Brian Rogers Rogers Rabbits www.sunlive.co.nz

With the local busy body elections wrapping up here, the US presidential elections heading for a massive comedy finale and the situation in Syria playing heavily on our minds, the RR team has been deep in research for the answers to your most pressing questions.

Such as: Is the new L&P flavour, chilli and lime, any good with rum?

Should the Mount New Year's Eve party have been canned, or a bigger riot planned? Would the new L&P flavour be socially acceptable at the Mount on New Year's Eve?
Whatever happened to wine coolers?

Why isn't W called Double Vee? Because it's not a Double U, is it? It's two Vs.

If it was Double V, would a VW become a Vee Double Vee? Or a Triple Vee?

If you know the answers, please tell us.

We'll get the new mayor straight onto it, first job Monday.

Blame the coffee

Coffee is the evil of our society, not rugby. Rugby's not the demon.

New Zealand, stop vilifying the sport because of the conduct of a few; or a decision of the court.

Pointing the finger vaguely at a pastime and saying 'it's rotten to the core” is like saying all coffee drinkers are violent and sexist.

I can guarantee you that Filipo, the judge, the stripper, the Chiefs and almost every other person in our society behaving contrary to our liking, all drink coffee.

I bet even David Bain, the directors of dodgy finance corporations and the skipper of the Rena all drink coffee.

Therefore, by the rugby critics' reasoning, all coffee is bad because some of its users might be violent or sexist or generally undesirable citizens.

It's not the first time rugby has been vilified, driven by an odd collection mostly from the leftie, anti-everything whacko fraternity. Remember the Springbok protests of the early 80s, when rugby fans were dragged into essentially a political scrap, simply for wanting to watch their sport. Rugby was singled out by career protestors and crucified as if it was the cause of all racial and political problems of the African continent.

We saw in the streets of Hamilton and witnessed first-hand the blatant, one-way hatred that had been brewed and cultured in the student population, looking for trouble and spoiling for a fight with generally passive and slightly bemused rugby families minding their own business, walking peacefully and legally to a sporting event.
Imagine if we decided all sailors are bad and yachting is the problem, because Scott Watson was convicted of murdering Olivia Hope and Ben Smart? If those Olympic medal-winning yachties were tarred with the same brush, their sport denigrated because of the actions of one?

What if all breast feeding mothers were deemed bad people, because Hitler's mother was one.

That's the level of logic we're dealing with over the current Rugby vilification.

Rugby is an easy target. It becomes fashionable every now and then to pick on the big one. A sort of tall poppy mindset.

Yes, Losi Filipo did wrong. Yes, the resulting judicial decision has provoked outrage. Maybe a few of the Chiefs can't keep their hands to themselves and Aaron Smith is easily confused with the signage on the disabled restroom. You can't blame him; some of those stick figure diagrams can be pretty ambiguous.

Memo to NZ: be a bit more intelligent when looking for the 'cause” of these issues and accept that individuals are responsible for their own actions. Not a sport code, a cultural event, pastime or recreational drug. And take it easy on the coffee if you're having self-control issues.

Racy horse names

Thanks to the many who entered the Tauranga Races giveaway last week. Your mission was to suggest names for racehorses.

We have two winners this week, each winning prize packs of double tickets, with racebooks each, a couple of $10 betting vouchers and a couple of drinks tickets; for the Tauranga Racing Club meeting on Saturday, November 12.

Richard Glass: 'I have two suggestions, Doofgod & dooftac which are dog food and cat food backwards and are the type of horse I seem to back.”

Paul Knights is our second winner, with these horse name suggestions:

'Auckland House Prices” – It will take off and they will never catch it!

'Waitangi Tribunal” – It will never get there but it will fun watching it zig-zag back and forth!

'Council Election” – Shows a lot of promise but lets you down at the finishing line.

'Seal the Deal” –Trains around the Mount and is involved in fishy deals.

'Bag the Nag” – Goes the distance but drives its rider crazy!

Thanks for the fun! – Paul Knights.

Keep your eyes peeled for more Tauranga Racing Club giveaways, we've two more prize packs for four to come in following weeks, at each of the other race meetings on December 9 and 21.

Parting thoughts:

A couple of recent news items from the police made us think.

'Teens arrested after car stolen in Paeroa.” What's the bet it was a lemon?

'Police want assistance with robbery in main street.” Well I've got a balaclava, what else do I need to bring?

Meanwhile, the New Year's eve party at the Mount has been cancelled.

But it's alright, apparently there's still a party at Kelly Brown's.

Son helping with mirror installation: 'I could see myself in this line of work”.


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Complaints department: Coffee houses and Bain supporters, send your concerns to RR, PO Box 240, Tauranga 3140 on the back of a $20 cheque.

Or email: brian@thesun.co.nz