Posts by Ian Hickling

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  • Island Life: I'll cry if I want to,

    and in direct parallel, here in relatively socialist Barbados where the CWC final is going to be held, the beautiful Kensington Oval has been upgraded to the tune of well over a hundred million dollars - and all footed by the taxpayer. The place looks great, but it will only host a small handful of games and will have its capacity reduced agan by 30% after the curtain comes down. Thousands of people have been put out by the massive construction effort that has gone on here over the past year, but very few have complained about the massive spending, probably because the country needed its infrastructure upgrading seriously. The difference here is that the Bajan govt just can't really afford to fund all this infrastructure, whereas the NZ govt has been running nice surpluses. Barbados is still in some ways like NZ was 30 years ago; a sporting monoculture, highly protectionist, heavily unionised and reliant on only one major industry (in this case tourism). Still, I have my ticket to the final which will be the Black Caps against the Windies! Cheers

    Barbados • Since Nov 2006 • 25 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Bad men,

    seeing the pictures this morning on the Herald site, reminded me of the MJ & OJ court cases in the US, with the obligatory news conference outside the courthouse. It cheapens NZ justice. Surely the kind of outburst by Rickards should be construed as contempt?

    Barbados • Since Nov 2006 • 25 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: You can't moan,

    I've missed the heroics in the cricket, what with living over here, but I can't wait until the BCs arrive here next week. They play two warm-up matches against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and then I've scored a ticket to the final of the CWC at the newly renovated Kensington Oval for what I hope will be the final between the BCs and the Windies. Should be a cracker!
    This was also the ground where the BCs won their first ever test match against the Windies in the Windies about 3 years ago. There were only about 20 Kiwis at the ground and we went out with much of the team to a local nightclub later that evening. One of the supporters (in from the UK) had a few too many and tackled Lou VIncent, and put him out of the next couple of games with a broken foot.

    Barbados • Since Nov 2006 • 25 posts Report Reply

  • Flying Nun Moments,

    Just a little disappointed...
    I just received my collectors' edition of the FN boxed set, carefully delivered to these parts of the world by friends from NZ holidaying here. Carefully opened - even preserved the shrink-wrap because I wanted it to become a family heirloom...opened the beautiful box, read the beautiful booklet, opened the first CD and on taking the CD out, the jewel case breaks...same thing happened on each of the four CDs. So my nice family heirloom has four broken jewel cases where the centres that hold the CDs disintegrated. .mp3s don't have the heirloom status, but the also don't fall to pieces in your hands. For an expensive box set, you'd have thought they'd use decent quality packaging. The music's great though.

    Barbados • Since Nov 2006 • 25 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: In other news, the sky is falling,

    it's seemed to me in recent years that the quality of the spelling and grammar in the NZH has deteriorated markedly. I always equate (probably wrongly) this with the paper becoming less believable. It was always Aunty, but it was our Aunty. Now it just seems like some kid down the road. But I'm fussy - I've even written to BBC World to complain about their spelling! ggrrrrr grrr nash nash

    Barbados • Since Nov 2006 • 25 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Wonderful athletes,

    Agree totally about Aussie comentators, I always turn the commentary off if they are on, but we're hardly blameless in being one-eyed...might I mention Mexted?

    Barbados • Since Nov 2006 • 25 posts Report Reply

  • Patea Maori Club,

    Our kids make me play this to them alll the time...thanks for the post

    Barbados • Since Nov 2006 • 25 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: The Suicide Note,

    Two items on our local BBC news this morning from London:

    1. Brett Lee is out of the next Aussie game due to bronchitis! I wonder whether his gig list requires condoms?

    2. US troops invaded the Iranian Consul in Baghdad this morning and detained four Iranian staff. My understanding was that international law states that consular buildings constitute sovereign land for the relevant consul, and that one of the most strictly adhered to international laws was about the sanctity of embassies and consular offices. So it appears as though the US has now technically invaded Iran (and I heard no word of complaint about this violation by anyone on the news), and added the breaking of this international law to their violation of the Geneva Convention over Guantanamo. When you add this to the above discussion about Hollywood vetting our computer content, the US conducting actions against "suspected AQ militants" in Somalia (another sovereign territory), and the news in the Herald last week that we're going to have to give 10 fingerprints to enter the US, is anyone else worried about the way the world is turning? I regularly have to travel to the US in the course of my business and well remember the dilemna I went through when they first introduced fingerprinting (only 2 fingers). My identity is no longer my own, and I have no control on how it is used, sold or to whom. Paranoid? I am

    Barbados • Since Nov 2006 • 25 posts Report Reply

  • Summer Holiday,

    here's one for you Che. We were out diving yesterday, moving my mooring that had drifted after a large tourist catamaran decided to borrow it. As we chained it up with another engine block to give added weight, just as we put the pin through the shackle to finish the job, my air ran out. My buddy had already switched to my emergency reg because he ran out a minute earlier so we're both at 35 feet with no air. We dropped the pin and chain and quickly headed for the surface (neither of us had fins on so it was a funny ascent). Thankfully we made it back for Christmas! Ain't doing that again

    Barbados • Since Nov 2006 • 25 posts Report Reply

  • Summer Holiday,

    never much enjpyed Christmas in NZ, especially when those "Any time, Any Place, Any Where" blitzes put more stress into racing round various family, friends etc for present delivery and socializing - and having a drink at each.
    Barbados we enjoy at Christmas. The temperature has slightly dropped to the high 20s with 23 - 26 at night, so we turn the AC off and occcasionally have blankets on the bed. The nights are slightly longer than normal (there is only an hour or so difference in day lenght throughout the year in the tropics), cooler, a bit windier, and once the pre-25th traffic jams die down, we get to socialize at a more salubrious pace. And as the place is reliant on tourism there is no prospect of a blitz. They don't even have the blow-in-the-bags.
    Post-Christmas parties usually involve excess of various types and the topic of conversation sometimes turns to which celebrities have hunkered down in Platinum Coast hotels, evading papparazi.
    Yep, Barbabos really is paradise in that two week period following Christmas, relaxed, vibrant and sophisticated

    ...but it still ain't home! Merry Christmas New Zealand

    Barbados • Since Nov 2006 • 25 posts Report Reply

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