The United States presidential elections put one in mind of watching WWTF mud wrestling between a rather thin, grey-haired undertaker and a fat naked man covered in hideous green slime. The thin undertaker intones, over-and-over, the hope that it will be a fair fight while the fat naked guy attacks the referee and wants him to help smash the... Keep Reading
It doesn’t seem too long ago that “mental health” was not part of our lexicon. Certainly, when I was a schoolboy it never entered the conversation. That’s not to say it didn’t exist; it was simply that if anyone was feeling “a bit down”, it would be assumed they’d get over it or just needed to harden up. These days, for... Keep Reading
Who went to the Ōtaki Community Expo on Saturday (September 7)? If you did, you will have seen what a wonderful community spirit this town has. Organisations of all types, many run by volunteers, support this community in a myriad of ways. There were the happy women in their green aprons from the Women’s Institute, the St John’s people... Keep Reading
Many years ago, a friend was enduring a marriage breakup. The not-uncommon battle over asset division and “ownership” of the children led to acrimony and no small amount of bad behaviour, probably on both sides. Her former husband had decided she was no longer the love-of-his-life but had consigned her to be the enemy-of-his-life, which... Keep Reading
Friday March 15, 2019, started for many like any other weekday in New Zealand. People’s daily habits would have meant snatching a bit of early morning news on the iPhone, running a Google search or two to find a bit of ready information and checking for anything juicy on Instagram and Facebook. The world probably seemed fine as people headed... Keep Reading
Our sense of community and interdependent connectivity was once almost unshakable. Nowadays, perhaps in the face of overwhelming globalisation, rampant inequality and relentless information (and misinformation), we seem less certain. In fact, we are seeing a worldwide trend towards protectionism, isolationism and populist nationalism. Some of... Keep Reading
Back in the day when the Civic Theatre sold movies and Edhouses sold everything else, we used phone party lines to arrange a meeting at the Ritz Milk Bar or to organise a spot of whitebaiting at the Ōtaki river. A hamstring hadn’t yet been invented as a rugby injury, alcohol and cigarettes were harmless and a bet on the horses required a... Keep Reading
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