Once you have had a look at "Store Wars"(April 12th) you may never look at a vegetable in the same light again !!! Watch the kids (big & little) as they will have a good excuse to play with their food !!! "May the farm be with you" !!!
#601. Hangi Anyone ???
Another place where tales are told,
is around a fire where the stones are piled,
but thats at the crack of dawn
before a lot of people have begun to yawn.
The night before we would of dug
a hole in the ground and filled it with wood.
Then upon the wood we would of stacked
hangi stones that will end up black.
As the fire roars, we add more wood
to really heat those stones like we should.
After a few hours of doing all this
we remove the stones and any unburnt wood.
The stones are placed back in the hole
and hangi baskets of meat and veg
covered with cabbage leaves
are placed on top of the stones instead.
Once water has been sprinkled on the stones
large damp cloths are used to cover everything.
Then the dirt that is around the hole is piled back on
to make sure all the steam stays in the ground.
Because if you don't and the steam escapes,
you will have a lot of unhappy folks.
No one wants to eat half-cooked meat and veg
especially if they have paid $20 a head.
When you finally receive your plate piled high,
please say grace as you look into the sky,
because nothing compares with a hangi treat
eaten with your fingers as no knife and fork are supplied.
You can sit at the table or on the grass,
but just be careful the ants don't crawl up your arse.
When you have finished your hangi feast
don't ask for seconds as there is one more treat.
There's steamed pudding and cream
a most fitting end to a hangi treat !!!
#602. AUCKLAND #5 IN THE WORLD !!!
Auckland is rated #5 and Wellington rated #12 in the world for lifestyle, in the Mercers Annual Worldwide Quality of Living Survey of 215 cities.
Ratings for some of the cities are - #1 Zurich, Switzerland; #2 Geneva, Switzerland; #3 Vancouver, Canada; #4 Vienna, Austria; #5 Auckland, NZ; #6 Dusseldorf, Germany; #7 Frankfurt, Germany; #8 Munich, Germany; #9= Sydney, Australia & Bern, Switzerland; #12 Wellington, NZ; #17 Melbourne, Australia; #24 Dublin, Ireland; #27 Honolulu, USA; #33 Paris, France; #35 Tokyo, Japan; #39 London, England; #46 New York, United States; #215 Baghdad, Iran.
#603. Purple Potato Chips !!!
Researchers at the Massey Uni Food, Nutrition & Human Health Institute are investigating the chemical & nutrition properies of the taewa or maori potato. Initial research using taewa for crispy snacks suggests that this variety might make unique "purple potato chips". Massey recently harvested its cop of 30 varities of Tawea according to maori protocol. The university keeps some of the crop for its seed bank established 7 years ago and the rest is distributed to marae-based growers throughout NZ, who use the potatos to boost their growing base. The Maori Vegetable Growers Collective, includes hapu and marae at Te Kuiti, Patea, Whakatane, Kaikohe, Ruatoria, Invercargill and Palmerston North. The tawea potato that formed the basis of the market garden industry established in the 1880's to supply early european settlers is now in demand from top chefs.
#604. A Junket Ratepayers Are Funding !!!
Two Auckland City councillors and two council staff are off on a "round the world in 26 days" jaunt funded by ratepayers. The trip will cost over $31,000 plus over $7000 spending money, plus the cost of accommodation. They leave on Sunday for San Francisco and will go to Vancouver; London; Coventry; Paris; Bilbio; Barcelona; Valencia; Praque; Berlin and Hamburg. They return to Auckland, via Frankfurt & Singapore on May 10th -12th. Just goes to show what ratepayers have to pay for !!! News of the trip become public just as a senior zookeeper has to "fund-raise" to attend a elephant conference in USA.
#605. Warbirds Over Wanaka
Its on again - a great airshow with over 50 aircraft on display, including filmsy biplanes of World War 1; Spitfires from World War 2; fighter jets from the Korean War and Vietnam War Striker planes. Plus a display of collectors classic fire engines including models from Dennis, Leyland, Seagrave, Commer & Ford.
#606. Violence In Nepal
For 6 days now, violence has hit the streets in Nepal as people protest. King Gyanendra seized power 14 months ago to stamp out political corruption and to quell a communist insurgency that has killed 13000 people in the past decade. The move at first was welcomed by many of Nepals 27 million people but now the tide has turned . A bloody crackdown by security forces has exacerbated the situation. Three protesters have been killed, hundreds injured and over 1000 people jailed, including some of the top leaders of the seven-party opposition alliance which is organizing the protests. Curfews have been put into effect in Kathmandu and two other cities. The UN Office of The High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal said that security forces were using excessive force against demonstrators.
#607. US$200,000 !!!
For the benefit of those who have deep pockets, you pay the man and he will take you into space - 100km above earth, that's if you have the nerve to accept the high odds and the possibility that it may be a "one way" trip !!! The spacecraft will soar at speeds of 190,ooo km/h to the edge of earth's atmosphere, enter space for 15 minutes and return to land a few hours later - hopefully !!! A queue has already formed as over 150 people have booked their tickets . Leave earth in 2 years time for the final frontier !!!
#608. Kiwis Flocking Again.
If the headlines are anything to go by, it seems that Kiwis are fl(ock)ying aross the ditch again to Australia. The net outlow of people croosing the ditch has doubled in the past two yearsto 21,439 !!! On average, after adjusting for prices and the exchange rate, real incomes in Australia are now 32% higher than here.The gap is widening with a 7.4% drop in the kiwi dollar against the Australia dollar, this year.
#609. Mend Your Fences !!!
"He that hath no rule over his spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls". The glory of man is that he has to fight for his life, physical and spiritual. Life is a constantstruggle against death. Godness is enternal warfare against evil, truth is a steaf=dy fight against faslehood. It is more important to be able to say "no" and stick to it, than to belong to the church or take the total abstinence pledge. Mend the fences, close up the holes man thew illsand then hang out the banner "no surrender" !!!
Its not the memories I have it's the memories I leave behind.
