Monday, April 7, 2008

Concerns for missing Lower Hutt man...


Lower Hutt man's disappearance a mystery...

Police are looking for Lower Hutt man Harold Skudder, who has not been seen by his family since late January; concern is mounting for his safety. He was last seen at the Taita shopping centre.



Harold Skudder has not been seen since late January. Police and his family are puzzled by his disappearance.

Detective Sergeant Dean Simpson says the 38-year-old has no permanent home and was last seen by relatives in the Taita shopping centre. He says Mr Skudder has family in the Lower Hutt and Te Puke areas, but has not been in contact with anyone and his family would just like to know that he is safe.

He is described as Maori, thinly built, of medium height, with heavily tattooed hands and arms. When last seen he had long grey hair and a grey beard.
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Thursday, April 3, 2008

Two Anzac soldiers on guard at the bridge - Part 1...




First published at Quassia:

A bronze sculpture of a New Zealand World War 1 soldier on Sydney's Anzac bridge will be dedicated at a special ceremony by New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, on April 27 this year, 2008.

The New Zealand statue will join a statue of an Australian digger which has been on guard at the western end of the bridge since 2000.

The New Zealand Government has paid $386,000 towards the cost of the statue of the New Zealand soldier. The bond is complete!

The ANZAC Bridge
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Monday, March 31, 2008

Auckland proposes supercity plan...


Auckland proposes supercity plan...

First published on Qassia:

The Auckland City Council proposes to unveil a dramatic plan and template for a single super-city with a 26 member council and an elected lord mayor.

Under this plan the Auckland region would lose 90% of its 264 elected local politicians representing seven terrritorial councils and the Auckland Regional Council, it was reported recently.

The plan will be approved or amended for the council's submission to the Royal commission of Enquiry on Auckland governance. Submissions will close in less than a month,on April 22 2008.

If this plan is successful in being approved, and put into operation there would be a saving of millions of dollars per year. The downside could be a dramatic redundancy in manpower.

Here in the Wellington region I'm sure there will be a very interested watching brief. If the Auckland plan is approved and successfully put into operation, there is absolutely no reason why a 'Wellington supercity' couldn't follow. There has to be some amalgamation in the Hutt Valley for certain, but total amalgamation would certainly be given some real consideration.

I personally will be following the Auckland proposal with much interest.


Your Qassia Link
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Monday, March 24, 2008

Arthroscopy: Part 1: What is Arthroscopy?


Arthroscopy: Part 1. What is Arthroscopy?

What is Arthroscopy? it is a surgical procedure that our orthopaedic surgeons use to visualise, diagnose and treat problems within our joints.

Since this technique became available back in the 1970's, tens of thousands of patients have preferred it over other types of surgery because the scars are smaller, the stay in hospital much shorter and the recovery quicker.

The word arthroscopy comes from two Greek words, 'arthros' meaning joint, and 'skopein', meaning to look. The term literally means to 'look within the joint'.

In an arthroscopic examination, the orthopaedic surgeon makes a small incision in the patient's skin and then inserts a pencil sized fibre- optic telescope, called an arthroscope, into the joint. The arthroscope has a small minature lens and a lighting system that magnifies and illuminates the structure inside the joint.

The small instrument varies from 2.5 to 5.0 millimeters in diameter. Light is transmitted through fibre-optic cables to the end of the artroscope which is inserted into the joint. By using a small video camera and a television screen the surgeon can see inside of the joint.

The video camera attached to the arthroscope displays the image of the joint on the television monitor. The enlarged image on the screen allows the surgeon to look directly at the joint, determine the extent of the injuries, and then perform the particuler surgical procedure required, if necessary.

What we have seen so far is an alternative to the old open surgery where a long incision was made to allow the surgeon to get into and see what damage had occurred and what was needed to repair the joint. Recovery was longer in this type of operation.

My Qassia Link
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Sunday, March 2, 2008

Sir Ed's ashes scattered in two lands - Hillary comes home...












Sir Edmund Hillary's ashes scattered in two lands...

First published at Qassia:

The ashes of the late Sir Edmund Hillary, the conqueror of Mount Everest, were reportedly scattered at sea in his homeland of New Zealand, and at a special ceremony in Nepal where he is a legend bordering on a god.
Sir Ed as he was affectionally known in NZ, received a rare honour of a state funeral, normally reserved for prime ministers who died in office, or former Governor Generals.

Some of Sir Ed's ashes were scattered from the sailing ship SPIRIT OF NEW ZEALAND in the inner Hauraki Gulf in Auckland on Feb 29 2008, while at the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu, another ceremony honoured the life and spirit of the legendary mountaineer and adventurer. It was described as a wonderful merging of two different cultures.

Sir Ed's body was cremated after a private family service, after his state funeral was attended by local and foreign dignatories. It was a moving service.

His widow, Lady Hillary, and his only son Peter, also a mountaineer and climber of Mount Everest,along with his surviving daughter,Sarah and other family members, helped to scatter his ashes in the waters of the Hauraki Gulf.

Sir Ed expressed his wish for his ashes to be scattered in his 1999 memoir VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT.

The gangplank especially constructed for the ceremony aboard the siling ship, will be named the 'Hillary Step' and kept for the use by disabled trainees.

There is still one chapter to be written in the life and times of Sir Edmund Hillary - just how will a sad and emotionally moved nation honour him in the most appropriate way. The greatest icon and legendary figure outside of our war heroes has come home.
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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Graphic images displayed on cigarette packets - diseased lungs and rotting teeth...


Graphic images of diseased lungs and rotting teeth and gums have to be displayed on all cigarette packets sold in New Zealand from Thursday.

The photos can already be seen on some packets as new stock goes on sale and are designed to cut down on the 5,000 smoking-related deaths in New Zealand each year.

Around 24% of adult New Zealanders smoke.

Designed to shock:View Here
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Saturday, February 23, 2008

Power to the people - not the John Key mob...


I was strolling through the streets of northern Avalon last Sunday and was struck by the affluence in the area, just a few blocks from working class Taita; Avalon being part of the original and historical area of Taita, which includes present Naenae and environs.

In one particular cul-de-sac,or grove, a new house was accompanied by two new four wheel drive vehicles, a caravan and a boat, all parked in by the garage. What screamed out at me in silence was this family appeared to have all the wealth in the world and nothing more to spend their money on...but they were most likely one of those obsessed with John Key and the pursuit of power.

It suddenly dawned on me that that was what it was all about...this John Key phenomenon in 2007-2008. The rightwingers of New Zealand have done so well out of the Helen Clark -led Labour minority Government during the last eight and going on for nine wonderfully economicly grown years. They don't want to continue to share their wealth with those minorities the Government has assisted through its social agenda of the last few years - the ones the political right denigrate as being part of a hidden agenda - but in reality a few sad cases of socially dispossessed minorities.

Because, readers, it is actually all about POWER, or the lack of it! The political right have all the dosh but lack the grunt. They don't have the political clout or power these days, unlike the Bolger MOB of the 1990's or the Muldoon Days of the mid 70's-80's. That is why they are supporting the "Key" phenomenon. He is their saviour - the messiah of the Right this millionaire money man named Key!

They want great state provided tax cuts for their businesses and personal income - and the unwashed masses will have to give up all their gains from the Working For Families program and other state support programs to pay for it, whether they like it or not,brother!

It's not a done deal, unfortunately for the political Right. MMP is definately a different ballgame - National may end up with the most votes just like Labour in 1978 and 1981, but not office - they will need a coalition partner; and a partner won't be found with the Greens or the Maori Party.

The power belongs to the people, those who have held it since 1990, and may well retain it in 2008. There is no future with a rusty key in the Finance Minister's lock.
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