Cracker by Damian Christie

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Cracker: Sole Man

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  • Craig Ranapia,

    I'll be fine if you don't want to address it.

    More I don't think it's necessary.

    Wait, Craig is having a go at other people for being passive-aggressive? Umm, OK.

    Yes, Kyle --

    Tying yourself into a hopelessly convoluted knot of pretension over your squeamishness at the lèse-majesté shown to the aging boy-emperor should remedy that.

    I'm sure I'll be suitably chastised the moment that makes any sense at all. You're amused; I think it was childish and gratuitously offensive crap, and perhaps we should be saving our plaudits for actual journalists in the Middle East for whom committing journalism is a very dangerous task indeed.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Joe Wylie,

    You're amused

    By what - Muntazar al-Zaidi's actions? If you must know, I admire his apparent courage - insofar as I'm able to understand the situation that gave rise to it. At east I'm trying, rather than delivering snottily schoolmarmish lectures on colonial protocol.

    Stack the sanctimony as high as you please, as far as I'm concerned your silly fantasies about tossing slingbacks, mules, mukluks or whatever at sundry Iranians are self-serving and irrelevant tosh.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock,

    perhaps we should be saving our plaudits for actual journalists in the Middle East for whom committing journalism is a very dangerous task indeed

    That's kinda what I thought you meant, although you were a little obsure...That we should not mistake the sizzle for the steak, right?

    It is a pity that all the attention is on this one guy, just because the incident involved The Most Powerful Man In The World (tm) and the inevitable numerous TV cameras. It didn't hurt that that it was also short and easily digestible.

    And you're right. There's numerous guys out there risking far more on a daily basis over and over again, outside the safe havens of the green zone or Kabul, doing a damn hard job in exceptionally dangerous conditons (that being one reason why we hear so little about it).

    And just so we don't get too distracted by this sizzle, here's some proper journalistic steak from Kabul.

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • Hilary Stace,

    The live broadcast on Wednesday nights of Backbencher from the Backbencher in Molesworth St has been a popular event for Wellington pollies but I didn't realise your role in it, Damien. Is it continuing next year? I hope so.

    There is always a large crowd and interestingly it is often full of the mainstream media (why are male reporters shorter and older than they look on TV and the women taller and younger). Last night didn't have the usual population of the young left, and instead the ACT suits were there in force (must have been the total Wellington population of them) to cheer for Rodney. He is probably desperately waiting for his effigy to make the Backbencher walls.

    Otherwise, the new skinny Chester Burrows was unrecognisable and kept reminding me of Clem Simich, Moana Macky was articulate and assured, and Sue Bradford was her usual wise self. But it must be much harder to keep the audience under control.

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report Reply

  • Maui Smith,

    Bush did move well. They're lucky they voted for Obama and not McCain. I can't imagine the old fella getting out of the way.

    Though what would Obama do? Catch the shoes one handed, basketball twirl and sky hook them back?

    Since Oct 2008 • 10 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    The world can now join in :) Hey....It's xmas time, share innit?

    Though what would Obama do? Catch the shoes one handed, basketball twirl and sky hook them back?

    LOL

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Hilary Stace,

    Damian
    Didn't mean to be so blunt about the prizes earlier but sometime for the sake of tidying up loose ends for your loyal readers can you just mention that some deserving humans got them. Nice that you have awarded them without fanfare (well Russell indicated that) . Did any of them go to the people nominated by the readers?

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report Reply

  • Damian Christie,

    Hilary - sorry, didn't mean to avoid the question, I decided to award them to various contributors to the competition but given there'd been a bit of snarkiness around the competition itself, I didn't announce who they were, and I'm not going to - but they were all very deserving, and the main winner was delighted, and as it happened I couldn't have chosen a better recipient in terms of what the free flight meant to them.

    Thanks for your entries though Hilary and sorry for having been remiss in announcing that the prizes were distributed, the last month at home was crazy trying to clear the decks ahead of my holiday.

    Ben - I have just finished the third two-hour session in a net cafe in order to get my latest post up for you :) It wasn't fun, not least of all because of the painfully slow internet connection, problems with USB thingies and tendancy of the keyboard to start writing randomly in Thai, but I did it because you asked. I'll try and post again in the next week or so. Realised my camera has an inbuilt "Make a small jpg copy" function which worked out perfectly...

    Stephen - any recommendations for Tokyo? Email me personally if you prefer, use the feedback button cheers!

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1164 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson,

    but I did it because you asked.

    You da man. But I wasn't asking just for me. At least I hope not.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Hilary Stace,

    Thanks Damian. I wasn't self-interested, just wanting a tidy conclusion. Sorry you had snarkiness. Can't understand why people would be snarky about generosity.

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report Reply

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