Great weekend weather wise – Best way to put smiles on everyone- clear blue skies and for those a cold snap for snow !!!
I hope everyone out there has the opportunity to take benefit from this clear patch. The kiddies will be happy sport !! And a visit to see walking with dinosaurs. And a kiwi is involved. Like the Mad butcher sometimes we should forget all the daily crap and celebrate the good things and the great people that do make a difference đ . Ther eis plenty of good out there- unfortunately it seems to take longer to find it !!!
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrel 2
Seriously? Â I was getting in to the Uke about a year ago, but I’ve lapsed. Â Should try again. Â Trouble is I’ve trashed my hands with too many years of keyboarding…
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 2.1.1
You can get the most amazing hard disk recording programs for absolutely next to nothing these days and they often come with all kinds of digital instruments and samplers and I hope I will be able to set up my little studio again since I brought all my gear with me in the container. It’s so much fun to play around with this stuff also Google band-in-a-box great for quick composing stuff in all kinds of styles using your on board midi and synth . (It’s relatively easy to find a “free” version online too. LOL)
Used to be but It will take some effort to get back into it again I’m afraid. I had the chance to study at the royal academy of music for two and a half years ages ago. Electronic composition and classical composition technique. Awesome.
Doesn’t mean I’m any good r0b, In fact I was rather shite at it to be honest. Felix is the real deal. But I like to potter with my little outfit and maybe one day I’ll set it up again.
Being a big fan of Bill Bailey I’m familiar with the theramin. Wonderfully bizarre, and it would be fun to fiddle with, but I don’t see myself doing it seriously.
No the main instrument that I like, and think I could play with bad hands, is the harmonica. Â One day!
I’m reading Keith Richards auto biography Life at the moment. Wonderful book, great read and as I was living in Europe when all this mayhem took place it brings back some awesome memories of those wild and wonderful years. My husband must love me as he bought it for me as a birthday present.
No films no music this weekend .so we will visit youngest son and his 3 sons on Sunday. A bit of gardening and hopefully read again the Hollow Man. Bought for me by my LP branch for my recent birthday.
last week as reported we saw 3 films in one week but thats unusual.
Hollow men, Great read, should pick it up again too. It’s been a while and you always pick up different things when you read it a second time. If you like these sort of books there is also a great book on Blackwater mercenaries by Jeremy Scahill and here is a link to a free e-book called the unauthorised biography of G Bush by Webster Tarpley. Great read. Vile family. LOL.
Thanks travellerev .Have noted At the moment still have a ton books to get through ,trouble is these days eyes get tired. However the last couple of weeks I did finish two of Tom Sharpe’s wonderfull comedies,Porter House Blues. and Blot on the Landscape. The second time for both and they still double me up with laughter.My wife stopped me reading them in bed at night because I laughed out loud .
Play with my new Son (that’s him in the Gravatar), and I have just been given all 10 seasons of Stargate SG1. I got some catching up to do, this will take me longer than the BAB5 seasons and assorted movies/spinoffs to get through.
Thank you , and he is so good as well, only cries when he wants something, food, nappy change, cuddles, and playtime. at 6 weeks he is just finding his voice so lots of interesting noises can emanate from Alex. And yes we can put him into his cot, and he just lies there and listens to either tv, music or his little lullaby machine. Makes for slow typing one handed and the wrong one`as well, as he is asleep in my arms now. But at my age I am lucky to have him, and i would not change anything, even if I could. Apart from bloody govt.
Watch the local high school Football “Soccer” Team take on Ham Boys High , should be a goody ….Talent vs Talent … catch up with the other keen supporters/parents then off for a fish , bring on that Sunshine…
We both know that what I say is truth, stop kidding yourself that you are âworthyâ- you have to prove your worthy to be worthy. Face facts you are not worthy.
I think you have a lot of self-analysis to do, to where you want to be â in 100 years in the history books- a fucking dickhead long forgotten or a major journalist with merit and conviction.
What do you want, do you want something you have never had before OR do you want the same-old-same-old boring life you already have- no challenges, no courage, no direction, no depth and no love.
If you truly are an idiot (to which I believe is just a façade because you are a stubborn fool) then you will always be â like everyone else! â How exciting for you!
But if you are truly exceptional than you will never let that one chance of âownershipâ escape you.
Once again, I have my son’s cat to baby-sit for a week, as I did back in January. (He and his wife are going on holiday to celebrate their 10th anniversary.) I love the cat, as if she were my grand-daughter, but unlike a 10 year old grand-daughter, she snores! :O
Do I snore all the time? Well I suppose you have seen me in all my fine glory and if you still like me, than you must truly like me.
Do I snore all the time? You have to understand I have pressure like no other, I can’t imagine I have snored all my life.
I have sore glands, a runny nose, tired, exhausted and completely exhausted. I feel I have no one on my side, I feel alone, and angry no one is heartfelt enough to give me a hug.
Just recieved a friends’ mini-ramps on a long term loan so its a big weekend of skateboarding for me.
Any standarnistas out there skate?
The mini-ramp skating has been a revalation after a good decade of skating like a nube. I still cant kickflip or street skate to any great extent but I could rip the hell out of ramps after only a month or two. I highly reccomend any skater (or parent of a skater) with a garage to splash $150 on some ply, you will never look back.*
I like snowboarding, and I have dabbled a little bit in the off season with a skateboard, never got up the balls to drop in to a proper halfpipe. Very very very very very noob, pretty much only did it for a few months. Still struggle with ollies or whatever their called. Would like to revisit it solid at some stage, my deck still looks very new and mostly ungrinded đ
Street skating is honestly a million times harder than mini-ramp skating (dam you Rodney Mullen!). I still have fond memories of the day when me and the boys figured out how easy it was. All you need to learn to get started is how to drop in, rock to fakie, then go back to tail stall… once you can do that everything else just comes naturally. For the first 6 months you will easily pick up a trick-a-day. Im about a year into it and im doing pop-shuvits, crooked nosegrinds, and just about getting propper air.
I used to rate snowboarding as the best adrenalin buz out but mini-ramp skaiting is well up there, ultra satisfying.
Great advice, I’ll bear that in mind. I’ve tried street skating, and had a lot of bails where I was surprised I didn’t break my wrists or other bones etc lol. When you’re going from A->B and you are noob, well those cracks on the pavement can be nasty!!!
I can see why a lot of skaters cruise down on the road cause it’s smoother, seems a lot safer even with the cars imo.
Why are girls not human, I’m quite positive females snore, fart, poo, urinate and all the rest. But I have never thought that it is all too bad, especially for a girl who is being watched 24/7.
Human females are not dolls.
I refuse to change just because I am being watched.
I will be watching series 1 of Game Of Thrones- my cousin in New York records all my tv programs for me- and will watch Series 4 Episode 1 of true blood which I acquired last night thru msn messnger hahahahhaha
Off to Rugby Park to see Canterbury v North Otago in a Ranfurly Shield match. Coolio, as Rugby Park is only a ten minute stroll from my place. Afternoon rugby on a crisp sunny winter’s day. Yeah buddy…
So what becomes of you, my love?When they have finally stripped you ofThe handbags and the gladragsThat your poor old granddadHad to sweat to buy you, babySongwriter: Mike D'aboIn yesterday’s newsletter, I expressed sadness at seeing Golriz Ghahraman back on the front pages for shoplifting. As someone who is no ...
It’s Friday and time for another roundup of things that caught our attention this week. This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers and fans. If youâd like to support our work, you can join ...
Note: This Webworm discusses sexual assault and rape. Please read with care.Hi,A few weeks ago I reported on how one of New Zealand’s richest men, Nick Mowbray (he and his brother own Zuru and are worth an estimated $20 billion), had taken to sharing posts by a British man called ...
The final Atlas Network playbook puzzle piece is here, and it slipped in to Aotearoa New Zealand with little fan fare or attention. The implications are stark.Today, writes Dr Bex, the submission for the Crimes (Countering Foreign Interference) Amendment Bill closes: 11:59pm January 16, 2025.As usual, the language of the ...
Excitement in the seaside village! Look what might be coming! 400 million dollars worth of investment! In the very beating heart of the village! Are we excited and eager to see this happen, what with every last bank branch gone and shops sitting forlornly quiet awaiting a customer?Yes please, apply ...
Much discussion has been held over the Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB), the latest in a series of rightwing attempts to enshrine into law pro-market precepts such as the primacy of private property ownership. Underneath the good governance and economic efficiency gobbledegook language of the Bill is an interest to strip ...
We are concerned that the Amendment Bill, as proposed, could impair the operations and legitimate interests of the NZ Trade Union movement. It is also likely to negatively impact the ability of other civil society actors to conduct their affairs without the threat of criminal sanctions. We ask that ...
I can't take itHow could I fake it?How could I fake it?And I can't take itHow could I fake it?How could I fake it?Song: The Lonely Biscuits.“A bit nippy”, I thought when I woke this morning, and then, soon after that, I wondered whether hell had frozen over. Dear friends, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Asheville, North Carolina, was once widely considered a climate haven thanks to its elevated, inland location and cooler temperatures than much of the Southeast. Then came the catastrophic floods of Hurricane Helene in September 2024. It was a stark reminder that nowhere is safe from ...
Early reports indicate that the temporary Israel/Hamas ceasefire deal (due to take effect on Sunday) will allow for the gradual release of groups of Israeli hostages, the release of an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails (likely only a fraction of the total incarcerated population), and the withdrawal ...
My daily news diet is not what it once was.It was the TV news that lost me first. Too infantilising, too breathless, too frustrating.The Herald was next. You could look past the reactionary framing while it was being a decent newspaper of record, but once Shayne Currie began unleashing all ...
Hit the road Jack and don't you come backNo more, no more, no more, no moreHit the road Jack and don't you come back no moreWhat you say?Songwriters: Percy MayfieldMorena,I keep many of my posts, like this one, paywall-free so that everyone can read them.However, please consider supporting me as ...
This might be the longest delay between reading (or in this case re-reading) a work, and actually writing a review of it I have ever managed. Indeed, when I last read these books in December 2022, I was not planning on writing anything about them… but as A Phuulish Fellow ...
Kia Ora,I try to keep most my posts without a paywall for public interest journalism purposes. However, if you can afford to, please consider supporting me as a paid subscriber and/or supporting over at Ko-Fi. That will help me to continue, and to keep spending time on the work. Embarrassingly, ...
There was a time when Google was the best thing in my world. I was an early adopter of their AdWords program and boy did I like what it did for my business. It put rocket fuel in it, is what it did. For every dollar I spent, those ads ...
A while back I was engaged in an unpleasant exchange with a leader of the most well-known NZ anti-vax group and several like-minded trolls. I had responded to a racist meme on social media in which a rightwing podcaster in the US interviewed one of the leaders of the Proud ...
Hi,If you’ve been reading Webworm for a while, you’ll be familiar with Anna Wilding. Between 2020 and 2021 I looked at how the New Zealander had managed to weasel her way into countless news stories over the years, often with very little proof any of it had actually happened. When ...
It's a long white cloud for you, baby; staying together alwaysSummertime in AotearoaWhere the sunshine kisses the water, we will find it alwaysSummertime in AotearoaYeah, it′s SummertimeIt's SummertimeWriters: Codi Wehi Ngatai, Moresby Kainuku, Pipiwharauroa Campbell, Taulutoa Michael Schuster, Rebekah Jane Brady, Te Naawe Jordan Muturangi Tupe, Thomas Edward Scrase.Many of ...
Last year, 292 people died unnecessarily on our roads. That is the lowest result in over a decade and only the fourth time in the last 70 years we’ve seen fewer than 300 deaths in a calendar year. Yet, while it is 292 people too many, with each death being ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob HensonFlames from the Palisades Fire burn a building at Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The fast-moving wildfire had destroyed thousands of structures and ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.The Regulatory Standards Bill, as I understand it, seeks to bind parliament to a specific range of law-making.For example, it seems to ensure primacy of individual rights over that of community, environment, te Tiriti ...
Happy New Year!I had a lovely break, thanks very much for asking: friends, family, sunshine, books, podcasts, refreshing swims, barbecues, bike rides. So good to step away from the firehose for a while, to have less Trump and Seymour in your day. Who needs the Luxons in their risible PJs ...
Patrick Reynolds is deputy chair of the Auckland City Centre Advisory Panel and a director of Greater Auckland In 2003, after much argument, including the election of a Mayor in 2001 who ran on stopping it, Britomart train station in downtown Auckland opened. A mere 1km twin track terminating branch ...
For the first time in a decade, a New Zealand Prime Minister is heading to the Middle East. The trip is more than just a courtesy call. New Zealand PMs frequently change planes in Dubai en route to destinations elsewhere. But Christopher Luxonâs visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 5, 2025 thru Sat, January 11, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
The decade between 1952 and the early 1960s was the peak period for the style of music we now call doo wop, after which it got dissolved into soul music, girl groups, and within pop music in general. Basically, doo wop was a form of small group harmonising with a ...
The future teaches you to be aloneThe present to be afraid and coldSo if I can shoot rabbits, then I can shoot fascists…And if you tolerate thisThen your children will be nextSongwriters: James Dean Bradfield / Sean Anthony Moore / Nicholas Allen Jones.Do you remember at school, studying the rise ...
When National won the New Zealand election in 2023, one of the first to congratulate Luxon was tech-billionaire and entrepreneur extraordinaire Elon Musk.And last year, after Luxon posted a video about a trip to Malaysia, Musk came forward again to heap praise on Christopher:So it was perhaps par for the ...
Hi,Today’s Webworm features a new short film from documentary maker Giorgio Angelini. It’s about Luigi Mangione — but it’s also, really, about everything in America right now.Bear with me.Shortly after I sent out my last missive from the fires on Wednesday, one broke out a little too close to home ...
So soon just after you've goneMy senses sharpenBut it always takes so damn longBefore I feel how much my eyes have darkenedFear hangs in a plane of gun smokeDrifting in our roomSo easy to disturb, with a thought, with a whisperWith a careless memorySongwriters: Andy Taylor / John Taylor / ...
Can we trust the Trump cabinet to act in the public interest?Nine of Trumpâs closest advisers are billionaires. Their total net worth is in excess of $US375b (providing there is not a share-market crash). In contrast, the total net worth of Trumpâs first Cabinet was about $6b. (Joe Bidenâs Cabinet ...
Welcome back to our weekly roundup. We hope you had a good break (if you had one). Here’s a few of the stories that caught our attention over the last few weeks. This holiday period on Greater Auckland Since our last roundup we’ve: Taken a look back at ...
Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partnerSometimes I feel like my only friendIs the city I live in, The City of AngelsLonely as I am together we crySong: Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith, Flea, John Frusciante.A home is engulfed in flames during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area. ...
Open access notablesLarge emissions of CO2 and CH4 due to active-layer warming in Arctic tundra, Torn et al., Nature Communications:Climate warming may accelerate decomposition of Arctic soil carbon, but few controlled experiments have manipulated the entire active layer. To determine surface-atmosphere fluxes of carbon dioxide and ...
It's election year for Wellington City Council and for the Regional Council. What have the progressive councillors achieved over the last couple of years. What were the blocks and failures? What's with the targeting of the mayor and city council by the Post and by central government? Why does the ...
Over the holidays, there was a rising tide of calls for people to submit on National's repulsive, white supremacist Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill, along with a wave of advice and examples of what to say. And it looks like people rose to the occasion, with over 300,000 ...
The lie is my expenseThe scope of my desireThe Party blessed me with its futureAnd I protect it with fireI am the Nina The Pinta The Santa MariaThe noose and the rapistAnd the fields overseerThe agents of orangeThe priests of HiroshimaThe cost of my desire…Sleep now in the fireSongwriters: Brad ...
This is a re-post from the Climate BrinkGlobal surface temperatures have risen around 1.3C since the preindustrial (1850-1900) period as a result of human activity.1 However, this aggregate number masks a lot of underlying factors that contribute to global surface temperature changes over time.These include CO2, which is the primary ...
There are times when movement around us seems to slow down. And the faster things get, the slower it all appears.And so it is with the whirlwind of early year political activity.They are harbingers for what is to come:Video: Wayne Wright Jnr, funder of Sean Plunket, talk growing power and ...
Hi,Right now the power is out, so I’m just relying on the laptop battery and tethering to my phone’s 5G which is dropping in and out. We’ll see how we go.First up — I’m fine. I can’t see any flames out the window. I live in the greater Hollywood area ...
2024 was a tough year for working Kiwis. But together we’ve been able to fight back for a just and fair New Zealand and in 2025 we need to keep standing up for what’s right and having our voices heard. That starts with our Mood of the Workforce Survey. It’s your ...
Time is never time at allYou can never ever leaveWithout leaving a piece of youthAnd our lives are forever changedWe will never be the sameThe more you change, the less you feelSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan.Babinden - Baba’s DayToday, January 8th, 2025, is Babinden, “The Day of the baba” or “The ...
..I/We wish to make the following comments:I oppose the Treaty Principles Bill."5. Act binds the CrownThis Act binds the Crown."How does this Act "bind the Crown" when Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which the Act refers to, has been violated by the Crown on numerous occassions, resulting in massive loss of ...
Everything is good and brownI'm here againWith a sunshine smile upon my faceMy friends are close at handAnd all my inhibitions have disappeared without a traceI'm glad, oh, that I found oohSomebody who I can rely onSongwriter: Jay KayGood morning, all you lovely people. Today, I’ve got nothing except a ...
Welcome to 2025. After wrapping up 2024, hereâs a look at some of the things we can expect to see this year along with a few predictions. Council and Elections Elections One of the biggest things this year will be local body elections in October. Will Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Canadians can take a while to get angry â but when they finally do, watch out. Canada has been falling out of love with Justin Trudeau for years, and his exit has to be the least surprising news event of the New Year. On recent polling, Trudeauâs Liberal party has ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Much like 2023, many climate and energy records were broken in 2024. It was Earth’s hottest year on record by a wide margin, breaking the previous record that was set just last year by an even larger margin. Human-caused climate-warming pollution and ...
Submissions on National's racist, white supremacist Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill are due tomorrow! So today, after a good long holiday from all that bullshit, I finally got my shit together to submit on it. As I noted here, people should write their own submissions in their own ...
Ooh, baby (ooh, baby)It's making me crazy (it's making me crazy)Every time I look around (look around)Every time I look around (every time I look around)Every time I look aroundIt's in my faceSongwriters: Alan Leo Jansson / Paul Lawrence L. Fuemana.Today, I’ll be talking about rich, middle-aged men who’ve made ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 29, 2024 thru Sat, January 4, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Hi,The thing that stood out at me while shopping for Christmas presents in New Zealand was how hard it was to avoid Zuru products. Toy manufacturer Zuru is a bit like Netflix, in that it has so much data on what people want they can flood the market with so ...
And when a child is born into this worldIt has no conceptOf the tone of skin it's living inAnd there's a million voicesAnd there's a million voicesTo tell you what you should be thinkingSong by Neneh Cherry and Youssou N'Dour.The moment you see that face, you can hear her voice; ...
While we may not always have quality political leadership, a couple of recently published autobiographies indicate sometimes we strike it lucky. When ranking our prime ministers, retired professor of history Erik Olssen commented that âneither Holland nor Nash was especially effective as prime minister â even his private secretary thought ...
Baby, be the class clownI'll be the beauty queen in tearsIt's a new art form, showin' people how little we care (yeah)We're so happy, even when we're smilin' out of fearLet's go down to the tennis court and talk it up like, yeah (yeah)Songwriters: Joel Little / Ella Yelich O ...
Open access notables Why Misinformation Must Not Be Ignored, Ecker et al., American Psychologist:Recent academic debate has seen the emergence of the claim that misinformation is not a significant societal problem. We argue that the arguments used to support this minimizing position are flawed, particularly if interpreted (e.g., by policymakers or the public) as suggesting ...
What I’ve Been Doing: I buried a close family member.What I’ve Been Watching: Andor, Jack Reacher, Xmas movies.What I’ve Been Reflecting On: The Usefulness of Writing and the Worthiness of Doing So — especially as things become more transparent on their own.I also hate competing on any day, and if ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by John Wihbey. A version of this article first appeared on Yale Climate Connections on Nov. 11, 2008. (Image credits: The White House, Jonathan Cutrer / CC BY 2.0; President Jimmy Carter, Trikosko/Library of Congress; Solar dedication, Bill Fitz-Patrick / Jimmy Carter Library; Solar ...
Morena folks,We’re having a good break, recharging the batteries. Hope you’re enjoying the holiday period. I’m not feeling terribly inspired by much at the moment, I’m afraid—not from a writing point of view, anyway.So, today, we’re travelling back in time. You’ll have to imagine the wavy lines and sci-fi sound ...
Completed reads for 2024: Oration on the Dignity of Man, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola A Platonic Discourse Upon Love, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola Of Being and Unity, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola The Life of Pico della Mirandola, by Giovanni Francesco Pico Three Letters Written by Pico ...
Welcome to 2025, Aotearoa. Well… what can one really say? 2024 was a story of a bad beginning, an infernal middle and an indescribably farcical end. But to chart a course for a real future, it does pay to know where we’ve been… so we know where we need ...
Welcome to the official half-way point of the 2020s. Anyway, as per my New Years tradition, here’s where A Phuulish Fellow’s blog traffic came from in 2024: United States United Kingdom New Zealand Canada Sweden Australia Germany Spain Brazil Finland The top four are the same as 2023, ...
Completed reads for December: Be A Wolf!, by Brian Strickland The Magic Flute [libretto], by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Emanuel Schikaneder The Invisible Eye, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Owl’s Ear, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Waters of Death, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Spider, by Hanns Heinz Ewers Who Knows?, by Guy de Maupassant ...
Well, it’s the last day of the year, so itâs time for a quick wrap-up of the most important things that happened in 2024 for urbanism and transport in our city. A huge thank you to everyone who has visited the blog and supported us in our mission to make ...
Leave your office, run past your funeralLeave your home, car, leave your pulpitJoin us in the streets where weJoin us in the streets where weDon't belong, don't belongHere under the starsThrowing light…Song: Jeffery BuckleyToday, I’ll discuss the standout politicians of the last 12 months. Each party will receive three awards, ...
Hi,A lot’s happened this year in the world of Webworm, and as 2024 comes to an end I thought I’d look back at a few of the things that popped. Maybe you missed them, or you might want to revisit some of these essay and podcast episodes over your break ...
Hi,I wanted to share this piece by film editor Dan Kircher about what cinema has been up to in 2024.Dan edited my documentary Mister Organ, as well as this year’s excellent crowd-pleasing Bookworm.Dan adores movies. He gets the language of cinema, he knows what he loves, and writes accordingly. And ...
Without delving into personal details but in order to give readers a sense of the year that was, I thought I would offer the study in contrasts that are Xmas 2023 and Xmas 2024: Xmas 2023 in Starship Children’s Hospital (after third of four surgeries). Even opening presents was an ...
Heavy disclaimer: Alpha/beta/omega dynamics is a popular trope that’s used in a wide range of stories and my thoughts on it do not apply to all cases. I’m most familiar with it through the lens of male-focused fanfic, typically m/m but sometimes also featuring m/f and that’s the situation I’m ...
Hi,Webworm has been pretty heavy this year — mainly because the world is pretty heavy. But as we sprint (or limp, you choose) through the final days of 2024, I wanted to keep Webworm a little lighter.So today I wanted to look at one of the biggest and weirdest elements ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 22, 2024 thru Sat, December 28, 2024. This week's roundup is the second one published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, ...
The Green Party has welcomed the provisional ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and reiterated its call for New Zealand to push for an end to the unlawful occupation of Palestine. ...
The Green Party welcomes the extension of the deadline for Treaty Principles Bill submissions but continues to call on the Government to abandon the Bill. ...
Complaints about disruptive behaviour now handled in around 13 days (down from around 60 days a year ago) 553 Section 55A notices issued by KÄinga Ora since July 2024, up from 41 issued during the same period in the previous year. Of that 553, first notices made up around 83 ...
The time it takes to process building determinations has improved significantly over the last year which means fewer delays in homes being built, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. âNew Zealand has a persistent shortage of houses. Making it easier and quicker for new homes to be built will ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is pleased to announce the annual list of New Zealandâs most popular baby names for 2024. âFor the second consecutive year, Noah has claimed the top spot for boys with 250 babies sharing the name, while Isla has returned to the most popular ...
Work is set to get underway on a new bus station at Westgate this week. A contract has been awarded to HEB Construction to start a package of enabling works to get the site ready in advance of main construction beginning in mid-2025, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.âA new Westgate ...
Minister for Children and for Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour is encouraging people to use the resources available to them to get help, and to report instances of family and sexual violence amongst their friends, families, and loved ones who are in need. âThe death of a ...
Uia te pĆ, rangahaua te pĆ, whakamÄramatia mai he aha tĆ tango, he aha tĆ kÄwhaki? Whitirere ki te ao, tirotiro kau au, kei hea taku rÄtÄ whakamarumaru i te au o te pakanga mo te mana motuhake? Au te pĆ, ngĆ« te pĆ, ue hÄ! E te kahurangi mÄreikura, ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says people with diabetes and other painful conditions will benefit from a significant new qualification to boost training in foot care. âIt sounds simple, but quality and regular foot and nail care is vital in preventing potentially serious complications from diabetes, like blisters or sores, which can take a long time to heal ...
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour is pleased to see Pharmac continue to increase availability of medicines for Kiwis with the governmentâs largest ever investment in Pharmac. âPharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the government,â says Mr Seymour. âWhen this government assumed ...
MÄ mua ka kite a muri, mÄ muri ka ora e mua - Those who lead give sight to those who follow, those who follow give life to those who lead. MÄori recipients in the New Year 2025 Honours list show comprehensive dedication to improving communities across the motu that ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is wishing all New Zealanders a great holiday season as Kiwis prepare for gatherings with friends and families to see in the New Year. It is a great time of year to remind everyone to stay fire safe over the summer. âI know ...
Asia Pacific Report Four researchers and authors from the Asia-Pacific region have provided diverse perspectives on the media in a new global book on intercultural communication. The Sage Handbook of Intercultural Communication published this week offers a global, interdisciplinary, and contextual approach to understanding the complexities of intercultural communication in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin T. Jones, Senior Lecturer in History, CQUniversity Australia In his farewell address, outgoing US President Joe Biden warned âan oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracyâ. The comment suggests ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hrvoje TkalÄiÄ, Professor, Head of Geophysics, Director of Warramunga Array, Australian National University A map showing the ‘Martian dichotomy’: the southern highlands are in yellows and oranges, the northern lowlands in blues and greens.NASA / JPL / USGS Mars is home ...
A new poem by Niamh Hollis-Locke.Field-notes: Midsummer, 9pm, walking barefoot in the reserve after a storm, the sky still light, the city strung out across backs of the hills  Dunes of last weekâs cut grass washed downslope against the bracken, drifts of pale wet stems rotting into one ...
The poll, conducted between 9-13 January, shows National down 4.6 points to 29.6%, while Labour have risen 4.0 points from last month, overtaking them with30.9%. ...
As the world farewells visionary director David Lynch, we return to this 2017 piece by Angela Cuming about escaping into the haunting world of Twin Peaks. I was only 10 years old when Twin Peaks â and the real world â found me.Once a week, in the dark, I ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marc C-Scott, Associate Professor of Screen Media | Deputy Associate Dean of Learning & Teaching, Victoria University Screenshot/YouTube The 2025 Australian Open (AO) broadcast may seem similar to previous years if youâre watching on the television. However, if youâre watching online ...
By Anish Chand in Suva A Fiji community human rights coalition has called on Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka to halt his âreckless expansionâ of government and refocus on addressing Fijiâs pressing challenges. The NGO Coalition on Human Rights (NGOCHR) said it was outraged by the abrupt and arbitrary reshuffling of ...
A selection of the best shows, movies, podcasts and playlists that kept us entertained over the holidays. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here.Leo (Netflix) My partner and I watched exactly one thing on the TV in our Japan accommodation while ...
Toby Manhire tells you everything you need to know ahead of season two of Severance.After an agonising wait â nearly three years between waffles, thanks to US actor and writer strikes and, some say, creative squabbles â Severance returns today, Friday January 17. For my money the first season ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a 32-year-old mother of a one-year-old shares her approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female. Age: 32. Ethnicity: East Asian â NZ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Talia Fell, PhD Candidate, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland The Los Angeles wildfires are causing the devastating loss of peopleâs homes. From A-list celebrities such as Paris Hilton to an Australian family living in LA, thousands ...
The outgoing and incoming presidents have both claimed credit for the historic deal, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund for The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Finally, some good fucking news. The Friday Poem is back! Last year, The Spinoff leveled with its audience about the financial reality it faced and called for support from its audience. Some tough decisions were made at the time including cuts to our commissioning budget and the discontinuation of The ...
The soon-to-be deputy PM has already had a crucial win behind the scenes. First published in Henry Cookeâs politics newsletter, Museum Street. Margaret Thatcher used to love prime ministerâs questions. If youâre not familiar, the UK parliamentary system has a weekly procedure where the prime minister is subject to at least ...
Summer reissue: The current coalition not lasting beyond this parliamentary term is an idea thatâs been seized on by its opponents. History suggests itâs unlikely â but not impossible. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Port Vila More than 180,000 registered voters are expected to cast their votes today with polls now open in Vanuatu. It is remarkable the snap election is even able to happen with Friday marking one month since the 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the ...
New Zealand needs to boost its productivity growth and become more attractive and accessible as a workplace in order to fix its labour market woes, a recruitment agency says.Commenting on new salary survey results from Robert Walters, Shay Peters, the companyâs Australia and New Zealand chief executive, says the Government ...
Comment: When Newsroomâs editor Jonathan Milne invited me to write one of two special pieces for the summer break, I faced quite the conundrum. My options were to either review a work of non-fiction or write a column about hope and optimism for 2025.I initially misread Jonathanâs request to review ...
By Daniel Perese of Te Ao MÄori News MÄori politicians across the political spectrum in Aotearoa New Zealand have called for immediate aid to enter Gaza following a temporary ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel. The ceasefire, agreed yesterday, comes into effect on Sunday, January 19. Foreign Minister Winston Peters ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Sherlock, Lecturer, School of Fashion and Textiles, RMIT University Australian-owned brand UGG Since 1974 has announced it will change its name to âSince 74â for sales outside Australia and New Zealand. There has been a long-running battle over the rights ...
The committee has agreed to split into two sub-committees to increase the number of people it can hear from in the time available. Each sub-committee will meet for 30 hours total, together making up 60 of the 80 planned hours of hearings. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Parmeter, Research scholar, Middle East studies, Australian National University The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, to come into effect on Sunday, has understandably been welcomed by the overwhelming majority of Israelis and Palestinians. Israelis are relieved that a process for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Carson, Senior Research Fellow, School of Medicine, The University of Western Australia Over the past several days, the world has watched on in shock as wildfires have devastated large parts of Los Angeles. Beyond the obvious destruction â to landscapes, homes, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rose Cairns, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, University of Sydney AtlasStudio/Shutterstock TikTok and Instagram influencers have been peddling the âBarbie drugâ to help you tan. But melanotan-II, as itâs called officially, is a solution thatâs too good to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paula Jarzabkowski, Professor in Strategic Management, The University of Queensland A series of wildfires in Los Angeles County have caused widespread devastation in California, including at least 24 deaths and the destruction of more than 12,000 homes and structures. Thousands of residents ...
COMMENTARY:By Monika Singh The lack of women representation in parliaments across the world remains a vexed and contentious issue. In Fiji, this problem has again surfaced for debate in response to Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamicaâs call for a quota system to increase womenâs representation in Parliament. Kamikamica was ...
What compels someone of significant status in society to break the law, repeatedly, might be the same reason I did as a poor teenager. Former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman, who left parliament a year ago today following revelations of shoplifting, is now at the centre of another shoplifting complaint. As ...
Great weekend weather wise – Best way to put smiles on everyone- clear blue skies and for those a cold snap for snow !!!
I hope everyone out there has the opportunity to take benefit from this clear patch. The kiddies will be happy sport !! And a visit to see walking with dinosaurs. And a kiwi is involved. Like the Mad butcher sometimes we should forget all the daily crap and celebrate the good things and the great people that do make a difference đ . Ther eis plenty of good out there- unfortunately it seems to take longer to find it !!!
I plan to nail Stand by Me on the ukulele. I find those misses quite tricky.
Seriously? Â I was getting in to the Uke about a year ago, but I’ve lapsed. Â Should try again. Â Trouble is I’ve trashed my hands with too many years of keyboarding…
I am a musical retard. But I am desperate to learn. Investing heavily in lessons.
Good luck with it. Music is a wonderful thing. I was bordering on the adequate once on the violin, before my hands crapped out completely.
Sorry to hear about your hands r0b. I used to make film music with both acoustic and digital instruments that would perhaps be a way to go for you.
Hi Ev. I’ve looked at a few possibilities. I’m not done with music, might have another go when I retire and I’m not keyboarding all day.
You can get the most amazing hard disk recording programs for absolutely next to nothing these days and they often come with all kinds of digital instruments and samplers and I hope I will be able to set up my little studio again since I brought all my gear with me in the container. It’s so much fun to play around with this stuff also Google band-in-a-box great for quick composing stuff in all kinds of styles using your on board midi and synth . (It’s relatively easy to find a “free” version online too. LOL)
Sounds like you’re right in to it!
Used to be but It will take some effort to get back into it again I’m afraid. I had the chance to study at the royal academy of music for two and a half years ages ago. Electronic composition and classical composition technique. Awesome.
Wow!
Doesn’t mean I’m any good r0b, In fact I was rather shite at it to be honest. Felix is the real deal. But I like to potter with my little outfit and maybe one day I’ll set it up again.
Get a theramin. You just wave your hands around it like a conductor, shouldn’t hurt them too much!
Edit: Doh, ninja’d an hour beforehand by felix. That’s what I get for replying before reading the whole thread.
r0b if you’re a violinist with troubled hands perhaps you should have a go at playing the Theremin.
Srsly. No impact.
Wow, looked it up on Wiki. There is a sound file to listen to. awesome.
Being a big fan of Bill Bailey I’m familiar with the theramin. Wonderfully bizarre, and it would be fun to fiddle with, but I don’t see myself doing it seriously.
No the main instrument that I like, and think I could play with bad hands, is the harmonica. Â One day!
I’m reading Keith Richards auto biography Life at the moment. Wonderful book, great read and as I was living in Europe when all this mayhem took place it brings back some awesome memories of those wild and wonderful years. My husband must love me as he bought it for me as a birthday present.
Barring weather woes, it’s all kids sport, all weekend. Rugby, football, netball.
It’s ballet and pink tutus first thing Saturday morning for me – well, you know, I mean for my six year old daughter …
I miss those days. Â Enjoy.
I think I know what you mean. Sometimes when I’m watching her I already feel nostalgic.
No films no music this weekend .so we will visit youngest son and his 3 sons on Sunday. A bit of gardening and hopefully read again the Hollow Man. Bought for me by my LP branch for my recent birthday.
last week as reported we saw 3 films in one week but thats unusual.
Hollow men, Great read, should pick it up again too. It’s been a while and you always pick up different things when you read it a second time. If you like these sort of books there is also a great book on Blackwater mercenaries by Jeremy Scahill and here is a link to a free e-book called the unauthorised biography of G Bush by Webster Tarpley. Great read. Vile family. LOL.
Thanks travellerev .Have noted At the moment still have a ton books to get through ,trouble is these days eyes get tired. However the last couple of weeks I did finish two of Tom Sharpe’s wonderfull comedies,Porter House Blues. and Blot on the Landscape. The second time for both and they still double me up with laughter.My wife stopped me reading them in bed at night because I laughed out loud .
w00t!
Finally escaping Christchurch on a mission for the Canty uni tramping club’s hut…
May my body not crap out, nor my old boots.
Blah, I hurt my back moving a chair – forgot it was a heavy one *sigh*. The silver lining is spending the weekend doing a bit of R&R.
Play with my new Son (that’s him in the Gravatar), and I have just been given all 10 seasons of Stargate SG1. I got some catching up to do, this will take me longer than the BAB5 seasons and assorted movies/spinoffs to get through.
Love the pose of baby sleeping đ
Thank you , and he is so good as well, only cries when he wants something, food, nappy change, cuddles, and playtime. at 6 weeks he is just finding his voice so lots of interesting noises can emanate from Alex. And yes we can put him into his cot, and he just lies there and listens to either tv, music or his little lullaby machine. Makes for slow typing one handed and the wrong one`as well, as he is asleep in my arms now. But at my age I am lucky to have him, and i would not change anything, even if I could. Apart from bloody govt.
SG1! The original is the best!
BSG still rocks out though đ
Watch the local high school Football “Soccer” Team take on Ham Boys High , should be a goody ….Talent vs Talent … catch up with the other keen supporters/parents then off for a fish , bring on that Sunshine…
We both know that what I say is truth, stop kidding yourself that you are âworthyâ- you have to prove your worthy to be worthy. Face facts you are not worthy.
I think you have a lot of self-analysis to do, to where you want to be â in 100 years in the history books- a fucking dickhead long forgotten or a major journalist with merit and conviction.
What do you want, do you want something you have never had before OR do you want the same-old-same-old boring life you already have- no challenges, no courage, no direction, no depth and no love.
If you truly are an idiot (to which I believe is just a façade because you are a stubborn fool) then you will always be â like everyone else! â How exciting for you!
But if you are truly exceptional than you will never let that one chance of âownershipâ escape you.
[Take that nonsense somewhere else dad. r0b]
Once again, I have my son’s cat to baby-sit for a week, as I did back in January. (He and his wife are going on holiday to celebrate their 10th anniversary.) I love the cat, as if she were my grand-daughter, but unlike a 10 year old grand-daughter, she snores! :O
hehe – you’d be surprised then at the way my 10 year-old grand-daughter can snore
My sons snored even as children, but somewhat naively, I never thought of a girl as a snorer… Yes, I know, silly of me. đ
Alex, at 6weeks don’t do too bad either lol.ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Do I snore all the time? Well I suppose you have seen me in all my fine glory and if you still like me, than you must truly like me.
Do I snore all the time? You have to understand I have pressure like no other, I can’t imagine I have snored all my life.
I have sore glands, a runny nose, tired, exhausted and completely exhausted. I feel I have no one on my side, I feel alone, and angry no one is heartfelt enough to give me a hug.
I am a little unhappy. maybe I am ungrateful.
Just recieved a friends’ mini-ramps on a long term loan so its a big weekend of skateboarding for me.
Any standarnistas out there skate?
The mini-ramp skating has been a revalation after a good decade of skating like a nube. I still cant kickflip or street skate to any great extent but I could rip the hell out of ramps after only a month or two. I highly reccomend any skater (or parent of a skater) with a garage to splash $150 on some ply, you will never look back.*
*Make sure to invest in a helmet as well
I like snowboarding, and I have dabbled a little bit in the off season with a skateboard, never got up the balls to drop in to a proper halfpipe. Very very very very very noob, pretty much only did it for a few months. Still struggle with ollies or whatever their called. Would like to revisit it solid at some stage, my deck still looks very new and mostly ungrinded đ
Street skating is honestly a million times harder than mini-ramp skating (dam you Rodney Mullen!). I still have fond memories of the day when me and the boys figured out how easy it was. All you need to learn to get started is how to drop in, rock to fakie, then go back to tail stall… once you can do that everything else just comes naturally. For the first 6 months you will easily pick up a trick-a-day. Im about a year into it and im doing pop-shuvits, crooked nosegrinds, and just about getting propper air.
I used to rate snowboarding as the best adrenalin buz out but mini-ramp skaiting is well up there, ultra satisfying.
Great advice, I’ll bear that in mind. I’ve tried street skating, and had a lot of bails where I was surprised I didn’t break my wrists or other bones etc lol. When you’re going from A->B and you are noob, well those cracks on the pavement can be nasty!!!
I can see why a lot of skaters cruise down on the road cause it’s smoother, seems a lot safer even with the cars imo.
Why are girls not human, I’m quite positive females snore, fart, poo, urinate and all the rest. But I have never thought that it is all too bad, especially for a girl who is being watched 24/7.
Human females are not dolls.
I refuse to change just because I am being watched.
I will be watching series 1 of Game Of Thrones- my cousin in New York records all my tv programs for me- and will watch Series 4 Episode 1 of true blood which I acquired last night thru msn messnger hahahahhaha
Off to Rugby Park to see Canterbury v North Otago in a Ranfurly Shield match. Coolio, as Rugby Park is only a ten minute stroll from my place. Afternoon rugby on a crisp sunny winter’s day. Yeah buddy…
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I’m watching TV at the moment!
A great mashup, in chronological order, of stop motion creatures and special effects created by Ray Harryhausen.