It's very industrial underneath Westpac Stadium - all concrete pillars and not much lighting to speak of.
Somehow, when I was imagining us playing at the All Blacks vs Springboks tri-nations match last week I was picturing it being quite dimly-lit on the field as well, so it was a bit of a shock as we walked around the corner and could see the far end of the player's tunnel in front of us, with the field and thousands of yellow seats beyond. I'd forgotten there'd be floodlights! It was brighter than a very bright thing out there! Crikey!
We gathered in formation on the edge of the field just in front of the tunnel, Tim gave the signal to begin, and we began our parade.
The next 30 minutes went by in a flash. I remember concentrating my entire focus on Tim and on my caixa. I was dimly aware of players warming up on the field next to us, but I barely looked at them - I was so engrossed in the music and making sure I was playing my patterns properly. I remember the slightly muddy grass beneath my feet (it had been raining all day), and trying not to trip over the myriad of TV cables spread across our path. I remember the crowd (not massive an hour before kick-off, but not too shabby) and how much they enjoyed our playing, and I remember the beat of our drums echoing around the stadium.
As we finished each piece with a flourish, the crowd near where we were playing cheered and clapped (and we cheered and clapped back at them), and then we'd be onto the next piece, marching in time to the music as we played.
At one point a commentator placed himself and his camera crew directly ahead of us, the big camera light was switched on, and he began to talk to camera. At the time I couldn't believe that his mike would be able to pick up his voice at all - we were only about 10 feet behind him, and boy, were we loud - but sure enough through the wonders of modern technology they were able to hear him loud and clear - and see us as we marched behind him, big grins on all our faces as we passed by.
OK so he called us Batucada Sound Machine (our director Darren's samba band) instead of Wellington Batucada, but never mind - at least he referred to us!
Here we are:
We continued on our merry way as a fine misty rain began to fall, and made it around half the field in half an hour, leaving by the tunnel opposite the one we'd come in on. A final flourish, played exclusively for the guys hanging out having a fag on the upper walkway, and we were done. It seemed like only 5 minutes since we'd begun playing.
As we were driven back out of the stadium in our bus we passed by the thousands of fans still arriving at the gates - and we were so energised that it was pretty hard to stop ourselves leaping out and playing an impromptu gig for them all.
What a great night!
When I got back home and watched the match build-up on MySky I was amazed how loud we were. The poor old commentators in their glass box up in the Gods seemed to be having a bit of difficuly concentrating on what they were saying half the time - I think we must have been marching directly beneath their commentary box - and I really hope we didn't put them off.
Maybe next time (crossing fingers that there's a next time!) they'll get us to march around the opposite side of the field so our drumbeats aren't carried quite so effectively into that little glass box. We shall see...
Oh - and of course the All Blacks played an absolute stormer of a game and hammered the Springboks by a pretty wide margin for the second time in a row - Phew! Glad we didn't hex 'em with our playing! Go the All Blacks!
Technorati tags: Wellington Batucada, Batucada, All Blacks, Springboks, tri-nations, rugby, Wellington, Westpac Stadium, samba, caixa, WebWeaver's World, webweaver.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Wellington Batucada at the All Blacks game
Monday, August 18, 2008
Why I'm boycotting the Olympics this year
I love the Olympics. The spectacle, the excitement, wondering whether we will win gold this year, the sporting excellence on display for all to see.
But this year, I've decided I won't be watching any of it. No opening or closing ceremonies, no sporting events that normally I would have loved to have watched.
Why? Because it's clear that China has an appalling record on Human Rights, and contrary to all their promises (and the promises of the International Olympic Committe), the abuse of human rights in China has actually got worse in the run-up to the Olympics, not better. As if we couldn't see that coming.
Human Rights
Here's Amnesty International on the subject:
28 July 2008: The Chinese authorities have broken their promise to improve the country's human rights situation and betrayed the core values of the Olympics, according to a new Amnesty International report.
The Olympics Countdown: Broken Promises concludes that in most of these areas human rights have continued to deteriorate since the previous Amnesty International report The Olympics Countdown: Crackdown on Activists Threatens Olympic Legacy, which was published in April this year.
In the run-up to the Olympics, the Chinese authorities have locked up, put under house arrest and forcibly removed individuals they believe may threaten the image of "stability" and "harmony" they want to present to the world.
"By continuing to persecute and punish those who speak out for human rights, the Chinese authorities have lost sight of the promises they made when they were granted the Games seven years ago," said Roseann Rife, Asia-Pacific Deputy Director at Amnesty International.
There's more... including details of online censorship and blocking of a wide range of websites to journalists covering the Games in China, despite official promises to ensure "complete media freedom".
Amnesty International also believes that local activists and journalists working on human rights issues in China are at particular risk of abuse during the Games. Chinese journalists operate in a climate of censorship, unable to report on issues deemed sensitive by the authorities, and many still languish in jail for reporting on such issues.
Housing rights activist Ye Guozhu continues to serve his four-year sentence for "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble" because of his opposition to the seizure and demolition of property to make way for new construction projects for next month's Olympic Games.
China is still the world's top executioner. The Supreme People's Court (SPC) initiated a review of the death penalty that is believed to have resulted in a significant drop in executions. A senior official said that in the first half of 2008 15 per cent of death sentences were rejected by the SPC.
However, the authorities continue to refuse to disclose the full number of those sentenced to death and executed - the total figure remains a state secret. Estimates put the number of those executed every year in the thousands. Around 68 offences - including non-violent crimes such as drug-related offences – are punishable by death in China.
View the complete Amnesty International report in HTML or as a pdf.
Human Rights Watch says:
The run-up to the Beijing Olympics has been marred by a well-documented surge in violations of the rights of free expression and association, as well as media freedom. In addition, abuses of migrant construction workers who were pivotal to Beijing's infrastructure improvements have increased, as have evictions of Beijing residents whose homes were demolished to make way for that infrastructure. Those abuses reflect both the Chinese government's wholesale failure to honor its Olympics-related human rights promises, as well as the negligence of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in ensuring that China fulfills its commitments.
"The Chinese government and the International Olympic Committee have had seven years to deliver on their pledges that these games would further human rights," said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director for Human Rights Watch. "Instead, the Beijing Games have prompted a rollback in some of the most basic rights enshrined in China’s constitution and international law."
There's more - China: Olympics Harm Key Human Rights.
Destruction of homes
Or how about the fact that thousands of Chinese people were forcibly removed from their homes, which were demolished to make way for the Olympic stadiums and infrastructure surrounding the Games. The Chinese government claimed that they were all fully compensated and happy, but this is not true:- In Beijing, Forced Evictions Make Room for Olympics
- Olympics blamed for forcible removal of 2m over 20 years
- Olympics: homes forcibly destroyed, prison for those who request compensation
Tiananmen Square
In Tiananmen Square in June 1989, the Chinese government massacred an unknown number of peaceful protestors. 19 years later, about 130 prisoners are still being held for their role in the demonstrations that were crushed in the military crackdown:
- The Starting Line: The Tiananmen Square Protests, 19 Years Later
- An Olympic Amnesty
- Olympic debate focuses on Tiananmen prisoners
Tibet
And then there's Tibet, which since 1949 has been occupied by China. Tibet has a history of at least 1300 years of independence from China. In 821 the two countries ended almost 200 years of fighting with a treaty engraved on three stone pillars, one of which still stands in front of the Jokhang cathedral in Lhasa.
From Free Tibet - 10 facts about Tibet
Chinese occupation has resulted in the death of over one million Tibetans, the destruction of over 6,000 monasteries, nunneries and temples, and the imprisonment and torture of thousands of Tibetans.
The basic freedoms of speech, religion, and assembly are strictly limited, and arbitrary arrests continue. There are currently hundreds of political prisoners in Tibet, enduring a commonplace punishment of torture.
The Chinese government increasingly encourages Han Chinese to migrate to Tibet, offering them higher wages and other inducements. This policy is threatening the survival of Tibetan people. Tibetans are becoming a minority in the TAR. Yearly, thousands of Tibetans still flee from Tibet, making the treacherous journey over the Himalayas into a world of exile.
Find out more about Tibet:
- Free Tibet
- Friends of Tibet (NZ)
- International campaign for Tibet
- Tibet Online
- The Tibetan People's Uprising Movement
- Google news search results for "Free Tibet"
Persecution of Falun Gong (Falun Dafa)
From AsiaSource:
The Chinese government banned the spiritual group Falun Gong claiming it is an evil cult that threatens social stability and spreads superstitious thinking. The Chinese Communist Party... accuses Falun Gong of illegal gatherings, theft, and actions causing the death of followers. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong... insists that Falun Gong is apolitical and has no intention of threatening its followers or the power of the Chinese government. Despite these assurances, the government has instigated an official crackdown on members including mass arrests, beatings, labor camps, charges of treason and subversion, and vilification in the official media.
- China's Human Rights Record and Falun Gong
- Falun Dafa Information Centre
- Falun Gong: Cult or Just Cultivating?
- Falun Gong Human Rights Working Group
- Wikipedia: Falun Gong
Chinese working conditions and slavery
In order to produce the cheap goods that we in the Western world take for granted, working conditions for many in China are pretty appalling - with slavery becoming more widespread. In June 2007, police said they had rescued more than 500 people from forced labor in brick kilns, where they were worked 18 hours a day and beaten if they tried to escape:- China Labor Watch
- New workers' rights thwarted in China
- Slave Labor in China Sparks Outrage
- Slave labour on the increase in China
- The root of slave labour in China
I know my little boycott won't make the slightest difference to China - but knowing what I do about the way the Chinese government treats its people, I just can't bring myself to watch the Olympics this year. I can't just look the other way and pretend that all is well.
Much as sportsmen and women would like to believe that politics and sport shouldn't mix, I can't see how they can be anything but inextricably intertwined. Politics and sport do mix - because politics determines how each of us lives our life, and underpins everything we do.
Technorati Tags: Olympics, China, boycott, human rights, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, forced evictions, Tiananmen Square, Tibet, Falnun Gong, Falun Dafa, workers rights, slavery.
Monday, October 08, 2007
All Blacks vs France
One word:
Gutted.
Actually, maybe I'll have a few more words now I'm here. Like "dodgy fucking ref".
Hey - I wouldn't have minded if the French had won it fair and square - I'm all about fair play and giving praise where praise is due. I think the French played pretty well, I think we played pretty averagely at times - and made a few too many errors at crucial moments... they may well have beaten us anyway, but...
For fuck's sake, was someone paying the ref off? A yellow card for Luke McAlister for something that may well have been accidental and merited at most a penalty, then 20 minutes later not a yellow card in sight for a French player doing exactly the same thing? And oh my God the forward pass that led to the second French try! How could the ref or the linesman NOT SEE THAT?
Hey guys - I hope you "match officials" enjoy the eeeevil vibes coming at you from 4 million people down here in little old EnZed. We never like to lose - but we're reasonably gracious in defeat when it's fair and square. This one wasn't - which is why it hurts so much.
Technorati tags: All Blacks, France, Rugby World Cup, quarter finals, ref, referee, Wayne Barnes, win, lose, Luke McAlister, yellow card, forward pass, fair play, New Zealand, rugby, WebWeaver's World, webweaver.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Five - nil!
Wow!
Awesome sailing, guys! I can't quite believe it - Team New Zealand wins the fifth race against Luna Rossa - we're going to challenge Alinghi for the America's Cup! And at last the Kiwis crack a smile!
w00t!
Now I'd better go to bed...
Technorati tags: Team New Zealand, America's Cup, Louis Vuitton Cup, Luna Rossa, Alinghi, 5 - 0, five nil, sailing, WebWeaver's World, webweaver.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Team New Zealand beats Oracle to rise to the top
This one's just for you PJ - cos I know how much you love the America's Cup!
Woohoo!
Emirates Team New Zealand have beaten BMW Oracle in the last race of the round robin 2 in the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series. We're at the top of the table, which means we get to pick who we go up against in the semi finals.
It was a huge win - by almost 500m, and 1 minute 34 seconds. We took the lead early on, and extended it throughout the race. Awesome job, guys!I'll see if I can find a pretty pic to add to this in the morning. Found one!
UPDATE: a bunch of useful links:
Team NZ hammer Oracle, snatch top place
Yachting: Team NZ turn focus to Spanish
America's Cup blog: Boats still even despite big win
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Memo to the Welsh - don't mess with the haka!
So the All Black season is over for another year, and it's been a pretty good year, all told.
Thirteen tests - the first six against our old foes Australia and South Africa in the Tri-Nations, then tests against Ireland, Argentina, England, France and Wales. We won 12 games, and lost one - to South Africa by a single point. Last year was a similar story - twelve tests, and we lost only one - again to South Africa.
Not bad.
The final game of the season was played early this morning (our time) at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, against that equally fanatical rugby nation, Wales. It was a pretty convincing win - 45-10 to the All Blacks.
Memo to the Welsh: don't mess with the haka, boys, it just makes us mad. And you know where that will lead...
Here's the story:
Last year when we played Wales it was for the celebration of a hundred years of games between us, and they asked if we would mind changing the order of the pre-match programme, so that instead of the haka being performed after both national anthems, and directly before kick-off, it would be performed between the anthems, giving the Welsh a chance of reply with their own national anthem. That's how it was done when the teams first met 100 years ago, and they thought it would be nice to replicate it, for old time's sake. "Just this once" they promised, so we agreed.
At the time the All Blacks management was a bit concerned about the precedent it might set, but they agreed as a favour to the Welsh, on their special day.
About six weeks ago, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) notified the All Blacks that they were planning to do it that way again, and no amount of negotiation (right up until just before the game) could get them to change their minds. Bad idea, boys! You don't mess with the haka!
From the International Herald Tribune:"It's a 100-year-old tradition that the haka is done before kickoff," New Zealand coach Graham Henry said. "We agreed to the change last year but we had a guarantee it wouldn't happen again. But they (the WRU) asked us to do the same this year and we said no."
The All Blacks opted to perform the haka in the changing-rooms before the game instead, to the intense disappointment of the crowd. I think it's very sad that the WRU did not have the decency to explain to the crowd why they were being denied that most exciting and spine-chilling ritual which (until today) has always accompanied an appearance by the All Blacks.
From Planet Rugby:Not happy with accusing New Zealand of being "honest cheats" in the week Wales opted to antagonise their formidable opponents further with a tradition changing request over the Haka. The result being that the Haka was performed in private in front of a solitary television camera, a travesty for the paying public and a grave error from the Welsh management and committee.
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw said the team acted to protect the tradition of Haka that is integral to New Zealand culture and the All Blacks' heritage.
"The tradition needs to be honoured properly if we're going to do it," said McCaw.
"If the other team wants to mess around, we'll just do the Haka in the shed. At the end of the day, Haka is about spiritual preparation and we do it for ourselves. Traditionally fans can share the experience too and it's sad that they couldn't see it today," he said.
I'm not sure exactly what the WRU was trying to achieve here. Put us off our game by having 74,500 Welshmen sing their national anthem at us after the haka was over? (Minus the very large contingent of black-clad Kiwi fans, of course). It didn't work last year - we beat the Welsh by 41:3 - so I don't know why they thought it would make a difference this year.
Perhaps they wanted to push the fact that they got us to agree to a change last year - and they wanted to see if they could make that a permanent arrangement. What's the matter, boys? Can't handle the haka just before kick-off?
Or maybe it was to thumb their noses at our traditions and show disrespect (although the WRU claims to have consulted with Maori kaumatua before making the suggestion). The Poms are good at that - they sang all the the way through the haka before we thrashed them 41:20 at Twickenham a few weeks ago. The French show the most respect - awesome silence through the haka and thundering cheers and applause afterwards.
Although I don't know why the WRU tried it on, I'm very clear about the result of their messings about.
They denied almost 75,000 fans the opportunity to experience the haka up close and personal, which I think every rugby fan would agree is an experience NOT to be missed. The All Blacks did the haka anyway, in the privacy of the dressing-room, and gained the spiritual preparation that it provides.
And they also got a little bit angrier, and a little bit more fired up than usual, and that can only mean one thing. You're gonna lose, Wales! Which they did. And Jerry Collins is gonna crunch your ass! Which he did.
I'll give the last word to Planet Rugby:Villain of the Match: There may have been two yellow cards, albeit for technical infringements, and a few rowdy arguments but without doubt this award goes to the WRU Officials who deprived the crowd of the Haka. The Haka is a tradition the Kiwi's are proud of and crowds the world over yearn to see live. So for the WRU to try and change this tradition was ludicrous and unjustified. Take note WRU, nobody benefited from your actions but instead were deprived of one of rugby's greatest sights.
Interesting links
Technorati tags: New Zealand, All Blacks, haka, Wales, rugby, Welsh Rugby Union, WRU.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
¡Vamos Rafa!
Speaking of Teevy boyfriends (well we were, weren't we?) - here's another one of mine. Rafael Nadal, tennis player extraordinaire. I've always loved watching tennis - when I lived in the UK watching Wimbledon was practically compulsory - and I've always had a thing for the boys who provide a bit of drama on court.
Ile Nastase, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi - and now Rafael Nadal. You can see it's been a while since any of my faves have been at their peak, so it's quite a treat to watch Rafa hurtling around the court at 100 miles an hour. Boy, can that guy move!
I've been trying to catch as many French Open matches as I could, but as we're on the far side of the world it means they are broadcast in the middle of the night here. I've had a few late nights the past couple of weeks...
I taped the final on Sunday, as I really didn't think it was a very good look to turn up late at my new job again, and yesterday I managed to get through the entire day without finding out who won. Woohoo! Apart from the occasional broken signal (it was on during the massive gale I blogged about the other day) it was all there - and I watched it last night. Phew! It's always a bit of a worry that I'll tape the wrong channel and end up with 3 hours of dog show highlights or something.
Wow! What a match! The first set was pretty worrying for a Nadal fan to sit through, but I kinda figured he'd find his range eventually. Roger Federer's final gasps in the fourth set were pretty impressive, but somehow I didn't think he'd be able to force the match into a fifth set - and I was right. Nadal was just too good, too fast, and too... spinny for poor old Roger.
What more can I say? Nice ass? Ooops no, I shouldn't say that. He has, though. And quite incredible biceps for one so young. heh. I just love the speed and the fire with which he plays. It's always entertaining to watch. Plus at the French Open I get to combine my Teevy boyfriends because they're always mentioning Clay. Or is it clay?
Useful links:
Technorati tags: Rafael Nadal, tennis, French Open, men's final, Roger Federer.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Hurricanes handbag & cellphone auction goes ballistic on TradeMe
You may have read my blog post about the altercation involving a few Hurricanes players and a handbag after the Super 14 final on Saturday night.
As I mentioned in an update to that post, the owner of the bag (in true Kiwi entrepreneurial fashion) put it up for sale on TradeMe yesterday, along with the cellphone that was broken during the ruckus. I've been watching the bidding as it swung wildly up and then down again as TradeMe removed bogus bids. It's been one crazy ride.
At one point last night the bidding was up to $100,004,599.00. No, that's not a typo. A few hours later it was back to a more "sensible" level - $94,000.00. It's currently at $21,769.00 (5.25pm) - obviously more bogus bids were removed during the night - but there are questions about whether the current top bidder is actually going to pay up. We shall see what happens. There's an hour and a half left before the auction closes - I'm expecting they will clear out the last of the bogus bids before then, and we might see a proper bidding war between genuine bidders in the last few minutes. Should be fun!
There are now over 3,000 unanswered questions for this auction - the poor person running it is trying hard to keep up, but for every question s/he anwers, 5 more pop up. It's taken on a life of its own - here are a few quotes from the questions section:"Hey Dudes, Some stats; Between 0900 and 1300 today uv had 98000 odd hits ranging from around 180 per min, peaking at 620 odd per min. Awesome dudes. Thnx 4 the entertainment."
"FYI your auction page is averaging approx 112 hits per second. Roll on 1,000,000 page hits."
"Hi , sorry to add to your email burdens, however, a friend living in london asked me if this is for real. So now you are a global phenomenon. congrats."
As I write this, there have been 857,540 views of the auction page on TradeMe. Seems like the whole country (and parts of the rest of the world) is watching!
I'll put more updates on here as the auction reaches its conclusion.
UPDATE: 6.48pm - current highest bid is $22,600.00. Now over a million hits on the page counter. It doesn't go that high though, so it's gone back to 10,000 or so (plus a million).
UPDATE: 7.02pm - Winning bid was $22,800.000. TradeMe crashed for a few seconds just before the end of the auction, and then quickly came back online again. Phew! Page views are up to 1,073,000-ish. I think most of the country came to a standstill to watch the final few minutes. There was even a late breaking report on the TV news. Heh. I do love the way we don't take ourselves too seriously...
Check out some of the worldwide coverage this crazy event has received:
Technorati tags: New Zealand, Hurricanes, All Blacks, Super 14, Tana Umaga, Chris Masoe, Ma'a Nonu, rugby, handbag, TradeMe, auction.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Hurricanes set the trends - All Blacks follow...
A few of the 'Canes got involved in a bit of a dust-up after Saturday's game:
"Chris Masoe was involved in an "altercation" in a bar after Saturday's Super 14 final and Tana Umaga intervened, hitting his teammate with a woman's handbag. Fellow Hurricane and All Black Ma'a Nonu was also involved in an incident on Sunday morning. He had a "verbal confrontation" with a Christchurch taxi driver." - Dominion Post
Not a good look, and not something that particularly impresses me. However, in typical Kiwi fashion, our dry and self-deprecating sense of humour has come to the fore, and these images are now doing the email rounds between ChCh and Welli. Heh. You gotta laugh.
This article gets my vote for funniest news report on the incident - it's from the South African newspaper, Business Day - Would a handbag sponsor please help us out here?
UPDATE 02/06/06: The handbag and phone are now up for sale on TradeMe. Of course they are! We put everything up on TradeMe! There have been over half a million page views today. At one point the highest bid was $100,004,599.00. No, that's not a typo. Hmmmm - methinks there are a few bidders there who aren't quite taking this seriously... :) Now it's back to a "sensible" level - $94,000.00. Good grief. Auction closes tomorrow. 
Technorati tags: New Zealand, Hurricanes, All Blacks, Super 14, Tana Umaga, Chris Masoe, Ma'a Nonu, rugby, handbag, TradeMe.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
'Canes get lost in the fog
*sigh*
My lovely Hurricanes lost the final match of the Super 14 to the Crusaders in the most surreal game of rugby I've ever seen on TV.
It was so foggy down at Jade Stadium that when they kicked the ball high (which was often) it completely disappeared into the white murk. The SkySport team had to send one of their commentators across to the far side of the field, and then they split the commentating between them, because they literally couldn't see across the park. The spectators were reduced either to turning their backs on the field and watching the game on the big screen, or (if they were high up in the third tier of the stadium) going home to watch it on telly, because they were actually in the clouds. A great quote from some dude in the crowd: "It was the best game of rugby I've never seen".
My boys played manfully (when do they not?) but in the end it was all too much and they lost by a converted try. Bummer. I didn't think they'd beat the super-clinical Crusaders, although I reckon if they'd been able to play at the top of their game tonight they might have had a chance - but this was just too tough.
Ah well, there's always next year. Let's hope it doesn't take us another 11 years to get to the final again. Maybe they should play it in Wellington next time (whoever's in the final) - at least our famous windy conditions would pretty much guarantee NO FOG.
Technorati tags: New Zealand, Hurricanes, Crusaders, Super 14, rugby, fog.
