Posts by BenWilson
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I was kidding about Kiri Te Kanawa. Don't know much about her except she has an extraordinary voice.
The first Maori PMONZ is not going to come from a minor party, you can bank on that. He/she will be either Labour or National. But so far all the promising candidates seem to crack the shits (sorry for the ozzism but sometimes it seems appropriate) and leave or get booted. So maybe there's going to be a long wait. I think sadly that that primaries method in the US did actually help make Obama, and our own system makes that so much less likely.
But then again, like I said before, the right candidate just hasn't been found. Someone who speaks powerfully and is also moderate enough to stay within party orthodoxy is actually quite a rare fish. I hope we don't have to have a NZ equivalent of George Bush first to enable it. MMP makes that unlikely too.
Hence my continued observation that the more democratic, the more conservative. Not that that is bad, I'd rather have conservative democracy over radical oligarchy any day.
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Steven, competing for a ferry run is a pretty large investment, and Waiheke is a pretty small market. I'm not surprised there's no serious competition. Such is NZ. At least the ferry service itself is very good. It could be cheaper though, maybe competition would drive that. I wouldn't hold my breath.
Competition on major transport infrastructure is a luxury that only megalopolises seem to be able to afford. I'm not convinced it works even there. I could have avoided the tollway in Melbourne, and my father-in-law does so religiously. But that's because he's the kind of person who doesn't mind adding half an hour to a trip each way time to save $5, and more importantly, make his point (usually to his family who have to put up with his scary driving for that time). Everyone else just eats it.
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knowing full well that when a maori finally attains the coveted NZ captaincy there won't be half the hyperbole. (which does highlight something positive about our nature)
I don't think anyone even finds that an unlikely scenario in NZ. We're just waiting for the right Maori. But the States led the way and that's awesome on it's own, notwithstanding how incredibly powerful the POTUS is by comparison to the PMONZ. Their credibility as a democracy internationally has jumped hugely. Americans probably fail to appreciate this.
I think we could only outdo them by electing a Maori woman. If only Kiri Te Kanawa would stand. She could blow chunks off any acceptance speech with the right speechwriter and good music.
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I have no idea about accuracy but it sure would be more awesome!
Personally I think it should be Schadenfredensnoodle but that may offend "the purists"Heh, offending Germans is all good Schadenfreude in itself. Schadenfreudenschulde also sounds reeaaally German when you say it with correct pronunciation, and it's not a very long word at all by their standards, since compounding up is fine. Try "Donaudampfschiffarhtselektricitatenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamptengesellschaft" for comparison. They take things too far, as a rule.
For a less Teutonic take I think we're all enjoying a 'Roman holiday'.
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Will it cost Fullers? It's hard to say for sure. Commuters are one thing, and old people don't commute so I guess that won't affect things. But holiday goers account for a huge amount of fares at certain times. My Dad is a good example - he's never going to live on Waiheke but he goes there all the time. They will never get another cent out of him from the moment he can get the free fares, except on kiosk sales. Probably lost $500 a year there, and another lot when Mum graduates. A whole bunch of baby boomers own bachs there, possibly even the majority. At least 5 of their friend-families are in a similar situation. Half of the valley our bach is in are seniors or will be pretty soon.
But I'm personally very happy about the whole thing. Anything that gets oldies out and about is a good thing. I doubt that it will improve tourism to the island much, because getting around Waiheke is a physical struggle that puts off seniors totally, but the idea of them enjoying scenic trips during the day together warms the cockles of my heart.
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I speak German and my impression is that Gio is technically correct. The more common use of Schadenfreude is not in the joy at the sorrow of enemies, it is in the secret joy that many of us feel in the sorrow of friends. But it's one of those words that has morphed in meaning, and today the foreign usages probably outnumber the originals. I don't think the Germans never used it on enemies, but the connotation that Schadenfreude is shameful suggests that it would more commonly be used the other way. Enjoying the downfall of the evil is not especially shameful.
So you can still use it that way, Gio, and feel pedantic and right. You just can't tell others off without them feeling it right back at you.
I share the hope of Rose from "Two and a half men" that Glaukenstucken might also catch on, as a word to describe "Feeling guilt about having felt Schadenfreude". I'm feeling it but I don't have a real German word, so a pseudo will do. Probably "Schadenfreudenschulde" would be more accurate.
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My Dad is slavering over it, being on the verge of retirement. He also offers some useful advice for those not lucky enough to be 65: Take the car ferry.
If you have more than 3 people it can prove a whole lot cheaper. It's also longer, but then you have a car of your own over there, which makes up for a lot, considering what a hilly place it is, and how spread out.
It may go against the whole green idea of hippy suffering which is so common there, but I have to say, so does the normal ferry, which is at least a 20-fold improvement on what it used to be. I'm glad I can just drink Baroona now, rather than be forced to ride on the horrible old thing. It's probably still got my puke down some of the cracks.
My dear old Grandma made the voyage exactly once by sea, and decided in favor of flying there every other time subsequently, a service that was defunct the last I heard. She could never believe us that the Quickcat was actually a pleasant form of transport. Kids these days will never know (or care) how much things have improved.
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Responsible vigilance should not be trumped by over-indifferent magnanimity.
LOL feel free to watch them then. But I doubt they can or will say anything they haven't said a hundred times already. The number of keyboard warriors who have called for an armed uprising in NZ grows daily, and none is as credible as our already discredited 'terrorist plot'. In the US it's highly credible but they already take huge precautions. Indeed, thanks largely to Bush, finding people who are planning political crimes has never been easier. The irony of that will not be lost on them, I'm sure.
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Also we may be feeling a whole lot less jubilant on Saturday.
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Re Schadenfreude, I know it's hard to resist, but it's actually better to just forget about the creeps now. Let them fester in their own cesspit of bitter self-recriminations or denial.
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