Recent content by Hornblower

I agree with Sam Yeager... NZ playing at home are very very difficult to beat. I think there are only 7 games to the final and from memory they don't drop a game at home more than once every couple of years. They have had their 'surprise' loss and got it out of their system so odds are pretty...

Sure! It actually makes sense from a livestock and ecological point of view really. The Kangaroo is native to Australia and as such has a much lighter footprint on the land for 'grazing'. There are millions upon millions of them and their meat is proven to be very lean and healthy. Now all we...

Yes we need to remember that the concept of spices in 1824 is not the same as how we perceive spices today. I'd most certainly classify pepper as an important spice for trade back then. Whether it was important enough to grab Sumatra is arguable as it has already quite rightly been pointed...

Mmmm crocodile.... hard to cook correctly but they taste like chicken! True!

The mysterious Mona Lisa?

The Nick Leeson who sent Barings Bank bankrupt or is a common enough name that there is another Nick Leeson?

An Economist friend of mine told me that there is a disturbing trend that every time the Kiwi side gets knocked out of a World Cup their economy takes a dive. He said it is so clearly measurable and known in economic circles that the results of their games are watched quite closely! I'm...

Australia Cricket legend and WWII fighter pilot Keith Miller - When asked many years later by Michael Parkinson, about pressure in cricket, Miller responded with the famous quote: "pressure is a Messerschmitt up your arse, playing cricket is not". Long after he had retired from Cricket...

Whilst the anarchy of the other nations may have appeal for some I'm still sold on the relative civilization of Palestine over the others. And despite the safety of NK, the government controls of television and internet would make for a pretty ordinary existance. Hmmm come to think of it maybe...

So Obama will get the nod and Hillary Clinton will prepare for the next one in 4 years as the most obvious successor?

I always wondered why there was a 'Samoa' and an 'American Samoa' but never really made the connection.

Well I've been 'forced' to live in Somalia and Iraq and wouldn't go back to either given a choice! Palestine despite the shortcomings of violence, death and oppression at your door still has access to most of the comforts that my westernised ass covets so I'm going to lean that way!

I travelled extensively through China (PRC) back in 1985-86 and the photos reminded me quite a bit of what it was like in the central and northern regions there then. God knows the PRC isn't like that now but the look of the people and the spotless and empty roads look very similar as does the...

1) What city/town, province/state/territory, and country do you live in? Answer: Newcastle, Australia 2) What is the population of your city/town? Answer: Just over 200,000 3) If it's not a world-recognized city, what is the nearest big city to you and how far away? Answer: Sydney, 2...

Cowboys and Aliens. Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde. Very very very cool... nuff said!