February 7 in history
07/02/2019457 Leo I became emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
1074 Pandulf IV of Benevento was killed battling the invading Normans at the Battle of Montesarchio.
1238 The Mongols burned the Russian city of Vladimir.
1301 Edward of Caernarvon (later King Edward II of England) became the first English Prince of Wales.
1478 Sir Thomas More, English statesman, humanist, and author, was born (d 1535).
1497 – The bonfire of the vanities occurred in which supporters of Girolamo Savonarola burned thousands of objects including cosmetics, art, and books in Florence.
1795 The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified.
1804 – John Deere, American manufacturer (Deere & Company), was born (d. 1886).
1807 Battle of Eylau – Napoléon’s French Empire began fighting against Russian and Prussian forces of the Fourth Coalition at Eylau, Poland.
1812 – Charles Dickens, English novelist, was born (d. 1870).
1819 Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles left Singapore after just taking it over, leaving it in the hands of William Farquhar.
1842 Battle of Debre Tabor: Ras Ali Alula, Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia defeated warlord Wube Haile Maryam of Semien.
1856 The Kingdom of Awadh was annexed by the British East India Company after a peaceful abdication of Wajid Ali Shah, the king of Awadh.
1856 – The colonial Tasmanian Parliament passed the first piece of legislation (the Electoral Act of 1856) anywhere in the world providing for elections by way of a secret ballot.
1863 The Royal Navy’s steam corvette HMS Orpheus, bringing supplies and reinforcements for the land wars, hit the Manukau Harbour bar and sank. Of the 259 aboard, 189 died, making it New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster.
1867 Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author, was born (d. 1957).
1870 Alfred Adler, Austrian psychologist was born (d. 1937).
1898 Émile Zola was brought to trial for libel for publishing J’Accuse.
1901 Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand politician, was born (d. 1989).
![]() |
1904 A fire in Baltimore destroyed more than 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.
1907 The Mud March, the first large procession organised by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS).
1922 Hattie Jacques, English actress, was born (d. 1980).
1943 Imperial Japanese naval forces completed the evacuation of Imperial Japanese Army troops from Guadalcanal during Operation Ke, ending Japanese attempts to retake the island from Allied forces in the Guadalcanal Campaign.
1956 Mark St. John, American musician (Kiss), was born (d. 2007).
1962 Garth Brooks, American singer, was born.
1962 Eddie Izzard, British actor and comedian, was born.
1962 – David Bryan, American musician (Bon Jovi), was born.
1962 The United States banned all Cuban imports and exports.
1967 – Bushfires in southern Tasmania claimed 62 lives and destroy 2,642.7 square kilometres (653,025.4 acres) of land.
1974 Grenada gained independence from the United Kingdom.
1979 Pluto moved inside Neptune‘s orbit for the first time since either was discovered.
1984 STS-41-B Mission – Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart made the first untethered space walk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).
1986 Twenty-eight years of one-family rule ended in Haiti, when President Jean-Claude Duvalier fled.
1990 The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agreed to give up its monopoly on power.
1991 Haiti‘s first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was sworn in.
1991 – The IRA launched a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street during a cabinet meeting.
1992 – The Maastricht Treaty was signed, leading to the creation of the European Union.
1995 Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
1999 – Crown Prince Abdullah became the King of Jordan on the death of his father, King Hussein.
2009 Bushfires in Victoria left 173 dead in the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history.
2012 – President Mohamed Nasheed of the Republic of Maldives resigned, after 23 days of anti-governmental protests calling for the release of Chief Judge unlawfully arrested by the military.
2013 – At least 53 people were killed when a bus and truck collided near Chibombo, Zambia.
2014 – The opening ceremony for the 2014 Winter Olympics is held in the Russian city of Sochi.
2014 – Over 350 people were injured in the anti-government unrest in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
2016 – North Korea launched Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4 into outer space.
Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.
Quote of the day
07/02/2018I cut the teeth off the mill-saw with a hand-chisel. I cut a pattern out of paper for the moldboard and share. I laid the pattern on the saw and cut out around it with a hand chisel, with the help of a striker and a sledge. I then laid the piece on the fire of the forge and heated it, a little at a time, shaping it as best I could with the hand hammer. After making the upright standards out of bar iron, I was ready for the wood parts. I went out to the timber, dug up a sapling, and used the crooks of the roots for handles. I shape the beat out of a stick of timber with an axe and a drawing-knife. In this fashion, I succeeded in constructing a very rough plow. – John Deere who was born on this day in 1804.
February 7 in history
07/02/2018457 Leo I became emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
1074 Pandulf IV of Benevento was killed battling the invading Normans at the Battle of Montesarchio.
1238 The Mongols burned the Russian city of Vladimir.
1301 Edward of Caernarvon (later King Edward II of England) became the first English Prince of Wales.
1478 Sir Thomas More, English statesman, humanist, and author, was born (d 1535).
1497 – The bonfire of the vanities occurred in which supporters of Girolamo Savonarola burned thousands of objects including cosmetics, art, and books in Florence.
1795 The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified.
1804 – John Deere, American manufacturer (Deere & Company), was born (d. 1886).
1807 Battle of Eylau – Napoléon’s French Empire began fighting against Russian and Prussian forces of the Fourth Coalition at Eylau, Poland.
1812 – Charles Dickens, English novelist, was born (d. 1870).
1819 Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles left Singapore after just taking it over, leaving it in the hands of William Farquhar.
1842 Battle of Debre Tabor: Ras Ali Alula, Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia defeated warlord Wube Haile Maryam of Semien.
1856 The Kingdom of Awadh was annexed by the British East India Company after a peaceful abdication of Wajid Ali Shah, the king of Awadh.
1856 – The colonial Tasmanian Parliament passed the first piece of legislation (the Electoral Act of 1856) anywhere in the world providing for elections by way of a secret ballot.
1863 The Royal Navy’s steam corvette HMS Orpheus, bringing supplies and reinforcements for the land wars, hit the Manukau Harbour bar and sank. Of the 259 aboard, 189 died, making it New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster.
1867 Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author, was born (d. 1957).
1870 Alfred Adler, Austrian psychologist was born (d. 1937).
1898 Émile Zola was brought to trial for libel for publishing J’Accuse.
1901 Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand politician, was born (d. 1989).
![]() |
1904 A fire in Baltimore destroyed more than 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.
1907 The Mud March, the first large procession organised by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS).
1922 Hattie Jacques, English actress, was born (d. 1980).
1943 Imperial Japanese naval forces completed the evacuation of Imperial Japanese Army troops from Guadalcanal during Operation Ke, ending Japanese attempts to retake the island from Allied forces in the Guadalcanal Campaign.
1956 Mark St. John, American musician (Kiss), was born (d. 2007).
1962 Garth Brooks, American singer, was born.
1962 Eddie Izzard, British actor and comedian, was born.
1962 – David Bryan, American musician (Bon Jovi), was born.
1962 The United States banned all Cuban imports and exports.
1967 – Bushfires in southern Tasmania claimed 62 lives and destroy 2,642.7 square kilometres (653,025.4 acres) of land.
1974 Grenada gained independence from the United Kingdom.
1979 Pluto moved inside Neptune‘s orbit for the first time since either was discovered.
1984 STS-41-B Mission – Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart made the first untethered space walk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).
1986 Twenty-eight years of one-family rule ended in Haiti, when PresidentJean-Claude Duvalier fled.
1990 The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agreed to give up its monopoly on power.
1991 Haiti‘s first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was sworn in.
1991 – The IRA launched a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street during a cabinet meeting.
1992 – The Maastricht Treaty was signed, leading to the creation of the European Union.
1995 Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
1999 – Crown Prince Abdullah became the King of Jordan on the death of his father, King Hussein.
2009 Bushfires in Victoria left 173 dead in the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history.
2012 – President Mohamed Nasheed of the Republic of Maldives resigned, after 23 days of anti-governmental protests calling for the release of Chief Judge unlawfully arrested by the military.
2013 – At least 53 people were killed when a bus and truck collided near Chibombo, Zambia.
2014 – The opening ceremony for the 2014 Winter Olympics is held in the Russian city of Sochi.
2014 – Over 350 people were injured in the anti-government unrest in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
2016 – North Korea launched Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4 into outer space.
Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.
February 7 in history
07/02/2017457 Leo I became emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
1074 Pandulf IV of Benevento was killed battling the invading Normans at the Battle of Montesarchio.
1238 The Mongols burned the Russian city of Vladimir.
1301 Edward of Caernarvon (later King Edward II of England) became the first English Prince of Wales.
1478 Sir Thomas More, English statesman, humanist, and author, was born (d 1535).
1497 – The bonfire of the vanities occured in which suppoters of Girolamo Savonarola burned thousands of objects including cosmetics, art, and books in Florence.
1795 The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified.
1804 – John Deere, American manufacturer (Deere & Company), was born (d. 1886).
1807 Battle of Eylau – Napoléon’s French Empire began fighting against Russian and Prussian forces of the Fourth Coalition at Eylau, Poland.
1812 – Charles Dickens, English novelist, was born (d. 1870).
1819 Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles left Singapore after just taking it over, leaving it in the hands of William Farquhar.
1842 Battle of Debre Tabor: Ras Ali Alula, Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia defeated warlord Wube Haile Maryam of Semien.
1856 The Kingdom of Awadh was annexed by the British East India Company after a peaceful abdication of Wajid Ali Shah, the king of Awadh.
1856 – The colonial Tasmanian Parliament passed the first piece of legislation (the Electoral Act of 1856) anywhere in the world providing for elections by way of a secret ballot.
1863 The Royal Navy’s steam corvette HMS Orpheus, bringing supplies and reinforcements for the land wars, hit the Manukau Harbour bar and sank. Of the 259 aboard, 189 died, making it New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster.
1867 Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author, was born (d. 1957).
1870 Alfred Adler, Austrian psychologist was born (d. 1937).
1898 Émile Zola was brought to trial for libel for publishing J’Accuse.
1901 Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand politician, was born (d. 1989).
![]() |
1904 A fire in Baltimore destroyed over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.
1907 The Mud March, the first large procession organised by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS).
1922 Hattie Jacques, English actress, was born (d. 1980).
1943 Imperial Japanese naval forces completed the evacuation of Imperial Japanese Army troops from Guadalcanal during Operation Ke, ending Japanese attempts to retake the island from Allied forces in the Guadalcanal Campaign.
1956 Mark St. John, American musician (Kiss), was born (d. 2007).
1962 Garth Brooks, American singer, was born.
1962 Eddie Izzard, British actor and comedian, was born.
1962 – David Bryan, American musician (Bon Jovi), was born.
1962 The United States banned all Cuban imports and exports.
1967 Bushfires in southern Tasmania claimed 62 lives and destroy 2,642.7 square kilometres (653,025.4 acres) of land.
1974 Grenada gained independence from the United Kingdom.
1979 Pluto moved inside Neptune‘s orbit for the first time since either was discovered.
1984 STS-41-B Mission – Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart made the first untethered space walk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).
1986 Twenty-eight years of one-family rule ended in Haiti, when PresidentJean-Claude Duvalier fled.
1990 The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agreed to give up its monopoly on power.
1991 Haiti‘s first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was sworn in.
1991 – The IRA launched a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street during a cabinet meeting.
1992 – The Maastricht Treaty was signed, leading to the creation of the European Union.
1995 Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
1999 – Crown Prince Abdullah became the King of Jordan on the death of his father, King Hussein.
2009 Bushfires in Victoria left 173 dead in the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history.
2012 – President Mohamed Nasheed of the Republic of Maldives resigned, after 23 days of anti-governmental protests calling for the release of Chief Judge unlawfully arrested by the military.
2013 – At least 53 people were killed when a bus and truck collided near Chibombo, Zambia.
2014 – The opening ceremony for the 2014 Winter Olympics is held in the Russian city of Sochi.
2014 – Over 350 people were injured in the anti-government unrest in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
2016 – North Korea launched Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4 into outer space.
Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.
February 7 in history
07/02/2016457 Leo I became emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
1074 Pandulf IV of Benevento was killed battling the invading Normans at the Battle of Montesarchio.
1238 The Mongols burned the Russian city of Vladimir.
1301 Edward of Caernarvon (later King Edward II of England) became the first English Prince of Wales.
1478 Sir Thomas More, English statesman, humanist, and author, was born (d 1535).
1497 – The bonfire of the vanities occured in which suppoters of Girolamo Savonarola burned thousands of objects including cosmetics, art, and books in Florence.
1795 The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified.
1804 John Deere, American manufacturer (Deere & Company), was born (d. 1886).
1807 Battle of Eylau – Napoléon’s French Empire began fighting against Russian and Prussian forces of the Fourth Coalition at Eylau, Poland.
1812 Charles Dickens, English novelist, was born (d. 1870).
1819 Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles left Singapore after just taking it over, leaving it in the hands of William Farquhar.
1842 Battle of Debre Tabor: Ras Ali Alula, Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia defeated warlord Wube Haile Maryam of Semien.
1856 The Kingdom of Awadh was annexed by the British East India Company after a peaceful abdication of Wajid Ali Shah, the king of Awadh.
1856 – The colonial Tasmanian Parliament passed the first piece of legislation (the Electoral Act of 1856) anywhere in the world providing for elections by way of a secret ballot.
1863 The Royal Navy’s steam corvette HMS Orpheus, bringing supplies and reinforcements for the land wars, hit the Manukau Harbour bar and sank. Of the 259 aboard, 189 died, making it New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster.
1867 Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author, was born (d. 1957).
1870 Alfred Adler, Austrian psychologist was born (d. 1937).
1898 Émile Zola was brought to trial for libel for publishing J’Accuse.
1901 Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand politician, was born (d. 1989).
![]() |
1904 A fire in Baltimore destroyed over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.
1907 The Mud March, the first large procession organised by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS).
1922 Hattie Jacques, English actress, was born (d. 1980).
1943 Imperial Japanese naval forces completed the evacuation of Imperial Japanese Army troops from Guadalcanal during Operation Ke, ending Japanese attempts to retake the island from Allied forces in the Guadalcanal Campaign.
1956 Mark St. John, American musician (Kiss), was born (d. 2007).
1962 Garth Brooks, American singer, was born.
1962 Eddie Izzard, British actor and comedian, was born.
1962 – David Bryan, American musician (Bon Jovi), was born.
1962 The United States banned all Cuban imports and exports.
1967 Bushfires in southern Tasmania claimed 62 lives and destroy 2,642.7 square kilometres (653,025.4 acres) of land.
1974 Grenada gained independence from the United Kingdom.
1979 Pluto moved inside Neptune‘s orbit for the first time since either was discovered.
1984 STS-41-B Mission – Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart made the first untethered space walk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).
1986 Twenty-eight years of one-family rule ended in Haiti, when PresidentJean-Claude Duvalier fled.
1990 The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agreed to give up its monopoly on power.
1991 Haiti‘s first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was sworn in.
1991 – The IRA launched a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street during a cabinet meeting.
1992 – The Maastricht Treaty was signed, leading to the creation of the European Union.
1995 Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
1999 – Crown Prince Abdullah became the King of Jordan on the death of his father, King Hussein.
2009 Bushfires in Victoria left 173 dead in the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history.
2012 – President Mohamed Nasheed of the Republic of Maldives resigned, after 23 days of anti-governmental protests calling for the release of Chief Judge unlawfully arrested by the military.
2013 – At least 53 people were killed when a bus and truck collided near Chibombo, Zambia.
2014 – The opening ceremony for the 2014 Winter Olympics is held in the Russian city of Sochi.
2014 – Over 350 people were injured in the anti-government unrest in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.
Rural round-up
23/06/2015Water presents high risk to agribusiness:
Whether it’s growing crops, generating electricity or entertaining tourists, water is a key ingredient for the success of the New Zealand economy, yet this also makes it a key risk.
PwC’s latest publication, Preserving water through collaboration that works, considers how New Zealand within a global context, has responded to water risks and the potential to improve water management in the future. New Zealand faces its own risks which differ from those in other parts of the world, and these risks, are increasing.
PwC Director and Local Government expert David Walker says, “A usable supply of water is fundamental to the New Zealand economy and permeates across all industries – and notably farming, forestry, electricity generation and public sectors. However continued effective water management is becoming more complex and costly. . .
ASB Farmshed Economics Report Cash is king for farmers
• Despite a better milk price forecast, farm cashflows will remain weak this season.
• But falling interest rates are putting cash back in farmers’ pockets.
• Meanwhile, the hot air has been let out of the NZ dollar.
Despite Fonterra’s better opening season milk price forecast, farm cashflows will still face pressure this season, according to the latest ASB Farmshed Economics Report. . .
TPP dairy deal ‘not at a level we would currently like’, says Key – Pattrick Smellie:
(BusinessDesk) – The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact does not yet include an acceptable deal on access for New Zealand’s most important exports, dairy products, with little more than a month to go before the controversial 12 nation trade deal could be concluded.
“I think the way I would describe it is there’s a deal. It’s probably not at the level that we would currently like,” said Prime Minister John Key at his post-Cabinet press conference in Wellington. He was referring to comments last week by Trade Minister Tim Groser that negotiations on dairy access to the heavily protected US, Canadian and Japanese markets had “barely started.” . . .
A2 shareholder Freedom Foods in consortium to take over milk marketer – Fiona Rotherham:
(BusinessDesk) – A2 Milk Co’s cornerstone shareholder, Freedom Foods Group, is part of a consortium with an international dairy group that’s eyeing a takeover of the dual-listed milk marketer.
Freedom Foods, which owns about 19 percent of A2 Milk with a related entity, is mulling a takeover of A2 Milk, making an indicative non-binding and conditional expression of interest to buy the shares it doesn’t already own. A deal would be contingent on the consortium, which includes an “unnamed leading international liquid dairy milk company”, undertaking due diligence. It also has a restriction on A2 Milk changing the number of shares on issue, effectively scotching a planned equity raising. . .
LIC seeks $125M debt facilities this year, targets $140M equity over decade – Jonathan Underhill:
Livestock Improvement Corp, which aims to lift annual revenue to $1 billion by 2025, says it plans to establish $125 million of debt facilities this year and is likely to require $140 million in equity capital over the next 10 years to meet its growth goals.
Details of its capital requirements are included in a presentation the bull semen and dairy genetics database manager is taking around the country to explain to its shareholders how its changing focus, with increased capital spending and new product development, is changing its financial profile. Previously it has only required seasonal debt funding, typically for three months, the presentation shows. .
Upper South Island Butchers Battle It Out:
The best young butchers in the Upper South Island have been announced following the Alto Young Butcher and Competenz Butcher Apprentice of the Year regional final on Saturday.
Rowan Lee from Peter Timbs in Bishopdale was the winner of the Alto Young Butcher category, while Matthew Clemens from New World Ilam topped the Competenz Butcher Apprentice category, both highly sought after titles. . .
Tractor and Machinery Association elects new President:
Mark Hamilton-Manns, New Zealand Sales Manager for John Deere, has been elected President of the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA).
Formerly Vice President of the organisation, he takes over from Ian Massicks, New Zealand Kubota Manager for CB Norwood Distributors, who had been President for six years.
Roger Nehoff, General Manager New Zealand Retail for Landpower New Zealand, was elected Vice-President. . .
February 7 in history
07/02/2015457 Leo I became emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
1074 Pandulf IV of Benevento was killed battling the invading Normans at the Battle of Montesarchio.
1238 The Mongols burned the Russian city of Vladimir.
1301 Edward of Caernarvon (later King Edward II of England) became the first English Prince of Wales.
1478 Sir Thomas More, English statesman, humanist, and author, was born (d 1535).
1497 – The bonfire of the vanities occured in which suppoters of Girolamo Savonarola burned thousands of objects including cosmetics, art, and books in Florence.
1795 The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified.
1804 John Deere, American manufacturer (Deere & Company), was born (d. 1886).
1807 Battle of Eylau – Napoléon’s French Empire began fighting against Russian and Prussian forces of the Fourth Coalition at Eylau, Poland.
1812 Charles Dickens, English novelist, was born (d. 1870).
1819 Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles left Singapore after just taking it over, leaving it in the hands of William Farquhar.
1842 Battle of Debre Tabor: Ras Ali Alula, Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia defeated warlord Wube Haile Maryam of Semien.
1856 The Kingdom of Awadh was annexed by the British East India Company after a peaceful abdication of Wajid Ali Shah, the king of Awadh.
1856 – The colonial Tasmanian Parliament passed the first piece of legislation (the Electoral Act of 1856) anywhere in the world providing for elections by way of a secret ballot.
1863 The Royal Navy’s steam corvette HMS Orpheus, bringing supplies and reinforcements for the land wars, hit the Manukau Harbour bar and sank. Of the 259 aboard, 189 died, making it New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster.
1867 Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author, was born (d. 1957).
1870 Alfred Adler, Austrian psychologist was born (d. 1937).
1898 Émile Zola was brought to trial for libel for publishing J’Accuse.
1901 Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand politician, was born (d. 1989).
![]() |
1904 A fire in Baltimore destroyed over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.
1907 The Mud March, the first large procession organised by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS).
1922 Hattie Jacques, English actress, was born (d. 1980).
1943 Imperial Japanese naval forces completed the evacuation of Imperial Japanese Army troops from Guadalcanal during Operation Ke, ending Japanese attempts to retake the island from Allied forces in the Guadalcanal Campaign.
1956 Mark St. John, American musician (Kiss), was born (d. 2007).
1962 Garth Brooks, American singer, was born.
1962 Eddie Izzard, British actor and comedian, was born.
1962 – David Bryan, American musician (Bon Jovi), was born.
1962 The United States banned all Cuban imports and exports.
1967 Bushfires in southern Tasmania claimed 62 lives and destroy 2,642.7 square kilometres (653,025.4 acres) of land.
1974 Grenada gained independence from the United Kingdom.
1979 Pluto moved inside Neptune‘s orbit for the first time since either was discovered.
1984 STS-41-B Mission – Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart made the first untethered space walk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).
1986 Twenty-eight years of one-family rule ended in Haiti, when President Jean-Claude Duvalier fled.
1990 The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agreed to give up its monopoly on power.
1991 Haiti‘s first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was sworn in.
1991 – The IRA launched a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street during a cabinet meeting.
1992 – The Maastricht Treaty was signed, leading to the creation of the European Union.
1995 Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
1999 – Crown Prince Abdullah became the King of Jordan on the death of his father, King Hussein.
2009 Bushfires in Victoria left 173 dead in the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history.
2012 – President Mohamed Nasheed of the Republic of Maldives resigned, after 23 days of anti-governmental protests calling for the release of Chief Judge unlawfully arrested by the military.
2013 – At least 53 people were killed when a bus and truck collided near Chibombo, Zambia.
Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.
Rural round-up
22/08/2014NZ meat industry tie-up stumbled on differing strategies – Tina Morrison:
(BusinessDesk) – New Zealand meat companies abandoned efforts to consolidate and reduce surplus capacity last year because they lacked an agreed export strategy and farmers wouldn’t commit stock to firms that closed plants, industry sources say.
The country’s four biggest meat processors – farmer owned cooperatives Silver Fern Farms and Alliance Group, accounting for about half the industry, the Talley’s Group family-owned Affco and ANZCO Foods, with a majority ownership held by a Japanese food company – ended talks after failing to reach agreement last year.
A proposal for competitors to share the cost of closing plants was rejected, as was a plan for each company to retain its stock volumes for a period of up to five years following a closure, so they weren’t disadvantaged, according to people involved in the talks, who asked not to be named. . .
No more rules please, say farmers – Diane Bishop:
Education, not regulation, is the key to good environmental outcomes, Southland farmers say.
They want Environment Southland to establish best-practice guidelines around hill and high country development instead of enforcing rules on them.
“I don’t like rules,” Lumsden farmer Willie Menlove said.
“I’ve farmed for more than 20 years without these sorts of rules and I’d prefer education to be the end goal.”
He isn’t alone. . .
– Matt Stewart:
From test-tube meat to 3-D printed pizza, the future of food is a brave new world where science is racing to keep up with a resource that grows ever more expensive and scarce.
As part of Wellington on a Plate, Victoria University tourism management honours students are imagining various scenarios around the future of food festivals and, ultimately, the way we will consume and make food as the planet struggles to feed 10 billion mouths by 2050.
“By 2050 the burger competition at Wellington on a Plate could consist of restaurants who are growing their own hamburgers,” student supervisor and futurist Ian Yeoman said. . .
Quality of river raises passions – Gerard Hutching:
Outside the mercury may be falling, but indoors the atmosphere heats up as a trio of farmers passionately debate the future of dairying in the Tararua district.
It’s a hot topic, with the Horizons Regional Council laying down the gauntlet to land users to clean up their act with its One Plan and the Environment Court setting limits on the amount of nitrogen loss into rivers.
Many found the court’s ruling hard to swallow.
“It would have been catastrophic. Our farms were going to rot from the inside out. The regional council had not done its work properly,” says Dannevirke dairy farmer Will Findlay. . .
John Deere and the downside of an abundant harvest:
This year hasn’t been kind to the US agricultural sector.
Just ask John Deere, the world’s largest manufacturer of farming machinery. The company reported a 15 per cent plunge in profit for its fiscal third quarter compared with the previous quarter on Wednesday. After years of sustained growth, the company has now seen its sales fall in each of the first three fiscal quarters of 2014 and each time significantly.
Tractor sales, which are often used as a barometer of agricultural sector health, have been especially weak in the US. Deere’s equipment sales fell by 6 per cent in the third quarter, and are expected to tumble by another 8 per cent in the fourth quarter. . . .
Strong sales signal confidence in the New Zealand wine industry:
Solid export value growth and continued demand for New Zealand wine is the summary of the year according to the June year end 2014 Annual Report of New Zealand Winegrowers.
“Wineries took full advantage of the glorious 2013 vintage to bounce back from the supply constraints of 2012. The end result was a 10% increase in both export volume and value as overseas sales earned a record $1.33 billion” said Steve Green, Chair of New Zealand Winegrowers. The highly successful sales year left stocks needing replenishment and even greater demand forecast. 445,000 tonnes of grapes were harvested in 2014.
All grape growing regions witnessed a two-speed growing season which commenced early but slowed in the lead-up to vintage with a run of fine but cool weather in most regions allowing for good flavour development. . .
Our Seafood the Best in the World:
The Prime Minister John Key called New Zealand’s seafood ‘the best in the world’ in opening the Seafood Industry Conference in Wellington.
John Key said he’s travelled all over the world and eaten seafood in all sorts of places, but ‘without doubt New Zealand produces the best and I’ll challenge anyone to show me better.”
“I’ve hosted Hilary Clinton, to Will and Kate, and they’ve all been impressed by our seafood,” he told delegates. . .
Tractor not ideal get-away vehicle
10/06/2014Police think two men they were pursuing have used a stolen tractor as a get-away vehicle:
. . . Police were pursuing two men in a car in Te Aroha at 11pm on Monday night when their vehicle crashed into a paddock.
The two men fled and officers were unable to find them despite using search dogs.
On Tuesday morning at 7am a local farmer reported his John Deere tractor was missing. . . .
The average tractor is big and slow-moving which isn’t what’s normally wanted a get-away vehicle.
February 7 in history
07/02/2014457 Leo I became emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
1074 Pandulf IV of Benevento was killed battling the invading Normans at the Battle of Montesarchio.
1238 The Mongols burned the Russian city of Vladimir.
1301 Edward of Caernarvon (later King Edward II of England) became the first English Prince of Wales.
1478 Sir Thomas More, English statesman, humanist, and author, was born (d 1535).
1497 – The bonfire of the vanities occured in which suppoters of Girolamo Savonarola burned thousands of objects including cosmetics, art, and books in Florence.
1795 The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified.
1804 John Deere, American manufacturer (Deere & Company), was born (d. 1886).
1807 Battle of Eylau – Napoléon’s French Empire began fighting against Russian and Prussian forces of the Fourth Coalition at Eylau, Poland.
1812 Charles Dickens, English novelist, was born (d. 1870).
1819 Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles left Singapore after just taking it over, leaving it in the hands of William Farquhar.
1842 Battle of Debre Tabor: Ras Ali Alula, Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia defeated warlord Wube Haile Maryam of Semien.
1856 The Kingdom of Awadh was annexed by the British East India Company after a peaceful abdication of Wajid Ali Shah, the king of Awadh.
1856 – The colonial Tasmanian Parliament passed the first piece of legislation (the Electoral Act of 1856) anywhere in the world providing for elections by way of a secret ballot.
1863 The Royal Navy’s steam corvette HMS Orpheus, bringing supplies and reinforcements for the land wars, hit the Manukau Harbour bar and sank. Of the 259 aboard, 189 died, making it New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster.
1867 Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author, was born (d. 1957).
1870 Alfred Adler, Austrian psychologist was born (d. 1937).
1898 Émile Zola was brought to trial for libel for publishing J’Accuse.
1901 Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand politician, was born (d. 1989).
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1904 A fire in Baltimore destroyed over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.
1907 The Mud March, the first large procession organised by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS).
1922 Hattie Jacques, English actress, was born (d. 1980).
1943 Imperial Japanese naval forces completed the evacuation of Imperial Japanese Army troops from Guadalcanal during Operation Ke, ending Japanese attempts to retake the island from Allied forces in the Guadalcanal Campaign.
1956 Mark St. John, American musician (Kiss), was born (d. 2007).
1962 Garth Brooks, American singer, was born.
1962 Eddie Izzard, British actor and comedian, was born.
1962 – David Bryan, American musician (Bon Jovi), was born.
1962 The United States banned all Cuban imports and exports.
1967 Bushfires in southern Tasmania claimed 62 lives and destroy 2,642.7 square kilometres (653,025.4 acres) of land.
1974 Grenada gained independence from the United Kingdom.
1979 Pluto moved inside Neptune‘s orbit for the first time since either was discovered.
1984 STS-41-B Mission – Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart made the first untethered space walk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).
1986 Twenty-eight years of one-family rule ended in Haiti, when President Jean-Claude Duvalier fled.
1990 The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agreed to give up its monopoly on power.
1991 Haiti‘s first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was sworn in.
1991 – The IRA launched a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street during a cabinet meeting.
1992 – The Maastricht Treaty was signed, leading to the creation of the European Union.
1995 Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
1999 – Crown Prince Abdullah became the King of Jordan on the death of his father, King Hussein.
2009 Bushfires in Victoria left 173 dead in the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history.
2012 – President Mohamed Nasheed of the Republic of Maldives resigned, after 23 days of anti-governmental protests calling for the release of Chief Judge unlawfully arrested by the military.
2013 – At least 53 people were killed when a bus and truck collided near Chibombo, Zambia.
Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.
February 7 in history
07/02/2013457 Leo I became emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
1074 Pandulf IV of Benevento was killed battling the invading Normans at the Battle of Montesarchio.
1238 The Mongols burned the Russian city of Vladimir.
1301 Edward of Caernarvon (later King Edward II of England) became the first English Prince of Wales.
1478 Sir Thomas More, English statesman, humanist, and author, was born (d 1535).
1497 – The bonfire of the vanities occured in which suppoters of Girolamo Savonarola burned thousands of objects including cosmetics, art, and books in Florence.
1795 The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified.
1804 John Deere, American manufacturer (Deere & Company), was born (d. 1886).
1807 Battle of Eylau – Napoléon’s French Empire began fighting against Russian and Prussian forces of the Fourth Coalition at Eylau, Poland.
1812 Charles Dickens, English novelist, was born (d. 1870).
1819 Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles left Singapore after just taking it over, leaving it in the hands of William Farquhar.
1842 Battle of Debre Tabor: Ras Ali Alula, Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia defeated warlord Wube Haile Maryam of Semien.
1856 The Kingdom of Awadh was annexed by the British East India Company after a peaceful abdication of Wajid Ali Shah, the king of Awadh.
1856 – The colonial Tasmanian Parliament passed the first piece of legislation (the Electoral Act of 1856) anywhere in the world providing for elections by way of a secret ballot.
1863 The Royal Navy’s steam corvette HMS Orpheus, bringing supplies and reinforcements for the land wars, hit the Manukau Harbour bar and sank. Of the 259 aboard, 189 died, making it New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster.
1867 Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author, was born (d. 1957).
1870 Alfred Adler, Austrian psychologist was born (d. 1937).
1898 Émile Zola was brought to trial for libel for publishing J’Accuse.
1901 Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand politician, was born (d. 1989).
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1904 A fire in Baltimore destroyed over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.
1907 The Mud March, the first large procession organised by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS).
1922 Hattie Jacques, English actress, was born (d. 1980).
1943 Imperial Japanese naval forces completed the evacuation of Imperial Japanese Army troops from Guadalcanal during Operation Ke, ending Japanese attempts to retake the island from Allied forces in the Guadalcanal Campaign.
1956 Mark St. John, American musician (Kiss), was born (d. 2007).
1962 Garth Brooks, American singer, was born.
1962 Eddie Izzard, British actor and comedian, was born.
1962 – David Bryan, American musician (Bon Jovi), was born.
1962 The United States banned all Cuban imports and exports.
1967 Bushfires in southern Tasmania claimed 62 lives and destroy 2,642.7 square kilometres (653,025.4 acres) of land.
1974 Grenada gained independence from the United Kingdom.
1979 Pluto moved inside Neptune‘s orbit for the first time since either was discovered.
1984 STS-41-B Mission – Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart made the first untethered space walk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).
1986 Twenty-eight years of one-family rule ended in Haiti, when President Jean-Claude Duvalier fled.
1990 The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agreed to give up its monopoly on power.
1991 Haiti‘s first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was sworn in.
1991 – The IRA launched a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street during a cabinet meeting.
1992 – The Maastricht Treaty was signed, leading to the creation of the European Union.
1995 Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
1999 – Crown Prince Abdullah became the King of Jordan on the death of his father, King Hussein.
2009 Bushfires in Victoria left 173 dead in the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history.
2012 – President Mohamed Nasheed of the Republic of Maldives resigned, after 23 days of anti-governmental protests calling for the release of Chief Judge unlawfully arrested by the military
Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.
February 7 in history
07/02/2012457 Leo I became emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
1074 Pandulf IV of Benevento was killed battling the invading Normans at the Battle of Montesarchio.
1238 The Mongols burned the Russian city of Vladimir.
1301 Edward of Caernarvon (later King Edward II of England) became the first English Prince of Wales.
1478 Sir Thomas More, English statesman, humanist, and author, was born (d 1535).
1497 – The bonfire of the vanities occured in which suppoters of Girolamo Savonarola burned thousands of objects including cosmetics, art, and books in Florence.
1795 The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified.
1804 John Deere, American manufacturer (Deere & Company), was born (d. 1886).
1807 Battle of Eylau – Napoléon’s French Empire began fighting against Russian and Prussian forces of the Fourth Coalition at Eylau, Poland.
1812 Charles Dickens, English novelist, was born (d. 1870).
1819 Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles left Singapore after just taking it over, leaving it in the hands of William Farquhar.
1842 Battle of Debre Tabor: Ras Ali Alula, Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia defeated warlord Wube Haile Maryam of Semien.
1856 The Kingdom of Awadh was annexed by the British East India Company after a peaceful abdication of Wajid Ali Shah, the king of Awadh.
1856 – The colonial Tasmanian Parliament passed the first piece of legislation (the Electoral Act of 1856) anywhere in the world providing for elections by way of a secret ballot.
1863 The Royal Navy’s steam corvette HMS Orpheus, bringing supplies and reinforcements for the land wars, hit the Manukau Harbour bar and sank. Of the 259 aboard, 189 died, making it New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster.
1867 Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author, was born (d. 1957).
1870 Alfred Adler, Austrian psychologist was born (d. 1937).
1898 Émile Zola was brought to trial for libel for publishing J’Accuse.
1901 Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand politician, was born (d. 1989).
1904 A fire in Baltimore destroyed over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.
1907 The Mud March, the first large procession organised by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS).
1922 Hattie Jacques, English actress, was born (d. 1980).
1943 Imperial Japanese naval forces completed the evacuation of Imperial Japanese Army troops from Guadalcanal during Operation Ke, ending Japanese attempts to retake the island from Allied forces in the Guadalcanal Campaign.
1956 Mark St. John, American musician (Kiss), was born (d. 2007).
1962 Garth Brooks, American singer, was born.
1962 Eddie Izzard, British actor and comedian, was born.
1962 – David Bryan, American musician (Bon Jovi), was born.
1962 The United States banned all Cuban imports and exports.
1967 Bushfires in southern Tasmania claimed 62 lives and destroy 2,642.7 square kilometres (653,025.4 acres) of land.
1974 Grenada gained independence from the United Kingdom.
1979 Pluto moved inside Neptune‘s orbit for the first time since either was discovered.
1984 STS-41-B Mission – Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart made the first untethered space walk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).
1986 Twenty-eight years of one-family rule ended in Haiti, when President Jean-Claude Duvalier fled.
1990 The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agreed to give up its monopoly on power.
1991 Haiti‘s first democratically-elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was sworn in.
1991 – The IRA launched a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street during a cabinet meeting.
1992 – The Maastricht Treaty was signed, leading to the creation of the European Union.
1995 Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
1999 – Crown Prince Abdullah became the King of Jordan on the death of his father, King Hussein.
2009 Bushfires in Victoria left 173 dead in the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history.
Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.
February 7 in history
07/02/2011On February 7:
457 Leo I became emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
1074 Pandulf IV of Benevento was killed battling the invading Normans at the Battle of Montesarchio.
1238 The Mongols burned the Russian city of Vladimir.
1301 Edward of Caernarvon (later King Edward II of England) became the first English Prince of Wales.
1478 Sir Thomas More, English statesman, humanist, and author, was born (d 1535).
1497 – The bonfire of the vanities occured in which suppoters of Girolamo Savonarola burned thousands of objects including cosmetics, art, and books in Florence.

1795 The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified.
1804 John Deere, American manufacturer (Deere & Company), was born (d. 1886).
1807 Battle of Eylau – Napoléon’s French Empire began fighting against Russian and Prussian forces of the Fourth Coalition at Eylau, Poland.
Napoléon on the field of Eylau by Antoine-Jean Gros
1812 Charles Dickens, English novelist, was born (d. 1870).
1819 Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles left Singapore after just taking it over, leaving it in the hands of William Farquhar.
1842 Battle of Debre Tabor: Ras Ali Alula, Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia defeated warlord Wube Haile Maryam of Semien.
1856 The Kingdom of Awadh was annexed by the British East India Company after a peaceful abdication of Wajid Ali Shah, the king of Awadh.
1856 – The colonial Tasmanian Parliament passed the first piece of legislation (the Electoral Act of 1856) anywhere in the world providing for elections by way of a secret ballot.
1863 The Royal Navy’s steam corvette HMS Orpheus, bringing supplies and reinforcements for the land wars, hit the Manukau Harbour bar and sank. Of the 259 aboard, 189 died, making it New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster.

1867 Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author, was born (d. 1957).
1870 Alfred Adler, Austrian psychologist was born (d. 1937).
1898 Émile Zola was brought to trial for libel for publishing J’Accuse.
1901 Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand politician, was born (d. 1989).
1904 A fire in Baltimore destroyed over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.
1907 The Mud March, the first large procession organised by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS).
1922 Hattie Jacques, English actress, was born (d. 1980).
1943 Imperial Japanese naval forces completed the evacuation of Imperial Japanese Army troops from Guadalcanal during Operation Ke, ending Japanese attempts to retake the island from Allied forces in the Guadalcanal Campaign.

1956 Mark St. John, American musician (Kiss), was born (d. 2007).
1962 Garth Brooks, American singer, was born.
1962 Eddie Izzard, British actor and comedian, was born.
1962 – David Bryan, American musician (Bon Jovi), was born.
1962 The United States banned all Cuban imports and exports.
1967 Bushfires in southern Tasmania claimed 62 lives and destroy 2,642.7 square kilometres (653,025.4 acres) of land.
1974 Grenada gained independence from the United Kingdom.
1979 Pluto moved inside Neptune‘s orbit for the first time since either was discovered.
1984 STS-41-B Mission – Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart made the first untethered space walk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).
1986 Twenty-eight years of one-family rule ended in Haiti, when President Jean-Claude Duvalier fled.
1990 The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agreed to give up its monopoly on power.
1991 Haiti‘s first democratically-elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was sworn in.
1991 – The IRA launched a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street during a cabinet meeting.
1992 – The Maastricht Treaty was signed, leading to the creation of the European Union.
1995 Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
1999 – Crown Prince Abdullah became the King of Jordan on the death of his father, King Hussein.
2009 Bushfires in Victoria left 173 dead in the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history.
MODIS Aqua satellite image of smoke and pyrocumulus cloud northeast of Melbourne during the afternoon of 7 February
Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.