Quips& Quotes

“But if Harley Davidson goes away, how will retired dentists in my neighbourhood wake me up on Saturdays?” – The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert

“If Russia wins the World Cup it’s fake news.” – comedian Jim Jefferies

“Trump is scheduled to visit the UK in two weeks – which means he’s got 14 days to learn how to speak English.” – comedian Jimmy Fallon

“Scientists say drinking beer after a workout can make your next workout more difficult. So do the smart thing, and don’t work out.”

– Fallon again

“If it’s raining, look for rainbows; if it’s dark, look for stars.” – Taihape cafe blackboard

“The Supreme Court retirement could have huge repercussions. Think about it: the court that just this week crippled unions, and upheld Trump’s Muslim ban and race-based gerrymandering, might turn conservative.” – Colbert again

“Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.”

– Winston Churchill

“Be confident, not certain.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“The Belgium defence – they’re not all Ferraris there, you know. They have some Skodas too.” – Algeria football coach Vahid Halilhodzic

“You may be orange, you may like hamburgers, you may be a clown, but you are no Ronald McDonald.” – Jon Stewart on Donald Trump learnt in te reo Māori.

The language is threatened not by an inability to develop new vocabulary but the pessimism of people like Stone. Ngahiwi Apanui Tumuaki, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (Wellington)

SOUR TASTE FROM CHERRY

I was at the last night of the Auckland Theatre Company’s The Cherry Orchard, reworked and relocated to 1976 Hawke’s Bay. It was dreadful.

Chekhov had a principle known as Chekhov’s gun, where every part of his plays was essential to the whole. Several scenes in this version, which appeared to have been written by an ignoramus from Mana Motuhake, were meaningless and puzzling. If it had been a soap opera, we could perhaps have waited for something to have happened in another episode.

The racism and sneering throughout were irritating. Chekhov would have walked out. Neville Cameron (Coromandel)

FOREST FOR THE TREES

Having researched forestry history for much of the past eight years, I agree with your Editorial (June 30) that cross-party forestry policies are needed to deal with climate change. Similar support is also critical for establishing a reliable price for carbon sequestration, so providing a steady income stream from forests.

Much more experimentation in forestry is needed, too, to cope with problems such as the slash debacle at Tolaga