Help people in the Pacific threatened by measles outbreaks
Right now in the Pacific there is a life-threatening measles outbreak, and children are most at risk.
Outbreaks have been declared in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. Thousands of people have been affected, and many thousands more are at risk as health authorities and medical professionals race to prevent the spread and impact of this disease.
Red Cross volunteers are working closely with Ministries of Health to support both response and prevention activities. Hundreds of people have already visited the mobile vaccination site at Samoa Red Cross.
You can help too. Donate to the Pacific Disaster Fund now to support this emergency response.
Poll: Is the increase in disability parking fines fair?
In October, the fine for parking in a designated mobility car park without a permit has jumped from $150 to $750—a 400% increase!
The goal is to keep these spaces open for those who truly need them. Do you think this big increase in the fine is fair? Share your thoughts below.
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88.7% Yes, it's fair
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10.6% No, it's unreasonable
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0.7% Other - I'll share below
VERGING IN ON THE VERGE
The dilemma in Levin with residents told by its Council to start mowing and maintaining the grass berms/verges associated with their properties, brings to mind the many owners and renters where I live in Wallaceville Estate who do not mow or maintain the berms/verges they are responsible for despite the newness and otherwise attractive setting of this still developing residential area.
The UHCC have long ago decreed it is not responsible for berm/verge mowing and maintenance except when the verge is not "attached" to a private property or is so big as to relate more to a road in general.
This seems to be a happy compromise though there are quite a few miserable, shoddy residents who simply let the grass and increasing array of weeds grow anyway they like.
Most verges can be mowed in a couple of minutes and with many mowers rechargeable battery-operated, the cost is little or zilch. Weeding - try lawn weed spray for a start.
DID POMS RESPECT HAKA & ANTHEM?
ABs beat England at a 81,000 packed Twickenham Stadium by a narrow but deserved margin last Saturday afternoon but New Zealand was not treated with much respect immediately before the whistle blew to start the match.
The national anthems went this way - the dreadful English anthem was sung by a pro performer with orchestral backing and the NZ anthem was simply music and no lead singing.
Cannot recall when this has ever been done before with no equal footing given. It wasn't as if the spectators did not play big pounds to boost the stadium coffers.
Then the haka was drowned out by that inappropriate slavery song sung by a large majority of the audience.
Maybe the song is not so inappropriate in as much as the British being formerly subjects of a king/queen and still forced to sing an anthem that glorifies the same personnel.
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