In keeping with the South American theme:
Here is a beautiful piece of writing by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, one of the most influential poets of the last century. Translated from his native Spanish, the phrasing and the ideas are delicate, aching, yet never stray into sentimentality. How I wish I could appreciate it in its [...]
Continue reading about Tonight I can write the saddest lines
Beware, this is an unashamed plug for the New Zealand fashion industry.
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This week is Fashion week, when NZ’s brightest and best strut their stuff on the catwalk, and buyers (hopefully) dig deep in their pockets.
These are some lovely shots from early on in the week. I must acknowledge image copyright owners Air New Zealand [...]
Ben Bernanke reckons the recession is over. Probably over. Maybe nearly over.
Well, hallelujah. All ye financial services boffins and bankers, rejoice. The recession is over.
But as for the rest of us, I fear it’s only just the beginning.
What does ‘insurance’ mean, and why should we have it?
According to the Online dictionary, it means, amongst other things, ‘a protective measure’.
So what do we need protection against? I guess the main thing about insurance is that it lets you pay a little bit over a long time, in case you are liable for paying [...]
A fraternal feud that has been going for over six decades, and has split a small German town, is to be resolved today.
Before 1943, Rudi and Adi Dassler were happily (or perhaps, not so happily) running the family business together in the small Bavarian town of Herzogenaurach. Their business was already well known – they [...]
A parent’s worst nightmare – my pre-teen is turning into a mobile phone monster.
Last Christmas, the big presents were Rock Band, and a mobile phone for my daughter, then just 11. We were optimistic and thought she would be different. She wouldn’t become a textaholic like all the rest.
Bzzt. Wrong answer. I’ve just taken the [...]
Beaches, warm weather, huge skyscrapers, and the famous canal – Panama is the place to be? Not trampled by tourist, like neighbours Costa Rica and Guatemala, there are beautiful places to live and loads of opportunity.
Immigration is not a big deal. If you have as little as a £60K for investments in a Panamanian business, [...]
I thought I’d do something different today. We’re having meatballs and spaghetti for dinner, so here’s my meatballs recipe.
Meatballs
500g premium grade mince (the best you can afford, or consider making your own)
250g sausage meat
breadcrumbs
1 egg
dried basil
dried oregano
freshly ground black pepper
rock salt (small amount)
Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Best to use your [...]
And now for something about a movie that hasn’t even hit the box office yet.
A British movie about Charles Darwin has opened the Toronto film festival to acclaim, leading to world-wide distribution. Well, almost worldwide. One country is notable by its absence in the queue for Creation – the USA.
It seems the majority of US [...]
While urban New Zealand is coming to rely more and more on fast access to the Internet, things are different in our rural hinterland. But help is at hand.
New Zealand’s Communications and IT Minister Steven Joyce yesterday announced the Government’s rural broadband strategy, a NZ$300 million package designed to deliver high speed, affordable broadband to [...]