And not before time, either. She's done astounding work with music as therapy for sick kids.


https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/05/18/dame-...20language.


https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/5171...ll-of-fame

My summer garden did well this year - too many tomatoes, and then that rain came and they all went rotten. The grapes gave a good first crop...the raspberry got carried away, but hardly any fruit at all. They are a couple of metres apart, but there was a real battle going on over control of the fence/trelllis. I have a crop of pumpkins I never ate - do these things mutate in my compost ?

Digging up a few weeks ago to put in some winter leafies, I found long thin roots meandering through my garden. The grape, raspberry and blueberry are a couple of metres away, but I think they went looking, and found some good dirt in my vege garden.

Shrinkflation is happening in NZ as well, Government is doing nothing.

https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/france-vs-shri...rs-1724667

This describes how Luxon is being led by the nose by a minor part lead by a cooker who is well and truly past his used by date. https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/05/16/health-negotiators-told-to-prioritise-sovereignty-over-stopping-pandemics/

Amazing that in the 21st century, dinosaurs still lurk among us. This was especially in appalling taste because the remarks were made at a graduation.
Unsurprisingly, his remarks have earned him widespread criticism.



https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/lifestyle...JRTOFm96Lm

Quote:The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address.
In addition to calling Pride Month a "deadly sin" and bemoaning diversity and equity initiatives (DEI), Butker set off waves of criticism when he suggested women find more fulfillment through getting married and having children than by pursuing careers - directly after quoting a song by Taylor Swift.
The backlash has been building since Butker made the comments on Saturday in an address to graduates at Benedictine College, a small Catholic school in Atchison, Kansas. The NFL issued a statement on Wednesday, saying Butker's comments don't reflect the views of the league.
However, plenty of women (and Taylor Swift fans) have made their feelings plainly known.
That could keep Butker's social media feeds clogged with criticism for the foreseeable future.
In front of the crowd of about 485 male and female graduates, Butker suggested a woman's accomplishments as a "homemaker" are more valuable than any academic or professional goals.
"I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you," he said.
"How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world."
Butker also praised his wife Isabelle, saying she "would be the first to say her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother".
Judging from the hundreds upon hundreds of critical comments on Butker's Instagram posts and about him on X and TikTok, his remarks did not sit well with many people.
"This wasn't a case of foot-in-mouth. It was a well-prepared speech," wrote columnist Sam McDowell in the Kansas City Star. "Women listening in the audience, rather than being rewarded with a diploma on graduation day, were made to listen as he promoted the role of homemaker - not as an acceptable choice but as their duty as a husband's servant."
Commenters and social influencers also picked up on another piece of information that appears at odds with Butker's worldview. His mother, Elizabeth Keller Butker, is a medical physicist at Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta and holds, among other academic accolades, a degree in chemistry from Smith College, a private women's liberal arts college in Massachusetts.

My Nod32 Antivirus is expiring by end of the month.  It keeps on nagging at me to renew it, every few hours ...

I am now considering whether to renew or not to continue ??  

Do we really need it?

Is Windows built-in good enough? 

What are your views?   

Could be very useful for retrocomputing.

This technology article that Tony Seba released in the last few days raises some interesting predictions and is something to seriously consider in the coming years. https://www.rethinkx.com/blog/rethinkx/t...oid-robots

An audio version is also available here for those that can't digest a written long form report:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA9LPGoyCxU


Continuing to spread his ignorance & hatred ; "You gotta take the head orf & put it on your mantelpiece.". 


Not altogether sure what a 'postle ' is, but perhaps apostle is meant.

Oh joy..charter schools again.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/516...ic-schools

Quote:What is a charter school?
According to the Ministry of Education, charter schools are another version of a government-funded school that provides teachers and parents "with more choice".
Teachers in charter schools are given a different model of accountability, which provides more freedom for them in what is taught to students - and how it is taught to them.
Children must still be safe, attending school and be able to show that they are learning.
Associate Education Minister David Seymour said charter schools provide educators with greater autonomy, create diversity in the education system and allow teachers freedom from state and union interference.
He said they will "raise overall educational achievement, especially for students who are underachieving or disengaged from the current system".