Jamie McDonald is a man after my heart. He ate the entire Denny's restaurant Hobbit menu in 20 minutes. Something to aspire to in 2013!
While the rest of us are trying to shed the pounds from our holiday feasts, Jamie McDonald had a feast of his own.
The professional eater downs the entire 11-piece Hobbit menu at Denny's in less than 20 minutes.
Comprised of dishes such as Frodo's Pot Roast, The Ring Burger and Bilbo's Berry Smoothie, the egregious 8610-calorie menu is a truck load of gluttony. All plates total: 9.75 pounds.
McDonald's finishes every plate in 19 minutes and 25 seconds, though he started the timer a little late. We bet he won't be hankering for second breakfast anytime soon.
Watch the video above to witness the feat and leave us your thoughts in the comments.
Tony Greig the colourful cricketing icon has died from a heart attack following a battle with lung cancer. He became famous as the South African born captain of England when he suggested that he wanted to make the West Indies "grovel" in the 1970's. He was also taken off as part of the 12th Man series with his overuse of the phrase "right off the meat of the bat". He once suggested that a Asian woman who was marrying someone while a cricket match was taking place and the bride and groom were zoomed in on by a bored cameraman, that "it was a mail order bride". He was colourful and controversial character both on and off the field. RIP Tony Greig, your variety added some spice to the Channel Nine Wide World of Sports Team.
With the "scrotometer" in the Wired World of Sports.
Former England cricket captain and veteran Channel Nine commentator Tony Greig has died after suffering a heart attack. He was 66.
Greig, who played a senior role in Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket revolution and was a distinctive voice in cricket broadcasting, was diagnosed with lung cancer in October. He suffered a heart attack at his home on Saturday morning and died at about 3.45pm (NZT).
"He was rushed into St Vincent's hospital. The staff of the emergency department worked on Mr Greig to no avail," St Vincent's spokesman David Faktor said. It is understood his family were with him when he died.
Greig first became aware he had a problem during Australia's one-day series against Pakistan in Dubai in August and September
Initially diagnosed with bronchitis in May, the condition lingered and, by the time of the ICC World Twenty20 that finished in Sri Lanka in October, Greig had tests that revealed a small lesion at the base of his right lung.
On his return to Australia he had fluid removed from the right lung and testing revealed he had lung cancer.
Greig did not join the Channel Nine commentary team this summer. Last month, he spoke to them during their coverage of the first test between Australia and South Africa in Brisbane.
Greig was candid about the disease.
"It's not good. The truth is I've got lung cancer. Now it's a case of what they can do," Greig said.
He had an operation later that month.
Greig was a key figure in recruiting international players for Kerry Packer's anti-establishment World Series Cricket which began in 1977, the year Greig played his last test for England.
Channel Nine described Greig as a "beloved" figure.
"Tony Greig is a name synonymous with Australian cricket - from his playing days as the English captain we loved to hate, to his senior role in the revolution of World Series Cricket, his infamous car keys in the pitch reports and more than three decades of colourful and expert commentary," a Channel Nine statement said.
Greig's involvement in WSC caused an abrupt end to his international cricket career.
"When the enterprise was made public, his stocks plummeted," respected cricket writer Gideon Haigh wrote on the cricinfo website.
"He lost not just England's captaincy, but what would have been a record-breaking benefit.
"He was diminished, too, by his indifferent on-field performances in World Series Cricket, where he seemed to cast himself as pantomime villain.
"Nonetheless, subsequent generations of professional cricketers owe him a debt of gratitude."
Born and raised in Queenstown, South Africa, Greig qualified to play cricket for England because of his Scottish parents.
He trialled for Sussex in 1965 as a teenager and set himself the goal of representing England, which he did in 58 tests between 1972 and 1977.
He made his test debut against Australia at Old Trafford in 1972, making half-centuries in both innings and taking five wickets for the game.
He first captained England in a test against Australia in 1975, but it was during his time as leader, after the 1977 Centenary Test in Melbourne, that he struck a friendship with Packer.
Greig became Packer's lieutenant for recruiting players to take part in the World Series Cricket break-away, but his involvement cost him his England captaincy and test career.
For his work and loyalty, Packer promised Greig "a job for life", and Greig did indeed work for the rest of his life as a commentator for Channel Nine.
Greig led England in 14 tests.
He compiled a formidable record as a test all-rounder, with 3599 runs at an average of 40.43 including eight centuries, and 141 wickets at an average of 32.20, including one haul of 8-86.
Over an 11-year first-class career he played 350 matches for 16,660 runs and 856 wickets and 190 one-day games (22 of them internationals) for 3899 runs and 244 wickets.
Cricketers and fans were quick to post their condolences and favourite memories of Greig on Twitter.
Australia captain Michael Clarke said he was shocked to learn of Greig's passing.
''I was only speaking with Tony a couple of days ago so news of his passing is absolutely devastating. Tony has a long and decorated history with international cricket both as a player and commentator and cricket will be much poorer for his loss. Personally, he has also been a great mentor for me, providing great advice through the good times and the bad. On behalf of the Australian cricket team our thoughts, prayers and wishes are with Greig family at this difficult time.''
Australian Cricketers Association chief executive Paul Marsh said Greig would be remembered as a trailblazer for players' rights.
"Awfully sad news with Tony Greig's passing. A significant contributor to players' rights worldwide and never afraid to speak his mind," Marsh tweeted.
Former Australia batsman Greg Blewett, now a commentator on Fox Sports, tweeted Greig was a "great guy and was always great company", while former Sri Lankan player Russel Arnold, also a commentator, said Greig had been a mentor and friend.
"We will miss you a genuine friend and admirer of SL cricket. It was indeed a pleasure to have known you!", Arnold wrote.
Australian cricketing great Glenn McGrath tweeted: "My thoughts are with Tony Greig's family today."
Writer John Birmingham summed up the sentiment of many fans at the news of Greig's passing: "That's a big chunk of my childhood trailing along behind Tony Greig as he makes that last long walk back to the pavilion. *Stands. Applauds*"
Former Australian test player and current Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore said Greig was a "great man".
New South Wales medium-pacer Trent Copeland said the news had left him speechless.
"Had the pleasure of meeting the big man and what a passionate cricket tragic. RIP," he wrote.
Veteran ABC cricket commentator Jim Maxwell said the "very sad and sudden news" of Greig's passing "cuts you to the quick".
He praised Greig for putting his neck on the line for cricketers during World Series Cricket.
"It was a pretty brave call from him to get involved with Kerry Packer..."
He said Greig had a long connection to Australian cricket, and many fans remembered him for standing up to Australia's fearsome pace-bowling tandem of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson in the mid-1970s.
Maxwell said some of the things Greig said in his commentary "drove him nuts", but he loved Greig's enthusiasm. He described Greig as a larger than life character who engaged with people.
Among Australian cricket fans, Greig will be remembered for his abrasive style as a player and his colourful style as a commentator, particularly in some of his memorable stints with colleague Bill Lawry.
As captain of England during the 1970s he sparked outrage when he said he intended to make the West Indies team "grovel".
But in a speech made at Lord's this year he said he valued the spirit of cricket above everything.
"The spirit of cricket is also about putting the game's interests before yours or your country's interests," he said.
Greig is survived by his wife, Vivian, and two young children, Beau and Tom, and a son, Mark, and daughter, Sam, from his first marriage.
Greig's brother, Ian, 57, played two tests for England and also lives in Australia.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/8128913/Cricketer-and-commentator-Tony-Greig-dies
Should David Bain be paid compensation? Now that David Bain has been acquitted of murdering his family, should he now be paid compensation? Sure, he wears lovely jumpers, but surely if someone who has not been proved innocent beyond reasonable doubt, can't claim compensation, especially at the expense of the taxpayer. I still think there is too much doubt about this and that if Bain gets paid compensation, then that sets an interesting precedence for other cases. Should the public be made to pay? Do you think that it David Bain should be paid compensation for his time in prison? Is Joe Karam just after more money?
The blog poll results are in and some results will astound you. I have conducted several polls in recent years, based on posts, but have never given the results based on viewers opinions. It is difficult to know how honest anonymous respondents are when answering these questions.
Lead singers and guitarists in bands to a semi-professional level are considered the most eligible partners both gaining 32 percent of voters. It seems that drummers, opera singers and violinists don't have the same pulling power!
Nearly half of punters who voted (48 percent) will watch The Hobbit at the cinema, compared with 36 percent of people who won't.
57 percent of respondents would rather be evacuated during a night time earthquake wearing dirty stained sweatpants than no pants.
38 percent of respondents think that David Bain is Dunedin's claim to fame, 31 percent think that the University of Otago is Dunedin's claim to fame, while Steven from Dunedin was third with 17 percent of votes.
Apart from geographical reasons, the most popular reason to change churches is because there are more hot singles at the church was the most popular response with 8 votes out of 24 or one third of respondents. Not agreeing with old teaching and wanting to fit in somewhere new were the next popular with 4 votes each.
People didn't care so much about what colour formal suit I should buy with not enough votes cast to give statistically viable results.
Here are the ten most popular New Year's resolutions, what are yours? The most common resolution involves improving health or self among other things. Do you make New Year's resolutions? Only slightly more people make New Year's resolution than don't. It is funny seeing heaps of people out running on New Year's Day. The key is obtainable goals which can be realistically sustained. More than half of resolutions made, don't last longer than six months. You also need some form of accountability to make it more difficult to chicken out.
Rank
Top 10 New Years resolutions for 2012
1
Lose Weight
2
Getting Organized
3
Spend Less, Save More
4
Enjoy Life to the Fullest
5
Staying Fit and Healthy
6
Learn Something Exciting
7
Quit Smoking
8
Help Others in Their Dreams
9
Fall in Love
10
Spend More Time with Family
News Years Resolution Statistics
Data
Percent of Americans who usually make New Year’s Resolutions
45%
Percent of Americans who infrequently make New Year’s Resolutions
17%
Percent of Americans who absolutlely never make New Year’s Resolutions
38%
Percent of people who are successful in achieving their resolution
8%
Percent who have infrequent success
49%
Percent who never succeed and fail on their resolution each year
24%
People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t explicitly make resolutions
Type of Resolutions (Percent above 100% because of multiple resolutions)
Data
Self Improvement or education related resolutions
47%
Weight related resolutions
38%
Money related resolutions
34%
Relationship related resolutions
31%
Age Success Rates
Data
Percent of people in their twenties who achieve their resolution each year
39%
Percent of people over 50 who achieve their resolution each year
14%
Length of Resolutions
Data
Resolution maintained through first week
75%
Past two weeks
71%
Past one month
64%
Past six months
46%
Statistic Verification
Source: University of Scranton. Journal of Clinical Psychology
The onesie has made some appearances at the Donaldson family Christmas. I saw them in Europe when I was over there and think that they really suit the New Zealand climate and are very cute. Only cool people are wearing them these days!
They are like the ones above, but have cute feet built in.
Here is my brother in his onesie I gave him. It was a shame that I got the ladies and men's large muddled up! It was entertaining seeing him squeezing into it, given that the zip only goes down to the waist.
What were the most popular Christmas presents in your household?
A recent poll has discovered that Christianity is the most popular religion in the world with 2.2 billion people claiming it as their religion. 32 per cent of the world's population claim to be Christians, although the last sentence in this article suggests that it is unsure how committed any of the respondents are to their faith. Does this restore your faith in Christianity? Or do you think that there are heaps of people who identify by Christianity by name without having a personal relationship with God? I wonder if some other religions are more likely to only have committed followers?
Christians are the world's biggest religious group, numbering some 2.2 billion people, according to a study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
Pew assembled data on the size and geographic distribution of eight major religious groups, including non-believers.
It found that Christians make up about 32 per cent of the world's population, followed by Muslims, the second largest group, with 1.6 billion adherents.
Hindus were the third largest group, numbering about one billion (15 per cent), followed by Buddhists, at 500 million (seven per cent) and Jews, who number 14 million (0.2 per cent.)
The worldwide demographic study of more than 230 countries and territories, released on Tuesday, found that more than eight people in 10 - about 5.8 billion people - identify with a religious group.
More than 400 million people (six per cent) practice various folk traditions, including African traditional, aboriginal or folk religions, the global survey found.
The Pew Forum said that the study, in which religious affiliation was based on self-identification, did not attempt to measure the degree to which practitioners observe their faiths.
The latest billboard from The St Matthew in the City church in Auckland for Christmas 2012, raises the issue that Jesus might be gay. This church always comes up with thought provoking Christmas billboards with the intention of raising social awareness and reaching all parts of society. It would be interesting to know if these billboards have the affect of getting people from all walks of life through the doors at The St Matthew in the City, because if they don't then I wonder what the point is of offending heaps of Christians and causing unhealthy arguments. Was Jesus gay as the billboard is implying? I have my doubts.
Jesus may have been progressive in more ways than one, according to a new billboard in Auckland.
The St Matthew in the City billboard, which is released each
Christmas, this year depicts the baby Jesus in his crib surrounded by a
halo of rainbow colours.
"It's Christmas," the billboard reads. "It's time for Jesus to come out."
Reverend Glynn Cardy said the sign was about trying to lift the humanity of Jesus.
"The fact is we don't know what his sexual orientation was."
While some conservative Christians might point to the more
absolutist parts of the Old Testament as proof of the Messiah's sexual
preferences, Cardy said that homosexuality was not even a word until the
19th century. Any mention of it would therefore have been a
mistranslation.
More importantly the billboard was meant to ask whether Jesus'
desires in the bedroom would make a difference for those of faith.
"Would it make a difference if he was gay? Would that change the
picture for you? Would it mean what we revere about him changes?"
St Matthew's billboards have something of an international
reputation. Last year its exposure through Facebook had a reach of over
21 million, brought 30,000 visits to St Matthew's website in a week and
was featured internationally in blogs and internet news sites including
the Huffington Post.
For some, however, any deviation from conservative Christian doctrine has been a step too far.
Last
year a poster portraying the Virgin Mary holding a pregnancy test was
ripped in half by a Whangarei man leading a Catholic Action Group
protest.
Cardy said such actions also seemed to be part of the tradition.
"In the internet age though the image will be out there forever. They can do what they want to it."
Double amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius raced against an Arab horse in a strange race.
The double amputee raced against a horse in the Qatari capital Doha - and won. He got off to a good start and, in a downhill finish, crossed the line with more than a second to spare.
The unusual race was part of an effort to promote disability sport and fight discrimination in the region. "It wasn't about who won today, it was just about coming out here and really just showing people that those with disabilities are not to be stereotyped against,"
Pistorius said.
"Having the Arab horse out here, which is a symbolisation of strength and power in this region, to be able to do a showcase event like this, is a lot of fun."
Pistorius made history in London earlier this year when he became the first double amputee to compete at the Olympic Games, before claiming two gold medals at the Paralympics.
The 26 year-old sprinter was in Doha for the 'Definitely Able' campaign which uses special events to highlight the exceptional feats Paralympic athletes are capable of. Several noted athletes have pitted themselves against animal opponents with limited success over the years.
Welsh sprinter Jamie Baulch and American legend Jesse Owens have both raced against horses, while Pistorius' compatriot, rugby player Bryan Habana, once ran against a cheetah - and was roundly beaten.
New Zealand Olympic Gold Medal winners from London 2012.
The 50th Halberg Awards Nominees have been named and since 2012 was an Olympic Games year then unsurprisingly it is dominated by Olympic Games athletes. It is great to see so many high achievers in New Zealand sport and it will be interesting to see how rugby performs outside of a Rugby World Cup year. Rugby is usually a consistent source of high achievers, so the awards in February 2013 will be interesting. Well done to all those athletes nominated, you have done well, especially you Jack Bauer! Who do you think will win? I guess the judges have criteria, but winning a gold medal would help, although I guess it depends how global the sport is!
50TH HALBERG AWARDS NOMINEES
High Performance Sport New Zealand Sportsman of the Year: Jack Bauer (Cycling), Scott Campbell (Baseball), Mahe Drysdale (Rowing), Mitch Evans (Motorsport), Westley Gough (Cycling), Richie McCaw (Rugby), Brook MacDonald (Cycling - Mountain Biking), Peter Michael (Speed Skating), Andrew Nicholson (Equestrian), Hayden Paddon (Motorsport), Levi Sherwood (Freestyle Motocross), Simon van Velthooven (Cycling).
High Performance Sport New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year: Valerie Adams (Athletics), Lauren Boyle (Swimming), Lisa Carrington (Canoeing), Joelle King (Squash), Lydia Ko (Golf), Sarah Walker (BMX), Alison Shanks (Cycling), Linda Villumsen (Cycling).
Halberg Disability Sport Foundation Disabled Sportsperson of the Year: Mary Fisher (Para Swimming), Phillipa Gray (Para Cycling), Cameron Leslie (Para Swimming), Sophie Pascoe (Para Swimming), Daniel Sharp (Para Swimming), Fiona Southorn (Para Cycling).
Team of the Year: All Blacks (Rugby), Chiefs (Rugby), New Zealand Diamondblacks (Baseball), John Kennard and Hayden Paddon (Motorsport), NZ Eventing Olympic Team (Equestrian), NZ Men's 49er Class Team - Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (Sailing), NZ Men's Double Scull - Nathan Cohen and Joseph Sullivan (Rowing), NZ Men's Lightweight Double Sculls - Peter Taylor and Storm Uru (Rowing), NZ Men's Pair - Eric Murray and Hamish Bond (Rowing), NZ Men's Pursuit Team - Sam Bewley, Marc Ryan, Jesse Sergent, Westley Gough, Aaron Gate NZ (Cycling), NZ Breakers (Basketball), NZ Men's Sprint Team - Ethan Mitchell, Sam Webster, Edward Dawkins (Cycling), New Zealand Surf Life Saving Team (Surf Lifesaving), NZ Women's 470 Team - Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (Sailing), NZ Women's Pair - Rebecca Scown and Juliette Haigh (Rowing), Silver Ferns (Netball), Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic (Netball)
Emerging Talent: Anton Cooper (Mountain Biking), Macauley Fox (Baseball), Trent Jones (BMX), Dylan Kennett (Track Cycling), Lydia Ko (Golf), Andrew McKenzie (Sailing), Corey Main (Swimming), Mathew Ogden (Orienteering), Sophie Williamson (Road Cycling).
Coach of the Year: Scott Bartlett (Surf Lifesaving), Roly Crichton (Para Swimming), Erik Duvander (Equestrian), Calvin Ferguson (Rowing), Nathan Handley (Sailing), Steve Hansen (Rugby), Dave Rennie (Rugby), Waimarama Taumaunu (Netball), Noeline Taurua (Netball), Richard Tonks (Rowing), Gordon Walker (Canoeing).
While Wellington is famous for having a "coffee culture", it is actually Invercargill where instant coffee was invented. So while the much maligned instant coffee is taboo amongst purists in the Wellington coffee culture, it is interesting to note that something as classy or unclassy as instant coffee was invented in my hometown of Invercargill in 1890 by David Strang. He sold it as "Strang's Coffee". It is more user friendly to sell it as instant coffee rather than as beans or ground coffee.
Instant coffee, also called soluble coffee and coffee powder, is a beverage derived from brewed coffee beans. Instant coffee is commercially prepared by either freeze-drying or spray drying, after which it can be rehydrated. Instant coffee in a concentrated liquid form is also available.[1]
Advantages of instant coffee include speed of preparation (instant
coffee dissolves instantly in hot water), lower shipping weight and
volume than beans or ground coffee (to prepare the same amount of
beverage), and long shelf life—though instant coffee can also spoil if not kept dry.
The Otago Daily Times printed a mistake today with the headline "Coach stands by decision to dump McCullum". This is a gaffe and a real shocker given that it is Otago's Brendon McCullum who has been named captain, taking Ross Taylor's post as New Zealand Blackcaps cricket captain.
There was a decent sized earthquake measuring 5.8 which was felt throughout New Zealand at 7:19am today, Saturday 8th December, waking me up, did you feel it? Where were you when you felt it? Did it wake you up? Share your stories.
A magnitude 5.8 quake was felt widely throughout New Zealand this morning and was followed by a swarm of smaller tremors.
The larger quake struck at 7.19am. It was 175 kilometres deep and centred 20km south east of Tokoroa.
It was felt widely throughout New Zealand, particularly in the central North Island and in Wellington, where people reported it as being moderate or strong, GeoNet reported.
It was felt as far north as Kerikeri and as far south as Southland, where it was described as "light".
Nearly 10,000 people have reported feeling the quake on the GeoNet website.
The magnitude 5.8 quake was one of 28 quakes, ranging from magnitude 1.2 to 5.8, so far today, according to GeoNet. Most would have been unnoticed but GeoNet described some as weak and the 5.8 as moderate.
Five of those quakes have been centred near Tokoroa.
A 3.7 tremor which struck just four minutes after the 5.8 quake, was also widely felt throughout the North Island. It was centred 15km east of Tokoroa and was 198km deep.
Five more quakes have followed, another magnitude 2.6 quake was centred just north of Tokoroa and a 2.9 quake which struck at 7.31am was 15km south of Tauranga.
Smaller quakes were centred near Whanganui and Murupara.
The worst kept secret in New Zealand cricket is out. Ross Taylor has been dumped as captain and will not tour South Africa. This sucks as he is our best batsman and we are playing a great South African team over there so will struggle anyway. I do think that as a captain he has only been average, so I have no problem with Brendon McCullum being tried as captain. People seem to forget how terrible the Blackcaps have been over the past year with our wins in tests over Australia and Sri Lanka, have papered over the cracks of losing most other matches. I do feel sorry for Ross Taylor and think most of the board should go too and there should be a massive cleanout at the top. Good luck Brendon McCullum, it is a poisoned chalice unless management changes. It will be interesting to see if Taylor ever returns to play for New Zealand or if he tells them to "bugger off" travels the world playing T20 cricket and making more money than New Zealand cricket can give him. Do you think Ross Taylor deserved to be axed as captain?
Ross Taylor will take a break from cricket after he was dumped as
captain of the Black Caps, New Zealand Cricket announced today.
A disastrous week came to an unfortunate end at a media conference in
Auckland, with NZC chief executive David White confirming Brendon
McCullum will now skipper the side in all three forms.
Taylor was reportedly asked to step down before last month's two-test
series in Sri Lanka but refused and was told the captaincy would be
stripped upon the conclusion of the tour.
After Taylor, New Zealand's best batsman, scored a century to lead his
side to a rare test victory on foreign soil, it was understood NZC, as
an olive branch, gave Taylor the chance to remain in charge in the
longest form of the game.
But, disillusioned at his treatment, Taylor has decided to step aside
from cricket altogether, and will not join his teammates on the upcoming
tour of South Africa.
A captaincy change has been in the works since relatively unknown
coach Mike Hesson took charge of the team in July. Hesson has a close
relationship with McCullum after coaching him in Otago but he has
repeatedly denied the possibility of Taylor being asked to relinquish
his post.
But Hesson has recently wavered in his assertions over Taylor's future, culminating in the sensational request in Sri Lanka.
NZC now face the difficult task of persuading Taylor return to the team and play under McCullum and under Hesson's control.
The Black Caps' squad for the tour of South Africa will be announced later this afternoon in Christchurch.
This is funny. Two Australian radio show hosts rang up the King Edward VII hospital in London where Kate Middleton the Duchess of Cambridge is a patient and asked about her condition using terrible posh British accents pretending to be Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles. They expected to get nowhere in their efforts, but were told more than what they were anticipating. This is pretty funny!
Two Australian radio disc jockeys apologised Wednesday after impersonating Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles in a prank call and getting a London hospital to tell them all about Kate Middleton's condition.
The King Edward VII hospital in London acknowledged that the Australian radio station made the hoax call to the hospital in the early hours Tuesday - and that the hospital fell for it.
The 30-year-old Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant and is being treated at the hospital for severe morning sickness.
A woman using the often-mimicked voice of Britain's monarch asked after the duchess' health - and was told by a nurse that Kate "hasn't had any retching with me and she's been sleeping on and off."
"She's sleeping at the moment and she has had an uneventful night. She's been given some fluids. She's stable at the moment," the kindly nurse informed the supposed queen and prince on the station's recording. A dog yaps in the background while the alleged queen and prince talk about travelling to the hospital to check in on the patient.
"I would suggest that any time after 9 o'clock will be suitable to visit," the nurse said. "We'll be getting her freshened up."
The duchess is married to the queen's grandson, Prince William.
The hospital says the call had been transferred to the ward and the conversation was held with one of its nursing staff. Its telephone protocols are now being reviewed, the hospital said in a statement.
The Australian station 2DayFM placed the recording of the conversation on its website.
Australian radio personalities Mel Greig and Michael Christian later apologised for the hoax - along with their station.
"We were very surprised that our call was put through. We thought we'd be hung up on as soon as they heard our terrible accents," they said in a joint statement with the station. "We're very sorry if we've caused any issues and we're glad to hear that Kate is doing well."
The duchess is spending her third day in the hospital. William visited his wife at the hospital on Wednesday, while media from around the world camped outside, seeking any news on the royal pregnancy.
Officials from St. James's Palace have said the duchess is not yet 12 weeks pregnant with the couple's first child.
I went and saw Argo last night (man I love the proximity and quality of The Embassy) and I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't know much about this movie which was based on a true story following the capture of six Americans in Iran in 1979. It was interesting from an historical perspective given that I knew nothing about it beforehand. I actually found this better than Skyfall the latest James Bond and because it has been overshadowed by The Hobbit premiere and Skyfall, I didn't really go in with very high expectations.
Without giving too much away, it is ironic that a movie has been made about a movie not being made. You have got to love the massive glasses and impressive facial hair from the 1970s. New Zealand and Great Britain are portrayed as rejecting the six stranded Americans in Iran, but I was interested and looked up the reliable Wikipedia. It ends up that New Zealand and Great Britain were actually helpful, see below.
After the film was previewed at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2012, some critics said that it unfairly glorified the role of the CIA and minimized the role of the Canadian government, particularly that of Ambassador Taylor, in the extraction operation. Macleans asserted that "the movie rewrites history at Canada's expense, making Hollywood and the CIA the saga's heroic saviours while Taylor is demoted to a kindly concierge."[18] The postscript text said that the CIA let Taylor take the credit for political purposes, which some critics thought implied that he did not deserve the accolades he received.[19] Affleck changed the postscript text to read, "The involvement of the CIA complemented efforts of the Canadian embassy to free the six held in Tehran. To this day the story stands as an enduring model of international co-operation between governments."[20] The Toronto Star complained, "Even that hardly does Canada justice."[21] When interviewed, Taylor noted that, "In reality, Canada was responsible for the six and the CIA was a junior partner. But I realize this is a movie and you have to keep the audience on the edge of their seats."[20]
Other changes for dramatic purposes included the addition of several fictional events related to Taylor. The film depicts a crisis over the purchase of plane tickets for the six, but Taylor's wife bought three sets of plane tickets from three different airlines ahead of time. The movie also shows Taylor threatening to close the Canadian embassy, and the six going to a bazaar, neither of which occurred.[20][18]
Affleck noted,
"Because we say it's based on a true story, rather than this is a true story, we're allowed to take some dramatic license. There's a spirit of truth", and that, "the kinds of things that are really important to be true are—for example, the relationship between the U.S. and Canada. The U.S. stood up collectively as a nation and said, ‘We like you, we appreciate you, we respect you, and we’re in your debt.’...There were folks who didn’t want to stick their necks out and the Canadians did. They said, ‘We’ll risk our diplomatic standing, our lives, by harbouring six Americans because it’s the right thing to do.’ Because of that, their lives were saved."[18]
The film contains other historical inaccuracies:
While poring through film scripts, Mendez discovers the pre-named Argo script; the film was originally entitled Lord of Light, based on the novel of the same name. It was renamed after being acquired by the CIA.
The major role of producer, Lester Siegel, played by Alan Arkin, is fictional. [25]
Mendez is shown going to Iran alone. He was accompanied by a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation cameraman Dennis Packer. [26]
Mendez is shown obtaining his visa to go to Iran while he is in Turkey. He got the visa at the Iranian embassy in Bonn, West Germany. In the film he travels solo, but for the mission, he had a partner named Julio.
In the film, Mendez wrote "British" as his false nationality on the Iranian immigration entry form. His cover identity was Irish.
All six Americans are shown as long-term house guests of Ambassador Taylor, but only two stayed with him, while the other four lived with another Canadian diplomat.
The film depicts a dramatic last-minute cancellation of the mission by the Carter administration and a bureaucratic crisis in which Mendez declares he will proceed with the mission. Carter delayed authorization by only 30 minutes, and that was before Mendez had left Europe for Iran. [27]
The airport runway chase scene at the film's climax is invented for dramatic purposes.[28]
In the establishing shots of Los Angeles in 1980, the Hollywood Sign is shown in a dilapidated state. The sign had been restored in 1978.
It has mistakenly been reported that Tony's son has a figurine of a hooded Ewok in his bedroom. The movie takes place in 1979-1981. Ewoks were not introduced until Return of the Jedi in 1983. The figurine is not a hooded Ewok, but actually a Jawa (Star Wars) and Jawas were in the original Star Wars: A New Hope which was released in 1977.
During an event in Toronto in November, 2012, Robert Anders said the confrontation with security officials at the departure gate did not happen.[29] He said he was subjected to more stringent airport security measures before his flight to Toronto for the event than he and his colleagues were subjected to in Tehran in 1979. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argo_%282012_film%29
New Zealand cricket seems to be going from one PR disaster to another with revelations that new coach Mike Hesson asked existing captain Ross Taylor to resign as captain recently. This would have been made easier, but Taylor is personally performing far better than Hesson's Otago team mate Brendon McCullum and lead the team to victory in the second test in Sri Lanka, hence drawing an overseas test series in Sri Lanka.
I guess the problem is that while Ross Taylor is New Zealand's best batsman at the moment, he isn't considered to be a great leader and tactician. Brendon McCullum who played under Mike Hesson at Otago is more of an aggressive character and tactician despite him not really performing with the bat in recent times and no longer wicketkeeping.
It seems that a review is taking place at the moment, but in many ways Hesson should have stripped Taylor the captaincy straight away rather than letting this simmer away in the background as yet another New Zealand cricket calamity. Taylor may not have the support of senior players and the coach as captain, but his batting average has increased in the test arena since taking the reins. We must remember that the Blackcaps under Taylor have been rather poor with the exception of a couple of away test wins in Australia and Sri Lanka and there is the possibility that Brendon McCullum may actually improve on his mixed form with the captaincy.
The thing is that the captain can only do so much and given the usual poor batting technique of so many of our players and a lack of application at the crease, it could just be a case that no captain in the world could improve this team, even with an Australian and a bowls director behind the scenes. I wonder if the whole New Zealand cricket team management also needs a clean out so they give the Blackcaps enough preparation time and opportunities to improve. John Buchanan and Kim Littlejohn have shown very limited results under their time at the helm of New Zealand cricket. The other players also need to stand up collectively.
I am not for a second stating that Ross Taylor should be dumped as a player, he is our best batsman, but I wonder if we would be better with someone more aggressive as captain. The Blackcaps are about to go on a Tour of Duty to South Africa and it is difficult to know if it would be a baptism of fire for the new captain if Brendon McCullum was taking over, but at the same time, what do we have to lose? McCullum could give us a different perspective as captain. He isn't the safe option, but look at where playing safe has got us!
Brendon McCullum has been a bit inconsistent, but he is one of our most high profile players and will be in the team for about five more years. Kane Williamson showed recently how he still has plenty to learn before taking over as captain in the future. Are captains and leaders born or are they made through experience? I think you require both leadership and experience.
I would say go for Brendon McCullum as Blackcaps captain. He already has a great relationship with coach Mike Hesson and seems to have previous captains Daniel Vettori and Stephen Fleming in his corner. Ross Taylor is a great batsman and can no doubt still have an input. I think there needs to be a cleanout of management and the other players need to also stand up and be counted as there is only so much a captain can do. Taylor is our best batsman, but his lack of support by his coach and senior players is disturbing. Look at how far we have got playing it safe, maybe it is time for a new captain with fresh perspective.
