THE WIRE

Typing with one hand makes for interesting writing.

Scrolling my new netnewswire "lite"for news is just as easy now I have all my news wires in one place.

BBC, salon.com, NYTimes, Scottish Socialist Party, victorbillot.com, The Age, Sydney morning Herald, all the major dailies in one quick scroll.

What is missing of course, is New Zealand's main papers who do not subscribe to the idea of a newsfeed facility. Instead I have to waste my news time trawling websites, some with archives,some with nothing to search and look up news.

The best news site in New Zealand is local television network Channel 9. The site uploads video on nearly all stories within 24 hours. Their archive is superb and you can view stories from the start of the year.

Channel 9 has taken a leaf out of the best news site online, BBC.

If only the public broadcasting and print would do the same.

Us newshounds wait patiently.

Fashionable Pop?

The man who brought break-dancing into the living rooms of thousands of 80's youngsters was free to go, with a not guilty verdict announced in California today.

The verdict was transmitted to the media via a live radio feed, the judge not permitting cameras in the courtroom.

In New Zealand, public radio delayed their show to take the live radio feed, explaining to listeners tuning in for the 9am news what was taking place.

While certainly the story is newsworthy, and the story is news, however it is turned into an "event", and is another example of perpetuating the idea of "celebrity" by sensationalising the "event".

The story contained the necessary "drama", a popular singer known to millions around the world, therefore it contained the components for public appeal.

In reality, a guy was charged with ten counts of offences.

Society is taught to "look" and encouraged to be voyeuristic.

This need to "look" is generated through advertising, the greed of the multi-corporations to engage high profits at the expense of others.

Today I put my first hard hitting writing skills to National Radio, campaigning for a change in government.

Whether it has something about my age as I'm about to turn 37 in the coming weeks, or the fact that I'm not far off forty may have something to do with it.

Spending my Saturday mornings as a child at the freezing works looking for stray cats and checking the cat traps with my step-father may also have something to do with it.

I actually looked forward to the adventure of clambering up the iron railings, of the enormous tunnels and railway tracks throughout the plant.

My other favourite activity as a young child was reading my one and only present, usually an Enid Blyton book given to me at Christmas or on my birthday.

The smell hung in the air like a dirty toilet that had never been cleaned.

All I can say, is please start talking about the election with your friends, your mates, anyone and everyone who is entitled to vote.

Without people voting and being encouraged to use their vote, change will not come and we are telling the government we are over the moon about how things currently are.

Like the word university, the word voting was hardly used in my household
as a young person.

The vote needs to come out of the cupboard and into the realm.

People need to know what can be achieved by using their vote, how important it is, and that it cannot be taken away from them.

You have your very own vote so please use it.

On the home front, the sun is shining and the cold winter air is chilling.

Meningococcal B

The meningococcal B vaccine is back in the news.

A defensive Minister of Health, Annette King spoke on National Radio this morning about the efficacy of the vaccine.

The information provided to parents to sign for consent is being debated on whether full information is being given.

Claims have also being made current vaccination programme is in fact a type of trial.

The scale of the side effects of the vaccine was also raised.

Nine to Noon's Linda Clark put to the Minister that information given to parents about the side effects could contain more information like the Med Safe website, with specific percentages on how many children may get the side effects.

The Minister responded by saying parents do not go and look at the website.

The claims being put to the Minister is that the epidemic has peaked.

The Minister said we don't believe it has peaked.

Earlier, listeners heard on Morning Report from a mother saying she heard of lots of children being admitted to hospital with doctors just saying that it is a bug going around.

Under an Alliance Government, a true public health will be implemented.

Tu a tap

A trip to Western Southland over the Queens Birthday long weekend resulted in a revelation of pure wonderment.

The journey was delayed due to snow, so we had no choice but to hunker down in front of the home fire.

We took the Catlins route, only to be diverted down a back road to Papatowhai.

The road is now completely tarsealed the whole way, a relief after the last expedition to the Catlins nearly resulted in my sliding backwards down a muddy hill!

The sea was fearly gentle, the traffic was thin, and we arrived late on Saturday afternoon.

I had booked into Shooters Backpackers.

The name did it no justice, as it was just opened at Christmas.

Complete with spa and sauna for hire, the brand-spanking new hostel was excellent with all the basic facillities you need.

So much so, the town was deserted and we had the whole place (takes 50) to ourselves.

The owner even put the enormous log-fire on for us to warm up the kitchen and dining area.

Complete with sparking new stainless steel ovens, microwaves, cutlery, pots and pans, Shooters had its own old-school frigde which looked like an old walk-in butcher's fridge with the pull-out door.

Our double room was basic yet clean, tidy and comfortable.

The following day we ventured out to Te Wae Wae Bay. Apparently you can spot whales and dolphins but I was out of luck.

The bay itself is long, wide and real rough and ready like most Southland beaches. It gives a sense of being at the end of the road when essentially it is. You can't go any further once you hit this part of the country. Only by foot. A sign said "car park" however it was up this steep ledge almost, and rather unnerving.

My boyfriend and I looked at each other and thought shit, shall we just floor it?
So we did. To my surprise the carpark was not empty. It seemed we weren't the only people venturing out in the cold.

We decided to take a short stroll up the initial stage of the Hump Track. Ambitious I thought to myself.

The locals who watched us pull in, and obviously ran the carpark and what looked like accommodation (the most Western accomodation by car most likely!) were amused at this couple who pulled into the carpark and wandered down the track.

After our stroll, we hopped back into the car and found a spot at the bottom of the ledge highway exit back to the bay.

The sea rolled in, the drift wood bounced in the waves deceptive as seals.

We pasted a walker on the way in. It is a dead end to the end of the Te Wae Wae road.

On return to our accommodation, later in the evening a young woman pulled in on a Nifty Fifty.
She had a backpack on her back and was looking wet as it had been raining. There was a yellow flower windmill poking out of her pack. She was looking around and so I told her she needed to go across the road to the shop to get a room.

Mika was from Japan, and spoke a little English. She was on holiday for 10 months, no working, just holiday. She had just come from Borland Lodge on her motorbike. Her next destination was Invercargill.

Unfortunately, we didn't see her in the morning when we left bound for home via Lake Horoko and Manapouri.

WEATHER PERFECT FOR 1950's CHIC

As the snow dust settles on the surrounding hills, I think about whether to head into the city to conduct my errands.

I consider the fact that the sun is streaming into my home-office lounge-coverted cup of tea room as I feel the chill in the air is brisk and light.

I decide to make the move, and figure the sun would have melted the ice on the necessary-evil hill I'm about to drive over.

It is a strange time when all you hear on the radio is weather forecasts of snow, snow and more snow.

Fortuitously perhaps, my most important winter purchase never to leave my side in this existing period of white snowy days, was made earlier in Spring, at a local haven to fellow op shop followers.

A five-dollar purchase resulted in a gorgeous 50's lilly-cream long coat complete with buttons, made right here in New Zealand.

The days of ladies wearing such chic coats are long gone, and I wondered why the lady gave it up.

I suspect there are a mere few of us who are making it their business to collect these past forgotten items and re-inventing the heyday of New Zealand's past manufacturers and pattern makers.

The Fat Cat Election

The government are on the take.

People need to be woken up and tell the government they are sick to death of getting it in the pocket.

Let's see, the latest removal of the five cent piece giving business a 100% profit on their goods without even having to loose market share, GST, the new five-cent fuel tax, the power bill of $180 per month, petrol bills of $60 a week, paying thousands to get a piece of paper we have all been sucked into by the government as apparently this will help you get a job (a degree). But oh yes, you have to pay for that, and the government make a profit off you called interest.


There is another choice out there for voters and that is the Alliance Party.

Air-time may be not be as flash-harry as other parties, but the policies out-sell any
other party out there.

For true change, you need to talk to your mates, your Mum, your Dad, your girlfriend, your kids, your work-mates, your Nana, Gran, the whole god-damn whanau and get them to the polling booth come election day.

By beating your feet to the polling booths and using your free democratically-given-to-you vote, will bring change in this country.

The Alliance will bring change by taxing the FAT CATs, so the rest of us can lead a decent life with decent wages, a true public system consisting of public health-care, public transport, public education system, and public utilities such as power.

Election links
To follow the Dunedin North candidate, go to Dunedin Election Blog or go to
Alliance Party website

See you in the polling booth.