Fandango – a lively Spanish dance in triple time for two people, typically accompanied by guitar and castanets or tambourine; music for this dance; an elaborate or complicated process or activity; foolish or silly behaviour, act, or thing; tomfoolery.
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Posted by homepaddock
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 450,000 times in 2014. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 19 days for that many people to see it.
Click here to see the complete report.
Among the stats are most viewed posts:
The top referring sites:
No Minister is consistently the site from which most visitors come.
Keeping Stock is still a top referrer even though, sadly, it has gone into recess.
And the five most active commenters:
robertguyton 1286 comments
TraceyS 1197 comments
Dave Kennedy 1045 comments
Mr E 984 comments
Andrei 645 commentsThank you all for reading and even more for contributing to conversations.
I’ve been blogging much less since late September. Readership has dropped as a consequence – I’m hoping that’s a case of less quantity and more quality. 🙂
P.S. Thanks to WordPress and its staff who provide the platform for this blog, give prompt and helpful assistance when it’s required and provide such good service.
2 Comments | blogging | Tagged: Keeping Stock, Kiwiblog, Lindsay Mitchell, No Minister, Wordpress | Permalink
Posted by homepaddock
Two new Dames and eight new Knights are among the many people who have been awarded New Year Honours.
Former Minister and Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia is one of the new Dames and a worthy recipient of the honour.
She is a woman of principle who understood the importance of being in government to make a difference rather than just being in parliament to make a fuss.
In her valedictory speech she said:
. . . It is the first time in our history and of the world that an indigenous political party has been truly part of government in a coalition arrangement. It has been exciting, liberating, invigorating, inspiring, and occasionally challenging as well.
We have had a very respectful, honest and upfront relationship with John Key and Bill English – a relationship that has allowed both of us to be direct, acknowledging our different constituencies and agreeing to disagree.
It is been a relationship based on mutual co-operation. We are pleased with what we have achieved, we are also proud of what we managed to change or stop.
I have been driven by a passion, determination, desire and as Bill English would say a stubborn resolve to make a difference. I always wanted us to be in a relationship where what we say matters. To be able to make a difference, not just a noise. To be part of the solution, not limited to picking the problems apart.
While we were unable to achieve all the aspirations of our people, I know we have made a difference in the lives of whānau whatever their circumstances, and in that respect I leave with a feeling of peace that we have always tried to do our best, to do whatever it takes to fly. . .
(You can watch her speech on YouTube).
Another former MP to be honoured is Eric Roy who has been awarded a QSO.
This recognises not only his work as an MP over nearly 20 years but all he has done, and will continue to do for the community and New Zealand.
I’ve known Eric for more than 30 years. His community service includes Volunteer Service Abroad, Young Farmers (of which he was both National and World president and is still a patron), school and sports bodies, the church, Rotary and cancer support.
The latter not only includes fundraising and other public activity but a lot of private work, using his experience as a survivor of cancer to help others who are fighting it.
He says the honour recognises the sacrifices his family has made:
. . . It’s something that the family can celebrate.
”And that’s why I was very happy to accept it, noting that it’s not just me who’s made the contribution, it’s been the family.” . . .
This is often the case with community service and especially with politics.
Leave a Comment » | Good people | Tagged: Bill English, Eric Roy, John Key, Tariana Turia | Permalink
Posted by homepaddock
Offering to trade fines for sexual favours is not simply sleazy as the judge seemed to view it. It’s about a principle which is absolute, regardless of its nature or monetary dimension. It behoves the Police Commissioner to appeal against this ridiculous sentence so wiser heads can send a vitally important message, namely that corruption is corrosive, strikes at the heart of civil society and will absolutely not be tolerated. Sir Bob Jones
“I love to observe how they process the high school situation. Over the last couple of months I’ve just started to realise that, wow, people in the real world don’t care if your legs aren’t perfect.” Lorde
”I find the chances of it being stolen are pretty minimal, but the chances are even more minimal of it disappearing by itself through two paddocks surrounded by deer fencing,” Bill Keeler
It’s been said that the New Zealand economy is likely to be the “rock star” of 2014 but we all know what happens to rock stars who spend all their money on having a good time. I’ve said it before – the only way we’re going to become a top-tier First World country is by growing the pie.
Sadly, we’ve always been much better at eating them. – Colin Espiner
To judge the dead may give some comfort to the living, but no matter how fervently the misdeeds of previous generations are condemned, they cannot be undone. Therefore, whatever justice we seek to do here and now, let it be to right the wrongs of the present – not the past.
We fair-skinned Polynesians are not – and can never be – “Europeans”. Just as contemporary Maori are not – and can never be again – the Maori who inhabited these islands before colonisation. Both of us are the victims of historical forces too vast for blame, too permanent for guilt.
And both of us have nowhere else to go. – Chris Trotter
Just 380,000 individuals pay half of all income tax.
If you earn more than $80,000 you are in that group. Most tax is paid by businesses through corporate tax or receipted GST payments. Possibly 80 per cent of the country is taking more from the state than they are contributing.If you are a net contributor most of your money will go to paying for the welfare of others.Most of those who seek to reduce their tax obligations are net contributors to our society. The only complaints against them are they do not pay enough.Beneficiary cheats, by contrast, are providing nothing to start with and seek to enrich themselves further by deception and dishonesty.Judges understand this, which is why beneficiary cheats go to jail for longer, as they should. – Damien Grant
Democracy, certainly at candidate selection level, isn’t generally a process of exquisite delicacy, scrupulous manners and sensitivity to hurt feelings. Oftentimes it’s just a few steps removed from full-on internecine civil warfare, albeit conducted largely out of sight. – Southland Times commenting on Labour’s selection process for the Invercargill electorate.
“The other analogy I have learned quite a lot is this idea that life’s like the drafting race because you learn quickly, farming, all the things that begin with D like drenching and drafting, docking and dagging, getting into debt and dealing with DOC. If you go up the drafting race, even for a ewe you have to look good: You mustn’t limp, head up, eyes forward don’t show your teeth if they aren’t terribly good, clean bum, good digestion, good tits – the whole way – because you want to go to the right, to the mixed age ewe mob, because [then] you get kind dogs and good food. Straight ahead is not much fun because you will end up a chop on the table. – Christine Fernyhough
“Nah, no tear in the eye. I’m from south Dunedin,” he grinned. Brendon McCullum
‘‘A government is a periodic monopoly that needs the threat of other entrants to get it going.’’ – Bill English
We must avoid complacency that might flow from believing today’s good times are permanent.
We don’t want to make a habit of doing the hard work under pressure, then putting our feet up just when the serious long-term gains are within our reach. – Bill English
If there are going to be on the ground and social media campaigns, they needs to be led by Australians. We need to get Australians saying that they want the best products at the best price. We need Australians to demand choice instead of supermarkets telling them what they’re allowed to buy. We also need Australians to see how deeply cynical the supermarkets are by reinforcing the values we share, namely, freedom of choice. This needs to turn Coles and Woolworths market research on its head and hit them where it’ll hurt the most; market share. That’s the only language they understand. It is also by reinforcing that Kiwis are kin, something the centennials of the Great War will strongly affirm. – Bruce Wills
Personally, I’ve never heard of an economy taxing its way to greatness but I have sure heard of economies taxed into oblivion. – Willy Leferink
And perhaps that’s the every day wisdom of parents at the fore – it’s the minestrone soup solution of life – if you’re short of meal options, throw all the vegetables into a pot, with a sprinkle of flexibility and the seasoning of life, and see what you come up with. – Tariana Turia
The notion that environmental protection and economic development are potentially conflicting goals is not, in my view, a recipe for success. It removes any expectation that businesses should take responsibility for protecting the environment; or that environmentalists need to consider social or economic costs of environmental outcomes.
In my world, economic and environmental considerations are two sides of the same coin. It is hard to be green if you are in the red; but you cannot have long-term social or economic prosperity if you undermine the natural capital you rely on to create it. – Lynda Murchison
People’s first consideration when buying food was price, despite claims they might buy based on factors like organic growth, she said.
While people might think buying organically or from the farmers market was environmentally friendly, research showed carbon dioxide emissions were higher buying that way, Prof Rowarth said. – Jacqueline Rowarth
. . . Even during booms some businesses will fail, and even during recessions some businesses will soar. That is because what ultimately determines the fate of companies is not whether the economy grows 1% or shrinks 1%, but the quality of management and their ability to anticipate and handle changing conditions be they for their markets, their inputs or their processes. . . Tony Alexander
Members of the Opposition believe monetary fairies can make the exchange rate settle permanently lower by forcing interest rate cuts and printing money while letting inflation therefore go up. Given the non-zero possibility that such economically ignorant policies get introduced it is worth getting inflation protection by investing more in property – not less. Tony Alexander
The global financial crisis was the worst economic meltdown in living memory.
“The 1987 crash was a a blip on the charts by comparison.”
On top of that, the Christchurch earthquakes dealt a massive hit to the government books. “The mythical observer arriving from Mars who saw the accounts in balance after two thumping great shocks like that – you’d have to say someone had navigated pretty smoothly through that.” Donal Curtin
Two thirds of the [welfare] liability came from people who first got a benefit under the age of 20. “So it confirms what grandma told you. “Don’t let those young people get off the rails because when they do it’s very expensive.” – Bill English
That it can sweetly awaken, and joyously strengthen and that you need to give it to get it. Sarah Peirse answering the question: what do you know about love?
“I don’t think our native species care too much as to whether it is public land or private land. Whether it be iwi, or whether it be Sir Michael Fay, what we’re interested in in these partnerships is maximising conservation gain.” Nick Smith
Federated Farmers is an apolitical organisation – “we don’t care who is in government as long as they agree with us”. – Conor English
. . . Taxes are not the price we pay for a civilised society. At best they are the price we pay for a civilised government. But they are also the price of overly bureaucratic procedures, unpredictable outcomes, and the loss of freedom to make our own decisions. – NZ Initiative
I make no apology for being a male. I hope I’m seen as a considerate, compassionate and communicable male; I make no apology for that. If I have faults, and I’m sure I do, well I don’t think I can blame my gender for my behaviour without it being a cop-out. There ain’t nothing wrong in being a bloke if you behave yourself properly! – Chris Auckinvole
Mr Speaker, my second point I wish to make is the importance of valuing hands on learning within our education system. We must appreciate these very important students who in the future will fix things, build things, be it trucks, motor cars, be it buildings, be it bridges, roads, essential infrastructure and all manner of other things.
To do this the education system must equally value these people as much as we do doctors, nurses, lawyers and accountants and design an education curriculum accordingly. Putting it simply, we want to create many Einstein’s, but to create an Einstein you also need 1000 skilled technicians to make those things. – Colin King
“Talking about ponies and horse races, if you think of the economy as a horse race, you know it would be silly to put the hobbles on one of the leading horses so the rest can catch up,” – Alister Body.
“I don’t think a party that’s on the extreme edges one way or another is going to be beneficial for Maori,” . . . “I think we as Maori also need to realise that compromise is a part of political involvement in New Zealand politics,” . . . Dr Lance O’Sullivan.
. . . if democracy means anything, it means suppressing the savage within and submitting the issues that divide us as individual citizens to the judgement of the electorate as a whole. Even more importantly, it means accepting that collective judgement – even when it goes against our individual contribution to its formation. – Chris Trotter
HONG KONG | How did this small city-state of 7.3 million people go from having a per-capita income of only a few hundred dollars per year to a per capita income that is equal to that of the United States in only 50 years? The simple answer is they had the British common law legal system, strong private property rights, competent, honest judges, a non-corrupt civil service, very low tax rates, free trade and a minimal amount of economic regulation. There was no big brother government looking after the people, so they had to work hard, but they could keep the fruits of their efforts. . . Richard W. Rahn
One of our human limitations is that we look at the problems ahead through the eyes of our current technology and from this perspective they can look overwhelming. This myopia traps us into negativity – we think we must go backwards to achieve our goals – Dr Doug Edmeades
For the health-conscious, the prevailing wisdom is that natural food is the best food. But no matter what studies of GMOs say, one scientific fact is inescapable: basically none of our dietary staples are natural. Some 10,000 years ago, our ancestors picked tiny berries, collected bitter plants and hunted sinewy game, because these are the foods that occurred naturally in the wild. Then came agriculture, and with it the eventual realization that farmers could selectively breed animals and plants to be bigger, hardier and easier to manage. David Newland
. . . Most of all they should embrace the modern age and recognise that social and economic salvation and uplifting the underclass does not simplistically lie in ever increasing taxes on the industrious and thrifty and their transfer to the indolent. There’s nothing positive or progressive about that. . . Sir Bob Jones
We think it’s pretty legal, we think these guys are just having a crack and have a bit of an eye for the main chance because it’s an election campaign. – Steven Joyce
“I won’t be wanting to see any hint of arrogance creeping in.” . . .
. . . “One of the big messages I’ll be wanting to give incoming ministers and the caucus is that it is incredibly important that National stays connected with our supporters and connected with the New Zealand public.” John Key
“Make sure you know why you’re in it – politics is not about celebrities. And nurture your self worth.
“You can’t afford to mortgage out how good or bad you feel because of tomorrow’s headlines.” – Julia Gillard
New Zealand is not perfect, but we do now have a multicultural society based on a bicultural heritage. – Philip Burdon
Leave a Comment » | quotes | Tagged: Alister Body, Bill English, Bill Keeler, Brendon McCullum, Bruce Wills, Chris Auckinvole, Chris Trotter, Christine Fernyhough, Colin Espiner, Colin King, Conor English, Damien Grant, Dr Doug Edmeades, Dr Lance O'Sullivan, Jacqueline Rowarth, John Key, Julia Gillard, Lorde, Lynda Murchison, Nick Smith, NZ Initiative, Philip Burdon, Richard W. Rahn, Sarah Peirse, Sir Bob Jones, Southland Times, Steven Joyce, Tariana Turia, Tony Alexander, Willy Leferink | Permalink
Posted by homepaddock
400 Vandals, Alans and Suebians crossed the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gaul.
1229 James I of Aragon the Conqueror entered Medina Mayurqa (now known as Palma) consummating the Christian conquest of the island of Majorca.
1491 – Jacques Cartier, French explorer, was born (d. 1557)
1599 The British East India Company was chartered.
1687– The first Huguenots set sail from France to the Cape of Good Hope.
1695 A window tax was imposed in England, causing many shopkeepers to brick up their windows to avoid the tax.
1720 Charles Edward Stuart, pretender to the British throne, was born (d. 1788).
1759 Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease at £45 per annum and started brewing Guinness.
1853 Sir George Grey left New Zealand after finishing his first term as Governor.
1879 Thomas Edison demonstrated incandescent lighting to the public for the first time.
1904 The first New Year’s Eve celebration was held in Times Square (then known as Longacre Square) in New York.
1908 Simon Wiesenthal, Austrian Holocaust survivor, was born (d. 2005).
1909 Manhattan Bridge opened.
1923 The chimes of Big Ben were broadcast on radio for the first time by the BBC.
1937 Sir Anthony Hopkins, Welsh actor, was born.
1941 – Sir Alex Ferguson, Scottish football manager, was born.
1943 John Denver, American singer and songwriter, was born (d. 1997).
1943 Sir Ben Kingsley, English actor was born.
1943 Pete Quaife, English bassist (The Kinks) was born.
1946 President Harry Truman officially proclaimed the end of hostilities in World War II.
1951 The Marshall Plan expired after distributing more than $13.3 billion USD in foreign aid to rebuild Europe.
1955 The General Motors Corporation became the first U.S. corporation to make over $1 billion USD in a year.
1960 The farthing coin ceased to be legal tender in the United Kingdom.
1963 The Central African Federation officially collapsed and split into Zambia, Malawi and Rhodesia.
1965 Nicholas Sparks, American author, was born.
1980 – Richie McCaw, All Black captain, was born.
1983 – The AT&T Bell System was broken up by the United States Government.
1991 All official Soviet Union institutions ceased operations by this date and the Soviet Union was officially dissolved.
1992 Czechoslovakia was dissolved, resulting in the creation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
1998 The European Exchange Rate Mechanism froze the values of the legacy currencies in the Eurozone, and established the value of the euro currency.
1999 Boris Yeltsin resigned as President of Russia, leaving Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the acting President.
1999 – The United States Government handed control of the Panama Canal (as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the Panama Canal Zone) to Panama. This act complied with the signing of the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties.
2004 The official opening of Taipei 101, the tallest skyscraper at that time in the world, standing at a height of 509 metres (1,670 ft).
2007 – Bocaue Fire: Seven people were injured when a fire resulted in the explosion of several fireworks stores in Bocaue, Bulacan, Philippines.
2009 – Both a blue moon and a lunar eclipse occurred.
2011 – NASA succeeded in putting the first of two Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory satellites in orbit around the moon.
Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.
Leave a Comment » | history | Tagged: Charles Edward Stuart, December 31, Elizabeth Arden, Henri Matisse, Jacques Cartier, John Denver, Nicholas Sparks, Pete Quaife, Richie McCaw, Simon Wiesenthal, Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir Ben Kingsley | Permalink
Posted by homepaddock
Murth – great quantity, an abundance; plenty.
Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: murth | Permalink
Posted by homepaddock
The tractor was travelling at a steady 50 kilometres an hour as I followed it for several hundred metres on a windy stretch of road.
When we got to a straight I indicated, put my foot down and pulled out to pass.
By the time I pulled back in I was doing more than 80 kph.
If you have to go more than 30 kilometres faster to pass someone travelling at 50 kph, how can you pass someone driving faster but still under 100 kph without exceeding the speed limit?
If you want to minimise the time exposed to danger – TED, when you’re on the right hand side of the road – you can’t.
Rodney Hide has worked it out:
In good driving conditions we are advised to apply the “two-second rule”. At 90km/h that’s 50m. So you pull out 50m behind a truck and trailer, the truck and trailer is 20m long and you pull in once safely 50m past. You have to make 120m to pass safely.
If the truck is doing 90km/h and you stick to 100km/h it takes 43 seconds to gain that 120m.
At 100km/h you will have travelled 1.2km. You must allow for a car coming towards you at 100km/h. To pass safely you need 2.4km of clear road.
That doesn’t happen often.
So you wait for a passing lane. The traffic behind the truck and trailer builds up. Finally you get to a passing lane. The front cars take off – at 100km/h. I drove Auckland to Queenstown these holidays and typically only the first two cars would make it past.
I would then watch in horror as a couple of frustrated drivers would try to pass the line of cars and the truck and trailer without the benefit of a passing lane or a clear road. It was frightening. And predictable. . .
What’s also predictable is that the slow vehicle will often speed up at a passing lane making it even more difficult to pass.
I am no speedster. I am never in a hurry. I am content to drive at the speed of the traffic, whether its 90km/h or 100km/h. In more than 40 years I have only had two speeding tickets.
But if I must pass, I hit the gas hard. I want to get past as quickly as I can to get back on the correct side of the road as soon as I can. I minimise what is called the “time exposed to danger”. I typically pass at 120km/h. . .
A friend was clocked doing about 120 kph as he passed a large truck. The traffic officer eventually, albeit reluctantly, accepted his explanation that passing quickly by reducing the TED was safer than passing slowly and that not passing at all was impractical.
A few kilometres slower or faster doesn’t make much difference to the time of a long journey. But if the second vehicle doesn’t pass the first then a third will catch them up and soon there will be a long queue which will inevitably catch up to an even slower vehicle.
Another friend was in a long line of slow traffic when a police car passed with siren and flashing lights going and pulled up the first car that had been holding everyone else up.
That’s two instances of good policing.
The first recognised that minimising TED can be safer even if it means temporarily exceeding 100 kph.
The second recognised that going too slowly without letting other vehicles pass can also be dangerous.
8 Comments | travel | Permalink
Posted by homepaddock
The Alps to Ocean cycle way is New Zealand’s longest – 301 kilometres from Aoraki/Mt Cook to Oamaru harbour.
The Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail is New Zealand in all its colour and beauty – from our highest mountain, past great lakes and rivers, and down to the ocean. Suitable for all ages, the 8 section bike trail is an easy to intermediate grade, offering a pleasing mix of on and off-road terrain which links the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean.
Most people would need 4 -6 days to do the whole trail but you can do day trips or shorter rides.
Highlights include:
Neighbours have been running homestays in an historic home for years and their business is booming now the cycle trail has opened.
I’s still in its infancy but has already been numbered among four of the best cycle trails in New Zealand.
Leave a Comment » | Oamaru & Waitaki, on tour | Tagged: A2O, Alps to Ocean cycleway | Permalink
Posted by homepaddock
A few years ago friends came to stay a couple of nights on their way to Wanaka.
They ended up forgoing the trip to Central Otago in favour of staying longer with us.
It was one of those golden summers when days at the river a few kilometres from home were far more attractive than coping with holidaying hordes in more populous spots.
Not every summer is like that but the last few days have been good for holiday makers. We’ve had enough heat to enjoy the beaches or rivers but not too much to make other attractions too much of an effort.
When our friends visited, nearly three decades ago, Oamaru wasn’t regarded as a holiday destination.
That’s changed.
An Explore Waitaki App will help you discover the district’s charms, find what’s where and how to get there.
I have yet to download it so don’t know if it will take you to places the locals go to cool off when the weather cooperates.
Rivers change and Gemmels Crossing where I spent many summer days as a child is no longer so good for swimming.
But there are still good swimming holes further up the Kakanui River near Clifton Falls and the Waitaki River also has some great picnic and swimming spots.
For those who prefer beaches, there’s Campbells Bay, All Day Bay and Moeraki.
Oamaru and the Waitaki District hinterland have lots of other attractions.
Oamaru Today is very good at highlighting things to see and do and I’m planning to write posts about the area over the next few days.
You’re welcome to add your own ideas for holiday makers in North Otago of further afield.
1 Comment | holidays, Oamaru & Waitaki | Tagged: All Day Bay, Campbells Bay, Explore Waitaki App, Gemmels Crossing, Kakanui River, Lonely Planet, Moeraki, Oamaru, Oamaru Today, Waitaki District, Waitaki River | Permalink
Posted by homepaddock
39 Titus, Roman emperor was born (d. 81).
1066 Granada massacre: A Muslim mob stormed the royal palace in Granada, crucified Jewish vizier Joseph ibn Naghrela and massacred most of the Jewish population of the city.
1460 Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield.
1835 Charles Darwin left New Zealand after a nine day visit.
This red gurnard was collected by Charles Darwin when the Beagle visited the Bay of Islands.
1865 – Rudyard Kipling, English writer, Nobel laureate, was born (d. 1936).
1916 The last coronation in Hungary was performed for King Charles IV and Queen Zita.
1919 – Lincoln’s Inn in London admitted its first female bar student.
1922 Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was formed.
1924 Edwin Hubble announced the existence of other galaxies.
1927 The Ginza Line, the first subway line in Asia, opened in Tokyo, Japan.
1928 – Bo Diddley, American singer and musician, was born (d. 2008).
1931 Skeeter Davis, American singer, was born (d. 2004) .
1937 – Noel Paul Stookey, American folk singer (Peter, Paul & Mary), was born.
1940 California opened its first freeway the Arroyo Seco Parkway.
1942 – Michael Nesmith, American singer and musician (The Monkees) was born.
1945 Davy Jones, English singer (The Monkees), was born (d. 2012).
1947 King Michael of Romania was forced to abdicate by the Soviet-backed Communist government of Romania.
1947 Jeff Lynne, English musician (ELO), was born.
1948 The Cole Porter Broadway musical, Kiss Me, Kate (1,077 performances), opened at the New Century Theatre and was the first show to win the Best Musical Tony Award.
1950 Bjarne Stroustrup, Danish computer scientist, creator of C++, was born.
1953 The first ever NTSC colour television sets went on sale for about USD at $1,175 each from RCA.
1959 Tracey Ullman, English actress and singer, was born.
1961 – Bill English, New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister, was born.
1965 Ferdinand Marcos became President of the Philippines.
1975 Tiger Woods, American golfer, was born.
1993 Israel and the Vatican established diplomatic relations.
2004 A fire in the República Cromagnon nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina killed 194.
2005 Tropical Storm Zeta formed in the open Atlantic Ocean.
2006 Madrid’s Barajas International Airport was bombed.
2006 Deposed President of Iraq Saddam Hussein, convicted of the executions of 148 Iraqi Shiites, was executed.
2009 – The last roll of Kodachrome film was developed by Dwayne’s Photo, the only remaining Kodachrome processor at the time, concluding the film’s 74-year run as a photography icon.
2011 – Owing to a change of time zone the day was skipped in Samoa and Tokelau.
2013 – More than 100 people were killed when anti-government forces attacked key buildings in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.
Leave a Comment » | history | Tagged: Bill English, Bjarne Stroustrup, Bo Didley, Davy Jones, December 30, Jeff Lynne, Noel Paul Stookey, Rudyard Kipling, Skeeter Davis, Tiger Woods, Titus, Tracey Ullman | Permalink
Posted by homepaddock
Opsomania – intense longing for a particular kind of food, or for highly seasoned food.
Leave a Comment » | language | Tagged: opsomaina | Permalink
Posted by homepaddock
The New Zealander of the Year 2015 Awards Office has announced the shortlist of people being considered for the 2015 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year.
They are:
• Dr Sharad Paul: Surgeon and skin cancer specialist (Auckland)
• Sir John Kirwan: Rugby coach, mental health and depression awareness advocate (Auckland)
• Cassandra Treadwell: Chief executive and founder, So They Can (Lower Hutt)
• Sir Stephen Tindall: Founder, The Tindall Foundation (Auckland)
• Julie Chapman: Chief executive and founder, KidsCan Charitable Trust (Auckland)
• Barbara Ala’alatoa: Principal, Sylvia Park School (Auckland)
• Roana Bennett: Manager, Te Taumata o Ngati Whakaue Trust (Rotorua)
• Dr Susan Parry: Auckland City Hospital and Ministry of Health (Auckland)
• Cynthia Ward: True Colours Children’s Health Trust (Hamilton)
• Judge Peter Boshier: Law Commissioner (Wellington)
Comment from Chief Judge Cameron Bennett
Determining the New Zealander of Year is a very tough job for the judging panel. The calibre of nominations was very high.
Each of these individuals is extraordinary. Some have worked tirelessly to making other Kiwis better off while others have inspired us through being the very best at their chosen fields. All of them are unique and special New Zealanders. They are all Kiwis of whom we can be very proud.
Background
The annual New Zealander of the Year awards are in their sixth year. They recognise, encourage and reward New Zealand’s most vital asset – its people. It is open to all New Zealanders and celebrates the contributions of Kiwis from all walks of life. More than 230 nominations were received for the 2015 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year.
In January, the judging panel – comprising representatives of all the awards patrons, presenters, sponsors, community leaders and independent experts – will announce the final shortlist of three people being considered for the 2015 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year.
The winner will be announced at the New Zealander of the Year Gala Awards evening in Auckland on 25 February, 2015.
Previous winners of the New Zealander of the Year Award are: Dr Lance O’Sullivan (2014), Dame Anne Salmond (2013), Sir Richard Taylor (2012), Sir Paul Callaghan (2011) and Sir Ray Avery (2010).
Other categories
The New Zealander of the Year Awards 2015 will also be honouring New Zealanders who have performed with distinction in five award categories. The semifinalists for those categories are:
University of Auckland Young New Zealander of the Year
Ben Dowdle (Auckland); Guy Ryan (Wellington); Tabby Besley (Wellington); Sebastian Hallum-Clarke (Wellington); Ella Yelich-O’Connor “Lorde” (Auckland); Jason Pemberton (Christchurch); Matt Strawbridge (Wellington); William Pike (Auckland); Te Rawhitiroa Bosch (Waikato); Henrietta McNeill (Invercargill); Malvindar Singh-Bains (Auckland).
Metlifecare Senior New Zealander of the Year
Donald Sew Hoy (Auckland); Dr Brian Broom (Auckland); Gaylene Preston (Wellington); Kerry Bensemann (Christchurch); Betty van Gaalen (Kapiti); Kai Luey (Auckland); Bob Robertson (Queenstown); Roger Robinson (Auckland); Tong Too (Napier).
Mitre 10 Community of the Year
Paihia!; VisionWest Community Trust (Auckland); Kidscan (Auckland/NZ); Central Lakes Trust (Otago); Givealittle (NZ); South Alive Invercargill; Community Fruit Harvesting (Auckland/NZ); Pathway Trust (Christchurch); Rural Women New Zealand (NZ); Te Whangai Trust (NZ).
Sanitarium Innovator of the Year
Peter Beck (Auckland); Professor Shaun Holt (Tauranga); Kayne Horsham (Wellington); Glenn Martin (Christchurch); BCS Group (Auckland); Chris Rodley (Nelson); Neville Jopson (Dunedin); Pat Martin (Christchurch); William Palmer and Peter Beguely (Auckland); Peter Stothers (Auckland).
Kiwibank Local Heroes Awards
Amy Burke (Christchurch); Billie Jordan (Waiheke Island); Donald Rogers (Auckland); Helen Davidson (Roxburgh); Helen Henderson (Lower Hutt); Trevor Clarke (Auckland); Talitha Vandenberg (Paihiatua); Dame June Mariu (Auckland); Peter Willsman (Queenstown); Steven Parkinson-Loane (Christchurch).
More information on the awards is here.
Leave a Comment » | Good people | Tagged: Barbara Ala'alatoa, Cameron Bennett, Cassandra Treadwell, Cynthia Ward, Dr Sharad Paul, Dr Susan Parry, Judge Peter Boshier, Julie Chapman, Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year, Roana Bennett, Sir John Kirwan, Sir Stephen Tindall | Permalink
Posted by homepaddock
Which nationality are you?
Hmm, there’s a lot that isn’t me there.
I did the test again.
I wonder if they have New Zealander?
1 Comment | diversions | Permalink
Posted by homepaddock
Good news tweet of the day:
At first glance it looks as if the global population has been declining.
But the vertical axis is the number of people in the world living on less than $1.25 a day and the line is the percentage of global poor.
The world has more people but fewer poor.
Leave a Comment » | politics | Tagged: Bill Gates | Permalink
Posted by homepaddock
1170 Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II; he subsequently becomes a saint and martyr in the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church.
1427 – Army of Ming Dynasty started withdrawing from Hanoi, put an end to the domination of Đại Việt.
1508 – Portuguese forces under the command of Francisco de Almeida attacked Khambhat at the Battle of Dabul.
1721 Madame de Pompadour, mistress of King Louis XV of France, was born (d. 1764).
1800 Charles Goodyear, American inventor, was born (d. 1860).
1809 William Ewart Gladstone, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, was born (d. 1898).
1835 The Treaty of New Echota was signed, ceding all the lands of the Cherokee east of the Mississippi River to the United States.
1876 The Ashtabula River Railroad bridge disaster left 64 injured and 92 dead at Ashtabula, Ohio.
1880 Tuhiata, or Tuhi, was hanged in Wellington for the murder of the artist Mary Dobie at Te Namu Bay, Opunake. Tuhi wrote to the Governor days before his execution asking that ‘my bad companions, your children, beer, rum and other spirits die with me’.
1890 United States soldiers kill more than 200 Oglala Lakota men, women, and children with 4 Hotchkiss guns in the Wounded Knee Massacre.
1911 Sun Yat-sen became the provisional President of the Republic of China.
1911 Mongolia gained independence from the Qing dynasty.
1930 Sir Muhammad Iqbal’s presidential address in Allahabad introduced the Two-Nation Theory and outlines a vision for the creation of Pakistan.
1936 Mary Tyler Moore, American actress was born.
1937 The Irish Free State was replaced by a new state called Ireland with the adoption of a new constitution.
1939 First flight of the Consolidated B-24.
1972 An Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 (a Lockheed Tristar) crashed on approach to Miami International Airport killing 101.
1975 A bomb exploded at La Guardia Airport in New York City, killing 11 people and injuring 74.
1989 Václav Havel was elected president of Czechoslovakia – the first non-Communist to attain the post in more than four decades.
1996 Guatemala and leaders of Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union signed a peace accord ending a 36-year civil war.
1997 – Hong Kong began to kill all the nation’s 1.25 million chickens to stop the spread of a potentially deadly influenza strain.
1998 Leaders of the Khmer Rouge apologised for the 1970s genocide in Cambodia that claimed over 1 million.
2003 The last known speaker of Akkala Sami – died, rendering the language that was spoken in the Sami villages of A´kkel and Ču´kksuâl, in the inland parts of the Kola Peninsula in Russia extinct.
2006 – UK settled its Anglo-American loan – post WWII loan debt.
2012 – A Tupolev Tu-204 airliner crashed in a ditch between the airport fence and the M3 highway after overshooting a runway at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, Russia, killing five people and leaving three others critically injured.
2013 – A suicide bomb attack at the Volgograd-1 railway station in the southern Russian city of Volgograd killed at least 18 people and wounded 40 others.
Sourced from NZ HIstory Online & Wikipedia.
Leave a Comment » | history | Tagged: Alan Rusbridger, Charles Goodyear, December 29, Madame de Pompadour, Marianne Faithfull, Mary Tyler Moore, Ray Thomas, William Ewart Gladstone | Permalink
Posted by homepaddock
Snaughing/snaughling – a combination of laughing and snorting; laughing so much you snort which makes you laugh more.
Leave a Comment » | language | Tagged: snaughing, snaughling | Permalink
Posted by homepaddock
Which leader were you?
You were George Washington! Washington was one of the Founding Fathers and the first President of the United States! Impressive, right? You’re a heroic soul with the natural ability to lead at times of crisis. In short, you’re the stuff that myths are made of! You’re intelligent, down to earth, easy to trust and incredibly likeable. You have a revolutionary spark but you’re not a radical. You’re a moderate at heart with a true love for liberty and freedom.
I have no idea how they came to that conclusion from the questions asked and responses given.
4 Comments | diversions | Permalink
Posted by homepaddock
The most important thing you leave behind is the stuff that turns into treasures when children find it.
You can sign up for a daily dose of whimsy like this by email at Story People.
Leave a Comment » | whimsy | Permalink
Posted by homepaddock
Sunday’s soapbox is yours to use as you will – within the bounds of decency and absence of defamation. You’re welcome to look back or forward, discuss issues of the moment, to pontificate, ponder or point us to something of interest, to educate, elucidate or entertain, amuse, bemuse or simply muse, but not abuse.
457– Majorian was crowned emperor of the Western Roman Empire and recognised by Pope Leo I.
484 – Alaric II succeeded his father Euric and became king of the Visigoths. He established his capital at Aire-sur-l’Adour (Southern Gaul).
893 – An earthquake destroyed the city of Dvin, Armenia.
1065 Westminster Abbey was consecrated.
1612 Galileo Galilei becomes the first astronomer to observe the planet Neptune, although he mistakenly catalogued it as a fixed star.
1635 Princess Elizabeth of England was born (d. 1650).
1768 King Taksin‘s coronation achieved through conquest as a king of Thailand and established Thonburi as a capital.
1795 Construction of Yonge Street, the longest street in the world, began in York, Upper Canada (present-day Toronto.
1836 South Australia and Adelaide were founded.
1836 – Spain recognised the independence of Mexico.
1856 Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States, Nobel laureate, was born (d. 1924).
1867 United States claimed Midway Atoll, the first territory annexed outside Continental limits.
1879 The Tay Bridge Disaster: The central part of the Tay Rail Bridge in Dundee, Scotland collapsed as a train passed over it, killing 75.
1879 Billy Mitchell, American military aviation pioneer was born (d. 1936).
1895 The Lumière brothers performed for their first paying audience at the Grand Cafe in Boulevard des Capucines marking the debut of the cinema.
1908 An earthquake rocked Messina, Sicily killing over 75,000.
1912 The first municipally owned streetcars took to the streets in San Francisco, California.
1934 Dame Maggie Smith, British actress, was born.
1935 Pravda published a letter by Pavel Postyshev, who revived the New Year tree tradition in the Soviet Union.
1945 The United States Congress officially recognised the Pledge of Allegiance.
1950 The Peak District became the United Kingdom’s first National Park.
1953 Richard Clayderman, French pianist, was born.
1954 Denzel Washington, American actor, was born.
1956 Nigel Kennedy, British violinist, was born.
1981 The first American test-tube baby, Elizabeth Jordan Carr, was born in Norfolk, Virginia.
1989 A magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit Newcastle, New South Wales, killing 13 people.
1999 Saparmurat Niyazov was proclaimed President for Life in Turkmenistan.
2009 43 people died in a suicide bombing in Karachi, Pakistan, where Shia Muslims were observing the Day of Ashura.
2010 – Arab Spring: Popular protests began in Algeria against the government.
2011 – Uludere airstrike: Turkish warplanes bombed 34 Kurds of Turkish nationality in the district of Uludere.
Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.
Leave a Comment » | history | Tagged: Billy Mitchell, Dame Maggie Smith, December 28, Denzel Washington, Elizabeth Jordan Carr, Nigel Kennedy, Princess Elizabeth, Richard Clayderman, Woodrow Wilson | Permalink
Posted by homepaddock
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