Chevrolet Camaro 2SSRS Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir Cap. Fits all 2016 - 2019 Camaro models. This cap is for under your hood. High quality CNC machined 6061 billet aluminum. Easily installs in 10 minutes with silicone adhesive, which is not included. You may purchase silicone adhesive where auto parts are sold. Customize the look of your Gen 6 Camaro!
Made in the USA! Officially GM Licensed product through Billet Custom.
Choose your finish: Polished (mirror polished finish) or Black.
Returns of this item are subject to a 20% restocking fee.
This item ships separately from Florida.
Available to shipping locations in the Continental USA only.


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Get Ready: No L Train Every Weekend in October
by Greenpointers Staff September 25, 2018 September 24, 2018
File this one under doomsday prep: as we announced previously, the MTA is shutting down the L train every single weekend in October between Eighth Avenue and Broadway Junction (the train will run between Broadway Junction and Canarsie). The severe pain-in-the-train begins on Friday nights at 11:30pm and lasts until 5am Monday morning. If you get desperate, there will be shuttle buses along the train line. Signs will be posted at affected stations and subway and bus routes, and NYC Transit staff will also be available at select stations to answer questions and provide information.
C'mon ride that train—or, don't—the MTA has just announced larger ferry boats (thank GOD) during the L-train shutdown, and a new route that will go between Williamsburg and Stuyvesant Cove. According to Curbed, "Transit officials are working to upgrade to boats that could accommodate as many as 240 passengers at a time," and they are slated to "deploy three ferry boats per hour on the new route during peak hours, instead of the two that was originally planned, which will allow for more than 1,200 commuters to make their way between Brooklyn and Manhattan during morning and evening rush hours." Is it enough to accommodate the daily 300k L-train riders? Hell no, but at least it's something.
No Overnight L Train Service Starting Tonight Through 10/6
In "News"
MTA Announces Nine Weeks of Limited Overnight Brooklyn L Train Service
New L Train Closures Coming in September
Tagged: L Train, L Train shutdown, L-pocalypse, mta

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A Ph.D., or Doctor of Philosophy is considered by many to be the most prestigious degree someone can earn. It is the highest academic credential a person can earn, and for this reason is often referred to as a "terminal" degree. While it usually takes four to six years (after earning a master's degree) to earn a Ph.D. or doctorate degree, the financial payoff for do so can be huge. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, professionals who earn a Ph.D., on average, earn up to $40,000/yr more than workers with a bachelor's degree. That's well over a million dollars in additional income over a lifetime.
While 10% of Americans will earn a master's degree, only 1% of Americans will ever earn a Ph.D. The Ph.D. is truly an elite degree. As such, program accreditation is a serious concern. Prospective students should carefully review the credentials of the college or university where they intend to commit to a lengthy program of doctoral study. Any school offering a "quick and easy" Ph.D. is likely to be a diploma mill and shouldn't be taken seriously.
Well, as we already pointed out, a doctorate degree is the highest academic credential a person can receive within a given field of study. If you want to be seen as an expert in your field, earning a doctorate is good way to accomplish this.
Earning a doctorate degree or Ph.D. is also a good way to become an expert. Many students who participate in doctorate programs thirst for knowledge and understanding. Doctoral students are often involved in cutting edge research that explores the depths of their field of study. They're exposed to knowledge, understanding and innovation not available through any other academic program.
Earning a Ph.D. or doctorate degree is a prerequisite for most teaching positions at colleges and universities. It's also required for those who want to pursue a career in research with a university or corporation. Some people earn a doctorate degree for a more pragmatic reason – they want to earn more money. Earning a Ph.D. or doctorate degree increases the opportunity to obtain higher pay and opens the door to new career advancement opportunities.
A growing number of colleges and universities are offering PhD and doctorate degrees that can be completed remotely via online distance learning. Online doctoral programs are convenient, flexible, and ideal for working professionals who are unable to attend a campus-based program. Since doctoral programs are typically quite specialized, it's not uncommon for only a handful of universities to offer doctoral degrees focusing on a specific field of study. Online degree and distance learning programs make it possible for individuals from across the globe to earn their doctoral degree without relocating.
But don't think an online program is a shortcut to earning your doctorate degree – it isn't. Online doctoral programs are just as demanding and time consuming as programs offered in a traditional college setting. The requirements for completing an online degree are typically the same as those for earning a degree on campus. The only trade off is that you're able to attend classes and complete assignments from wherever you're located.
The cost of tuition for earning a doctorate degree online is comparable to the cost of earning a doctorate degree in a classroom setting, although it is a bit less expensive when you consider other factors. For instance, you don't have to purchase textbooks and there's no daily commute. Not only do you save money, you save valuable time. Earning your degree from a reputable school is likely to cost you a little bit more than the same program offered at a lower tier institution – but it's worth the investment.


BAN BIRD SALES AUSTRALIA- THOUSANDS OF BIRDS NEED TO BE ADOPTED!
Birds are born to fly and forage freely!!
But birds can't fly in Australia.
Australian companion birds continue to be subjected to a miserable life!
You don't need to look far to see bird abuse and neglect and horrible bird exploitation.
There are thousands and thousands of birds bred to be sold….as a hobby!! Birds are highly intelligent but instead sold for fun and extra cash!
Bird breeders and sellers are having a ball selling and trading birds anywhere because they can!
Because no one is stopping them! And there are NO BIRD LAWS IN AUSTRALIA!
Codes of Practice are NOT mandatory so bird keepers do whatever they want.
"The bird breeders and bird sellers have taken advantage of the fact that no authority is monitoring or enforcing laws to protect how birds are handled and cared for".
I have seen for myself at private bird breeder properties, pet shops, bird cage makers displaying birds and markets around Australia- TRAGEDY.
The constant breeding and captivity results in huge psychological and physiological trauma to birds. Most people, including breeders, have no idea how to care for and accommodate companion birds.
They don't care that their birds are expected to breed, breed and breed. They don't even consider the emotional and physiological implications on the bird when the bird is expected to separate from the bird family or bird partner- just to be sold….as a hobby.
"I could easily rescue thousands of birds every day".
There is an oversupply and most of these poor birds are sold or traded to inexperienced bird carers who perceive them as a 'pretty object.' Most other birds are stolen as eggs from their mothers and incubated in bedrooms throughout Australia.
It is unimaginable that Australian birds can exist in such a condition and bird breeders and sellers are proud of showing photos of the neglected birds for all the world to see!
• Ban the sale of companion birds at markets, expos and sales, pet shops, online and backyard selling.
• Introduce companion bird welfare laws as the current codes of practice are totally ignored and not mandatory.
• Ban bird breeding and promote bird adoption to save thousands of neglected and rejected homeless birds.
Paris Yves has cared for birds all her life. She is a professional Bird Behaviourist and Bird Counsellor and regularly liaises with world-renowned animal behaviourists to ensure she is on top of bird behaviour research and findings. An experienced media commentator, Yves has become the voice of welfare and legal rights for companion birds in Australia.
no more breeding and selling of companion birds – they don't have a choice. we do.
Stop the parrot pet trade all over the world.
No life sentence of imprisonment for birds.
Please don't take clip your feathered friends wings ! These amazing creatures are cruelly hobbled by humans all the time, but flight is a huge part of who they are. Don't take that away from them!
Rescue birds need your love.


Belize NMS: Warm and relatively unstable conditions will continue the next couple of days.
24-hour forecast: Mostly sunny, hot and hazy today with isolated thunderstorms inland. Partly cloudy skies tonight with little or no rainfall. Mostly sunny, hazy and hot tomorrow with isolated afternoon thunderstorms developing in the south.
Tomorrow: Winds: E-SE 10-20 kts. With occnl higher gusts.; seas: Moderate - rough.; waves: 4-7 ft.; isolated thunderstorms in the south.
Marine Outlook: Thursday night:- Winds: E-SE 10-20 kts; seas: Choppy - moderate.; waves: 3-6 ft.; isolated thunderstorms over the south.
General Outlook: Continuing warm and hazy with isolated thunderstorms inland later during Thursday and over the south and coast Thursday night.
Please note that small craft warnings include kayaks.
Accidents can, and do happen in this gusty weather.
The sea is rough and we have a ESE at 15mph.
Police and coast Guard are looking for a missing snorkeller this morning.
That large amount of rain in Guatamala & Mexico never made it to Belize, it dried up before getting here. This morning no rain in sight.
More smoke haze today. . .. Last night the warmest night at 81°F ( Warmest 2012 or 2013 was 80° and that in May/Jun ) Yesterday day time reached 95° and the day before 97°F mainly caused by this smoke haze. . . . So today probably very similar. Sticky.


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A 24 Hour Service, every day of the year
Arranging a funeral
What you need to know in times of Bereavement
Religious Requirements
Coffins/ Caskets/ Urns >
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Alternative Coffins
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3. We never share your data with third parties.
Above are just the key points. If you need detail, keep reading.
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T.P Griffiths & Sons (Merthyr Tydfil) Limited is not responsible for, and expressly disclaims all liability for, damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance on any information contained within the site. While the information contained within the site is periodically updated, no guarantee is given that the information provided in this Web site is correct, complete, and up-to-date.
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Rizal's 2nd congressional district is one of the six congressional districts of the Philippines in the province of Rizal. It has been represented in the House of Representatives of the Philippines since 1916 and earlier in the Philippine Assembly from 1907 to 1916. The district consists of the municipalities of Baras, Cardona, Jalajala, Morong, Pililla, Tanay and Teresa. It is currently represented in the 19th Congress by Emigdio P. Tanjuatco III of the Liberal Party (LP).

In 2021, the towns of Rodriguez and San Mateo, which have been part of the 2nd district since its creation, have been separated from the district to form their own respective legislative districts as the 3rd and 4th legislative districts of Rizal respectively. by virtue of Republic Act No. 11533. Their first representatives are elected in the 2022 Philippine general elections.

Representation history

Election results

2022

2019

2016

2013

2010

See also
Legislative districts of Rizal

References

Congressional districts of the Philippines
Politics of Rizal
History of Metro Manila
1907 establishments in the Philippines
Congressional districts of Calabarzon
Constituencies established in 1907

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Government remains committed to establishing a durable Constitutional Order -Justice Minister
Headlines Government remains committed to establishing a durable Constitutional Order -Justice Minister
Justice Minister Mulambo Haimbe says Government remains committed to establishing a durable Constitutional Order that will catalyze the political, social, and economic development of Zambia.
Mr. Haimbe said the establishment of a durable Constitution Order shall be premised on broad-based consensus and inclusivity of all the people of Zambia.
The Justice Minister was speaking in Lusaka last night when he officiated at this year's commemoration of the Constitution Day of India which falls on November 26, every year organized by the High Commission of India in Lusaka.
Mr. Haimbe stated that Zambia cherished the continued existing bonds of friendship and good relations between the two sovereign states.
And High Commissioner of India to Zambia Ashok Kumar said his Country's Constitution, adopted on November 26, 1949, is the largest written constitution.
The High Commissioner also stressed the key role of the Constitution of India in empowering the people of India and in upholding the high democratic values.
Mr. Kumar congratulated Zambia for a peaceful 2021 general election which resulted in a smooth transfer of power adding that he looked forward to working closely with the New Dawn Government.
Meanwhile, distinguished Overseas Citizen of India and Judge -In- Charge of the Kitwe Commercial Court, Justice Abha Patel, said Zambia's peaceful elections enriched Constitutional values and ethos.
Justice Patel said the long deliberations that took place before the Constitution of India was adopted reflected the high democratic values that India stands for.
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Fuseke you went against Bill 10 yet now you talking about the same thing. You don't have pfs support you nasty f00I
Mzambia wa Zamani November 27, 2021 At 7:14 pm
Toxic fuseke troll above Bill 10 failed bcoz ruling PF thugz wanted to hijack Zambia's constitution for their selfish ends.ALL ZAMBIANS ARE EQUAL.
Mzambia don't be a f00I. Say that to my face if you are man enough
Mlevi Kachasu November 28, 2021 At 12:07 am
Very true #2 is 110% right iwe Kaizar Zero .Glad we now have a govt that is about rule of law unlike PF which was thuggish,rogue & corrupt.
Thanks minister Mulambo Haimbe we badly need that constitutional order after the long thuggish misrule of PF that brought Zambia to its knees.
Deja Vu November 28, 2021 At 5:07 am
Saulosi November 28, 2021 At 6:53 am
3 months in office and the majority of Zambians are regretting….even Sean Tembo has become popular now….people are now paying attention and listening to Sean Tembo than HH…..
OJ SIMPSON November 29, 2021 At 12:02 pm
Yes, give us the Constitution that will be fair to all. The clique of thieves wanted to hijack the country to their benefit only.
Headlines Chief Editor - January 17, 2022 1
Lusaka Lawyer and State Counsel John Sangwa has advised the political parties that are participating in the Kabwata bye-election to sue the UPP candidate...
Wynter Kabimba urges the UPND to tame their Cadres
Headlines Chief Editor - January 16, 2022 38
Economic Front (EF) president, Wynter Kabimba, has warned UPND that the ending will be worse than the former ruling Patriotic Front (PF), who...
Government must provide clear policy direction on the suspended operations at Black Mountains
Copperbelt based good governance activist Peter Mulenga has implored the Government through the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development to provide clear policy direction...
ACC concerned with Munir Zulu's continuous attacks on the integrity and professional conduct of its officers
The Anti-Corruption Commission has said that it is utterly disappointed with the behaviour of Lumezi lawmaker Munir Zulu who after being given an opportunity...


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Flights to Honolulu from LA are about 6 hours nonstop, touchdown you in some of the scenic cities within the country. However, how does Southwest Airlines keep profitable? Get airline tickets at low prices proper at your fingertips with the tajawal app. If one is versatile to travel the late-night routes, one might maybe lower your expenses on airline ticket. So that you think you have discovered low-cost flights to New York?
You may discover it cheaper to guide flights during the week rather than the weekend. Find out about discount airline tickets and low-cost airways sales. With lowered costs and cheap flights, the airways can now compete with ground journey and the additional benefit of speedy journey makes low-cost flights an interesting option for the customer who's considering any type of travel.
Herb Kelleher, founding father of Southwest, has been quoted as saying that "We're in the Customer service enterprise; we just occur to supply airline transportation".2 Award winning customer service is a distinguishing attribute of Southwest and it is referred to internally as "Positively Outrageous Service". Worldwide air flights function and fly from one nation to another.
On Might 1st 2000, Southwest Airways introduces "SWABIZ," a portal that assists company travel managers in reserving and tracking journeys made via its web site There are numerous new technology initiatives being undertaken at the moment and a few are in the pipeline. Some airways contract to purchase gasoline at fastened costs, so if the price rises the airline will still pay the decrease fixed worth.


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The Kenwood Press
Third mountain lion in study killed in Napa
Sarah C. Phelps
On Feb. 8, a third mountain lion, being tracked as part of the Living with Lions project based out of Audubon Canyon Ranch's Bouverie Preserve in Glen Ellen, was shot and killed after depredating sheep in Napa County. A 13-month-old male lion P15 (called Jupiter), had been trapped and fitted with a GPS-collar three days earlier by scientists as part of the Living with Lions project, a California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW)-permitted study trying to understand the movement and behavior of mountain lions in the North Bay region.
The young male had been traveling with his mother through her territory range along the Sonoma/Napa border in the Mayacamas mountains, but recently left her to find territory of his own. On Tuesday, Feb. 5, after P15 killed a goat in Napa County, the distressed landowner contacted Audubon Canyon Ranch (ACR), allowing Living with Lions' Dr. Quinton Martins to collar and release the young male. On two subsequent nights, P15 killed two sheep at a residence in the Mt. Veeder area. On Friday, when he returned for a third time, the landowner, fearing for his family, and hoping to protect his small herd, shot and killed the cat, according to a Feb. 12 Press Democrat article. The CDFW investigated the incident, verified that the sheep were killed, and that the family had reached out several times to the agency. The family did not request a depredation permit, but under state law, a landowner does not need to have one if the livestock is in imminent danger.
P15 is the third lion in the two-year-old Living with Lions study to be killed by a landowner after depredating livestock. To date, the study is tracking six collared lions whose home territories range from Trione-Annadel State Park to Temelec and Sugarloaf State Park to Vineburg.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of (another) one of our study animals and also the unnecessary trauma on the landowner's unsecured animals," said a statement issued by ACR on Facebook.
"Quinton Martins, the director of Living with Lions, received the news from a concerned neighbor and wanted to reiterate that we, as a community, need to understand that all predators will kill unprotected pets or livestock. It is 100 percent our responsibility to take care of our pets and livestock before conflict occurs. Killing the wild predator is not an effective or reasonable long-term strategy for properly managing pets or livestock."
The incident has received considerable attention on social media, according to Wendy Coy, communications manager for ACR. The important thing to remember is that Sonoma County is mountain lion territory.
"It's not a rarity to have mountain lions in our area," said Coy. "People need to factor in mountain lions when thinking about housing options and protecting their livestock."
Coy reminded small flock owners to reach out to Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue to learn more about secure "predator proof" housing options and for those who have a conflict with a mountain lion to please call ACR before opting for a depredation permit.
"This family needs help from the community on ways to safeguard their backyard livestock. It's a very sad and preventable situation," she said.
Last year, First District Supervisor Susan Gorin urged collaboration between the agriculture community and the wildlife community, in the hopes that nonlethal measures can be utilized to protect livestock.


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Dario G - Hola Album
Platinum selling DJ/producer Dario G releases his highly anticipated third studio album Hola. The record's lead singles have garnered a wave of support, with the title track landing 7 New Music Fridays on Spotify.
On his first album release in almost two decades, Dario takes listeners on a new musical journey which includes the epic choral opening ("Hola"), through the uplifting Ibiza-inspired single "You Make the Sunrise", and euphoric deep house cut "High". True to form, Dario G explores a diverse range of musical landscapes, including fine orchestral cinematic sounds in "Birds of Paradise", and a delicate acoustic arrangement of his previous UK Top 10 hit "Dream to Me", offering calming moments on this wonderful trip.
1. Hola (Part 1)
2. You Make the Sunrise
4. High
5. Birds of Paradise (Interlude)
6. Savour the Miracle of Life
7. It Started With You
8. If You Love Me (with Danny Dearden)
9. Best Day of My Life
10. Cry
11. Hola (Part 3)
12. Birds of Paradise
13. Dream to Me (Acoustic)
Vinyl on


Did you know we are described as a "Hidden Gem in Limerick City"?
Club house Bar & Lounge with surround sound system.
Lounge capable of holding functions for up to 110 guests.
We tailor design a package specific to your needs and requirements.
Mood lighting through out the bar and lounge.
Complementary cocktail of the night for the party organiser.
For years we have searched for the ideal venue to celebrate the conclusion of our shows. This year it was held in Limerick Lawn Tennis Club and it was without a shadow of a doubt the best venue we have ever used. The safe and private location was complimented by the friendly staff and exceptional food. We are thrilled with the venue and could not recommend it highly enough!
Thanks to Jason for everything!
My new husband and I chose to hold our post wedding day celebrations at Limerick Lawn Tennis Club in September 2016. We met with Jason prior to booking and he treated the booking as important as the wedding day itself. Once he gave us a tour of the club house and described how the bar and lounge would look I had no hesitation in booking this venue.
In the end Limerick Lawn was the ideal venue for us. It was private, in from the road and was only a walk away from the hotel were we held our wedding celebrations the day before. The food that Jason organised for us was delicious and plentiful too.
We were blown away when we arrived at the club. Jason added small extras to our package such as a red carpet entrance but what really took our breath away was the decor of the bar, you could really see effort and thought had gone into making sure our guests had that WOW moment when they arrived........ and they did!
Massive thanks to Ger in the bar who made the most delicious Mojito I've ever had!
Thanks to the team at Limerick Lawn Tennis Club for a great day.......and night!


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METAvivor and Presenting Sponsor Eisai Inc. Join Forces w...
METAvivor and Presenting Sponsor Eisai Inc. Join Forces with AnaOno Intimates to Bring to Life the #ThisIsMBC Elements Campaign through Fashion
WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., Feb. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Presenting sponsor Eisai Inc. and METAvivor announce today that they have joined forces with AnaOno Intimates and Project #Cancerland to bring to life the #ThisIsMBC Elements campaign through fashion, during New York Fashion Week. The fashion show, created to raise funds for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) research, featured MBC patient models, some of whom were featured in the Elements campaign. Each model proudly walked the runway modeling lingerie by AnnaOno, a designer who specializes in lingerie and swimwear for those affected by breast cancer.
"This event is about acknowledging the lives of every MBC patient as they can live well in spite of their terminal diagnosis," said Beth Fairchild, President of METAvivor. "The #ThisIsMBC Elements campaign, as well as AnaOno's efforts, represent the reality of living with MBC and brings to life their experiences."
The Elements project aims to encourage others living with MBC, their friends and loved ones, to share their individual experiences through creative expression; to help build and maintain relationships that provide support, strength, encouragement and change misperceptions about the disease. The campaign lives on MBCInfoCenter.com. Each month, a new portrait and theme will be unveiled and added to the Elements gallery on the site to inspire patients on their journey. Those living with MBC and those who support them can get involved by sharing a video about their personal story using #ThisIsMBC.
"This year we chose to feature the #ThisIsMBC Elements campaign because it closely aligns with our mission to change the conversation about MBC from being solely focused on surviving to talking about living while giving individuals the empowerment and strength in knowing they are never alone in their journey," said Dana Donofree, Founder of AnaOno Intimates. "The Elements campaign told this story through photography and we did so through fashion."
"We are honored to be a presenting sponsor at this year's show," said Teresa Cronin, Director of Corporate Advocacy at Eisai Inc. "Driven by our human health care mission, we are committed to help raise awareness about MBC and the needs of this underserved community. We are proud to align ourselves with organizations who share this vision."
To make a donation to MBC research and support those living with MBC, please visit METAvivor contributions. Each participant who donates $25 or more can receive a complimentary #ThisIsMBC journal featuring portraits and stories from Elements.
To learn more about #ThisIsMBC and this initiative and find helpful resources on metastatic breast cancer, please visit METAvivor.org or MBCInfoCenter.com.
About METAvivor
METAvivor Research and Support Inc. is an Annapolis-based, 501(c)(3), volunteer-led, non-profit organization founded by metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients in 2009. The focus of the organization is to fund critical research that will lead to advances in treatment options, quality of life and survival for patients diagnosed with MBC. Since 2009, METAvivor has awarded 62 research grants totaling over $6.3 million. METAvivor is the only national organization with a peer reviewed grant program aimed at exclusively funding MBC research, and 100% of all donations go to fund research.
METAvivor also raises awareness of MBC, provides support for people living with this disease, and offers opportunities for others to help make a difference for the metastatic community. METAvivor has gained a rapidly growing following within the breast cancer community, and has become a leader in its field.
Visit us at www.METAvivor.org, click here to support MBC-specific clinical research, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About Eisai Inc.
At Eisai Inc., human health care (hhc) is our goal. We give our first thoughts to patients and their families, and helping to increase the benefits health care provides. As the U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Tokyo-based Eisai Co., Ltd., we have a passionate commitment to patient care that is the driving force behind our efforts to discover and develop innovative therapies to help address unmet medical needs.
Eisai is a fully integrated pharmaceutical business that operates in two global business groups: oncology and neurology (dementia-related diseases and neurodegenerative diseases). Each group functions as an end-to-end global business with discovery, development, and marketing capabilities. Our U.S. headquarters, commercial and clinical development organizations are located in New Jersey; our discovery labs are in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania; and our global demand chain organization resides in Maryland and North Carolina. To learn more about Eisai Inc., please visit us at eisai.com/US and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Cindy Gessell
Eisai Inc.
cindy_gessell@eisai.com
Beth Fairchild
METAvivor
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SOURCE Eisai Inc.


text:
2011 Independence Bowl: Missouri's E.J. Gaines Could Play Big Role Against North Carolina
By Matt Conner Dec 26, 2011, 10:03am CST
Share All sharing options for: 2011 Independence Bowl: Missouri's E.J. Gaines Could Play Big Role Against North Carolina
While there are bigger "name" players who will take the field today for the 2011 Independence Bowl between the Missouri Tigers and North Carolina Tar Heels, there's one unheralded player in E.J. Gaines who could make the biggest difference. That's what Dave Miller of the National Football Post believes when he profiles the upcoming Independence Bowl match-up.
Miller writes, "Senior defensive lineman Dominique Hamilton gets much of the attention on the Mizzou defense because of his 6-5, 305-pound frame, but cornerback E.J. Gaines is integral to the Tigers' pass defense. He set a new school record with 16 pass break-ups and added 69 tackles, and the first-team all-Big 12 defender will need to be at his best against Dwight Jones and the UNC passing attack."
Jones has 79 catches for 1,119 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, so he's definitely going to be a target UNC goes to again and again. If Gaines can shut him down, the Tigers should win this out easily.
Independence Bowl 2011: Missouri's James Franklin Gives Dynamic Preview For SEC Foes
2011 Independence Bowl Pick: Missouri Tigers Predicted To Win Over North Carolina Tar Heels


In times of economic turmoil, sales of high-end goods always plummet the first and take the hardest hit. It's the discretionary luxuries- designer clothing, flashy cars, holiday villas- that inevitably wind up on the chopping block when the markets take a nosedive and even the most bullish investors are holding their breath. Yet arguably the most extravagant luxury that money can buy, privately-owned islands are seeing a surge in interest right in the midst of one of the biggest economic crisis of the last decades. Found anywhere from the snowy Great Lakes to exotic Fiji and Panama, these unique properties offer investment possibilities unlike any other kind of real estate… and now also at unheard-of prices.
The CEO of leading islands firm Private Islands Inc, Chris Krolow, says that while his company has seen a huge number of price reductions in the Fall of 2008, in his experience it's been a result of sellers needing a quick sale to make up for other losses, as opposed to an actual drop in the island's value. "In my ten years in this business, I haven't seen a better time for buyers to get some amazing deals on very desirable properties," he says. "We're seeing substantial cuts in prices- sometimes by half or more- by motivated sellers who've had their portfolios hit by the credit crisis. We've even added a section on our listing website, Private Islands Online, just for new price reductions." And he says that since the private island market has such a strong history of appreciating faster than any other kind of real estate, those who make savvy purchases now may be in an excellent position to sell when the markets rebound.
So what should investors look for when adding a private island to their portfolio? When it comes to tropical islands, the best prospects for major future leaps in value are always in areas with high rates of tourism and a substantial infrastructure. A safe environment and the availability of amenities like hospitals, airports and shopping are important, as is a relative proximity to the Unites States, where the majority of island buyers reside. With the strongest tourism sector in Latin America and the fastest growing economy in the world, islands in Panama have become highly desirable for the construction of resorts and residential developments, ranging in price from several million down to just US $30K. Pricier but still always in high demand are properties in the Bahamas, where the market is fuelled by high tourism and the celebrity cache of local island owners like Johnny Depp, Nicholas Cage and Faith Hill. Closer to home, good buys can be found in areas like Maine and Canada's Nova Scotia, where seasonal holiday properties are achieving a strong following among urbanites from East Coast cities like New York, Washington and Boston.
View Luxury Living International's elite selection of luxury properties and private islands here.


A classic Cole & Son design, Pompeian is a large-scale geometric trellis wallpaper, available in bold shades of black and grey, grey and yellow, pink and purple, or softer shades of ivory and white, olive and grey or lilac and white. Colours shown on-screen may vary from the original wallpaper, we therefore recommend ordering a sample to view the true colours. We recommend that you use Cole & Son Tub Paste.


text:
...and Charles Dickens Knew, My Review
At last I'm giving my review of What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist -- the Facts of Daily Life in 19th-Century England. I would highly recommend this book! It's almost like an encyclopedia of background information on 19th century English life. But, unlike a real encyclopedia, it is much less daunting. Which means the way it is written makes it easy to read.
Some of my questions it answered were:
How exactly do you play whist, commerce, vingt-et-un, piquette, casino, etc.?
Where did country houses get their names?
Why were horses such a status symbol?
What exactly did all the servants do?
When is Michaelmas?
What's the difference between an apothecary and a surgeon?
The book is neatly divided into sections such as:
"The Basics," with subcategories "Currency," "The Calendar," "London," etc.
"The Public World," with "The Titled," and "Esq., Gent., K.C.B., etc." and so on
"The Country," with "The Midland, Wessex and Yorkshire" and "Shire and Shire Alike: Local Government in Britain," etc.
It includes a handy glossary as well. Very helpful when you'd like to find a specific term.
Besides Mr. Dickens and Miss Austen Mr. Pool looks at works primarily by Anthony Trollope, Thomas Hardy and Charlotte and Emily Brontë. He covers the upper class, lower class and working class, transportation, titles, government (local and national), vocabulary, food, social life, crime, money, marriage, fashion -- from an "abigail" to a "yew," he'll inform you on all the important points of life in the nineteenth century.
I'd recommend it as a very interesting and helpful investment for any reader of 19th century novels!
Posted by Lady Anna of Thither at 12:15 PM No comments:
Labels: Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, review
The Collector's Library Sense and Sensibility: A Review
The Collector's Library Sense and Sensibility
To celebrate the opening of our shop and information site ThitherJaneAusten.com, which carries this edition, this is a review of my favorite edition of Sense and Sensibility, which itself is celebrating in the form of the bicentennial of it's publication!
This is not a review to critique it's author -- who would dare?! -- only it's aesthetics and extra materials. To begin, I love it's size, which is approximately six by four inches. It is ideal for tucking into my purse or packing for a trip, especially one by airplane. The only downside to it's compactness is it's small print, which may be difficult to read, if that is an issue. It is an elegant little piece, with gold-gilt page edges, a built-in ribbon bookmark and a red cloth hardback cover under it's decorative dust jacket. But the most delightful addition is the artwork by Hugh Thompson scattered throughout it's pages! There are about forty illustrations in the volume.
"Apparently in violent affliction"
And speaking of volumes, this edition is sadly not divided into it's original three volumes. Which may not matter to many readers (I didn't care at first), but it would be a nice addition when studying the book.
The afterward is written by Henry Hitchings, and contains some insightful looks at the text, although I don't agree with them all, particularly his opinion on Marianne and Colonel Brandon's happiness at the close of the novel.
The Collector's Library has printed all of Jane's novels, and I would recommend them all!
Labels: Sense and Sensibility, Thither Shop
The Collector's Library Sense and Sensibility: A R...


Thank you for visiting the ADA website. ADA, located in the Netherlands, was founded in 1988 by Cees and Ada Beers. We are a small, family owned business dedicated to designing and manufacturing "no compromises" cycling components, including our ADA Carbon Wheels. We invite you to see what we have to offer, and please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.. Cees and Ada Beers..
ADA full-disc, carbon fiber wheel.
Rider jerseys presented to Cees Beers.
Video clips of riders on ADA wheels>>>.


text:
Хабль — железнодорожная станция (пассажирская и грузовая) Северо-Кавказской железной дороги в Северском районе Краснодарского края.

Описание
Находится на территории поселка Спутник, вдоль железнодорожных путей станции к северу от них идет улица «Станция Хабль» этого поселка. Вблизи станции находятся посёлок Октябрьский и посёлок Черноморский.

Рядом со станцией расположена промышленная зона, на которой находится большое количество предприятий: Завод ЖБИ-8, филиал ООО «РН-Сервис-Склад», Завод ООО «СМиК» (Строительные материалы и конструкции), ОАО «Краснодарнефтегаз-стройматериалы» и др. В 900 метрах к югу от станции проходит автомобильная дорога Краснодар-Новороссийск.

История
В годы Великой Отечественной войны станция была оккупирована немцами и освобождена 20 февраля 1943 года 16-й отдельной стрелковой бригадой.

Деятельность
На станции останавливаются электропоезда Краснодар—Новороссийск и Новороссийск—Краснодар.

Билеты на станции не продаются.

Пассажирские поезда дальнего следования не останавливаются.

Примечания

Ссылки
 Расписание электропоездов по станции Хабль
 Железнодорожная станция Хабль
 Железнодорожная станция Хабль

Станции Краснодарского региона Северо-Кавказской железной дороги


text:
Woven Planet
Toyota's Woven Planet acquires Lyft's Level 5 self-driving division
Scooter Doll | Jul 20 2021 - 10:31 am PT
Toyota Motor Group Subsidiary Woven Planet has announced the completed acquisition of Level 5, the self-driving division of rideshare veteran Lyft, Inc. The completed transaction is one of several made by Toyota and its subsidiaries in 2021, specifically pertaining to autonomous software and other self-driving technologies.
At this point in a world abundant with rideshare options, most people have heard of Lyft. Founded in 2012, it remains one of the largest networks of Transportation as a Service (TaaS) in the US and Canada.
Level 5 is a division of Lyft formed in 2017, specifically dedicated to self-driving technologies. In four years, the self-driving division has reached public road testing of its fourth-generation platform.
Woven Planet began in 2018 under the moniker Toyota Research Institute – Advanced Development (TRI-AD) before updating its name at the start of 2021. The new name represents a software-first subsidiary and currently encompasses four complementary entities: Woven Core, Woven Alpha, Woven Capital, and Woven Planet Holdings.
The latter is the company that confirmed the official acquisition of Lyft's Level 5 division after announcing the initial proposed transaction this past April.
A demo of Level 5's autonomous driving technology / Source: Level 5
Lyft sells Level 5 self-driving division to Woven Planet
In an official press release, Woven Planet Holdings announced it has finalized its acquisition of Level 5 from Lyft Inc. and will now own all of its self-driving technology, plus Level 5's operations in Silicon Valley and London.
The acquisition will also leave Woven Planet in charge of Level 5's entire staff, which includes 300 engineers, research scientists, and mobility specialists. James Kuffner, CEO of Woven Planet, elaborates:
As the first major acquisition for the Woven Planet Group, Level 5 represents a significant investment in our future. This deal strengthens our capabilities to deliver on the promise of freedom and mobility for all, uniting the resources, talent and technology needed to place us at the forefront of the mobility revolution. World-class skills and expertise from Level 5 will be combined with exceptional engineering know-how from Woven Planet and research insights from the team at Toyota Research Institute to form an industry brain trust. We are excited to bring this acquisition over the finish line, building a 'dream team' within the automotive and mobility industry.
While this is the first official acquisition from Woven Planet, Toyota's subsidiary has been quickly stockpiling autonomous technologies. Around the same time as the acquisition announcement of Lyft's self-driving division, we covered Woven Planet's new partnership with Apex.AI to develop and deploy a production-ready autonomy stack.
Earlier this week, Woven Planet announced a second major acquisition in CARMERA, Inc., a US-based spatial AI company specializing in next-generation road intelligence in automated mobility. When complete, that newly acquired team will work with Woven Planet Alpha on the company's Automated Mapping Platform (AMP).
Electrek's take
Boy, wouldn't it be something if Toyota Motor Group put as much faith and resources into electric vehicles as it has for autonomous technologies? Clearly, the legacy automaker sees a fruitful window of future opportunity in autonomous transportation and is making moves to advance its technology through Woven Planet.
By partnering with software stack experts like Apex.AI and absorbing self-driving technologies from Lyft and CARMERA, Toyota is not only looking to join the race toward scalable autonomy but hopes to win it.
While Level 4 autonomy may be the end goal for Woven Planet, all the subsequent technologies will only benefit Toyota. Advancements in L2 and L3 technologies can be integrated into upcoming Toyota vehicles… hell, maybe even a Toyota BEV!
It's tough to tell exactly what Toyota is up to at this point, but it clearly sees huge potential in self-driving technologies in passenger vehicles and beyond.
Lyft Woven Planet
Scooter Doll @SCOOTERDOLL
Scooter Doll is a writer, designer and tech enthusiast born in Chicago and based on the West Coast. When he's not offering the latest tech how tos or insights, he's probably watching Chicago sports.
Please send any tips or suggestions, or dog photos to him at scooter@9to5mac.com


text:
Cryptochile est un genre de coléoptères de la famille des Tenebrionidae, de la sous-famille des Pimeliinae, de la tribu des Cryptochilini et de la sous-tribu des Cryptochilina.

 noms en synonymie
 Cryptochile elegans Gerstaecker, 1854, un synonyme de Orientochile elegans (Gerstaecker, 1854)

Références

Liens externes

Tenebrionidae
Genre de Coléoptères (nom scientifique)


text:
<?php

namespace Atd\Admin\Models;

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;

class ProductAttributes extends Model {

    protected $table = 'product_attributes';
    public $timestamps = false;
    protected $fillable = [
        'product_attribute_name',
        'product_attribute_info',
        'product_attribute_parent',
        'product_attribute_created_at',
        'product_attribute_updated_at'
    ];
    protected $primaryKey = 'product_attribute_id';

    public function get_product_attributes($params = array()) {
        $product = self::paginate(10);
        return $product;
    }

    public function root_product() {
        return $this->where('product_attribute_parent', null)->get();
    }

    public function childs() {
        return $this->hasMany('Atd\Admin\Models\ProductAttributes', 'product_attribute_parent', 'product_attribute_id');
    }

    public function pluckproduct() {
        return $this->pluck('product_attribute_name', 'product_attribute_id')->all();
    }

    public function get_list_product_attribute ($key){
        $product_attribute = NULL;
        if($key != NULL){
            $product_attribute = self::where('product_attribute_id', '!=', $key)->get();
        } else {
            $product_attribute = self::all();
        }
        $list = NULL;
        $list[0] = trans('admin::admin.uncategorized');
        $this->get_child_product_attribute($product_attribute, 0, $list, 0);

        return $list;
    }

    public function get_child_product_attribute ($product_attributes, $product_attribute_parent, &$list, $level){
        foreach ($product_attributes as $product_attribute) {
            if ($product_attribute->product_attribute_parent == $product_attribute_parent) {
                $name = $product_attribute->product_attribute_name;
                $list[$product_attribute->product_attribute_id] = $name;
                $next_level = $level + 1;
                $this->get_child_product_attribute($product_attributes, $product_attribute->product_attribute_id, $list, $next_level);
            }
        }
    }

    /**
     *
     * @param type $input
     * @param type $product_attribute_id
     * @return type
     */
    public function update_product_attribute($input, $product_attribute_id = NULL) {
        // var_dump($input);
        // die();
        if (empty($product_attribute_id)) {
            $product_attribute_id = $input['product_attribute_id'];
        }

        $product_attribute = self::find($product_attribute_id);
        // var_dump($product_attribute);
        // var_dump($input['product_attribute_info']);
        // var_dump(json_encode($input['product_attribute_info']));
        // die();
        if($input['list_product_attribute'] == 0){
            $parent = NULL;
        }
        else {
            $parent = $input['list_product_attribute'];
        }
        if (!empty($product_attribute)) {
            $product_attribute->product_attribute_name = $input['product_attribute_name'];
            $product_attribute->product_attribute_info = json_encode($input['product_attribute_info']);
            $product_attribute->product_attribute_parent = $parent;

            $product_attribute->save();

            return $product_attribute;
        } else {
            return NULL;
        }
    }

    /**
     *
     * @param type $input
     * @return type
     */
    public function add_product_attribute($input) {
        // var_dump($input);
        // die();
        if($input['list_product_attribute'] == 0){
            $parent = NULL;
        }
        else {
            $parent = $input['list_product_attribute'];
        }
        $product_attribute = self::create([
                    'product_attribute_name' => $input['product_attribute_name'],
                    'product_attribute_info' => $input['product_attribute_info'],
                    'product_attribute_parent' => $parent
        ]);
        return $product_attribute;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Swingers claim to be groups of people who engage in open sexuality with others outside their own relationships. Couples in the swingers lifestyle claim to be uncommonly open and honest with their spouse or significant other, because there is no reason to cheat or lie. People who swing often say they are not cheating on their spouses, rather they do it together or with each other's knowledge and consent.
Swingers Clubs claim to be good but all have different styles and crowds. Couples clubs claim to be very professional and discreet in their conduct.


text:
Belkin Cancels FlyWire Wireless HDMI Device
by admin - July 16, 2009
After a series of postponements Belkin has finally said it will not be releasing its FlyWire wireless HDMI accessory.
According to the company, the decision not to offer the FlyWire for sale has been taken because of the current state of the economy.
With an expecteds retail price of USD $1,499, Belkin felt it would be "out of line" given the global economic situation.
The cancellation comes after a number of postponements following the Flywire's first appearance at CES 2008.
The initially promising-sounding wireless device streams 1080p HD content from multiple HDMI inputs to HDTV televisions using the 5GHz band.
The unit is a transmitter/receiver combo – and since the tiny receiver required only AC power and utilized a single HDMI output, it could be stealthily mounted behind wall-mounted flat screens or ceiling mounted projectors.
The FlyWire's disappointing no-show suggests that the future for HDMI consumer technology is bleak.
in hdtv 1080p, 5ghz, flat-screen, hardware-and-technology, hdmi, wireless
Wireless Broadband World...
Successful IFA Business Model...
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text:
#import <Foundation/Foundation.h>

#import "FIRAuthRPCRequest.h"
#import "FIRIdentityToolkitRequest.h"

NS_ASSUME_NONNULL_BEGIN

/** @class FIRDeleteAccountRequest
    @brief Represents the parameters for the deleteAccount endpoint.
    @see https://developers.google.com/identity/toolkit/web/reference/relyingparty/deleteAccount
 */
@interface FIRDeleteAccountRequest : FIRIdentityToolkitRequest<FIRAuthRPCRequest>

/** @fn initWithEndpoint:APIKey:
    @brief Please use initWithAPIKey:
 */
- (nullable instancetype)initWithEndpoint:(NSString *)endpoint
                                   APIKey:(NSString *)APIKey NS_UNAVAILABLE;

/** @fn initWithAPIKey:
    @brief Designated initializer.
    @param APIKey The client's API Key.
    @param localID The local ID.
    @param accessToken The access token.
 */
- (nullable instancetype)initWithAPIKey:(NSString *)APIKey
                                localID:(NSString *)localID
                            accessToken:(NSString *)accessToken NS_DESIGNATED_INITIALIZER;

@end

NS_ASSUME_NONNULL_END


text:
Category Archives: Sport
Fair Vanity
I'm obsessed with words. Big, small. Odd. Not.
How they look, how they sound. Music and meaning.
The other night, while waiting in A & E, I picked up a magazine. It was full of articles I found hard to read (they weren't on a screen, they wouldn't scroll), but there was a column that showed how the pronunciation of the same word can change if used as a noun or a verb. The same word. What's more, the change is consistent. Noun, first syllable emphasized. Verb, the second.
The symmetry was bewitching, like maths or music. Diverting enough to stick long after I had turned the page.
But the Words I cannot shake is a song. Sharon O'Neill in my head. The earworm has infected my consciousness. The video is a solid gold dose of 1979. Kiwi pub-rock nostalgia played out in a TV studio. Shaggy perm and shark tooth earing, tight white jeans. Youngies shuffling side-to-side with huge grins. Par-cans glowing overhead red, orange, blue. Moustachioed backing singers, layering their sweet topping over Shazza's ballsy swagger.
Sharon O'Neill Words
I know every word. Every line. Every melody. Every hook.
Let me out. Like the new blood at the slaughter.
Who starts a pop song like that? A brutal simile for the kids. Freedom splattered on the abattoir floor.
Words just a breath away from my hand. Breaking into tiny pieces.
When I sing along my voice drops an octave, settling into a country-Elvis croon no one needs to hear.
The day after my visit to A&E I flew to Nelson to work on a rugby game where the result was never in question. Only one team could win. The winningest team. Sport without competition.
On the way I listened to Words three times in a row, and then tried to kill it with a podcast about a crisis in women's sport. When does natural advantage make competition unfair? Unusually high levels of testosterone gives some female athletes the advantage usually reserved for males. Larger heart, lungs and muscles. Elite sport is all about a battle of the exceptional, but our society strives to be fair. We want things to be fair. Complain if they're not. The sexes compete separately to prevent unfair competition.
But how to resolve this need for equity, when a woman with the strength of a man competes against women?
Fairness is a word that can never be resolved. Is it fair to expect more of some, less of others? To be paid the same for doing less work? To be paid less for doing the same work? To claim success while competing at a lower level?
In Nelson, everyone knew the All Blacks would beat the Pumas. Where is the sport in such a pre-determined outcome?
As I flew back from Nelson, still wrapped in Words and fairness, a bigger discussion erupted in women's sport. The most exceptional tennis player of our time publicly berated an official, claiming it wasn't fair. She was being paid millions, he was getting $700. Vanity reigned from court and chair. Enough to write a novel.
This morning, staring at my phone in the midst of insomnia, I saw a new word I had only just learned disappear. Mardy. I knew the Artic Monkeys song Mardy Bum, and thought it was a regional version of Marty. But someone used it on the telly two days ago and the wife told me it meant sulky or moody.
The Guardian had headlined an interview with Graham Coxon from Blur with 'I was a mardy brat in my 20s…I'm quite mellow now'. But two hours later it changed. On the front page he was now a 'moody brat', and a 'mardy brat' in the headline once you clicked on it. A sub-editor had changed the words in his mouth, but only in part, possibly afraid the unfamiliar word would stop people clicking.
You're argumentative, and you've got the face on
Words should have been a world-wide hit in 1979, but no one outside NZ knows it. Maybe the big record companies didn't think Sharon O'Neill could compete with the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac, that no one would understand her. Back then, New Zealand music wasn't considered good enough to play on the world stage.
It's a touch, it's a touch of class. It might not even last.
Today, anyone can sing a song and show it to the world. You can sell it to anyone. In this way, the music world is fairer than it ever was. But with something like 200,000 songs hitting the internet every day, the chances of your words being heard may be less than ever. It's much the same with blogging.
When I sing this song, I feel inside of me.
The thing is, while I remember every lyric of Words, I can't seem to recall a single example of the pretty words I read in the magazine. I wish I had taken a photo on my phone. Shared them to the digital memory. They were common words. Like re-port and re-port. Noun, verb. Name, action. This is my report. I will report you.
I cannot express how frustrated I am with my memory, and that I can't access the article online. My brain has been rewired. It's not fair.
But I have found the chords to Words online, and I can play it. Badly.
And I can write this; a blog of too many words, sent out into the clutter.
Vanity: excessive pride in one's character or ability e.g. the belief that one can find words to connect an old song, Serena Williams, something you saw on the internet, William Makepeace Thackeray, Sharon O'Neill, a game of rugby, The Arctic Monkeys, that guy from Blur with the glasses, and something you read at the doctor's but can't quite remember.
This entry was posted in Blogs, Music, Sport, Uncategorized, Writing and tagged Arctic Monkeys, Graham Coxon, language, mardy, Sharon O'Neill, songs, women's sport, words on September 27, 2018 by Kambl.
Pants-off Hot: 1 Day in Nelson
Nelson, Nelson, you blow my mind.
So much sun, so many smiles
So much to see, so much to eat.
The market, my God, the market…
Vegan sprouted gifts galore
Raw cocoa Snickers bars
Spicy wholemeal oliebollen
The Dutch Touch, Yeah yeah yeah
Argentinian alfajores, alpha-what?!
Sri Lankan vegi roti wrap
Too much, too much
All Blacks towering everywhere
Is that one? And him?
Don't ask me.
I'm a vegan, I don't know.
Just get a selfie just in case
Full to busting, hands aren't full
Fermented black garlic spread
Got from Mot, loaded for home
Rugby stats as genius art
Mind blown!
Got to stop.
Want so bad, pretty as hell
Wait.
Vegetarian Butcher, holy shit
Nelson, Nelson I gotta say
You're pretty-damn pretty
Pretty damn hot
Pants-off hot
The sexiest city in the whole wide world
Named after that dude
That famous dude
The ha-ha! guy
You go Nelson
You do you
I'm too hot
Time to lie down sleep it off.
This entry was posted in Blogs, Food, Sport, Travel and tagged Nelson, Nelson Market on September 8, 2018 by Kambl.
Firstly: I think it's great that our Prime Minister is having a baby. It's nice. It makes me happy.
Secondly: I love all the discussion it has provoked. Yes, there is plenty of vitriol born of sexism, and a queer sense of betrayal, but that is the nature of social media and the overall discussion is a good one to have.
Thirdly: Why are so many people crowing with pride? Unless you are directly involved (or one of the grandparents-to-be) aren't you as deluded as those pouring scorn? It is like celebrating the success of a team you didn't play in. Surely you have to be on the field, or in the bed, to take pride?
Just like a sporting triumph, I believe a lot of people think it says something great about our nation. Yes, I'm tempted to cheer along, but the pregnancy of our PM comes a very distant second to the leader of a troubled, and socially repressive, Muslim state that beat us by 28 years. 28 years!!! A generation ago!? I see no reason for claiming a medal. They were packed away yonks ago. The cheering crowds have gone home to make, and raise, babies (and grandchildren).
Fourthly: New Zealand has always prided itself on being an egalitarian nation. It is one of our most cherished founding myths, an oft-celebrated characteristic of our national identity. Yes, the gap between rich and poor has greatly increased over the last decades, and celebrity worship has crept in, but we still resist deferring to power or authority. We are not required to call police officers 'Sir' or 'Ma'am' (USA), or fawn over our 'betters' (UK). When I see a royal or a famous celebrity in the street I do not bow or scream or cry. Like most NZers, I treat them as I would any other human being. I either say gidday, or ignore them.
Fifthly: Jacinda and Clarke (and baby-to-be) are not, as reported, the 'First Family'. This is an unofficial term used to describe the family of the head of state of the USA. Which is a republic. Which we, as yet, are not.
This misnomer seemed to sneak in during the wildly popular terms of John Key as Prime Minister when media darling, Max Key, was repeatedly referred to as the 'first son'. The fact that this scion of privilege grabbed this mantle with three arms is understandable given a fawning media, his narrow life experience, and the actions of his father in bringing back the archaic titles of Sir and Dame in order to elevate his sporting heroes, and mates, above the hoi polloi.
This may seem all a bit pedantic, but founding myths and national identities are important. They inevitably contain as much self-delusion as truth but, nevertheless, they are the stories that bind us.
I take pride in our egalitarian myth. I enact it and take part. No one stands above me, and I stand over no other. No one should be held back, or elevated, because of gender, race or class.
Last verse (same as the first): I love the fact that our PM is having a baby. But Clarke is not the 'First Man', or 'First Dad', as he has repeatedly been referred to in our news and social media.
The first family of NZ is actually the family of our Head of State.
If people don't know who that is, then it's time to ask questions of our country, our media, and ourselves.
This entry was posted in History, Politics, Sport, Uncategorized and tagged cultural imperialism, egalitarianism, equality, first family, Jacinda Adhern, language, media fail, New Zealand, pregnancy, status, working mothers on January 20, 2018 by Kambl.
Five Lions (and an almost King)
The first time I saw the Lions was in a smoky little bar at Mt. Cook. I didn't know it, but it's where I was conceived. Presumably not at the bar (though people do funny things at high altitude). This humorous anecdote popped out at my mother's funeral a few years ago. It got a big laugh.
Back in 1977 I was 10. Unaware. I didn't really know who the Lions were, I was a soccer player. However I liked the name and loved the animal, which I got to cuddle at Barrington Mall that same year. It was a promotion for Orana Park where you could drive through the lion enclosure and watch as they ate chunks of meat on your car. Even though I was 10 I knew that the All Blacks were better than everyone else. It was a great source of pride in our tiny nation.
I was staying at Mt. Cook with family, and family friends, in a little A-frame chalet with no TV. So Dad and me, 'Uncle' John and his son, Michael, left the girls in the chalet while we males sloped off to watch the game. It was exciting being a kid in a bar. Against the law! But it was a Test. A very rare Lions Test, as my English dad, Dennis, explained. The four great Home nations against our little one. The dads drank beer (Lion or DB; the only choices back then) while Michael and me ate chips and drank Coke, talked quietly and messed about, watching little rugby.
The next tour took place in the aftermath of the civil unrest of the1981 Springbok Tour. Dad had taken me to the 2nd Test at Lancaster Park. It was the last rugby game I ever went to (unless paid to go). Riot police jogging in formation. Barbed wire and pitch invasions. Broken glass. Baton charges. People baying for blood. A shared bag of Mackintosh's toffees with Dad.
Like a lot of New Zealanders, my opinion of rugby was poisoned by the national trauma of 1981. Families split, flour bombs and beatings, teachers ranting at you to support! Oppose! All took a toll. So I watched none of the 1983 Lions Tour. Rugby culture turned me off. It seemed braying, violent. Ignorant. Racist. I found a welcoming counter-culture in music. It was years before rugby rehabilitated itself in the eyes of many NZers by winning the inaugural World Cup in 1987 (everyone loves a winner).
With the next Lions tour I was immersed in theatre, acting in shows up and down the country. Touring, touring, performing, writing, learning about the great diversity that plays into our complex national identity. I watched no games. It wasn't something anyone I knew did.
By 2005 the world had 'changed'. And so had rugby. It was now a professional package. It was hustled into professionalism when I started working in TV in 1995. I hid outside hotels with TV crews as the highly sensitive negotiations took place spending long hours talking shit, doing nothing, which is the nature of stake-outs.
At the 2005 game I was working on the ref communication system the officials now use to make decisions. The Lions Tour was the biggest rugby event the country had ever seen. Prince William was there listening to my mix. I was a little nervous.
Half an hour before kick-off the police let us know that a bomb threat had been phoned in. Evacuation was being considered. 9/11 and the invasion of Iraqi still filled the news and the 2nd in line to the British throne was there. With 45,000 people in the stadium eagerly anticipating a rugby game full evacuation would disrupt the match, and international broadcasting. Satellite bookings and advertising windows would be sent into disarray. The police decided the threat was a hoax.
Tonight I'm working on the 2nd Lions Test in Wellington. Packs of Lions supporters have been roaming the streets all week. They seem a good-natured bunch. It's hard to reflect in anticipation. While I am the same person who watched games in 1977 and 2005 (and ignored them in 1983 and 1993), I've viewed each one quite differently. The same eyes see both less and more.
I expect to stay wrapped–up high in the media box I work in, with heaters and Wi-Fi cranked, doing my job and keeping warm. Trying not to scoff my stash of liquorice allsorts too quickly.
No one expects the Lions to win, not even them. The All Blacks are 5-1 favourites. All I can say for certain is that I (probably) won't be watching the next tour in 2029. And the British (probably) will have a new king.
This entry was posted in Family, History, Memoir, Sport, TV, Uncategorized and tagged 1981, 1981 Springbok Tour, British and Irish Lions, British and Irish Lions 2017, lions, Mt Cook, Orana Park, rugby culture, The Lions on July 1, 2017 by Kambl.
It's a strange feeling pretending that you are invisible in the middle of a celebration, silently observing, placidly staring in the opposite direction.
My work life has been peppered with such moments. Some came back to me as I watched Team New Zealand win the America's Cup on the telly this morning. The moments are fresh, but a lifetime ago.
Like a lot of my scruffy South Island peers I grew up writing off the America's Cup as an elitist rich man's game. It's how I felt when Team NZ won the cup in San Diego in 1995 in my first months of working in TV up in Auckland. There was champagne to celebrate at the rugby game I was covering at Eden Park but I didn't partake.
Victory Parade 1995
The following week I worked on the parade down Queen St to welcome home the team and the cup. It all seemed a bit rah-rah to me. Not rock 'n roll. Sharing a success you yourself hadn't earned. But that's sport.
Mayor, PM and Peter Blake, Victory Parade 2000
When the defence took place in Auckland in 1999 I got a lot closer, spending every race day on the water chasing the yachts on a camera boat. There were many rough, lumpy days. A lot of hot, becalmed weeks. I read dozens of books and watched people amuse themselves with surfing dogs, dolphins and women in bikinis clambering aboard to say hello to the sailors.
There were parties. Lots of parties. Prada. Team NZ. Louis Vuitton. Free Moet by the bucket.
Team NZ Victory Party 2000
On lay days from racing I did field sound for the billionaire, Bill Koch (youngest of the infamous Koch brothers, shapers of American politics with deep, shady pockets). Bill was great. A big kid. He had won the America's Cup with America3 and just wanted to interview all his friends for fun. He put on a bbq to thank everyone at the end of the event. It was a little bit Great Gatsby. White linen tables in front of a cliff-top mansion over-looking Rangitoto and the Hauraki Gulf. Silver service and a famous band playing on the rolling lawn. He sat with me to eat his dinner; a nice touch when so many rich and important people in need of schmoozing.
I wish I had pictures of that night, but all the spectacle became so normal and every day, and, unlike now, everything didn't need a digital record to exist.
On the day Team NZ successfully defended the cup I was deployed on land, so to speak, bobbing about in the centre of the Viaduct on a pontoon awaiting the arrival of the winners and the presentation of the world's oldest sporting trophy. I had rigged a radio mic on the podium earlier in the day and had a wired backup concealed within reach.
As Russell Coutts lifted the Auld Mug with his young apprentice Dean Barker the confetti bombs exploded and thousands cheered. It was deafening. I looked behind me to the camera people held back by security, took a photo of the drunk and excited crowd, and wondered how invisible I could be.
In shorts, bottom right, taking first photo in this post
This entry was posted in Memoir, Sport, TV, Uncategorized and tagged America's Cup, Loius Vuitton Cup, parades, yachting on June 27, 2017 by Kambl.
3 Days in Samoa (part 2)
Dazed from the heat and humidity, and a 10 hour trip (plus afternoon rums in the Koru lounge in Auckland and Merlot with dinner), I ticked 'sport' on the immigration card. When questioned I said, business and sport. The rugby. The Blues and Reds. The referees? The giant official smiled from behind his tiny desk, amended the card, and handed me back my passport.
We picked up our rental and drove to the resort by the airport 'turn right, drive a few minutes… bump!… first right'. The directions were spot on. The gates to Aggie Grey's Sheraton Resort were indeed right after a sudden bump.
In my room I fiddled with the telly, trying to decide if I needed food. But it was 10pm. I was exhausted and needed sleep.
I woke with my throat raw. Two flights. Sleeping with air-con. I walked out my patio to the white sands, took a dazed selfie to post on Facebook then joined my workmate for breakfast in the Apolima Fale. It was paradise eating with no walls and such beauty.
Unlike everyone else working on the first Super Rugby game in Samoa we weren't staying in town, so we had a one hour drive along the coast through village after village, ramshackle and pristine, proud of famous sons The village of David Tua, The village of Joseph Parker etc. I took passing photo after passing photo of open fales, little family stores and concrete swimming holes, all obliterated by bad light or my reflection.
It was as I remembered from 1999, but much tidier. The rubbish scattered everywhere was now all absent. There are stands all along the road where rubbish is left so roaming dogs can't get at it. Some are homemade. Some are engineered metal with labels saying 'Australian Aid'.
As we got closer to Apia bunting and flags lined the road. For rugby? Apia was jammed with people. Markets and stalls everywhere. We were funnelled away from our destination by closed roads and police. It was Independence Day. Samoa was celebrating throwing off its New Zealand overlord. NZ likes to think it was a benign 'administrator' who liberated Samoa from Germany at the start of WWI. But we didn't let go and our officials mowed down peaceful marchers when they asked for freedom.
There's a wonderful Samoan song that remembers that atrocity. I learned it years ago when acting in a Samoan play. I sometimes sing it in the shower, delighting in the onomatopoeic sound of the Samoan word for machine gun. Fanata'avilli. Rat-a-tat-tat.
It was hot and humid at the stadium. With four road cases to carry up the steep concrete steps to our booth at the top of the stand we took it slow, but it was hard going and my colleague soon began to feel faint and unwell. There was an air con unit but no remote control. It took forever to find someone who understood what we needed.
Heat and lack of water aside, it was an easy rig. I had to clamber onto a dodgy rusty, dusty, roof to rig aerials; a challenge with the grade-2 muscle tear I gave myself when I slipped on some rocks last weekend. But I was strapped from crotch to knee with purple tape so I was reasonably mobile. From the breezy, shaded cool of the roof I looked down to the two fullahs mowing the field. With t-shirts tied over their heads to shield them from the sun, they pushed two domestic lawn mowers across the entire pitch; slowly doing a job done by ride-on mowers in NZ. The average hourly rate is $1.50 over here.
By 2pm we were done. I've never been so thirsty. Though it seemed wrong we couldn't face the bustle and heat of Apia in celebration. We weren't here to tourist, so headed to Frankie Hypermarket to pick up bottled water and drive back to the resort.
After inhaling the plate of fruit left in my room I lay down on the bed to sleep. But as soon as I closed my eyes I felt bad. What a waste. I couldn't hide in the air-con, no matter how tired I felt, so I put on my togs and headed to the pool. The water was stunning but I couldn't swim with my torn thigh so I floated about in the empty pool (where was everyone?) before grabbing a sun longer on the beach to watch the ocean breaking on the distant reef.
Four Australians turned up with drinks on the chairs beside me. The pool bar was unattended so I went up the main bar in my wet togs, trying not to feel self-conscious. It was happy hour. For the next 90 minutes! Alone in paradise I slowly made my way through the NZ$8 cocktails. Apolima Sunrise, Midori Splice and Blue Lagoon. Tequila, Midori, Vodka, Malibu, Blue Curacao and Orange Liqueur all went down easy as I skited on Facebook and listened to the Aussies mither about wedding fails.
So I put on a smile and put on the shitty dress. It's what bridesmaids do. She wanted to arrive in a helicopter. A helicopter. I said, if you do that my hair will be all to shit. To shit. I literally bit my tongue for two weeks. So she dicked the best man to get back at him. Well you would, wouldn't you? They're still together. Toronto. Toronto for fuck's sake.
The man drank beer in silence as his three bikinied companions competitively relived each horror. I guess he had never been to a bad wedding.
This entry was posted in History, Sport, Travel, Uncategorized and tagged Aggie Grey's, eavesdropping, Independence Day, Samoa, wedding fails on June 5, 2017 by Kambl.
I'm flying to Samoa. The last time I went there it was last century, the end of the millennium. To a thirty-something New Zealander Samoa was the island of the day before. Since then the world has changed. More than once. It was 1999. We partied like it was and tried not to fret about Y2K and planes falling from the sky. Now I am 50 and Samoa has jumped the international dateline from yesterday to today. The past is here.
I'm off for work rather than pleasure. Like the winter of 1999, it's rugby. There are worse ways to earn a buck.
Back then I was with a TV crew doing the first live broadcast of a big event from the islands. There was bit of pressure. We came over on the Saturday, did the game between Manu Samoa and USA on the Sunday, and then flew back to Auckland on the Monday. We stayed at Aggie Grey's in Apia and drank cocktails in the pool. I got the Marlon Brando fale. As a one-time actor I imagined he had once been in the same room and busted out a Stanley Kowalski 'Stella!" in tribute.
18 years ago the plane was small. I watched 'Shakespeare In Love' and 'My Favourite Martian"; the best of the few films on offer. This time the entertainment selection is huge, but not enough to drag me off my own devices… tablet, phone, journal.
Last time I took about 6 photos on the whole trip. This time I'd taken twice that before we left the runway.
To be fair, in 1999 I also shot a 3 minute reel on my vintage 1970s Super 8mm camera. The travelogue was wholly edited in-camera, with titles and funny gags. I dug it out and watched it yesterday. The USA was led out by a man in combat gear jumping up and down, waving the stars and stripes. At the time I couldn't work out if it was naïve or on point, and wondered what the Americans thought about being represented by this. Were they proud or dismayed? Or just indifferent? Manu Samoa had an oiled-up man carrying two flaming torches. It looked great in the tropical sun.
That night, after a reception at the embassy, I had a beer on the town with some of the American players. They were just happy to be there; proud of their amateur status against a team full of professionals. 'We're builders, and teachers, that's amazing, ain't it?'
It is less than an hour until we land. Outside it is dark. No longer the island of the day before, Samoa is now an hour ahead of New Zealand. A balmy 28 degree evening awaits our arrival. It was 12 degrees when I left Wellington this morning. Cold. Windy. Autumn. It's going to be an interesting few days.
This entry was posted in Memoir, Sport, Travel, TV, Uncategorized and tagged Aggie Grey's, Manu Samoa, Samoa on June 2, 2017 by Kambl.
The Carnival Is
For the last week I've had a very persistent earworm; The Carnival Is Over by The Seekers. It's because I'm working on the Wellington Sevens and the only story/topic of conversation is who killed the event and how dead is it? I've asked strangers, colleagues and rugby enthusiasts all week if they're going and they either laugh or scornfully say no!
The party is over and no one's keen to go to something so uncool.
Who killed it? An editorial in the DomPost said 'don't blame the fun police'. (I like the idea of fun police… better than un-fun police).
I could give a well-reasoned answer to what's behind the demise, but as I work on the event my lips are contractually sealed (across all media). But I'm a writer so I must find wiggle room to engage.
This is my 10th event. That's a lot of being at the centre of 30,000 people in full carnival mode. Dressing up, undressing, cross-dressing (but only males), full mask, partial mask, getting hammered/tweaked, singing, dancing (only females) with work colleagues, friends, family and strangers. I've seen it's at its peak. It was wonderful, and awful.
February 2008 (my first Sevens) was a different world. I was in an empty house in a new city with a pregnant partner I had known for less than a year and the Global Financial Crisis was about to smash into us.
Whatever happens this weekend, as an on-field comms tech I shall continue to get paid to turn off very fit, hot sweaty men (and the occasional woman). I'm an okay de-fluffer. It's better than having to turn them on, I suppose, but isn't that the point of Carnival?
The train is passing the stadium. The conductor has just said 'bing-bong bing-bong!' on the intercom and welcomed us into Wellington. Everyone is in good humour. Game day is on.
Confessions of a De-Fluffer Ghosts of Sevens Past
This entry was posted in Memoir, Sport, Uncategorized, wellington sevens and tagged 7s, 7srugby, wellington sevens on January 28, 2017 by Kambl.
2 Days in Christchurch (part 3)
It was hard to prise myself out my funky room at BreakFree on Saturday morning. I was four floors up, isolated from any noise with a generous (for NZ) 500MG of data.
I opened the blind and saw the sun rising in the east as a steady stream of fluro-jacketed re-construction workers walked into the CBD through the empty waste of Cashel Street. Apparently their request for parking privileges as they rebuild the city has been declined.
After some quick stretches (often hard to achieve in a studio room) I went down to the gym to do 15 minutes on a bike. I have a torn meniscus at the moment (cartilage in the knee) and can't run (or sleep or sit or stand without discomfort), so low impact is the only option. It was great to get the heart going and to stretch the tendon on the same leg that was operated on 3 years ago to correct Haglund's deformity. The Achilles' takes a long time to heel. A 7mm bone spur was shaved off and the tendon scraped clean. I haven't been able to run properly since and when in bare feet have the disconcerting sensation of feeling the cup of the Achilles' on my heel. It's not painful. Tendons are just slow to re-align. If I press on the scar on my heel an electric shock fires to the other side. It's because tendons are piezoelectric, like a crystal in a turntable stylus or the starter for a bbq. The cells all line up and fire as one.
After a shower in the coolly opaque en-suite I took my bags to the lockers at the bus exchange ($2 a locker for 24hrs). It was warm and sunny (in the sun) but the cool Easterly meant many people were in jackets (especially the South African rugby fans in town for the game against the All Blacks). I regretted wearing shorts. But that's spring in Christchurch. I headed to the Pop-Up ReStart shops by the Bridge of Remembrance to look for a pressie for my mate who's just turned 50.
I went straight to Hapa and found the perfect thing as soon as I walked in the door, a pretty-as solar-powered retro Kiwi caravan nightlight. Lumilight is a UK company that does Alpine chalet lights, and a (surprisingly random) selection of NZ ones (Wool Shed, Otago Hotel!? etc).
Then it was off to C1. Being a sunny Saturday morning it was packed with a long queue at the counter. On a tight schedule I nearly went somewhere else but I love the place (and food) so much. A group of Merivale/Rangi girls behind me whined about the wait, fussed over their friends who weren't saving their table right, gushed about things on their phones, and repeatedly pushed into me trying to make the line go faster.
I didn't really want a big breakfast but I still chose the Super Choice Bro. Because I had to travel the city. Backwards and forwards. And because of the name.
As I sat outside scribbling in my journal, ready for a half hour wait, I watched groups of mums rush to grab tables and big-bellied rugby fans look at the café with confusion.
My pretty-as macchiato appeared after 3 minutes. My killer kai took 7. I was amazed. So fast, so beautiful. Not a hulking pile of fried stodge. The matching oblongs of smoked bacon belly and hash brown were almost too stylish to eat. Almost.
Then down to South City to the only florist that seems to be open in the CBD, stopping briefly to drool over a couple of bass guitars in the window of CJs music store (where I bought two basses in the '80s). I wanted flowers to take to my grandparents. I hadn't been in a long time. It's tricky when you don't live in town any more. I used to go with my mother but it's nearly five years since she went to ashes, too.
Tempted by the garish multi-coloured chrysanthemums at the door I settled on simple daffodils (they're up everywhere in Chch). The florist said she hates the chrysanthemums and laughed. They're dyed in Japan and people love them but they're impossible to make an arrangement with.
I headed back up Colombo St with my three bunches on daffys to catch the bus out east. The driver said I didn't need to buy him flowers, and laughed. And then three tourists got onto the otherwise empty bus and sat right in front of me making me even more self-conscious. It was the refs for the All Blacks vs Springboks test that night (I do comms for rugby in Wellington and had worked with them a couple of weeks ago). They were sightseeing, killing time before the game, but didn't recognize me.
Feeling amused, and slightly aggrieved that I couldn't escape work, I listened to the Australian video ref school the French officials how to speak NZild English. It was funny and awkward but I didn't want to surrender my anonymity (or explain the flowers). When they expressed amusement/bemusement at the 185 white chairs lined up on Manchester Street as a memorial for the victims of the 2011 earthquake I spoke up, becoming a tour guide for a block or two before saying gidday (and explaining the flowers).
I've been going to the crem in Linwood since the early '70s after my grandmother died when I was 6. My grandfather, Sandy, finally joined his Flo' in the mid '80s. Immigrants from Scotland, they escaped the post-WWI slump in the 1920s. With most of the large family they had in Christchurch now moved on themselves I expected their stone to be untended. But there were flowers. It made me happy. As I kneeled and cut the stems of enough flowers to jam into the plastic vase a small boy ran up to me. "Don't run in here, Latham!" his grandmother called out behind him. "Do you have a granddad Russell, too?" he asked.
It's hard knowing how to remember the past. I try to always think well of it. After touching the stone 3 times, feeling the loss a little less each time, I took the remaining flowers to look for the memorial of close family friends I had yet to pay my respects to. They had loomed large in my life. Throughout my childhood and teens I had spent many holidays with Aunty Marie and Uncle John. Their metal vase had no flowers, and 13 holes. Exactly the number of flowers I had left.
It was now noon. Time to bus back to town, retrieve my bags and head out to New Brighton to listen to music, drink and laugh, escape and remember the past.
This entry was posted in Family, Memoir, Sport, Travel, Uncategorized, Whanau and tagged BreakFree, C1, christchurch, Christchurch Earthquake, Haglund's Deformity, Hapa, memoir, rebuild, solo travel, travel on September 25, 2016 by Kambl.
Today is grey and cold.
Tonight the All Blacks are playing the Wallabies in Wellington.
I've never bought a rugby shirt.
Or a rugby ticket.
Or had a beer at the game.
But I've been to more All Black tests than I can remember.
Either working for television.
Or for the match officials.
I may have eaten a pie.
Spent time relaxing backstage.
But tonight I wish I was in the crowd.
My 8-year old is here, seeing her first All Black test.
It's a moment I would love to have shared.
The only Test I wasn't paid to attend was in 1981 with my father.
The Springboks at Lancaster Park.
There were riot police with batons and barbed wire on the pitch.
People screaming for blood.
I'm glad I got to see it.
And my daughter never did.
This entry was posted in Memoir, Sport, Uncategorized and tagged all blacks, international sport, the rugby championship, wallabies, on August 27, 2016 by Kambl.
Ghosts of Sevens Past
I've just completed my second day setting up for New Zealand's biggest dress-up party/bacchanal (which features a little rugby on the side).
Te News-style Billy T Jameses(s) 2010
I wrote it about last year it in my Confessions of a De-fluffer post (at least, I attempted to before the 35,000 revellers overloaded the cell-towers attempting to hook-up with each other, post selfies to InstaBook and hashtag 'groupies' to TinderSnap).
An interesting costume can provoke interaction 2009
So if you're unfamiliar with what I do give that a look as this post is covering slightly different ground. It's not an explanation of the Wellington Sevens or which team is ahead on the points table, it's a look back at some of the photos I've snapped from the sideline over the last eight years as I marvelled at the bizarre sight of one of the least dressy-up societies in the world dressing up (as opposed to the usual down), albeit for a weekend.
Where I hang 2012
Essentially, my job is to turn referees off at the end of a game. Not hard given my advancing years (and the exposed flesh of the revellers). I'm paid well for it because if I get it wrong then the world ends (at least, in terms of live TV sport which, as everyone knows, is more important than brain surgery). Of course, I am belittling my skills, but that is the droll nature of those who work in sound.
Dress for all conditions 2010
But the crowd doesn't really interest my TV/soundie mind, it's the writer in me who is intrigued; the student of history and religion and drama (with a particular interest in festivals and display where the normal rules of society are inverted and people are given licence to behave in ways that cause scorn or incarceration on any other day of the year).
Always a pack of Smurfs in the house 2009
Things hot up in 2013
Year of the Black Swans 2011
After eight years standing on the sideline in rain and shine, it seems that there are basically only a handful of costume options. Like Carnival and Halloween there are the usual suspects of straight-out-of-the-box Superheroes and/or slutty fill-the-blanks (exposed flesh is important for both genders). There are also very straight men (in both senses of the term) taking the opportunity to cross-dress (while cross-dressing women seem rare). There are also large groups of people dressing en-masse, which can be quite effective visually (this option also gives the unconfident somewhere to hide).
How many Adam & Eves(s) does it take…? 2013
But what catches my eye are the lateral thinkers who create a visual pun or seize on a pop culture reference of the day.
Home-made Bucket fountain 2009
Passionate Susan Boyles 2009
Them Crazy Horses won them 7,000 bucks in 2011
Of course, there are also some people who go to watch rugby in a form that is so TV friendly it will debut at the Olympics in Rio next year, but they are a fast-dwindling minority. So much so that an event that up two years ago sold all 35,000 tickets in minutes, still has 14,000 tickets unsold the day before kick off.
Everyone loves the Kenyan team 2011
They know exactly what's going on 2012
The media is full of theories but my 2 cents would be that it has fallen foul of its success. That is, like a lot of human endeavour, what made it strong has proven its greatest weakness. Because people go to dress up (and piss-up) many find it unappealing.
Fun for the whole family (& the rarely spotted cross-dressing woman) 2012
You may meet a player 2013
Scored a Frenchie! 2013
Yes there are other factors, but from where I stand singing along to songs that nearly 40,000 voices know
Alice, Alice…who the fuck is Alice?
We found love in a hopeless place/ We found love in a hope-less place
All I can think is I'm glad they pay me to be there.
Not the sort of visual pun I meant 2012
This entry was posted in Blogs, Sport and tagged 7s, 7srugby, Carnival, costumes, Dress-ups, festival, wellington sevens on February 6, 2015 by Kambl.