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Norway military chief warns Europe has ‘2, maybe 3 years’ to prepare for war with Russia
Germany is also preparing for the likelihood.
Commander-in-Chief Mikael Bydén, and the head of NATO’s military committee, Adm. Rob Bauer, emphasized Eastern European nations should be ready for war.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/507634/first-union-rats-in-dunedin-south-countdown-a-health-and-safety-issue
And what about the Gisborne cockroach infestation. Not just in Gisborne. There are so many bugs and funguses coming in that our lives and food provision are being affected and the warmer weather coupled with droughts changes breeding habits – more ants, etc. I wonder how blind people get on? Is there extra funding for visiting and house and property care to help them keep themselves well and safe? Hah?
Perhaps we will get a great big plague – either natural or man-ufactured. That’ll concentrate our minds for a while.
Grey Warbler. Good point about the blind. I have regular spider visitors, and now rely on young relatives to spot the daddy-long-legs for me. Cockroaches would be horrible: they remind me of politicians. Rodents can cause real and dangerous damage and are a challenge, even for the good sighted.
Greetings Gentle Annie. I suggest the daddy long legs (and mummies) don’t do much harm and may do good catching moths etc. And can’t bite or poison. I’m not keen on biggish black ones, like a small chocolate in size, which I found, trapped with the plastic pot over and sliding cardboard under method, and put outside.
I feel for you about the others – I had a mouse, ants, and shield shaped Gisborne cockroach on same day – though cockroach tends to freeze and can be trapped if quick using above method (spray the flat cardboard slid under with fly spray first. I don’t feel any tolerance for them.). I felt invaded, and I thought of the vulnerable blind.
Ants would be a problem for the blind as they are busy in all ways and get in everywhere, (ant kill bait may not always work as depending on breeding season they may want protein food rather than sweet). I think the Blind Institute should ensure that government assist people with this disability to control and eliminate such pests, along with other hands-on assistance received.
While looking up google for more info on black spidersI found this informative RadioNZ item.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/audio/2601733/house-spiders
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/507361/the-cost-of-school-uniforms-is-it-time-for-the-government-to-step-in
Blue tshirts for primary with school logo embroidered or printed $25 when plain blue could be $3.50.
Nelson Girls College had ankle length woollen woven pleated and dyed in school colours, wraparound skirts for a time, then acryclic ones were introduced. cheaper. Still hard to care for and like horse blankets. Time passes; they have got shorter and some girls went to the other extreme hem finishing just below bottom. The practical rule is just at knee level. But that is too practical and reasonable.
Ridiculous people at authority level connected with schools, fantastical ideas at every level. Uniforms are good, and even if the upper classes can choose, there should still be simple guidelines.
Otherwise there could be competition for girls to have the most slashed jeans, just held together by threads. Or cut them from top to bottom at sides so that the full leg is on show behind lacing running here and there holding sides together? Of course included in teenage dress codes and socialisation-life learning would be some talk about sexuality. but that is being too practical and to the point, nothing to do with uniforms – or is it.
Grey Warbler. A daughter’s primary school introduced optional uniforms, any style, in blue gingham. I bought one and made another. It saved a lot of kerfuffle and trouble, especially when girls can be mean or competitive about clothes. She was quite nonchalant about it. At secondary school, she regularly took up the hem of her school uniform tunic, badly, and I would let it down again. We didn’t discuss it.
A son had uniform items stolen regularly, and I resorted to sewing name tags in the interior of sleeves, not that that helped. All schools which my offspring attended, had second- hand uniform shops, run voluntarily by the parents. That worked well. Uniforms are a good equaliser.
I am also forever indebted to my late friend, Alice Sorensen, nee Rankin, ( Nga Puhi) for giving me her son’s uniforms and other stuff when I was subsequently shepherding a bereaved son through college, as a single mother.
SW – That gingham idea sounds bright. The uniform having a general guideline as to style no doubt. I laugh at the silent contest about hemlines between mother and daughter.
I have known a number of solo mothers. Life can be difficult when one wants to give children a good start in life. The gummint official attitude at welfare department level may be to push any help through the crack under the door, on the certainty that is deserved bybeneficiaries! Not always mind you but it can be. If the parent is forced out to work and be available for work at all times, they may not be able to attend when second hand uniform sale times are held. And stealing is an accepted way of life for some children and parent. The child might lie to the parent as the easiest way out.
It’s a vicious circle – government welfare, with a sneer and a kick,
deriding the single parent, usually mother, little about capability-building, really helping parents and children enabling them to have skills, self-respect and pride, and fostering a spirit of goodness, capability as proud citizens of a good country. Does anyone know where old NZ snucked off to, to waste away and die? Could we erect an obelisk/pou there to memorise that vision, seemingly almost spiritual, perhaps with money from a fund-raiser!
Eroding sovereignty to enrich a few
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/01/26/plans-to-scale-back-ministers-powers-over-foreign-investment/
Looking at soft plastic recycling – green effort.
Jan19/24 https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/507064/councils-delaying-new-recycling-rules-over-cost
…Standardising recycling is the first step towards a new waste strategy announced by the Labour Government last year…
The Ministry for the Environment said standardising recycling means an extra 36,000 tonnes of waste will be recycled each year…
Clutha, Hurunui, and Westland District Councils have until 2027 to add glass to their collection, while Gore District Council needs to add paper and plastic.
Eight other councils do not have a kerbside collection at all – and the new government has not yet decided whether those councils will be required to provide kerbside recycling by 2027, the ministry said.
Gore District Council manager of critical services Jason Domigan said Gore decided to only accept glass in 2020, for the same reasons now used for standardising recycling….
Sounds like a practical move.
Earlier –
Sept4/23 https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018905479/should-soft-plastics-be-collected-in-kerbside-recycling
March/23 What is the new waste law NZ?
The new national targets are: A 10% per-person reduction of waste going into the bin. A 30% per-person reduction of material going to final disposal (ie going to landfill rather than being recycled) A 30% reduction in biogenic methane emissions from waste.29 Mar 2023
Standard kerbside recycling part of new era for waste system
Beehive.govt.nz https://www.beehive.govt.nz › release › standard-kerb.
August 2019 https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/115333285/inside-future-post-how-a-kiwi-company-is-turning-plastic-bags-into-fences
…The pair were given seed funding by Callaghan Innovation and took a trip to the US to see if they could source technology developed there to create the posts.
But the US technology did not work, so Ground and Wenzlick designed and built their own machines in Tokoroa, with the help of South Waikato Precision Engineers.
April 2022 https://www.nzpost.co.nz/about-us/media-centre/media-release/nz-post-joins-forces-to-combat-soft-plastics-waste-problem
…the soft plastics are sent to Waiuku-based business Future Post who recycle it into fence posts.
So good steps here, how are we doing overall? I’ll try and look further later. Perhaps we can keep a running news item on this through Raw News or whatever.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/culture-101/audio/2018923527/pub-choir-brings-mass-singing-to-aotearoa
Something fun and positive. Queen had a great effect with Barcelona. This could bring out some good moments in NZ/Aotearoa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0wdxj8-mAU
Pubchoir may just be another trend. Could we get that sort of enthusiasm and following for a decent government that promotes human values? Or is it just doing the fun thing that everyone else is doing and gets on the internet? They seem very aware that they are being snapped.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTmRhPsJo5M
But PubChoir has lots of young people gathered and do a good job of Toto’s Africa – an attractive number.
One of my favourite flash mobs is Sabadell Bank in Spain with Ode to Joy.
Ode to Joy – Flash Mob Started by One Little Girl – YouTube 10 years ago 5.41
To pay homage to the town they love and to celebrate their 130 anniversary Sabadell Bank in Spain delighted the townspeople…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87qT5BOl2XU
Pharrell Williams Happy vibes was good. Let’s keep the feeling going forward.
Pharrell Williams – Happy – seems very people-embracing to me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbZSe6N_BXs