personality/avant garde space diva thing that even she can't rock. She wore a nice gown,…

Miseryguts.

hahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahaha
See you made someone laugh,
with your total lack of comprehension.

riding the wrong way down the road

yep – I've nearly hit 2 cyclists (at different times) who think it wise to ride the wrong way up the one-way street I exit an underground carpark from! I'm only looking one way, and it's not the way they are coming from!…

Honestly, I feel very sorry for the transport people. They have to figure out solutions that piss everyone off the least.

Yup and EVERYONE has an opinion on what should happen with the roads. Usually based on what would be best for them. So it's a pretty thankless job.

Where…

On a completely unrelated note. I just checked my readouts from my home ventilation system. It is 51.5c in my roof, that's about 125f. I think I will stay out of the loft today. ;-)

Wise. It's 37 degrees in Sydney. It's been hot, though not quite that hot, for…

Reason to be cheerful:
US allows use of embryonic stem cells

Also: the global gag rule is gone (damn straight!), and he signed it the day *after* all the anti-choice protests in DC. Strategic.

How dare the world party instead of donning sackcloth and pitching in to help those plucky…

While the song has a beauty, Beyonsis's rendition lacks something. (Perhaps I prefer those who want to evoke an emotion in me to actually have experienced some deeper emotions, other than sycophancy and covert ambition, themselves.) Yes Im saying I find her shallow.

She thinks the world of you.

Ah I see you didnt look at the link.

Oh, I did, I did. How dare the world party instead of donning sackcloth and pitching in to help those plucky telegenic crips?
Miseryguts.

It's wonderful, and surprisingly Pinter-esque too, in the best sense of the word, as well, as in parts, being oddly moving in its depction of the father-son dynamic of the two leads. Of course, it's also filthy and un-PC as all get out, and Bruges the village looks as…

US allows use of embryonic stem cells

Don't let it distract you from your creeping Jesus posturing.

Ah I see you didnt look at the link.
Bit of a non sequiter there Joe, or do you just like accusing people of having a jeebus complex cause it sounds good. Dick.

the section of it involved in transport planning

Honestly, I feel very sorry for the transport people. They have to figure out solutions that piss everyone off the least.

Suppose you are trying to make it safe for people from Onehunga/Royal Oak etc to bike into town (or at least…

That's why we see these stupid "cycleways" that are actually footpaths with a strip of paint down the middle, with pedestrians…

91-92, used to go to the monthly Friday night drinks reasonably often.
"the good old days" (yes, i'm a certified codger)

I would have been the 11 year old at the reception desk selling you drink tickets for cans of Rheineck or Waikato Draft then, Ah internets, how small you…

Lucy, ditto that anywhere in Auckland that there is a decent bike path. Which is actually a steadily increasing number of places. But no amount of town planning is actually going to make the place flat.

No, and I wouldn't presume to comment on Auckland riding conditions, yhaving never biked…

So long as they mean 'riding slowly on the footpath'. Riding fast on the footpath led to the only serious accident I ever had on a bike. Roads are safer for that.

And not riding at all on the footpath at all in Christchurch, thanks, which has lots of lovely…

And the gushing of emotions that I see streaming from the audience borders on the toxic. But hey maybe than whats just me.

It's just politics, though of a profoundly more pleasant sort than what's infested that part of the world of late. Don't let it distract you from your…

..... can bitch about pop stars all he likes, but if this doesn't melt your heart you don't have one ...

Checks chest for beating of internal organ which facilitates movement of re oxygenated blood around body.
Yep still there. OH you meant the other heart, the one in your…

I don't know what the road code says these days, but riding on the footpath seems to be turning into policy. Roads are only for cars, you know.

So long as they mean 'riding slowly on the footpath'. Riding fast on the footpath led to the only serious accident…

If your friends had kids at the embassy 91-95 I babysat them, if they didn't. then I sold them drink tickets and topped up their glasses at parties and they could have witnessed my girl/woman status struggles

In crowds such a Yoyogi Koen, I would dismount and ride.…

Far freakin' out. So Americans now get a whole five days to examine the text of "non emergency" legislation before it's passed. Some bits of democracy appear to be still coming ...

So we and the Americans share the same time frame for 'emergency ' legislation.

I wonder what ya…

Shutting down CIA detention is great. Last torture loophole to close would be 'extraordinary rendition'.

Yeah, it's a helluva great way to kick off the inaugruation afterparty.

I'm actually interested in how Obama will tackle the US's judiciary system in general- he was, after all, president of the Harvard Law…

Because I grew up in the Ngaio hills of Wellington, I didn't learn to ride a bike until I moved to Tokyo at age 10, and then we rode our bikes everywhere. When my parents got me a 21 speed for my 13th birthday, they…

We slow down where it is warranted BUT-…

I ride my bike. I've riden up Khyber Pass. Along Alber Stt. Along New North Road. Dominion Road. Beach Road. Up Symonds St and Queen Street. Along Ponsonby Rd.

I try to ride considerately, having regard to other traffic,…

tempting to go miniature steam engine

Those little brass jobs that burn metho are cute, but they couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding.

So, I've come round…

I stick to the footpaths, and will just take the fines, if any cop can catch me, for most of it.

Ben, a few years ago a community constable came to lecture my daughter's primary school on road safety and actually told them to ride on the footpath (wise advice…

anywhere with too many big trucks and buses...

Add the bottom of Albert St to that list! I did my first 2 bike commutes this week and found that part the worst of the whole journey, although roundabouts are not great.

The "bike-lane" along the waterfront towards Mission Bay must…

Shutting down CIA detention is great. Last torture loophole to close would be 'extraordinary rendition'.

It's coming, by the sounds of things:

(e) Mission. The mission of the Special Task Force shall be:

(ii) to study and evaluate the practices of transferring individuals to other nations in order to ensure…

Stephen, my solution to the Auckland hills is cheating. My bike has an electric motor on it. Enough to help, but not enough to encourage me to stop cycling altogether and just sit there. I…

how did they recruit you to the dark side? blackmail?

Oh, no, I was always quite receptive.

Seriously, though, this is "end of an era" stuff.

I was running one of those

should've know you were a mole. how did they recruit you to the dark side? blackmail?