New Zealand Listener Issue 39, 2022

The passing of Her Majesty the Queen has been marked by many reflections on her contribution to public service. As a young woman, the then Princess Elizabeth vowed to serve for her whole life, and she literally did. Just two days before she died, she farewelled one British Prime Minister and welcomed the next. One can only imagine the immense effort that took for a 96-year-old in failing health. But, as ever, the Queen did her duty. Her unflinching dedication commanded respect across society, regardless of how people viewed the monarchy as an institution. The Queen was of my parents’ generation – born between two world wars, witness to the Great Depression, the Cold War and its nuclear arms race, decolonisation, and much more that is ancient history to most people alive…

WINNING CAPTION Rex McGregor, Auckland FINALISTS Boris Johnson: “When things start getting tough for me, I just go off and have a jolly good drinks party with some friends!” – Joe Shannon, Drury Johnson: “Must rush, old chap. Funeral, you know.” – Ann Love, Nelson Johnson: “A word, old chap: if that interpreter of yours introduces me as Doris Johnson one more time, so help me …” – Dean Donoghue, Papamoa Beach Johnson: “Carrie calls these my love handles.” – Joe Baker, Dunedin Johnson: “Yes, we can get you more tiles from London, postwar stock.” – Alan Beck, Dunedin Johnson: “Have you got a position in your cabinet? I know how to set up a party!” – Kevin Boyce, Raumati Beach Caption Competition {listenercaption@aremedia.co.nz} TO ENTER Send your captions for the photo at right to listenercaption@aremedia.co.nz, with “Caption Competition No 479”…

Thank you, Marie Murray, for your Upfront about endometrial cancer (September 10). It’s the same story I have told to many women in the 17 years since my cancer was diagnosed. I also experienced break-through bleeding in my mid-to-late-50s and brought this to the attention of my doctor. Each time, I had a smear test that came back negative. So, I started tracking when these events occurred and established a pattern that showed bleeding occurred within a day or two of my being in close proximity to my infant grandchildren, or indeed any infant. After having this theory dismissed by the doctor, I just settled into enjoying being some kind of “Earth mother” – until one night the bleeding got more serious. This time, the doctor finally decided to do Pipelle endometrial…

“Is there anything more threatening than a friendly reminder?”– Seen on Twitter“She was the Queen for 70 years, longer than any monarch in British history. To put it into perspective for Americans, this would be like if Kris Jenner died here.”– Jimmy Kimmel“I’m going to miss that version of me, the girl who played tennis.”– Serena Williams“Beware the fury of a patient man.”– John Dryden“Polite conversation is rarely either.”– Fran Lebowitz“You know you must be doing something right if old people like you.”– Dave Chappelle“Old age is no place for sissies.”– Bette Davis“All actors should experience public failure.”– Olivia Wilde“All you have to do is play one note. But it needs to be the right note.”– Herbie Hancock“When we argue for our limitations, we get to keep them.”– Evelyn Waugh“If…

1. Which TV series included the quote, “That’s what I do – I drink and I know things”? ❑ Cheers❑ Game of Thrones❑ Will & Grace❑ Father Ted 2. Where would you find a kind of worker called a “pusher” doing their job? ❑ Railway station❑ Furniture factory❑ Sales office❑ Elevator 3. By ancient custom, MPs entering the UK’s House of Commons are entitled to a pinch of … what? ❑ Salt❑ Gunpowder❑ Snuff❑ Nutmeg 4. Which of these footwear innovations was created by a co-founder of Nike in 1971, and helped to boost the company’s early success? ❑ Velcro straps❑ Waffle soles❑ Gel cushioning❑ Inflatable soles 5. Which film includes a memorable scene in which a famous singer called Johnny Fontane performs at a wedding? ❑ The Graduate❑ The Wedding Singer❑ Four Weddings and a Funeral❑ The Godfather 6.…

A voice said, “There’s something wrong with the Moon.” In the hot night, this didn’t seem so odd. The Hollywood Moon lay at a drunken angle; the smoggy old Moon, knowing it was showtime, was refusing to go on. Nature had turned strange, the atmosphere was febrile, the centre could not hold. The record-breaking September heatwave was brutal and frightening, and Los Angeles, a city teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown, was barely hanging on. What was it with the Moon? The colour and the angle were off. We joked: a different Moon would appear. The heavens would reveal a terrifying new orb. The air was stifling, absolutely still. We talked about-Shakespeare, nature turning unnatural, about works of fiction in which catastrophe is presaged by omens, abnormal phenomena –…