Word: blokes
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...Irwin's untimely death drew exceptional attention at home and abroad. Those who thought Australia's cultural sophistication, great food, inventiveness and prosperity were put at risk by a preternaturally eager bloke who wrestled crocodiles will not let him rest. Nor will the defenders of traditional Aussie values. The cultural warriors are fighting over the correct way to classify the feral Irwin. But during these days of brand marketing, what is the harm if people think Australians are excitable, love the outdoors and are high on life? Or that Australia is all frontier, with alien wildlife, dusty roads...
...with him; he may have been an entertainer on the celebrity circuit, but Irwin was also one of us. A kindred spirit of the wild, a true fellow without guile. Every highbrow interviewer expected a buffoon and found authenticity instead. People power has declared that Irwin was a good bloke-and there's nothing the sneering smarties and wowsers can do about it. It was not surprising that Irwin's family turned down the offer of a state funeral; that sort of pomp did not match his democratic temper. Anyway, the spontaneous mourning is a fitting tribute...
...widened significantly in recent years to approximately 30%, drawing Kiwis across the Tasman in large numbers. Hanging over several of New Zealand's key industries (think banking), there's a branch-office stigma. Australia's Treasurer Peter Costello is chopping at tax rates with the glee of a burly bloke in a blue singlet. Kiwi workers complain that Costello's counterpart Michael Cullen is being a scrooge on fiscal policy, stacking up Budget surpluses when there's a good case for tax relief. But Cullen has no room to move. A current account deficit heading toward a "Banana republic" rate...
...PRESIDENT BUSH CALLED YOU A MAN OF STEEL. HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE HIM? Oh, he's a good bloke. He's very focused. Tough and single-minded is how I'd characterize him, Very much so. And possessed of great personal warmth. His people skills are very good...
...brother reckons that the best piece of coaching he ever received came from an affable bloke called Bill Wawn, who in the early 1980s in Sydney looked after a team of useful teenaged cricketers. Padded up and nervous one Saturday afternoon, my brother and his batting partner were about to head out to the middle to chase a challenging target when Bill sauntered over. "All right, boys, no silly buggers," he said. "But if the ball's there to be hit, lay the wood into it." And that was it. Short. Simple. Kind of funny in a way that...