Volvo has announced that it will build a plant in China, and seeks approval for a second, in what it calls its second home market. It was inevitable, though for the long-term survival of the brand, it’s not a bad idea. Through Geely’s acquisition, it can potentially leapfrog other foreign car brands inside […]
Category: culture
Posts relating to culture, multiculturalism and cultural impact.
Glimmers of hope for the people of Christchurch
As jobs are vital to any economy, there is, at least, a glimmer of good news from Christchurch’s manufacturing sector. Tait, Sanitarium, and Steel & Tube appear to have escaped major damage, says The New Zealand Herald. It’s not much solace to those who have lost everything from homes to limbs to family […]
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Firefox 4 Beta 13 passes my tests
Firefox 4 Beta 13 works, and I have not found any bugs with it. I may be wrong, but I believe this is the last beta before release. What’s amazing is that the bugs I have been complaining about for a long time have each been fixed. In other words, the reporting system […]
We all belong to the Christchurch region
Above Good Living, November 11, 2009, with Angela Stone and Megan Banks. Or, the day I met Donna Manning, who produced the show. I drove in a total daze today. The last time I felt like this was September 12, 2001,* the day of the World Trade Center attacks. And then I learned a […]
Trade not supplied
In November 1993, while my mother was dying of cancer, I went and bought 12 cans of Wattie’s baked beans from Woolworth’s in Kilbirnie. She said it would be an easy breakfast to prepare for her, so I should go and get some. There was a limit of six, but there was a misunderstanding about […]
Be vigilant and don’t look
This most recent trip to Auckland was marked by plenty of drama. The first experience was getting a virus the second I hooked up to the internet. The second was, having accidentally bumped the light into beam in my rent-a-Falcon on Ponsonby Road, a very interesting gentleman in a Toyota Picnic in the next lane […]
Chrysler is Detroit-thug tough
Chrysler, Eminem: Imported from Detroit (2011) To take a leaf from Adland, where this is hosted, Chrysler’s message is: buy this ugly car or Eminem will beat you up. To be fair, the cinematographer has picked some good angles for the 200 so it doesn’t look like a rehashed Sebring. Shooting it at night […]
Taranaki food shop must be a front for international finance
In the Fairfax Press today, this story: ‘Food shop protest “racist”’. From what I can make out from this story, New Plymouth District Councillor Sherril George (her address, telephone number and email are here) has been urging people to boycott a Waitara food outlet run by some folks of Cambodian ethnicity. This business, […]
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Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to all readers! Year of the Rabbit: it’s certainly been a nice start to it here with beautiful, calm weather (especially after the winds yesterday). Blessings to you all! And exactly four (lunar) months to Matariki. None of this newfangled solar-calendar Pope Gregory stuff for us here in the eastern hemisphere, […]
My John Barry top 10: ready when you are, J. B.
What are my top 10 John Barry picks? The man had done such a variety of compositions that it’s hard to pick them out without qualifying a top 10 with genres. But for me, these stick in my mind as being the most significant, often because they are tied to important moments in my life. […]
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