The Haka

Many of you will have watched the All Blacks beat Italy last night, and I wonder how many of you saw the traditional and sacred Haka. What is the significance of the Haka ?The Te Rauparaha Haka is the most common, but since 2005 there is another version, the Kapa o pango Haka:These are the words of the Te Rauparaha Haka:Before the Haka is performed by the team, the Haka leader, normally an All Black of Maori descent, will instigate the Haka and spur on those who are to perform the Haka with the following.Ringa pakiaUma tirahaTuri whatiaHope whai akeWaewae takahia kia kinoThen the team starts the Haka as a group,Ka mate Ka mateIt is death It is deathKa ora Ka oraIt is lifeIt is lifeKa mate
Ka mate It is death
It is death Ka ora Ka oraIt is life It is life Tenei Te Tangata Puhuruhuru This is the hairy man Nana i tiki mai whakawhiti te raWho caused the sun to shine again for me Upane Upane Up the ladder Up the ladderUpane KaupaneUp to the topWhiti te raThe sun shines!The haka is a war dance. The words are chanted loudly (shouted) in a menacing way accompanied by arm actions and foot stamping. A haka was traditionally performed before charging into battle.The Maori pronunciation is basically one vowel per syllable, with the vowels having the European rather than English sound. The `wh' is aspirated almost like an `f' (f is good enough for most people).As for what it all means, about 140 years ago, a great chief named Te Rauparaha of the Ngati Toa tribe (based just North of present day Wellington), was being chased by his enemies. He hid in a kumara pit (the local sweet potato) and waited in the dark for his pursuers to find him. He heard sounds above and thought he was done for when the top of the pit was opened up and sunshine flooded in. He was blinded and struggled to see those about to slay him, when his sight cleared and he instead saw the hairy legs of the local chief (reputed to have been exceptionally hirsute) who had hid him. Te Rauparaha is said to have jumped from the pit and performed this haka on the spot, so happy was he to have escaped.Kapa o pango haka:This haka was first performed by the All Blacks versus South Africa on 27 August 2005 at Carisbrook, Dunedin. The All Blacks won 31 - 27. This haka was written by Ngati Porou's Derek Lardelli. This haka will only be performed before special test matches.Kapa o pango kia whakawhenua au i ahau!Let me become one with the landHi aue, hi! Ko Aotearoa e ngunguru nei!This is our land that rumblesAu, au, aue ha!And it's my time!It's my moment!Ko Kapa o Pango e ngunguru nei!This defines us as the All BlacksAu, au, aue ha!It's my time!It's my moment!I ahaha! Ka tu te ihiihiOur dominanceKa tu te wanawanaOur supremacy will triumphKi runga ki te rangi e tu iho nei, tu iho nei, hi!And will be placed on highPonga ra!Silver fern!Kapa o Pango, aue hi!All Blacks!Ponga ra!Silver fern!Kapa o Pango, aue hi, ha!All Blacks!

srilankan

April 1998 heralded a new era in the history of Sri Lankan civil aviation when its flag carrier, Air Lanka, was privatised following the establishment of a strategic partnership with Dubai based Emirates Airline. The agreement, in which the United Arab Emirates airline took a 40% shareholding in the company, was the regenerative boost that was urgently needed to re-establish Air Lanka as southern Asia’s preferred international carrier. This was crucial as throughout the previous decade investment had been minimal - a factor that had retarded growth and taken away the airline’s competitive edge.
As part of its commitment to the Sri Lankan government Emirates contracted to undertake the management of Air Lanka for a 10-year period, during which time it would establish programmes to stimulate renewed growth and profitability. Primary among these considerations was the development of Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo, as a major passenger and cargo hub linking east and west.
The business plan put forward by Emirates centred on the appointment of a new board of directors drawn from the Sri Lankan government and Emirates Airline. Pertinent to this the chief executive officer (CEO) was to be seconded from Emirates. To help achieve its objective of raising Air Lanka’s profit margin, a thorough overhaul and analysis of the airline’s infrastructure was completed. This resulted in Air Lanka adopting a whole new approach to airline operation. Cost-effective strategies were introduced; new pro-active management teams were put in place; computer technology became the basis of everyday activities; a reappraisal of the airline’s network was made; product enhancement became part of airline philosophy, and a fleet renewal programme was activated. But to raise awareness and underline its new ideals the airline set into motion a re-branding programme.
The perceived success of the business plan was, to a great extent, based on the acquisition of six new fuel efficient, easy to maintain, passenger friendly Airbus A330-200s to complement its fleet of A340-300 and A320-200 aircraft. The first A330-200 joined the airline in October 1999, with the remaining five delivered by July 2000. That same year saw Air Lanka’s last L1011 TriStar sold to Air Transit (Canada) but perhaps more momentus, in July 1999, the company’s fourth A340-300 arrived at Colombo painted in the airline’s new corporate livery. SriLankan Airlines was now on view to the world.
As part of its product enhancement programme SriLankan upgraded its existing A340 fleet into two-class configuration - business and economy. At the same time the interior décor and seats were refurbished to reflect the airline’s new corporate image and the inflight entertainment systems were improved to match those of the new A330s. The A320 short-haul fleet also underwent an interior modernisation programme.

Floods in indonesia

The floods in Jakarta a very deep an dirty.When i went to work with my dad it to us almost 4 hours.It was terrible driving throw all the floods! when we where leaving to work

i said this is my best day but it really wasn't!

Me and my dad went for a cycle to kemang the flood was terrible all the bajai were stuck!An area called banka that area got completely flooded!