Here's a tip for politicians: if there is any possibility you're going to do dumb things - and it's always a possibility - don't post clips online of yourself lifting dumbbells in the parliamentary gym. And especially do not caption your post with this bit of he-man one-up-manship: "5 sets of 12 reps with 45kg dumbbells (no heavier weights available in parliamentary gym)."
Stuart Nash, now the former police minister, did, a few years ago. And of course, he had the mickey taken out of him. That "no heavier weights available" is tragic man-bragging. Presumably, it was supposed to be a joke. It was about as funny as having a 45kg dumbbell dropped on your noggin. Former National MP Alfred Ngaro responded with a ha-ha video of his own, showing him lifting 1kg weights. Take that, tough guy, aka Stuart "Dumbbells" Nash. If you are tin-eared enough to post clips of yourself sweatily lifting weights, somebody is bound to bestow that sobriquet upon you. In this case the somebody is me. Because who could possibly resist?
Denne historien er fra April 01-07 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra April 01-07 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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A hint of mermaids
Erin Palmisano's latest novel once again has food and romance at the heart of its well-plotted story.
Execution over innovation
Big and bold ideas are fine, but being the best beats being first.
Something's wrong with all of them
Engaging dissection of the 20th-century novel likely to send the reader in search for the book under discussion.
Cell warfare
A NZ trial using immunotherapy to beat a form of blood cancer is expanding after promising results – and it's hoped the 'gold standard' treatment will soon be widely available.
The virus that stole all the smells
In this edited extract from The Forgotten Sense, Jonas Olofsson traces the rise in anosmia as a result of Covid-19 infections.
When caring is ‘woke'
Some years ago, I sat in a small plane circling over Punta del Este in Uruguay. There was a delay and we sat in tense silence until we began our descent. Outside the tiny airport, a taxi ferried us past private Lear jets; these had been the cause of the hold-up. The driver pointed to two planes side by side. \"This one is a Trump plane.\"
Getting along swimmingly
The presenters of Endangered Species Aotearoa spend a fair bit of time on and in the water in the second season.
That clingy feeling
Our pets display the same types of attachment behaviours as we do, or so it seems.
The famous furred
A peaceful little spot in LA is the final resting place for the pets of some of Hollywood's biggest names.
Gone girl
She wandered in on Thursday morning looking very wan, and climbed into her bed. I sat on the edge and stroked her back.
