An obscure but enduring sub-subcategory of English literature is "Things Mark Twain didn't say or write but are almost invariably attributed to him.”
Twain's greatest mishits include: "History doesn't repeat itself but it does rhyme." It seems authorship actually belongs to Austro-American psychoanalyst Theodor Reik, a protégé of Sigmund Freud. In a 1965 essay, Reik wrote, "It has been said that history repeats itself. This is perhaps not quite correct; it merely rhymes."
Some rhyming history: in 2004, the All Blacks ended their Tri-Nations campaign by losing to the Wallabies in Sydney and getting hammered 40-26 by the Springboks in Johannesburg. In 2021, the All Blacks wound up their Northern Hemisphere tour by losing to Ireland and getting hammered 40-25 by France.
The 2004 defeats were a hard landing for the new coaching group - Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and current Black Ferns coach and perhaps saviour Wayne Smith - whose stewardship had begun promisingly with back-to-back victories over the 2003 World Cup winners England. Back on home soil, they summoned captain Tana Umaga to help them pick through the wreckage of the failed Tri-Nations campaign.
Umaga came prepared: "I spelt it out," he said in his 2007 autobiography. "We were training too hard; we had nothing left for the games... I really stressed the point that we were training for too long and finally Graham said, 'Okay, I get it, it's sunk in, we can get off that now."
Denne historien er fra July 2 - 8, 2022-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra July 2 - 8, 2022-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.