Posts by dc_red

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  • Cracker: Heroes and Villains,

    Re: the__Vodafone__ Warriors. Interestingly, and frustratingly, they are the only NRL team to have sold out their name.

    Initially, the team's name followed the convention in the competition: [Name of City, Suburb or Region] [Vaguely Playful Noun]. The Auckland Warriors: it made sense.

    In 2000 they metamorphisized into the New Zealand Warriors. For no good reason that I can think of. The new name was out of keeping with tradition, and not particularly appropriate, given the New Zealand rugby league team is called the Kiwis. At the same time they shifted away from their blue, white and green colours to the current black and silver.

    And then they sold their name to Vodafone. Note that Vodafone didn't actually buy the Warriors Inc. If they did, they could call them anything they liked, I guess: the Vodafone Ringtones, for example.

    There is ongoing confusion as every other team can be called by either of its two names: e.g., 'Canberra' or 'the Raiders'; 'North Queensland' or 'the Cowboys'. But you can hardly call a team 'Vodafone'. e.g., Try saying "and Vodafone take the ball up the field".

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

  • Hard News: "Rubbish" is putting it politely,

    So, the scholarship is both perfectly legal and in line with innumerable precedents.

    In light of this, I'm looking forward to establishing the first scholarship specifically targeted to skinny white Labour voting heterosexual men from Waitakere City.

    I think I might make myself the first recipient of this prestigious award, and go on holiday.

    p.s., was Brash complaining about the Maori-only scholarships, or about preferential entry for Maori to the more competitive University programmes (the quota/affirmative action system common in Law & Medicine)?

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

  • Hard News: There's a lot of it about,

    A bit like Rueben Wiki, Letterman finds some good form at what should be the end of his career.

    But, as always, he takes a long time to say not much, and if he gets a laugh from a joke, makes sure to repeat it. Usually twice.

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

  • Hard News: Loving your dog and owning…,

    Meanwhile, Mr Pull-Your-Socks-Up-New-Zealand takes a hit

    Couldn't have happened to a nicer 'tycoon'. And while that term is more reminiscent of Monopoly than anything else, it is likely appropriate in the context of Russian crony-capitalism.

    While his ramblings would no doubt go down well at an ACT conference, why the Herald should give them such a rapturous reception (with not even so much as a one-sentence attempt at critique) is beyond me.

    I'm also still trying to get my head around why cry-baby Sharples went to the media with his little whine.

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

  • Hard News: Loving your dog and owning…,

    Re: Civil Unions going unrecognized overseas ... Canada has no concept of civil unions. There is just marriage - same sex or opposite sex, take your pick.

    I found this info on their immigration site:

    A marriage between two persons of the same sex will be recognized, for immigration purposes, where the marriage:

    · was legally performed in Canada; or
    · if performed outside of Canada, the marriage must be legally recognized according to both the law of the place where the marriage occurred and under Canadian law. This applies to same sex marriages performed in the following jurisdictions:

    • Belgium
    • the Netherlands
    • South Africa
    • Spain
    • the State of Massachusetts (U.S.A.).

    A same sex couple civilly united in New Zealand could still apply as a de facto couple though.

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

  • Island Life: I can see clearly now,

    Remember this gem from Saatchi's seven years ago? Auckland only gets the best from Kevin.

    Also a useful reminder of how "odious" (a word RB used only twice - how restrained!) the National Party of Shipley, Creech, Sowry and Bradford was.

    What an utter pack of wankers they were.

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

  • Hard News: Loving your dog and owning…,

    American's do seem to prefer to vote for someone they think they can have a beer with.

    Romney never had a chance then?

    Good - nothing pisses me off faster than a hectoring, moralizing conservative (Shipley used to try that sometimes).

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

  • Up Front: Mmmmmm, MMP,

    Plus, it would be genuinely good to brag about having the ALCP in parliament on international forums, even if they can't actually get more sensible laws on the books.

    Indeed. Another bonus would be the apoplexy it would induce in prohibitionists like Anderton, Peters, Dunne, and Blue.

    Interesting that Dunne - and I assume Peters? - are faithful to the tobacco lobby, though.

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

  • Up Front: Mmmmmm, MMP,

    See the size of the swing it would take to unseat Anderton? He'd have to lose half his vote, all to one candidate.

    Not quite. Anderton's majority was 8548. He would only need to lose half of that, plus one (4275 votes), to the second-placed candidate, to be unseated.

    It would require 26.7% of Anderton's support going to the National candidate to cause this to happen (assuming all other votes stay the same).

    Given 's the National candidate in question is the odious wanker from UF (a party which makes a hobby of attracting odious wankers), that does seem unlikely.

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

  • Field Theory: Selling Out on a Thursday,

    The record in the NHL is 484 consecutive games - held by the Colorado Avalanche at the 20,000 seat Pepsi Centre (where the Democrats recently did their thing).

    However, there's a big difference between "sold out" and "full", at least in the NHL: the popular teams sell a vast proportion of the available seats as season tickets, but many season ticket holders don't bother turning up for every game.

    In the "sold out" game I went to, the stadium was at most 80% full.

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

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